"What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul."(Joseph Addison)
Foundations of Educational Technology
Through discussions and readings in this course, I became more comfortable with exploring the pedagogy discourse of technological integration, and all of the potential issues that come with it. The two artifacts below highlight the type of collaborative and independent work that I produced. For the project on the left, my group decided to explore the effects that technology has on the relevancy of learning materials in schools. We specifically focused on textbooks and learning management systems. For my independent research paper on the right, I focused my exploration and discussion on the 'fear of missing out' (FoMO), and what sorts of effects that has on the technological behaviour my students have.
My specific contribution was in creating an online textbook in order to explore the changing world of print media.
The lessons:
Through the creation of both of these artifacts, I was able to explore the purpose behind different kinds of media and the potential future benefits of both technology and mixed-media in the classroom. While it is difficult to think of and balance all of the disparate issues created from the use, integration, or ban of technology, it is important to recognize that the lived realities of our students have changed. As I wrote in the research paper above, "after all, even if students are told that they are not allowed to use their technology, they will still be feeling its effects – in the form of FoMO or in ways not yet substantiated." Conversely, even if we use the Internet to search for travel tips, to access booking software, or to find better deals on accommodation, it doesn't discount the value of using older methods to plan for one's travel - talking to other travelers, reading a travel book, or chatting with a local.