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Abstract
Educational Technology Philosophy 2
Technology is a vital part of teaching and learning in our fast paced, 21st century world.
Unfortunately, since I will be teaching in low income, urban schools, I will be faced with a lack
of appropriate resources, a large participation gap, and digital divide. This puts pressure on me
as the educator to follow through with the ISTE standards for technology in my classroom. I
want my students to grow as empowered learners, digital citizens, innovative designers, creative
resources in urban schools, especially in English as a Second Language classrooms. But, I can
When entering college or the workforce, they will be expected to possess a basic understanding
Educational Technology Philosophy 3
of various software programs. In this sense, technology has an essential place in our education
system, but it is also a vital part of instruction and practice for digital age learning environments.
Students must be proficient in Microsoft office, Windows, IOS, and other softwares to be
successful college cut dents and valuable members of the workforce. However, technology lends
itself more to wealthier schools, and specific subject areas. As a future ESL teacher in low-
income, inner-city schools, I will have limited resources for technology use and instruction in my
classroom. I will be working in schools with little to no access to computers and many of my
students will not have access to computers or Internet. This raises a few serious questions for me
as an 21st century educator: How will a significant lack in resources affect my students as they
grow and learn? How can I use limited technology to improve the quality of my classroom? How
will a lack of technology affect my students views of necessary technology in their world? How
can I effectively use technology to help students become well rounded global and digital
citizens? How can I maintain consistency with technology, despite a growing participation gap
The ISTE standards for students clearly lay out how technology can affect the
development of students as well rounded learners. Some of the skills listed are vital with
technology. I want to evaluate how each can be taught using limited technology, without
compromising the class atmosphere, or productivity level. Students become empowered learners
when they can search and explore for themselves. When they realize the power that comes from
gaining unlimited knowledge from the Internet, they will become truly empowered learners.
Using a projector and my personal computer, we could do class-wide internet searches to learn
about reliable sources and how to filter through sources. Each student can find an article to print
and work with the whole class to test the credibility of the source. Students can also learn about
digital citizenship while working together with the projector and computer. We can have a class
Twitter page, on which we put our daily learning objectives, and we can put homework
Educational Technology Philosophy 4
assignments on there. This will create a positive example of digital citizenship, when we are
productive users of social media, and can follow other helpful social media pages. To train
students as knowledge constructors, digital field trips are a powerful tool to learn about other
cultures and other times. In an ESL classroom, we could visit each other's hometowns and
discuss the difficulties that come with culture shock. This will inspire discussions that connect
the students to each other, and to their home. As a part of service learning, the class could make
posters on Canva, a free advertising software, to make posters promoting a local program they
are a part of, or telling about themselves, to share with the class. When students play online
thinking, and problem solving skills. Other free programs such as Talkabroad allow students to
talk to classes in other countries in real time, teaching them about other cultures and developing
The ISTE standards for me as an educator are a little simpler. They require me to learn
from other teachers through online forums, pursue leadership roles within the school to promote
student voice, be a safe and professional digital citizen, collaborate with other teachers to design
and build lessons, and facilitate, promote, and analyze the effectiveness of technology in my
classroom.
I would love to teach at a one-to-one school, with children who had as much of an
opportunity as I did, but they are not the ones in need, and I want to go where there is the most
need. Immigrant English language learners in low income schools are a growing group, and are
in need of a valuable, beneficial learning experience. They will go on to become a vital part of
Americas workforce, and economy. Bilingual learners can have many advantages as they grow
up and join society, especially in the job market, as Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin speaking
minorities rise in number. They will change the world, if only give the opportunity; however,
they need access to educational technology in order to become successful members of society.
Educational Technology Philosophy 5
Information technology is the future of our fast paced, digital world, and I want them to go
confidently, and find their fit. Unfortunately, there are barely any online resources for students
who are learning English for the first time. There are a few online gaming websites for English
language learners ages five to fourteen, but I could not find any sites that teach English in a
positive and effective manner. The only online educational resource I could find was through the
British Council, which teaches many languages for free, and finds face-to-face classes in your
area, but only if you live in Western Europe. So as our technology in education and society
continue to change, more resources must be created for our immigrant students. As I collaborate
with other teachers in the digital world, I hope to promote positive change in my field, to further
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2017). ISTE Standards for Educators.
Retrieved November 2, 2017, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators
International Society for Technology in Education. (2017). ISTE Standards for Students.
Retrieved November 2, 2017, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
Mouza, Chrystalla. (2008). Learning with Laptops: Implementation and outcomes in an Urban,
Under-privileged School, 40, 447-472, doi: 10.1080/15391523.2008.10782516
Padron, Yolanda N., et al. "Classroom observations of teaching and learning with technology in
urban elementary school mathematics classrooms serving English Language
Learners." International Journal of Instructional Media, vol. 39, no. 1, 2012, p.
45+. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/ doc/A282067845/SUIC?
u=tel_k_bearhigh&xid=df0194ef.
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