Technology in the Classroom: Personalized Learning

Brought to you by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Just as technology has opened up new worlds for students, it has also opened new options for teachers.

Teachers can use technology to build on the broad interests and abilities of their students. Teachers, for example, can create research projects that require the use of technology and help students see the connections between academic subjects areas, as well as to the world outside the classroom.

That's exactly what happened at Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Donald Curry, science teacher at Valley, worked closely with his colleague, English teacher Sarah Lasley, to create learning tasks that connected science and English, and that gave students opportunities to use the technological tools many of them will need to be successful in their careers.

Students at Valley participated in Global Lab, an international environmental awareness project. Through a computer telecommunications network, students communicated directly with other students from around the world to compare the data they collected from local environmental sites.

Even the least motivated students were encouraged to participate in the authentic learning environment created by Curry and Lasley.

Take Michael, for example. Michael was not inclined to say much--if anything at all--during class discussions. "He sat by himself, had low self-esteem, didn't participate," Lasley explains.

But one day, Michael mentioned that he was interested in learning more about endangered species. So, Curry asked if he would be interested in using the Global Lab network to communicate with someone in Zimbabwe about the endangered species problem there.

That was the key to unlocking Michael's enthusiasm. Curry and Lasley created an authentic learning task that centered around Michael's interests. Michael used the Global Lab system to talk with students around the world about endangered species, conducted research online, and then presented his findings to his peers--both in the classroom and through Global Lab. These discussions helped generate ideas about what they, as students, could do to help save endangered animals.

At Valley High School, science is more relevant to students in Curry's class. A single computer, linked to a worldwide telecommunications network, was all Curry needed to give his students the opportunity to contribute to an international project. The technology, he says, "helps students see how the day-to-day activities in high school is outfitting them for what they'll face in the future."

Source: Neal, P. (Producer). (1994). Teaching and Learning with Technology [Videotape]. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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