Class Adaptation to Meet Special Needs

From Students to Creators, Teachers and Active Learners

As educators we always have three different pace of learners: slow, intermediate and fast learners. The slow students are the ones that might take more time to reflect before starting to work to verify the learning process, can feel insecure, do not have knowledge or a educational base on the subject or sometimes the way the teachers addresses the lesson does not match the multiple intelligence they use the most. The intermediate student, have the educational fundaments and skills but lack of learning motivation. These students feel comfortable, which  reflects on the outcome of their work and do not take the risk to move on to a higher level. As well as the slow learners, the teaching style provided by the teacher can affect their performance, because it does not match their multiple intelligence. On the other hand, the fast learners have a strong educational basis, are confident and risk takers and want to finish the work as fast as they can to move on to a new learning lesson. As a technology teacher, my main concern are the fast learners; who have the technology skills or know the programs and therefore finish their assignments before the other students. According to Alexandra R Moses article on TrainYourself: A Guide to Online Tech Tutorials, ” Using technology as an integral part of the learning process moves students beyond simply being computer users” (edutopia, May 5, 2008). So what I will incorporate into my unit lessons for the fast learners, is the option of becoming creators and teachers by making tutorials of any skill, tool, shortcuts or application and programs to be shared to the class. This will allow the skilled technology students to keep on learning and sharing their expertise and at the same time and will provide a learning guide for others to follow. These tutorials will be added on to my Moodle page in a special space titled “From Peer to Peer”. This title emphasizes how students will provide each other the 21st Century learning skills with tutorials and will confirm their learning path for any subject.

Students will have the freedom to search for some applications or programs of there choice to create the tutorials. Since the educator of the 21^st Century Learners are guides or facilitators, I will recommend some free app's for ipads: Educreations, ScrrenChomp or Doceri, for laptop or desktop computer: QuickTime, Camptasia, iMovie and GarageBand or digital camera's or computer webcam's. Students may work individually or in groups on their tutorial. The most important part is that they highlight in their own words and actions the learning steps clearly to be able to serve as learning guides. 
Students need to view technology as a way to communicate ideas and their educational expertise. At the end of the learning rode, I would like my slow, intermediate and fast students to feel confident on the hardware and software, etiquette and intellectual property level they stand. By being able to learn at their own pace and to be exposed to skills and tools to solve real problems, will make technology easy to apply to their every day.

                              

Adora Svitek is a 21st Century Learner and Educator model to follow, that shows teachers how students model the skills needed for this educational era.

References

Alexandra R. Moses (May 22,2008). Train Yourself: A Guide to Online Tech Tutorials.         [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.edutopia.org/online-technology-computer-tutorials.           [Last Accessed January 15, 2014].

Common Core in Action: Math in the Middle School Classroom. (2014,September 4).           Edutopia. [ONLINE] Available athttp://www.edutopia.org/blog/ccss-middle-school-                 math-tech-monica-burns [Las Accessed January 15, 2014].