Looking at the summit; my dreams and goals.

Over the forthcoming years as an educator, I want to further my professional development in many areas that will compliment my teaching style, philosophy, practice and allow me to communicate information in a relevant, progressive manner. Throughout my practicum, technology played an important role within the classroom, and many students were both interested and engaged when the smartboard was turned on or computers were being used. Technology can be employed to help students reach what Lev Vygotsky called the “zone of proximal development,” (Steiner & Mahn) that scaffolds learning with tools and interactions with a ‘more skilled other’ (Steiner & Mahn) to elevate learning potential.

With guidance and tools, Vygotsky argues that students can reach greater academic heights, and propel their learning beyond what they would be able to do independently. There are many ways that technology can be conceptualized as being a useful tool in the classroom. Michelle Williams, in her exploratory research of technology centered instruction, argues that technology can help make learning more visible with the unendingly large number of graphs, models, illustrations and media sources that are instantaneously available to help elaborate upon a lesson objectives. Williams also postulates that technology provides a social support for learning, where debates and discussions can be held within familiar arenas to younger generations, such as on social media sites, or interactive blogs. This “provides students with an opportunity to offer explanations, interpretations and resolutions” (Williams, 317) to ideas and further their learning through a relevant modern source of social dialogue. Williams also argues that the integration of technology “affords [students] the opportunity to connect information with real world experiences.” (Williams, 317). The internet allows opportunity for teachers to access examples of far reaching global connections to the curriculum. Such connections can bolster learning experiences as it transports theory into the real world, and can illuminate the practical application and importance of seemingly abstract ideas. Williams argues that technology can also “promote autonomy for lifelong learning.” (Williams, 317). As students are exposed to effective research methods online, and are aware how technology can broaden their capacity as students, they are armed with methods to seek out an infinite amount of information. Harnessing the power and vastness of technology allows students a way to direct their own studies and seek information on their own. This is empowering.

Insofar as technology is used with competent and near-seamless integration, it can be an effective method for scaffolding learning and making academic subjects more relevant to the modern day student. Where technological difficulties abound, I am dubious as to whether the benefits of its use exceeds the cost of impeding the flow of lessons in a stop and start fashion.

There is room and purpose for minor technological difficulties in class as technology is a part of our contemporary world, and such problems can serve as relevant and interactive problem solving exercises. Effective learning moments can materialize in every aspect of the day! Teachers need to be competent and confident users of technology in order to integrate it into the classroom, yet there are teachable moments embedded within the invariable difficulties that will arise.

That being said, I want to continue to develop my technological capabilities to harness  my skills. In my practicum, we used Moodle to blog, Garage-Band to create original music, Iphoto to manipulate pictures that our class took, and various other online tools that elevated student interest and pushed them into the ‘zone of proximal development.’ Many lessons integrated technological problem solving into the school day. Not only were students expected to produce meaningful curricular connections in many of the projects that I assigned, but they often times had to figure out how various software programs worked. These are important skills to foster in a fast-paced technological world.

My professional goals include bolstering my knowledge-set and confidence in the use of technology, looking specifically at SmartBoard software, online social-networking and blogging sites, as well as the multitudes of applications for tablets and computers. This will be a way for me to make further connections to students in a way that is educationally sound, and pushes them to operate within the ‘zone of proximal development.’

Work Cited

Michelle Williams, (2008). Moving Technology to the Center of Instruction: How one Experienced Teacher Incorporates a Web-based Environment Over time, Journal of Science Education and Technology, Vol. 17, No. 4 , pp. 316-333

John-Steiner, V., & Mahn, H. (1996). Sociocultural approaches to learning and development: A Vygotskian framework. Educational Psychologist, 31, 191-206.

looking towards my goals

Dreams