Higher Education Presentation

Culturally Responsive Technology

Elizabeth MunsellEDU 524

Make Learning Contextual

Activate Prior Knowledge

Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies

• Students come to our classrooms with diverse experiences
• This knowledge comes from personal experiences, their home lives, and previous schooling (Burnham, 2024)
• We must encourage students to draw on this prior knowledge to help them be successful in their learning (Simple K12, 2023)
• Students connect what they already know to what they are learning
• Increases student's motivation, engagement, and critical thinking (Howard. 2020)

• We must relate lessons and materials to students' environments, interests, and real-life situations (Howard, 2020)

• Making activities relatable allows students to better understand the content (Burnham, 2024)
• Students can use their prior knowledge and apply the new skills
• Students can share personal stories and experiences related to the topic being studied (Simple K12, 2023)

Notes

• Use project-based learning to provide the opportunity for students to explore topics relevant to their own lives
• Encourages collaboration which teaches students to respect diverse viewpoints and learn from each other's experiences
• Ties learning into real-world issues allowing them to address topics like social justice and equality (Carnegie Learning, 2022)

• Lead classroom discussions that invite students to share their cultural experiences
• Encourage students to think about how culture influences language and the ways stories are told
• Promotes critical thinking, cultural awareness and respect for diverse viewpoints (Carnegie Learning, 2022)

• Use literature and texts from a wide range of cultures, perspectives, and authors
• Incorporate books and other media that highlight your students' cultural backgrounds
• Encourages students to see themselves in the curriculum
• Exposes students to different world views (Carnegie Learning, 2022)

Project-Based Learning

Discussions

Diverse Text Selection

Culturally ResponsiveAdaptations to the curriculum

Notes

Nearpod

Technologies

• Nearpod is an online platform that allows students to participate in interactive lessons, activities, and fieldtrips
• Offers features like polls, open-ended questions, and collaboration boards allowing students to share and learn from personal experiences
• Uses videos and other multimedia elements that can expose students to other cultures and perspectives in an immersive way
• Offers a virtual reality component that can be used for virtual fieldtrips

Notes

Kahoot

Technologies

• Online learning platform that allows teachers to create and share learning games, quizzes, and surveys with students
• Teachers can create content that is relevant to the students lives and reflect their cultural experiences
• Students can participate and contribute in a low pressure environment
• Allows students to work in team increasing collaboration
• Leads to an increase in engagement and participation

Notes

• Explain technology in clear, simple terms
• Be mindful of the students access to digital devices outside of school

• Emphasize effort and perseverance
• Provide students opportunities for practice and feedback

• Identify specific instructional goals before choosing technology
• Focus on how technology enhances the learning experience and aligns to objectives.

Make TechnologyAccessible

Foster a Growth Mindset

Set Clear Objectives

Implementing culturally responsive technology

Notes

Recommendations

• Understand your students culture and background to help drive your lessons
• Create a positive classroom culture
• Be aware of your own bias and assumptions
• Incorporate student choice into your teaching
• Use technology to provide multiple ways for students to access, learn, and demonstrate the content

Notes

• Burnham, K. (2024). 5 culturally responsive teaching strategies. Northeastern University. https://graduate.northeastern.edu/resources/culturally-responsive-teaching-strategies/
• Carnegie Learning. (2022). 3 ways to build more culturally responsive teaching in ela. https://www.carnegielearning.com/blog/culturally-responsive-ela-classroom/
• Howard, T. (2020) 7 culturally responsive teaching strategies and instructional practices. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. https://www.hmhco.com/blog/culturally-responsive-teaching-strategies-instruction-practices
• Iowa College of Education. (2024). Integrating technology into the classroom: Best practices. https://onlineprograms.education.uiowa.edu/blog/integrating-technology-in-the-classroom-best-practices
• Kahoot. (n.d.) Kahoot for schools. https://kahoot.com/schools/interactive-lessons/
• Nearpod. (n.d.) How nearpod works. https://nearpod.com/how-nearpod-works/

