My Educational Technology Philosophy
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” ― Babe Ruth.
As a result, I never wanted to go to school or learn because those teaching methods didn’t work for me early on in school. Thankfully, although very old-school/old-fashioned thinking, my parents directed the school to stop forcing me to “be right-handed” and allow me to be the left-handed individual I was designed and meant to be. I have often wondered if I weren’t an identical “mirror” twin, would my parents have taken that same approach with my early grooming tasks and so on? Although this learning experience was exceedingly difficult and painful for me, I discovered what not to do as far as teaching and learning, moving forward in life, and so did my family. It was great because I learned to be mindful of others as individuals and that people benefit from various teaching and learning methods. In addition, through those and other learning experiences, I, to this day, am a dominant left-handed writing individual who became ambidextrous and “learned” to toggle between many other skillful tasks predominantly using my right hand.
Teaching, learning, and technology have changed since my early life experiences. Those antiquated often-passive learning environments have evolved from students being told what to learn, how to learn, and what and how to think and to understand experiences in which students are directly and actively involved in the learning process. Incorporating more active teaching methods like cooperative learning and guided inquiry, to name a few, and integrating technology into learning environments have enhanced learning for everyone. Optimal teaching and learning today involve the teacher as the facilitator of the learning environment and the students as active participants in their learning experiences.
As a teacher, I want to foster the learning experiences and environment for and with my students, as we use a variety of tools, including technology, cooperative learning, and guided inquiry methods incorporated into the subject matter so that these learning experiences encourage and promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills to learn and excel in the teaching of the content. Some of these technology tools I will incorporate into the learning process include ShowMe, Microsoft Office Suites, Google Classroom, and apps, Vittle, Showbie, Peergrade, and VoiceThread. These technologies will help students become better problem-solvers, improve their communication skills, enable them to work collaboratively with others throughout the learning process, improve their critical thinking skills, and promote reflection upon their individual learning experiences. Learners will also be able to adapt to change and be better equipped to move forward personally and academically.
The course’s learning objectives will serve as a content learning outline for me and a guide for the students. I will use technology tools like Evernote, TED, Seesaw, Edx, Remind, Slack, Notability, Explain Everything, and iMovie, etc., to assist students in acquiring knowledge and skills. These tools have many purposes, and some of these technology apps are multifaceted. For example, with TED and Edx, the students and I will explore new and upcoming updates as they relate to meaningful learning as well as new technologies that will help us gain insight, knowledge, and skills to ensure our continued success as we strive to stay on top of "today’s" technologies so to learn, utilize, and maintain technical skills being used in the 21st-century academics, future careers, and beyond.
A goal I hope to achieve as a teacher is to help my students understand why and how they “think” the way they do. This will help them become more self-aware throughout learning and improve their thinking abilities. In addition, I want to build purposeful, respectful, scholarly relationships with my students as well as the students with their classmates. I want students to know me as a person and know that I care whether they have learned something when they have completed the course. When students get to know others in their class, this helps facilitate an open learning and relatable environment. In addition, this cultivates deeper and more meaningful connections between the content being learned with students and their teacher to the backgrounds and experiences around these students as their relationships evolve throughout the class term.
Finally, I would like to model a lively learning environment, as I know this is important as a lifelong learner. A teaching/learning environment is a safe place for all students with all abilities to feel competent. It promotes a sense of purpose and belonging, where students are encouraged and eager to learn the content as they build strong, positive relationships with classmates and me as their facilitator. If the person leading learning isn’t excited about the subject matter or teaching it, why would a learner want to sit through that class or learn that information?
Although I will use a variety of assessment tools, like quizzes and tests, throughout the class term to assess student growth and learning, I will also use technology applications such as Nearpod, Quizlet, Gimkit, Crowdsignal, Piazza, and Edulastic, to name a few apps that are current, and available to student/learning centered assessments. Additionally, I will incorporate electronic portfolios that students will use to collect, select, connect, and reflect on their individual learning experiences. It will help them make meaningful, lifelong connections to their learning experiences. This assessment form will benefit them more purposefully than assigning a number/letter grade to their academic work.
Technology is evolving so quickly that learners need help keeping up with it and maintaining their skills. I plan to add to my personal and professional development by setting small achievable goals to continue improving my knowledge and skills with new and upcoming technological advances. Some of the professional and personal development opportunities that I will explore moving forward are joining academic and professional organizations, continuing to update my technical skills through LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com), attending regular teaching conferences, taking additional college courses, as well as pursuing other relevant professional development courses. I will also utilize professional connections, opportunities, educational technology blogs, and technical training necessary to stay up to date so that I can meet my learners where their needs are. I look forward to my continued lifelong teaching and learning journey as I pursue a path to students’ success through my role as the facilitator in their learning processes.
As I near the end of my graduate work and reflect on my educational technology philosophy, my philosophy combines Connectivism and Constructivism. Connectivism is a theory where learning happens through online technology programs. Constructivism theory occurs when the learner develops advanced ideas using their knowledge to connect and associate with prior knowledge. I will utilize a combination of the two learning theories and the other various technology tools and resources I have gained these past two years through my graduate studies at TAMUC to engage with my students actively in meaningful and challenging ways to help them learn the skills, tools, curriculum, and subject matter I facilitate with them.
