EDU-524 Culturally Responsive Technology

Culturally Responsive Technology Michael Lam College of Education, Grand Canyon University EDU-524: Culturally Responsive Curriculum and Instruction Sherry Wells October 9, 2024

Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies

Culturally responsive teaching is based on differentiated instruction ideas and recognizes and embraces students' cultures, languages, and backgrounds. In addition, educators can build positive student relationships and create a warm and inviting classroom environment. Here are two strategies that can promote a culturally responsive instructional evironment.

1. Get to know your students At the beginning of the year, hand out surveys, questionnaires or work on a "Me Poster" asking about their interests, hobbies, family members, fascinating facts about them, or places that they have been to. 2. Call on each student By using a digital classroom management tool called Flippity, an educator can call on all students with a random name selector. This encourages and engages everyone to share their thoughts and opinions amongst their peers.

Examples of Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies

Digital name selectors promotes student engagement and equitable participation.

Students feel seen and valued when they can share about themselves.

Hang up encouraging posters to foster a warm learning environment.

Adaptations to Curriculum to Enhance Cultural Responsiveness.

Get to Know Your Students and Family

Provide Opportunities for students to see themselves in learning

Build a Positive Classroom Culture

Establishing a strong teacher-student relationship is vital. Forming clear lines of communication with parents is equally as important. This can happen with regular correspondences with translations to accommodate various languages. Sharing positive news and student successes can also promote a strong teacher-parent relationship.

An educator can build a positive classroom culture by giving praise, establishing routine, practicing positive reinforcement, promoting appropriate behavior, and embracing differences in cultures. For example, greeting students at the door is a great way to build rapport and establish a tight-knit classroom community.

From read-aloud books to singing songs, selecting materials that represent a student's background and culture promotes a diverse and inclusive curriculum. Adapting math problems to include cultural names can be another way for students to see themselves in learning.

Existing or Emerging Technologies That Support Culturally Responsive Learning.

There are a multitude of existing or emerging technology tools that can aide and support culturally responsive learning. They empower students to be responsible and independent learners. Collaboration and communication are at the forefront of many of these tools, such as Google Suites for education. In order to meet students' needs and learning goals, educators have the option to select from the vast array of technology that are both free and fee-based to supplement curriculum.

Examples of Existing or Emerging Technologies That Support Culturally Responsive Learning.

Khan Academy provides students the opportunity to learn or relearn math concepts at their own pace. They can pause, rewind, and revisit these videos at their time without any classroom time constraints. Furthermore, students can access these videos if they happen to miss the lesson.

Vocabulary.com is an adaptive website that helps students improve their vocabulary with an engaging and interactive game-based approach. This can be integrated into the classroom or played at home. There are options to play on your own or against other players from around the world.

Current Professional Practices For Implementing Existing or Emerging Technologies That Support Student Learning

To promote digital literacy, increased engagement and collaborative learning, educators can implement existing or emerging technologies that support student learning. Furthermore, it can stimulate higher level thinking and promote inclusivity with the following examples.

iready is an adaptive learning tools for reading and math that provides personalized instruction to support the needs of all students. After completing a diagnostic test, it can build unique learning plans for differentiated lessons and set targeted goals for each learner throughout the school year. The data gathered can help educators inform instruction.

Kahoot is a game-style learning that is interactive and engaging. Educators can build quizzes or select from an extensive library of quizzes. It keeps track of their progress and participation in a playful and light-hearted way. Individual or group play is possible allowing students to personalize screen names and emojis.

Recommendations for Utilizing Culturally Responsive Technology that Incorporates Individual Student Differences in the Learning Process

Educators have a variety of culturally responsive technology that helps students communicate in their home language, connect student cultures, and make learning more relevant and effective. Students can share what they have learned through an assortment of available digital platforms. Here are two ways examples.

Google Translate can help students with language barriers. It supports Google Suites for Education, allowing students to translate text in Google Classroom, Slides, Docs, or Forms. It assists ELL students and strengthens communication for parents and guardians.

Book Creator is a digital tool for all grade levels that allows students to create and design a multimedia book. Students can construct text, drawings, video and audio books with limitless options allowing collaboration in real-time with peers.

References

4 Ways to use tech to create a culturally responsive Classroom | ISTE. (2023, May 4). ISTE. https://iste.org/blog/4-ways-to-use-tech-to-create-a-culturally-responsive-classroom Fultz, A. (2023, October 6). Building authentic relationships with students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-strongrelationships-with-students/ Loveless, B. (2024, August 26). 35 of the BEST Educational Apps for Teachers (Updated 2024). Education Corner. https://www.educationcorner.com/35-incredible-classroom-apps/Promethean World. (2024, August 29). Maximizing culturally responsive teaching with technology in the classroom.https://www.prometheanworld.com/resource-center/blogs/maximizing-culturally-responsive-teaching-with-technology-in-the-classroom/