kev's Thoughts on Edtech

(December 2^nd, 2024’s Blog)

The growth of technology influences people to do more. As an educator, I am always curious with the use of technology in education especially in my teaching areas. I am a person that always want to try new things. The presence of AI honestly makes me think that humans have another competitor. The key is to keep on learning so that we are updated with the current information technology. As an educator, I always ask how technology could bring positive impacts on my teaching activities as well as the learning process for my students. I rarely use direct AI in my teaching activities, but I can feel how this AI brings fast and quick information. The accuracy of AI in providing information should be doubted as I have found some of the information was not truly true based on the facts. The point is I always need to recheck everything, especially in preparing my teaching materials.

I think that AI also brings positive impacts to human lives. In terms of education, both teachers and students have the same right to access AI. I always want my students to know that they have to know about AI, but when they mistakenly use AI for something that is not necessary like making their assignments with the help of AI. Copying and pasting all the information from AI without paraphrasing their ideas and without the students’ effort in contributing to the assignments. These actions that go wrong and should not be followed.

The future of AI will be seriously developed, and many institutions will adopt the use of AI in their business and activities. People cannot avoid AI in their lives, but people can adapt themselves properly and wisely use AI in their daily life.

(November 25^th, 2024’s Blog)

Technology has brought many significant changes to people’s lives. As we have talked and discussed the fast shift of technology is like a blink of an eye, and the presence of more focus categories are STEM, coding, and Maker’s spaces. Based on the overview of the STEM article, STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) knowledge is being looked up by many students nowadays. STEM focuses on the growth of data, numbers, as well as concepts. Many students are very interested with STEM, coding, and maker’s spaces because they can make their imaginations and creativity without limits. Some students like to play games. The use of coding and science can innovate the games according to the owner’s way. Some students like to build buildings, landscapes, and houses. The use of maker’s spaces can help them in making their art into a 3D reality.

The values of STEM, coding, and maker’s spaces influence students that there are still various of knowledge and areas that they can explore. In creating and innovating things need the process of collecting data, numbers, and mathematics. Everything is possible when they are not afraid to dream about their ideas and imaginations. I can say that this specific knowledge about STEM can only bring advantages to certain students who have passions in numbers, engineering, and Science. I have taught many students, and I know each one of them has a different passion that they want to achieve. Some like to create food, art, and even teachers. So I can say that only certain students who have interests in Science and Mathematics will likely continue their journey in coding and maker’s spaces paths. I am a person who does not like numbers since I was small. I like to share my hobbies and interests related to art, sports, and languages. My parents did not force me to like Science and mathematics, but they let me focus in the arts. Coding and maker space should be taught by experts in the field. Knowing the details and difficulties of these lessons, certified trainers and teachers are needed to teach these subjects to students.

(November 18^th, 2024’s Blog)

One of the short and long term goals of education is to creat equity among all students from different backgrounds. All people have the same right to access education despite of their backgrounds, ethnicity, and beliefs.  The presence of assistive technologies as the bridge to accommodate and support people in terms of accessing information. From the key benefits of assistive technology article, we can see how our brothers and sisters face many challenges in accessing information physically and mentally. The hope and the goal of assistive technologies will bring easier access for them in their daily activities. People with disabilities tend to fall in category where they need assistive technologies the most. Let us say people with wheelchairs. Wheelchairs itself is an assistive technologies created by people to support disabilities people in their daily activities. The goals is to make these disabilities people to be more independent and live their lives to the fullest. With the help of assistive technology tools, they can access information and improve their communication. The examples of assistive technologies are divided into two categories. Hardware and software. The hardware assistive technologies can be like wheelchairs, standers, neck supports and etc. The software accessing technologies can be in the form of applications or websites where it provides information that are designed for disabilities-friendly access. We can see like magnifiers become the assistive technology tool that help people with low vision.

From the perspective of educators, assistive technology brings fresh air in education. We know that students are unique as well as special. Assistive technologies support those students tat are in need in order for them to have and experience the best learning. I could say that glasses become the relevant and common assistive technology tool that people are using it. From the perspective of the teacher article, assistive technology brings a dilemma. Teachers have more tasks in helping the students with the help of assistive technologies. Some teachers are very busy with their tasks and administrative tasks that need to be completed. Learning and gaining more knowledge and training in assistive technology becomes an impossible goal for them to do.

One of my personal experiences with assistive technology was when I taught my students a few years ago. This student had low vision, so I needed to put him in the front-row seats. I was so grateful that my classroom had a projector so that I could zoom in and zoom out my presentation easily. I think this was a great innovation and assistive technology that brings positive impacts to the users. There are some challenges and limitations. Spending more time to prepare the tools as well as it requires great understanding from the other people to be patient.

