Philosophy of Technology

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Arkansas State University, Main Campus *

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ELFN

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Philosophy

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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Philosophy of Technology Paper Corey M. Jackson College of Education, Arkansas State University ELFN 6763: Philosophies of Education Dr. Jacques Singleton September 24, 2023

PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY Overall Philosophy As technology evolves all over the world, its development has played a significant role in the realm of education. Technology has profoundly advanced education for both students and educators. Technology has expanded access to education. In the past, students had to check out books materials and materials from the library to research information. Today, information can be accessed at our fingertips from various sources such as an e-book, a video, a podcast, a Google search, and so much more. In addition, students have easily accessible access to an educational website that promotes learning such as Khan Academy, Prodigy, and so many others all because of our improving development of technology over the last several years. In addition, the opportunity to collaborate and communicate has enlarged with technology. Previously, classrooms were relatively secluded from being in the same room or on the same campus. However, now students and educators can communicate with others using various methods of communication including emailing, hosting a Zoom video conference, posting a blog commenting back and forth with others, and much more. Technology is a potent tool that can assist and reshape education in countless ways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across our nation were closed and the forced quarantine required educators to revamp their methods of teaching. While this was certainly an unforeseen circumstance, it exhibited how technology can positively transform education. As a result of the pandemic, it became evident that each of our four-hundred-eleven middle school students may need equitable access to their education from off-campus at any given time. Therefore, our school district implemented a 1:1 technology policy. Each student in our district is issued a Chromebook to use for educational purposes and our primary school students are issued an iPad since it is more developmentally appropriate for their age level. Our school librarian begins each year with a digital citizenship lesson for all students before distributing the Chromebooks to students. Our staff

responsibilities include managing that students are using the devices correctly and appropriately. If students fail to adequately use their device correctly or for the appropriate reason, then it can be confiscated for a temporary or permanent period. Role of Technology The role of technology is to serve as an enhancement tool to support the instruction from the teacher. In particular, it plays a pivotal role in student engagement especially in our tech-savvy society today. However, it must be used properly to support the learning standards and objectives, and not abused by the students for noninstructional usage. Technology aids as a visual support to our students because it can potentially provide learning experiences that are not easily accessible to the students (i.e., virtual field trips). In addition, it provides significant experience to be successful in the twenty-first- century workforce. As I consider the role technology plays in my school, I am baffled by some of the decisions made by educators in my district. I have witnessed a select group of teachers who will assign work on our learning management system that students are expected to learn without any verbal instruction from the teacher. This is not acceptable because technology does not replace the role of a teacher it only supports the teachers’ instruction. I believe as a whole, some of our educators have become too comfortable assigning instructional videos that now they feel that it adequately instructs their students and they do not need to add anything to the instruction. However, this choice is not ethically acceptable for our students’ education and learning. Role of the Teacher The role of the teacher concerning technology is to properly monitor students' internet usage anytime technology is being utilized in the classroom. In addition, the teacher should explicitly teach internet safety and the proper etiquette for using technology. As with other aspects of education, the teacher should teach it, model it, and reinforce it when technology is being used. If students are not using technology correctly it should be brought to their attention and retaught as needed. Of course, if

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students are purposely abusing their technology privileges, it could result in the teacher revoking the students’ privileges. In addition, technology has provided teachers with the opportunity to be exposed to highly engaging content with just a click of a button. Because of the utilization of technology in the classroom, it has changed the role of educators to closely monitor students' technology use. As well as requiring teachers to have a firm grip on their classroom management regarding technology use. In addition, technology has allotted teachers the capability to communicate with parents using a variety of ways including email, text messages, digital newsletters, social media platforms, apps, and so much more. Using Technology Effectively Technology can be used most effectively to support and assess student learning and help create a meaningful learning environment when it is used as a teaching tool mechanism because it supports the instruction from the teacher. Technology will not ever take the place of a teacher, so the lack of instruction from a teacher can only damage the possibilities of supporting and assessing student learning and creating a meaningful learning environment. In addition, technology can assess student learning when there is a clear parameter set such as a rubric to complete an assignment or assessment. In addition, I believe that it should be teacher-guided and not rely heavily on students directing themselves. Often time when a teacher allows students to have a range of choices, it results in behavior problems. Therefore, providing a list of appropriate or approved websites to use would be beneficial for both the students and the teacher. In addition, teachers can use software such as Lightspeed to monitor students and help support their learning when using technology. Technology can have a significant impact on students learning because technology can be a valuable tool. After all, if a student is absent, then they have they have the accessibility to the materials and curriculum. In addition, it enables parents to help support the need to complete the learning while they are absent. In addition,

