EDTECH Definition Graphic

This was by far my favorite assignment of this course. As I was creating this graphic, I really had to stop and think about what educational technology really means and how I could explain it to someone else. Before beginning this program and more specifically this course, I thought I knew what educational technology was. To me, it was a simple definition- using technology in education duh! I have since learned that I was very naive, and it encompasses so much more than that.

Educational technology is not just about using technology, but HOW we use it. It requires us to expand our thinking and allow our students to conduct their own learning by providing them the tools and resources to do so. I believe educational technology redefines the role of the teacher. Teachers are no longer just presenters of information or dictators of learning. Teachers are there to serve as guides to students throughout the learning process.

I have learned a lot about educational technology, and I am beginning to incorporate the concepts I have learned into my own teaching style and classroom. I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but I am excited to continue on the journey.

I used Piktochart to create my graphic. My students and I have viewed several infographics together, so I thought it would be fun to try my hand at creating one. Piktochart makes it very easy. There are templates, icons, photos, charts, maps, and more right there on the site for you to use. I enjoyed creating this, and I plan to create more infographics to put up in my classroom.

Educational Technology Graphic

 

Code of Professional Ethics in Educational Technology

Professional Ethics Assignment 

This assignment was the most difficult one for me thus far in the course. The most difficult part was choosing an issue to focus on. I was amazed at the amount of challenges that can come with incorporating technology when I really sat down and began to list them. The AECT Code of Professional Ethics made me think about many possible challenges that could arise within educational technology.

Before beginning this assignment, I still did not have a firm understanding of what the AECT Code of Ethics is. I have heard it referred to throughout the course, but I did not pay it much attention or seek out any information regarding it. As I completed the reading and my writing assignment this week, I saw a portion of the value the AECT Code can bring to a profession. I began to reflect on myself as a professional and as an educator thinking about whether or not I was meeting the standards set by each of these standards. I found many areas that I could improve upon. One that stood out to me was that of protecting students’ privacy online, which is why I chose to focus my research on that topic. I know this is an area that my co-workers and I could strive to be better in. I have set a goal to incorporate some of the solutions from my paper into my own classroom practices.

The AECT Code of Professional Ethics provides many ideals for educators and professionals to strive towards. There is a lot of value in having a set of standards for everyone to follow and that allows everyone to be on the same page. Educational technology is still a relatively new field of study, and the AECT Code provides instructors and students with some direction. I truly believe anyone involved in educational technology would greatly benefit from taking a close look and familiarizing themselves with the AECT Code of Professional Ethics.

RSS in Education

I have always enjoyed looking at and reading a variety of blogs. I will admit I spend some time on Pinterest, and most of my pins link to a blog that I then subscribe to. My e-mail fills up daily with these subscriptions. I had heard of RSS before, and I knew it provided a means of following blogs and different websites, but I never understood exactly how it worked or how I could benefit from it. This lesson alone has proven to me that I am in the right program and that I still have a lot to learn about technology. I really enjoyed setting up my Digg reader account, and I look forward to adding more blogs and being able to sift through all those that I subscribe to in the future.

Creating a lesson plan using RSS was a little more difficult for me, but for different reasons than most of my classmates. I could see a lot of possibilities for use in my classroom, but I did not know where to begin. I decided I had to start at the beginning because the use of RSS will be completely new to my students. I hope to help my students set up a Digg account, subscribe to some different sites, and continue to build on the use of RSS in my classroom. I chose to do a lesson for my Psychology class because our current trimester is coming to an end, but I will keep most of my Psychology students throughout this coming trimester as well. In this lesson, students participate in a couple different activities that demonstrate how our biases and experiences can effect and cause discrepancies in our memory construction. Students will then set up a Digg Reader account and find some sites that have eyewitness accounts and repressed-memory cases to add to their feeds. Students will watch this video, and I will guide them through setting up their accounts, adding a site, and creating folders to organize their subscriptions.

I am really excited to try this lesson in my classroom this next week. I have used the activities before, so I know students really enjoy them. In the past the activities have brought a real-life application that students can relate to. Our administration is really pushing us to include even more reading and writing for students in our classrooms. I feel that RSS is a tool that will allow me bring reading and writing to my students in a new way and will make it more exciting for them. Eventually, I would like to get to the point where all of my students have their own blog, similar to this class, where they can post their writing assignments. Students can then follow each other through an RSS feed, and I can follow them as well, making it easier and faster to grade assignments as they are done. It will eliminate the “I lost my paper” and “the e-mail did not send” excuses. I am really looking forward to furthering the use of RSS in my classroom.

Welcome!

Welcome to my EDTECH Learning Log. This site is a place to reflect on and share my experiences throughout the Masters of Educational Technology program with Boise State University. This website will help me collect and present my work as I prepare to showcase my mastery of the AECT standards. I am looking forward to learning more about technology and its role in education, and I hope to better myself as an educator in the process.