Saturday, November 28, 2009
Diversity
Diversity has many connotations, especially in the education world. I believe that through education reform that is continuous, educators are continuing to meet the needs of many different students. It is important as media specialists that what we order and supplement with is directed towards the patrons that will be using them. I believe that differentiation, lesson planning, and awareness is a big part of bridging the diversity gap. Because we have so much access to online programs, the students can learn similar concepts in many different ways; this is why it is highly important for the media specialist to help implement the technology standards into the teacher's lessons. Technology is world wide and we need to be preparing our students for universal knowledge as well as national knowledge. If they have a great understanding of the differences of the worldly cultures then they have a deeper understanding of the diversity in our own nation.
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Coming from the special education world, I differentiate and customize instruction and educational goals on a daily basis; however, it seems as if the regular education world is leaning towards the same goals. In special education students have IEP (Individualized Education Program) designed specifically for their needs academically, emotionally, and behaviorally depending on their needs. Now with the high demands of RtI (Response to Intervention) regular education teachers also have the same requirements for those students in their classrooms that need additional help to be successful. (approximately 20% of the classroom population)
ReplyDeleteThe media specialists also play a major role in diversity and differentiation in schools. Like you say, they can help especially to incorporate technology to help meet the needs of the students.
Helping teachers meet the needs of all students is a major component in the role of the media specialist. By keeping up with different types of technology and then training teachers, we give teachers the helping hand they need to reach all students. Not only can we help teachers, we are able to help the students as well. When students come into the media center, the media specialist can show the student several different ways to complete their assignment.
ReplyDeleteRaina, I was interested in your statements of "Technology is world wide and we need to be preparing our students for universal knowledge as well as national knowledge. If they have a great understanding of the differences of the worldly cultures then they have a deeper understanding of the diversity in our own nation." This is where we're going with our International Baccalaureate accreditation. Our Media Specialist must provide resources to support the IB curriculum now. Overall, we’re training our students to become “global citizens” and thinking about how they blend in with the world around them. It’s a broad concept and quite daunting at times to think how we’ll tie these curriculum into GPS standards.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good point you make about the fact that all of us are a part of a diverse world classroom. It is true that technology brings us together and through our proficiency with utilizing Internet resources, we are really becoming so much more aware of the diversity in our own nation as well. This makes me consider that our students must be ensured freedom to access information that allows them to learn at their own rate and interest level and that gives them the cultural support that they also need. This intellectual freedom enables our students to be a part of the global community as well as their own school community.
ReplyDeleteTechnology can definitely be a valuable tool in increasing students' awareness of diverse cultures, and even interact with other students all over the world. When I was taking 6401 at the beginning of the media program, we explored a website on which an upper elementary class in the U.S. has posted made-up words and their meanings as part of a study of the English language, and had even recorded each student saying and defining his/her word. Schools in Australia, Spain, and Germany, who were studying the same topic, then made up and recorded their own words and posted them to the website. Just as students from other cultures who are in the U.S. should work to understand the American culture, American students should strive to do the same with other nations.
ReplyDeleteYou're right we must prepare our students for "universal knowledge". The world is a very large place and we must ensure they are prepared for it. By providing materials so that they feel represented as well.
ReplyDelete