Updated Philosophy of
Education
As I went back
and read my philosophy of education that I wrote at the beginning of this
semester I realized that my philosophy of education really has not changed. I
still believe that every student is capable of learning if they are given the
right materials and a chance. I also still believe that it is critical to let
students take a little bit of responsibility for their learning. When I talk
about providing the right materials for students to learn I am referring to the
various learning styles students may have and the multiple ways they have to
present knowledge. My ETC 447 class did a great job of deepening my knowledge
of ways to meet individual students learning needs and being able to provide
these materials by introducing me to a wide variety of classroom technology
tools. So, even though y philosophy of education did not change throughout this
semester I would say that my ETC 447 class strengthened my philosophy of
education by giving me knowledge that will help me to implement my teaching
philosophy into my future classrooms.
Technology in the Classroom
Looking back on
all of the knowledge about technology that I gained this semester I can
honestly say that I will definitely use technology within my future classroom.
I feel like by incorporating technology into my classroom I will be able to
create the environment that I wish to create and follow my philosophy of
education by being able to meet the individual needs of each of my students.
Technology will be used in my classroom to provide multiple means of
communication with parents, allow for multiple means of presentation of
knowledge from students, to practice and apply new skills and concepts, and to
track student behaviors and performance. This semester has given me the
necessary knowledge that I will need to be able to successfully incorporate
technology into my classroom.
Standards
Ø
Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning
and Creativity
1.
Promote, support, and
model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
·
I
would use technology to promote, support, and model creative and innovative
thinking and inventiveness by all assigning a research project where the
students have to present their research in some way to their classmates using
technology. The student’s would be able to present their information in any way
as long as technology was incorporated. Examples of ways that the students
could present their information include: PowerPoint, a word document, an online
pic collage, or any aps the student may know about. I would approach this
standard in this way because I feel like y assigning research topics the
students are learning the content, but then they are given the opportunity to
be creative and create a product of their choosing to present their research to
their peers.
2.
Engage students in
exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools
and resources.
·
I
would teach this standard by having the kids play a game called, Mad Money, on
the PBS kids website during math. This game will not only teach the students
the math objective, but it will give them the opportunity to use technology to
explore a real-world issue, budgeting. The game requires the students to pick
an object that they want to purchase they then have to budget there money
throughout 30 days to make sure they can afford the object at the end of the
game. I would teach this standard in this way because it teaches the students
real-life skills in a way that is engaging and fun for the students.
3.
Promote student
reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual
understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
·
I
will teach this standard by having students submit their essays to on online
discussion board. The students would then be required to reflect and comment on
at least 2 of their classmate’s essays as well as their own essay. This is a
great approach to the standard because it would make it possible for students
to gain peer input on their work, while also being able to reflect on their own
work in a meaningful way.
4.
Model collaborative
knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and
others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
·
I
will have a classroom discussion board where students will be able to
collaborate with their classmates by asking questions and having discussions
about class content. This will be very effective because it will give students
another source to get questions that they may have answered and it will also
teach the students how to communicate appropriately online.
Ø
Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning
Experiences
1.
Design or adapt
relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to
promote student learning and creativity.
·
I
would teach this standard by having students use the Story Bird application to
create a story about what they want to be when they grow up. The students would
have specific requirement s that they would have to meet, but other than that
they would be free to be as creative with their story as they want to be. This
lesson would be great to teach this standard because it could be designed to
meet ELA standards and it will also allow for the students to be creative when
writing about what they want to be when they grow up, which is very relevant to
their life outside of school.
2.
Develop
technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue
their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their
own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own
progress.
·
I
would incorporate/teach this standard in my classroom by having students use
the Class123 app. This app makes it possible for students to keep track of
their grades as well as their behavior. Students are also able to set and track
personal goals for both grades and behavior through the use of this app. I
would use this app to teach this standard because I feel like it puts some of
the responsibility on the student to manage his or her own learning and
progress, which is a good skill to have.
3.
Customize and
personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles,
working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
·
I
would use multiple means of presentation using technology to teach this
standard in my classroom. When assigning an assignment where the students will
have to make a presentation that incorporates technology I will allow the
students to be creative by picking which technology tool they will incorporate
into their presentation. The reason I would allow students to present using the
technology of their choice is because it allows for personalization and it also
helps meet the individual needs of students.
