Educational Technology Philosophy

This first draft of my ed tech philosophy was from 2019 when I first began the ETLD program at Texas A&M- Commerce. At the time I wrote this, I had been a Montessori Early Childhood teacher for 16 years in a small private school that did not incorporate technology into the program in keeping with Montessori philosophy. I was just beginning to learn ways of meaningfully integrating technology in early childhood programs, but I did not have admin support in doing so. I am a huge proponent of Montessori education, however the lack of technology available to the students was a concern when we had a goal of preparing students for the future. Montessori philosophy was developed over 100 years ago, and the world has changed so much throughout this time and continues to do so. I believe that Maria Montessori would support integrating tech into Montessori classrooms if she were alive today. She had a goal to develop the whole-child and I feel that she would want students to develop the skills necessary to be successful today and in the future.

I feel that my revised Ed Tech Philosophy demonstrates a great deal of growth in personal journey with educational technology. As I have gained experience with educational technology research and best practices, my views shifted significantly. This philosophy statement still reflects my core beliefs of how young children learn, however it better aligns with ensuring that my students are learning the necessary 21st century skills to be best prepared for the future in a rapidly changing world.