"Think! Think! Think! You just just need one more...." It was early October. When I was writing my Personal Growth Plan, I wanted to come out with five ways in which technology could make a difference in education. The first four struck me pretty easily: techonology would help me learn more about my students, help my students know each other, make my classes interactive, and make my classes more fun and interesting. After racking my brain a fair bit, I finally arrived at the fifth way in which technology could make a difference in education: it could enable my students to better enable the material taught.
What a difference two months can make!
Two months later, I still consider five ways I had listed to be legit; except that I now consider the point I had listed last to be the most important function of technology in education. While technology can make the class fun and interesting, and can promote interactivity and collaboration, I believe its primary purpose in the classroom should be in empowering students to better understand and internalize the content being taught to them. The "talking" style of teaching certainly has its benefits, and has been shown to work for thousands of years. But it has its limitations. How many of us remember that occasion in school, when we just did not understand what our teacher was saying? Or we understood what he or she was saying, but did not "get" it?
As we enter the 21st century, we have more tools at our disposal which we can use to ensure that our students not only superficially understand the content being taught to them, but also apply it to their lives and gain a holistic understanding of the concepts. I have come to realize that technology can renegotiate the limits of conventional education, open new frontiers of possibility in this field.
Areas of growth
Most courses transmit knowledge. They pass on facts, techniques, and opinions of relevance, and hope to equip you with the know-how to accomplish some tasks. It is only a select few courses that change perspectives: they change the way that you think, act, and feel about some things. I am glad to report that this course has managed to not only transmit knowledge but also change my perspectives. They way I think about education, and what constitues 'effective' education has changed. As I stated earlier effective education is not just about ensuring that the students understand the material taught, it also entails that they understand its practical significance, and how it can be applied in real-life situations.
As expected, my technology-related knowledge has also improved substantially. Through this class, I have come to know of various tools that I can use to help me teach better: twitter, blogs, Google Docs, Voicethread, etc. My newfound vision for education, and along with the tech knowledge I have gained through this course will make substantial changes to my teaching style.
Things that I have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology
Some teaching strategies that I learned about integrating technology are:
1. Integrate technology so it involves the students
I have learnt that integrating technology must be accompanied by a change in educational perspectives as well. The rigid top-down style of education does not necessarily benefit from technology integration. A more collaborative atmosphere where education is 'flipped', and children drive their own learning is more conducive to technology integration. Any new technology which is integrated must thus involve the students, in some capacity. As I have stated before, VoiceThread is a perfect illustration of a technology that is student-centred, and collaborative in nature.
2. Think beyond the standard uses of each technology.
As the TPACK model states, the integration of technology, pedagogy and content truly takes place when creativity is involved. Part of creativity is figuring out how technology can be best harnessed in given circumstances. Using Yahoo Messenger or Twitter as a tool for students to ask questions, or using Flickr to turn in 'picture' assignments, are perfect illustrations of repurposing technology to serve educational purposes.
3. Use technology integration to rethink content.
Technology integration requires a great deal of introspection into the content you are teaching, and what exactly you want to convey. I believe teachers can also take this opportunity to examine whether the content they are relaying is appropriate and serves practical purposes. While it is never a good idea to let technology integration drive the content you want to teach, I believe the spirit of technology integration (which is to make content more accessible and practical) can guide decisions we make about the content we want to teach.
How did integrating the Internet help me think about and evaluate uses of technology?
Ihe internet most definitely an important tool that helps in thinking about and evaluating the uses of technology.
1. The internet introduces me to new technologies : The internet is the primary means by which I learn about new technology. I learnt about all the latest technologies: Kindle Fire, Whiteboards etc. through the internet. Aside from online courses such as these, websites such as ISTE's official website are a great resource of information in this regard. Besides, the internet itself is a great resource of educational technology: Prezi, GoogleDocs, Learning Management Systems etc.
2. The internet helps me evaluate technologies: Amazon has hundreds of reviews of technological products that I might want to use. In the absence of the internet, it would be hard to access opinions of other people who have used a product. These opinions reflect the strengths and weakenesses of the product, and help me decide whether to invest in it or not.
3. The internet gives me ideas for repurposing technology: As stated before, repurposing technology is key to its successful integration into education. One need not rely on one's own mind and creativity while repurposing technology. There are several resources on the internet where these ideas are shared: Twitter's edchat and MACULSpace are two such platforms where educators meet with each other and share ideas of which technology can be used in education, and how it can be used.
