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Wonderopolis is a technology tool that incorporates digital content into the classroom. The site features a "Wonder of the Day", which is an intriguing question that is answered with informational text accompanied by a related video. Each Wonder has a picture gallery, vocabulary list, short quiz, and a listen button. You can find wonders by grade level, subject matter, or by doing a search. This website promotes differentiation by both readiness and interest.

This technology tool is beneficial to me because my special education students are often times not motivated to read because it is frustrating and they know they are much farther behind their grade level peers. The website offers them the ability to read about content that interests them at their specific reading level. This promotes both an increase in reading fluency and comprehension, a common goal for the majority of my students.

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Plickers is a formative assessment tool that allows teachers to collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices.  Plickers can be used for quick checks of understanding. Differentiation is present because students are given choice and they can work independently, with partners, or in groups. The teacher prints out plicker cards for each student. The teacher displays a question on the board and students hold up their card with the answer (A, B, C, or D) Teachers scan the room with their phone or tablet and the app picks up each students answers and processes them into data form for the teacher.

This technology tool is beneficial to me because it is engaging for students and provides me with a great measure for what each individual students knows, which aids in in future lesson planning. I am able to point out the low, medium, and highest students on a particular skill and plan accordingly.

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Quizlet is a technology tool for students to practice and work with vocabulary and sight words. The teacher can create specific "decks" of cards or search for multiple different decks already made and shared on the web. Students can do more than just listen and read the words and definitions, but practice with the words by taking a quiz, playing matching games, spelling practice, and playing a group collaboration game where students work together in teams to find the correct definitions for their words.

This technology tool is beneficial to me because it allows students to practice with words that they struggle with individually. Students have the option to listen to the words and definitions in case their reading skills are too low to decode. The aspect of individualization promotes differentiation. The Quizlet Live game allows students to work together and learn from each other as well. The groups are selected at random, so students are not grouped together for any specific reason.

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Read Live is a program that focuses on decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. All students must first be placed through teacher administration of fluency probes to determine the reading level for each student. Once the reading level is set, the teacher then sets a fluency goal at the student's instructional level. When the student logs on, they get to choose from several stories at their reading level. Students go through the following sequence for each story: learn the vocabulary words, make a prediction by viewing the title and vocabulary words, read the story for the first time with the teacher present for reading fluency, listen to the story three times, practice reading the story 3 times, answer comprehension questions, then the teacher must log in and review the short answer and paragraph comprehension questions and the student must read the story and make the fluency goal set.

This program is beneficial to me because it uses research based reading strategies and is a prime example of differentiation because students are able to work at their own level and pace. Most of the time, students are working independently and progress monitoring is completed through the system for me to view at a later time, which provides a clear indication of the strengths and weaknesses each student has in terms of vocabulary, reading fluency, decoding, and comprehension.

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Quizizz is a formative assessment technology tool. Students complete formative quizzes and the results can be tracked. This tool promotes differentiation because students can work at their own pace if it takes them longer to read or process what is being asked (versus Kahoot which is a race against time and other students).

This technology tool is beneficial to me because I can assign the engaging quiz to students and they think of it as a fun game. Because it tracks each student's progress and then at the end tracks the group's progress as a whole, it gives me a clear picture of where each student is at, along with where each of my small groups as a whole are at to plan for future instruction.

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Mobymax is a program that works on multiple academic skills at each individual students level,  which allows for differentiation. It is comprised of practice in math, reading, writing, vocabulary, state test prep, etc. Each subject will make students take a diagnostic test first to place them at their instructional level. Students can earn online prizes while completing work.  It also has a progress monitoring tool so you can check to see where each student is at connected to a specific skill and/or standard. It also enables you to assign lessons. There is a free version or paid version. The paid version just offers more progress monitoring tools.

This technology tool is beneficial to me in the classroom because it allows me to have students work on specific skills at their readiness level and all progress monitoring is done for me using the program.

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Raz Kids is a reading program with multiple books at multiple grade levels. Students can be specifically assigned stories or students can choose from stories at their reading level. Students have to pass three tasks for each story in order to "pass" the story and earn coins. This includes, listening to the story be read to them, reading the story into the electronic device themselves, and then taking a quiz on the story. Not only does this program offer multiple books to read, but it provides teachers with a report of student progress on the comprehension questions, allows the teacher to go back and listen to the student read the story into their electronic device, and provides thousands of lesson plans attached to a specific story that targets a specific comprehension skill.

This technology too is beneficial to me because it allows me to differentiate on student interest and readiness level. As mentioned previously, students have the opportunity to choose what they read about and each student only reads stories at their own specific reading level.

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Frontrow ELA is a technology tool that addresses both student readiness and student interests. All students take a diagnostic assessment at the start of the program to determine their reading levels. This enables students to read stories at their personal reading level. Because my students reading levels range, all students will be able to work using this program at their reading level at the same time, regardless of what level they are at. This is proof that this tool can be used to differentiate in the classroom

After the reading level is placed, students can choose from specific stories that they are interested in to read and answer questions about. Teachers also have the option to assign specific stories that address specific comprehension skills.

Frontrow ELA is beneficial to me because student progress is recorded on the system for me to access, students choose what story they read, and students are working on stories at their specific reading level according to the diagnostic assessment.

