2010 nagc tech panel

Using Technology in the Classroom to Differentiate for

Gifted Learners

National Association for Gifted Children

2010 – Atlanta, GA

Panelists

Kevin Besnoy, Northern Kentucky University

Brian Housand, East Carolina University

Jann Leppien, University of Great Falls

Del Siegle, University of Connecticut

Elizabeth Shaunessy, University of South Florida—Moderator

Kevin BesnoyNorthern Kentucky University

Teachers

• Technology Competency – ability to work with specific pieces of technology

• Technology Literacy – capacity to understand broader technical world

• Relationship between the two is on a continuum – meaning that students must learn to manipulate technologies in efficient and effective ways

• When left alone – – Kids can develop technology competency – Not sure to what extent they will develop the

necessary technology literacies to compete in a global arena

4

5 (Lucy & Grant, 2010)

6

Photo-visual literacy ~ interpret visual-graphic information

Reproduction literacy ~ create messages in digital format

Branching literacy ~ navigate information in a nonlinear-based format

Information literacy ~ validate credibility and value of information

Social-emotional literacy ~ use communication tools in a responsible and respectful way

(Eshet-Alkalai & Amichai-Hamburger, 2004)

Technology Literacy Skills

Brian HousandEast Carolina University

You may find yourself…

You may ask yourself…

Well, how did I get here?

1989

2000

3,969

PianosNOT

Stereos

“Every man should have a built-in automatic crap detector

operating inside of him.”

-- Ernest Hemingway

Critical Consumers

ResponsibleProducers

Computers

serve best when they

allow

everything

to change.

Jann LeppienUniversity of Great Falls

Using Technology in the Classroom to Differentiate for Gifted Learners

AudioBooks, E-TextResearch SkillsLiteracy ToolsMath ToolsScience ResourcesSocial Studies ResourcesStudy Skills ToolsGraphic OrganizersText-to-Speech

Differentiated Instruction

is a model of instruction that revolves around the belief that

students learn in many different ways.

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Differentiation Elements

STUDENT TRAITS:

• Readiness• Interest• Learning

Profile

• Affect

CLASSROOM ELEMENTS:

• Content• Process• Product

• Learning Environment

What’s the Point?

Readiness

Growth

InterestLearning Profile

Motivation Efficiency

A differentiated classroom provides multiple options for:

Content...taking in information

Process...making sense of information

Product…expressing what student understands

Differentiated Instruction

• Providing materials and tasks at varied levels of difficulty with varying degrees of scaffolding, through multiple instructional groups.

• Encouraging student success by varying ways in which students work: alone or collaboratively, in auditory or visual modes, or through practical or creative means.

(Tomlinson, 2000)

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High Quality Curriculum & Instruction fresh and surprising seems real (is real) to the student coherent (organized, unified, sensible) to the student rich, deals with profound ideas (concept-based) stretches the student (rigorous) calls on students to use what they learn in interesting

and important ways involves the student in setting goals for their learning

and assessing progress toward those goals

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High Quality Curriculum & Instruction

clearly focused on essential understandings and skills of the discipline that a professional would value (authentic)

mentally and affectively engaging to the learner joyful-or at least satisfying provides guided choices allows meaningful collaboration focuses on products that matter to students connects with students’ lives and world

Making MeaningWhat do the features look like in practice?

Del SiegleUniversity of Connecticut

Technology use in the classroom has progressed through 3 distinct stages.

AutomatedPrint 1

AutomatedPrintProductionTool 2

AutomatedPrintProductionToolData drivenvirtual learning

3

Technology presents(a)Extensive sources for access to more advanced

content, as well as communication with experts in the disciplines;

(b)Contexts for developing and applying critical and creative thinking skills; and

(c)Tools for constructing and sharing sophisticated products.

“Tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the man [or woman] who can’t read; he [or she] will be the man [or woman] who has not learned how to learn” Herbert Gerjuoy as reported by Alvin Toffler (1970, p.

414).

“Tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the man [or woman] who can’t read; he [or she] will be the man [or woman] who has not learned how to learn [and to collaborate]”

Bill Gates’ 12th Rule for Business at the Speed of Thought

“Use digital tools to help customers solve problems

for themselves.”

Issues with the

Democratization of Expertise

Empowerment of Selective Learning

Issues with the

Democratization of Expertise

Empowerment of Selective Learning

Issues with the

All of us know more than any one of us. The crowd isn’t always right but neither is the expert.

Issues with the

Ushering in a world in which everyone is an expert in a world devoid of expertise.

Issues with the

Democratization of Expertise

Empowerment of Selective Learning

Issues with the

Input and output are one-way streams.

Issues with the

Competing stimuli for attention.

Issues with the

Democratization of Expertise

Empowerment of Selective Learning

How can technology be utilized to differentiate content for gifted

learners?

?ELECTRONIC BOOKSWhy

Variety of T

itles

Classic in

the Public

DomainSynthesiz

ed Voices

Highlighting and Notes

Self-Publish

ing

Dictionary

Limite

d Space Requirement

Searchable

www.manybooks.net

http://www.microsoft.com/reader/default.aspx

Microsoft offers a free eBook creation software plug in for Word

http://www.microsoft.com/reader/developers/downloads/rmr.aspx

www.skype.com

How can technology be used to differentiate the learning process for gifted learners?

• Collaborative Active Reading Strategy (C.A.R.S)–Create a wiki - post the reading–As students read - they identify unfamiliar

text (terms, concepts, and people)–Research those and embed hyperlinks to

that content

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• Digital Writer’s Notebook: - Ralph Fletcher

–Students record quotations, flesh our story ideas, explore haunting memories, experiment with argument and play with language

• Digital Reader’s Notebook

–Students can write their personal reflections about and responses to what they read. The writing should reflect vibrant, vigorous thinking. It should support thinking about books and help scaffold student to write longer about those books. Students are able to track their thoughts and enable them to participate in whole-class or small-group discussions.

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How can product development be differentiated for gifted learners through technology?

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6400659/

http://mesakids.ed.voicethread.com/?#q.b894105.i4764926

http://emskeira.edublogs.org/2010/04/27/th1rteen-r3asons-why-slide-show/

http://animoto.com/play/n33GGqJBS0waB6S2hxbYJw?utm_content=challenger

Technology = Productivity

“Researchers are finding learning benefits

for students w

ho build products with

tools…. Such experiences provide students

with deep insight into whatever domain of

knowledge and whatever tools they use.”

Hank Levin asserts that research from the 90s shows that high productivity, which is currently not a high stakes focus of schools, often determines whether a person succeeds or fails in the workforce.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

http://www.musicmasterworks.com

How can teachers use technology to differentiate instructional methodologies?

Asynchronous

Synchronous

If your students can

the answer, then you may be asking the wrong question.

• http://www.socialgo.com/ - create a social network

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As teachers develop expertise in teaching gifted learners and using technology,

how might they "raise the bar" in their own practice? In other words, how might

we see teachers' practice evolve in harnessing the power of technology to

differentiate instruction?

What is a "critical consideration" in differentiating instruction through technology that you would stress to

educators?

How can teachers of the gifted work with the school or district-level

technology support team to develop differentiated instruction for the gifted?

What is a caution you would give to educators as they differentiate

instruction with technology?

How do you operationalize "technological literacy" for gifted

learners?