Educational Technology Philosophy

Educational Technology Philosophy Statement by Katerina Drakaki-Peterson

ETEC 524

Instructors:  Mary Jo Dondlinger, PhD and Julie McLeod, PhD

The explosion of technology into the class room on the last decade has not touched the entire student population. The most capable educator will need to overcome the impatience of those who think they know more or who actually do know more but need the formal credit for their knowledge. On the opposite end of this knowledge base are those students who simply have not been exposed to anything more than basic tasks. They understand how to turn on the power, go online, open and use programs like Microsoft Word and Powerpoint. Expecting them to charge into an eportfolio project sets the stage for frustration and disappointment for all.

A tendency of those competent and comfortable with technology is to breath a heavy sigh of concern when matched with the hesitation of those uncertain and unsure. Educators must brace themselves with the determination that the more help they provide the lesser able adds up to a student population with more confidence to approach not only technology but life. Encourage the advanced students to share capabilities in one-on-one or small group settings.

A sink or swim approach is a dated approach. Strive to build the confidence of the weaker students in a class by building exercises with increasing complexity. Try to recall what it was like to master the basic aspects of technology when you had zero or minimal exposure to the task at hand. Do not make assumptions. Do not tell. Demonstrate. Demonstrate. Demonstrate.  

Educational Technology teaching philosophy beginning with consideration of the lack of exposure experienced by some student populations will permit an educator to structure a student-friendly classroom environment which will reduce the stress and frustration as learners try to keep up with classmates who are always finished quickly because it is too easy. There is a special satisfaction in elevating the competence of uncertain students. The educator has just fueled an inner confidence in students who now know they have and can continue to learn.

         As I explore further to the four readings, Reiber, SAMR, ACOT, and Texas STaR, I develop my educational technology philosophy more to reach the pedagogical understanding and Concept.  First of all we are still talking/writing about educational technology as if not enough of teachers are using it; not enough teachers are integrating technology. Throughout these readings I could see my own educational technology philosophy reach another conclusion; we are incorporating technology to accommodate egos,  not to facilitate learners not to provide affordances, to impress but not to teach, definition of impressing;  

        The definition of impressing from the free dictionary by Farlex; http://www.thefreedictionary.com/impressing came to match my own.  The definition from “A Model of Technology Adoption” by Lloyd Reiber, definition which came upon me while I was thoroughly using “Utilization” from the model, to understand how to teach “Do not discard”, to                   

my future students and teachers in the classroom, along with “ACOT Stages of Technology Integration” were an affordance for me to Evolution to Reorientation, to Integration to Utilization and to Familiarization and in that order.   I evolved, reoriented, integrated and came to utilization and familiarization in this course, the course which I was dreading, now I consider myself a “contemporary” model of technology adoption, ready to step up to “Evolution”. 

         The definition from “A Model of Technology Adoption” by Lloyd Reiber, which came upon me while I was thoroughly using “Utilization” from the model, to understand how to teach “Do not discard” to my future students and teachers in the classroom, along with “ACOT Stages of Technology Integration” were significant for me to Evolution to Reorientation, to Integration to Utilization and to Familiarization and in that order.   I evolved, reoriented, integrated and came to utilization and familiarization in this course, the course which I was dreading. Now I consider myself fitting a “contemporary” model of technology adoption, ready to step up to “Evolution”. 

        Texas STaR Chart for teachers is most insightful and helpful to know. One day all teachers will have the same technology in mind, and all teachers will be learning and talking the same language.

        Target Tech page 5 of the STARR Chart gives me a better perspective and guidelines. Professional development makes a difference to all students and teachers.  Teachers are required to be proficient in all five of the SBEC Technology Applications Standards. 

All four readings break down step by step the way to adapt and give different roles to different projects to students. Teachers employ a variety of assessment methods including peer-review, self-assessment, incorporating technology in ACOT, Reiber’s model of technology adoption, and TPACK and SAMR of Dr. Puentedura’s. The STaR (School Technology and Readiness) purposes are adopting technology.       

www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/standtest/standards/techapp.pdf

       The Texas Teacher School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart gave me a new perspective on educational technology. I compare the STaR with Ruben Puentedura’s task on putting concrete tools in education. The video of TPCK and Maps lead me to TPACK, as we were taught in the beginning of the course week one: How to teach with TPACK, using the three Spheres of Technology, Content and Pedagogy. 

