Personalized Learning is NOT Differentiating Instruction The term “Personalized Learning” is a buzz word educators use to be an alternative to “one size fits all” teaching. Unfortunately, the message is confusing. Ed.gov’s archive as part of the National Technology Plan lays out the definition of Individualized, Personalized, and Differentiated Instruction: Individualization refers to instruction that is paced to the learning needs of different learners. Learning goals are the same for all students, but students can progress through the material at different speeds according to their learning needs. Differentiation refers to instruction that is tailored to the learning preferences of different learners. Personalization refers to instruction that is paced to learning needs, tailored to learning preferences, and tailored to the specific interests of different learners. Personalized learning is NOT “Personalized Instruction.” Personalizing learning means… Each learner is unique and learns in different ways.
Six Strategies for Differentiated Instruction in Project-Based Learning Project-based learning (PBL) naturally lends itself to differentiated instruction. By design, it is student-centered, student-driven, and gives space for teachers to meet the needs of students in a variety of ways. PBL can allow for effective differentiation in assessment as well as daily management and instruction. PBL experts will tell you this, but I often hear teachers ask for real examples, specifics to help them contextualize what it "looks like" in the classroom. We all need to try out specific ideas and strategies to get our brains working in a different context. 1. We all know that heterogeneous grouping works, but sometimes homogenous grouping can be an effective way to differentiate in a project. 2. Reflection is an essential component of PBL. 3. This is probably one of my favorites. 4. Another essential component of PBL is student voice and choice, both in terms of what students produce and how they use their time. 5. 6.
Differentiated Instruction in an Online Classroom | EduTrendsOnline by Theresa Melenas, Ed.D. My role as an administrator and instructional coach in K-12 public education has me working collaboratively with teachers to create better learning opportunities for students. A majority of teachers I encounter need support in how to differentiate their instruction to reach all learners. The concept of differentiated instruction (DI) may seems to be only applicable to the bricks and mortar setting of a traditional classroom, but many DI strategies can enhance the educational experience of online adult learners. Allow students to access videos in addition to, or instead of just reading text. How can I differentiate the process of student learning in my online course? Tiered Assignments to support learning styles Discussion forums Allowing choice as to in which discussions students choose to engage Allow students to engage in conference calls or Skype discussions How can I differentiate the products for my online course? References Tomlinson, C. (1999).
Inclusion in the 21st-century classroom: Differentiating with technology - Reaching every learner: Differentiating instruction in theory and practice In this video, students in a gifted classroom use the multi-user learning environment Quest Atlantis to explore issues related to the creation of a game reserve in Tanzania. Interviews with the teacher and students offer perspectives on the value of using virtual worlds in the classroom . About the videoDownload video (Right-click or option-click) The diversity of the 21st-century classroom creates numerous challenges for teachers who may not have known the same diversity themselves as students. While many teachers express frustration over high-stakes accountability standards, they acknowledge pressure to “teach to the test,” fearing non-proficient scores, dissatisfaction from school administrators, and in smaller systems, the potential risk of embarrassment when scores are made public. Differentiation as effective instruction By contrast, the practice of differentiating instruction helps teachers address rigorous standards while responding to the individual needs of students.
Google+ Note: This blog post outlines upcoming changes to Google Currents for Workspace users. For information on the previous deprecation of Google+ for users with personal Google accounts, please see this post. What's Changing We are nearing the end of this transition. Beginning July 5, 2023, Currents will no longer be available. Workspace administrators can export Currents data using Takeout before August 8, 2023. Although we are saying goodbye to Currents, we continue to invest in new features for Google Chat, so teams can connect and collaborate with a shared sense of belonging. This month, we’re enabling new ways for organizations to share information across the enterprise with announcements in Google Chat. Announcements in Google Chat Managing space membership with Google Groups In-line threaded conversations Discover and join communities with up to 8,000 members We’ve also made it easier for individuals to discover and join communities of shared interest. Who's impacted Admins and end users
How Technology Could Improve Personalized Learning Digital Learning should be Personalized Learning is the post organizing key findings and resources about leveraging digital learning to fulfill personalized learning. In this post are more valuable insights, analysis and experience sharing about learner-centered learning. Don’t forget to check out more resources curated by Kathleen McClaskey : Personalized Learning . “Personalized learning, to me, is the process of contouring learning to the individuals that you’re dealing with, recognizing that we all have different strengths and weaknesses, different interests [and] different ways of learning.” “ … personalized learning is finding the best ways to engage with people with different interests, passions and ways of thinking.” ) - Quote from Paul Lorette , the principal of Brackendale Elementary School in Squamish, British Columbia.(his blog: Ready for Learning ) The BC Ministry of Education have created an online interactive guide to personalized learning as part of their learning focus.
