Differentiating Instruction with Google Classroom

The students in our classrooms come to us with varying degrees of learning readiness, personal interests, and cultural backgrounds. Consequently, teachers must contend with the challenges of managing their time, resources, and attention to help each student maximize his or her learning. Differentiated instruction is one strategy teachers can adopt in support of that goal. According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, "teachers in differentiated classrooms accept and act on the premise that they must be ready to engage students in instruction through different approaches to learning, by appealing to a range of interests, and by using varied rates of instruction along with varied degrees of complexity and differing support systems" (p. 3). Click here for an infographic: Differentiation is vs. Differentiation Is Not.

One approach teachers might consider to facilitate differentiated instruction is to leverage Google Classroom to support individual students' needs. When you post Announcements or Assignments to your Classroom Stream, you can designate whether all students or individual students are the recipients of your posts. Whether it's reaching students who miss class, remediating those that need more time to master, or enriching those who are ready, Google Classroom is a great vehicle for delivering digital content, fostering collaboration and communication, and extending learning opportunities beyond the classroom walls. Check out this brief video for a demonstration of how to differentiate your instruction via Google Classroom. 

References

Tomlinson, C. A.(1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of
     all learners, 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum

     Development. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?    

     p=GVRL&sw=w&u=ocmboces_ascd&v=2.1&it=aboutBook&id=GALE|9781416603924

Effective Feedback with Google Tools

image source: https://canvas.northwestern.edu/courses/58212

Teachers work long hours, well beyond the time required to be at school teaching students. Many of us are accustomed to collecting student work and bringing it home with us to provide feedback, commandeering the dining room table on a Sunday afternoon with a trusty red pen in hand, poring over students' papers to correct their spelling and grammar and provide comments on their thoughts and ideas. It may take days before the papers are returned to students, after which they are filed away in students' folders, never to be seen again. In the above scenario, feedback becomes increasingly less relevant for students to improve their work and reach their learning goals.

According to Grant Wiggins (2012), student performance is enhanced when we offer students lots of feedback and opportunities to use that feedback. In his article entitled Seven Keys to Effective Feedback, Wiggins notes that feedback is most effective when it is

1. goal-referenced
2. tangible and transparent
3. actionable
4. user-friendly
5. timely
6. ongoing
7. consistent

It may be time to re-think how we provide students with meaningful feedback now that we have more access to instructional technology tools through Google for Education. With G Suite tools like Google Classroom, teachers can assign digital documents like Google Docs and provide feedback that meets many, if not all of Wiggins' criteria for deeper student learning. Check out this video tutorial to learn how to leverage Google Classroom to provide students with timely, meaningful feedback. For more information on providing students with effective feedback in Google Classroom, check out Alice Keeler's blog post, Google Classroom: Invisible Feedback.

References

Wiggins, G. (2012). Seven Keys to Effective Feedback. Educational Leadership, Vol 70 (1), pp. 10-16.

Chromebooks in the Classroom: Getting Started

image credit: @cbrownwgcsd

Thank you to all of the teachers who have invited me into their classrooms to help their students log-in to their Chromebooks for the 1st time, especially at the elementary level. I am always amazed at the technology skills our younger students possess--I even learned something new thanks to a 3rd-grade student in Mrs. LoBello's class at Stonehedge Gold! Did you know that you can press and hold your finger on the Chromebook's screen to change the wallpaper? I love how fearless kids are when it comes to using technology!

For many of us adults, however, using Chromebooks in the classroom can be daunting, especially if we are unfamiliar with the device. I recently came across some Chromebook resources to help teachers and students alike grow their skills when it comes to leveraging Chromebooks for instruction.

• Chromebook Scavenger Hunt from Alice Keeler, author of the Teacher Tech blog
• Share this challenge with students. Copy and paste the above link and share with students in an Announcement via Google Classroom. Alternatively, make a copy for yourself and share with students in an Assignment with the "make a copy for each student" option. 
• As they accomplish each challenge they will mark an X in column A. 
• Team Drive
• Barb Ritch and I have been adding resources to the Instructional Technology Resources and Information folder in your Team Drive (Log-in to your Google Drive and click Team Drives for access)
• Chromebook Tips for Success: This "PowToon" video can be used to introduce younger students to 10 basic rules for being respectful, responsible, and safe when using their classroom set of Chromebooks.
• Chromebooks in the Classroom
• This Google Site is full of resources to help you learn how you can leverage Chromebooks for learning.

21st Century Teaching and Learning

Throughout the school year, I will be sharing weekly "how-to" blog posts to introduce you to meaningful instructional technology tools and strategies, but before we get to the "how-to", it is equally important to address "how come?" One of the things I try to impress upon teachers is that effective technology integration isn't really about the devices one chooses. Rather, teachers' instructional goals and the skills they would like to foster among students should be at the forefront. The SAMR Model offers a way for teachers reflect on their lesson design and assess their approach to teaching and learning in the digital age.

In addition to the SAMR Model, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills stresses the importance of critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration to engage students in the learning process. For a brief overview of the Framework for 21st Century Learning, click here.

Fortunately, West Genesee is poised to capitalize on 21st Century Skill development with our investment in Chromebooks and the adoption of G Suite for Education. With this platform, many of the pieces are in place to grow students' skills and prepare them for college and career success. I am excited to support your efforts but also realize how daunting it may seem for you to transform your professional practice. To help you better conceptualize what meaningful instructional technology integration might look like, click this link for some practical examples of transforming lessons through the lens of the SAMR Model.