Differentiating Instruction through Technology

Introduction
Gone are the days when educators would only stand behind a desk or
behind a podium and teach a class from there. The times have changed and
so the way teachers teach and the way students learn has also changed with
the years. We live in the era of technology and technology has revolutionized
our educational system. Technology is here to help educators battle
monotonous instruction where most of the student body was lost or left
without a clue of what was being instructed. In this short essay I will intend
to explain how technology has revolutionized education and how
differentiating instruction has been elevated to successfully connect with all
students regardless of their learning styles.
Technology to Differentiate Instruction
(YouTube): YouTube is the next big educational tool, so says Anushka
Mohideen in her article called, YouTube: The Next Major Teaching Tool? I
used to believe that YouTube was only something used for recreational
purposes for people who had nothing else to do, but I now realize that
YouTube is one of those technological tools that can be used as a very
powerful method to differentiate instruction. I now agree with Anushka and I
believe that by creating a lesson plan with the use YouTube, a teacher can
connect with students on all learning levels. It would not matter if the
students were visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners because a tool like
YouTube will be appreciated by all learning styles. Visual learners will learn

much easier because YouTube allows them to visually see what they have to
learn. Since YouTube is essentially a video tool, auditory learners will also find
it easy to learn through this method because they not only see the
instruction given, but they can also listen to the instructions given. If YouTube
is used as a tool for students to create their own videos, then a student who
happens to be a kinesthetic learner will also appreciate the purpose of the
lesson as they will have the opportunity to physically participate in the
creation of their own YouTube video.
(PowerPoint): Creating PowerPoint presentations was one of the methods
that I was introduced to technology as an educational tool. The interesting
thing about that is that I was introduced to PowerPoint as an adult although
PowerPoint is now introduced to students at the grade school level as stated
by Katherine Schulten in her article Is PowerPoint in the Classroom Evil?
That is why I believe that PowerPoint is a very powerful tool because it
reaches students on many levels, both young and old. If the lesson requires
for the student to create their own PowerPoint presentation, it can also help
the students quality of learning. This is achieved by allowing the students
learning skills to be exercised visually and kinetically. If creating the
PowerPoint presentation also includes auditory slides, then auditory learners
will be reached on their learning level. Differentiate instruction is achieved
by using a learning tool like PowerPoint and this is what a good teacher
would want to accomplish.

(Internet): In my humble opinion, there is no other technological tool used

more than the Internet. It is believed that the use of Internet is growing in
popularity in colleges and universities (Internet Approach versus Lecture and
Lab-Based Approach for Teaching an Introductory Statistical Methods Course:
Students Opinions) and I dare to say that it is very probable that the use of
Internet is also growing in elementary and secondary education institutions
as well. The Internet can be such a power tool, if used properly, that
boredom in classrooms can be done away with forever. Differentiate
instruction has no better ally than using the Internet as part of the lesson
plan. Allowing students to safely surf the Internet and do research for the
proper completion of assignments can be both educational and fun at the
same time doing away with the old monotonous traditions that bored
students for decades. Again, this allows for all students, with different
learning styles, to productively learn and grow in their knowledge of the
subject at hand.
Pros and Cons
Since technology has become a big part of our educational experience,
it would be safe to say that technology will only be used more and more as
the years go by. The pros of using technology to differentiate instruction is
that it makes it easier for the educator to reach all students at once. It allows
for students of distinct learning styles to equally achieve knowledge without
leaving a certain group of learners the proper educational experience. One
negative side about using technology to differentiate instruction would be

that either the teacher or the student do not know how to use said
technology. That is why it would be imperative for the educator to make sure
they have the skills necessary to successfully use a certain technology and if
they have a student who does not know how to use a certain technological
tool, then it would be wise to take the time to properly teach that student
and bring them up to date with the rest of the class. Of course, this would
take a little extra effort, but it would be beneficiary for everyone in the long
run.
In conclusion, the purpose for differentiating instruction is to be able
to connect with students on a much deeper level. Differentiate instruction is
essential to making learning a productive and fun experience for all students
and the use of technological tools such as the ones mentioned above can
definitely help to achieve that goal. Every child, no matter what the learning
style, background or culture deserves a quality education and no student
should struggle to receive the best education possible. Educators today have
the advantage, or blessing to say the least, of being able to use programs
like PowerPoint in their lesson plans and access to the Internet for
educational purposes can help teachers give a much more meaningful lesson
to their students. YouTube, PowerPoint and the Internet are just a few of
many technological tools that are now available and ready to help make a
difference in the classroom. Even so, we must never forget, that it is the
teacher who uses technological tools to differentiate instruction the one who
motivates the students to learn all they can and not technology itself.

References:
Anushka Mohideen (2010). YouTube: The Next Major Teaching Tool?. [ONLINE]
Available at:

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/policy/YouTube-The-

Next-Major-Teaching-Tool-.html.
[Last Accessed January 9, 2015]
Katherine Schulten (2010). Is PowerPoint in the Classroom 'Evil'?. [ONLINE]
Available at:

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/is-

powerpoint-in-the-classroom- evil/?_r=0. [Last Accessed January 9, 2015].

Johnson, H. D., Dasgupta, N., Zhang, H., & Evans, M. A. (2009). Internet
Approach versus
Lecture and Lab-Based Approach for Teaching an Introductory
Statistical Methods
Course: Students Opinions. Teaching Statistics, 31(1), 21-26
doi:10.1111/j.14679639.2009.00335.x