Philosophy of Instructional Technology
At this point in my career, discussions still arise concerning “digital natives”. It is time to grasp the reality that this term will soon cease to exist, as it will soon be completely irrelevant. Soon, there won’t be anything but a “digital native”. While some are hesitant, this reality needs to be embraced now. Students learn differently because they can learn differently. Students communicate differently because they can communicate differently. Students express themselves differently because they can express themselves differently. Most importantly, teachers need to teach differently because they can teach differently.
The same technology that may have only be thought of as an item from outer space ten years ago is now so heavily integrated in the educational environment, students could not imagine life without them. Without the technology that exists today, the Common Core Standards would be nearly impossible. Technology bridges the gaps that used to be impossible to overcome just a few years ago. For example, though technology, more students are able to have the same background knowledge, regardless of their geographic location. The size of your school no longer is an obstacle for the amount of resources that your students can access. With new technologies emerging daily, it would be wrong to focus on specific technologies to improve student and teacher growth. Instead, I feel that it is most important to encourage teachers to move from the role of lecturer into the role of facilitator and guide. Students now have the tools to guide their own learning, and teachers have the tools to individualize instruction for each of their students, instead of targeting the middle learners. Instead of leaning so heavily on the textbook, teachers can be judicious of the millions of resources that are available online and find what is best for their students’ needs.
The same technology that may have only be thought of as an item from outer space ten years ago is now so heavily integrated in the educational environment, students could not imagine life without them. Without the technology that exists today, the Common Core Standards would be nearly impossible. Technology bridges the gaps that used to be impossible to overcome just a few years ago. For example, though technology, more students are able to have the same background knowledge, regardless of their geographic location. The size of your school no longer is an obstacle for the amount of resources that your students can access. With new technologies emerging daily, it would be wrong to focus on specific technologies to improve student and teacher growth. Instead, I feel that it is most important to encourage teachers to move from the role of lecturer into the role of facilitator and guide. Students now have the tools to guide their own learning, and teachers have the tools to individualize instruction for each of their students, instead of targeting the middle learners. Instead of leaning so heavily on the textbook, teachers can be judicious of the millions of resources that are available online and find what is best for their students’ needs.