ETEC PHILOSOPHY
My philosophy: to create a classroom environment where curriculum enhances technology allowing creativity and individuality.
As I reflect back to my favorite teachers and my not so favorite teachers, I have realized that no matter the situation they provided me with the building blocks to be a successful teacher. If you asked me why I am a teacher and trainer and in the profession that I’m currently in and what motivated me to select this career path of technology education, I will answer you by simply stating that it is what comes naturally to me. I am a public speaker and trainer at heart. I have traveled down different career paths and found myself playing the educator/trainer role in several different environments. Gaining this knowledge of myself gave me the passion and motivation to become an educator, an advisor, a mentor, a lecturer, and trainer in the public school system.
In my limited experience trial and error is the best way to see if something will work for you in the classroom or not. I am only in my second year of teaching science and I meet challenges daily with my students and colleagues; challenges that critique my personal educational technology philosophy. I have the ability to recognize the positive aspects of successful educators/trainers and I try to mold my teaching strategies based on the success of others.
From this, I have determined that my role as a teacher is to be a positive influence to my students and peers, proficient in my content area with the ability to provide a learner-centered environment structured by the capability of apply technology methods to standardized curriculum.
My vision of what the learner should gain while in my classroom is the freedom to relate the lessons to life experiences in order to develop a well-rounded understanding of all concepts. The learner’s progression should be focused not only on the standard curriculum but how to produce reflections and projects of this curriculum into technology related applications. After reading over the different schools of thought I believe my vision closely conveys ideals associated with the existentialism concepts and methods.
I do not see technology as overwhelming; I see it as a constructive method that is necessary for success in society today. My educational technology philosophy is founded on my life experiences as a student, an employee and now as an educator/trainer. My philosophy not only helps me meet my educational and career goals, it also adds purpose when establishing my career path and outcomes for my classroom.
EDUCATIONAL BLOGGING by Stephen Downes
This article took me all the way back to 2003, when I started my first blog. At that point in time, I did not even realize that I was creating a blog; to me it was an online journal. I signed into LiveJournal due to a friend's persuasion and just starting typing a diary. I actually turned on my old computer after reading the article to try and find my link to see if the site was still active. (It is really old and still loading... TBD)
On a personal note, this is my first blog since college and I really enjoy the time spent writing my thoughts and opinions. I see a great potential for the young generation to develop their writing and typing skills on this form of technology. Pencil to paper is so out dated in today's world. In my experience at the middle school level, I feel the use of a blog could be developed among each core curriculum and be successful. Have we met this potential? I would say no. As school districts we tend to purchase programs for increasing our test scores, instead of using a free online tools, such as blogging, to increase vocabulary and writing skills. I know I'm bold when I say this but the students I teach are most likely not capable of writing one single reflection on a science topic because they only associate writing with their English/Language Arts classes. It is hard to teach to a content test and still have time to make an impact on the student's reading and writing skills throughout all curriculums. In a perfect situation, blogging seems to be the most efficient and cost effective way to engage these specific skills across the board.
On a personal note, this is my first blog since college and I really enjoy the time spent writing my thoughts and opinions. I see a great potential for the young generation to develop their writing and typing skills on this form of technology. Pencil to paper is so out dated in today's world. In my experience at the middle school level, I feel the use of a blog could be developed among each core curriculum and be successful. Have we met this potential? I would say no. As school districts we tend to purchase programs for increasing our test scores, instead of using a free online tools, such as blogging, to increase vocabulary and writing skills. I know I'm bold when I say this but the students I teach are most likely not capable of writing one single reflection on a science topic because they only associate writing with their English/Language Arts classes. It is hard to teach to a content test and still have time to make an impact on the student's reading and writing skills throughout all curriculums. In a perfect situation, blogging seems to be the most efficient and cost effective way to engage these specific skills across the board.
Creating a Culture for Teaching and Learning by Alan November
I thought the article as a whole was impressive and each section gave me a new outlook. If I had to choose, section six over 'collegiality is what's needed' caught my attention. Currently my daily schedule allows for a fifty-minute team meeting. In this meeting we usually discuss behavior concerns and improvements, cross curriculum ideas and other planning needs. However, this meeting does have a tendency to turn into a discussion based on the quote in the article, 'these are my students in my classroom', this is the way "I" do it in my classroom. Even though it is a struggle to stay on task, I think I can speak for my team and say we are blessed to have this time to meet, educate each other and plan for the future success of our students.
In the same section, November mentions that we should not train our teachers without the kids. It was almost like a slap in the face. We do peer tutoring with reading, writing, and vocabulary to say the least, so why are we not developing skills with technology in this manner as well? This needs to change. In one of my previous ETEC classes I read an article over technology training of educators prior to actual classroom experience and the use of technology after a year of classroom experience. Many teachers noted after their training was complete they were given basic technology training to use in the classroom but never any actual hands on training within their fields. So the trained educator left the technology behind and used other hands on experience to begin their teaching careers. This aligns with November's statement, "If you train teachers in technology, they tend to go back and do what they always did---they will automate."
In the same section, November mentions that we should not train our teachers without the kids. It was almost like a slap in the face. We do peer tutoring with reading, writing, and vocabulary to say the least, so why are we not developing skills with technology in this manner as well? This needs to change. In one of my previous ETEC classes I read an article over technology training of educators prior to actual classroom experience and the use of technology after a year of classroom experience. Many teachers noted after their training was complete they were given basic technology training to use in the classroom but never any actual hands on training within their fields. So the trained educator left the technology behind and used other hands on experience to begin their teaching careers. This aligns with November's statement, "If you train teachers in technology, they tend to go back and do what they always did---they will automate."
ETEC 524 Expectations
This will be my third ETEC graduate level course and I am truly enjoying being able to integrate what I have learned into my teaching. My expectations for this course is to simply complete the puzzle. I feel that other courses have focused on one technology only. After reading the syllabus I can see how ETEC 524 will fill in the gaps. I appreciate the focus on current trends and issues concerning technology growth and opportunity, and I hope to increase my knowledge and skill to become an Informator.
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