Jessica Cavender EIM 504 Diversity and Differentiated Instruction with Technology

1. CUSTOMIZING STUDENT
LEARNING AND
UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY
Jessica Cavender
May 2015
Dr.Paynter
EIM 504

2. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
As educators, we need to be able to meet the learning needs of each
individual student. Technology can aid individual learning if we use it
properly and effectively. After understanding the student’s learning
profile, a educator has several ready resources to use!
Students may need assistive technologies to be successful in your
classroom and guide the educator to meeting all requirements to the
IEP. Please research the great programs that can be available to your
students!
Here are some steps you can follow to hopefully maximize learning in
your classroom!

3. SET GOALS
Allow students to clearly understand the expectations and goals of
what should be learned
Let students know how important it is to try their best to meet the
goal!
Meet them where they are, and take them where they need to be!

4. STUDENTS ARE INDIVIDUALS NOT A
GROUP
Give students options with different materials and media to obtain
the goal. ( We all learn differently!)
Provide examples
Give feedback
Include and have available variety of engaging materials
Give flexibility- learning a technology skill plus a content standard
may take time.

5. CHECK UP ON STUDENT GROWTH AND
HELP THEM GROW SOME MORE!
Educators need to really focus on following up with students to
discuss if the expectations and goals have been met. Based on the
data, this meeting or ‘check up’ drives further instruction.
Give the same objective but in a different type of assessment if that
gives a student a higher chance to succeed.

6. MEETING ALL NEEDS- SOCIALLY
AND CULTURALLY
Acknowledge students’ differences as well as their commonalities
Validate students’ cultural identities
Promote equality
Foster positive relationships
Motivate students to become active participants in their learning
Encourage students to think critically
Challenge students to strive for excellence as defined by their
potential
Assist students in becoming socially and politically conscious

7. EXPLORE CULTURE
CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
Break down barriers with these ideas:
-Style of dress
-Paintings
-Foods
-Music
-Holiday Customs
-And more!

8. EQUITABLE ACCESS
EVERY STUDENT IN YOUR CLASSROOM SHOULD BE GIVEN THE
FOLLOWING:
Access to up-to-date hardware
Access to meaningful, high- quality, and culturally responsive
content and the opportunity to contribute to that content
Access to educators who know how to use digital tools and
resources
Access to systems sustained by leaders with vision and support for
change via technolgy

9. “That minority and low-income children often perform poorly on tests is well known. But the fact that they do so
because we systematically expect less from them is not. Most Americans assume that the low achievement of poor and
minority children is bound up in the children themselves or their families. "The children don't try." "They have no
place to study." "Their parents don't care." "Their culture does not value education." These and other excuses are
regularly offered up to explain the achievement gap that separates poor and minority students from other young
Americans.
But these are red herrings. The fact is that we know how to educate poor and minority children of all kinds—racial,
ethnic, and language—to high levels. Some teachers and some entire schools do it every day, year in and year out,
with outstanding results. But the nation as a whole has not yet acted on that knowledge. …”
- Robert W. Cole

10. REFERENCES
Cennamo, K., & Ross, J. (2010). Technology integration for
meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, Calif.:
Wadsworth.
Cole, R. (2008). Educating Everybody's Children Diverse Teaching
Strategies for Diverse Learners. (2nd ed.). Alexandria: ASCD.