“THE PRINCIPAL GOAL OF EDUCATION IS TO CREATE MEN AND WOMAN WHO ARE CAPABLE OF DOING NEW THINGS, NOT SIMPLY REPEATING WHAT OTHER GENERATIONS HAVE DONE.”   JEAN PIAGET 

My Educational Technology Philosophy was initially developed during ETEC524, and is still a work in progress since my opinions change as I learn new information each day.  Represented below as artifacts are two drafts that I painstakingly developed during that course and a final draft that I completed work on during the ETEC596 course. This could also change as my knowledge increases throughout my educational journey and personal experiences.  

My first draft was primarily based on my internal thoughts and feelings, without really taking into consideration how any of the educational technology models should influence my philosophy.  Because of a background in technical writing I tend to keep my writing short and to the point, which can be an issue when a professor wants a specific length to a paper.

My second draft contained more extensive information and added my thoughts on the involvement of parents and guardians in my students' education.  This involvement will be challenging due to the abundant language barriers at our campus.  Additionally, I added a goal of getting my administration and co-workers more involved with technology.

The final version of my Educational Technology Philosophy Statement appears in the third window located below the two drafts.  My personal feelings, opinions, and experiences have a major influence on what I included in my philosophy statement.  

The next artifact is a representation of one of the Tech Play assignments I completed in ETEC524. Through this assignment I learned how a digital portfolio can demonstrate my skills and knowledge to all that view the E-portfolio. I included this artifact in the Philosophy section because "playing with" and using different forms of technology is the driving factor behind my Elducational Technology Philosophy Statement and my personal views on technology. 

Reflection

Although I developed my Educational Technology Philosophy Statement during my first semester of this MEd quest, I still feel that it represents my current views.  I have taught at the same campus for 16 years, and I developed this philosophy with my economically disadvantaged students and their families in mind. If our campus had not become a 1 to 1 (device to student) campus the majority of our students would not have technology access outside of our school. As circumstances change in the future I could tweak my statement to fit that point in time, but at this time I feel that it is a true representation of how I view technology. My opinions are developed through experience, and are not typically influenced by theorists or other peoples opinions.   And, I believe the E-portfolio research I conducted represents what I hope to achieve in my E-portfolio.