Opening thoughts

This first entry is much more formal than I expect most of my posts to be. Maybe it's just the high-brow nature of being asked to expound on your 'philosophy' of a subject. Defining your personal philosophy seems to require a response that speaks to the future in a way that just telling someone your thoughts on a subject wouldn't. There's nothing wrong with that of course, but as an English major and English teacher it seems to draw out my most intricate writing as well as some of my "higher dollar" vocabulary.

Since this is only the beginning of my study into educational technology. I thought it best to start with the most basic definition of my philosophy towards it. A philosophy is defined as the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. I am really just beginning my investigation into the roles technology can play in education, so my own educational technology philosophy is only in its most primitive state. I also am just beginning as an educator in a professional sense. As I grow as an educator, my goals will include finding ways to share my passion for writing with others, to give students the writing tools they will need for their future and to innovate my teaching with whatever tools are available—both technological and traditional.

Writing as a skill requires both a technical knowledge of grammar as well as an understanding of the writing process—the process of building an idea or argument into a cohesive structure. I will expect my students to learn the rules of proper grammar and to practice their writing until they gain the confidence many in developmental courses lack. Both of these expectations would benefit from the use of technology in practical applications. Grounded in this pragmatic philosophy toward education, I will first focus my investigation of educational technology on the possibilities presented for skills learning that offers students the ability to practice writing in the forms they are most likely to use, need and understand.

My role as a teacher is to use whatever tools I can to impart the skills and knowledge that my students will need. It also is to expand their knowledge of the tools available to reach their own goals. By using technology in my instruction, I can serve this two-fold purpose. The generations that come will use technology as a given in all parts of their lives. Not learning how to integrate technology is not a realistic option for tomorrow’s teachers and all will need to decide how to integrate technology into their educational philosophy. As for myself, I plan to use educational technology to give my students new avenues for interaction, more convenient pathways for skills practice and additional opportunities to understand the role writing will play in their larger lives.