ShowMe a Way to Differentiate

I'll be the first one to admit that differentiating a lesson is my biggest challenge within a lesson.  Having a class of 39 students and planning for a smorgasbord of learning styles and readiness levels can be incredibly overwhelming.  It would be great to say that I have it all figured out and lessons are diversified to meet the specific needs of every type of learner.  In reality, things couldn't be further from the truth. 

---

Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of days where differentiation takes place in my algebra classroom and I walk away exhausted from stretching myself thin.  It's worth it because the students get a large chunk of their dedicated to their needs, whether it is remediation or extension.  Monitoring the students and checking for understanding are nearly impossible.

The reason that I'm chewing on this topic is because of the way that I've been using the iPad lately in my classroom.  For the most part, it has been used to replace the Interwrite/Mobii pad and interactive whiteboard.  The iPad has been used to have students explain their work to the class using Educreations and ShowMe, create step-by-step explanations on a Comic using Comic Life, and other standard classroom operations.

Using Comic Life to explain the "Cover Up Method" when finding the intercepts of a linear function.

Recently, I had a student coming in to ask if there was anything he could do to bring up his grade.  I don't allow students to turn in late work and I don't allow students to make up any missing work from the month prior (mostly for organizational purposes, but there's a sense of urgency when there's a timeline), but they can come in and re-do any assignment within a given month.  Truth be told, I'm a softie when it comes to kids wanting to learn.  I end up bending my rules.  If they ask enough, I end up breaking my rules.  A student had a C+, wanted a B- (so he could get his iPod back), and needed to do anything to raise his grade.  The problem?  Everything from November has been turned in.

Rather than turning him away, I looked into his October grades.  Sure enough, he was missing an assignment gauging their knowledge of absolute value equations in one variable.  It's a tough standard and is very easy to make simple mistakes.  If a student wants to succeed, I want to give that student a chance.  Why have a kid go back and do 20 problems to prove that a standard has been mastered?  Nah.  Here's the iPad.  Here's a problem.  Solve the problem and, in detail, explain each step and your solution.  Oh yeah, he's an English Language Learner.  Check out his work:

Ok, so problem solved.  Not so fast, my friends!  The iPad has helped me with students who need a chance to probe that they understand a concept.  How about a pair of students who sit there bored during class and are waiting for a chance to do something unique?  It sure would be nice to let them take a project, run with it, and make it their own.  Hmmmmm....

This is less to do with ShowMe (although it's a really cool app) and it's more to do with the capabilities of a student if they are given a chance to express themselves.  Why on earth would I force a student to do 20 problems from a month and a half ago when he can clearly explain, using academic vocabulary, the steps in a video?  Why would I ever let a pair or small group of students sit through a class period full of review when they can be the ones teaching the class the next lesson through screen casting?  These are two questions that are being answered in a 1 iPad classroom.  It's possible.  It's real.  It's REALLY POSSIBLE.

How do you use ShowMe or other screen casting apps for differentiation?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

John Stevens
@appsintheclass
@jstevens009
[email protected]
mrstevens.weebly.com