Philosophy of Instructional Technology

My philosophy is fairly simple, I think. The idea, for me, is to casually learn about what technology is available before choosing parts of that technology to incorporate into my teaching. There is so much available out there, and that will continue to grow. The first step, therefore, is to keep tabs on what exists.

There are many ways to keep tabs on what is available. One of the easist ways is to read articles in the newspaper, Time magazine, or the occasional technology related article that pops up on the Internet. Another way is to listen to kids, who often hear of certain technologies before I do. Just keeping my eyes and ears open is very important, because this way if I do see something that could be used I will know about it. Most of the technology that comes on the market is not for my class. Once in a while, though, some sort of technology may appear that I can use. If I don't watch for it I will miss it.

The second part of my philosophy involves making choices. While some technology may be great to add to my classroom, I can't always get what I want. The first thing I have to consider is its real value. Will I be able to use it more than once? Can I use it for many years to come, or will it quickly get outdated? Can I afford it (or rather, will the school finance it)? Will I be able to learn how to use it quickly, or will it give me more stress than I already have? If the answers to all of these questions are positive then the technology might be added to the classroom.

Overall I think that new technology is only as good as those who use it. I am not very good with new technology, and so for me to incorporate new stuff into my classroom is pretty rare. It has to be cheap, easy to understand, and incredibly useful.