Sharing and Storing Files Collaboratively File Storage: Hey, I’m three weeks into this online team collaboration and my computer is knee deep in files. What’s the best way to share these with my team while keeping them backed up? Box.net Simple, Secure Sharing from Anywhere Securely create and upload all of your files and folders from any device. Free for personal use. Dropbox Simplify your life. Your projects are scattered from your work computer, your home computer, your phone, and your mom’s desktop. Free 2 GB of storage or $19.99/month ($199/year) for 100 GB. KeepandShare Share, manage and access all of your content online. Great way to stay organized and share information. Lifetime free account with a 100 document limit or get a premium account for $49.99 a year and store up to 10,000 documents. Seems easy enough to collaborate with anyone from anywhere. Zotero Grab your research with a single click This tool specifically targets research-based collaboration. Search feature could use some work but the forums are great. CutePDF Free
Personalizing the World Language Classroom Increases Motivation and AcquisitionCalico Spanish We enjoyed a wonderful #langchat this past Thursday and discussed how the content of world language class can be personalized to motivate students and improve language acquisition. If you missed us, please be sure to check out the archive or catch the summary below. Thanks to all of our participants for the night; we had a fantastic turnout and an incredibly fast-paced chat! Thanks especially to our moderators for the evening, Erica Fischer (@CalicoTeach) and Kristy Placido (@placido), but also to the rest of the #langchat team for showing up and participating: Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell (@SECottrell), Don Doehla (@dr_dmd) and Diego Ojeda (@DiegoOjeda66). Before we get started, a fair warning: Thursday’s #langchat discussion was truly sensational, and much useful information was shared and offered. As a result, this summary is a bit long; we recommend you grab a coffee and settle in for a while as there are lots of interesting resources. Personalization Personalization and differentiation
Welcome to TechMatrix | TechMatrix Sharing Documents and Collaborating Online Now it’s time for the meat and potatoes. Virtual meetings and group conversations are great, but what about a project that requires much more than communication accessibility? I need an online tool that supports document collaboration. I have a team of five highly talented engineers working with charts and measurements. I’m not sure if I trust online collaboration for a project of this detail. Why not? Google Docs Create and Share Your Work Online The leader in document collaboration has made it easy to swallow the Google pill. With Google Docs, you do not have to send emails, save files, or worry about your information being lost. Google Docs now syncs up with the aforementioned Google+ Hangouts so teams can video conference while editing documents. Free with a Google account Easy to edit, share, collaborate, and save Cacoo Create diagrams online. This file sharing platform is for the artistic minded. Easy to click and drag shapes, zoom in, zoom out, share work and save work. Evernote Free
Online Meetings and Video Collaboration NOTE: This is Part I in a series of three articles about web-based tools to help facilitate collaboration and document-sharing among a group of people, stay organized with all of your files, and increase productivity. Here are some solutions for group calling in the early stages. Skype The World’s Most Popular Video Calling Software Group video calling is a great way for face-to-face introductions of team members. Free trial membership for one week. Download the program directly to your computer in 5-10 minutes. Skype is user-friendly and most members of your team will have heard of the service, and may have even used it before. Google+ Hangouts Video Chatting on Google+ While Google+ is hanging on, there are features that have serious potential to reach a positive tipping point, and Google+ Hangouts is one of them. The price is right. Users must be on Google+ and therefore, must take the time to create a profile and Google account. OoVoo Basic ad-supported chat is free. Tinychat Free Vyew None
How-to Make Group Work Collaborative In Online Courses: Four Strategies “CL (collaborative learning) occurs when small groups of students help each other to learn. CL is sometimes misunderstood. It is not having students talk to each other, either face-to-face or in a computer conference, while they do their individual assignments. Providing interactive learning opportunities in online courses is frequently cited as a best practice by institutions offering distance education—Penn State, University of Illinois and Grand Rapids Community College are three of many examples. …Samuel Totten (1991) who claims that: The shared learning gives learners an opportunity to engage in discussion, take responsibility for their own learning, and thus become critical thinkers. Palloff and Pratt (2005) suggest that online courses that are rich with student interactivity facilitate the development of critical thinking skills, better learning, socialized intelligence, and reflection. In most instances, group work in online courses is cooperative at best. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Tips for Surviving Group Projects in Online Class When it comes to online learning, Michelle Covert has one message for instructors: Stop assigning so much group work. Covert, who completed an online master’s in higher education administration at Drexel University, recalls one frustrating experience in which she was paired with an unresponsive classmate who turned in poor work, if it was even turned it in at all. “It’s different when you can look someone in the eye and see them face-to-face,” she says. “There’s more accountability. While completing a group project in a virtual environment can help students learn to work with others, it can also present unique challenges. On top of that, few instructors prepare their students to face these obstacles, according to Michael Williams, dean of the School of Business and Management at Thomas Edison State College. "If you compare it to the brick-and-mortar classroom, you immediately have sensory deprivation. [Watch online students share time management tips.] 1. 2. 3.
English Text To Speech, TTS: English, Spanish, French, Russian, Italian, German, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese Text to Voice, also known as Text-to-Speech (TTS), is a method of speech synthesis that converts a written text to an audio from the text it reads. The Text-to-Speech engine has been implemented into various online translation and text-to-speech services such as ImTranslator extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge. ImTranslator Translation ImTranslator Dictionary ImTranslator Compare Online Translators ImTranslator Translate and Speak service This TTS reader service sounds like you are listening to a real person. The service gives you the opportunity to practice your listening and speaking skills or master a foreign language. If the voice is too fast for you, you can adjust the voice rate by using the Speed menu. The text can be replayed as many times as you wish. Use ImTranslator speech-enable service, and get your computer talking to you!