Revised Educational Philosophy

I have had an entire semester to reflect on my educational philosophy and decide how it has changed as a result of this educational technology class. Do I think it has changed greatly, No I do not, has it changed some Yes, most definitely! How has it changed? I think first it has changed in the fact that before I saw that our classrooms needed to be student-centered BUT I was unaware really how to do that. Now as a result of this class, I now know how to put the learning right in the students hands and really have them do collaborative learning through Web 2.0 applications such as podcast, blogging, wikis, and digital learning.
 I still believe that we as teachers need to find ways to meet learners different styles of learning and after this class I feel more equipped to do just that. I also think that having students strive to meet the highest level of blooms taxonomy isn't out of reach due to the technology applications right at their and our fingertips!
 My teaching philosophy is ever-changing and I believe that as a lifelong learner it will continue to change. But I also think that is the reason teachers are good teachers, they reflect on what works, what doesn't and how to meet each students individual needs so that they can be successful!

My Ah's

   I had many different Ah moments throughout the semester BUT I think the one that stood out the most was learning to do a podcast. I have always thought that "hearing" something makes a student retain it more and it makes us feel more connected to the subject; that is what listening to podcast did for me, they made me want to learn the content more and feel more connected to it! I loved creating a podcast of my own, it was a challenge to get use to the software but once I got the hang of it, I saw the endless possibilities related to using them.
    As for how I will change as a result of this class and the technology applications we have been asked to used, I will be implementing them into my daily life, as well as using them in the classroom when I go back to teach WITHOUT fear of not knowing what I'm doing!!!
  As I stated above the biggest impact from this semester on me is that I have no fear now related to the new technology and the applications that go along with it. Honestly, I'm excited to explore them more and take my own time to explore them more than what I have been doing during the semester.
 Blogging for me came easy, I LOVE to write and to put my thoughts on "paper" So, will I continue to use the blog, YES I believe I will. I think its a very helpful tool to reflect back on things and theories I have had in the past.
 Thanks for an amazing semester Dr. W! I look forward to any other classes I have with you.
  

Concept map revisited

 GUESS what?? I embedded this ALL by myself this time with no help from my daughter like I had to have last time :) Beyond excited that I have learned to do technology stuff I had no idea how to before this class! 

Lesson Plan

I decided to make a lesson plan based on researching and a few topics that are hot buttons right now in the world. I think that if a student can relate real world experiences with learning they are more likely to be engaged. I had the students pick out of a list of topics I gave them, after they had seen a podcast done by me teaching them how to use the proper research and evaluating of Internet information. I also require them to complete blog reflections related to their research and as a end product create a podcast. (blooms applications; evaluating and creating)I used a rubric to assess their assignments. Using blooms in technology application is a wonderful tool and I think it helps to meet many different levels and styles of students learners.  I used the technology tools of podcasting and blogging, all google applications.
After watching the video on the class blog, it becomes apparent to me that we STILL have a long way to go with how we present our information to our students and how they learn. Many of our teachers in all levels of education are just giving the students information and expecting them to memorize it and put it right back on the page for them, no thinking required!! Of course nothing is being learned in that situation and the student will not remember the information after the test. I love the new technologies we have been exposed to and think that students deserve a chance to experience them as well.

Can you hear me now?

What an interesting week... journal article reviews and podcasting! I learned a lot this week, as I have the other weeks in this class and I find myself staying up late to "play" with the new technology applications that I'm coming across, is anyone else having that issue? :)
  For my podcast, I chose to focus on blooms taxonomy related to educational technology. I used this wonderful website.. here is the link; http://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html take a look. It has wonderful information and I go through several different links that relate to educational technology as well. I used the software Jing to create my podcast and screencast to save it and upload it to my page. Did I find the process difficult, no not once I got the hang of it. I think the thing I found the hardest was finding a quite space without my kids or two year old grand daughter trying to beat the door down!! I think the benefits of a podcast are endless for both teachers and students. I could definitely see using a podcast in my classroom. I think it could enhance learning students learning by helping them be the creator of the information and take charge of their own learning... as we do in a student centered class. I will attempt to post my podcast here. Wish me luck. See you all next week. I look forward to our new learning tools we will be exposed to, as I'm sure you all do too!

http://www.screencast.com/t/o5vQVrJdq
The video will not work! And I'm unsure how to remove it, sorry!