        Using TPACK as my model, I see how to teach technology to make the content and pedagogy fit into the technology, to better bring results to a young and sponge-like mind.  Pedagogy will cross the curriculum to explore deeper meanings of Literature, Shakespearian novels, and Classics.   Classics, difficult to be read by students with learning differences, will be taught with the maps, the regions, and the time these novels were written, to give a deeper understanding.   The maps show us how to teach Historical Architecture, Historical Heritage, going deeper into socioeconomically structure, what was important and relevant then.  The TPCK/TPACK will be my model with “Power in Simplicity”, Ruben’s way of incorporating curriculum to the classroom, focusing on deeper aspects of map making. 

Franco Moretti’s provocative book, “Graphs, Maps, Trees” is a well worth reading.  “Mapping It Out” by Monmonier is another book beneficial to the technology part of the TPACK.   All of the four readings, are fully intergrading Technology, how Maps work, how they interact. We will leave the “Content” part of the TPACK; knowledge to be up to us, filled with our subject to be taught.   

TPACK, I tattooed you in my mind.

ED TEC Play 4

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_201_g_3_t_2.html?open=instructions&from=grade_g_3.html


I will start with TPACK my favorite design since the begging of our class, TPACK became my way, my challenge, my thing to do, I am challenged now by teachers to incorporate educational word, pedagogy to make it fit in to the technology, to become TPACK, to be used in the classroom, to be part of the every day learning.

Option 2:  Content Objects;    Mathematical Manipulatives: 

The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives which offer mathematical manipulatives.  At first I start manipulating the site, looking for ways to teach special education students math.  Come to find out the greatest tool for teaching high function special education students math!  What an experience I had with this is not easy to describe on paper, it is funny to watch me learning about technology, I am a child in a candy store, as they say here in the USA.

I will design work required by the standards by starting with simple linear equations ending with a popular game ”Let’s make a Deal”, is a virtual way to teach students math, students can approach their thinking with those manipulatives in many different ways.   I will structure work around it to allow students to play and draw conclusions.  That is exactly what we would like to see!  Learning simple equations is approached by placing numbers of blocks on each side of the scale then we can perform algebraic operations.  Students will see that an operation will be performed on both sides of the scale.  I want students to think of the two sides of an equation as balanced, by doing that to both sides yields another equation expressing the same equivalence, so both sides remain in balance.  Students will solve the Equation, when they correctly represented it, they can then click the “continue” button, which shows the “add” option, but they can also click on other buttons to “subtract”, “multiply”, or “divide”.  Require to do the same to both sides of the beam

The students also can use the mathematical manipulatives to teach themselves, I will encourage the title “math we like, math we can” to make their experience comprehendible, and encourage a high self-esteem, most are intimidate by math.  They can pick a different level of math subject by using the back arrow, which can lead on many virtual manipulatives, they can use according to their grade norm or achieved level of knowledge.  They can end with a game “Stick or Switch” which is an electronic version of the “Let’s Make a Deal” by Monty Hall.  Behind one of the doors is a grand prize, the other two doors lead to some real losers. To play the game, click on a door, "Monty" then reveals what is behind one of the two doors that you didn't open, then given the option to stick with your original selection or switch to the other door. 

Mathematical manipulatives are among the best representations of Math in the TPACK. Special Education students will learn equations; they will make the connection visually.  Neither cutting papers nor bringing fruit making the connection with games, what a better game than technology, which by the way fascinates most if not all of them. Technology knocks, we are welcoming, and use in it.   Fits perfect with pedagogical content and technology. Pedagogy comes from the Greek word “paithagogia” meaning child and lead.  That is what we are doing literally, we are leading the child. I will develop conceptual knowledge and manage the content in pedagogical environment.  The students with my assistance and prior knowledge will learn the content with technology.  TPACK will be represented perfect with teaching strategies math content, and technology, making it easy for the students.

