Diversity
Diversity is a part of not only our public schools – but the global, interconnected society in which we live. Technology is a powerful tool to reach and meet the needs of all learners in our classrooms. As a technology coordinator, it will be important that I am able to use and recommend the use of technology to meet the needs of diverse learners including ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, and special needs. The most obvious use of technology would be to use technology to better differentiate instruction and meet the needs of diverse learners in the classroom. Technology should regularly be used to both assess and instruct students of varying interests and ability levels so that all students can achieve at their potential.
It is also important that we meet the needs of all students and do what we can to close the digital divide between students of different socio-economic backgrounds. As an educator, I have a responsibility to my students to bring the world to them, help them create some understand of what that world is, and how they fit in it. In the future, I would like to have my students interact whether through Skype, discussion boards, or email with various cultures in their study of mathematics. Student learning and school improvement is impacted by incorporating a mixture of instruction to support diverse student needs, enhance cultural understanding and increase global awareness. These can be assessed by observation of school culture that is open to diversity. The Internet can serve as a gateway to exploring other people, other cultures, and other places – and not from just an academic perspective. Social media, YouTube, and local news sites allow students see and view the world from a perspective other than their own. I do think as teachers we need to show our students and expose our students how to learn from others through the Internet, as it can also be used to divide people as well.
Through my time in this program, I have complete numerous activities within the context of my courses and through my work demonstrating my ability to meet the needs of diverse students through technology:
- Conducted professional development within my department on how to use technology to engage diverse learners
- Advocated in the fair distribution of technology carts throughout the school building during leadership meetings
- Teaching digital citizenship lessons to 10th grade advisements/homerooms
- Modeling and advocating for using technology for more than drill and skill – but for higher order thinking skills
- Collecting, utilizing, and presenting school demographic data for the purposes of school improvement
- Collaborating with teachers in other districts and schools using technology to meet the needs of AP and IB math students