To me diversity means a lot of differnt things. We have diverse cultures. We have diverse learners. We have diverse teaching styles. We have diverse home situations. We have diverse abilities, and much more. So diversity is everywhere in the school system. Technology in the media center needs to meet the needs of many diverse situations. We have books that reach all levels, so we need to have technology that reach all levels. Vidoes that are ordered reach a variety of levles, as well as books on tape, CD Roms, Kits, etc...If you think about the internet and all the resources that are out there, they are for all kinds of diverse learners. You can find websites that are just for infants such as kneebouncers.com all the way up to the most complex websites for adults. Everything is out there on the internet, just waiting for you to find it.
As a media specialist you need to make sure that you are ordering materials that address all ethnic diversity, religious diversity, learnng styles, etc... You also have to have special material for the visually impaired, hearing impaired, etc...
Finally, technology can support learning about diversity in many ways too. Think about the books that we read in our classroom to young students that address differences, and the curriculum that addresses diverse cultures, learning styles, homes, etc... We teach children to embrace differnces and celebrate them. The internet is a wealth of information for any subject that you need to learn about. If you wanted to research autism, for instance, you could find so much information by completing a single search. Technology is perfect for supporting diversity.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
How right you are. We, as teachers and media specialists, try to meet the needs of our diverse learners (whatever the diversity may be)in all areas. We must be ever mindful of all that we sa and do.
It is amazing to see all the things that are available to meet student and teacher needs. I am truly astonished at all the resources that I have happened upon in the last few years.
Your posting made me think of a couple of other diversity situations that I have neglected to mention and really address in the past. At my school we do have many diverse home situations. With the housing market in trouble we have gained many new students because they are moving in with other family members until they can get back on their feet. Most children are sensitive to what is going on with their home and families. Students may need more resources available at school because they may no longer have a computer at home or the books they once had may have been lost or sold. As a teacher and media specialist we have to address the diverse situations that our students experience at home.
You did a great job detailing all the different types of diversity that can exist in a school. The diverse home situation is one that many of us forget about. Is hard to relate to a student that has a different home situation from what we think is normal. Providing books and other resources that address some of these situations is necessary in order to make every student feel welcome and an important part of the school.
I agree with you about using technology to teach children about the diverse culture and world we live in. I especially think about diversity at school during the holiday season. There are so many different cultural traditions that our students experience at home with their families around this time of year. I love to see special "holiday" sections in a media center displaying books about different holidays and ethnic traditions. Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Eid al-Adha, and ways of celebrating Christmas around the world are so interesting to learn about. One of my favorite stories this time of year is "Too Many Tamales" by Gary Soto. My mentor has been reading this book to the Kindergarten classes at our school, and they love hearing about the Mexican-American tradition of making tamales at Christmas time.
Post a Comment