Molecules, an application for the iPhone, iPod touch, and now iPad that allows you to view three-dimensional renderings of molecules and manipulate them using your fingers.  I chose this application because we are trying to place more and more iPads in the class room, the special education students learn rapidly and like the way ipad teaches them, of course not just special education student, I have fun teaching all teachers and itinerant teachers.  We can rotate the molecules by moving our finger across the display, zoom in or out by using two-finger pinch gestures, or pan the molecule by moving two fingers across the screen at once.  I will use this also to show them and explain to them what molecules are. I want to take their learning into multiple dimension, not just game playing.

Science 360:  Immerses students in to the science, technology and math.  There are the latest videos provided by scientists, colleges, universities, the National Science Foundation and more.  We can place the video on our personal websites, blogs, and social network pages.  I encourage everyone to experience, Science 360 and fit it into their TPACK.  There are many stories and cutting-edge discoveries, big science of the day.

BrainPOP:   Creates animated curricular content, engages students, educational resources (K-3) It is organized by the 7 means of subject areas.  Search by using the search bar and you are lead right to the content you want.  For example click on ants and will see the subject about the ants with pictures and videos, movies, plus interactive activities, whole class activities.  View the movies with entire class.  Teachers can tailor their assessments to meet all students’ needs.  Activity pages can be printed out in advance to handout to the students, and share with their family.

Commonsense:  I am ending with one of the best tools; I will use and make available to my students for every day reference on our subjects.  Since I was looking for Math for this Play 4 I ended with mathematical manipulatives, not lucking to omit the commonsense which impressed me as much.   Classrooms should have commonsense available to every classroom, available on a screen, for students to take turns and explore by themselves the daily subject.  Families should have this available to their students and for themselves.  They can find age appropriate movies, books, applications, shows, video games, websites, music and of course every grade curriculum.  A library of more than 17,500 books, reviews by age and entertainment type are available. 

 

ED TEC Play 3 Exploring creativity tools

                   

Katerina Drakaki-Peterson

ETEC 524

Creativity tools

http://prezi.com/23xyrshg9bsg/life/

• Discuss the variety of tools you explored, what you liked or disliked about each one and which one you selected one to continue to reflect on.
• Describe how this creativity tool that you selected might fit into the TPACK model. Specifically, describe the content, pedagogical and technological aspects of some student work that uses the creativity tool you selected.
• Identify other ways that students could use the creativity tool you selected.
• Why is it important to know about and use creativity tools? What do they offer that other tools (i.e., drill and practice, tutorials, instructional games, etc.) do not offer?

Voki:

Enjoyed exploring the tools for this assignment.  I started with voki; experience the ability to make the character speak with my own voice.  Students will have fun with voki.  Voki can be dressed up according to what we like for occasional play, or for history and science play.   We can record what we like to fit the occasional Voki will repeat it exactly as we recorded.  It was a lot of fun to work with voki; I will keep it in mind for any occasion or class of students I may find it useful.   We can use it for reminders, dates, and business and for education.  I will mostly use it for fun with students having mild disorders and difficulties.  Young people will love to hear what they say and learn how that will be able to be done with their memorization of steps.  It will be a way to teach them step by step instructions to follow in order to achieve something that I am sure my students will have lots of fun. 

 Evernote:

Continued with ever note a tool we could use with all our devises, ipad, android or windows.  We can read it from everywhere we are in any device we may have with us at the time.  We can use it at the desktop at work, ipad, android, or OS and many more.  We will pick up our notes from anywhere.  I will show this to students but at the same time they can use their own email system to create a calendar and they can pick that one from anywhere.  If they do not have an email we cannot use Evernote.  All applications and tools need an email.

CloudOn:

CloudOn brings Microsoft Office to our ipad and links it to our box, dropbox and google Drive.  I found that very easy to use and is nothing more than google docs or skydrive which I already use now.  I personally like the skydrive.  I use skydrive at work and share with supervisors and itinerant teachers we all find it user friendly.

Prezi:

I am overtaken by Prezi, it is what took my attention and I will use this in the future for my own use, the students and teachers, and with itinerant teachers.  

