Philosophy of Technology for Teaching
I am developing a philosophy of instructional design and technology as I reflect upon ways I have taught in the past, and look for improved methods for the future. I find technology to be a wonderful resource in education and training, as it is a necessary tool for surviving in today's world. Students can learn various types of information and apply that knowledge through technology, as well as learning how to utilize the technology itself.
I do subscribe to Mayer's rationale of multimedia learning, which states that students learn more "from words and pictures than from words alone" (2009, 2017). I can recall an interesting example of this theory from my student teaching days in 2013. The teacher I was working with did not use much technology in the classroom at that time. One of my first tasks was to teach vocabulary to the students for a particular literature unit. I would compose a presentation and have an image on each slide with the word, plus the definition. The students loved the images, and I do believe through my informal observation that it helped some of the class members retain the word meanings. An image can provide context to students who may previously have never encountered a word or concept and have no framework for applying it.
Interaction is certainly an important part of my instructional technology philosophy. I have found that different types of interaction promote learning, especially in an online setting. Moore discusses the importance of both learner-instructor and learner-learner interaction (1989). I have taught both in-person and online English courses at the community college level. In my online class, I tried to comment and interact with each student about their work, so they would know I am a real person that wants to help them, and not some faceless entity in the computer. I also had the students participate in peer reviews in the online format, as well as in class. Students as a rule resisted this format, but you could see them become more comfortable with their work when they collaborated with others. Both of these types of interaction are especially important in a digital format, as they are valuable methods of learning and help students connect outside of themselves.
When working with students in an online setting, I do consider the SECTIONS model of Bates (2015). The "ease of use" and "cost" considerations are crucial when dealing with the community college students in my area (Bates, 2015). Some students do not have access to the necessary technology and internet; they do not realize this when they enroll in a distance course. I assist the students with solving these problems. Students can come to campus to do their classwork; they can purchase laptops with Pell grant funds. Community options for internet access also exist. Connecting students with appropriate resources is important in distance learning.
My personal philosophy of instructional technology includes designing appropriate learning materials that engage learning, but do not overwhelm the student. I also find that using all three of Moore's types of learner interaction (learner-content, learner-instructor, learner-learner) to be paramount to increased learning (1989). Finally, student access to technology must be considered as a facet of student success even before online learning begins. As a lifelong leaner, I look forward to adding more ways to use technology to my teaching toolkit.
References
Bates, A. W. (2015). Choosing and using media in education: the SECTIONS model. In Teaching in a Digital Age. (8.1 - 8.10).
Mayer, R.E., (2017). Using multimedia for e-learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 33(5), 403-423. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12197
Moore, Michael. (1989).Three Types of Interaction.American Journal of Distance Education. 3. 1-7. 10.1080/08923648909526659.
No comments:
Post a Comment