Philosophy Paper
By Jaclyn Avdoyan
My Understanding About How Students and Colleagues Learn
Aside from the various type of learners there are it is important to remember that colleagues might have a resistance when it comes to learning about technology. Understanding this is key to coaching and teaching colleagues. Some teachers may need more time to develop and may need more one on one help. With this knowledge about my colleagues I will be able to empathize with them and be patient with their learning abilities. This will also encourage me to incorporate more motivational aspects to me lessons and seminars.
Actions I Deem to Best Facilitate Instruction
I believe your understanding about how students and colleagues learn directly affects yours instruction. One of the first actions that I believe need to be taken with instruction is making sure to reach the 3 different types of learners; visual learners, auditory learners and kinesthetic learners. Visual learners are the ones that need the power point, the video or the hand out. Auditory learners are the ones that need to hear the information out loud to absorb the concept. The kinesthetic learners are the ones who need to get up and move or use manipulatives. When you acknowledge all three learners in your instruction you are setting your learners up for success.
Another action I deem to best facilitate instruction is exploration and collaboration. This action comes from the idea of constructivism which is the idea that people construct their own understanding and knowledge, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. Placing opportunities for your audience/learners to explore a concept allows them to discover and learn through their experiences. Instead of lecturing concepts and telling information to the learners teachers should be giving students the chance to work through concepts on their own and then collaborate with their peers and reflect.
How Instructional Technology Can Best Assist in Meeting Learning Outcomes
Technology is everywhere, entwined in almost every part of our lives. It affects how we shop, socialize, connect, play, and most importantly learn. Many people depend on technology to get through the day. Acknowledging the presence of technology and the positives of it will allow a teacher to incorporate it within lessons effectively to help meet learning outcomes. Adding technology to instruction acts as a motivator for students. Technology takes an everyday generic lesson and adds a bit of excitement. Technology is the area where this generation of students thrives. Power Points in today’s classroom just aren't enough. When a teacher effectively incorporates technology they are grabbing a student’s interest and showing them that learning can be fun. There is a gap between students and them wanting to learn. Technology is a great tool that can be used to bridge the gap and get students motivated and interested in classroom topics.
Learning Goals for Myself and Areas I Would Like to Improve
Being a younger teacher I feel as though I have a great open mind to the use of technology. But my knowledge of what technology is available to me as a teacher is lacking. My first goal is to join various technology integration organizations such The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) and the eMINTS Professional Development Program. Organizations like this will allow me to learn more about effective technology and effectively integrating the technology into the everyday classroom. Another goal for myself would be to learn how to effectively incorporate social media tools such as twitter, pinterest and vine into the classroom. Social media is a major part of our world today and I feel if that I can find a way to use it effectively in my classroom my students will be even more engaged in my lessons. My last learning goal is to constantly stay developing. Technology is growing and advancing more and more by the second. It is important for me to stay up to date on the new technologies emerging that can be potentially used in the classroom. Attending various conferences such as the New York State Association for Computers and Technology in Education: NYSCATE Conference and the Technologies in Education Conference will help me stay up to date on the new technologies.
Learning Goals for My Colleagues
As a technology coach in a building it is important to have goals for yourself and also for your colleagues. My first goal my colleagues will be to have an active involvement in the technology of the building. This can be done by setting up a technology team with a teacher from every grade level to act as an advocate for the grade level. This will allow my colleagues to set up a free flowing discussion of what is working, what isn’t and what areas I need to address with my staff. Another goal for my colleagues will be to attend a conference to learn more about effectively incorporating technology. My last goal will to be for my colleagues would be to actively try to incorporate technology when possible. Along with that I want teachers who are struggling with this goal to reach out to me as their coach to show them ways to achieve this goal. I believe with all of these goals my school will have a high usage right of technology within the building.
Evidence of Uses of Technology
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