Assessing Technology-Based Resources for Differentiation

    Differentiating instruction through technology platforms can be a strategic and purposeful way to meet students’ needs in the classroom. There are different areas in which lessons can incorporate such tools to support differentiation through the content, process, and product (Cypher Learning, 2020). The three technology tools I will be reviewing below are targeted for each of these lesson parts and the ways in which differentiation can be applied.

Quizizz 

·      Description: Quizizz is versatile in the way that it can be used to deliver instruction and assess. With its game-like features, it is sure to maintain engagement through its lesson, interactive video, comprehension, or quiz components.

·      Breakdown: Quizizz provides a ready-made library of activities that can be used for live lesson instruction, group or individual practice, assessments, presentations, test prep, exit tickets or bell ringers, etc., or you can create your own using content you already have by utilizing their AI program (Quizizz Inc., n.d.). This creates an ease of building the Quizizz in no time at all and the fact that it can be used in multiple ways makes the program practical to use in the classroom for instruction and data collection. What also makes it flexible is that it can be used across all grade levels and subjects, making its ability to be cross-curricular endless. The program is very user friendly with prompts given when creating the Quizizz and provides connectivity to Google Classroom through a link or a simple code for students to enter the session seamlessly and quickly, so no time is wasted during the lesson. Quizizz is free for teachers, and it allows you to store a limited number of activities in your own account library using most of the features, but there is an option to upgrade to a paid version for schools or districts that gives you an unlimited amount of activity storage and access to all features. The free version, while does have some limitations, is still very much a useful tool.

·      Differentiation: Quizizz promotes differentiation for readiness and learning styles by including over twenty-five accessibility features such as read aloud, audio responses, translation, leveled text, etc., accommodation supports for selected students such as extra time or attempts, and more flexibility in the way information is presented to students (Quizizz Inc., n.d.). There are also ways to increase rigor for students who need it such as promoting higher-level thinking through over fifteen different question types and Power-Ups or team mode. With all of these ways to differentiate, students are sure to gain an individualized learning experience suited for their needs.

·      Instructional Strategies: Quizizz can be used as a low-pressure form of assessment to check for understanding because of its gamification features. Whether using it as a formative assessment like an exit ticket or bell ringer or a summative assessment, students receive instant feedback and teachers receive a summarized data report. Another instructional strategy in which Quizizz can be used is for is interactive lesson presentations. The lessons allow you to showcase slides with content and embed questions, visuals, or audio for students to interact with throughout the lesson.

Newsela

·      Description: Newsela is a program devoted to building literacy skills through rich, diverse, real-world content. It has connections to other content areas such as social studies and science to provide a relevant learning experience across curricular subjects.

·      Breakdown: Newsela’s pre-built resources work alongside and enhance many core curricular materials or you can customize your students’ experience based on your unique needs (Newsela Inc., n.d.) creating an ease of integration into the classroom. A feature that makes the program even more practical in your lessons is the integration of Formative activities into the Newsela texts. This allows you enhance the content and expose students to different question types. Perhaps the most compelling feature of Newsela is its ability to engage students cross-curricularly through the texts provided of real-world events. Newsela Lite and Formative Bronze are previews of the program that are free to teachers to sign up for, but to get premium access to content, activities, and real-time data districts would need to purchase subscriptions. The free version only allows access to four articles that include activities and quizzes to go along with it.

·      Differentiation: Newsela provides several ways to differentiate for students’ needs by providing scaffolded supports such as leveled texts at five different reading levels, read-aloud mode, annotations, AI-powered supports, question type variety and hints, etc. (Newsela Inc., n.d.). Differentiating readiness can definitely be achieved through the various reading levels of the text and the learning styles are targeted through the audio and visuals given throughout the texts as well. Individualizing each student’s experience by assigning what they need provides the differentiation for the class.

·      Instructional Strategies: One instructional strategy on how to use Newsela is through small group instruction. Small groups are grouped by similar ability and levels, and you can work with and assign the level of text and activities appropriate for each group. Another instructional strategy using Newsela is for project-based learning. The high-interest articles that are about real-world content can pose a problem for students to engage in and spark a probe for a problem-solving collaborative project.

Edpuzzle

·      Description: Edpuzzle is a video-learning platform in which students can gain and display knowledge through watching a video and answering the questions embedded throughout, but there is also a student projects feature where they do the creating.

·      Breakdown: Edpuzzle provides ready-to-go lessons that are aligned to standards in their platform library, but teachers also have the option to find or record their own videos for their lessons (Edpuzzle Inc., n.d.). Its practicality is proven in the way that the lessons are interactive, self-paced, flexible, and provide data for teachers and students in and out of the classroom. The program is very user friendly from the creating stage, utilization, and integration into various learning management systems and can have cross-curricular connections through the video content and questions you create. There are different cost levels for creating an account with Edpuzzle. The free version allows for limited video lesson storage, access to originals library, and teacher assist AI, while the pro teacher plan at $13.50 per month provides more features and unlimited storage, and then there is a custom school or district plan.

·      Differentiation: Edpuzzle really speaks to differentiating for different learning styles in the way that the instruction is provided in video form with audio and visuals. Students can go back and self-pace to ensure comprehension of the content in the video and can be presented with different question types for engagement and critical thinking. Teachers can tailor the questions given to the readiness level of students and can create and assign varying levels of them to different students.

·      Instructional Strategies: One instructional strategy to use Edpuzzle is through making it a station activity. Whether you assign a video lesson for students to complete independently or have students create their own video lesson collaboratively, it can be used for its appropriate purpose that you choose. Another instructional strategy to use Edpuzzle is as an exit ticket for the day to assess what students gained from that day’s lesson.

    Integrating technological tools can allow students to develop critical thinking skills, learn new concepts, and creatively express their own ideas (Emma, 2018). Tools like Quizizz and Edpuzzle allow for teachers to enhance the learning experience for students and promote learning by the versatility of how they can be used and modifying them to meet students’ needs. They also promote student ownership of their learning by engaging with content at their level to build optimal comprehension and express their learning in different ways. Whether it is through creating their own videos, practicing skills, or other features these tools offer, students are engaging in different combinations of applying their knowledge of the content.

Resources:

CYPHER Learning. (2020). Top edtech tools for digital differentiation. https://www.cypherlearning.com/blog/k-20/top-edtech-tools-for-digital-differentiation

Edpuzzle Inc. (n.d.). https://edpuzzle.com

Emma. (2018). How to use technology for different learning styles. LearnSafe. https://learnsafe.com/how-to-use-technology-for-different-learning-styles/

Newsela Inc. (n.d.). https://newsela.com

Quizizz Inc. (n.d.). https://quizizz.com/?lng=en#mobile-nav