Mapping activity

 I enjoyed the assignments this week and learned a ton from the assignments we did. I took a educational technology class in my undergrad degree and the push back then was to search Boolean words and pretty much that was it. In the last 5 years there has been more of a push to evaluate websites based on the creator of the site, the number of users, and the last time it has been updated. Knowing exactly what to type into the search engine is just one of the 1st steps in finding the accurate information. 

  I took the time to explore the stumble upon website and I was amazed at what it did. How neat that a it tailors your information to your interest. I haven't seen or heard of anything like this until this week, I'm so glad I did... I will use it again without a doubt. 

I also spend time in delicious as well.... here is my link  http://www.diigo.com/user/amartinez8853 

It is really neat that other people can collaborate together and bookmark things of interest to them that relate to their field of interest or what they think will be helpful in their careers. 

Here is a link to a very interesting youtube video that I think you all will enjoy, take a look. It is from another ed. technology class I'm taking. Looking forward to the rest of the semester and what is in store for us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ndQWJbbzos&feature=related
 
 

Digital Storytelling

   I think the tenant that I relate to the most is the one about digital story telling. I have never thought of it much until this semester but I have seen how it is implemented into my life in more ways than I thought before. First, I think of facebook, I'm on it daily and post often what my family and I are doing... isn't this a form of digital story telling? I think it is but it wasn't until I read the article this week that it clicked so we say! I also had to create something that was called a "mixbook" for another educational technology class I'm taking, there again.. it told digital story telling about my life.
   I see a lot of potential using e-portfolios, the first being that it helps the students and teachers be reflective learners and look at what they have done and use it as a learning tool for future assessment and knowledge. I think it will continue to be a useful tool in education as well as in the professional area and that we as teachers have a duty to our students to prepare them for new and upcoming technology that may be used in the future.
 

Wiki Week

    I enjoyed making the wiki this week. It did take some getting use to and some things about it were not very "user friendly" but for the most part I enjoyed the learning process it involved. As for what advantages I see using wikis the first one would be being able to incorporate many different peoples opinion at one time to collaborate on whatever project the wiki involves. There can be instant results that people can see instantly not wait as they would using such things as email. They can be edited by members of the group, not just one person... that is nice too. It is also pretty easy to catch on to and students can get materials off a teachers wiki if need be easily. Now for the disadvantages; sometimes having so many people doing the editing may make the content seem disorganized and hard to get one certain stance on things. Another one is that if the teacher, student, or users of the wiki aren't using it to its fullest potential and to be a useful communication tool, it wont be worth the effort put into it.
     I think that our "digital native" students can learn from the wiki because it has the potential to engage the visual learners and encourage them to write on the computer rather than just with pen and paper,as they are use to growing up in this "digital native" generation.
    There are many web 2.0 technologies that are being used in the educational area such as; blogging, social media sites, and pod casting. With all the distance education classes in force and the need to meet the standards related to these classes... many of these tools are helpful. I would like to learn more about pod casting since I have a feeling that as an online teacher it will be a tool that I use often as well as blogging. I think that when students, even college level students feel they can put their words and thoughts into "paper" with no pressure the outcome is far greater than the pressure of putting it in "writing" for an assignment. Does that make sense?

Concept map

Wow, this was a tricky assignment! I tried to embed this for an hour and then asked my "digital native" daughter who did it within a second!! Here is my concepts behind the map. I believe Educational technology includes but is not limited to; students being life long learners, reflective teachers, blooms taxonomy,multiple intelligences, emerging changes, cell phones, ipods, ipads, student centered learning and much more. I think that due to the ever changing nature of technology it is hard to pinpoint one specific thing that holds true to technology. The best way I would describe it would be that we all need to be reflective learners as teachers and students. We have to learn what is working and what is not and what needs to stay the same year after year.

Educational Technology Organization

     I went through all of the links that Dr. W provided for us but keep going back to the one that I feel is the most useful for me as a teacher and instructor. Not to say the others are not just as good, but this is the one that I feel holds the same qualities that I do. I picked Edutopia as my first organization because it is a useful organization As quoted from the website their mission is;
 "Our vision is of a new world of learning, a place where students and parents, teachers and administrators, policy makers and the people they serve are all empowered to change education for the better; a place where schools provide rigorous project-based learning, social-emotional learning, and access to new technology; a place where innovation is the rule, not the exception; a place where students become lifelong learners and develop 21st-century skills, especially three fundamental skills:

• how to find information
• how to assess the quality of information
• how to creatively and effectively use information to accomplish a goal

