1. My Understanding on educational technology and its relationship with teaching and the learning process.
There is a certain beauty about the educational experience, because each educational experience can be different for each student depending on their learning process. In today’s global age one staple of the learning process is educational technology. According to Judy Lever-Duffy and Jean B. McDonald (Lever –Duffy, McDonald), the term educational technology differs depending on whom you ask. For that reason I will use the broadest view possible: any technology used by educators in support of teaching and the learning process (Lever-Duffy, McDonald, 5). While I accept the broadest view possible which supports even non-electronic media’s as technology others view educational technology in a more narrow view. That is, only “computers, computer peripherals, and related software used in teaching” (5). Educational Technology is important to today’s teachers because, it may allow teachers to reach students who they could previously not reach.
In today’s world American students are surrounded by and live in a technological age. Students have constant access to 24 hour cable television, cell phones, the internet, Facebook, iPod’s, video games, and countless numbers of other electronic marvels. Our students today have so much technology at their finger tips that ultimately they are becoming bored with the standard, typical learning process. The learning process for these 21st century students need to be more technological if teachers hope to reach their current students and the students they will have in the future. Along with this, the attention span of today’s student is much shorter than students of previous generation. It is not realistic for teachers to assume that students are capable of learning strictly based on lectures and reading from the textbook. Because of the world in which our students and we ourselves live in we must do everything possible to reach them in the most technological way. Because of the barriers which teachers face in reaching their students it is imperative that teachers have a resource of knowledge which contains possible working technologies, so they know what they have at their disposal (10).
Technology and instruction are one in the same. Lever-Duffy and McDonald believe teachers created instructional events to transfer knowledge and skills to their students, “An instructional event includes all the teaching methods and learning experiences created to support the learning process” (10). The instructional event is a three step process which includes proper planning, use of available materials and resources, and then the eventual outcome is learning. In order for teachers to reach the students and for the students to learn each educator, according to Lever-Duffy and McDonald, need to understand that each student may learn differently. Therefore teachers must be willing to use any and all resources which are available to them. Students learn through a number of different educational technologies. From computers, email, movies, models, photographs, and posters, the learning process of students takes place in many different forms. Whether it is as basic as dry erase boards and flash cards, or as advance as learning from a webcast in a classroom in China- through educational technology every student has the potential to be reached, and every teacher has the potential to impart the wisdom which they have set out to deliver.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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I appreciate your statement and would like to speak with you on the telephone. Please see my telephone number I posted on the class page as a comment to your initial url posting. We are in the same group, and I would like to introduce myself to you over the telephone.
ReplyDeleteJosephine
Reed,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your reflection which is complete and thorough with enough detailed support. Great job.
I suggest that you list your peers' blog URLs in your blog so that it is easier for you and your readers to access them.
A very thorough and detailed response, Reed. Good Job. I am in complete agreement that with our advanced knowledge of various learning style and with the myriad of technologies we have at our disposable today, a large part of successful instruction is picking the right tool for the job, as it were.
ReplyDeleteI know as a student I learned best through rigorous note-taking and lectures from my teachers. And although I don't currently have a teaching job, I know that I'm going to be one of those teachers who loves to lecture, because I thoroughly enjoy talking about my content area. However, I'm going to have to remind myself that not everyone in my class will be so proficient at learning through lecture along and I will be obligated to switch things up and try my best to cater to each student's learning style.
I support Mr. Hotard in his assessment of the material presented by Lever-Duffy, and McDonald. The teacher must be versatile enough to utilize all electronic media at his/her disposal to effectively and efficiently communicate course lessons to each student in the class, no matter the students learning style. Therefore, lesson plans must incorporate the use of all electronic media, textbooks, and chalk or white boards. Students need direction through the use of hands on lab kits, or laboratory experimental stations. Students in elementary schools require access to computers as early as possible, and develop an understanding of how to use educational games and instructional software to meet the goals of a lesson plan. Students should be able to use textbook, e-books, and library reference materials such as standard encyclopedias, as well as electronic encyclopedias. Students need the ability to browse using a web browser, and browse on their own in a library, and it should be their choice as to a preference.
ReplyDeleteI would like to point out that all media is not effective, nor affordable. For example, two cases: 1) if some media is not effective, and the students in a class elect not to use it as a group, should it be utilized in the class; and, 2) the new I-Pad may be effective, but is it affordable?
I support Mr. Hotard’s views describing the beauty of education as viewed by Lever-Duffy and McDonald, I just wish each school district could afford it without the loss of textbooks, libraries, teachers and teachers aids, and facilities or equipment for the students.