My educational philosophy post Ed Tech!

My Educational Philosophy Education should be seen as a method to better ones self and life situation. It should not be the goal of education to teach a subject, but instead to teach a way of thinking and experiencing a quickly changing technological world. A way of thinking that is necessary in life to approach and solve everyday problems and adapt to changing technologies. Education is not a goal to be reached, but instead a process needed for life. Education should empower individuals to be better people and citizens who can interact with life in a positive manner and it should provide students with the necessary skills to observe and interact confidently in everyday life. The purpose of education is to instill in every individual the desire to be a life-long learner that seeks to better ones self first at the college level if so desired and then professionally and personally. Education should empower students to influence cultural values and real-world problems in a positive way while using proven methods, evolving changing technology and critical thinking. As the teacher, I should not just been seen as the expert in a particular field, but also as a mentor, leader, encourager and facilitator. It is my desire to develop relationships with students in which they feel comfortable interacting with me inside and outside the classroom, not just about mathematics, but anything that concerns them as well. It is my role to not only educate my students in mathematics, but to continue to educate myself by broadening my base of knowledge and skills in mathematics and technology so I may meet the increasing technological skills of my students. I will also facilitate and encourage the same continuing education with my colleagues. It is my goal to provide a learning environment in which expectations are clearly defined, yet personal differences in students are recognized. The learning environment in my classroom will provide students confidence in trying to do mathematics boldly by providing acceptance of mistakes and the encouragement to continue to try. I will do this by providing purposeful lessons and activities that are sequential and clearly defined. I will use technology to enhance the learning environment. Students are expected to give their full attention and to be open minded to the idea that they themselves can learn math. As the teacher, I will be held accountable for my students’ performance on state mandated tests and will therefore expect competency and accountability from my students to be demonstrated through different types of assessments. Education of my students should result in a student who is confident and thus motivated to meet the challenges in and outside the classroom. Students will recognize the value of education and not see it as a point to be reached, but rather a journey upon which they will continue.

Reflection #6 Podcasts, oh how I love thee.

Of all the articles I have read in the past few years about the new trends in education, the relevance of those trends and most importantly the educational usefulness of those trends, this article on Podcasting was the most relevant I have read. It was a sound, non-biased look at the educational value of podcasting. I was actually introduced to this idea more than two years ago when I attended a workshop entitled “IPods in the Classroom.” This was such a hot topic then because most schools and teachers were fighting such technological gadgets in the classroom and did not see their possible educational usefulness. I came back from that workshop armed with all the reasons and possible uses for the iPod and podcasting only to be shot down by my administration for different reasons. Now, I am at a new school which is on the brink of incorporating “bring your own device,” so I am once again energized about the possibilities of podcasting. The irony of the term “podcasting” itself is it’s a term derived from the “iPod” which was a portable device, yet this article points out that many studies show students view podcasts from their stationary, home computers. No matter the three possible categories of podcasting i.e. creating audio/video archives of classroom lectures, delivery of supplemental teaching materials or for the production of podcasts by students for assessment purposes, podcasts are mostly viewed by students at their home computer. It makes me wonder if most administrators know this. This article provided both positive and negative support of podcasts, and different benefits that were not necessarily the intended reason for their use were noted as well. It mentioned podcasts for the purpose of review, for collaboration, for assessment and more. However, I want to mention the main reason I would like to use podcasts regularly in my classroom. This was my reason a couple of years ago, but has become even more important to me now because I am in a small, rural 1A school district presently. Absences and mathematics do not a couple make. In a small school where most students are involved in multiple activities, especially FFA, absences can occur often and even for days at a time for school activities. This leaves students and teachers trying to accommodate not just make-up work for absent students, but the time needed to re-teach missed concepts. Being a mathematics teacher, I see how one absence can interfere with learning, but when I have a student gone to a livestock show for four days in a row….well….we have issues. I want those students to show their livestock and be successful. For many, it’s a source of income and scholarship opportunities, but I also want them to be successful in my class. To me, podcasting is an easy answer. The article mentioned how important listening skills were, and one study even noted that it was the audio only podcasts that were downloaded more during a course than even the audio with video podcasts. This made sense to me, because no matter how detailed a copy of notes are or how much thought and explanation I put into them for an absent student, without my voice, the child is just not as comfortable. Similarly though, if I put pre-worked examples up in my classroom without physically writing them down as I say them, the students do not get it either. There is something about me talking and writing at the same time that enables their understanding. Again, podcasting is the easy answer. Of all the technology projects given to me this semester, I looked forward to this one the most. I brought my assistant principle in the day before I recorded to tell him how much I would like a document camera and webcam! I wanted to do this and I want to learn more. I will continue to research and study more sites so I can utilize podcasts in my classroom. The technology I used this week made it even easier than what I was willing to do two years ago. The more I do this, the easier it will get. I just need to get more familiar with the idea of “feeds” and become more adept at uploading the podcasts quickly and regularly. Podcasting for my reasons, to help absent students, or for any of the reasons the article mentioned previously make it a valuable tool that will be around for some time. It is because it can be used for so many reasons that it will definitely be an integral part of education in the future. In conclusion, I want to reiterate something the article said that I agree with whole heartedly. It is not the technology of the podcast that makes it wonderful, it is the learning that can take place as a result of the technology. Podcasting is just a tool. The planning and implementation of that tool is still the most important part.