Reginald D.

Poole
EDU 225
October 11, 2015
Instructor Biba John
Differentiating Instruction through Technology
Technology is an important tool that I plan to use throughout the year to enhance instruction
in my classroom. I place high value in the power of technology to provide differentiation and
strengthen the understanding of concepts. In the hands of teachers, certain technologies can
serve as advanced tools for targeted learning, quick and private communication, educational
games, and purposeful data analysis and assessment, with the ultimate goal of designing
differentiated instruction and helping all students meet their different needs and potential
(Soteriou, 2009). There are many pros to using technology in the classroom. For example,
students may feel more comfortable in the learning environment that is technology-driven
because they are exposed to technology outside of the learning environment. Students may also
stay focused for longer periods of time and are able to control the pace at which they acquire new
material. Cons to using technology is that it can be undependable and it may be difficult to
monitor student use of technology in large classrooms. There may also be an insufficient amount
of computers and other tools available for all students to benefit from the implementation of
technology. Game-based learning centers have become popular in the classroom but are seeing a
few road bumps. According to a recent article this is due in part to the financial investment
needed to set up the systems and maintain adequate support (Chaisanit et al, 2013). Still, many
districts and schools are looking for ways to increase the availability of technology in their
classrooms.

I plan to use technology to drive differentiation and to help students maintain privacy as far
as their level of academic achievement. Although I am a firm believer in the power of
technology to deliver important content, I do not believe that technology should be the only
means of instruction or differentiation. Students benefit from working in groups, completing
hands on activities and interaction with the teacher. The goal of differentiation is not to eliminate
the teacher as the driving force for instruction but to provide each student the opportunity to be
successful in mastering standards of the content.
Student-centered technology is important because it allows students to learn important
material through a vehicle they are familiar with. Many students are tech savy and benefit from
using educational technology. Technology can also allow teachers to quickly assess their
students and monitor their progress. Teachers can allow students to respond to questions using
clickers or QR codes. This allows students to maintain privacy in answering questions and
allows the teacher to quickly assess each student for differentiation purposes. Many supporters
of the use of technology in the classroom argue that student-centered technology increases
student engagement and performance. However, a recent study demonstrated that participation
in student centered classrooms did not lead to significant differences in the performance of
students on achievement tests. (Wu & Huang, 2007). The study did show that students engaged
at higher emotional levels, reflected on their activity and participated in discussions that were
centered on the content.

References
Kara-Soteriou, J. (2009). Using technology to differentiate instruction across grade levels. New
England Reading Association Journal, 44(2), 86-90.
Settachia Chaisanit, S., Uthairatt Phangphol, U., & Surachai Suksakulchai, S. (2013). GameBased Learning Technology: The successful implementation of student-centered
education. International Journal of Digital Content Technology & Its Applications, 7(8),
239-246.
Wu, H., & Huang, Y. (2007). Ninth-grade student engagement in teacher-centered and studentcentered technology-enhanced learning environments. Science Education, 91(5), 727749.