Ed Tech Philosophy & Instructional Design Principals Video final Project

 

Hello, my name is Melissa Perner and this is my Educational Technology Philosophy

As teacher of high school students, and a mother of two young children, I see how technology is affecting our future leaders. There is no doubt that technology has forever changed education. Educational Technology is here to stay, and as educators we need to be the ones to guide learners into technology leaders. 

My personal learning theory that I identify with is constructivism. I believe learning should be active in that students build their own understanding of the information. 

I am a life-long learner, so I believe that a person’s experiences help incorporate new knowledge and promote deeper understanding. 

Constructivism is a learning theory that emphasizes the learner's active role in constructing knowledge through experiences. It's like building blocks in your brain!

Constructivism’s central idea is that human learning is constructed, that learners build new knowledge upon the foundation of previous learning. 

In a constructivist approach, teachers act as facilitators rather than lecturers. They guide learners in constructing their own knowledge through inquiry and discovery.

It is up to the students to figure out the rest of the problem. 

Each student learns differently. With constructivism, content can be presented from multiple perspectives using multiple tools. It promotes the individual learner. 

Constructivism emphasizes active participation in the learning process through hands-on experiences and building new knowledge on prior understanding.

As an educator, I feel that it’s important to create a safe learning environment when it comes to technology. I believe Digital citizenship curriculum should be introduced starting in kindergarten. 

Digital citizenship refers to the responsible use of technology by anyone who uses computers, the Internet, and digital devices to engage with society on any level. 

As the rate of technological advancement continues to increase, the world as a whole is becoming more dependent on the Internet for day-to-day activities. That makes this a crucial topic to teach today’s students. Especially as AI comes upon the scene. 

Good digital citizenship for students engages them and shows them how to connect with one another, empathize with each other, and create lasting relationships through digital tools.

Bad digital citizenship, on the other hand, entails cyberbullying, irresponsible social media usage, and a general lack of knowledge about how to safely use the Internet.

Fortunately, almost all of the requirements to be a good digital citizen can be taught in the classroom.

Instructional designers create and deliver educational and training materials to learners from all walks of life in a variety of ways. 

For myself, the instructional design models that I enjoy using is Bloom’s Taxonomy and Backward Design. 

Bloom’s taxonomy has been used in pedagogy as a useful tool to create clear structure, vision, and learning process parameters on which any course can be built and developed. Bloom’s taxonomy simply distinguishes six steps in the learning process, which are achievable through the process of education, and attainable while going through the course. 

All these six skills are necessary in the learning process; however, they create a naturally developing sequence starting from number one as the easiest, to number six, which is the most complicated but also most desired. 

At the heart of Bloom’s taxonomy framework is the ability to create achievable learning goals that teachers and students understand, and build a definitive plan to meet them. 

Teachers like myself, who teach career technical education courses, can also utilize Bloom’s Taxonomy. Lessons using video production, creating podcasts, infographics, a screencast, or photo stories fit right into Bloom’s use of higher order thinking skills. 

Another instructional design model that I find useful is the Backward Design Model

the Backward Design typically starts from the end-purpose backward. It assumes that the aim of a course should be a speedy assimilation of skills by the learners.

The model of backward course design is simple and works in 3 stages.

It starts from:

• A course’s learning goals, then..

• ...works backward to decide what skills will demonstrate achievement of the learning goals, and finally...

• ...works further backward to decide what content is required to support those skills.

Backward Design framework represents a more effective approach to both course design and redesign, and is appropriate regardless of whether the course takes the form of a lecture, discussion, or lab. 

The Backward Design framework puts student learning outcomes at the center, and offers teachers the flexibility to structure both the learning experience and the evaluative tools used to gauge students’ progress, so that they align appropriately with the course content, and so that they foster desirable learning outcomes.