Lesson 1: Review of Educational Technology 1

Content - We sometimes think that educational technology is limited to tools and equipment. In educational technology 1, we were made to understand that educational technology is more than that. It is more than a material for it includes processes, procedures and activities, instructional and curricular designs, learning environment and systems. Technology nowadays are a great advantage to people since you could do a lot  which you could not do then with less effort and time especially in communication. However, when not used properly, technology becomes detriment to learning and development. It can destroy relationships. Technology contributes much to the improvement of the teaching-learning process. The integration of technology in the instructional process must be geared with interactive and meaningful learning and efficient and effective teaching.  The systems approach views he entire educational program as interrelated parts wherein one cannot function well without the other. The most important thing to consider is the formulating the objectives that should follow SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Result-oriented and Time bound). The focus of this approach is the learner which specifies that teachers should use the technology as an aid in teaching and it encourages for a student-centered approach.

          The cone of experience ensures that instructional materials serve as their purpose in instruction. The bands are arranged according to their abstraction and not degree of difficulty. This just shows that teachers should be able to select materials which give a true picture of the ideas they present, contribute to the attainment of the learning objectives, be appropriate to the age intelligence and experience of the learners and help develop critical and creative thinking powers of students. Educational technology 1 enables students to manipulate information in a manner that accelerates both understanding and the progression of higher-order thinking skills. As a result, students gather more real-world data, share their findings with learners in and beyond their school. Because of educational technology 1, the role of their students broadens from being mere learners and knowledge seekers to being creators of their own work.

Experience - With educational technology 1, I was able to create my own cartoon strips by using the toondoo.com. I also made a rubric in the field of science with the help of the site www.rubistar4teachers.org wherein competencies and objectives are already given; you just need to choose the appropriate one that could cater the three domains so as the multiple intelligences of the students. I was able to edit and replace my face into my favourite character in their movie poster with the use of adobe Photoshop which was both fun and challenging since it needs mastery in using the tools found in the software. We were able to shoot a short film, edit it and produced it which I find fun and useful. We also had a virtual classroom wherein whenever our professor can’t make it to the class, he would just post our assignments and other requirements in www.edmodo.com.

Reflection – The activities we have done in educational technology 1 are both fun and challenging. It enhanced and develop our critical, analytical and creativity skills. It also taught me to be more cooperative and help me get closer and understand my classmates even more. We did not just make our requirements, our projects but we made a family out of it. Indeed, our multiple intelligences were catered and new skills and talents were discovered and developed. This just shows that technology in education is in good use if one won’t abuse it and it is also a great help to the total development of a person because a lot of things would be learned.

Application – As a future teacher, educational technology serves as learning tools that learners learn with. It engages learners in active and cooperative learning. It provides opportunities for technology and learner interaction. By the use of my knowledge and skills developed and enhanced in educational technology 1, I could be able to do different teaching strategies which are appropriate to achieve my learning objectives and that the learners won’t find it boring and traditional. Since we are the teachers in the 21^st century, we must be able to reach or even exceed our students’ capabilities in handling technologies. A systematized instruction should always be followed. If we can organize our activities, then any kind of confusion can be avoided. Organization simplifies the workflow and approach towards learning: it eases our task in a systematic way. Using technology in our classroom setting helps teachers aid us in teaching, we would be able to create experiences that complement each other whether our students are learning online or physically present in the classroom. This would help teachers optimize our time, efforts and resources and focus more on guiding students. For teachers like me in the future, technology amplifies the resources we can offer to our students. Rather than relying on the textbook for content, computers can provide online access to content experts and updated information from original sources.