Reflective Blog Posting #1

Educational Technology Philosophy

In developing my educational technology philosophy, it cannot be defined without reflecting on the impact and role of my family and the emphasis of education in life’s journey to date. My mother’s mantra was that we should always be able to take care of ourselves. We were expected to make good grades and finish high school. I took her advice seriously and learned from the struggles of my family, the limitations of comfort, and the power of fear - the fear of being stretched, challenged, and limited by one’s own expectations and those of others; the limitations of a high school education. My experiences as an African American female student, lack of resources, lack of knowledge and connections to resources actually available to me made my pursuit of higher education difficult but not insurmountable. These experiences and observations helped shape my love of education and my quest to help other learners navigate the land of higher education and connect them to the power of learning.

The foundation of effective teaching and learning is the educator’s rational and purpose for what is how teaching and learning takes place. There must be a constant examination of pivotal questions, “What do I want the student or individual to learn?”, “What will it look like?”, and “Is actual learning taking place?” Because of the diversity of the individuals in the learning environment, from the former traditional older students to the new generation of students born into the world of technology, the effective educator creates a productive learning environment that engages, empowers, and challenges the learner. This requires the educator to be a creator, seeker, and active participant in his or her own learning and skill development. Educators who seek to research and personally develop their own skills, particularly in technology are able to develop courses in which learners are provided with opportunities to be discoverers, creators of knowledge, and active participants rather than passive recipients. Effective and meaningful educational technological methods can be used to explore these opportunities uses by the learner, which extends beyond texting and social networking. One of the major advantages educational technology offers is the ability to allow the learner to learn from those in the classroom and around the world. The value of this type of education and its boundaries are unlimited, yet still demands the educator to teach the learner employ critical thinking, and analysis of information to discern fact from fiction.

A major strategy I believe often overlooked by educators is obtaining knowledge about what resources the learner has at his or her disposal and in return connecting learners to avenues and resources available to assist them in the learning environment. Technology is a major conduit to communicate, facilitate, and create knowledge. It is also a major component in connecting those without the means to opportunities and possibilities for success in education. It will play a significant role in my goal of linking students to the resources, expectations, assimilation, and navigation in the college environment.

A major concern as described by Alan November’s article, Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning, is the potential of technology to become the channel that widens the chasm between the rich and the poor. A very false assumption which I believe has unconsciously seeped into the minds of the majority of educators and society as a whole, is the belief that every learner has unlimited access to the internet! According to a U.S. Census, report by Eric C. Newberger (2001), Home Computers and Internet Use in the United States: August 2000, computer and internet access varies by family income, age, and race. As sited in the report for adults (18 years and older) 87% of households with incomes of $75,000 or more, have home computer access compared to 28% for households with incomes of $25,000 or less. The disparities extend to race. Sixty percent of White non-Hispanic and 66% of Asian and Pacific Islander households had home computers, with 42% and 43.7% having internet access. Thirty-seven percent of Black households and 35% of Hispanic households had home computers, with 20% and 17% respectively also having access to the internet. To quote Alan November, “If we do not invest and move technologies and capacities to the home, ….schools will actually be contributing to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.” November suggests creating “information communication community network plans.” These plans link resources in one learning network. One of my goals and strategies as an educator will be to help make these connections.

Education can be the great equalizer and whether pursued formally, for personal growth, or as a job requirement its benefits can extend beyond the classroom and beyond just monetary gains. The purpose of education is to provide a foundation and environment that encourages lifelong learning for the student, educator, and those whose lives they touch. Having a sound educational technology philosophy and an understanding of its importance in learning can no longer be denied and should be embraced.