Prezi fits perfect with the TPACK:  Prezi is presentation software which makes sharing ideas easy.  It is a storytelling tool for exploring; my students can pick their presentation frame from many different ones and for many different reasons.  Their presentation can talk on its own without anyone having to make a sound.  I can only imaging our deaf/hard of hearing students and visually challenged students of what joy would this bring to them with the assistance of a teacher, of course.  It will enhance collaborative learning environment, collaboration, because it allows up to 10 people to co-edit and show their “Prezi” in the exact time.  Most important the license is free unless we want to take it higher, which it is not need but we can leave that up to each group.

Teachers and students can bridge with other students, other schools, explore learning, from ideas, to books, to math and science, work to be done, goals to be placed and explore more reliable learning and instructional learning in higher education.

It can present visual information for the hard of hearing students, it can challenge them to pick frames and make the presentation they want, they can be group according to the project they are working on.  It can enhance their learning and teachers can enhance their teaching.

Another way they can use the Prezi is for their hobbies, explore with it get others to follow with the same hobbies. 

In the class room we can explore ways to get each one of the students involve or break in to the teams inside the Prezi.  Technology which can be easy at the same time it can also be challenged.  The students can find their own ways to use it in order to get feedback for the studies or the test they are facing.

It can be used by students and teachers to collaborate on their presentations, multiple users having access and they can be able to edit on the same presentation.  They can present their own knowledge with different learning styles. 

It can offer thoughts to be shared and feedback inspirational education presentations and reports discussions.  Other media and files can be added.

Creativity tools can bring a more challenging prospective to our learning; give us intellectual knowledge of the specific tool.  It is more fun to use they are different.  Other tools are too common, too simple, not able to challenge our brain.  Creativity tools can offer us to be more open with subjects we have chosen, find way to add friends and knowledge from around the world, they bridge us with friends and relatives, pick difficulty on games have a specific challenge. 

We can find specific creativity tools for our skill and knowledge, interesting topics, we can express ourselves and approach the tools pick the tolls that suit different situations.

Creativity tools can teach strategy skills, from simple to analyzing difficult one to crafting unique and successful competitive position.

Play 3 Prezi - creativity tool

http://prezi.com/23xyrshg9bsg/life/

TEC Play 2 Assignment EXPLORE-CREATE-IDENTIFY-CONSIDER

My exploration to different sites; as Epsilen, Foliotek, Google blog came to one result:  let them be my affordances.  They became my affordances to facilitate more learning; I was not hesitant to engage to other sites and within the same sites I explored without hesitation.

Blogging is a way of communicating.  No barriers in the way.  We can create a community where we can post our intrests, our comments, ideas, suggestions, and most of  all; our everyday life in the classroom, in the home, in the community in general.  We and our students, apart and together we can create communities, our own, theirs and ours.  In later years, we can reflect, compare technology, see the changes in ourselves, our community keep in touch, see where we are in our personal life. 

Another reason for blogging is to comment with subjects of our preferences, make the affordances of blogs ideal for students and teachers to share.

Debates, novel reading, journalism, ESL, Bilingual groups.

ESL/Bilingual groups will share reading materials, they will be helping each other on their assignments they will become teachers, and affordances become tools to facilitate learning. 

Classical reading will be of pleasure, books of William Shakespeare and Jane Austin will be the affordances to learning.   We will be exploring places, Parisian novels will take us to the small beautiful streets of Paris and Shakespeare to the canals of Venice or the mountains of Greece. 

My favorite one will be the genealogical tree; share, history while we are researching it, where we come from, which European country, or not, our family began the creation.  Excitement for the students, similarities and differences will surface, affordances become ideal for this technology.

I will use blogging, due to what I know now, enough and not,  to allow me of making a different choice, if I was asking my students to create a blog or an efolio, I will ask them to bring more to the table, they probably can become the teachers and we all can learn together.  Later in my studies of Educational Technology I will know more to be able to make a better or a different choice.  I am found of blogging for now; all students can be heard, give the time needed to the ones naturally timid, to express their opinion without barriers.  Blogging will bring out the good sides of students, we will make blogging fun, we will make it "the classroom", not the typical classrom.   Blogging focusses on interaction and learning from each other.  Technology makes us One.  Technology has no barriers.  Technology is freedom.

