Week One Reflections

 

Educational Technology Philosophy (1st Draft)

The purpose of education is to allow students to develop connections between what they are learning at school and their world outside of school.  It is when these connections are made that true learning will take place.  Education should not be just to memorize a bunch of facts or about concepts that the students will not remember in a month or when the class is over.  Education has to be more.  Education is learning to apply what you are learning at school in your everyday life.  Education is to teach students the skills that will lead them to be successful in life.  It is much more than assigning a student a grade.

I believe that the teacher’s job in education is to guide students into constructing meaningful learning experiences.  A teacher’s role is not just to give students information but to create experiences and situation where students make connects for learning themselves.  A teacher should create an environment were critical thinking is the norm.  As teachers of digital learners we should equip today’s students with the necessary tools to thrive in today’s global market.  The typical style of teaching and learning is not what students of this technological era need.  Teachers must realize that all students are not the same and teaching mostly lecture style will not reach most students.  Teachers have a responsibility to learn how to incorporate technology into the classroom environment.  They must learn ways to collaborate with each other to find ways to create learning experiences that will be meaningful for students.

 I also believe that students must be actively engaged and involved in the learning process.  They can no long “sit and get”.  They must begin to make connection in the learning environment to their world. Students need to learn to collaborate with each other to create a meaningful learning experience that strengthens their learning.  Students should learn to use technology to expand the boundaries of their education.  Students need to realize that they also have a responsibility in the learning process. 

Educational Blogging

I like the idea of utilizing blogs to facilitate classroom discussions.  This would allow all students to participate and even the voice of the quietest students would be heard.  Students could reflect on concepts and post thoughts to ponder over the concepts or questions they may have related to the discussed concept.  The idea of using blogs to reflect upon reading assignments is a great idea. 

I must agree with the article in that once the class is complete most students stop blogging.  I also believe the cause is because students have not made the blog their own.  It was done simply to complete an assignment.  They have not connected to world outside of their classroom to truly have their thoughts challenged and validated.  It was simply something to do to get a grade.

I believe what stops educators from using blogs in the classroom are controlling what is written on blogs.  Security of our students is an important issue some parents do not want their children communicating with unknown individuals.  Educators are also bound by curriculum so students will always have to get needed concepts covers.  These topics may or may not be of interest to students. 

I truly believe that blogs could allow our students to communicate on a more global level but I security issues and curriculum issue will have to be addressed.  Parents and districts would have to believe that it is worth the cost and risk.

Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning

I enjoyed reading this articled by Alan November.   November discussed six points for one to ponder regarding technology and learning.    One concept that stood out in my mind from this article is that kids may have technical skills but do not possess the critical thinking skills needed to validate the information they are locating on the internet.    They are unable to “deconstruct” what they are finding in order to conclude if the information is from a valid source.  Basically the article stated that “if it’s on the internet then kids believe that it is true”.    I really believe that as educators we should not allow our students to access the Internet unless we also teach them to think and discriminate about the information they locate on the Internet. 

The above video points out how fast new information is developing using technology.  It is not so much that we teach our students how to use these sources of information but we teach them the critical thinking skills needed to successfully implement the use of such technology properly.  Our students are using technology at younger ages many before they enter into a formal classroom setting.  Today's children are truly digital learners and we must embrace this fact but we must also realize that is more that just using the technology that will make our students successful.

Class Expectations

My goal for this course is to learn more about technology and education.  I would like to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of incorporting technology into a learning environment.  I would like to learn more about the various ways educators can utlized technology in an educational setting to enhance student's learning and engagement.  I would like to learn some of the many web 2.0 tools that are available for educators and students.   An additional goal I would I would like is to begin to develop my educational philosophy and beliefs.  I would like to be able to explain why I believe what I believe and why I have the goals for students that I have.  My expectation is that this class will lead me to reach these goals or get me closer in my purse of these goals.

“Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.”

 Ralph Marston