Standard 4.3 Diversity, Cultural Understanding & Global Awareness
Candidates model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to support diverse student needs, enhance cultural understanding, and increase global awareness. (PSC 4.3/ISTE 5c)
Artifact: Podcasting, Visual Tools and Differentiation
Reflection: This artifact "Podcasting, Visual Tools and Differentiation" was created as an assignment for ITEC 7430 Internet Tools in the Classroom. This artifact evaluates different digital tools and resources that support diverse student needs, enhance cultural understanding and increase global awareness.
Preparation for creating this artifact began by researching different digital tools and resources that addresses the need for differentiation in the classroom. I was amazed to find out how many students have disabilities in the classroom and how many of then do receive digital accommodations. Accommodations for students with diverse needs is required under the Individual with Disability Act (IDEA), but many teachers do not take advantage of digital tools to proper address the students' needs. After researching diverse needs I became aware of tools that offered assistive learning features to help students with diverse needs. I was amazed to lean how existing visual tools, when used properly can address the needs of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Visual tools allow students with special needs to express themselves visually using Web 2.0 tools, instead of being bound by analog pen and paper.
This artifact also showed how digital tools such as Google Tour Builder, can be used to enhance cultural understanding and increase global awareness. Tour Builder is a geographic information system that allows students to integrate worldwide satellite photos, along with street and area photos into create geographic tours. Using these tool students can enhance their global awareness and cultural understanding by using this Web 2.0 tools to expand their reach outside of the classroom. Microsoft Skype is also another example of how digital tools can be used to increase the cultural understanding and global awareness of students, by allowing students to directly interact with others around the world. This artifact shows how Skype can be used to interact with other classrooms and people from around the world.
This artifact taught me a great deal about how Web 2.0 tools can be used to address the needs of diverse students, enhance cultural understanding and increase global awareness. If I were to rework this assignment, I would evaluate how existing digital tools can be used to address the needs of students. After creating this artifact I learned that there are many digital tools, currently available that address the needs of diverse student populations. These tools could be leveraged to enhance cultural understanding, and increase global awareness. Tools such as OneNote, Google Earth and ARCGIS incorporate many of the features that best address student needs and are worthy of further evaluation.
This artifact has taught me a lot about addressing diverse student needs and enhancing student awareness and understanding beyond the four walls of the classroom. The impact of this assignment can be seen in school improvement, faculty development an student learning. The knowledge and skills gained form this lesson has gone into my own professional practice and shared with the school staff. After completing this lesson, I held staff development training on ARCGIS, a geographic information system program that allows for students to create stories using geographic data. The impact of this artifact can be addressed in increased student motivation, accommodation of individual education programs (IEP) and improved lesson plans.
Preparation for creating this artifact began by researching different digital tools and resources that addresses the need for differentiation in the classroom. I was amazed to find out how many students have disabilities in the classroom and how many of then do receive digital accommodations. Accommodations for students with diverse needs is required under the Individual with Disability Act (IDEA), but many teachers do not take advantage of digital tools to proper address the students' needs. After researching diverse needs I became aware of tools that offered assistive learning features to help students with diverse needs. I was amazed to lean how existing visual tools, when used properly can address the needs of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Visual tools allow students with special needs to express themselves visually using Web 2.0 tools, instead of being bound by analog pen and paper.
This artifact also showed how digital tools such as Google Tour Builder, can be used to enhance cultural understanding and increase global awareness. Tour Builder is a geographic information system that allows students to integrate worldwide satellite photos, along with street and area photos into create geographic tours. Using these tool students can enhance their global awareness and cultural understanding by using this Web 2.0 tools to expand their reach outside of the classroom. Microsoft Skype is also another example of how digital tools can be used to increase the cultural understanding and global awareness of students, by allowing students to directly interact with others around the world. This artifact shows how Skype can be used to interact with other classrooms and people from around the world.
This artifact taught me a great deal about how Web 2.0 tools can be used to address the needs of diverse students, enhance cultural understanding and increase global awareness. If I were to rework this assignment, I would evaluate how existing digital tools can be used to address the needs of students. After creating this artifact I learned that there are many digital tools, currently available that address the needs of diverse student populations. These tools could be leveraged to enhance cultural understanding, and increase global awareness. Tools such as OneNote, Google Earth and ARCGIS incorporate many of the features that best address student needs and are worthy of further evaluation.
This artifact has taught me a lot about addressing diverse student needs and enhancing student awareness and understanding beyond the four walls of the classroom. The impact of this assignment can be seen in school improvement, faculty development an student learning. The knowledge and skills gained form this lesson has gone into my own professional practice and shared with the school staff. After completing this lesson, I held staff development training on ARCGIS, a geographic information system program that allows for students to create stories using geographic data. The impact of this artifact can be addressed in increased student motivation, accommodation of individual education programs (IEP) and improved lesson plans.