Diversity, Cultural Understanding, and Global Awareness

Explain how the use of the Internet in the classroom helps to develop a students' understanding
of and respect for diversity. You'll want to address how you would meet diverse needs of your
students in the classroom appropriately. Also, please include a discussion of how using the
Internet increases students' cultural understanding and global awareness. Finally, please address
how blogging can affect the way we communicate and collaborate both locally and globally with
students, parents, peers, and community (include examples of how to do this). You will need to
do some research on the web to help inform your answers. Be sure to properly reference what
you learned within your blog post.
When someone says the word Diversity, what words comes to mind? Do you think of people
with different religions, cultures, skin color, background, abilities, disabilities, ideas, or political
stance? That is all what comes to my mind when I think of the word Diversity. In an article
written by Dave L. Edyburn called Failure is not an option, Dave Talks about the achievement
that exists between students of color, those with disabilities, those living in poverty, and those
whose first language is not English. Dave also says When students are unable to experience
success in a learning activity, there is still a learning outcome: Students learn that they dont like
the subject matter and internalize the failure in ways that reflect the idea that they are no good
in the subject. Indeed, the emotional scarring of this process is so powerful that these negative
outcomes are transmitted generationally. (Edyburn, 2006) So how do we close this gap, how
do we help students succeed in school? I propose that technology can help. Technology has
greatly shaped the way our students live their lives. They dont go anywhere without their
phones, mp3 players, or whatever piece of smart tech they have. They all have some type of
social media site where they can tweet, post, or share their lives. So how do we use technology
to promote engaging high level education to all students? There are so many different ideas on
how to use technology in the classroom. But how do we specifically use it to help a diverse
classroom succeed? Since all students have different abilities and strengths, we must make sure
that we are helping our students use their strengths to succeed. We can use these strengths to
help our students learn about each others cultures, backgrounds, and interests. In an article
called Differentiating Instruction with Technology in the Middle School Classrooms written by
Grace E. Smith and Stephanie Throne, they write this technology can assist us in our effort to
engage students and personalize instruction according to students interests, levels of readiness,
and learning styles (the three primary student traits that guide differentiation). (Throne Smith,
2009) In my own classroom, I use technology to project notes, write notes, and read notes so
that I can cater to every students learning need. I can use a translator to speak to my students
whose first language is not English. In an article written by Will Richardson called Preparing
Students to Learn Without Us, he poses the question of teaching students a topic solely based
around a topic that interests them. This could really have potential. But I have to ask, how then,
does he learn to work with others, expand his comfort zones, and broaden his idea.
Personalizing our learning can get a child hooked on a topic, but then it is part of our job of
teachers to challenge them and encourage students to expand their ideas. Diversity isnt always
about everyone learning something different in a different way, sometimes it has to be about
every one learning one thing and finding a way to apply it to their diverse lives. I have a class
this year that has 3 languages in it, 4 if you would like to count ghetto southern. I have to
communicate the same information to very different students. This is done in groups, with
technology, translators, and a lot of patience. I am constantly trying out different methods to get

information across to my students; some have failed for some students while working miracles
for others. We as teachers, have to be willing to try different methods of learning while still
encouraging them to have new experiences.
There is this great video that I watched in college called The Dangers of a Single Story. This
video is all about the dangers of stereotypes and believing only one side of a story. There are
always going to be truths to stereotypes, but we have to encourage our students to research their
news, ideas, and story so that they can learn all sides, and develop an opinion based on all of the
research that is out there. We have to make sure that we are encouraging our students to learn
about what else is out there in the world, otherwise, after graduation they will be shock. A great
way to help our students become more globally aware is to write a blog. Students could try and
connect to other school in the United States or around the world. They could pose questions and
have everyone answer them in the blog. This could help students see that they are not the only
one struggling with one issue or another. It could help them understand how different cultures do
different things. It could help the community see what their students are learning and where they
might need to pick up the slack at home.
Adichie, C. N. (2009) The Danger of a Single Story. View at:
https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
Edyburn, D. L., (2006) Failure is not an Option. (pg 20-23)
https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/456070/viewContent/10046423/View
Richardson, W. (2012) Preparing Students to Learn Without Us (pg 22-26)
https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/456070/viewContent/10046425/View
Smith, G. E., Throne, S. (2009) Differentiating Instruction with Technology in Middle School
Classrooms. (pg 29-39)
https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/456070/viewContent/10046424/View

My blog : http://lizzywinslett.weebly.com/1/post/2014/04/diversity.html

Dear Ariel,
I like what Lyn Hilt said as well. People believe differences to be wrong is such a dangerous
thing for our world. With the melting pot or cultures that is America; our students are going to
have to work with people different from them every day. I love your idea about using Skype to
communicate with classes around the world. I would have never thought of that! How do you
propose you find those classrooms to communicate with? How would you go about setting up a
safe but effective way to get to know the students and pair everyone with a partner? You have
some great ideas! Good luck!
Lizzy Winslett
http://aflinn.weebly.com/1/post/2014/04/diversity-and-technology.html