ETEC 511 e-portfolio

What I have learned from this module/course

 My Map of ET – Just for fun!

View Education Technology in a larger map

Mapping is a great way to figure out where you are. In history, maps provided information on location, how to navigate etc. In the same way, we can apply mapping to education technology and use those maps to learn how to navigate.

Basically, it seems that there is little time for anything other than functionalist perspectives. This for me relates to all limitations in time for teachers to implement and research education technology perspectives. I also think that it is correct that one totalizing perspective would not be the best solution or adoption for the education system. I think it is more important to use the best policies and ideas from various perspectives instead of adopting one program’s ideas. I think it allows for more thoughtful analysis and provides us with the best of all worlds in terms of pedagogy.

I like the analogy of maps in general. I also think that technology has improved upon our original mapping system. If you think about it, we now have google maps, google street view, and of course various versions of GPS systems. They all follow the same idea of maps – they show us information and tell us where to go from there.

Theory will always be a part or behind teaching movements. Without theories we are never tempted to change or make it better. It’s really about reason and scientific experimentation. Theories are needed to challenge our original conceptions and to help us better the situation for students, teachers, and administration. In the end, of course, what matters most is that the students benefit from any theory introduced. Theories are always present and always have some form of alterior motive – there is always bias. It is our job as educators to think critically about the theories, who created them and why and then determine if they can or should be applied in our own context. I think this class has opened my eyes to the various perspectives of educational technology and has provided me with discussion and research to make my own informed choices.

I decided to make a google map of Educational Technology. I did it in my neighborhood as it is to reflect my personal journey. I added in some of the beginning discussions I had within defining and mapping ET. I think it helps reflect what I thought at the beginning of this course and then I can reflect overall here. I also created the map in a circular path. Mapping ET begins and ends the circle. I think it reflects the full circle journey of this course.