Students were tasked with answering the essential question,
How does culture influence literature?
Students were tasked with answering the essential question,How does culture influence literature? they go about answering this question using the tried and true Literature Circle method. However, I've updated it to fit 21st century learning. The results have been impressive.
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The digital divide is an ever growing phenomenon in education and among youth all over the world. It is a age old problem predating modern technology. How do we limit the dissension between the haves and the have-nots? I could list study after study, ad nauseam, that says practice at home (both breadth and depth) with technology, and technology tools, improves the confidence and abilities of students (Barron et al., 2009). However, this is common knowledge among academics in the Instructional Technology field.
I can tout a suggested solution. Bring your own device offers a great chance for students to practice with a tool they are most comfortable with, and it takes a great deal of the responsibility off of the school. But, it’s a make-shift bridge to an ever expanding gap. Truth is, I don’t have the solution. I think, for now, BYOD is a fair fix while districts and society get their act together. Certainly, change must occur throughout the system, rather than in one localized area (the home, the school, etc.). Communication between schools and parents is huge, of course technology helps with this (Hohlfield et al. 2010). Beyond this, I think schools owe it to communities to involve them in future plans for technology access. It takes a village to fill the gap. The concept of diversity is broad and far reaching. When technology is thrown into the mix, its reach seems endless. Certainly all students are diverse and represent a unique perspective, background, and individuality that must be met by teachers. This would normally seem quite impossible with the size of classrooms, the ever growing pressure to meet ALL THE STANDARDS, and the pressure placed on teachers to maintain a “healthy” distance from our students. But, technology changes the game quite a bit. Technology allows for differentiation, and thus a “different” way for students to learn depending on their individual preference or need. As Richardson (2012) mentions in his article, Preparing Students to Learn Without Us, “The ability to learn what we want, when we want, with whomever we want as long as we have access creates a huge push against a system of education steeped in time-and-place learning” (p. 23). Essentially, education is changing to better meet the diverse needs of our students. Technology is the vehicle by which that change is being delivered… and just in time, really. It is no longer best practice to simply teach to one type of stock-standard student. As the Edyburn (2006) article, Failure is Not an Option states, “Recognizing the need for both physical and cognitive access to learning provides a rationale for far-ranging searches of existing technologies that fundamentally alter the way specific tasks can be completed” (p. 21). Continuing, we must accept that our classrooms and instruction cannot be one size fit all solutions to a diverse group of learners. We must engage, connect, and bring to life content that matters. In their 2009 article, Differentiated Instruction and Middle School Learners, Smith and Throne note, “…learning is most meaningful when topics are connected to students’ needs and interests, and when the students themselves are actively engaged in creating, understanding, and connecting with knowledge” (p. 31).
Reaching the diverse needs of my students has been made easy through the use of blogging. My classes, while smaller than standard class sizes in the United States, run the gamut of diverse backgrounds and abilities. I have been able to differentiate significantly because my school operates under a BYOD program. Each student brings a laptop. Through this, I am able to offer quite a bit of choice in the process and product phases of my instruction. But, blogging is great for reasons beyond this. I am able to help students become more aware and understanding of other cultures. Richardson (2012) concurs, “Students can connect to the people who have created the resources they are using- the authors, bloggers, videographers, and others who have shared their work online” (p. 25). It has been so helpful to have students create webpages and creative online projects that can be shared so readily with peers, teachers, and the community. But, being in an American International School, it is perfect for students to connect with people in the United States and engage in valuable discussions that would otherwise never happen. |
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