My Philosophy on Technology in Education
I am an ambitious black woman who loves teaching and children. The desire to see them succeed drove me to this profession. I believe that “educating students is a form of healing and the use of technology can be the best medicine”. There are students with disabilities or those who are exceptional; I believe that technology can be used to meet them at their level or to cater to their needs. I must practice legal and ethical principles when prescribing medications that are not original. I also believe that technology is there to create men and women who are capable of doing new things and not just repeating what others have done. This means that I should be able to create or ‘invent’ tools based on my types of learners. With this in mind, I will use technology to simply keep learning, to modify my approaches and find the best ways to relate materials to my diverse learners.
Our world is constantly being influenced by technology and so technology should be used in the 21st century classrooms; after all, today’s students are digital natives. They expect teachers to incorporate new technologies into their lessons; if teachers only offer services in ways in which they (the teachers) are comfortable, students may never feel that teachers are meeting them at their level. This means that the classroom teacher should use technology to introduce, assess, extend, remediate, enrich or reinforce students’ mastery of curriculum targets. According to Tapscott (1999), this prescription for teaching and learning promotes a change from what is described as “teacher-centered” learning to “learner-centered”. In this, the teacher creates and structures what happens in the classroom, tailoring an individualized experience for students.
The knowledge of how to use digital technology is easily available. More educators must change, adapt and utilize modern technologies to engage students in the creative adventure of education, so the students are intrigued and enthusiastic participants rather than reluctant, passive, unprepared-for-the-world learners. Technology will definitely help to empower and inspire students to become greater than what they can imagine. Technology can open minds and allow children’s imaginations to soar as they are engaged in the learning experience. I intend to use technology to improve students learning in any way I can.