It’s a place of inspiration and aspiration based on the urgent belief that improving education is the key to the survival of the human race. We call this place Edutopia, and we provide not just the vision for this new world of learning but the real-world information and community connections to make it a reality."
    The fact that teachers, parents and others can go be involved in an organization that puts students first and strives for the quality of their education is important and helps us as teachers. I like that they meet many different levels of students learning styles and grade levels. As we have discussed in this class before, teachers need a network of a place they can go and network with other teachers for ideas, blogs, stories and policies. We need to be "sharing our story more" as the article last week described. This organization encompasses all of these qualities.

http://www.edutopia.org/mission-vision

     The second organization I chose was Educause due to the fact that it has a focus on Higher Education not just K-12 as a lot of other organizations do. I hope to teach at the college level one day but also have a passion for Secondary Education, therefore I wanted something that included both of these things. The mission statement is as follows;
"As the higher education technology association, EDUCAUSE embraces the value of innovation. EDUCAUSE understands not only the importance of innovation to higher education but also the supporting role that technology can play as a tool for innovation in the learning, discovery, and engagement that colleges and universities offer. Together, all of us in the EDUCAUSE community strive to produce innovations that will advance higher education's mission of creating, transmitting, and preserving knowledge."
I like that their mission is to help be a tool for teachers in higher education and that they are a network for us. I also think that the fact that they have staff development is a benefit as well. Technology is an ever changing beast that if we don't keep up with it, we as teachers and educators will fall behind. This organization is a good way for us to stay abreast to new development and innovations in the field.

http://www.educause.edu/stratdir

Eductional Technology Philosphy

     I just got done with a class last semester Philosophy of Education taught by Dr. Scott. It was an extremely difficult class but really made me reflect on the many different philosophies in Education and what I thought about my educational philosophy. Could I pin point one school of philosophy that I favor... probably not! I do tend to lean more toward the behaviorist approach but I also have a lot of pragmatism views as well.
I think classrooms should be more student centered, not just teacher directed and I believe students learn better when they are taking ownership in the learning process. I feel very strongly in the 7 different levels of multiple intelligence and that students all learn in different ways and we as teachers and educators should be meeting their needs more than we are. Why cant a kinesthic learner sit on the floor while writing a paper if it helps them learn more? Or a musical intelligence learner listen to headphones during an assignment if it helps them focus. I know I may be different than some here but I feel we are failing our students by not meeting their needs in this area.
    As for the role I see technology playing in my classroom, I know it plays a huge role due to all the changes that come yearly in regards to technology. Again, some students are visual learners (I know I am) and seeing the material on a computer screen or a smart board could lead to more retention of the material than just reading it in a textbook. I have always thought that being a "paper and pencil" teacher did not help students learn and technology has helped to move away from this. I hope to learn more about how to implement technology into my classroom and help keep students engaged through the process.
   Teaching is a reflective practice where we build on the prior knowledge from previous years. What worked, what didn't and what needs to happen to make my students more successful the next year. Continuing training and workshops help me learn new and upcoming ways to better assist my students and make me a life long learner, which in turn lets my students see that I'm learning is a continues journey and one that they must strive to get more knowledge than they had previously.

Creating a Culture for teaching and learning

I read the article by Alan November and I have to agree with him that we are raising "digital age" kids. They find most all the information they need online, no matter if it is the right information or not. I wrote a paper last semester about the "paper mill" generation of kids we have, they can just go and buy a paper. What does that teach them; nothing! I also agree with him that we need to be "telling our stories." Teachers are the best resource for other teachers and we do need to be sharing our knowledge with one another. I have always heard in the teaching profession it is the only one that is OK to "steal" :) As for blogging, I think we have a long way to go in this department. Students today want to tell their stories but they don't want to make a lot of effort to do so unfortunately. I think that is the number one thing preventing us from moving ahead with blogging. As for what potential use blogging could serve... the choices are numerous! I think it could help us as teachers get our stories out more than we do now, could help students put their ideas and thought into words and learn to be better writers. We still have a long way to go though.

My expectations for this class

I came into this class with the expectation of learning how to implement more technology into my classes at the secondary level as well as once I teach at the college level. I will say, I'm VERY overwhelmed right now though.... I am looking forward to this class but already have struggled with this simple blog :) I just keep thinking, this is the first week, Right? Looking forward to spending the next several months with you all. Enjoy and Good Luck