Assignments that exemplifies good teaching with technology
I feel the assignment that I turned in which really exemplifies good teaching with technology is my SIG presentation on Learning Management Systems (LMS). The Google Docs presentation that we did had a host of tools that can be used in the classroom, including Voki and Wordle. The presentation addresses all kinds of learners: visual learners would benefit from the various illustrations in the presentation, auditory learners from the audio, and the verbal learners could learn from the text. As stated before, technology integration should involve collaboration, and Google Presentation is a collaborative software.
The subject matter of our Google Presentation (LMS) also exemplifies the intersection between good teaching and technology. It is based in the Social Constructivist paradigm, which stresses the collaborative approach to knowledge generation. Students as well as teachers can interact and collaborate on an LMS. It also fulfills an important function of technology in education which is to aid students in the understanding of content. The width and depth of the content presented can be substantially larger in a LMS. The organizing function of technology is also accounted for by a LMS, as it helps keep track of grades, attendance and groups in class.
Meeting my goals listed in the personal growth plan
I had listed a total of 10 goals in the personal technology plan. In terms of how technology making a difference in education, my goals were :-
i. to learn more about my students
ii. help my students know each other
iii. make my classes interactive
iv. make my classes more fun and interesting
v. enable my students to better enable the material taught.
I must be honest, I have not necessarily learnt much about the first goal listed here. A Learning Management System (LMS) can organize information about a student, I will know little more than grades and class registration details. Perhaps there does need to be a technology which facilitates a student and teacher knowing more about each other outside of a classroom setting. As for the second goal, I have learnt of websites such as Edmodo is a great tool for students to know each other, as well as the chat and message board functions in LMS. The third goal has been met as I have learnt of several online tools to make my class more interactive with technology: Twitter, remote controlled scoring panels, Whiteboard, etc. I have also learnt of various ways by which I can make my class more interesting : Glogster and Prezi to make presentations interesting, youtube clips to make presentation of facts more interesting, Wordle and Voki to add the novelty of animation.... the list goes on. And finally, I have learnt of a LOT of tools and technologies that can enable my students to understand the content better. For example, Google Earth can be used to give the students a tour of any location on earth from their classrooms. Second Life can transport children to different environements, and help them experience important phenomena first hand. Again, the list goes on...
With respect to increasing my skill in technology
i. Using technology to improve work quality
ii. Using technology to increase productivity
iii. Using technology to collaborate
iv. Using technology to enhance my mobility
v. Using technology to organize
The first goal was to learn to use technology to produce work that is of superior quality. This case may mean lectures, presentations, letters, research papers, etc. This goal has been met, as I have learnt of new technologies that can improve work quality.For example, Prezi can drastically improve the quality of the presentations, and RSS feeds can help me keep up to date with the latest developments in my field. The second goal was to learn to use technology to improve my efficiency and output. In this regard, Learning about LMSs, cloud computing, and features such as mail merge have greatly helped me. The third goal was to learn to use technology to make collaborating with my colleagues easier. This goal has also been met,as I have learnt of online software such as Google Docs and Zoho makes sharing documents quicker and much less cumbersome (as compared to sharing them by email). The fourth goal consisted learning to use technology to enhance my mobility. This goal has definitely been met, as the unit on mobile learning taught me how we can use iphones, ipads, netbooks, androids etc. to make learning flexible and mobile. I have also learnt about new technology which has enabled us to store our files online (through applications such as Google Docs and Zoho) so that we can access our documents from any computer (thus increasing our mobility). My fifth goal has been met to some extent. I have learnt Applications such as Google Calendar can help me organize my time and schedule. I would like to know more about more technological organizing tools in the future.
New Goals and Long-Term Goals
My new goals
My new short-term goals are:
1. Increase tech-related knowledge: Although I have already learnt a fair amount through this course, I need to further increase my tech-related knowledge. Participation in the Twitter edchat, and RSS feeds from the ISTE website should help me accomplish this. I also plan to enroll in CEP 811 and 812 to continue the exciting journey that I have started.
2. Increase knowledge of pedagogical principles: I personally would have also liked to increase my knowledge of pedagogical principles that are so important when trying to integrate technology in teaching. According to the TPACK framework, it is at the intersection of technology, pedagogy and content knowledge that the true potential of technology in education is realized. I hope to be exposed to more pedagogical principles (along the lines of Social Constructivism and Learning Theories) so that I could optimally harness the power of the tech-related knowledge that I learnt and will continue to learn.
My Long term goals with respect to education and technology
My ultimate long-term goal is to be an effective college instructor. By 'effective' I mean a teacher who helps students successfully realize and apply the information that I am assigned to teach. Like I've said before, technology is the key component in helping students apply and retain information.
1. I will be integrating actively integrating technology, whether it is Second Life, VoiceThread, or Glogster in the classroom.