(November 4^th’s Blog)

We have been discussing technology and its relation to pedagogy and education. As I mentioned earlier technology can bring good impacts when it applies to the education areas. There are many findings and research about the impacts of technology to students in education. As an educator, I know how technology bring good impacts to students especially when I create learning activities with technology. Students are very happy and their understandings can be seen from their curiosities and motivation in learning. When it comes to assessing students’ understandings, I personally do not like to assessing students by the standardized scores and rubrics criteria, because I believe that each student is very special and unique. When few students did not pass the lesson assessments, it did not mean they do not understand. It could mean they have different understandings. Working in educational institutions means following the rules and the regulations. I have no choice but to follow the regulations. I always make lesson assessments with the use of technology and I put the fun and interesting aspects in the assessment so that students would not be pressured in doing the assessment. I taught lower level students and interesting assessments become unwritten rules that need to be followed. From the technology in education article, we can highlight how education and technology should bring impacts to students all over the world. With the complexity of the world’s growth, it is almost imposible to rely only on education to educate students. With the help of technology it will create efficiency in many aspects in education. We can take a look with the distance and only education. This is a good example of education that can be access outside the classrooms. Some rural areas where they most likely do not have access to the city, but through technology they can have access education from their current places. Another challenges appear as the internet as the technology that connects people. Good technology tools bring no impacts when it can not be used properly. There are many divisions that need to contribute for the success of achieving the education goals in terms of efficiency.

From the assessment technologies presentation group, Nysa pointed out the important journey and history of assessment. Assessments are not just only to assess students’ understanding, but there are deeper meanings and concepts of why it is created. Nysa highlighted of all the assessment technologies, there were education philosophies behind them. Assessments are not only about paper test and let students to fill them so that the teacher can give scores. Assessment and assessment technologies can be in many forms. Behaviorism becomes the base for any assessments like gamification, instant feedback and external simulations. I like to interact with my students while I am delivering the lessons to them. I usually test their understandings to see whether they are still with me or busy with their worlds. Giving small games and activities just to put some refreshments. I also like to divide my students within groups and I create a small competition so that they can compete within groups by answering some of the questions and discussions from me. Leveling games work on my students so far. It motivates them to learn and focus. These assessments have something to do with cognitivism. Another education philosophy is constructivism. This is very interesting for me and I also apply this philosophy in my teaching activities. I like my students when they can discuss with their group members especially to solve problems. It automatically stimulates their critical thinking skills.

Assessment technologies bring positive impacts. Many people ask how it can contribute positively to students. Good assessment must be in line and prepared carefully by the educators. In assessing students, making sure the assessment materials and lessons should have been received or learned or brainstormed by the students before assessing them. The use of technology in assessment will bring variations and colors in the assessment itself. Levelling questions in assessment is also important. Students usually face easiest questions then followed by the challenging questions and tasks. From the article of facts about assessment tools, we can conclude how technology brings efficiency in many aspects. As educator, I can feel how technology helps in my tasks especially in assessing students. I usually create assessment through google forms. I also use the Google classrooms as well in maintaining my students about their assignments. I relatively spent lesser time in correcting as well as giving feedbacks. Since it is online, I can put the marks online for each students and do not need to mark it physically one by one.  

(October 28^th’s Blog)

It is always interesting to talk and discuss about technology. Innovations and improvements are always updated just like a blink of an eye. I believe that technology can be applied in many fields and areas of people’s lives. As an educator, I always believe technology can contribute very well to education. Students should not only learn technology and computer-related knowledge in computer class but technology should be introduced in all aspects of lessons. It is a great insight from Gerstain in defining and combining the concepts of technology and education. He highlighted web 1.0 focuses on one-way information on and users have limited options for receiving and accessing information. It is in line with education 1.0 where students were having no options in terms of their learning activities. They needed to focus on what the teachers had given and told them to do. Some standards needed to be achieved in order to pass and successful in that course or lesson. Gerstain continued to explain about web 2.0 where more interactions and flexible options for the users. It goes quite similar to Education 2.0 where two-way interactions were the focus at that time. Lots of educators believe having communication, understanding, and collaboration between students and teachers will enhance students’ understanding which will lead to the success of the course or the lesson. Web 3.0 is quite unique with Web 2.0 and 1.0 where it is way more flexible and gives a clear line that creativity is limitless. Web 3.0 focuses on the users as the creators to create any kind of art, information, and stories to contribute in social life through internet that can be accessed by all people around the world. This is what Gerstain added that web 3.0 as the education 3.0. All people and students have the same rights to access anything using the internet. The presence of artificial intelligence gives more colors to web 3.0 and Education 3.0.

