As an elementary teacher I believe education plays a crucial role in the lives of all students. The purpose of education is to provide opportunities for learners to excel and gain new knowledge. This knowledge should stay with the students and allow for great opportunities. The knowledge should be used within their daily lives, whether it is used independently or in a social/collaborative setting.
The role of the learner in education should include that of a teammate. The learner should work collaboratively with peers and educators to create new learning opportunities. The learner will participate in authentic experiences and should use higher level thinking to accomplish tasks.
The role of the teacher becomes that of a facilitator. Learning should be student-centered and student-led. The teacher will become more of a motivator and work alongside each student group. The educator will teach independence and train students to use their peers as teammates in the learning process.
As a teacher I believe students should have the opportunity to work collaboratively with peers, use higher level thinking, and participate in real-life learning environments. They should have access to technology during all activities and be given choices with all assignments. After completing assignments and/or activities in the classroom students should be encouraged to complete a reflection over what they have accomplished.
My approach as an educator includes many non-traditional teaching methods and strategies. I use games, different forms of technology, hands-on experiences, and collaborative grouping to accomplish objectives within my classroom. Students not only learn new content, but they enjoy the learning experience along the way.
Within my classroom I have very high expectations for all students. Knowing that each child may be on a different academic level, I still set high goals for each student. At the beginning of each unit, I sit and have a short meeting with each student where we collaborate together and write down their goals for the upcoming weeks. Goals and expectations go hand in hand in my classroom setting, I believe this is very important for student success.
My philosophy of education seems to change in small pieces the more I learn and grow as an educator. In my opinion, technology and education work together seamlessly. Because of this, I look forward to this learning journey and what I can add to my philosophy after the class is complete.
*This exercise will help me in the future when I need to refer back to ideas for educational technology. It may help me in gaining a new career and/or helping assist future students. Having a philosophy down in writing is good to have for many reasons. When I write down beliefs and ideas that are important to me, I seem more likely to closely follow the philosophy and live it day to day.
Educational Blogging:
There are many potential uses for blogging, especially in an educational setting. The use of weblogs is a great way to support learning. Weblogs allow students the opportunity to communicate between other classmates and the teachers. Blogging allows students to express their opinions in a way that can be discussed with others around the world. I believe blogs can help students become more reflective and engaged with their classroom activities.
Downes’ article suggests five major ways a blog can be used in education, including replacing web pages, linking sites, organize discussions, organize seminars, and finally students are asked to write their own blogs for a course grade.
I believe some schools have met a fraction of the potential, however most have not. I would say this is because of the lack of resources available to schools, teachers, and students. Without adequate funds for computers and computer programming, students will not be granted the opportunity to excel in this type of learning environment.
Creating a Culture for Teaching and Learning:
November’s article outlines six areas to think about and change. The one that stood out to me the most was #2. Coming Attraction: Live Video Cameras in Every Classroom. After reading this idea, I began thinking of all the positive things this could bring to education. WOW!! Parents could log on to watch what is happening in their child’s classroom and teachers could now collaborate while watching video of what went on during the day. This would be a great way to build and strengthen relationships and would be a true asset to all parties involved.
Concept Map:
My concept map explains many details within the field of educational technology. It describes today’s learners, the reality of education today, the impact technology has on education, and points out many different ways educational technology is applied within a school setting.
Expectations:
I have high expectations for this class and learning new ways to use technology within my classroom environment. I want to take away new tools and/or strategies to use with my students that will help them become more engaged in the learning process. I would also like to learn better ways of integrated technology into the daily curriculum.
I love your concept map!
ReplyDelete