“We are the media”: On Utilizing ICT in Differentiated Instruction

(Janine Patrice Estrada/CASSayuran)

During the second day of the MSU-IIT Department of English's ComE with Us! extension project on March 4, 2023, at the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS), Prof. Sittie Pasandalan and Dr. Irish Mae Fernandez emphasized the idea that "We are the media" when it comes to teaching. Their lecture, centered around the topic of technology and media literacy, focused on how educators can leverage information and communications technology (ICT) in differentiated instruction (DI).

As Professor Pasandalan explained in her discussion on "Media, Ethical Norms, and Media Literacy Education," media literacy is crucial in teaching, and everyone can be a part of the media. Dr. Fernandez further emphasized this concept with her lecture on the importance of multimodality in a differentiated classroom. She pointed out that one manifestation of multimodality is when a student performs through dancing, which aligns with Professor Pasandalan's notion that people themselves are the media.

Before Professor Pasandalan and Dr. Fernandez's presentation, speakers from Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) delivered talks on using and implementing technology in the classroom. Dr. Eko Purwanti and Prof. Puthut Ardianto discussed topics such as "Using Technology to Differentiate in English Language Classrooms [The QR Code]" and "The Implementation of QR Code in Foreign Language Classrooms," and shared various resources with the teacher-participants for their extensive reading programs.

At the end of the second day, teacher-participants presented their differentiated lesson plans, which they had created on the first day with the help of ICT, to disseminate knowledge to their students. The discussion was productive, with participants exchanging ideas on areas where they could improve.

About the Author

Raiza Jill Genalo

Raiza Jill Genalo, a news writer from CASSayuran, is a first year BA Literary and Cultural Studies student at MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology. In high school, she was a sports writer. She has written research papers that won in a few competitions. And also joined and won a few literary contests. She aspires to pursue a career in the medical field, while also exploring and nurturing her love for crafting literature.