2. I also hope to enthusiastically follow educational technology and educational technology related news. I also hope to inspire other teachers around me
3. I will also do my part outside the classroom, by explaining the benefits of educational technology to my colleagues, and encouraging them to adopt technology in teaching themselves.
What a difference two months can make!
Two months later, I still consider five ways I had listed to be legit; except that I now consider the point I had listed last to be the most important function of technology in education. While technology can make the class fun and interesting, and can promote interactivity and collaboration, I believe its primary purpose in the classroom should be in empowering students to better understand and internalize the content being taught to them. The "talking" style of teaching certainly has its benefits, and has been shown to work for thousands of years. But it has its limitations. How many of us remember that occasion in school, when we just did not understand what our teacher was saying? Or we understood what he or she was saying, but did not "get" it?
As we enter the 21st century, we have more tools at our disposal which we can use to ensure that our students not only superficially understand the content being taught to them, but also apply it to their lives and gain a holistic understanding of the concepts. I have come to realize that technology can renegotiate the limits of conventional education, open new frontiers of possibility in this field.
Areas of growth
Most courses transmit knowledge. They pass on facts, techniques, and opinions of relevance, and hope to equip you with the know-how to accomplish some tasks. It is only a select few courses that change perspectives: they change the way that you think, act, and feel about some things. I am glad to report that this course has managed to not only transmit knowledge but also change my perspectives. They way I think about education, and what constitues 'effective' education has changed. As I stated earlier effective education is not just about ensuring that the students understand the material taught, it also entails that they understand its practical significance, and how it can be applied in real-life situations.
As expected, my technology-related knowledge has also improved substantially. Through this class, I have come to know of various tools that I can use to help me teach better: twitter, blogs, Google Docs, Voicethread, etc. My newfound vision for education, and along with the tech knowledge I have gained through this course will make substantial changes to my teaching style.
Things that I have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology
Some teaching strategies that I learned about integrating technology are:
1. Integrate technology so it involves the students
I have learnt that integrating technology must be accompanied by a change in educational perspectives as well. The rigid top-down style of education does not necessarily benefit from technology integration. A more collaborative atmosphere where education is 'flipped', and children drive their own learning is more conducive to technology integration. Any new technology which is integrated must thus involve the students, in some capacity. As I have stated before, VoiceThread is a perfect illustration of a technology that is student-centred, and collaborative in nature.
2. Think beyond the standard uses of each technology.
As the TPACK model states, the integration of technology, pedagogy and content truly takes place when creativity is involved. Part of creativity is figuring out how technology can be best harnessed in given circumstances. Using Yahoo Messenger or Twitter as a tool for students to ask questions, or using Flickr to turn in 'picture' assignments, are perfect illustrations of repurposing technology to serve educational purposes.
3. Use technology integration to rethink content.
Technology integration requires a great deal of introspection into the content you are teaching, and what exactly you want to convey. I believe teachers can also take this opportunity to examine whether the content they are relaying is appropriate and serves practical purposes. While it is never a good idea to let technology integration drive the content you want to teach, I believe the spirit of technology integration (which is to make content more accessible and practical) can guide decisions we make about the content we want to teach.
How did integrating the Internet help me think about and evaluate uses of technology?
Ihe internet most definitely an important tool that helps in thinking about and evaluating the uses of technology.
1. The internet introduces me to new technologies : The internet is the primary means by which I learn about new technology. I learnt about all the latest technologies: Kindle Fire, Whiteboards etc. through the internet. Aside from online courses such as these, websites such as ISTE's official website are a great resource of information in this regard. Besides, the internet itself is a great resource of educational technology: Prezi, GoogleDocs, Learning Management Systems etc.
2. The internet helps me evaluate technologies: Amazon has hundreds of reviews of technological products that I might want to use. In the absence of the internet, it would be hard to access opinions of other people who have used a product. These opinions reflect the strengths and weakenesses of the product, and help me decide whether to invest in it or not.
3. The internet gives me ideas for repurposing technology: As stated before, repurposing technology is key to its successful integration into education. One need not rely on one's own mind and creativity while repurposing technology. There are several resources on the internet where these ideas are shared: Twitter's edchat and MACULSpace are two such platforms where educators meet with each other and share ideas of which technology can be used in education, and how it can be used.
Assignments that exemplifies good teaching with technology
I feel the assignment that I turned in which really exemplifies good teaching with technology is my SIG presentation on Learning Management Systems (LMS). The Google Docs presentation that we did had a host of tools that can be used in the classroom, including Voki and Wordle. The presentation addresses all kinds of learners: visual learners would benefit from the various illustrations in the presentation, auditory learners from the audio, and the verbal learners could learn from the text. As stated before, technology integration should involve collaboration, and Google Presentation is a collaborative software.
