My educational technology philosophy is shaped by experiences of teaching and learning, the drive to provide transformational learning opportunities that empower students and a belief that technology’s role in the classroom is to facilitate and promote higher levels of student learning. I will use modern learning and teaching principles, a flexible and evolving instructional approach, innovative assessments and continually explore new practices to improve and evolve my teaching.

Learning: I believe that learning is an active process of discovery and growth that involves more than learning facts but instead is rooted in creating meaning. Learning happens when students are active participants that make choices, grapple with content, and collaborate with others to gain a deeper and personal understanding of the material. Technology allows students to create their own meaning by providing affordances like collaboration, feedback, discussion and choice. For example, technology allows me to create research projects that allow students to use multiple skill sets like collaboration, research, writing, critical thinking and problem solving. When used appropriately and effectively, technology can help students reach higher levels of learning by allowing them to combine skill sets in new, meaningful and creative ways.

Teaching: My role is to facilitate learning by creating engaging, student-centered lessons that incorporate technology to practice foundational skills, allow new ways for students to apply their understanding and construct meaning in ways that were not possible without technological affordances. I enjoy using technology to foster learning because not only does it allow students new opportunities to apply and expand their knowledge, it is engaging and offers convenience and support for both teachers and students. For example, I use the program Revision Assistant. It provides instant, structured, and individual feedback and is programmed to encourage multiple drafts of student writing. While the whole class works on the program, I can have individual student writing conferences. While programs like Revision Assistant do not replace quality writing instruction and represent lower levels of technology integration, they still provide benefits and supports instruction. The technology is appropriate to the task of providing students immediate and specific feedback that results in revision and it allows the teacher more time to focus on individual student needs.

Methods and Strategies: My instructional approach is based heavily on the constructivist learning theory. As a result, I use background knowledge to anchor new material and am conscious of the need for students to create their own understanding of the material in order to internalize and apply what they have learned. I rely heavily on collaboration strategies like think pair shares, peer editing, and group projects to facilitate critical thinking, build relationships, and create opportunities for students to demonstrate leadership and responsibility. I also employ direct teaching strategies to create a strong foundation for future learning. Using the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge framework supports all of these endeavors by integrating the best pedagogical practices with appropriate technology to effectively teach content knowledge. Integrating technology with pedagogical and content knowledge creates new ways to share, discuss, and work with the content. Without document sharing programs, access to a worldwide audience, and a wealth of information, made accessible by technology, students would not be able to participate in rich, authentic discussions, collaborate with experts outside their school community or link their learning to the outside world.

Assessment: There are multiple ways to assess student learning. Technology allows students to use eportfolios, multimedia presentations, and other technologies instead of the traditional assessments of the past to show their competencies. The affordances of technology for assessment include reflection, revision, authenticity, and relevance.

Professional Growth: Being a teacher allows me daily opportunities to learn and grow through collaboration with other teachers, administrators, specialists and students. Through collaborations within my school community, I have come to understand that there is not only one right way to teach and there is not only one way to show understanding. Technology allows us to create new ways to teach, learn and assess. To provide students with an education that will support their endeavors today and in the future, I will continue to keep abreast of new educational technology through professional development sessions, independent research, and collaborations within my school community.