Concepts of Educational Technology

LEARNING NETWORKS-The only PLN that I have joined is Twitter. In my district, we have a very large twitter presence and use hashtags often to get information to our staff and students. As much as I think that PLN’s are a great way to stay in touch with the happenings in the district and in education, I believe that this forum sometimes is too broad and one person’s tweet can take on a life of it’s own, especially when taken in the wrong context. Simply look at our new Secretary of Education’s tweet on Friday, asking “now where do I find the pencils”. This one comment infuriated many in the education community and spawned a backlash against her on a global level. I would venture to guess that this was not her intent when she made the comment, but it just goes to show that people are listening, even when you think they aren’t.

I do not contribute much in the way of tweeting/blogging or committing my opinions to print. To be perfectly honest, I don’t have the time, nor do I have the inclination to get into debates with people about my personal opinion. If there is something that I am truly passionate about, then I will certainly lend my voice, but otherwise I’m a listener and I absorb what I am hearing, later forming my own opinion that I may or may not share. I still believe in old school networking, shaking hands, repeating someone’s name so I remember it and engaging them in meaningful, face to face conversation. If we need to join each other’s networks after that initial encounter, then I’m game or if that is the way to engage with someone initially great, but just because technology is the future, doesn’t mean we have to give up all of the ways that have worked previously. I think we have to find a way to integrate old school and new school methods together. Collaboration and engagement come naturally when you really feel comfortable working with someone and the only way to truly feel comfortable is to get to know them. Knowing someone digitally vs. knowing someone personally are two very different things. Let’s find the balance.

https://twitter.com/?lang=en

How do I see the growth mindset?

When I was first learning about the growth mindset, I thought I really knew the difference between the growth mindset and the fixed mind set and what I've learned is that, though I know the difference, knowing and teaching it to others is a concept I'm still working on. In my plan to bring this idea to my work community I may have missed how to implement this concept into my organization and classroom and am still working to develop my thought process. Here is what I have so far https://www.emaze.com/@ATLICQFC/the-growth-mindset?autoplay.

How can I use failing forward strategies?

When I think of failing forward, I think of Carol Dweck's concept of "not yet". The way we can truly change the fixed mindset to the growth mindset is to stop praising intelligence and start praising the process of achieving something. We will never truly achieve until we realize we have to continue trying when we don't succeed instead of thinking this is the best it will get. In my learning manifesto I talked about what i'm passionate about and what I'm passionate about is children achieving. If helping them change their mindset will accomplish this, then I'm first on the list to incorporate this concept into my classroom. View my video here https://youtu.be/-9WvRP-SpP8 .

How will the COVA Model impact my learning as I continue in the Educational Technology program?

The COVA model is something that I believe I was already utilizing without realizing it. I use a lot of PBL in my classroom, but I need to use COVA to improve the concepts that I'm already using. The COVA model will certainly help me in my continuation in the EdTech program as I start to change my own fixed mindset to a growth mindset and realize that I need to make my own choices without relying on an example, take ownership of what I put out in the learning community, make sure my voice is being heard and authentic. These are also concepts that I plan to integrate with my own students and even colleagues because we can't be afraid to fail, we should only be afraid that we aren't reaching our full potential.