Technology-Based Resources for Differentiation

     The world our students live in is fast paced and there are numerous things that are in constant competition for their attention. Because of this, students must be invested into what they are learning so that they are motivated to pay attention, be positive, work through difficult challenges, and intentionally grow their own understanding (Dabrowski & Marshall, 2015). There are technological tools that are available that do just that and help teachers achieve the huge task of providing individualized instruction for every student without overwhelming the teacher. Three of these programs are i-Ready, Moby Max, and Readworks. All three are easy to use for students and teachers, able to be incorporated into any classroom, and find ways to engage the students in learning. 

i-Ready is an online program that can be bought separately or in congruence with the Ready curriculum in both math and Reading. It begins by assessing students' skills in each domain. Individual learning paths are then created for each student based on their areas of strengths and weaknesses (Curriculum Associates, 2021). i-Ready also offers the possibility for teachers to assign certain lessons to students based on the skills they are working on in the classroom. i-Ready is easy to use for both students and teachers. Students are able to easily log on using a QR code and are given simple screens to choose from. They can either choose to work on teacher assignments that have been given or they can work on their learning path. As soon as they finish the diagnostic test, their learning path is created and they can begin working on missing skills. Teachers are able to immediately access student data on where they have tested, skills they are missing, and support they can provide. Teachers can also use the instructional groupings that are created by i-Ready based on similar skills, or they are able to create their own. There are a multitude of reports to use to drive instruction and plenty of resources the teacher may use in both small groups and large groups. Teachers are able to easily incorporate i-Ready into their classroom, no matter how it is structured. i-Ready can be used during intervention time to help bridge gaps in learning, or it can be used during center time to help enrich the lesson that was taught. Teachers are able to differentiate their instruction by providing lessons at any grade level from Kindergarten through eighth grade. Pricing for i-Ready depends on the type of license that is being bought and for what subjects. A minimum of 150 student licenses must be purchased. Although this program runs more on the expensive side, it provides plenty of support for both the teacher and student in math and reading. 

 Moby Max is another online program that is designed to close learning gaps in students. It is for students in Kindergarten through eighth grade and works in all subjects, including reading, math, science, social studies, and writing. Students are assessed and troubled areas are identified and then a learning path is developed in order to fix those areas (Learn Without Limits, 2021). Students are rewarded with game time and certificates for completing certain tasks. Teachers are able to track students in real time and quickly check on skills students are struggling with. They are also able to assign lessons through MobyMax in any subject areas. Similar to i-Ready, MobyMax is able to be incorporated into any classroom structure and can be used as intervention or enrichment. MobyMax is affordable with the options to buy individual student licenses for less than $5 a student, or a school-wide license for $3,495.

Readworks is another websitel that provides instructional materials that can be used across all major subjects. They primarily provide stories, passages, and articles that are written on a variety of interesting topics and help students increase their reading comprehension, vocabulary, and build their background knowledge (Readworks, 2018). Along with reading material, they provide resources to help build students comprehension and academic vocabulary. The website is easy to access from anywhere and with any device. Teachers can choose to print out the materials they need and have student work with paper, or they can assign the material in their class portal and have students work on the computer. Readworks also provides reading material across all subject areas and on a wide variety of topics that help show the connection of ideas from different subjects. Teachers are also able to differentiate by assigning passages on the same topic, but at multiple reading levels. Readworks relies on donations, and is free to anyone with full access to their website and materials at no cost to the user.

All three online programs provide material for students at any level. i-Ready gears towards catching students' interests more than MobyMax and Readworks. It has bright colored cartoon characters that teach by using words, writing, and manipulatives to teach a lesson or concept. MobyMax starts students no matter where they are academically and provides a wider variety of subjects to work in, However it is very limited on the learning styles it offers. Readworks does not offer their material in a variety of learning styles, but they do provide different supports for students at different levels, such as read aloud texts, passages at different reading levels, and passages on high interest topics that students are interested in.

MobyMax and i-Ready are very similar in their mission of closing learning gaps in students and they are both able to be integrated into the classroom very easily. Teachers are able to use both programs as intervention for struggling students or they can use it to help support or enrich what they are teaching in the classroom. Both of these programs also encourage students to increase their engagement time, but they do so using different methods. MobyMax uses incentives, such as game time, certificates, and rewards to help encourage students to increase their time of engagement. i-Ready uses goal setting and tracking to encourage students to stay engaged. Students are also offered game time, but it is not tied to how much time they spent engaged in the lesson. Instead it is a game that helps them use the skill they are currently learning to play.

In a world that is driven by technology, teachers and students have plenty of options to help increase learning without also increase their workload. These are just three of many programs that can be used to help fill the gaps in student's learning and provide instruction in a way each student learns.

Curriculum Associates. (2021). Ready: Assessments and data-driven instruction. Retrieved from https://www.curriculumassociates.com/products/i-ready

Learn Without Limits. (2021). Close learning gaps. Retrieved from https://www.mobymax.com/about-us

Readworks, Inc. (2018). About. Retrieved from https://about.readworks.org/about.html