Using Technologies to Support Diverse Learning Needs

How much screen time is OK for my kid(s)? I agree with PiperBoj completely. With me, I get to play 1 hour on weekdays, and 2 hours on weekends, after chores, homework, and other related stuff. I've learned to deal with the time limit, even though I still disagree with it. TEXT: 8 Ways to Embed SEL within Academic Content Although the term social emotional learning has been around for over 25 years, SEL has recently gained momentum as more and more educators see the immense need for supporting it within both adults and students. My own knowledge has grown, too, after several collaborative conversations with colleagues, Carrie Edmond and Rebekah Kmieciak, and making time to create practice out of research. At a professional development that I led last year, I used an optimistic closure strategy from CASEL called “One Minute Accolade” to reflect on our time together. One teacher commented during our debrief that she used to think SEL was just fluffy stuff, but now knows it can enhance both the social-emotional and the academic learning. This powerful comment has stayed with me ever since and as I continue to research and apply, I find it inspiring to continue to develop ways to help teachers connect SEL to their content.

TEXT - The Power of Words: On "Classics" and "Canon" (Opinion) The first step is admitting that your ideas need to change. I’ve been in a yearlong conversation with myself about “the canon.” I am, this year, teaching what I feel is a full-canon list (To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, Romeo and Juliet), as I’ve done in the past. I have always had my argument for it, that I could teach these books in ways that were powerful for my students as we discussed race, gender, class, and social justice. Atticus Finch was no simplified hero in my class.

Top 22 Ways To Use Technology in the Classroom If your state adopted the Common Core State Standards, 75% of you will administer yearly assessments online. If students haven't used online tools or software for classwork, this can be a daunting task. Having computer devices as optional education tools is much different from requiring students to use those devices for graded assessments. This can be intimidating for both students and teachers. The good news: It doesn't take as much time and practice as you might think to prepare for these tests by utilizing technology in the classroom. What it does require is a techie mindset: An acceptance that technology is part of the daily academic landscape, that it be integrated into assignments, practice, modeling, homework, assessments, projects, portfolios, grading rubrics, expectations.

Assistive Technology for Kids with Learning Disabilities: An Overview Assistive technology (AT) is available to help individuals with many types of disabilities — from cognitive problems to physical impairment. This article will focus specifically on AT for individuals with learning disabilities (LD). The use of technology to enhance learning is an effective approach for many children. Additionally, students with LD often experience greater success when they are allowed to use their abilities (strengths) to work around their disabilities (challenges).

Sesame best practices guide for children's app development Touch screen technology is revolutionizing interactive digital experiences for children. No longer do our little ones need to wait to learn to navigate a mouse or press keyboard keys in order to access a host of interactive content designed for them. Instead, we see toddlers and preschoolers confidently navigating their parents’ iPhones, iPads, and other touch screen devices with astonishing agility and purpose. The explosion of apps for young children is not surprising; there is high demand and high appeal. Sesame Workshop, whose mission is to help children reach their highest potential, is learning as much as we can about these media platforms so that we can use them to best meet children’s educational and developmental needs. We scour academic journals and policy-based reports; we consult experts in the field, and we also spend as much time as we can with children and parents observing and talking to them while they use touch screen devices.

TEXT: How to Foster Independence in the Early Elementary Grades As educators, we’ve all been there—pressed for time, trying our hardest to stick to a tight schedule. As we push the day forward and keep our students on track, it can be easy to fall into the trap of doing things for them. In the past, I found myself tossing a leftover snack wrapper into the trash can. If a student was having difficulty cutting out a circle, I would absentmindedly complete it for them. TEXT - Building Culturally Responsive Classrooms with Digital Content By Dr. Karen Beerer Recently, during one of the professional development events I occasionally facilitate as Discovery Education’s Vice President of Learning and Development, I asked a group of building-level school administrators, “What keeps you up at night?”

10 Benefits of Technology in the Classroom - Centre Technologies Technology in the classroom used to involve playing Oregon Trail on one of the four available PC’s in the “computer lab.” The 21st Century has made great strides since then, and children today have unprecedented technology tools at their disposal. Despite the positive trends towards adopting technology in the classroom, the full menu of technology is still not universally available to all students. Many schools struggle with nearly-crippling budget cuts and teacher shortages, and some have had to make difficult choices. Using technology at school has become an important talking point across all campuses from K-12, an on through higher education.

Does technology hinder or help toddlers' learning? 19 April 2013Last updated at 17:38 ET By Philippa Roxby Health reporter, BBC News Screen time could help children as young as two to learn words and be curious Children under five years old have an uncanny knack of knowing how to master new technology. TEXT: Planning for Fair Group Work Group work has a lot going for it. It incorporates the social-cognitive and social-emotional aspects of learning and can lead to memorable, engaging lessons and increased learning for students (Forsell, Forslund Frykedal, & Hammar Chiriac, 2020; Fung, Hung, & Lui, 2018). But group work can also fall flat—and cause student disengagement—if not carefully designed and assessed. The original cooperative learning movement, energized in the 1970s, emphasized that group work must be designed to feature positive interdependence (each student's work depends on the others' work) and individual accountability (individual learning is measured and reported)—methods found to increase student achievement.

TEXT - Assessment, Flexible Grouping, and Research-Based Instructional Strategies: Powerful Tools for Co-Taught Classes By Tina Spencer, M.S., and Lee Anne Sulzberger, M.Ed. February/March 2013 Co-teaching is one option for delivering special education services to students with disabilities in general education classes (Friend, 2007). Within this model, two or more professionals deliver content grounded in purposeful instructional intensity to a diverse group of students in the same classroom. Co-teaching partners can help meet the varying learning needs of students in their classes by adopting the principles of differentiated instruction. Tomlinson and Imbeau (2010) describe differentiation as an instructional approach that “results from an ongoing process of trial, reflection, and adjustment to the classroom itself” (p. 13).