4.
Provide students with
multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content
and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and
teaching.
·
I
used the Kahoot.it website to assess my students at the end of my math lesson
on calculating area and perimeter. In this example I used the assessment as a
formative assessment, but it could be used as either formative or summative
depending on how the results are recorded and used. Kahoot.it is a great
resource because it can incorporate a variety of different question formats.
The reason I feel like this is a great approach to this standard is because it
makes it possible to make assessments in many different formats and it also
gives the teacher free range to use the data to inform teaching and learning
how they wish for the given assessment.
Ø
Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
1.
Demonstrate fluency in
technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies
and situations.
·
I
will incorporate this standard into my classroom by making sure to fully teach
the students how to use all technology. I will also do this by encouraging
students to share with me new technology that they may want to use in the
classroom. I will do this by having a suggestion box somewhere in the classroom
where the students can share ideas about technology that they think may be
useful in the classroom. If possible I will then incorporate the technology
suggested by the students into my lessons to make the content more relatable to
them. I feel like this really teaches this standard because it integrates new
technology into the classroom and it makes it so that the teacher and students
have to use current knowledge to learn how to use the new technologies.
2.
Collaborate with
students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and
resources to support student success and innovation.
·
I
would collaborate with students, peers, and the community by creating a class
website or blog. On this website parents, students, and anyone else with interest
in my classroom would be able to find all important information like upcoming
events and classroom volunteer opportunities. People would also be able to find
my contact information on this website. I feel like this would be a great way
to incorporate this standard because it would make it easy to communicate with
anyone who has interest in helping my students succeed.
3.
Communicate relevant
information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a
variety of digital-age media and formats.
·
I
will collaborate with students and parents by using the app called Class123 in
my classroom. This app also allows for classmates to communicate with each
other using the discussion board. I feel like this is a great way to
incorporate this standard into my classroom because it is a easy and effective
way for students, peers, and parents to communicate.
4.
Model and facilitate
effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze,
evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.
·
I
would do this by teaching a very engaging lesson on citing information found on
the Internet. This lesson would begin with the class deciding on a topic to
research. We would then work together as a class to analyze and evaluate
websites until we find reliable information. I would then model to the students
how to properly cite that information when using it. Students would then be
expected to cite any information they use from the Internet in future
assignments. I would teach this standard this way because I feel like it would
be an engaging lesson for the students and it would make them realize why it is
so important to make sure information is reliable and cited.
Ø
Standard 4: Promote and model Digital Citizenship and
Responsibility
1.
Advocate, model, and
teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology,
including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate
documentation of sources.
·
I
will do this by including references in all of my lessons and presentations.
When presenting content that I got from other sources I will make sure to
stress the importance of citing where I got my information from. Modeling this
standard in this way will make the students realize the importance behind
citing ALL information you use.
2.
Address the diverse
needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable
access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
·
I
will do this by ensuring that every student has access to a computer of some
sort when they are expected to complete an assignment or access something
online. If I know that someone will not have access to the piece of technology
I will change the lesson to be accessible to everyone. I will also make sure to
ask my class at the beginning of the school year whether or not they have
access to a computer at home. If they don’t I will provide them with the needed
technology to take home when homework is assigned that requires technology. I
will do these things to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities to be
successful in my classroom.
3.
Promote and model
digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of
technology and information.
·
I
will incorporate this standard into my classroom by teaching the rules that come
with netiquette. I will make sure to model these rules and show example videos
when appropriate. When using our Class123 app I will make the rules and
guidelines for posting school appropriate comments very clear. I would teach
this standard in this way because I feel like by making stating the netiquette rules
and modeling responsible social interactions up front students will be more
likely to follow them.
4.
Develop and model
cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and
students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration
tools.
·
I
will make sure to really get to know my students from the beginning of the year
using on online Google form with questions pertaining to each student’s
interests and culture. Knowing this information will make it possible for me to
create lessons and use technology in my classroom that is appropriate for each
student and their culture.