ch 10 & 11

Chapter 10 explains how technology can be used for culturally and linguistically diverse students. A lot of students that come into America to learn do not know english, Using technology there are many ways that the students will be able to learn english and the American culture in class and at home. Another thing we read about was differentiated instruction (DI) and universal design for learning (UDL). Differentiated instruction is structured approaches to teaching and learning so students with diverse learning styles can succeed in school. I think this is a great strategy to use in the classroom because we will be faced with students that will have different ways of learning. Universal design for learning is an application of universal design principles to education through methods and assessments that foster access to academic success for diverse students. We also learned about universally designed classrooms, which involves changing the classroom learning environment and/or changing the ways curriculum is delivered. I believe that is important in the classroom because we want all the students to feel welcomed and not  excluded.

In chapter 11 we read about the use of assessment in schools. The textbook says that technology is a powerful tool for assessing performance because it allows students to display real-world learning in dynamic ways. We also read about digital portfolios for teachers and how important it is to have an updated portfolio. We started our portfolio on digication, and I am very happy that we did. It was a great way to start off my teaching career. It is important to have a teaching portfolio because it shows what we are able to do in academic structures and classroom teaching. We also read about student evolvement in assessment and evaluation. When we involve our students it builds partnerships for learning which is important to have in a growing classroom. The last thing that we read about was student participation systems with clickers, which according to the textbook allows students to respond anonymously to questions posed by teachers. This is important because some students might not want to speak up involving a sensitive matter, so we would be able to get important information without the student saying their name.

Is anyone opposed to using student participation with clickers?
What is another way to help students from different cultures feel welcomed?