Blog D : Chapter 6 Fostering Online Learning with Educational
Websites and Apps and Chapter 10 Promoting Success for All
Students through Technology

Multicultural education is is any form of education or teachings that incorporates history, texts, values, beliefs and perspectives of people pf may different cultural backgrounds. (Multicultural Education, 2013)  All children regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender or social class are entitled to an equal opportunity education.  In order to have a diverse classroom the educator needs to teach from a variety of cultural perspectives.  The good thing about this is the fact that America is just that....DIVERSE!  This country is built on the diversity of our citizens.    Technology helps the educator support a multicultural education in their classroom.  How?  With the Web the instructor can incorporate virtual tours of museums or other countries.  The Computer opens a gateway to explore the world through the world wide web.  The student can go around the world right from their desk in the classroom.  The possibilities are endless.  Also, as the instructor it is important to embrace the diversity in their very own classroom.  They need to be sure to be aware of the student's cultural background.  First, to be sure to embrace their cultural differences. Second, to promote learning amongst the students.

This brings us to Differentiated Instruction. Differentiated Instruction is a way of teaching.  The instructor takes into account the different ways each student learns.  It has to do with doing whatever it takes to ensure the student learns the material being presented to him/her.  The activities or lessons are designed around the student and not around the content.  Students learn in many different ways,  As a professional instructor it is your responsibility to learn how each of your students learn best.  Some students may be visual, meaning they respond to the material visually, by seeing slides or notes on presentations.  Another group may respond to auditory, or hearing lectures and discussion of the  materials.  Another may need to write notes.  Yet another can be hands on, they may have to work through problems or issues to retain the material.  By presenting lessons in different or differentiated instruction this will result in more students being reached.  More of the students will learn and your lesson will be successful.

Finally, this brings me to Online learning and Virtual Schools.  With the many advances of technology, online learning and virtual schools are the logical next step in learning.  Online learning can be done from a classroom and it can be done from a remote location, such as home.  Online learning can be incorporated in the daily classroom at a physical school location or it can be accomplished from a remote location not at school, like home.  Virtual Schools are schools completely maintained on the computer.  There is no physical school location for the student to attend.  The student is to sign onto the given website and they link into a virtual classroom with an instructor. The student does this from their home.  Then there is blended learning or hybrid learning which is a combination of online learning and face to face learning.  Personally, this is the type of learning I feel comfortable with.  I like to use the computer but for me there is nothing like having the instructor face to face.  There are debates over virtual schools, there has been a push for virtual schools in the last few years.  With budget constraints and cuts virtual schools are appealing in this way.  Some families like the idea of being able to access learning from anywhere, they like the convenience of the virtual school.  The student can learn at their pace and are flexible with their schedules.  Critics of virtual schools cite the lack of full time teachers, isolation, no classroom interaction for the student with peers and teachers.  Also, according to the textbook, Transforming Learning with New Technologies, chapter 6, students in virtual schools are not performing as well on standardized tests as those students that physically attend school.

In conclusion, I am all for a diverse classroom.  This gives us all great learning opportunities.  As we get to know each other in the classroom, we will get to learn about each other, our cultures and backgrounds.  Which can lead into great teaching opportunities.  We can incorporate some virtual tours and or field trips to different countries and states.  It would be fun to visit the different places each student comes from.  This leads me to differentiated learning.  Different ways of learning appeals to each of us.  I know, me personally, I am both visual and hands on.  I like to see what I am suppose to do and then I have to get my hands into it to get a complete understanding.  Each student has their way to learn, in fact most students have more than one way they learn.  This is why it is ideal to teach in many different ways.  Use the computer, lecture, use audio, visual aids,, group assignments and so forth.  But incorporating many different ways of learning you are sure to appeal to most of your students. As for virtual schooling and online teaching, I like the idea of using online teaching along with the traditional face to face teaching in school.  I am not a big fan for just online or virtual schooling.  I feel one on one interaction with students, teachers and peers is important and valuable to education.  This is where students learn to deal with different people and different personalities.  How will students learn this without interacting in person.  The "book learning" I am sure is fine, it is the rest of the school day the students miss out on. 

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Resources

Davis, Laurie.Created with Bitstrips. http://www.bitstrips.com/user/1GRMGS/read.php?comic_id=6FF93&subsection=1

Miller Sadker, Davis and Zittleman, Karen R. Teachers, Schools, and Society. Tenth Edition. pg. 368-369. McGraw Hill.

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013) Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Robb, Laura. What is Differentiates Instruction., Scholatic. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-differentiated-instruction