Week 2 Reflections

Educational Technology Organizations

http://www.edutopia.org/

Edutopia believes that educational technology is achieved when it is used to support curricular goals.  Technology according to this organization is engaging, involves group participation, frequent interaction and feedbacks, and connects the learner to real-world experts.

According to the website this is their mission:

The George Lucas Educational Foundation is dedicated to improving the K-12 learning process by documenting, disseminating, and advocating for innovative, replicable, and evidence-based strategies that prepare students to thrive in their future education, careers, and adult lives.

The video below is a you tube video from Edutopia.  It shows how they believe that teachers should colloaborate with each other.  We should not just colloabarate with those in our school or district but just think how powerful it would be to colloaborate with teachers from other areas to enhance our students learning and development.  Technology is the tool to allow this to take place.

I chose this organization because they align with my school of philisophy.  I beleive that we are to teach our students to think critically, access and analyze information, creatively problem solve, work collaborately, and communicate with clarity and impact.  I believe that technology should enhance these skills and be integrated within the core curriculum.  We as educators most come together and share ideas in order to create greater concepts of learning.

http://www.cosn.org/

The following mission statement and core belief are taken from the COSN website.

Our Mission

Empowering educational leaders to leverage technology to realize engaging learning environments.

Our Core Beliefs

■The primary challenge we face in using technology effectively is human.

■Technology is a critical tool to personalize learning and overcome barriers of time and space for each learner. 

■Equitable and ubiquitous access to technology is a necessity.

■The effective use of technology for the systemic transformation of learning cannot occur without strong organization, leadership, and vision.

■Technological fluency allows our children to be prepared for the world of today and tomorrow.

■Technology enables innovation in our educational systems, resulting in greater efficiencies and productivity.

■To maximize the benefits of technology solutions the district technology leader should be part of the executive leadership team (CTO, CIO, etc.) of the education organization.

■Global connections are vital to transforming the education process and improving learning.

The reason I chose this organziation is that I like that they are finding ways to prepare students for the 21st century.  They want to find create ways to allow global connects for our students yet at the same time they want to ensure that technology remains a tools to achieve the goal of education.

What is Educational Technology?

My definition of education technology is closely aligned with the above video.  I believe that educational technology is a tool that educators use to facilitate the learning process in order to engage students in the learning process in order to allow them to use thier critical thinking  and creative skills to create learning experiences not only in their own communities but globally.