Equal Access to the Digital World!

Schools used to be a place where the students just listened to a lecture, read from textbook, completed assignments from worksheets, and had to solve 20-30 math problems for homework each night. It was a model that made all of the students adapt to their teacher's instruction and curriculum. If a student did not learn best in that format, they may have been commonly referred to as dumb, class clown, or a behavior problem and the teacher's expectation of learning for that student was set pretty low. This made the educational experience for these students a miserable.

The paradigm has shifted recently. Teachers now set high expectations and know that all students can achieve them regardless of disability or personal learning style. How has this been accomplished? By adapting the curriculum and their instruction to the individual, teachers meet the needs and demands of their students. Even though it is not the only means to accomplish this, technology has made a student centered teaching environment possible.

To illustrate this change, I think back to my own instruction, particularly my high school French class. Most of the work was very repetitious. Most of the lessons were centered on the textbook where I remember all of the pictures that depicted typical scenes from everyday life that labeled the items in the picture with the French words. It was very monotonous. The best days for me, were the days we got to watch a video, or cook a French dish, or read an actual French magazine. We were learning and using the same French words that we did in the book, so why did I like these days so much? The answer is simple: because I am a kinesthetic learner who learns best by doing. I was able to see a practical application what I was learning and utilize it immediately.  Technology has made access to a multitude of information and resources. French would be easier for me now as I could watch a French newscast, see what’s on sale in a French store, read a French blog, and many others. Technology not only lets students read about different cultures, but immerse themselves in it. 

This is just another example of the Universal Design model in practice where the curriculum adapts to the needs of the students. Of course this is not limited to just foreign languages, but all classes!