Top 5 Tools to Help Differentiate Online Learning

Top 5 Tools to Help Differentiate Online Learning 

Differentiation, although not a new academic term, it most definitely continues to be a top buzz word in the world of education. Differentiation in a nutshell is a teaching strategy where a teacher changes up the instruction to meet the needs of different learners.  Differentiation can take on many forms in the regular classroom setting as well as in the virtual world. Here are 5 tools to help you differentiate your instruction in your online classroom. 

The Power of PowerPoint
Tried and true, PowerPoint is the go-to presentation tool for many teachers and it is the perfect tool for differentiation in the virtual world.  One of the easiest ways to differentiate in PowerPoint is to use hyperlinks. You can jump from one slide to another slide with one click regardless of slide order. You can also hyperlink to a video, a file, or a website. If you have a student that needs extended help, you can hyperlink to a tutorial video or another slide within the PowerPoint specifically designed for small group instruction or extended help.  


Branch out
Google Forms is another great resource to differentiate within the classroom as well as in the virtual world. With forms you can “branch” to specific sections. If a student answers a question incorrectly, branching can take them to another section where they can get a mini lesson to remediate the question and then go back and try again. 

For a video tutorial on Branching go here: How to Branch in Google Forms

Choice Boards
Choice boards are a great way to differentiate your instruction and can be used for any subject.
Providing student choice allows them to take ownership of their learning. Whatever virtual platform you are using, you can introduce your students to the options in a variety of ways. You can create a choice board using Microsoft word, google docs, PowerPoint, to name a few. A choice board can be compared to a tic-tac-toe board. Each square can be its own individual assignment, or the assignments can be used to build on one another. In addition, you can hit all learning styles while creating various levels of rigor.  And bonus! A choice board can double as a learning contract!


Create and Write
The 21st century student is typically tech savvy, visual, and will avoid writing activities because they simply “don’t like to write” or prefer writing text messages versus essays. However, a great
differentiation strategy is to create then write.  Have students complete a quick sketch (give them between 2 and 3 minutes) they can draw whatever they want.

Here are some examples: 
·         Favorite room in the house
·         Family
·         Cat
·         Neighborhood
·         Heart
·         Dog
·         Favorite food 

After time is up, they will write about their drawing. The rules are, there are no rules, just write,
whatever comes to mind, it doesn’t have to be complete sentences, don’t worry about punctuation, just write. Give them about 3 minutes.  This activity takes away the fear of writing and the fear of being “wrong” because there are no rules. Just write. 

Quizizz 
There are tons of online educational games out there but Quizizz is one to reckon with when it comes to differentiation! Students can engage in the activity at their own pace as well as get instant feedback. It’s user friendly and mobile friendly which is perfect for learning anywhere at any time (Hello distance learning!)

For teachers it’s great because it collects data and provides a way to assess your students as to where they are at in their learning. There are millions of teacher made Quizizz to choose from or you can create your own. The possibilities are endless! 

Quizizz recently updated their platform going beyond multiple-choice questions and engaging learners critical thinking skills with a wider range of question types. As if that wasn’t enough, Quizizz has accessibility features including multiple languages, zoom and read aloud options. Did I mention it’s FREE!?!?! Check it out here: https://quizizz.com/


Thanks to these 5 options, differentiation with distance learning and virtual classrooms just got easier! 


8 comments:

  1. At Get an Online Education, we track all of the recent developments in e-learning, distance learning, professional certificate programs, and other training/learning modalities. We find some of the best resources available to help you learn a new skill – whether it’s ramping up on your tech skills to break into the IT industry or learning a new language on your own.online college

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am very enjoyed for this blog. Its an informative topic. It help me very much to solve some problems. Its opportunity are so fantastic and working style so speedy. agen slot online

    ReplyDelete
  3. We are really grateful for your blog post. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post. I was exactly searching for. Thanks for such post and please keep it up. Great work. แทงบอลออนไลน์ ไม่มีขั้นต่ำ

    ReplyDelete
  4. superslotOur website is a provider of online slots games, Superslot that collects the most diverse slot games from various brands. There are slots games for real money to choose from. Compatible with mobile operating systems, whether IOS or Android, can play comfortably. Without having to download, you can go to the web page to play right away.


    ReplyDelete
  5. เกมใหม่พีจีสล็อต
    PGSLOT we are an online gambling website. online slots web new member now Launching soon for sure! We provide online slots games of PG SLOT camp, new slots games that are the hottest right now. And it is very satisfying for online slots gamblers. For those who are looking for Or agree to choose a website to play online slots Don't miss out. Apply for membership with us today and receive an instant bonus of 50%. We are open every day, no holidays. Play online slots with us 24 hours a day, the only place in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Really appreciate you sharing this article post. Much thanks again. Really Cool.referral coupon

    ReplyDelete
  7. Really a great addition. I have read this marvelous post. Thanks for sharing information about it. I really like that. Thanks so lot for your convene. Clases online

    ReplyDelete
  8. i read a lot of stuff and i found that the way of writing to clearifing that exactly want to say was very good so i am impressed and ilike to come again in future..
    ดั๊กเบท

    ReplyDelete

 

Join my newsletter and get a free lesson plan.

Subscribe to get exclusive freebies, learn about sales, and be the first to learn about new content.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit