Lifelong learning is not just a teacher preference; it is also a requirement for maintaining state certification. Technology literacy courses and workshops are some of the most popular learning experiences for certificate extension and renewal. Do you believe that taking additional courses in technology literacy is an important as those for your content or discipline? Yes, because technology changes daily and teachers as well as those who work positions with students need to stay current on new technology.
Is too much emphasis being placed on developing and maintaining technology competency? Defend your view. No, knowledge is the key to success. Todays’ learners have a variety of technology skills most times these technology skills are more advanced than their teacher. In the example of the video “Teachers as Facilitator for 21st Century Learners” of how the instructor discussed how his students aid in teaching the class. For this reason and more teachers must have technology skills to enhance the knowledge of the learners, but in most cases the learners are not only teaching their teachers about new technology they are teaching others. More emphasis should be placed on developing and maintaining technology. Teachers that began their career in a time when technology was vaguely discussed should also learn new innovations to teach their learners. Many aging teachers may have problems integrating technology in their class, and converting to a new way of learning. “’No Child Left Behind” should also say “No Teacher Left Behind” everyone can learn if given the chance. All teachers should receive professional development to continue to learn. With new technology available that enhances teaching and creating course materials learning technology is a requirement.
Chapter Two: Question One
Imagine that you are going to teach a unit about Christopher Columbus to the grade level of your choice. What strategies immediately come to mind as good possibilities for teaching this unit?
Strategies that come to mind that I want my students to understand the lesson taught so I must be a great communicator. I realize that students learn differently, so I would integrate technology in my lesson by adding videos and animations because integrating technology makes learning and teaching easier because of the availability of information. I would ask for feedback from the student to make sure they understand. For those students that do not understand I will provide more detailed explanations until they understand the subject discussed.
What relationship can you discern between how you might want to teach this unit and your learning or cognitive style? I would teach the unit based upon the fact that no one learns the same way or has the same thought pattern. There are different types of learners that include auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. I would incorporate all learning styles into the lesson taught so that I can reach all of the learners.
Describe how you think your own personal style might affect your teaching styles.
My personal styles would affect a positive way because I am a great communicator that communicates in multiple ways. I don’t believe that there is only one way of learning any subject and the instructor must be able to change their teaching style when necessary. Personally, it is all about using technology because technology has so much to offer in teaching and learning compared to traditional methods that do not. Technology enables higher order thinking that provides information instantly compared to traditional methods in which the process took longer.
What lessons can you draw from this realization when you teach your diverse students? Sine no one thinks the exact way I know there are different learning styles. I would prepare lessons for a diverse group of learners so that I can provide the best communication and understanding to all learners. Teachers must be able to address all learners needs.
Chapter Three: Question Two
To effectively design instruction with technologies, a number of instructional design models are used in education. After reading this chapter, discuss the Dynamic Instructional Design (DID) model with the focus on its five steps.
Step 1: Know the Learner
Instructor must be designed to meet the needs of each learner. Must identify and address the characteristics that can help or hinder learning. Characteristics include learning style, cognitive style, multiple intelligences, special needs, giftedness, cultural diversity and language diversity. Learning style include audio, visual, and kinesthetic. Cognitive styles are different types of thinking styles. Multiple intelligences are part of the planning process. Special needs, giftedness, cultural diverse, and language diverse are all learners with special characteristics.
Step 2: Standards-Aligned Performance Objectives
Can be referred to as learning outcomes for lessons that identify content and standards that objectives address. Performance objectives focus on students performance, provides description of assessment methods, and measures success. Standards created should be related to the grade level and content area.
Step 3: Identify Teaching and Learning Strategies
Teaching and learning strategies are described and identified. Teaching strategies are implemented in learning styles to aid students to achieve objectives. The learning strategies are what students need to succeed. These strategies are activities selected by the teacher for what the student must master.
Step 4: Select Support Technologies
Deals with identification and support of technologies. Often added to strategies. Technology supports teaching strategies that assist learning. The teacher is able to decide which technology is best to use.
Step 5: Assess and Revise
The assessment and revision plan. This step is when teachers find out how effective their plan is. This process can be performed through a comparison of performances that is obtained by the use of assessments. If assessments reveal a lack of performance revisions must occur. The two types of assessments performed are formative and summative.