My contribution to the Instructional Technology

My Contribution to the Future of Technology

Let's start this blog with the dreams I used to have about my contributions to the next century. I grew up loving Gundam. It started in Japan before I was born, and as a kid that is what I loved. That and Star Wars, of course. I even had a dream that continued up until some time in Middle School. I wanted to become a scientist and help create these giant war machines. I wanted to be a scientist that helped design and make them.

This dream never came to pass. I was not good at math. In fact, I horrible at math. I eventually figured out that I wasn't too good at technology either. I let the dream of creating Gundam die and I moved on to other dreams.

I no longer have any dreams of helping the technology of the future. I can have dreams, though, about helping those who will help technology in the future. Tom Petra just mentioned in another blog of mine that even if I don't care for technology I have to use it in class for the sake of my students. These are the kids that might, someday, create a Gundam for real, or perhaps a laser rifle. Perhaps they will invent better computers or flying cars or a flying wheel chair for my old age.

For this reason I would say my contribution to the future of technology is for me to teach my students as best as I can. I can teach them many of the basics of math that they will need to learn the harder stuff that will lead to space colonies. It's my job to get them started on their own dreams.

ED636 - Fall 2006

Blog posting on your philosophy of instructional technology
Nov 22, 2006
Araceli Nelson

The way I see instructional technology in the future is a school that is always open to new ideas that can be done in a classroom. Teacher and student should be able to use a computer in every classroom and at home. Every teacher should have their own web page and blog, and work with moodle so they can post assignments, calendars, deadline, resources, etc. on the web. The blog would create a community interaction between students and teachers as well as students and students. Students should have their own web pages to post their work with the idea to create a digital portfolio in live text so they can have it forever. If students have their portfolio other students, teachers, and parents could see what they have done and how successful they are when it comes to technology.

I believe that teacher and student should make good use of all the different kinds of technologies that they use at home and be able to bring them to school. Some schools don’t accept students to bring to school the different technologies that they use at home. Teachers should give them some time in the classroom to work with the different technologies and come up with something interesting that they can share with other students. In some schools some students do not have money to buy all this fancy technology, or the school does not have it in the classroom.

My Future with Instructional Technology

Of all the trends in Education, one is certain to continue into the future. Instructional Technology is destined to have a dominant and pervasive impact in future educational methods and materials. Currently, our world, our culture, and our lives are saturated with technological advances. We can be assured that these developments will spread into our classrooms and influence the way we teach.
Personally, I am already trying to be proactive in this evolution. This is evident in my enrollment in the Master in Education program at UOG. Although our cohort program is currently endangered, or already extinct, I will try to press on in one venue or another. The first step in the practice of a new technique is the education of that technique. I must acquaint myself with the concepts in instructional technology before I can use them. I can continue my professional development at an institution such as the University of Guam, or with seminars, conferences, online courses, or personally by reading educational publications.
Once I have familiarized myself the concepts, I can begin to implement them in my classroom. I will need to use the available resources and be an advocate in the acquirement of new materials. It is important that I seek ways to integrate Instructional Technology into my curriculum, not only to improve my instructional methods, but to present my students with current ideas and practices. They will certainly be using technology in the future and need to learn its attributes and possibilities as well.
Of course the development of technology or instructional technology will not stand still. It will continue to evolve and improve, so I will need to keep abreast of those advances.
Finally, I can promote the use of instructional technology to my peers, my school, and my community. One way to do this is to lead by example, and that is what I intend to do.

My contribution to the Instructional Technology

My Contribution to Instructional Technology
Marcelle Diambra Odi
ED 636: Dr. Rivera

As an educator I’m aware of my role in training the young generation, the future of the world. The new curriculums set the tone and encourage educators to use the newest technologies to enhance learning, motivate learners and teachers, enhance learning, improve student achievement and to meet global challenges.
My main contribution will be to keep updating my knowledge about the use of technology and expose the students to it regularly to prepare them better to face the challenges of the workplace.
A wise man once said: “ the reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. All progress depends on the unreasonable man.”(George Bernard Shaw).Thanks to technologists I can already use instructional technology to support the curriculum.

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.

