my reflection on Educational Technology
The Educational Technology course is designed to prepare teachers for all different grade levels with skills, concepts and understanding among other skills to integrate technology in their lessons to enhance learning as well as to make learning more effective.
As stated in the course outline, the main focus of this course is on the educational uses of Information and Communication Technology; allowing for the balancing of learning theories and educational technology applications. The course treats fundamentals of planning, design, and production of instructional multimedia tools. There are opportunities for students to practice and use educational media and equipment in a cooperative learning environment and in various micro-teaching situations. This course is based on the notion that it is imperative that teachers provide opportunities for students to engage in authentic learning experiences within and beyond the walls of the classroom.
As an educator learning new tools in technology, I had the opportunity to become an expert on, not only using technology efficiently in the classroom with presentational purposes, but also to develop my own activities which bring as much educational information as fun to my class. My most basic skills involve the use of PowerPoint and the Internet in the classroom among others.
Technology will be a great asset in my classroom, as a motivational aid and a teaching tool to help students succeed. The realms of technology in the classroom have expanded far beyond mere word processing and basic presentations with images, and technology is now a prime way to motivate students. Now, those same programs used for simple tasks are capable of so much more. For example, instead of merely creating a PowerPoint presentation, teachers can use video games, before used only for children’s entertainment, now can be learning tools instead with a proper introduction. By using technology in this fashion, students can become more engaged in instruction and achieve a more substantive learning experience.
Upon completing this course it was very challenging at first given the fact that I was learning new tools in technology, but with determination and perseverance I was able to be successful at gaining the knowledge and skills I needed to create these tools. Completing this course has afforded me with a wealth of knowledge on the various tools I can use in the classroom to create meaningful learning but first I must commend my lecturer Mrs. Michele Mcfarlane for a job well done on providing me with the experience and knowledge needed to complete this course. As a teacher, completing this course has paved the way for greater success in delivering my lessons. This course had given me more knowledge of the various tools that I was not aware of such as creating my own websites/blogs, doing quizzes online, creating rubrics, podcasts, and interactive presentations among others that I can now proudly say I can master. This course has also taught me the skills and concepts needed to plan effective lessons that cater for all my students despite their different learning styles.
Despite the shortcomings, technology has a tremendous impact upon education today in the era we are currently in. We are now in the digital age where information is at out finger tips. Technology helps provide students with easy access to information via the Internet that before involved trips to libraries. In addition, this access to information can be free to students, by utilizing resources such as Wikipedia in a responsible fashion. Technology can also be a gateway to the vast realms of creativity for students, allowing them to participate in activities that they never would have dreamed possible. For example, students can create their own websites/blogs from scratch, which allows them to be creative while they will design it from its conception to completion. While it is important for teachers to understand that they cannot become completely dependent upon technology as a means to enhance their own teaching strategies, when technology is integrated into a teacher’s instructional calendar it can be a tremendous benefit to students in the classroom.
As I continue to reflect I have come to realization that the advantages of using technology in the classroom are many both inside and outside the basic classroom. In the class, on the other hand, I have experienced that the use of technology, when efficiently applied, can bring variety rising motivation and attention in the students and may change attitudes towards learning. The use of presentation tools such as PowerPoint or helps to fulfill this goal. Besides, technology also helps in a good extent to bring information to the students. The use of a teaching platform using technology in educational environments provide chat rooms, emails, message boards or voice recording which facilitate the communication between the student and the instructor. Since communication is the primary goal inside and outside the classroom, these tools are very useful to maintain contact with the students when developing communication skills.
My personal observation has showed me that technology is a positive tool in the classroom. It brings advantages in the teaching process both for educators and for learners. Motivation and changes of attitude arise when efficiently employed. However, to reach a good understanding on the use of technology, it is necessary to receive instruction. Furthermore, it is necessary to rethink its use, apply accurate methods, and design new possibilities that better reach the goal of the class, inside and outside the educational room.