This was a really disappointing course and I feel annoyed that I was charged to take it. Trading standards should be contacted because you are being charged for a course that has been untouched for years. It ironic that the title is 'Emerging Trends', the course material is completely outdated, in terms of what they are teaching and the technology used to provide the resources. Why am I taking a quiz about Google + when the platform was shut down A YEAR AGO! The course resources are hosted on Google Plus also, so no supporting materials available. Multiple links are broken and simply lead to 404 errors. There is also no forum discussion used, which is a basic online learning strategy for learners to share. If you need a certificate then take the course, if you want to learn something valuable that you can use in your job, do a Google search or take a look at a couple of these platforms below.
My Top Software Recommendations for Differentiated Instruction
EdPuzzle
Age: Up to High School
A personal favourite for interactive and differentiated video content. It can be used with your own videos or those of others, importing from major video sites such as YouTube.
You can use an existing video with questions embedded or add your own specific questions. This is specifically excellent when teaching towards a specific qualification, where key vocabulary and question types are used. Assign actual exam-style questions, with response types that include multiple-choice, short and long responses and the option for automatic grading.
Here is an example of an IGCSE Computer Science curriculum video
https://edpuzzle.com/media/5e78abeaa350963f85905261
You can tailor the video to certain students or address common misconceptions within the class. It is also excellent for a flipped-classroom approach if you want students to engage with content in advance of the class or synchronous online sessions.
It also allows you to report on student success and gather data on students as individuals or a whole class.
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Khan Academy
Age: Up to Highschool
Really suitable for older students because of the vast levels of content available. It’s hard not to find the subject you are looking for. The content is adaptive and will give opportunities to advance more quickly through known topics. Equally, if a student struggle with the assigned level, the software will suggest and direct questions that offer a foundation.
You can sign your whole class up through easy import options and assign the whole course, topics, or specific videos. This is great for a flipped-classroom approach, giving students the topic in advance of class and having them watch a video at their own pace and answer questions specific to the topic.
Equally, if you find a student who has not understood a class topic, then it can be used to assign them a video or questions to complete and bring them up to speed.
If you have students in high school who want to study something specific, such as SAT’s but as an international school you do not provide classes, then you can assign them to Khan academy with a schedule of lessons to be completed per week over a given period of time.
Topics include; Math, Science, Computing, Engineering, Economics, Law, Arts, Humanities, and Test Prep.
www.khanacademy.org
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Kahoot
Kahoot is one of the most popular quiz platforms and it’s hard to find a student that doesn’t know it or know its catch theme tune. Students will jump for joy when you suggest playing it and will happily make their own for both class and more social quizzing opportunities.
I use this not only as a quiz method but as a way to introduce new topics to the class. This could be a simple yes/no question that will build into an interesting class discussion. You can also revisit the question at the end of class and see how opinion has changed.
In this example, the topic is about Gear Ratios, which can be used to increase speed or torque...but never at the same time. The question of speed vs strength is used to begin a talking point with the class and offer a real-world reference and preference that will be required for future machines they build.
https://create.kahoot.it/share/lowell-starter/60082cab-1e71-4274-abbc-79de9bd9e084
Produces reports after each session that can identify which questions were perhaps too difficult and also particular members of the class who might have struggled.
Kahoot.com
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Quizizz
I use this for helping groups of students who are struggling in specific topics. Usually grouping together a few students and having them develop their quiz as a team. They all contribute to the questions, which as peers means they explain and justify both the questions and the answers together. This often forms great memory bonds on the content before they have even taken the completed quiz.
Of course, once it is also complete, they then work as a group or individually in their own time to take the quiz and practice the content.
Quizizz.com
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Socrates
Age: Up Middle School
An adaptive software that will tailor question sets and difficulty dependent upon students' responses. This allows for excellent differentiation within the classroom and as a home learning resource.
Making use of gamification, it allows students to collect badges and rewards that can be saved in their ‘bank’. Earning enough credit allows them to make purchases of games within the software.
For teachers, there is the ability to create reports for class and individual students. These can be shared with parents, contribute towards formal reports, and help teachers make decisions on future content.
Be aware, the game option can become dominant and you should explore the teacher controls for limiting this if you find it distracts students from learning.
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Night Zookeeper
Ages: Up to Middle School
Creative writing site that encourages students to work together as a class and author their own stories. Their literature is shared with other students around the world and they can receive feedback from peers globally, this allows for differentiated peer assessment in a new but familiar way for students who are used to functioning in the online world. The importance is on the writing of literature and all types are encouraged. An English teaching friend of mine has been using this with his mixed ability International Middle School students for a few years and it is one of their favourite ways to create and share.
There are also a number of interactive games that are useful for younger learners or second language learners who are new to English.
https://www.nightzookeeper.com/
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Edulastic
Age: Up to High School
Ideal for American learners who need questions and assignments that match state-mandated testing. This huge question bank allows teachers to quickly assign existing tests or make a one tailored to the class. These can be both summative and formative assessments, with individual and class reports presented in an easy to follow format.
It can easily be synchronised with Google classroom and whole-class data imported, which means assignments are quickly shared.
Be aware, there are workarounds for students if they are tech-savvy. There are ways to edit the HTML to make answers visible or log in as a teacher without institution verification.
https://edulastic.com/teachers/