Kerry Whitehead

ETEC 524

Educational Technology Philosophy Statement

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

--William Butler Yeats

Most of my teaching experience has come from teaching middle school

students. My subject of choice has been Reading. I have always tried to incorporate
technology into my lessons in the belief that one goal of education should be to
create well-rounded, articulate, productive members of society. One key aspect of
this goal is the ability of the student to think critically and to think inferentially.
Another key point is the ability of the student to be able to apply values that have
been instilled in them throughout their lives, such as being honest, reliable,
respectful, open-minded, etc. The role of the teacher is to teach content while
instilling values and a love of learning. It is a delicate balance between academics
and the nurturing and development of children.
I have many hopes for my students-past, present, and future. First and
foremost, I want my students to know that as soon as they become my student, they
become my child. It is my belief that if the student knows you care and want the
best for them, they will be more open and trusting in the classroom. I want my
students to leave my classroom as better readers than when they came into my
classroom. I also want them to learn technology skills that will carry them through
the rest of their lives, including the ability to adapt, as technology continues to move
forward by leaps and bounds.
In regards to technology, I believe students need to be proficient in the use of
technology. Students need to be active and engaged learners. The role of the
teacher is to help the student develop technology skills, such as online literacy, office
suite skills, and netiquette that can transfer as students learn to become productive
members of society. Students should be able to search for information and discern
what is credible; they should be able to use documents, spreadsheets, presentations,
as well as other tools to effectively to get their point across; and be able to figure out
which tool would be best for their desired outcome. For example, if students are

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Kerry Whitehead
ETEC 524

conducting a science experiment and need to record data, they will need to decide
how they will display that data. Students need to know that a spreadsheet would be
the best way to accomplish this. It is imperative that they be able to use proper
netiquette when communicating, whether through responding to fellow students
blog posts, emails, or collaborative documents. If students are able to participate in
lessons where they are doing the exploring and learning, the teacher becomes the
facilitator. This is where the greatest amount of learning takes place.
In the past, my teaching style has been one of a demonstrator. I have used
many different technologies in my teaching career to help facilitate the students
learning, such as learning management systems like Edmodo and eInstruction,
Microsoft Office Suite, and SmartBoard. When I planned my lessons, I made sure to
build in activities that encompassed the three learning styles-auditory, visual, and
kinesthetic. As a Reading teacher, we would read stories out of the textbook or
novels. To help the students connect to the stories, I would build background
knowledge. One way to develop this background knowledge is by using the
students own life experiences and connecting it to the story. For this strategy, I
would use a learning management system such as Edmodo. I would post the
questions and the students would respond. In furthering our discussions, I would
use their responses in class. Using the students background knowledge allows them
to feel valued within the lesson and allows the teacher to see what the student
knows.
I also like to use the Classroom Performance System by eInstruction, also
known as clickers. This would allow me to assess the students understanding
very quickly and offer reteaching moments on the spot. Additionally, the students
are provided immediate feedback. Another important skill I instilled in the students
was the ability to use the Internet as a useful research tool. The students were given
a project that required research and had to decide if the information they found was
credible and could be used within their project. This lead to another important skill-
citing sources. To succeed in college and life, students need to be able to give credit
where credit is due.

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Kerry Whitehead
ETEC 524

Why do I teach the way I teach? Simpleit works for me and it works for my
students. While I am always open to changes, I have discovered that by
incorporating technology into my classroom, I am able to reach the students at their
interest level. By doing so, they are more willing to open up to me and allow me to
teach them. Over time, I learned that the teacher needs to be the facilitator: present
the lesson and let the students determine the outcome. I plan to incorporate this
awareness with future students by way of using blogs and problem-based learning.
This gives students more of a say in their learning, allowing them to develop skills
that will carry them into the 21st-century classroom.