Gerstain’s metaphor is that education should follow the development of technology and web. The key factor is educating students based on the current and updated information so that students can relate with the current information and improvements. Lot of people and students are only become the “users”, but they do not know how to think critically in every task that they do. With the updated technology students face now, lots of assignments that they make, are with the help of artificial intelligence. I am not saying artificial is wrong, but there are certain tasks and activities that are designed to stimulate students’ critical thinking. If students are doing their assignments using the help of artificial intelligence, their critical thinking skills can not develop well.

The impacts of Web 3.0 in education will bring dilemmas for both educators and students. It is great that many students and teachers can have equal access in looking for information. On the other hand, students will be introduced to the concept of quick fix in doing their assignments. They can easily search the solutions and answers using artificial intelligence. It becomes a new challenge for teachers to really think and create unique assessment activities to check students’ understandings.

As the technology keeps changing, both teachers and students need to adapt with the current and updated situations as fast as they can. Based on my experiences, senior teachers tend to think that their teaching ways are already perfect and should not be changed or updated. It brings negative impacts to these group of teachers because without realizing it, they begin get confused with the improvements. For example, they used to teach using limited technology tools. With so much variety of technology tools nowadays, they might think those technology tools are not good enough to support their teaching activities, but actually they have not tried those technology tools yet.  Teachers who do not want to improve will be left behind with the changing of technology day by day. It goes the same as students who do not want to learn new things will be left behind with the updated technology tools.

Raul and Stacey had highlighted the importance of technology especially about the updated Web. Web 1.0, and Web 2.0 In the article of global Social Challenges, I think Raul and Stacey made a clear connection that web 1.0, and 2.0 are just the platforms. The Internet is the one that connects everything. We can see how the internet changes the social life of people. Each person can be connected to the rest of the world. They can access information globally, find friends internationally, and even earn money by doing certain jobs.  

(October 21^st’s Blog)

When we talk about tools for distance and online education, people will not have a hard time thinking right away about all the technology applications, innovations, and software that are massively everywhere around us. For me, tools for distance and online education bring back memories of the COVID-19 pandemic time where I think that was the momentum for the rise of distance and online education all over the world. After reading online and distance learning article, I think there are always advantages and challenges in every technology and invention from humans. Distance and online education bring positive impacts in general in terms of its access for people in different locations. The idea that people can access education and learn everywhere, anywhere and anytime comes to reality. I do not think distance and online education is for everyone. The quality might not be as good as offline learning. As an objectivism person, I would prioritize myself to teach offline rather than online.

Distance and online education were established several years ago. Due to the limited technology tools and media at that time, television and radio were the common technology tools to be used in sharing information with people. In the article of development history, technology, and innovations will change the perspectives of education day by day. Unlimited information will give better and more options for the users to choose from in accessing information. When we relate to the *10 distance learning tools video, there are many websites, applications, and software that can assist educators as well as learners in their teaching and learning process. Kahoot, Quizzez, and Canva are websites that can be used by both teachers and students. Duolingo and other learning applications also play an important role in giving a variety of materials for learners to learn new things.

As an educator, I personally think that applications like Zoom and Google Meet are very important for the success of online and blended learning. The other things are computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. I have mentioned earlier in my previous blog that the Covid-19 pandemic marked my first online teaching to my students. I still remember how The school principal and other teachers spent months finding suitable ways to teach online. Not all students had laptops or tablets as technology tools to support their online learning. We sent worksheets and assignments to the students’ houses as well. These moments remind me that teaching and learning can be in any situation and condition. The thing that I am concerned about is the quality of the learning and teaching. I think that I could not maximize delivering my teaching virtually other than being present physically.

(October 7^th’s Blog)

We have witnessed how technology changes situations, especially in terms of education. the Top Ten Learning Theories video, mentioned many theories that support the idea of tools to make people productive in their daily lives. Theories like constructivism, behaviorism, and other theories bring people to develop productive tools. When I hear productivity tools, I think about simple objects around me to help me with my activities. I directly think about pencils, pens, scissors, etc.

When we talk about technology, the common object that comes up in our minds is the computer. From the History of Computer article, we know that technology has a very long history that improves every time. Before we know productivity tools, technology like computers brings significant contributions to people’s daily lives. People used to type using a type machine which took longer and complex steps to do it. From that point, the presence of Microsoft Word, office, and PowerPoint changed people’s perspectives on working efficiently with this Microsoft software. I witnessed how technology has changed very fast. I still remember when I was in elementary level, There was a Pentium 4 computer in my house. It was thick and very big. This time, all computers, laptops, and televisions are competing to be as thin as possible with high-technology features in it. From this point, we can see people have the mindsets to make people’s lives easier day by day with the use of technology.

