On
June 1st, 2004, the Association for Educational Communications and
Technology posted the Definition of Education Technology. The definition
presented in this pre-draft is as follows:
"Education
Technology is the study and ethical practice for facilitating learning
and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate
technological processes and resources."(2004, page 1)
The
post included thirteen elements of this definition. THIRTEEN! Reading
this gave me more insight to our responsibility as educators. All
thirteen elements are important to this definition and the use of
technology in the classroom or on the web. Attached is a short
discussion on two of these elements that I felt were important on a
personal level. Click here to see the below document in Google Docs
Reflection on The Definition of Education Technology:
I was awed by the depth of the definition. At first, I thought the writers had just drawn out the definition with 13 elements, and while some elements are very closely related, each one is justified as being separate. Though this is a specific definition for education technology, many of the elements make up good education policy. I was familiar with most of these elements and used many of them to create lessons such as study, appropriate, creating, improving, resources, facilitating, managing, and learning. The elements of ethical practice and appropriateness, their definitions from this document, have changed my teaching perspective. The considerations when creating lessons have become broader. It may make creating lessons and units more time consuming factoring in these elements but, I believe, it will make them more engaging and learner-oriented.
This learning blog log is a showcase of my learning experiences and
projects as I progress through my Master of Education Technology Degree
here at Boise State University. This will become a review of my journey
as a novice in technology education to an apprentice. I say apprentice
because technology grows so fast, there will always be more to learn.
My name is Nora Lawson. I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I have
worked at a number of jobs over the years,but have had two careers. I
spent 10 years teaching at a Title One Elementary School and have been a
massage therapist/bodyworker for 19 years now.
Presently, I am taking a two year leave of absence from teaching to
pursue this degree. I took the leave of absence because I was feeling
burnt out -not from teaching. I love teaching young people. I needed a
break from a school district that cared more about state test scores
than helping young people become life-long learners.
Besides teaching and bodywork my interests are gardening, reading
science fiction, mysteries, and current events; gardening, spending time
with my husband and our 10 or so cats, and hanging out at the beach.
I am excited about all that I am going to learn in this program. This
will help me become a better teacher and help future struggling students
become more successful in their education.
This image represents some of the important parts of my life. The
center photo is from a visit to Tennessee from a few years ago. It
represents the new journey that I have started this summer transitioning from a
full time teacher of ten years to a full time graduate student and
bodywork practitioner. My In Touch Bodyworks logo denotes my style
of bodywork- a good friend of mine designed that for my business. The
picture of "Max" in the herb box symbolizes my love of cats and
gardening. Although, I actually enjoy all types of animals - cats just
seem to have gathered around me over the years. The blueberry/peach
cobbler (yum by the way) was made over the summer and I love to cook. Then
there is Assateague Island- the place where I go to distress. Finally, the
Echinacea plant with butterfly represents the importance of good health and
love of nature. I took it in Asheville, NC. I
also really like to travel.
Thanks to reviewing other students' work I decided to practice
using Adobe Fireworks. I am really going to enjoy learning how to
use this software. I am also excited to be on this journey with my fellow
students.
