adult alt ed

Educational Technology Philosophy Statement

Educational philosophy statements of any kind always seem to resemble quicksand because one can go on and on and on when caught up in the trap of trying to explain every aspect and every nuance of each aspect of a philosophical statement in order to sound as though one is a philosopher who has ideas about the particular subject rather than a practicing teacher who is trying to figure out when, where, and how to use the particular topic, in this case technologies, in the classroom.

One reason these kinds of papers bog down, I believe, is the attempt to explain how every ‘ism’ of education and every educational theorist, most of whom are not teachers, fits in to the classroom practice. Maybe I am just an old curmudgeon but I see my teaching as a practice in which, in a very public way, I work with learners to find out how each of them will best acquire what he or she needs to extract from the various language arts and social studies lessons I and my school can offer them in order to qualify for a high school diploma. Given that every one of my adult students did not graduate with an ‘original class’, for whatever reason (which is really unimportant to me most of the time), and that I teach mostly one on one – the student, the computerized lesson methodology, and me (what a team!)–my approach to technology and teaching is not often based on a particular educational theory or philosophy. I teach in a one room school in which I sometimes (often if out of teaching area subjects) work with a student as we learn together. I do not have a particularly identifiable overriding philosophy or theory to which I adhere. I simply try to find the way the student with whom I am at the moment learns best and then I try to provide that methodology. I am not shy about saying, nor am I ashamed to say, “Let’s figure this out together.” Do you see what I mean by a team?

As a former computer programmer (COBOL) I recognize that technologies are ongoing and constantly developing.  I am also not a ‘first adopter.’ I believe a particular technology should have a track record, a proof of value, of some sort before I recommend my school adopt it for use by our staff and / or our students. I also pay attention to technologies recommended or in use by others so I can help my school  ascertain the value of what someone else is using successfully and determine if or how it might work for us. Our school is heavily computerized. In addition to staff PCs we utilize 36 other MS Windows based work stations linked by an NT server based network. We use other technologies such as on demand course based videos from Power Media Plus as well as DVD course related videos. Our teaching softwares have national reputations in which our school and service center have been interested participants. Supporting softwares also enjoy good national reputations, which helps build strong support for the service center and NDLA by the public school districts with whom we partner to help our students achieve a high school diploma. I suppose my choices and recommendations have been based on the ‘appropriate and effective’ approach recommended by you in this course, even before I had a label for ‘a & e.’ In other words, if it does not aid our students in an as effective a way as possible a particular technology may not be a good fit for either our school or our learners.

 An example of the approach discussed above involved what appeared to be a very good teaching software. We were just venturing into ‘offsite’ learning. The problem we experienced with that software was a set of downloads it required to function on any computer. Our offsite students had challenges with the downloads and often had to execute the downloads several times during the school term. That software has been replaced by one which requires no downloads and can be accessed by any computer anywhere. Of course there is always a wrinkle and this software has a very strong browser preference. We and our students have adjusted and the software and the students, both onsite and offsite, and the programs are working well together.

My experience working in industrial settings also influenced me to focus on ‘tried and true’ technologies. However, because of that exposure to unique and exciting technologies I am always interested in learning more about those developments which may be of use and value to the school and its students. I am now interested in locating Windows based software similar to the Inspiration software used in ED300. I can see practical applications for such software in some of the research projects now in use. Likewise, I can see where webquests can be developed for use in currently research heavy classes in certain social studies options and elective offerings. Performance Based Learning and reflective activities may also be considered as enhancements in selected courses. Careful consideration of such possibilities and how they can be used in our school environment is essential to the success of anything new. “Beta testing” by selected students or groups of students is always needed if for nothing else than to work out the ‘bugs’ in project design and curriculum enhancement.

As with any other school, district—or in our case—service center decisions often impact some of our technological choices. To protect not only our school and service center, but more importantly our students, from irresponsible use of our resources we now have a more restrictive firewall than previously.  Sometimes we can negotiate a change for a particular site or technology and sometimes we cannot. Sometimes we can figure out a way for staff to be able to research and experiment via the Internet and sometimes we must accept the decisions of those responsible for the entire system. Accepting the ‘big picture’ is not always what I want to do but I recognize, from previous industrial experience, that it is oft times essential and that there are more than one way to achieve progress. Nonetheless, new uses for old as well as the development of new technologies must always be objectively explored for the potential benefit of both the school and more importantly the student, who after all is the most important part of the entire learning and teaching practice.