Today's Lesson

Sitting in class and a professor just told us that we should really learn to read books.....

I thought that was a requirement to get into this program? Guess I should expand past Dr. Seuss one of these days.

Technology in Education

Technology in Education

Today’s world is changing at an extremely accelerated speed and yet I have been trying to create my technology related teaching philosophy for what seems like an eternity.

The process has gone a little like this:

-       look for articles – check

-       find one that suits – check x 10

-       pick ONE – check

-       write a philosophy – not so easy

The problem?

            I can’t wrap my head around solidifying my ideas and beliefs into two really well written pages and saying, done! I did a teaching philosophy right, so why does it become mission impossible when I try to add technology to it? Every time I write a line, I stare at it for a few minutes and the blinking cursor drives me insane until I delete it, nothing can adequately sum it all up. Then it hits me, why does it have to be in the form of words on a page? Why does it have to be neatly contrained into two white pages with black font? Why can’t it reflect the concepts and not be full of gibberish added to simply increase the word count and make it look professional.

The solution?

            Be creative! Practice what you preach!

What I created instead is a mosaic, a visual and technological representation of what technology in education looks like to me. What it encompasses, what it can be. It may look like a bunch of words to someone else, but to me, it is the ideas that I will bring into my classroom. The programs and the creative approaches that I will try and the opportunities that I believe our students deserve. Is it conventional? No, but it is like technology because it has room to grow, expand and change, an attitude that we should all consider bringing into our classrooms.

How did I do it?

            First, I brainstormed, a lot. I thought about what types of technology I would use, what my student’s use, how we can try different things and so on. What resulted was a list. Then when sitting in International Development, our professor introduced us to a wonderful internet site: wordle.net. It takes your lists and creates a visual collage. I went through my list again and repeated words that seemed more pertinent, more necessary. Then I imputed my list and viola: one philosophy! That is, until something new and cool comes out that makes the cut.