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Educational Technology Philosophy

Caitlin Troy

State University of New York College at Oneonta

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Educational Technology Philosophy

Technology is becoming a more prevalent and increasingly important aspect of

teaching in today’s education and classrooms. Technology can occur and be utilized in

education in a myriad of ways to both benefit classroom instruction and the learning

experiences of students. Technology should be utilized by educators in a way that it aids

in learning, rather than dominate the classroom. The beauty of technology is that there is

a multitude of ways to implement this practice into all K-12 classrooms. Technology is

constantly changing and improving, so there is a plethora of ways that teachers can

implement it into their classrooms to best promote student learning. Educational

technology is the ideology behind this idea. Educational technology is a teaching practice

that is intended to improve student learning in a revolutionizing way. This area of

education is intended to better and enhance students understanding by using a variety of

tools and applications. In today’s world, teachers have an extraordinary amount of

resources at their fingertips to implement and bring into their classroom. Educational

technology includes a vast array of applications, programs, and softwares on the Internet

that can be applied to lessons and activities. Technology integration is the use of

technology resources. A common way that technology is integrated into the classroom is

through computer, smartphones/tablets, SmartBoards, and other applications. This way of

implementing technology supports the students in understanding the content as well as

adding meaning to their learning. Technology is extremely valuable in engaging all

different types of student’s learning styles and preferences. The beneficial aspect of

technology is that there are a variety of ways that it can be implemented into the

classroom to promote student learning.

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Role of Technology

Build communication and collaboration skills

Technology is widely assessable and highly adaptive. It serves many purposes to

provide a better learning experience for teacher, students, and families alike. The flexible

aspect of technology is that it can serve many purposes. One extremely beneficial role of

educational technology is the opportunities it provides to promote collaboration and

communication between teachers, students, and families. This role can be described as,

“collaborative learning as a process in which students develop higher-order thinking

skills by creating an environment where knowledge is shared among learners in an effort

to achieve common learning goals.” (Pilgrim, Bledsoe, & Reily, 2012, p. 18).

Encouraging students to reach out to one another to share problems and share knowledge

not only builds collaboration skills but leads to deeper learning and understanding.

Communication and collaboration amongst all learners, including ESL/ELL/ENL, is such

a vital aspect of student learning in which technology can lend a direct hand.

Technology creates an environment where both teachers and students can interact.

Technology takes the form of electronics, applications, and softwares that can cultivate

an educational environment where communication can be improved between multiple

groups of students and empower students who might be too timid to participate in a

regular classroom setting. This type of online collaboration can result in ESL/ELL/ENL

students as more engaged because they feel more comfortable to participate and

contribute their thoughts in discussions and activities. Technology also creates greater

accessibility to teachers. The relationships between teachers and parents play a vital role
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the development of the students and technology creates a more streamline way of

communicating.

Alternative instructional approaches to aid learning

The focus on integrating technology use into the classroom brings into question

how effectively technology aids diverse learners. Technology is not only beneficial to

students understanding, but it is also extremely helpful in giving teachers relevant and

recent data and information on each individual student. “Technology enables a kind of

collection of data about students that can make possible formative and diagnostic

judgments to improve instruction” (Pascopella, 2005, p. 52). The use of this technology

gives teachers the information and tools to create the best educational environment for all

types of learners. Educational technology enhances the learning experience for students

and teachers when implemented effectively and efficiently. “Designing and implementing

effective education and training materials – especially when they incorporate and/or

integrate new technologies – is a difficult task, because course design and its

implementation are often likely to extend the competencies of any one individual”

(Sologuk, Stammen, & Vetter, 2001, p. 200). Technology should be designed into course

instruction in a way that it aids learning and is not the focal point of each lesson or

learning outcome. It’s critical for all educators to cautiously plan their lessons where

technology is a support in students achieving their learning outcome.

“Technology integration for education is often defined as simply as using

technology as a tool for teaching and learning” (Scalise, 2016, p. 55). The emphasis on

integrating technology into the classroom is that technology is a tool, and not the main

means of instruction. Poorly integrating technology into the classroom can have the result
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that the lesson encompasses too much technology as well as too little. Using technology

for the sake of implementing rather than strategically utilizing it to support learning

outcomes can be a serious problem in many classrooms. Scalise states, “for technology

integration planning in the classroom, the best practices include understanding how,

when, and why technology can be infused into education to improve learning outcomes”

(2016, p. 55). Educational technology is a resource that when implemented carefully and

efficiently into classroom instruction can help the teacher and learning of materials.

Role of Teacher as Change Agent

Technology is a vital resource both in and out of the educational setting that can

support teachers in engaging and effective lessons, differentiated lessons for all types of

learners, and it creates an environment of collaboration and communication between

teachers and students alike. It is extremely important that educators design curriculum

and instruction to the needs of all diverse learners. This include students of varying

learning styles and preferences, students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs), and

English Language Learners (ELLs). Technology is a beneficial tool that can bridge the

gap of understanding between diverse students and learning outcomes. Making

connections between understanding and concepts is a challenging task for students,

especially for those in this country who are not proficient in English. “Given these

challenges, it is essential to develop an instructional approach that can diminish ELLs’

cognitive load to help them not only understand both the content and language, but also

make connections between these two” (Ryoo, 2015, p. 30). There is an abundance of

accessible information that teachers can utilize to best support ELLs students/diverse

learners. The integration of technology can help to deter many of the challenges that
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students face. It’s important to develop instructional lessons that can support ELLs’

understanding of the language and of the content through the support of technology

resources and tools.

