Ten Tips for Personalized Learning via Technology

How is technology being used in the classroom for more effective teaching, differentiated instruction and to meet the needs of every student in the school? This article outlines how one elementary school uses technology. Each classroom in the school has an interactive whiteboard, eight computers and access to digital cameras, flip cameras, remote-response clickers and PDAs.

Here are some tips from the teachers on how they use this technology with their students.

1. Deliver instruction through multiple forms of media
• Teachers access instructional videos, audio clips, animations, instructional games and other available online resources.
2. Gather and use immediate feedback on students’ understanding
• Teachers use remote-response clickers with practice questions to see where to customize subsequent lessons to meet the needs of all students.
3. Give students options
• Using digital media students are allowed to show learning through a variety of media tools.
4. Automate basic-skills practice
• Teachers use Study Island and EducationCity to identify weaknesses in student skills and then assign lessons according to the students’ needs.
5. Practice independent work skills
• Teachers have procedures so students know how to use the technology and what to do if they have a question.
6. Create a weekly “must-do” and “may do” list
• Teachers provide a list of personalized “must-do” tasks that all students need to complete and a list of “may-do” tasks that students may choose from so all students always have something to do.
7. Pretest students’ knowledge before each unit
• Teachers assess prior knowledge and tailor lessons to each child’s needs.
8. Be flexible when plans go awry
• Teachers model good problem-solving behaviors and involve students in devising alternative approaches when technology isn’t available or not working.
9. Let students drive
• Teachers let students lead the lesson at the whiteboards giving them the opportunity to capitalize on their skills.
10. Share the work of creating differentiated lessons
• Teachers work together to plan units of study with activities to meet the needs of all students.

From this list of ideas think of ways to use technology to provide differentiated instruction, feedback and choices for all of your students? Also, how are you using technology to assist in planning with other teachers?

To read the entire Edutopia article:
http://www.edutopia.org/stw-differentiated-instruction-ten-key-lessons

Ambient-Learning.com Project

What if you could learn anything, anytime and anywhere? How about being provided information tailored to your interest and needs? What would be the business potential of context-sensitive information being provided to the consumer?

Many people recognize the personal and social benefits of lifelong learning but because of family commitments and lack of time very few people pursue lifelong learning. The Ambient-Learning Project looked at those obstacles to lifelong learning and decided their main objective would be to provide easy-to-use eLearning services providing people anytime, anywhere access that was personalized with high quality learning content. In order to validate the marketability of the Ambient Learning service four European regions were chosen – Italy, Germany, Greece and the UK.

Here is a basic outline of the project taken from the Ambient-Learning Project: http://www.ambientlearning.net/ambient/download/Files/AMBIENT_LEARNING_FINAL_REPORT.pdf
Users created a profile and chose areas of interests centered on their work or areas of interests. Any information available that pertained to those interests was made available to the user. Here’s an example – the user is in their office reading a document but doesn’t have time to finish, the user can request an audio version of that document. The user can then access the audio version of that document through a Smartphone, MP3-compatible device or mobile phone and continue the document as they are driving or moving about. Upon returning to the office the user will again access the document online and can now add notes to the document.

This is just a basic overview of the project and the possibilities for eLearning and lifelong learning for adults. At the end of the project users were given a questionnaire and one of the responses was: “E-Learning is the wrong term to sell the system . . . Personalized Management Information System is better.”

As the content and delivery of education changes I found myself thinking about all the possibilities and ways students will be learning in the future. Personalized Education for all students, all interests and all needs – provided anytime, anywhere, in written, visual and audio formats - is this possible? As I do an online search for 21st Century Learning, technology in education, eSchool News online, George Lucas Educational Foundation (Edutopia) or E-Learning for kids and many other sites I find some of the possibilities for how students are learning now and will be learning in the future. I think it’s an exciting time in technology and education and I’m glad to be a part of this future for all students and education.

To read more about the Ambient-Learning Project to see how the future of information can be tailored and personalized check out their site: http://www.ambientlearning.net/ambient/.