Differentiation with Technology

 In a unit lesson technology differentiation that can be incorporated is being a virtual pen pal. ePals is a virtual messaging system between classes that is moderated by teachers (Bizzari, 2020). This unit’s objective is for students to read and write words using vowel teams. Students have the opportunity to write to their pen pals using words with vowel teams that they have been working on. After their writing is complete students sends it to their pen pal. Topics can be given to students or the teacher can choose to let students choose their topic. This would be a formative assessment in the lesson, teachers would read students writing to see if they are correctly using vowel teams in their words.

Being a virtual pen pal will engage students through collaboration and creation. Students will be able to collaborate with their pen pal while using skills they are learning in reading and writing. Typically, when students use technology in the classroom, they are working individually making it a lonely process (Sharma, 2023). When using ePals, it becomes collaborative between the student and another student somewhere else in the world. It is exciting for them to create a writing piece for someone they don’t know that lives in a place they most likely have never been to. The messages that students send back and forth are created by the student using the skills they have been working on which is reenforcing their learning in an engaging way.

This learning opportunity promotes global awareness and diverse cultural perspectives by tapping into global knowledge networks. Students participating in ePals enables cross-culture learning opportunities that enhance students’ perspectives (Asia Society, 2020). ePals gives students the chance to share their culture as well as hear first hand of another students culture.

Resources

Asia Society. (2020). Five Ways to Use Technology and Digital Media for Global Learning. Center for Global Education. https://asiasociety.org/education/five-ways-use-technology-and-digital-media-global-learning

Bizzari, A. (2020). Virtual pen pals: 5 resources for connecting kids around the world. We Are Teachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/virtual-pen-pals/

Sharma, S. (2023). Supporting student engagement with technology. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-technology-support-student-engagement/