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IXL allows teachers to differentiate in multiple different settings. One setting in which IXL would be extremely beneficial for differentiation would be incorporating IXL into learning centers. This can be done by assigning individual learners to practice specific learning objectives and skills in math, language arts, social studies, or science.  Teachers can also analyze student response data to help in assessing student growth and mastery.

This technology tool is beneficial in both the individual practice aspect of the program, along with the reports provided. I would be able to view each specific question an individual student answered, what their response was, and if they got it correct or incorrect. I can also view student progress while they are working, as the "real time" screen allows the teacher to see what each student is working on and how they are performing on the particular skill.

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Seesaw allows students to share work, resources etc., in the form of a photo, video, drawing, uploading a file, note, or link, which enables students to express their thoughts and ideas in their most preferred way, which promotes differentiation.

The teacher needs to create an account and the students can access the class through a QR code or a text code on any electronic device. Students can go on the seesaw website or download the application.

Students and teachers are learning from each other using this particular program. They can provide resources, their perspectives, and question each others thoughts on a specific topic to have a deeper understanding of what they are learning.

I can use this in my classroom by uploading specific items for individual students. Students can complete activities and assignments and upload them into seesaw for me to easily access.

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This article gave a clear picture of what the different types of learning centers look like. The learning centers described consist of: enrichment centers, skill centers, and interest and exploratory centers. It also provided several suggestions for implementing learning centers into the classroom. Learning centers bring differentiation to the classroom because it enables the teacher to find different activities in each center to meet each student's needs. Tiered assignments can be incorporated into a learning center, where students are assigned a task in each center, but not all assignments are the same, but rather, geared toward each group.

This resource was beneficial to me as it made me think about the different ways I could incorporate several types of centers in my classroom. Before researching learning centers, I felt the only way to differentiate using learning centers would be by readiness, but this article changed my mind. I'd like to incorporate Tiered Assignments within my learning centers where each center is assigned a different final assessment which targets their readiness level, interest, and/or learning profile.

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This article describes the recent demands for standards-based teaching. “Between effective standards-based instruction and differentiation. Curriculum tells us what to teach: Differentiation tells us how. Thus, if we elect to teach a standards-based curriculum, differentiation simply suggests ways in which we can make that curriculum work best for varied learners. In other words, differentiation can show us how to teach the same standard to a range of learners by employing a variety of teaching and learning modes.”

This article was beneficial to me because it made me realize that differentiation can occur within a curriculum and that I am not stuck just teaching whatever my curriculum has to offer. The curriculum acts as more of a guide for the skills that need to be taught, but differentiation can occur within these skills to target student preferences, learning profiles, and readiness.

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Learning Contracts and Team Teaching in a University ESL Writing Class

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Learning Contracts and Team Teaching in a University ESL Writing Class

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"Learning contracts are written commitments in which students state their specific objectives over a limited period." Often times, contracts outline the work and timelines to finish work for the student. This specific article describes the utlization of learning contracts in a university setting, although learning contracts can be used at any age and grade level.

This resource was beneficial to me because it allows students to be more involved in their learning, enables students to self reflect, keeps students on track, and offers continual feedback to each student. This can create more communication and one-on-one interactions, which promotes differentiating in the classroom.

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A Tale of Four Learners: 4MAT's Learning Styles

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A Tale of Four Learners: 4MAT's Learning Styles

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This article described "the four" different types of learners in relation to the 4MAT system. This system is suppose to allow teachers to understand the individual learner at a deeper level. The approach provides every student with a preferred learning activity in every lesson, which increases student engagement and academic achievement. This system promotes differentiation based on learning preferences of the whole student.

This article was beneficial to me as it gave me the opportunity to think about the learning preferences of my students and how I could incorporate this into my teaching to promote engagement and achievement.

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Designing Effective Centers for Diverse Learners 

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Designing Effective Centers for Diverse Learners 

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This resource provided a detailed guide for implementation of learning centers for multiple grades and subject areas. This gave me a great deal of information related to setting up learning centers through the examples, tasks, and checklists provided, as well as the "do's and don't" of implementing learning centers. The photo below provided a nice visual for specific activities that require active student participation to reach all types of learners at once. "Activity centers allow teachers to responsibly instruct and assist small groups of students, the most effective grouping for teaching and learning" (p. 1) Because centers allow students to be placed in a group by readiness, interest, or learning profile, they are challenged, but experience success, as the level of activities are geared towards each student's needs. Learning centers are a prime example of differentiating in the classroom.

This resource was beneficial to me as I can incorporate the different types of math and reading learning centers in my special education classroom, as well as in a general education math classroom where I co-teach with a general education teacher. This system allows for students to learn at their own pace and level which will lead to greater achievement in the end.

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David Schwarzer, R. E. (2000). Learning Contracts and Team Teaching in a University ESL Writing Class (Vol. 6). Austin: The Internet TESL Journal.

Fredericks, A. D. (2005). Learning Centers . Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

McCarthy, B. (1997, March). A Tale of Four Learners: 4MAT'S Learning Styles. Educational Leadership, 54(6), 46-51.

R. Soleste Hilberg, J.-M. C. (2003). Designing Effective Activity Centers for Diverse Learners. Santa Cruz: Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence, University of California,
Santa Cruz.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2000, September). Reconcilable Differences? Standards-Based Teaching and Differentiation. Educational Leadership, 58, 6-11