Productivity tools bring many pedagogical implications. I always support teachers and my colleagues to use technology in their teaching activities to bring new insights to students. Productivity tools are very helpful for educators in creating lesson plans, teaching and learning activities, as well as simplifying the teachers’ administration tasks. Educators need to maximize the use of gadgets, applications, and software in their daily activities. From the point of view of students, productivity tools enhance their creativity to express their understanding in different and unique ways. I once taught my fifth-grade students about social studies. I gave them an assignment for their final project to make a lesson summary as creative as they could. Some of the students created presentations using the Canva website and they decorated. Some of them created a storytelling in front of the class, and some of their presentations were uploaded in YouTube. We can see that students’ creativity should not be limited. We can see how creative they are.

(September 23^rd’s blog)

There are many theories about teaching that many educators apply in their teaching process. I have read and tried several teaching theories to find suitable teaching theories that suit me so that I can apply them in my classroom. After I read The nature of knowledge, I began to reflect myself in which theories that I currently apply to teach my students in the classroom. I have just realized how I used to apply objectivism philosophy in my teaching activities before the Covid-19 pandemic. I believed that learning and teaching could only me successful when both teacher and students physically present face to face. Covid-19 pandemic has changed my perspectives in seeing things. I was in many situations where I taught my students virtually at that time. I realized that learning and teaching can be done through technology tools. The other teaching philosophy that I always apply in my teaching activities is behaviorism. I personally believe people can change through habits. Habits that are repeatedly done over and over again will bring impacts to the people. I used to teach kindergarten and elementary-level students. At first, letting the students follow the habits might be very difficult. As time goes by,  they begin to understand and get used to those habits. Greeting teachers, praying before they eat, and remembering magic words (thank you, sorry, and excuse me) are just a few habits that I want my students to know. Creating unique hand-clapping to refer to a meaning.

There are also many theories about ways to teach students. I have read the article about the learning pyramid. This is actually very interesting. It gives colors to educators in seeing the effective ways to maximize students’ learning process. All information is not necessarily must be taken. As educators, we should know which information is informative and which is not. From the article, it stated that students tend to have less understanding when it comes to reading activities. On the other hand, learning by doing learning activities tends to give more understanding to students. Without this learning pyramid information, I think teachers can logically think that almost most students are quite difficult when it comes to textbook reading and etc. I totally agree that mixing and combining several ways of teaching can enhance students’ interests in learning.

I have just realized that I can find similarities between my teaching philosophy with Skinner’s. After reading Skinner’s teaching machine, I totally agree with how Skinner believed people change through their surroundings. People are known as easily adapted to new environments. I always have a perspective to bring fun activities to my students. I want through those fun activities students can learn as well as play at the same time. I usually call it educative games. I always prepare leveling activities from the easiest to the hardest. I have applied this kind of activity but did not know that actually, it actually refers to Skinner’s theory.

     As the world keeps changing, so do people need to change in terms of improvement. Any activities need to have refreshments, evaluations, and rooms for improvements. Those activities will be monotonous if the patterns are the same day by day, month to month, and year to year. These kinds of activities will be left behind by people who always look for improvements and positive changes. The activities of teaching and learning need to be improved to provide the best educational experience to people. To improve the educational activities, the needs to learn new skills and things are very crucial. Technology should be an important tool to facilitate teaching and learning activities, not only upgrading the educator’s skills in terms of lesson knowledge and teaching and learning methods.

     People start to realize that education is important. I think that people as well as educators try their best to accommodate and facilitate the learners with the knowledge not only from textbooks but from the current and latest technology at that time. The common technology to support the learners is the computer. Many activities we can do with computers. From writing emails, making presentations, and creating tasks. I have discussed how the world keeps changing every day. The technology has drastically changed. The world has relied on the internet to connect everything.  I think educational technology is more than just using computers and making presentations. It is more into the idea of using the current and up-to-date technology to bring impacts in education areas.

     Historical and philosophical cultures and research have shaped me to give the best teaching by combining teaching and learning activities with technology. I usually let my students make presentations and they can decorate as well as design their presentations. I think it is very important to give room for students to improve and show their tasks digitally. I always believe that something monotonous will trigger learners negatively. Finding and facilitating students with different and various activities will bring positive impacts in their education journeys.

Five things we need to know about technology change