Learning:
Learning according to an online dictionary is “the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught” Now, that definition is correct to an extent but can learning really be defined that simply? I also view learning somewhat simply, I see it as the process of combining prior knowledge with new information and then synthesizing the relevant parts to create a new understanding that can be applied to real-world applications. Many people believe that learning is largely individualistic and that it simply is an acquisition of facts and skills. Those ideas of learning are not really relevant in the technological world that we are currently live in. The idea of learning needs to shift its focus from the acquisition of facts to instead how to locate the required information to problem solve ever-changing issues that we face in the new global economy.
Teaching:
So much of the world around us has evolved, but unfortunately, largely, teaching has stagnated and old world best practices are still in place. The role of the teacher, in some cases, does need to maintain the hierarchical structure of teacher and student, but now there is plenty of room for a shift in pedagogical approach. I would like to see the teacher become more of a facilitator in the classroom, providing students with relevant learning opportunities and guiding them to self-driven learning. I also believe that teachers need to provide more opportunities for cooperative learning as well as peer to peer learning. It is clear that these are skills that are necessary to be a productive member of the workforce and many of our students don’t currently possess them. Finally, if teachers could develop projects that allow for more student choice and voice in their education, I think there would be a significant increase in students engagement. These few changes if made would significantly improve education for all students, while also preparing them for what they will face in their future.
Philosophy Change:
After taking a look back at my Learning Philosophy v.1, I don’t actually find much that has changed between then and now. Many of the topics that we covered this semester in regards to learning were themes explored in Designing Constructivist Learning Environments which I took last semester. What this course did which I greatly appreciated is it piggybacked on those concepts but with the focus being on the technology that can assist the new learning approaches. Last semester I was somewhat frustrated by the outdated technology examples there were tired to the learning theory. With that said, being exposed to different learning theories last semester made it easier for me to focus on the technologies this semester. So, overall, I think my learning philosophy is still pretty similar, but I do have a clearer vision of how technology can support my learning/teaching philosophy.
How Does Learning Happen:
How does learning happen? That is a much larger question than it seems to be. Let’s first state that learning can be intentional, learning can be unintentional, learning can be formal, learning can be informal, learning can be personalized, learning can be standardized, learning can be individualistic or cooperative, and so on and so on and so on. There are so many ways that learning can occur, but the challenge that we as educators face is what are the most effective strategies to ensure learning is happening? How can we engage our students to want to actively participate in their own learning?
The Role of the Teacher and Students:
If we are going to begin to embrace change in education, there needs to be a shift in the hierarchical structure of teaching. Currently, education sees teaching as the teacher at the front of the classroom providing largely lecture style lessons. There needs to be a shift in which learning can happen between all members of the learning community. In some cases, learning may still occur from teacher to student, but it can also occur from student to teacher and from student to student. Teachers need to be humble enough to realize they don’t know everything and that there are plenty of opportunities to learn from their students. Some of the best learning we are seeing today is happening amongst peers as people all have different strengths and can bring varying perspectives to a topic.
Evidence of Knowledge:
True learning is not simply the acquisition of facts and the ability to regurgitate them. True learning is occurring when the individual can take the newly acquired knowledge and reuse it in another situation that is new and unique. In essence, there is a transference that has to occur in order to solve a new problem or be able to make sense of an unfamiliar situation. Also, I believe that if an individual has the ability to teach someone else something that they have learned then there is evidence that learning did effectively happen. None the less though, students and individuals should be given a variety of options to demonstrate understanding as we all have different strengths that we play to. In other words, we aren’t all round pegs, some of us may be squares and we need that square peg to have a fair chance at fitting in its own “educational hole”
Role of Technology:
Technology plays an important role in my learning philosophy, but I think we always need to remember that Technology is nothing but a tool to help us meet our learning objectives/goals. Due to my role as a technology teacher/coordinator technology is always at the center of what I am doing, but I always ensure that the technology is useful and appropriate. Technology has absolutely expanded access to new learning networks in terms of potential for collaboration and informal learning from peer to peer, as well as what, when, where and how we have access to new information. After this semester I do have full intentions of continuing to focus on providing more collaborative learning opportunities for my students through programs like Flipgrid and Skype. I also plan to continue to place a focus on improving my student’s digital fluency while focusing on digital citizenship. If I could only choose one thing that I would like my students to take away from the six years of technology instruction, it would be that although they know how to use the tools, more importantly, they know how to use them safely. Their safety in regards to interacting on the internet will always be paramount to how I drive my instruction. As I said in one of my earlier blog posts Uncle Ben got it right when he said, “With great power comes great responsibility”. I want to give them the power to use technology to enhance and enrich not only their education, but their lives as well, but they need to learn to be responsible first.
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