Studies and research have shown time and time again that integrating technology

into the learning environment has increased the quality and success of education.

“Learning environments enriched with technology have shifted from simple computer

labs to highly technological environments equipped with computers, projection machines,

internet connection, and communications technology and started by named as digital

classrooms with ICT opportunities” (Ozerbas, 2016, p. 203). The multitude of ways to

incorporate technology programs, softwares, and tools into daily course instruction is

endless. Students can collaborate with one another and make meaningful connections

between content with real world application. A classroom with technology needs to be

well-planned with a specific educational purpose to serve, rather than a lesson involving

random various technological devices. A lesson with technology can also support

student’s self-efficacy. “Self-efficacy means a person’s belief in his/her ability to succeed

in specific situations” (Ozerbas, p. 205). Improving this belief can have a positive effect

on student’s’ cognitive, motive, and emotional processes. Integrating technology into

lesson instruction can play a major role on students who are more visual and auditory

learners, increase students’ motivation, and result in overall higher success. Ozerbas

stated that “the research findings show that the academic success of the students in the

experimental group, who learn in a digital classroom, is higher than the success of the

students in the control group, who learn in the classroom without any digital

technologies” (Ozerbas, p. 209). Although there is a plethora of ways that technology can
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be implemented into classroom daily instruction, there are still many factors that can

negatively impact the learning environment. Technology is a great tool, but only if used

effectively. With technology rapidly spreading in classroom environments, there are

schools that don’t have the proper resources or teachers that are not properly trained to

best implement these tools. Teachers should be cautious and prepared to adapt to

situations that could change as a result of implementing technology. Research has shown

that when carefully executed, education with the application of technology can have a

meaningful and impactful outcome.

Educator feedback

The teacher giving feedback on ideas that these technologies were presented to is

currently teaching high school mathematics at various levels including, Algebra, Pre-

Calculus, and AP Statistics. He has been a teacher for seven years. He stated that he is

moderately comfortable and competent with technology usage. He uses SMART Board

functions, calculator usage, and Google Classroom quite frequently in his classroom.

After reading through the various and different ways that technology can be implemented

in the classroom, the teacher’s feelings were further confirmed on the importance and

benefits of integrating technology in the classroom to improve the quality of the learning

experiences between both teacher and students. He said that he agrees that technology is

an adaptable and efficient tool to create collaboration and engagement amongst all types

of diverse learners. He said that there is a common resistance and anxiety that comes

from students when dealing with mathematical concepts and problems. Technology is a

wonderful resource to combat those feelings of nervousness and stubbornness to math

that will still provide a meaningful educational opportunity that is more comfortable and
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engaging for students. The teacher also expressed that the reality of integrating

technology in to his classes, especially with three different classes that he is teaching, can

be extremely daunting and time consuming. With technology, there also is a higher risk

and potential that lessons or activities could go wrong as opposed to the traditional and

perhaps more reliable way of teaching. He did express that sometimes the rewards

outweigh the risk when it comes to integrating technology into his classroom. Overall,

the teacher agrees and sees the benefits in using technology in the classroom and will

continue to strive to thinking of new and better ways to integrate it into his own

classroom.

Summation

Technology is revolutionary resource that is extremely prevalent in many

different aspects of everyday life. It has become more and more predominant in

classrooms because of the plethora of ways that it can be used to both benefit classroom

instruction and the learning experiences of students. Scalise, regarding technology

integration into the classroom, states “this is recommended to contribute both to

academic success and social/emotional learning, as well as 21st century skills important to

students for college and career readiness (Scalise, p. 62). Educational technology is a

highly engaging and adaptable tool that can provides benefits such as organizational,

efficiency, collaboration, and communication experiences that help teachers and students

alike.
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References

Ozerbas, M. A., & Erdogan, B. H. (2016). The effect of the digital classroom on

academic success and online technologies self-efficacy. Educational Technology

& Society, (4), 203.

Pascopella, A. (2005). CATALYST FOR CHANGE. (Cover story). District

Administration, 41(10), 50-60.

Pilgrim, J. j., Bledscoe, C. C., & Reily, S. s. (2012). New Technologies in the Classroom.

Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 74(4), 16-22.

Ryoo, K. k. (2015). Teaching Science Through the Language of Students in Technology-

Enhanced Instruction. Journal Of Science Education & Technology, 24(1). 29-42.

Doi: 1-/1—7/s10956-014-9518-4

Scalise, K. (2016). Student Collaboration and School Educational Technology:

Technology Integration Practices in the Classroom. Journal On School

Educational Technology, 11(4), 53-63.

Sologuk, S., Stammen, R., & Vetter, R. (2001). A collaborative approach for creating

curriculum and instructional materials. Journal Of Technology & Teacher

Education, 9(2), 199-210.

Doi: 10.14204/ejrep.38.15041