OBSTACLES:

The only obstacle I can predict; socioeconomically; we will have different backgrounds to battle with; here is the barrier to technology.  Families with low income or families with great number of children will not be able to provide technology for them.  Schools have to find funding to provide technology to students or technology has to be adjusted to fit the school day.

TECHNOLOGY IS BRAIN POWER!

ED TEC 2 My eportfolio

http://www.katerinasfolio.com/

Technology/Pedagogy/Content - Science of Teaching

I COME FROM AN ANCIENT WORLD

 

LANDED

ON:

"TPACK"

My pet peeve is to look up word definitions and write them down.  Leftover from my time in Gambride Institute; the way to learn new words and knowing how to use them in a sentence;  my next project will be focusing on that way of learning, with today's technology, as it was nerated on Dr. Mcleod's video of Technology-Pedagogy-Content

Technology – define technology:  the dictionary defines technology as;  the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.

Pedagogy - define pedagogy: the dictionary defines pedagogy as; the art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods.

Content – define content:  the dictionary defines content;  substantive information or creative material viewed in contrast to its actual or potential manner of presentation: publishers, record companies, and other content providers;

FROM:

TO: 

                                           
                                    and more...............



TECHNOLOGY-PEDAGOGY-CONTENT

                                                                    

TECHNOLOGY

I will use the TPACK model for my Middle/High School students, in my future classroom. 

Dr. Mcleod's video engligten me in teaching students of:

ESL/LEP & BILINGUAL CLASSROOM: TEACHING THEM TO WRITE

BLOG:

Students will write a journal every day.  The journal will consist: 

Thoughts about teaching

Subjects they will like to read

Books, periodicals they like to read

Topics to talk about

What games they will like to see developed

Freedom of writting their ideas with prohibitions, of certain forms of language usage, of course.

They will not know how much they are helping themselves in writting and developing english language skills but at the end of 10 months the advancement in writting skillfully, will be obvious. 

I will link the blog with appropriate books to give them ideas of what to pick for reading

Visit to the school Library certain day of the week, as a group, to find the books we picked for our reading in class and take home to read for pleassure.

On Monday we will write -including the teacher- what we liked about the book(s) we read and we will continue on what we will like to read next, or what the book made us think of to explore next.

They will learn to make blogs to link to the books they will like to read.  Along with the writting part the reading part will be rabidly developed.

Chapter books will be best for the younger ones and the High School students could pick books of their interest.

PEDAGOGY

We will have conversations on how we learn, or how we can further add blogs with subjects of our interest, "playing" will cross pedagogy with technology.

CONTENT

From Content to Technology; videos, tutorials, games; they will be usefull and fun to explain the content, be analytical in the speech we use, write down new words, explain the meaning.  Make a new blog where we will write all the new words, linked them with the sentence from where we picked them from or the video, tutorial, game, we heard them, how they were used in a sentence. 

Technology - Pedagogy - Content:   the essence of something that tells us what to do.  "Writting" the essence of "Reading"  "Reading" the essence of "Writting"  to learn how to write, we have to learn how to read, to learn how to read,  we have to learn how to write.   A new way for me and most inteligent to explain to students on how to find essence and how to use it. 

NEUROSCIENCE:  Another subject of a great intrest of mine.

Educational Technology

Educational Technology Blog 1 for Katerina Drakaki-Peterson  Jan 27, 2013

1. Begin by describing student work that you might design using blogs. Use the TPACK Model to identify each aspect of the work. The following questions will help guide your thinking:   
• Content--What content you addressing? Considering the verb in the standard and Blooms Revised Taxonomy, what is the desired level of thinking from the standards?
• Pedagogy--What pedagogical stance (or which learning theories or theorists) does this work support? In other words, whose “shoulders” did you stand on?
• Technology--What affordances can you identify for the technology selected? Justify the match of your pedagogical stance/strategy with the technology affordances.
2. Discuss other ways that this technology can be used in the learning environment.
3. Identify any obstacles to using this tool. What makes this tool worth using even with these obstacles?