OLTD 509 Emergent Environments
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Critical Challenge Questions:
During this course, we were asked to keep our attention on the Critical Challenge Questions:
During this course, we were asked to keep our attention on the Critical Challenge Questions:
- How can you select emerging technologies which fit your developing philosophy of education?
- How can you inspire, initiate and implement sustainable integration of emerging technologies in your own practice, and in the practice of others?
Evidence and Reflection Learning #1 -
Creating Guiding Principles for my e-Portfolio
OLTD Learning Outcomes and Guiding Questions Addressed:
Creating Guiding Principles for my e-Portfolio
OLTD Learning Outcomes and Guiding Questions Addressed:
- Examine current research around technology/pedagogy adoption, best practices for change management and technology integration.
- Adapt or develop a framework for assessing emerging technologies/pedagogies
- How can we deal with the numerous emerging technologies, pedagogies and initiatives with which teachers are bombarded?
- What criteria can you use to select emerging technologies and initiatives that fit your developing philosophy of education?
Reflection to support evidence:
My first piece of evidence was a Quest that required looking more closely at the overarching principles that guide my actions in creating the foundation for my philosophy of education. The Quest began by watching a video showcasing examples of our instructor’s credo, along with evidence and research to support each principle.
As I completed the first part of the Quest chain, I spent time reflecting on how to best deal with the numerous emerging technologies, pedagogies and initiatives with which teachers are bombarded. With this in mind, I was first drawn to the Credo Quest. Although we have had an opportunity during the past two years to define and redefine our personal educational philosophy, this was another chance to reexamine my foundational principles, and become more solid in what I believe with supporting evidence and research. After taking a 10 year break from teaching, this was an especially crucial step as there have been so many educational changes in the last 20 years.
Another guiding question that fit well into this inquiry was to consider the criteria for selecting emerging technologies that fit my philosophy of education. Research has shown us, that in order to use technology in the most effective and successful manner, we need to begin with our pedagogy and build connections to support our curriculum. The action of creating my guiding principles although not a specific set of criteria, did provide me an open-ended checklist to direct my choices and give me the assurance and knowledge to confidently choose technology for any grade I may teach in the future.
My first piece of evidence was a Quest that required looking more closely at the overarching principles that guide my actions in creating the foundation for my philosophy of education. The Quest began by watching a video showcasing examples of our instructor’s credo, along with evidence and research to support each principle.
As I completed the first part of the Quest chain, I spent time reflecting on how to best deal with the numerous emerging technologies, pedagogies and initiatives with which teachers are bombarded. With this in mind, I was first drawn to the Credo Quest. Although we have had an opportunity during the past two years to define and redefine our personal educational philosophy, this was another chance to reexamine my foundational principles, and become more solid in what I believe with supporting evidence and research. After taking a 10 year break from teaching, this was an especially crucial step as there have been so many educational changes in the last 20 years.
Another guiding question that fit well into this inquiry was to consider the criteria for selecting emerging technologies that fit my philosophy of education. Research has shown us, that in order to use technology in the most effective and successful manner, we need to begin with our pedagogy and build connections to support our curriculum. The action of creating my guiding principles although not a specific set of criteria, did provide me an open-ended checklist to direct my choices and give me the assurance and knowledge to confidently choose technology for any grade I may teach in the future.
Evidence and Reflection Learning #2 -
Creating a Quest for Others
OLTD Learning Outcomes and Guiding Questions Addressed:
- Be familiar with common terms, definitions and elements related to emerging technologies.
- Research and identify emerging technologies with educational applications not yet adopted by mainstream education or in early adoption phases.
- How can you inspire others to initiate and implement sustainable, positive change?
- What are the barriers you might face in implementing an initiative and how might you deal with them?
Reflection to support evidence:
For my second piece of evidence I chose the Quest: Create a Quest for Others. To do so, we were instructed to find a source, resource, article or document and consider how we would want other students to engage with it. We were provided a template to as a guide. I chose a video of Peter Senge discussing the relevance of systems thinking in our lives. I also found an article and interactive website to identify the Habits of a Systems Thinker.
Creating this Quest allowed me to sit in the instructor’s seat and see the course from a different perspective. Instead of creating a response, I had the opportunity to apply Understanding by Design principles to think about what I wanted students to take away from the activity and create guiding questions as a possible focal point. This process enabled me to examine the current research around best practices in Systems Thinking for change management. It was fulfilling to see a fellow cohort member complete my Quest and observe his understanding as he reflected on the connections made in his own teaching practice.
The concept of Systems Thinking was fascinating to me to help shed light on the question of how to inspire others to initiate and implement sustainable change. I’m inspired by the idea that it is through discovering the breakdowns in our interconnected relationships that we can begin to find the answers of why change is so difficult. I believe this is critical knowledge when working within any group focusing on positive and sustained change.
For my second piece of evidence I chose the Quest: Create a Quest for Others. To do so, we were instructed to find a source, resource, article or document and consider how we would want other students to engage with it. We were provided a template to as a guide. I chose a video of Peter Senge discussing the relevance of systems thinking in our lives. I also found an article and interactive website to identify the Habits of a Systems Thinker.
Creating this Quest allowed me to sit in the instructor’s seat and see the course from a different perspective. Instead of creating a response, I had the opportunity to apply Understanding by Design principles to think about what I wanted students to take away from the activity and create guiding questions as a possible focal point. This process enabled me to examine the current research around best practices in Systems Thinking for change management. It was fulfilling to see a fellow cohort member complete my Quest and observe his understanding as he reflected on the connections made in his own teaching practice.
The concept of Systems Thinking was fascinating to me to help shed light on the question of how to inspire others to initiate and implement sustainable change. I’m inspired by the idea that it is through discovering the breakdowns in our interconnected relationships that we can begin to find the answers of why change is so difficult. I believe this is critical knowledge when working within any group focusing on positive and sustained change.