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” ― Babe Ruth“
Introduction
Introduction of my updated Ed. Tech. Philosophy
First Take of Final Draft:
As a result, I never wanted to go to school or learn, because those teaching methods didn’t work for me from early on in school. Thankfully, although very old-school/old-fashioned thinking themselves, my parents directed the school to stop forcing me to “be right-handed,” and allow me to be the clearly left-handed individual that I was designed and meant to be. I have often wondered if I weren’t an identical “mirror” twin, would my parents have taken that same approach with my early grooming tasks etc. This learning experience for me, although at times very difficult and painful, I discovered what not to do as far as teaching and learning, moving forward in life, and so did my family. It was great because I learned to be mindful of others as individuals and the fact that people benefit from a variety of teaching and learning methods. In addition, through those and other learning experiences, I, to this day, am a dominant left-handed writing individual, who became ambidextrous and “learned” to toggle between many other skillful tasks predominantly using my right hand.
Teaching, learning, and technology, have changed since my early life experiences. Those antiquated often-passive learning environments have evolved from students being told what to learn, how to learn, and what, and how to think, to learning experiences in which students are directly and actively involved in the learning process. The incorporation of more active teaching methods like cooperative learning, and guided inquiry to name a few, and the addition of technology into learning environments have enhanced learning for everyone. Optimal teaching and learning today involve the teacher as the facilitator of the learning environment and the students as active participants in their learning experiences.
As a teacher, I want to foster the learning experiences and environment for, and with my students, as we use a variety of tools including technology, cooperative learning and guided inquiry methods incorporated into the subject matter so that these learning experiences encourage and promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills to learn and excel in the learning of the content. Some of these technology tools that I will incorporate into the learning process include ShowMe, Microsoft Office Suites, Google Classroom, and apps, Vittle, Showbie, Peergrade, and VoiceThread. These technologies will help students become better problem-solvers, improve their communication skills, enable them to work collaboratively with others throughout the learning process, improve their critical thinking skills, and promote reflection upon their individual learning experiences. I also foresee that learners will be able to adapt to change and be better equipped to move forward both personally and academically.
The learning objectives of the course will serve as a content learning outline for me and a guide for the students. To assist students in acquiring the knowledge and skills, I will use technology tools like Evernote, TED, Seesaw, Edx, Remind, Slack, Notability, Explain Everything, and iMovie, etc. These tools have many purposes and some of these technology apps are multifaceted. For example, with TED and Edx, the students and I will explore new and upcoming updates as they relate to meaningful learning as well as new technologies that will help us gain insight, knowledge, and skills to ensure our continued success as we strive to stay on top of "todays" technologies so to learn, utilize, and maintain technology skills being used in the 21st century academics, future careers, and beyond.
A goal that I hope to achieve as a teacher, is to help my students understand and recognize, why and how they “think” the way they do. This will help them become more self-aware throughout learning and in turn, improve their thinking abilities. In addition, I want to build purposeful, respectful, scholarly relationships with my students as well as the students with their fellow classmates. I want students to know me as a person and know that I care whether they have learned something when they have completed the course. When students get to know others in their class, this helps facilitate an open learning, relatable environment. This cultivates deeper and more meaningful connections between the content being learned with students and their teacher, to the environments and experiences around these students as their relationships evolve throughout the duration of the class term.
Finally, I would like to model an enthusiastic learning environment, as I know this is important as a lifelong learner. A teaching/learning environment is one that is a safe place for all students with all abilities to feel competent, and it promotes a sense of purpose and belonging, where students are encouraged and eager to learn the content as they build strong, positive relationships with classmates and me as their facilitator. If the person leading learning isn’t excited about the subject matter or teaching it, then why would a learner want to sit through that class or learn that information.
Although I will use a variety of assessment tools like quizzes, and tests, throughout the class term to assess student growth and learning, I will also use technology applications such as Nearpod, Quizlet, Gimkit, Crowdsignal, Piazza, and Edulastic to name a few apps that are current, and available to student/learning centered assessments. Additionally, I will incorporate the use of electronic portfolios that students will use to collect, select, connect, and reflect on their individual learning experiences as it will help them ultimately make more meaningful, lifelong connections, of their learning experiences. This form of assessment will benefit them in a more purposeful way compared to assigning a number/letter grade to her/his academic work.
Technology is evolving so quickly, that learners have a difficult time keeping up with it and maintaining their skills. So, I plan to add to my personal and professional development by setting myself small achievable goals to continue to improve my knowledge and skills with new and upcoming advances in technology. Some of the professional and personal development opportunities that I will explore moving forward, are joining academic professional organizations, continue updating my technical skills through LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com), attending regular teaching conferences, taking additional college courses, as well as pursuing other relevant professional development courses. I will also utilize professional connections, opportunities, educational technology blogs, and technology training necessary to stay up-to-date so that I can meet my learners where their needs are. I look forward to my continued lifelong teaching and learning journey, as I pursue a path to students’ success through my role as the facilitator in their learning processes.
Reflection
As we began our first semester of this graduate program, during our ETEC-524 Introduction to Educational Technology within the first semester, we were asked to write our educational technology philosophy. Well, my final version is posted at the top of this page, and there are several of the maybe eight versions or peer-reviewed drafts that I have tweaked and refined for the past two years. The final version of this philosophy of mine is one that has taken some time to write, rewrite, make necessary corrections, and rewrite after many peer-reviewed sessions with my fellow classmates. Through our first semester, reading and learning from required text and weekly thought-proving discussions, I learned about the TPACK Model too, which was fitting for our educational technology philosophy too. As I complete the final month of my graduate program, I look back and reflect on the wealth of educational technology teaching and learning knowledge and skills I have learned and now have with me to use as helpful tools and resources moving forward with my future endeavors. I look forward to the next lifelong learning chapter in my life.