The subject matter of our Google Presentation (LMS) also exemplifies the intersection between good teaching and technology. It is based in the Social Constructivist paradigm, which stresses the collaborative approach to knowledge generation. Students as well as teachers can interact and collaborate on an LMS. It also fulfills an important function of technology in education which is to aid students in the understanding of content. The width and depth of the content presented can be substantially larger in a LMS. The organizing function of technology is also accounted for by a LMS, as it helps keep track of grades, attendance and groups in class.
Meeting my goals listed in the personal growth plan
I had listed a total of 10 goals in the personal technology plan. In terms of how technology making a difference in education, my goals were :-
i. to learn more about my students
ii. help my students know each other
iii. make my classes interactive
iv. make my classes more fun and interesting
v. enable my students to better enable the material taught.
I must be honest, I have not necessarily learnt much about the first goal listed here. A Learning Management System (LMS) can organize information about a student, I will know little more than grades and class registration details. Perhaps there does need to be a technology which facilitates a student and teacher knowing more about each other outside of a classroom setting. As for the second goal, I have learnt of websites such as Edmodo is a great tool for students to know each other, as well as the chat and message board functions in LMS. The third goal has been met as I have learnt of several online tools to make my class more interactive with technology: Twitter, remote controlled scoring panels, Whiteboard, etc. I have also learnt of various ways by which I can make my class more interesting : Glogster and Prezi to make presentations interesting, youtube clips to make presentation of facts more interesting, Wordle and Voki to add the novelty of animation.... the list goes on. And finally, I have learnt of a LOT of tools and technologies that can enable my students to understand the content better. For example, Google Earth can be used to give the students a tour of any location on earth from their classrooms. Second Life can transport children to different environements, and help them experience important phenomena first hand. Again, the list goes on...
With respect to increasing my skill in technology
i. Using technology to improve work quality
ii. Using technology to increase productivity
iii. Using technology to collaborate
iv. Using technology to enhance my mobility
v. Using technology to organize
The first goal was to learn to use technology to produce work that is of superior quality. This case may mean lectures, presentations, letters, research papers, etc. This goal has been met, as I have learnt of new technologies that can improve work quality.For example, Prezi can drastically improve the quality of the presentations, and RSS feeds can help me keep up to date with the latest developments in my field. The second goal was to learn to use technology to improve my efficiency and output. In this regard, Learning about LMSs, cloud computing, and features such as mail merge have greatly helped me. The third goal was to learn to use technology to make collaborating with my colleagues easier. This goal has also been met,as I have learnt of online software such as Google Docs and Zoho makes sharing documents quicker and much less cumbersome (as compared to sharing them by email). The fourth goal consisted learning to use technology to enhance my mobility. This goal has definitely been met, as the unit on mobile learning taught me how we can use iphones, ipads, netbooks, androids etc. to make learning flexible and mobile. I have also learnt about new technology which has enabled us to store our files online (through applications such as Google Docs and Zoho) so that we can access our documents from any computer (thus increasing our mobility). My fifth goal has been met to some extent. I have learnt Applications such as Google Calendar can help me organize my time and schedule. I would like to know more about more technological organizing tools in the future.
New Goals and Long-Term Goals
My new goals
My new short-term goals are:
1. Increase tech-related knowledge: Although I have already learnt a fair amount through this course, I need to further increase my tech-related knowledge. Participation in the Twitter edchat, and RSS feeds from the ISTE website should help me accomplish this. I also plan to enroll in CEP 811 and 812 to continue the exciting journey that I have started.
2. Increase knowledge of pedagogical principles: I personally would have also liked to increase my knowledge of pedagogical principles that are so important when trying to integrate technology in teaching. According to the TPACK framework, it is at the intersection of technology, pedagogy and content knowledge that the true potential of technology in education is realized. I hope to be exposed to more pedagogical principles (along the lines of Social Constructivism and Learning Theories) so that I could optimally harness the power of the tech-related knowledge that I learnt and will continue to learn.
My Long term goals with respect to education and technology
My ultimate long-term goal is to be an effective college instructor. By 'effective' I mean a teacher who helps students successfully realize and apply the information that I am assigned to teach. Like I've said before, technology is the key component in helping students apply and retain information.
1. I will be integrating actively integrating technology, whether it is Second Life, VoiceThread, or Glogster in the classroom.
2. I also hope to enthusiastically follow educational technology and educational technology related news. I also hope to inspire other teachers around me
3. I will also do my part outside the classroom, by explaining the benefits of educational technology to my colleagues, and encouraging them to adopt technology in teaching themselves.
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