technology allows students and parents to have a visual connection to the curriculum, using a variety of experiences from different perspectives beyond their own beliefs. Pros and Cons Similar to all aspects of life, the use of technology in the classroom has its advantages and disadvantages. Some cons of using technology in the classroom are that it can be a distraction to students, plagiarism has the potential to occur, technology can isolate the connection between students, it can be quite costly, unreliable information is available online, and most importantly technology can break. (Davies, n.d.). While technology is an incredible tool for the classroom, I can easily deter students from the assignment to a noneducational game. In addition, anyone can publish their content on the internet making unreliable information available that requires critical analysis to determine if it is true and accurate. In addition, technology is a great tool but it requires time upfront for you to invest in it. In my experience as a middle school teacher, I have also had the unfortunate pleasure of having the school wi-fi shut down forcing all technology to be malfunctioning for the day. In addition, students and families who live in areas that do not have access to the internet or do not have access to the internet because of economic reasons often are frustrated when assignments cannot be completed at home as expected. In addition for kinesthetic learners technology leaves little to no room for experiences tailored to best meet their needs. Implementing technology into the classroom has many advantages for educators and students. The advantages include making learning more engaging, technology being a more cost-effective alternative than traditional materials, providing access to an endless supply of online resources for students and teachers, saving teachers time, providing authentic learning opportunities, providing new collaborative learning opportunities, and developing students' technology literacy skills. (Best, 2020). Providing students with the opportunity to assess their knowledge through the use of a Blooket game is

more engaging than taking a pop quiz on paper. Textbooks are not cheap, so having the capability to provide online resources helps alleviate some of the costs of having e-books or digital access to materials. Instead of teachers having to provide lectures about every content standard, students can have a wide collection of resources at their fingertips to expand their knowledge. Having the capability to save time for teachers is a major benefit especially when grading or creating assessments. Because of technology developing over time, students now can share their work online with individuals miles away or on the other side of the globe as well as using a learning management system to collaborate with their peers from virtually anywhere. In addition, my experience with technology has allowed me to have the accessibility to teach from home while quarantined and have access to materials in the evenings and the weekends. As well as having a wider variety of accommodations that can be used for my students such as using Google add-ons for speech-to-text or text-to-speech. Of course, technology is no replacement for a highly effective teacher though, so creating a learning environment that reflects learning is key to successfully implementing technology in the classroom while providing a healthy technology balance will lead students to become successful in their future careers. Conclusion My philosophy of technology is very comparable to my practice. My students know that we will spend a portion of our learning using technology. However, if they abuse the use of technology then they will be required to tender their school-issued Chromebook for either the class period or for the remainder of the school day. My students know that I have high expectations of them and expect them to utilize their technology privileges properly. My building administration is very supportive of technology and the repercussions if students violate our technology expectations. One of my shortfalls regarding technology usage is that I often forget about the various learning opportunities that I have

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access to such as virtual field trips. As a social studies teacher, I could connect the information we are studying with virtual field trips to help students fully understand the connection. This of course would result in a higher level of student engagement which could potentially lead them to ask further questions regarding the topic of study. Many of the teachers in my school are more mature teachers, therefore adding technology into their lessons would benefit our students. I have had many discussions with my students where they mentioned that they were learning about a particular topic that they felt was boring because they weren’t engaged with the concept. However, when I suggested that they watch a specific video that relates to the topic, they mentioned that they wished their teacher would show videos to support the material. Overall technology is a critical component of educating students in our diverse classroom environments and we must utilize the resources available to help support our students’ learning.

REFERENCES Best, J. (2020). 13 pros and cons of technology in the classroom teachers need to know . 3P Learning. https://www.3plearning.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-technology-in-the-classroom/ Davies, D. (n.d.). The Pros and cons of using technology in the classroom . GESS Education. https://www.gesseducation.com/gess-talks/articles/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-technology-in- the-classroom

Philosophy of Technology

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