Week 1 – Reflection

This week the main resource reviewed was the ISTE Standards. These standards are in my opinion an extremely useful resource for implementing technology in education. Technology in education has been a mixed experience for me in the past. Most of my experience with it comes from education courses and emergency measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This likely skews my perspective towards being apprehensive towards how technology is applied in the classroom. The former focused mostly on technological tools that can be used in education, rather than how to apply them. The later was done due to urgent circumstances and amplified a lot of the issues that make traditional education difficult. I found that online classes brought all the same challenges of traditional learning, but without the engagement of being around peers and an educator in-person.

Technological resources need to be understood in terms of operation and application. Training educators in operation of these technologies is critical for using them, but it doesn’t inherently mean that they’ll be used effectively. Without training in application, educators will just end up using these technologies to teach traditionally with different tools. Resources like Prezi are really tools, but they often seem like alternative means of approaching traditional technologies like slideshows. Approaches like this often feel like using technology out of a hope that the modern technology itself will advance the learning experience to a more modern model. This can cause problems for educators as they can end up teaching using out-dated approaches on technology that they aren’t familiar with, further complicating the learning process.

I’ve been pretty hopeful about this course so far. Discussing inquiry and resources like the ISTE Standards seem like good places to start in ensuring that application of technology is given the time it needs. I specifically focused on the ISTE Standards for Educators. The seven points included on this list seem like really great starting places for educators looking to implement new technologies in modern ways. Each broader standard includes a breakdown of approaches to take in order to achieve the standard. Phrases and words that might be unfamiliar to educators are highlighted and can be hovered over for a definition. I found the definitions helped give a concrete reference for the standard requirements. Phrases like “authentic learning experiences that leverage technology” can seem empty buzzwords on the surface, but defining the terms grounds them in a tangible concept.

The Standards lack any examples of them being applied, but I don’t think this is too much of a downside. There’s a large range of approaches that educators can take to teaching. Providing broader definitions and requirements needed to meet standards allows for these standards to be used for a wide range of educational approaches.