Week 1 Reflection

My Philosophy of Educational Technology

Education is the foundation of all successful American citizens. Whether the education is formal or informal everyone receives training or teaching in order to be able to accomplish goals in life. Education is not only learning basic courses such as math, reading, science, or social studies. Education also includes basic life skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, or working collaboratively with others. There are several definitions in Merriam- Webster dictionary for the word technology; however what they all have in common are the word practical. Technology in education is hands on learning through technical devices that allows the learner to apply skills being taught.

In the field of educational technology the learner consistently incorporates the use of technology in their education. The use of technology travels beyond learning in the classroom; the learner becomes knowledgeable globally through the experiences of using technology to problem solve. The classroom incorporates real world experiences with content and technology. Learners should communicate their understanding of the content as it relates to the world we live in through the use of technology. The learner will make decisions on appropriate technical devices/software to use in order to present information to various types of audiences.

The teacher will serve as a facilitator of learning in the classroom. The teacher will provide an environment that promotes critical thinking, adaptability, problem solving, collaborative learning, and the use of technology. The teacher will guide learners to find answers to real world problems that will allow the learner to discover instead of being given the information initially. The discovery of the information will allow the learner to experience a feeling of accomplishment that will aide in the retention of the content.

Personally, I believe that Tony Wagner’s 7 survival skills of the 21^st century should be embedded into the learning experience for all learners. The seven skills are as follows:

1.       Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

2.       Collaboration Across Networks and Leading by Influence

3.       Agility and Adaptability

4.       Initiative and Entrepreneurship

5.       Effective Oral and Written Communication

6.       Accessing and Analyzing Information

7.       Curiosity and Imagination

The approach that I take to educating is a problem based learning approach that forces learners to solve a real world problem while learning the content and gaining the seven survival skills that are necessary in life. I expect the learner to use me as a resource in the classroom and not the only source.

The quote “Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand”, author unknown is applicable for my philosophy because I believe that learners have to be involved in their learning in order to retain information and apply it later in life.

How can a philosophy of educational technology help me?

Taking the time to write my own philosophy actually caused me to put my profession into perspective and how I plan to use this degree to go further in my career.

Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning

Wow! Reading this article was enlightening and empowering. There was more than one area in this article that stood out and caused me to really think about where we are heading in education.

The first section, “If it’s on the internet, is it true?” was interesting because there is a fine line between leaving students to discover learning by using the internet and actually sitting them down giving them certain information that they should just know. This section shows the importance of teaching students using the internet as a resource and not allowing the internet to teach our students.

The second section, “Coming Attraction: Live video cameras in every classroom”, made me question myself. Would I be the same teacher if I were on video camera every day? I do believe that the educational system would be different if teachers were constantly on video camera because then that increasing accountability for the teacher and the student.

Section four, ”Don’t do technology plans” and section 5 “Automating vs. Informating” go hand and hand. Reading these sections made me feel as though this was written for my school district and I do plan to share this article with my colleagues. I believe that there is so much focus on putting “MORE” technology in the schools and there is not enough focus on how to use the technology that we already have for the benefit of the students. I love the analogy of the pencil to the computer when it comes to students writing an essay.

click link to read article: http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/CurrentCourse/creating-a-new-culture-of-teaching-and-learning.pdf

My Expectations for ETEC 524
I expect to learn the real meaning of educational technology and be able to provide an explanation when asked, "How will this degree help further your career?" I would hope that this class continues to build on the prior knowledge that I have developed in technology and allows me to further my understanding of how to utilize technology in education.