Technology has made a huge impact on the way I
learn. When I first received my Master’s
Degree, I never thought I would be going back to college. The drive alone was horrible. I drove about an hour each day to the
University of West Florida. I left work
around 3 o’clock and did not return home until about 10 o’clock at night. After grading papers and homework I probably
had about three to four hours of sleep. Walden
changed my whole perspective on going back to school. A face-to-face class for me was
dreadful. I absolutely despised doing
group projects or presenting in front of a classroom full of insensible adults. I was nervous, my voice was trembling, and some
of the group members were very rude. Walden
has improved the way I think and communicate with others. The online collaboration alone has helped me
to be a better speaker and successfully prepare for assignments with all the
positive feedback I have received from colleagues. My anxiety level has decreased and I love
presenting group projects without the hassle of someone taking over the
assignments. I have total access to all the resources that
I need in the comfort of my home.
I believe that educators should have access to all
the educational technology they need to teach 21st century learners
how to successfully prepare for the future.
Teachers should be allowed to have the proper training and tools to
engage learners. Educational technology should be considered a requirement for
K-12 and higher education. Here is a
portion of Saettler’s (2004) excellent definition of educational technology by
the Association for Educational Communications and Technology:
Educational technology is a complex, integrated
process involving people, procedures,
ideas, devices, and organizations, for analyzing problems, and devising,
implementing, evaluating and managing solutions to those problems, involved in
all aspects of human learning. In
educational technology, the solutions to problems take the form of all the
Learning Resources that are designed and/or selected as Messages, People,
Materials, Devices, Techniques, and Settings.
Saettler, P. (2004). The evolution of American educational
technology. Informaton Age Publishing
Inc. Greenwich, Connecticut.
I responded to:
Petti Arthur http://www.pettiarthur.blogspot.com
Charee Hampton http://chareehampton.blogspot.com/
You obviously have had much different collaborative experiences when it came to working with others via the internet and working with others in person. Do you chalk that entirely up to the mode of which you are communicating or do you think it has something to do with the type of people you are communicating? Is it possible that those in person just had very different personalities than those on the internet?
ReplyDeleteMany school systems are hampered with a lack of funding which affects access to the latest, greatest technology. I would like to see all the training needed for teachers, but in so many school systems, it is limited by the amount of funding available. Perhaps government officials will recognize that it's not just computers, laptops, maybe some Smartboards, that will bring our students into the 21st C. We are at the tip of a very big iceberg (educational technology) that will need to be funded generously in order for us as a nation to compete globally.
ReplyDeleteBrigit,
ReplyDeleteI also think that all schools should have access to the educational technology that is available. However, with all the budget cuts it has become difficult. However, school systems need to find the money, the students are the ones hurt in the long run.
Mel