Philosophy of Instructional Technology

My philosophy of instructional technology embraces a theme that was prevalent throughout the text: teachers should use the methods and materials that best meet the needs of the students and the teacher. I do not believe that technology should be used for the sake of using technology. As teachers, however, we must be willing to try new things and keep informed on the latest techniques and resources of different media formats.
Each lesson a teacher presents should have objectives that follow a pre-planned curriculum. In meeting those objectives, the teacher has a selection of tools, including the traditional textbook, pencil, chalkboard, and such. If the objectives can be met more effectively with the use of educational technology, then that should be used. As teachers, we would be remiss not to see that instructional technology can add a new degree of motivation in the students, especially if it enables them to a hands-on approach to learning. A lesson’s objectives can be accomplished more effectively with active participants.
The President started the recent trend in education when he vowed to “leave no child behind.” This statement could lead to any number of digressions, but nevertheless, it is the current mantra in schools. The flexibility and depth that instructional technology brings to the classroom can help teachers to meet the special needs of his/her students. Teachers should also keep in mind that they are preparing students for their role in the future workplace. Therefore, technology in education cannot only meet the needs of the teacher and student, but the community as well.
It is difficult for people to change, and understandable if teachers are reluctant to change their methods. However, we would be ignorant not to see the opportunities that instructional technology has to offer. If it can meet the needs of the students and teacher, then it should be used. The first step, however, is to get educators up to speed on what educational technology is available, and trained on how to use it.

My IT philosophy

My IT philosophy

Marcelle Diambra Odi
My philosophy of instructional technology
ED 636 Dr Rivera

At this stage of my training I’m somewhat hesitant to speak about my philosophy of instructional technology. I know I have to do something to allow the train to continue to roll but I still have to identify my role.
I see myself as in a domino effect tablet. If I refuse to fall for instructional technology we won’t have any domino effect.
I identified my gap and like Arlene said it I’m taking the first step. I have to understand technology, know where to find the information in connections with my curricular and how to use it to dare introducing it in my classroom. It will take some time but I’ll learn to adapt to the 21st century classrooms.
Carl Rogers once said: ”The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn……and change”. I consider myself educated then . I’ll thrive to improve my knowledge about technology.

My Contribution to Instructional Technology for the 21st Century

How do I see my role as an educational technologist in this century? A conservative response would be to say that I will just continue to do my best and use as much technology as I can in the classroom and then I would have fulfilled my role as an instructional technologist.

But who wants to be conservative? As part of the master’s degree pilot program between UOG and SJS, all members of this cohort should contribute proactively in the development of instructional technology for the 21^st century. We could be technology leaders in the school for starters. Passion can be very contagious. We could move on and be instructional technology leaders for Guam. We could speak on Guam’s behalf to different technology specialists and see how we stand nationally. And why stop at the national level? Why not go international and see how the United States stands in comparison to the rest of the world with respect to instructional technology. And so on and so forth…..

But like the old Chinese adage says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” It is alright to be conservative as long as I am consistent and I have a clear vision of what and how I wish to see myself ten or twenty years from now as an instructional technologist. I can begin small and start with using technology in the classroom. I can build up from there and start collaborating with my SJS colleagues on how together, we could become technology leaders. There might be forks in the road of my technological journey but it is a journey that I am excited about. And now for my first step….

My Philosophy on Instructional Technology

Kanban is going to be my one-word descriptor for what I believe instructional technology should be. I said this as much in one my chapter reflections for this class.

Kanban is a Japanese word which means learning or utilizing something when one actually needs it. As opposed to learning something just for learning’s sake and not actually using it, I believe it is more important to learn how to do something because it is appropriate to learn it at a particular point in time. Learning it therefore will make more sense and will, in all probability, engender the long-term usage of the technology.

The spirit of kanban is based on getting something from a “warehouse” only when it is needed. Therefore, as instructional technologists, we must have our own “warehouses” where we keep tricks and treats of all sorts related to educational technology. This implies that we must be eager seekers of technology also but at the same time, possess a keen, discerning eye on what needs to be kept in that warehouse, and what needs to be taken out and used in the classroom.

Kanban. Banzai!