Ask twenty educators about personalized learning, and you'll likely get twenty different answers. Here is the definition provided in the Noblesville Schools Common Language Glossary:
personalized learning: educational experiences that address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students
I'm unsure how we arrived at this definition, but I love it and know someone creating these experiences in her classroom. Here are some ways White River Elementary Second Grade Teacher Melissa Campbell personalizes learning.
Nearpod
Melissa is a long-time fan of Nearpod, a digital platform for delivering interactive lessons and formative assessments. Her students especially enjoy Nearpod's Time to Climb for gamified practice, but their virtual field trips are Melissa's go-to. She recommends searching VR in Nearpod's lesson library. No headsets are required! Students navigate 360-degree views of parks, museums, and historic sites worldwide on their devices. Melissa also references this collection on the We Are Teachers website to locate more virtual field trips.
Kahoot & Blooket
I observed Melissa's students participate in a Kahoot to review strategies for double-digit addition. It was clear that Melissa has invested time in teaching procedures for participating in high-energy digital games like Kahoot and Blooket. The kids smoothly "badged into" Clever, opened the game, and gave themselves cute player names like 👋 Hello and 🐾 Paws. They cheered each other on as the leaderboard kept updating.
Reveal Math
Melissa is an excellent resource for unpacking the K-5 Reveal Math online dashboard. She has been testing all its components. Here are some of her favorite moves:
- Customizing the presentation trays
- Printing the exit tickets so she can view student work
- Playing the Math Replay video before the lesson
- Focusing on vocabulary when leading the Be Curious activities
- Differentiating practice activities in Redbird
Duolingo
Duolingo names itself the world's best way to learn a language. "With quick, bite-sized lessons, you’ll earn points and unlock new levels while gaining real-world communication skills." (Duolingo.com) Melissa challenges herself to practice her Spanish for at least minutes daily using the app. With seven multilingual students in her classroom, it's how Melissa strengthens her Spanish speaking skills.
Smore + ParentSquare
Posting a monthly Smore to ParentSquare has been Melissa's solution for family communication. Check out the bottom of her Smore for a list of support materials she provides parents.
Mrs. Campbell's class recently used Zoom to witness a classmate's adoption hearing. It was an emotional experience for everyone, full of cheers and tears. And if that isn't using technology for personalized learning, I'm not sure what is.
Kristin Patrick, Blended Learning Coach
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