As I learn and blog about teaching with technology, my main goal is simply to cultivate my own interest in the topic. I believe that, like habits and personality traits, interests can and should be actively cultivated. Although imagining we have total control of our lives is a dangerous illusion, I believe that if one wants to be a person with a passion and skill for using technology, one can make intentional choices to make it happen.
On that note, I must confess that I have taught in a room with a SMART board for 4 semesters and haven't taken the time to figure out an interesting way to use it in my Educational Psychology class! When I took stock of how much time had passed without learning about a technological tool right under my nose, the fear of becoming an old fogey in the classroom kicked me in the pants and right into this class!
However, I tend to believe that the most important characteristic needed for learning is a warm and caring relationship between teacher and student. Unfortunately, as many of us know from family dinners spent in front of text messages, Hulu, and iPads, technology is often used to separate us from each other and from our true selves. So I must admit that I'm starting out this journey with some skepticism about the usefulness of ever-increasing amounts of technology in the learning process.
The science of when and why certain tools work for certain purposes in conjunction with certain teaching philosophies will be a good starting off point for me. I'm ready to evaluate my Teaching Perspectives Inventory score, re-read my Teaching Philosophy and start digging!
