Personal Professional Development?

I think that, while what you do and how you act will always fall only on you, you are constantly impacted by those around you. As such, it follows that if you surround yourself by people who behave in fashion you wish to emulate, you will stand a far better chance of learning by example than you would by guessing.

                The same should apply to technological development. Find individuals around you who possess skills you wish to possess and know things you wish to know. Even if they do not teach you directly, you can learn a great deal by simply interacting with and watching their model. The great thing about this kind of mentoring relationship is that it is free and gives you the opportunity to learn from someone who, if not a professional, has made greater strides or different strides than you yourself.

                I believe the above is the greatest opportunity, if not only because it allows you to benefit from the experience of another which is almost always better than having to make mistakes yourself. However, the internet is a thing and it makes life easier every day. Search engines exist solely to pop out answers to your quandaries and are an invaluable resource to anyone looking to find information on something for which they have no idea how to begin learning.  As such, you can be responsible for your own development if you so choose and are free, here, to learn as you see fit.

                I am not sure if this is an appropriate answers to the question at hand I look forward to reading what my classmates have had to say about this topic, especially those of you with professional experience.

Chapter 3: Teaching With Technology in the Classroom

This chapter analyses teacher/student progress in the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow as computers are introduced and teachers respond and change with that introduction. The chapter describes the evolution of technology familiarity and incorporation through these teachers’experiences.

                The first stage of instructional evolution with technology is Entry, which describes the immediate response to the introduction of new technology. Many teachers at this stage, while hopeful in the beginning, struggle with the new media. The next stage is Adoption, in which students begin to be introduced and familiarized with the new technology. This stage also introduced new doubts. The subsequent stage is Adaptation, where the technology becomes a part of the media used regularly by students to interface with the curriculum. In this stage, we start to see progress from students. In the next to last stage, appropriation, instructors become more familiar with the technology themselves and their previous routine is changed to include the new media.

                Finally, the invention phase seems the greatest progress, at which teacher and students are familiar, integrating and innovating with the new media. This stage witnesses that students make slightly faster progress than instructors, offers students new power and control while allowing instructors the benefits of greater and new learning.

                The chapter introduces supports which aid teachers in incorporating new technology, as well as a step-by-step process for progressing through these stages.

                My response to this chapter is overwhelmingly positive. What we seen in the classroom is what we see everywhere new technology is innovated, a struggle to conform to the new system often followed by enhanced progress. My hope is to be able to effectively include technologies in the classroom which benefit student progress, be able to help my students where they struggle and be open to learning from what they have discovered.

Chapter 4: Managing the Technology Rich Classroom

This Chapter goes into long detail about the behavioral and mechanical issues found in the ACOT classrooms and how instructors learned to deal with them through the stages of their instructional evolution. The chapter recognizes many common problems which often stem from the incorporation prior to the streamlining of new media to a classroom.

                The chapter recognizes, from the first three stages of instructional evolution, the problems of student misbehavior due to either lack of education or great understanding concerning the new media, in this instance, computers. In one example, students revert to insulting one another over an internet connection designed as an educational opportunity. Similarly, students using technology to cheat is not unique, and is expressed in the texts as a serious and recurring problem.

                The chapter offers several points of guidance for how to better manage the terechnology rich classroom, among which are several references to the fact that ultimately there will always be problems when we see change from one media to another.

                My concern as a prospective teacher is this: with the constant introduction of new technology we see today, how will our response as individuals and as a system need to change? Smart phones have introduced a unique ability to be able to cheat on exams that we have never seen before. Every day introduces a new device, component or application which we have never seen before and, even with our own familiarity, the sheer variety is so overwhelming that it does not bode well for order in the classroom. Ultimately, this book being older and with similar problems, it is helpful to see that these are not new concerns.

                Perhaps unrelated, but I thought I should add how nice it was to see these instructors respond positively and with personal innovations to these problems which were of ten uniquely fair to and supportive of student’s continued learning.

Chapter 5: Redefining Student and Teacher Roles

 

                This Chapter discusses again what has been discussed several times already, which leads on to believe the concept might be important. Students are capable of teaching on another within the classroom and technologically oriented classrooms allow these students to interact with others in order to share learned information. The chapter notes that it may be about the technology, relating to it, or otherwise encouraged by the free environment technology allows.

                Students will be aware of ideas and concepts from outside the classroom and instruction of the teacher, by personal interaction, hearsay or fiddling, which allows them to benefit another student through proper disclosure of this information. The chapter focuses heavily on the implications which this has for technology, but just as important are those which relate to classroom concepts that are benefitted by the freedom of communication which well managed classrooms allow.

                The ultimate result of this is not that the students necessarily know more or are otherwise more aware of concepts than their instructors, but rather that students are aware enough to interact with and advance the progress of their peers. This allows for students to explain understood concepts in their own terms, collaborate and, when properly handled by the instructor, educate themselves and those around them. It also allows for student and class taught lessons.

                This is, in my opinion, the greatest asset technology and progressive teaching have to present: the ability for students to find confidence in their own abilities and share their knowledge with others. The very same fumbling notions which lead us to the previous chapter’s less than desirable notes are the ones which allow us to arrive with students trying to help one another. Students will learn to manage new technologies and, give n reasonable freedom, will find their own way of gaining information. Technology not only offers us new means of evaluating and presenting student understanding, but allows students the same benefits. This empowerment encourages them to share their successes with others.

Ertmer and Leftwich

This article attempts to examine, rather than the immediate benefits of information and communication technologies in the classroom, the nature of the environment and individual which is able to effectively incorporate such technology into an effective learning environment. From this perspective, the article analyzes preservice and inservice teachers as having different backgrounds and separate obstacles to overcome when it comes to incorporating technology effectively. The article offers numerous suggestions and ideas on how both the teachers and their environment may be modified to overcome these obstacles.

                For preservice individuals, the authors suggest sufficient background to the point of that instructor’s criterion be ultimately based on the ability to effectively teach with technology. To do this, it is suggested that these teachers be exposed to methods for and examples of effective technology incorporation within the classroom.

                Inservice teachers are acknowledged as having greater obstacles to overcome, I that they may be set in their methods and introduction of outside technology to a seemingly functional environment would be understandably unappealing. To overcome this, introduction to successful models as well as a tiered system recognizing the progressive importance of familiarity, expertise and personal belief as necessities for successful inclusion. I doubt I do the entire article complete justice here, but hope I hit on the key points.

                My most pressing concern for the ideas expressed in this article is that effective teaching is not reliant upon the mastery of applicable technologies. The article seems to state this several times and I completely disagree. The article, in fact, makes several allusions to the ineptitude of any instructor who is not using technology effectively within the classroom, which I do not believe sets prospective or current teachers with a helpful mindset nor do I believe is true in any way.

                What I do believe, and an argument which the article makes well is that teachers should make every effort to expand and adapt their lesson plans to changing times, which will likely include the effective incorporation of new technologies if the students are to gain the most benefit from their classes. It may be difficult to see how these are particularly different ideas, but in my mind they could not be more opposed. On of these concepts encourages personal growth and continued learning while the other disparages instructors who may work very hard and have different emphasis on what is important for students to learn in their classroom. Whatever you definition of effective technology in the classroom, It need not incorporate only cutting edge devices as a means to being relevant to the world. Quite the contrary, technology will only ever be a medium by which we can better (or worse) express ourselves within a discipline.

                While that dichotomy frustrated me a bit, believe the authors here have compiled a highly effective outline for how to encourage yourself and others to be more progressive in the incorporation of technology within the classroom. I believe this has rendered me more aware as a potential instructor and look forward to taking these opportunities in my professional development.