Educational Technology Organizations

The first organization I chose was Instructional Technology Council because they focus on being advance leaders in distance education.  ITC’s mission is to provide exceptional leadership and professional development to e-learning experts through advocating, collaborating, research, and sharing innovations in learning technologies.  ITC also stays present with federal legislation that relates to distance learning, organizes professional development meetings, supports research, and provides members a forum to share their expertise and instructional resources. 

I selected ITC because I am a supporter of online learning and would like to become an online instructor.  Therefore I feel as though ITC could provide some very good insight and changes to instructors of online learning.  Another aspect about ITC that attracted my attention was the live webinars which are provided for training, which cuts down on travel and cost.  I am a huge fan of online learner and a proven example it is more motivating then face to face classes, therefore I chose to teach and learn both online.

http://www.itcnetwork.org/index.php

            The second organization that appealed to me was Educause, because of their mission to advance higher education by promoting the use of information technology.  The mission of Educause also includes professional development, applied research, policy advocating, teaching and learning, online information, publications, special interest communities, leadership training, and innovation. 

            One of the reasons I was led to Educause is because I tend to focus more on higher education organizations since receiving a master’s degree in higher education learning.  I tend to focus more of my attention and need on ways to integrate technology into higher education.  I believe a positive way to gain information and learn new ways of teaching is to collaborate with other educators in similar disciplines.  With Educause membership there are benefits of being able to join communities that are available for new ideas and concepts in teaching students using technology. 

http://www.educause.edu/   

What is Educational Technology

Educational Technology means an array of things to me however the first thing I think of when I brainstorm about Educational Technology is as educators we must re-think the way we teach. As an educator I believe we need to be more creative, by allowing students to learn through using technology. So often teachers are afraid of a classroom in which students are up moving around and engaging in a fun creative way. I believe educational technology involves thinking out of the box, by allowing students to use their individual skills and learning styles to create a love for learning. By doing so students need empowering, motivating, and, self efficacy. Students are starving for new ways of learning, the old lectures and tests are not working for the students of the 21st century therefore as educators it is our job to help students reach a better understanding of their learning so they are better able to use that for future "real life" situations in their own workplace, homes, or educational institutions.

I believe if students are not empowered to learn and taught to love learning they are not going to be as equipped as those that are. Educational Technology involves a variety of teaching tools and not being afraid to take risks, evaluate their success, and change the teaching methods accordingly. Allowing students to use laptops, e-tablets, cell phones, and e-books are great ways to promote learning. Students should not be restricted to one method of learning such as lecture, memorization, and testing. It has been supported that students learn more effectively through gaming, simulation, and using gadgets they love, often they do not even realize they are learning. Therefore I believe as teachers, instructors, and trainers we should be constantly learning new material and teaching it to our students, so we all keep up with current technology.

Creating a Culture for Teaching and Learning - If its on the internet its true

In the article Creating a Culture for Teaching and Learning the one that stood out to the most is 1. If it's on the Internet, it is true.
So often people really believe this and it is hard to break the cycle in them to go right to the Internet for research.  Like the example given in the article about the 16 year old student who was led to a website while doing a term paper claiming the Holocaust never took place.  We as educators must understand these random websites are created but people just like you and me and their own opinions and ideas.  For information to be considered scholarly it should come from sites in which are peer reviewed and known to present educational facts and not ones own idea, that should be presented in a blog!

WHAT I HOPE TO GET OUT OF THIS COURSE
In this course I hope to bring away more information on the technology being used in classrooms that is working for students to become more engaged in learning. I am a firm believer of classrooms that are changing regularly according to the needs of the students.  It is important to gain more insight and experience with technology is why I am interested in these courses therefore I am looking to expand my knowledge of how to stay engaged and current on educational technology.

Stephen Downes' article

I agree with Downes’ article on several things he mentions about ways blogging can be used however I do not think enough people are on board using them yet.  Things that really stuck out to me in the article were when Downes’ talked about a blog as a way to publish to the entire world, often we do not think of blogs in that expansion although they are.  Blogging is also a way for people to exchange their views with others not associated in our “immediate environment”.  I like the way the article described blogging as “personal publishing”, because so often individuals want to write but they do not have an audience however with blogging the audience is broad and large. 

I do not think we have met our potential with blogging due to the idea most people have about it, although most of the time when we do internet searchers it will take us to blogs.  I believe in order to meet this potential it can start with teachers, trainers, and educators showing individuals how much of an impact blogging can have on their writing by reflecting on the comments made.  I think the only thing preventing us from reaching the potential of more blogging users is individuals perceiving it more as a journal rather than an interaction with others.  With time I do think blogging is going to become more and more popular and a tool used to expand knowledge.    

Educational Technology Teaching Philosophy

I have discovered over the last several years of teaching that for me teaching is an always changing and evolving with current technology and new discoveries.  My teaching grows with my expanding knowledge of my disciplines and growing awareness of the research related to educational technology.  I have grown to realize with several years teaching that experiences working with students has shaped my teaching styles I deliver today.  I believe teaching educational technology involves a variety of teaching styles, teachers and students must stay current on technology, for students to stay engaged regular feedback must take place and I believe it is important to connect students learning to something they already know through real life experiences.

I believe in teaching using a variety of learning styles such as active learning, cooperative learning, and individual learning.  Active learning can be used as a strategy in education for students to take personal responsibility for what they learn by assigning projects and presentations in which students are to collect information in order to gain understanding of the subject. I believe these assignments should involve but not be limited to creating a hypothesis and collecting information to better test it, projects be based upon real-life situations, and presentations involve demonstrating their knowledge to peers and teachers.

Cooperative learning is also a teaching style I support because it has been tested with positive results that students learn successfully in groups to achieve shared goals.  I encourage students to establish group goals, take on different roles within the group, and develop group autonomy. 

Individual learning is also important in teaching students because each student learns differently therefore a variety of technology concepts should be used to construct and express learning. 

With the rapid growth of technology in our educational settings the demand is constant therefore I believe students should be taught to explore new methods using updated resources.  In order to assure students are current with technology used in classrooms as a facilitator I continue to explore research, new devices, and ways to teach students how to integrate technology into their learning.    

I also believe as a teacher it is significant to stay engaged with students by listening to them when there is a need and give immediate feedback as often as possible.  Students learning is important to me therefore I want to facilitate them in the greatest way possible so when they leave my class they are prepared to take the information learned and apply it to the “real” world.