Elements of Educational Technology

After reading The Definition of Educational Technology by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), I now understand the complexity and extent of technology in our learning arenas.  I have been out of the classroom for almost six years since I have become a stay-at-home mom.  When I did teach, I was the go-to-person for technology since I was one of the few who integrated into their lessons.  Some of the teachers I worked with still loved their overhead projectors and did not want to release their grip and see what their computer had to offer.  Now that I have read the complex definitions of the thirteen different elements, I feel like that old teacher who is still holding on to PowerPoint and the glory it once was.  The difference is I want to let go and enter back into teaching with an understanding of the tools available to enhance my students.

I am thankful to say that the school I previously worked for is now working with iPads for both students and teachers to use as tools in the classroom.  I understand the need to be facilitators of technology, whether a history teacher or technology teacher, because it is the world we live in.  My family does not own an iPad, but my three year old daughter somehow understands how it works and how to access the camera and games on it.  I remember what I was in elementary school and we had special computer days where we would enter code into some tan box with a black screen and green type (I think if we did it right a smiley face made out of green Xs would appear).  Now toddlers are being exposed to technology that is growing at a faster rate than they are.  As a teacher and a mother, I want to understand the purpose of these technologies for my students and my children.

In conclusion, this article was eye-opening for me and I feel that I have a lot more to learn than I thought.  I am glad that I have enrolled in this master’s program not only for my future classroom, but to help other teachers understand the elements and their importance.  Hopefully along the way I will catch up with the fast-pace world and become part of it.  I look forward to reading the papers of my peers and see what they had to say about these elements and how they will use them in their classrooms.

Please see my link for a more in-depth look at Learning, Using, and Resources.

Click Here to access my Google Doc