February
2009
Individual Reflection – Week 5 Curriculum Theory0
As a school administrator and instructional leader, what instructional technology would you expect to see in the written, taught, and tested curriculum of a school or school district striving to meet the needs of 21st century learners?
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has several student outcomes. I believe that Global Awareness, Creativity and Innovation, and Communication and Collaboration are key skills needed for students to compete in society. As an administrator and instructional leader I would expect to see several technology tools that would help teachers achieve the above outcomes. Within the written curriculum I would expect to see resources that provide students with opportunities for communication and collaboration. Resources like creating a blog or participating in a wiki. I would also expect to see project suggestions that required students to use creativity tools like draw/paint programs, digital media and movie making.
Within the taught curriculum, I would expect to see best practices outlined for teachers. These best practices would include ways to differentiate the delivery of instruction as well as ways for students to learn and access the curriculum. I would expect students to work on projects together, use streaming media, handhelds and collaborate with other classes.
In the tested curriculum I would expect the same as above. I would also expect technology to be used to prepare students for the test. Technology tools like Senteos, Quizdom or Turning Point can help prepare students. I would also expect students to take their standardized tests using technology. This provides access for all students no matter their needed accommodation.
What instructional technology would you promote to differentiate instruction for all learners? Consider some of the Web 2.0 tools discussed in Week 3 and some of the tools/ applications suggested in the UDL discussion.
My first choice of technology to promote differentiation is SMART Boards. I’m a firm believer that teachers adopt technologies that enable them to do things they are already doing. The introductions of SMART boards have allowed my staff to still deliver instruction the same way but in a more interesting way. We are now working on using the boards to make their teaching less teacher center and more interactive and student centered. Additionally I’ve been using Glogster with my teachers. Teachers are always assigning posters to their students. Glogster lets students create multimedia posters. I also use Flickr Toys with my teachers. This has lots of tools for students to use, magazines, motivational posters, flip books and trading cards. Discovery Streaming is also a tool that I can’t live without. It’s so much more than streaming video. Teachers can create assignments, quizzes, and writing prompts. Videos with closed captioning can be downloaded. The closed captioning can be edited by the teacher. Font size, color and style can all be edited to provide a structure for students.
