Differentiation with Technology

 

Reflection

            This lesson plan has been created for a small group of first graders that I see every day that focuses on alphabet sequencing, word formation, and letter sounds.  This group was created by the first grade teachers due to a beginning of the year assessment that showed pre-dyslexia qualities, but these students cannot be tested for dyslexia until they are second graders.  This remediation helps this group of students fill in gaps, revisit prior letter-sound relationships, and build confidence in these skills in a repetitive learning style so that growth is acquired and built on.  The technology that is included is based on skills that have been practiced before and on applications that has been used before.

Technology Integration

            Seesaw is used on Day 1 and 2 with two different assignments that can be used as formative or summative assessments.  Seesaw has a bank of lessons that have been previously created, or a template if you would like to create your own assignment.  In this case, I will be using the “Missing Letters Fill In” on day 1 to assess sequencing letters in the alphabet, and students will complete the “ABC Order” assignment where they have to alphabetize six words without any of the words starting with the same letter.  Students are allowed to use their alphabet strips when completing these activities.  It would be great to see the growth from using the alphabet strips to not having to use them as students develop the concept and know their sequencing of letters.

            Chatterpix is a great app to use on ipads and simple for students to navigate.  They may snap a picture of themselves or of an object. They may also use the classroom library to take a picture of an animal or object in a book, then draw a mouth, and record their tongue twister that was listed previously in the lesson plan.  Students love seeing each other’s Chatterpix and this is a great way to get the class involved and teaching alliteration while implementing that repeated letter.  Assigning the students a letter to repeat, having them pick their own letter, and/or asking for a required number of words in the sentence are all ways to differentiate this lesson.  Also, this is a great summative assessment of alliteration skills.  Marquez (2023) states that she only has five ipads in her classroom, so “My students just rotate through using the app. I always have them working on something else, or it is in stations as a must do activity by the end of the week. It really takes no time at all and the students love it!”.

Engagement and Appropriateness

Both of these apps that can be used on an ipad and are platforms that can be seen by parents.  I believe that is a great collaboration tool between home and school and also so that parents can reflect on the work of their students with them.  The Department of Education has put out principles that help teachers implement technology in classrooms and what the technology’s purpose must uphold.  One of those principles is “Developmentally appropriate use of technology can help young children grow and learn, especially when families and early educators play an active role. Early learners can use technology to explore new worlds, make believe, and actively engage in fun and challenging activities” (Office of Educational Technology, n.d.).  Engaging in appropriate lessons and activities is also important, instead of allowing students to just sit and watch on a program.  Students should visibly see teachers walking around and monitoring activities and tasks when technology is in use.  Not tolerating misuse of technology and consequences of doing so are clearly discussed is important. Asking students questions about their learning also helps students know that there are checkpoints with the teacher over the lesson.

Global Awareness and Cultural Perspectives

In this situation, the technology that is implemented helps this lower achieving group of students see, hear, and produce letter sounds to make words. It promotes all different learning styles and its engagement level helps all students be productive in the lesson.  Students are able to show off their work, especially in Chatterpix and a classroom expectation of listening to each other’s video in a respectful fashion should be modeled and promoted.  Students learn from our examples of praising one another, and students can reciprocate those compliments onto one another. “Technology can help children author their own materials and stories and share their real-life experiences with others, increasing the amount of diverse, culturally relevant, and community-based content in the classroom,” (Office of Educational Technology, n.d.).

 

References

Marquez, A. (2023). Using chatterpix in your classroom. Teach Create Motivate. https://www.teachcreatemotivate.com/using-chatterpix-in-your-classroo/

Office of Educational Technology. (n.d.). Guiding principles for use of technology with early learners. Department of Education. https://tech.ed.gov/earlylearning/principles/

Seesaw Help Center. (n.d.). How to use Seesaw in the classroom. Seesaw Learning, Inc. https://help.seesaw.me/hc/en-us/articles/115003755186-How-to-use-Seesaw-in-the-classroom

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