Technology & Education
The purpose of this website is to provide information and ideas around the effective integration of technology into instructional practice.
My Personal Philosophy for using Educational Technology
Technology has become an integral part of meeting my instructional goals. This stems from my belief that it is important for students to be given opportunities to get accustomed to current technology tools and to learn to be good digital citizens in the world. Technology in the classroom will not only prepare students for future careers, but has the short-term benefits of making it easier for teachers to differentiate the material for students and making the content much more engaging. To see these short and long-term benefits, I believe it is imperative for students and staff to have access to appropriate and up-to-date technology.
When providing technology to students it is important to keep in mind the following:
Equitable use: We need to ensure that all students have the same access to provided technology. For example we would not give some students a laptop to use for the year and not others.
Ethical use: It is important to teach students about the proper use of educational technology. This ranges from the proper use of the equipment to the importance of verifying information and not spreading false information on the internet. It is also extremely important that students learn copyright law, Fair Use Act and Creative Commons and how it applies to technology use. Students must also understand the items posted on the internet live on forever and cannot be simply “deleted.”
Social responsibility: It is imperative that students know that their technology use can have an impact on the world around them. Students need to be taught how to be good digital citizens in the world. The students need to be respectful to those they meet online and not engage cyberbullying. Students also need to learn proper "netiquette" (the rules of an online community) by ensuring they don’t share private information online.
Citations:
Miller, C. (2018). Digital leadership: Using the internet and social media to improve the lives, well-being and circumstances of others. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 110, 45–48. Retrieved from https://wgu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1176152&site=eds-live&scope=site
MacBury, K. (2017, December 19). How to teach kids social responsibility in a connected world. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/how-to-teach-kids-social-responsibility-in-a-connected-world
ISTE. (2018, October 11). Rethinking digital citizenship [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwKTYHBG5kk