What it is:
This web site contains links to materials for professional developers to adapt and use when helping teachers integrate technology into the curriculum. These materials complement and support research based strategies that have been used to support differentiated instruction.
To see how some different minds learn go to
PBS Misunderstood Minds
and review the activities.
For example see
Activity 1 Simulated Memory Difficulty
Activity 2 Graphomotor Action
PBS Frontline Teenage Brain
Also visit All Kinds of Minds The LearningBase that provides insights into the learning challenges that students face.
For an overview please read: "Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners: What Teachers Can Do" which explains how some commonly available classroom technology resources — talking text, web resources, graphic organizers, and word processors — can enhance teachers' ability to meet the diverse learning needs of their students.
This web site and the PDF handouts can be used as part of district/school site based professional development. For example:
If you are doing a training on specific software, such as Microsoft Word or Kidspiration, or on a topic such as Math, pull materials from this site to increase the ways in which teachers can use technology to meet the needs of diverse learners.
Select the most relevant tips for your teachers, and plan several one-hour training sessions, to focus on each tip, allowing teachers time to explore the feature or strategy in depth.
Find mentors within your district who can help to share these tips. Inclusion specialists or other special education staff may already have expertise in customizing curriculum-using technology that can be shared with the general educators.
Encourage staff to contribute a technology tip at staff meetings in order to share strategies that are a good fit with your curriculum.
Ask in-house and visiting technology staff developers to address the needs of diverse learners whenever they provide training at your site.
When purchasing new software and curriculum, look for features, such as text-to-speech, color-coding, adjustments for different ability levels, and graphic options, that can support a mixed ability classroom.
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