• Simple K12. (2023). What is culturally responsive teaching? https://www.simplek12.com/learning-theories-strategies/culturally-responsive-teaching/

References

In order to build a more culturally responsive curriculum in English Language Arts, we must work on creating a student-centered learning environment. It is important that we draw on the students' culture to shape the curriculum. Offering a diverse text selection allows students to see themselves represented in the curriculum. This can lead to increased engagement and achievement (Carnegie Learning, 2022). Before having discussions, we must acknowledge that discussion is a "culturally loaded practice" meaning some cultures encourage discussion and sharing thoughts while others do not (Carnegie Learning, 2022). We must then explain the importance and benefits of discussion and start of with regular, short, low-stakes discussions. Project-based learning is another way to create a student-centered environment. This will allow students to research topics relevant to their own lives and address real-life topics.

Presenter Notes

Teachers can use culturally responsive teaching strategies to create a more inclusive classroom environment. When we activate prior knowledge, we acknowledge that students are not blank slates (Burnham, 2024). The come to us with diverse experiences. We must encourage students to build on their existing experiences to increase motivation, engagement, and critical thinking (Simple K12, 2023). An example of activating prior knowledge is asking students to think about a time they experienced coming to a new environment before teaching a story about a character coming to the US for the first time (Howard, 2020).When we make learning contextual we tie what is being taught to the students' lives. This makes learning more relevant which leads to a greater understanding of the material. (Burnham, 2024). An example of making learning contextual is discussing why something we learned in history matters today or asking questions like "What do you think a historical figure would say if they were here today?" (Howard, 2020).

Presenter Notes

Nearpod allows teachers to create interactive lessons using videos, polls, and open-ended questions. Lessons can be completed live (in class) or asynchronously allowing students to work at their own pace.Because Nearpod is so customizable, teachers can incorporate culturally relevant materials. This allows the students' backgrounds to be reflected in the lesson and make it more meaningful.Nearpod's collaborative boards allows students to share ideas with each other. This allows students to share their ideas and experiences in a safe placeThe virtual reality field trips allows students to explore global cultures and historical sites. This promotes cultural awareness.

Presenter Notes

Kahoot is a game based learning platform that can be used to create interactive quizzes, surveys, and discussions. The quizzes can be created in multiple formats including multiple choice, true false, and puzzles. There are many free Kahoots available for free. School districts also have the option to purchase logins for their teachers. Kahoot is very customizable and allows teachers to share content that is relevant to students lives and the topic being studied. The students' cultural experiences can also be included Every student is given the opportunity to participate in a low pressure situation which can be useful for students that typically have high anxiety in a more traditional setting. Students can work individually or in teams. Working in teams encourages students to collaborate with each other allowing students to share and learn from each other's perspectives.

Presenter Notes

When implementing culturally responsive technology, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you must identify specific instructional goals that you would like to accomplish. Then, consider how the technology aligns with the lesson and will enhance the learning experience (Iowa College of Education, 2024). We must also consider how much classtime will be spent on the technology and how much time it will take for our students to learn to navigate and use the technology. Integrating culturally responsive technology into the classroom must be done so deliberately and mindfully. It's important that we stress the importance of growth mindset to our students (Iowa College of Education, 2024). Learning new technology can be challenging. Students must be given time to practice and be provided feedback regularly. Teachers must also have a growth mindset with technology since it is always evolving and changing.Because technology can be challenging for some, it is important that we are thoughtful with how we explain technology. We should avoid using jargon and explain things to students and their families in easy to understand language. Clearly communicating with families increases their understanding of the technology and will make them more likely to use it (Iowa College of Education, 2024). We must also be mindful of how students will be able to access this technology outside of school. To help, our school offers Chromebooks and chargers to all students. Hot spots are also available to those that need them.

Presenter Notes

I will end this presentation going over different recommendations that can be used to incorporate culturally responsive technology. Does anyone have anything to add?

Presenter Notes