Sarah Cozart

ETEC 524
Sept. 15th, 2014
Philosophy of Educational Technology
My philosophy of educational technology is drien !y a "uote fro# $hil Collins that %in
learning you &ill teach, and in teaching you &ill learn.% This "uote su##arizes #y thought that
the process of learning is a continuous cycle of researching, e'peri#enting, and co##unicating.
The student is going into #ore depth of understanding during each stage of this cycle, &hich
creates learning of the su!(ect. )t the end of the cycle, the student &ill teach or co##unicate to
others a!out their learning if they truly understand the concept. *ust the process of doing this &ill
create #ore learning for the student !ecause in the process of e'plaining so#ething to so#eone
else, you get a deeper understanding of the concept.
+ hae gro&n up &ith educators all around #e in #y life. My #other, three grandparents,
t&o aunts, and countless cousins are teachers. )s #y fa#ily gro&s, so do the teachers in #y
fa#ily. ,hen + &as gro&ing up playing in #y #other-s classroo#, + &ould pretend that + &as the
teacher teaching the students in the class. + &ould use &hat + &as learning in #y o&n classroo#
and teach the pretend students. + re#e#!er really haing so#e eye.a&a/ing #o#ents &hile
doing this. + &ould start to understand so#ething #ore than + did in class !ecause + &as trying to
e'plain it to %others%. + ta/e this sa#e approach in #y o&n classroo# !y re"uiring students to
co##unicate &ith each other !y e'plaining their thin/ing.
Theory of Learning
+ !eliee in the constructiis# theory of learning. +t states that learners learn !y doing.
The instructor focuses on the learner in thin/ing a!out their learning, not (ust the topic of &hat
they are learning. The part of the Constructiis# theory that #any people argue against states
that learning is a!out the /no&ledge &e construct for ourseles as &e learn #ore than the content
that &e learn a!out. + !eliee this is true !ecause + hae seen it in #y o&n #ath class and #ath
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ETEC 524
Sept. 15th, 2014
curriculu#. Math curriculu# in the state of Te'as is headed this &ay as &ell. Students are
e'pected to understand &hy the ans&er is &hat it is, ho& they got it, and the conceptual thin/ing
!ehind it. This is a #uch !roader understanding than (ust a correct ans&er. This can !e any part
of #y cycle that + #entioned a!oe. 0esearching, e'peri#enting, and co##unicating are all part
of the student ta/ing a hands on approach to their learning. Technology plays a direct roll &ith
the constructiis# theory and can !e used on each stage of this cycle to assist in the hands on
approach. 1uring the research stage, the learner can use technology to research the process of a
pro!le# in #ath, the !ac/ground of an author in reading, or an e'peri#ental hypothesis in
science. The student can then e'peri#ent &ith technology to actually try out their learning. They
could create a ideo, or lesson to de#onstrate to others the process of thin/ing !ehind the topic.
2inally, the student could co##unicate or teach the topic to other students through the use of
technology !y using a !log or e$ortfolio so that they could hae continual conersations and
push the learning to continually go through the cycle.
Instructional Issues Lessoned By Technology
+ started to see the !enefit of using technology along &ith this idea of co##unicating
during #y first year of teaching. + started off in a lo& socioecono#ic school &here students
generally struggled &ith their learning. + noticed that there is a gap in the conceptual learning of
student-s understandings in a topic no #atter &hat the su!(ect. Students can learn facts, or tric/s
as &e call the# in #ath, !ut students do not understand the conceptual !ac/ground. Therefore,
students hae a hard ti#e applying the concepts to other real &orld application pro!le#s. They
can not co##unicate their ideas ery &ell and therefore learning is stalled.
+ !eliee !y using the T$)C3 Model to connect technology &ith the pedagogy &e are
&anting to achiee along &ith the content /no&ledge &e are focused on, it ta/es learning to a
Sarah Cozart 4
ETEC 524
Sept. 15th, 2014
deeper understanding. 2or e'a#ple, on a particular lesson that + /ne& students typically
struggled &ith, + decided to use a S#art5oard that &e had for our classroo#s. + created a lesson
that re"uired students to co#e up and interact &ith the S#art5oard during the lesson. Students
e'peri#ented &ith different ans&ers, and then co##unicated &ith one another their thin/ing of
this process. The students really started to understand the process &hen they co##unicated &ith
each other and had to &or/ together to #a/e decisions a!out the pro!le#. They started sharing
ideas and too/ the lesson to a #uch higher leel than &hat + could hae done on #y o&n.
+ !eliee !y students co##unicating &ith each other through the use of technology as a
tool, they !egan to understand the conceptual !ac/ground of the topics and could learn to apply
it in ne& &ays. Technology &as the !asis of students !eing a!le to understand the conceptual
concepts !ecause they researched and created e'a#ples for the#seles.
Approach to Technology in the Classroom
Technology can !e used on #any leels to help &ith closing the gap of conceptual
understanding for students. + !eliee that students learn !est &hen they are colla!oratie &ith
each other on a continual !asis and therefore /no&ledge is shared and e'panded. This can !e
acco#plished &hen the student ta/es a hands on approach to their learning &ith technology at
the center. + !eliee that technology should !e used &ith a #i' !et&een the age of #essage
design and si#ulation. The #essage design can !e used on all aspects, across all su!(ect areas. +t
is a &ay to use technology as a !asic research tool &hich is the first leel of learning in #y cycle.
The age of si#ulation is ery i#portant !ecause it is ta/ing the tools that the student learned
during the research stage and applies the# to the real &orld through the use of technology. +
/no& that #any feel that the age of learning eniron#ents &ould !e the !est age to focus on in
the classroo#, !ut the reality is that the ti#e it ta/es in order for students to !e a!le to go in this
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ETEC 524
Sept. 15th, 2014
#uch depth li#its the continual use of learning eniron#ents &ith technology. This age can !e
used sporadically to help enhance the learning, !ut + do not feel it should !e the only focus. +
!eliee !y using the co#!ination of #essage design, si#ulation, and s#all part of learning
eniron#ents, the students can strengthen their 21st century s/ills and create a deeper conceptual
understanding of any su!(ect.
+ /no& #any educators feel that technology is ti#e consu#ing and learners &ill not get
real &orld e'perience fro# the use of technology !ecause of the length of ti#e it ta/es to get to
that leel. 6o&eer, + !eliee that &hen you use the T$)C3 !y using technology, colla!oration
pedagogy, and difficult content /no&ledge as a tea# together it does not !eco#e ti#e consu#ing
!ecause it is integrated into the curriculu# itself and not as a separate piece. 5y using each
suggested approach listed a!oe, teachers can create lessons that allo& the students to
co##unicate a conceptual understanding of the content at the highest cognitie leel.
Conclusion
%+n learning you &ill teach, and in teaching you &ill learn% is a perfect "uote to
su##arize that technology co#!ined &ith co##unication and colla!oration &ill !ring together
the deep understanding that is re"uired to understand a concept conceptually. Students are
continuing to struggle &ith concept !ased learning, and if &e do not push the co#!ination use of
technology &ith our pedagogy of colla!oration &e &ill not achiee the conceptual curriculu#
that is !eing pushed in today-s changing standards.