Philosophy of Technology in Education

Philosophy

Philosophy of Education

I believe that every student is capable of learning, reaching their full potiential and accomplishing their goals, with the help of a good education, supportive teachers, family members and friends.

Philosophy of Education (continued)

Children are unique and different in many ways. Because of this, they must have an educational environment that will help them grow mentally, socially and emotionally, and be fully prepared. It is important that teachers provide a classroom environment that will meet all the needs of every student's different learning styles. Children are our future and it is important the we as educators help prepare them to create a bright future for our world.

Philosophy of Technology

Technology plays a major role in the daily lives of people all over the world. We live in a time where technology is at our fingertips and accessible at almost any moment. I belive that we can definantly use technology to our advantage in education if used by teachers and students responsibly and effectively. Technology is very powerful. Students are surrounded by technology whereever they go, so what better way to show students that technology is not always a detriment to our society by finding ways to use technology in the classroom as a tool to enhance our students' learning.

Technology in the Classroom

Use of Technology: How often? To what extent?

Because I think that technology is very useful and effective in enhancing learning, I will use it very often in my classroom. I will integrate technology through Smart Boards, lessons, collaborative projects and other classroom activities. This will not take over the entire teaching experience at all but will be a helpful additional tool to teaching.

Integration Stategies

Technology intergration in the classroom encourages student engagement and student-centered learning. We can integrate technology in the classroom through activities using computers, laptops, tablets or ipads, any digital tools.

Ex. WebQuest, Digital Textbooks, Research, Interactive Websites

Advantages of Techology

• Helpful in preparing students for life outside of school as far as using technology in their future careers and the workforce.
• Can help make learning fun and promote engagement
• Increases student motivation
• Respond to more students and their learning styles because they are able to work at their own pace
• Provides additional practice
• Instant access to knowledge and information

Technology and Student Learning Standards

Along with the help and teaching of teachers, technology is an additional tool that helps students learn even more. Using technology can help students better understand the information and standards required to learn and use and apply them. Technology helps students stay engaged and learn the material.

Classroom and the Outside World

Teachers can use technology to look up information about what is happening right now in the present and real-world examples and relate it to things that have happened in the pass or the information that students are learning. Students will also be using technology outside of school so it is important that they know how to use technology responsibly.

Parent Involvement

Technology can increase and encourage parent involvement in the classroom. Creating ways to communicate with parents using technology helps parents feel more involved in their student's education. Making sure that parents can easily access information about the classroom like their student's grades or behavior, is important especially for students who have parents who are not used to using and navigating technology. Parent Involvement is very important in the classroom and I want my students' parents to know and be involved in what is happening and will happen in the classroom that year.

Roles of Teacher

• Expose students to the different possibilities of using technology as a positive tool for learning
• Monitor student progress and use of technology in the classroom
• Emerge lessons and technology to better teach students with different learning styles and abilities

Roles of Student

• Digital citizens
• Use technology to expand their learning capacity
• Utilize technology as an advantage to learning

Assignments and Activities

Teachers incorporate technology in assignments and activities alot. One example of using technology to complete assignments is doing a WebQuest. Creating games like Jeopardy or triva games for review are helpful tools to reinforce learned content. Students enjoy games and activities that are interactive and engaging.

Work and Professional Development

I will use technology in my professional work through emails, communication with parents and other instructors, and creating lesson plans. I can also use technology to create classroom seating charts, activities, and researching information to expand my knowledge so that I can also give this information to my students.

Technology Changes in Education

Will it change?

As technology continues to advance and improve every year, it will change. It has changed in education almost every year with new advancements in technology. For example, there used to be a time where all grades were sent by paper and sometimes over the phone. Now parents can easily look up their child's grades on their laptops or cellphones at any time. Schools used to only have a few computers, but now we have computers, laptops, ipads, etc. Technology changes now and will continue to change.

Has it already changed?

Yes. Technology has changed alot overtime. It is very different from how it used to be when computers were first introduced and even from a few years ago. Technology is more accessible because we now have much smaller devices to take with us anywhere and many different types of devices to use for almost everything we do.

Technology in education has changed alot. It is easier to research and locate information faster, there are more uses of technology in the classroom than it used to be and it can enhance learning much more than it did ever before.

Summary

Technology really enhances learning for all students. It is important that students and teachers realize the responsibility of making sure they are being good digital citizens. Technology is used so much in our society, so it is important that it be integrated into our schools and classrooms. Technology should be a tool to complement teaching and lessons not become the entire lesson.

Resources

• Olmstead, C. TECHTRENDS TECH TRENDS (2013) 57: 28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-013-0699-0

• http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/3468-the-importance-of-teaching-technology-to-teachers