Diversity
The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil. –Ralph Waldo Emerson
What a beautiful quote, it conveys exactly what I try to capture when I am in the classroom and out in the world. For me respecting and understanding my pupils and peers differences has allowed me to become a better librarian and person. Differences or diversity is the cornerstone of America. I love the metaphor that the United States has moved from a melting pot to a tossed salad. A tossed salad bowl full of lots of different vegetables, each contributing its own flavor and identity to the whole. The visual image of my school as a tossed salad reminds me that my educational practices should embrace and teach to these differences.
And as a technology instructional coach in education, it is important that we are skilled in the use of technology to address and personally meet the needs of diversity. In schools today there is a broad array of diversities that include ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, different learning styles, family structures, giftedness, and special needs. Technology can be used to personalize learning to meet the needs of students with diverse learning styles and it can also help students learn about different cultures and global awareness. Locating and integrating technology that enhances the learning of all students is the primary job of an instructional technology specialist. In the instructional technology specialist program at Kennesaw State University, I have acquired new knowledge and skills that will enable me to do just that. Through this newly gained knowledge about diversity I have been able to use what I have learned in my media center and with my school in the following ways:
· Working with teachers to plan technology lessons in differentiated groupings of students by their academic ability. Lessons were scaffolded to accommodate different learning styles and students were given the option to choose their own presentation tool to synthesize their learning in this unit.
· Modeling and advocating for the use of technology for challenging tasks and higher order thinking skills.
· Identifying specifically how technology can be used to help student with learning disabilities to overcome these differences with the use of assistive technology.
· Ensuring students have access to technology in the library media center before, during lunch, and after school.
· Providing a BYOT workshop with district teachers that ensured equitable access to technology for all students.
· Working as program coordinator of the Marietta Kiwanis laptop initiative to provide technology for students from low socio economic backgrounds.
· Creating multimedia projects using Universal Design principles. Many of these projects included a variety of audio, video, and print media that helped meet the needs of diverse learners.
· Providing electronic and print resources that reflect the cultural diversity of our students.
· Promoting global awareness by providing electronic and print resources for student and teacher use.
What a beautiful quote, it conveys exactly what I try to capture when I am in the classroom and out in the world. For me respecting and understanding my pupils and peers differences has allowed me to become a better librarian and person. Differences or diversity is the cornerstone of America. I love the metaphor that the United States has moved from a melting pot to a tossed salad. A tossed salad bowl full of lots of different vegetables, each contributing its own flavor and identity to the whole. The visual image of my school as a tossed salad reminds me that my educational practices should embrace and teach to these differences.
And as a technology instructional coach in education, it is important that we are skilled in the use of technology to address and personally meet the needs of diversity. In schools today there is a broad array of diversities that include ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, different learning styles, family structures, giftedness, and special needs. Technology can be used to personalize learning to meet the needs of students with diverse learning styles and it can also help students learn about different cultures and global awareness. Locating and integrating technology that enhances the learning of all students is the primary job of an instructional technology specialist. In the instructional technology specialist program at Kennesaw State University, I have acquired new knowledge and skills that will enable me to do just that. Through this newly gained knowledge about diversity I have been able to use what I have learned in my media center and with my school in the following ways:
· Working with teachers to plan technology lessons in differentiated groupings of students by their academic ability. Lessons were scaffolded to accommodate different learning styles and students were given the option to choose their own presentation tool to synthesize their learning in this unit.
· Modeling and advocating for the use of technology for challenging tasks and higher order thinking skills.
· Identifying specifically how technology can be used to help student with learning disabilities to overcome these differences with the use of assistive technology.
· Ensuring students have access to technology in the library media center before, during lunch, and after school.
· Providing a BYOT workshop with district teachers that ensured equitable access to technology for all students.
· Working as program coordinator of the Marietta Kiwanis laptop initiative to provide technology for students from low socio economic backgrounds.
· Creating multimedia projects using Universal Design principles. Many of these projects included a variety of audio, video, and print media that helped meet the needs of diverse learners.
· Providing electronic and print resources that reflect the cultural diversity of our students.
· Promoting global awareness by providing electronic and print resources for student and teacher use.