My Educational Technology Philosophy
My philosophy in education is greatly influenced by the teacher I had growing up as a child. My best teacher would have to be my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Smith. She had good classroom management and was caring. I always felt like I was a part of the class. I struggled at learning in my early years, but she provided encouragement. I felt that I was successful, and I wanted to learn more because I was encouraged. She met my needs of feeling secure and safe in the classroom environment. She spent extra time with me in small groups or one-on-one to help me in areas that I struggled in. She would smile a lot and look you in the eye. You could tell she cared for you.
My worst teacher was Mrs. Hamm. She was the meanest teacher I ever met. She had a walking cane that she would poke you with if you were doing something she didn’t like. There was no two-way communication in her classroom. It was “her way or the highway.” No one talked, had fun, or asked questions; they just did their work quietly in fear of getting a poke with her cane.
I have learned many things from both my best and worst teacher. I learned from the best teacher Mrs. Smith how caring for, connecting with, and motivating a student makes them feel accepted. On the other hand, Mrs. Hamm made me feel fearful. It was because of her that I refrain from be a dictator in my classroom.
I agree with some parts of all of the philosophies, but the one that stuck out most to me was Existentialism. Schools nowadays seem to eliminate creativity by using lessons that teach every student in the same way. Every student is different and should be taught in their unique learning style. Students learn better when they are interested in what they are learning. I do believe that there should be a basic set of standards and benchmarks for the student to learn, but how they learn these will differ from student to student.
I am a teacher because I like kids and enjoy helping them learn and grow. I teach the way I do because of the way I was taught and because I know how I learn best, so I teach others in the same way I learned it. I know everyone has different was of learning, so I also have to adapt to different leaning styles.
I believe a great teacher is someone who is caring, has good classroom management, and is knowledgeable in their subject area. I formed this definition from my experience as a student and my years as a teacher.
I not only want my students to lean the content about a certain subject but also how it applies in real-world situations. I want to teach my students to be responsible citizens and role models.
I use the teaching strategies I do because of my own learning style and my experience teaching students. I have noticed what works for them and how to differentiate my teaching styles to meet individual student needs.
I select particular assignments for students based on what I want the learning to accomplish. I first have to believe in the assignment, that it will improve the learner’s education and that they will be motivated to achieve the assignment. Because I am the computer teacher, I incorporate technology into my teaching on a daily bases. I provide students with a variety of platforms to use technology as a creative way of expressing themselves. I will be an informatory by focusing on using technology as a tool to provide student learning.
Stephen Downes' Article on Educational Blogging
Blogs are a great tool for teachers and students. Here is a list of potential uses for blogging in education.
- To share information eg. news, links, downloads, etc.
- Online discussions and collaboration
- Use for parent communication to replace your newsletter
- Embed online videos, podcasts, and other media
I believe that the same benefits and criticisms of educational blogging that were present in 2004 are still present today.
Stephen Downs mentions some reasons why blogs are so useful.
- Easy to use
- More than an online journal
- Teachers create links to other online resources
- Organize in-class discussions
- Students write their own blogs for a course
- Blogs encourage students to write
Stephen Downs also writes some interesting criticisms to weblogs.
- Blogging is not for everyone
- Using blogging software is not the same as “blogging”
- Students write about nothing but trivia
As listed, there are many beneficial uses for blogs in education. They can be a great tool to improve a student’s reading and writing abilities. Blogs are meant to be for an audience more than just the teacher, but that’s what they tend to be in today’s classroom. Some students really enjoy the creative process of creating a blog and commenting on other students’ posts, but all students are different, so this style is not for everyone.
In conclusion, blogs are a useful way to inform and share information, but they should be used wisely. Blogs are being used more frequently since this article was written, but we still face the same situations that we did in 2004. In order to achieve the full potential of blogging, there needs to be a distinction between blogging and an assignment meant for only a student and their teacher.
Review of Alan November’s Article Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning
I found this article to be very interesting and informative. All six areas in the article were outstanding, but the first one really stuck out to me.
It is hard to believe that students actually believe everything that is on the internet is true, but in my experience this is the case. If you ask a student, “Is everything on the internet the truth?” I’m sure they would tell you “no,” but when they do a research assignment for history class and use their favorite search engine “Google” they will more than likely believe everything that they come across as a fact.
In this article it talked about using a search engine called “Alta Vista” and using the “link” tab to find out if the website is from a reputable source not. I found this information helpful, and I plan to use it in the future.
I also did not know about the Hate Directory, either. I know there is a lot of evil in this world, and I don’t want to be subjected to it, so I did find it helpful to know that there is a list of known sites to stay away from.
The article concludes with why it is important to teach children to think and discriminate between good and bad sources of information. It states that the way for students to really know the internet is by teaching them web design. Web design should begin in the second grade.
Here are the links to some of the websites listed above:
My Expectations of this Course
I expect to gain a greater knowledge of what it is like to be in the field of educational technology. I expect to learn up-to-date practices in this ever changing field. I expect to be challenged and motivated to be the be a better teacher and student.
