Differentiation in Tech Class

2-3 Week Student-Designed Projects

You could fill a lifetime with computer tech class and never teach the same thing twice due to the evolving nature of the topics. So, how do you teach a 7th grade "computer tech" course without it being irrelevant by the time they graduate?

Creative Problem Solving

Last week students filled out a Google form asking them to plan out an individual project with 3 easy, 3 medium, and 3 difficult goals (in two weeks, the first 6 goals must be met for a CHANCE at an A).

Some of the work from individually designed projects:

Measurable Outcomes & Choices

I gave the class some suggestions of items they could work on, and opened up the floor to new suggestions. The examples of measurable goals I gave:

• Crop, color correct, repair and save 5 pictures in 2 days
• Build the bottom 2 layers of the entire school floorplan by day 5 (In Minecraft)
• Write 2 page short story script for 3 characters, lines memorized by day 4. Filmed day 5-6.

I make very clear that I'm open to anything, so long as they can make a case that they will be learning meaningful skills (a sneaky way to develop their rhetoric and argumentative skills) and some students do pursue their own routes. One used Mixcraft audio editing/creating software to make and remix new songs:


There are usually a few students who don't know what to choose, and they by default become a very valuable asset to the whole experience: the "Documentary Team"

Documentary Team

This team roams around daily and hassles the other students for screenshots, video, and audio clips of their work. They write interview questions and learn about framing, lighting, solid audio capturing, and editing with lower-thirds titles. An unintended benefit was the various groups had more than just me hounding for accountable deliverables (finished products that can be shown off) they promised in their goals.