My educational philosophy of technology is that technology should be used to connect students, teachers, parents and the surrounding community into the classroom. My educational belief system is rooted in the philosophies of Constructivism and Pragmatism where students are the center of the educational environment. Technology must be used to connect teachers district-wide so they can collaborate on creating a rich and exciting curriculum. In the classroom, technology must be used to focus learners on the main ideas of curriculum using multiple methods to vary instruction for every learning style. Above all, a caring teacher must create positive relationships with students to ensure success.
The two schools of thought that most represent my educational belief system are Constructivism and Pragmatism. Constructivists believe in a student-centered environment. After being teacher-centered during the first several years of my career, I realized that a student-centered philosophy, with my role as facilitator, would greatly benefit my students. High school students today wilt with too much lecture and too much teacher. I believe that mathematical activities based on authentic real-world tasks will motivate my students to explore and work with the main ideas of Geometry. I also believe in the Constructivist thought that multiple representations of the same process, taught in varied ways, cater to the different learning styles in your classroom. Pragmatism is also deeply rooted into my educational philosophy. I believe that teaching a child to think and problem-solve is very important to understanding math. Problems that children face, in math as well as life, should allow them to become strong social beings able to manage their world and increase their belief in themselves. Pragmatic discovery learning also has a place in my classroom. Almost every discovery learning activity I have created has been successful in my classroom. Both of these philosophies are labor-intensive for teachers, so I try to add several assignments and activities each year. I adhere to the Pragmatic axiom that everything can be improved and made better.
Technology plays an integral part of my classroom and, in a grander scale, technology needs to be filtered throughout the district to tie all of our math teachers together. Using technology has allowed us to create a more uniform and rich curriculum for our district. All of our math teachers are able to access our curriculum through emails and shared drives with the move of a mouse. Teachers are still able to use their unique abilities but now have a stronger base to start from. Ideas are collaborated upon and shared throughout the district to continue to strengthen our curriculum. Teachers are not on an island anymore and are now a part of a vibrant curriculum that they had a part in creating. Collectively, we started creating curriculum as a group, at our own high school, and district-wide as well. We begin our meetings by talking about the best ways to get across concepts with an eye toward keeping the student interested and motivated by varying our methods, and our use of technology. Individually, I have been responsible for creating much of the Algebra and Geometry curriculum for my school and our district. After receiving a projector, I was able to start showing anything that I created by computer onto my drop-down screen for my students. I began to create powerpoints that were well-received around the district. The powerpoints I made addressed the apathy and lack of visual representation that students needed. The powerpoints use color-coding, movement, and simplicity to get across mathematical concepts. Finally, I was using technology to address disinterest and a lack of clarity in certain mathematical concepts. I became an informator, as technology was used to address the needs of my students. Technology has also allowed me to create fun and interesting games like Jeopardy, Baseball, Basketball and Wall Dominoes. Students need interesting and fun activities to stave off the boredom of math. My smart board freed me from standing in one location in a room. Not only can I represent shapes, lines, and highlight important material, I can closely connect to students anywhere in my classroom. I am also able to put out discipline fires as well. We don't have access to computers everyday for all students. However, we do have a rolling computer cart of laptops that can be checked out during the semester. I also have a set of clickers in my classroom where students can work problems from the projector by answering A, B, C, or D. Students love the clickers. I am able to connect with parents by sending mass emails online informing them of how class is going and making sure parents are aware of their child's progress while keeping them informed about future tests. Our school is in the process of creating the ability for parents to check student grades online anytime during the six weeks. My educational philosophy of technology is that technology should be used to connect students, teachers, parents and the surrounding community into the classroom.
Creating relationships is the most important tenet of teaching. If students don't think you care, they will never fully enter the educational process. I believe in bringing passion to my subject and my students. I love to see the light come on when my students "get it." Whatever method it takes, by discovery, explanation, or backtracking to square one, or by using different technologies, or physical devices to get a point across. When you care and show your passion, the student buys in. When the light comes on, and the smile shows forth, I'm on cloud nine. When students try again in math for the first time in many years, or when they say that "this isn't so hard," my heart leaps. Every student is different, and I love to find the buttons that turn on the light. If I can find a way for a student to be successful on a small scale, I can usually build their success into something larger. However, I die a thousand deaths during the year and go home many nights disillusioned and unsure how to proceed but I am buoyed by each and every success. Math is probably the least favorite subject of most students. However, to combat this belief system, I try to have fun and interesting activities in my classroom. My favorite teacher in college showed me that I can make math exciting and that I didn't have to be embarrassed about loving math. I am the child of deaf parents. Growing up in the world of sign language has been vital to my ability to conceptualize mathematical concepts for students. I have been asked to explain the world to deaf parents and other deaf people since I was a very young child. ASL (American Sign Language) is a concept-oriented language that throws out all of the in-between words that the English language supports. To use ASL, you have to paint a visual picture. Deaf people are demonstrative and so am I. I also believe that it is important to show students how I use math in my everyday life, and how math is used in other walks of life. If I can create relationships with my students that include mutual respect, enthusiasm, and a little bit of fun, I believe they will allow me to fill the gaps they have and help them to be successful.
Technology is an important tool in connecting students, parents, teachers and the community. A well-collaborated curriculum can be created when teachers are connected by technology, parents and the community can be connected to the classroom, and a loving teacher can connect students to educational success. Technology is a social tool that helps connect education to learning.
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