In today’s classrooms we often see students with a wide array of ability levels and learning styles. In my classrooms I see students with such a diversity of ability levels that it can be quite challenging to meet their needs. On top of this there are special education students in most of my classrooms, each of whom has their own Individual Education Plan. It’s much easier when you only have twenty or so students in the class, but becomes much more of a problem when there are thirty or more students in the class. And on top of this we have to meet state-mandated curriculum requirements.
However, we have an advantage in contemporary society. Technology makes it easier for us to make the curriculum more accessible to all of our students. Even in schools that do not have the newest and best technologies, there is a wealth of helpful resources out there on the internet: many of which are free. For example, the website Education with Technology (http://eduwithtechn.wordpress.com) offers free graphic organizer software. Graphic organizers can be a great way to help our students with special needs, as well as our best and brightest students. The Education with Technology website also offers many other ways to utilize technology in the classroom. And it is far from the only website to offer teachers help in putting technology to use to help our students learn.
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You make many valid points here, but where are your action steps for your game plan? If you still want to focus on using technology to support writing through peer-reviewed blogs, what resources do you need to make this happen? I understand it must be hard to start without adequate access to technology, but have you considered locating some educational blogs used by students, printing them off, and doing a review of educational blogging with your students? I found when I started blogging with my students last year, it was very helpful to have reviewed some other good examples first so they had very clear expectations when they began their own blogs. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteLaWanda