Personal+Philosophy

Personal Philosophy As a visual learner and an artist I find that I work best when I have learning tools like pictures, diagrams, concept maps, films, and demonstrations. I consider myself a “picture smart" person and learn best visually. I tend to organize my thoughts spatially and I am drawn to information that is presented in a visual way. I fully believe and understand that my learning style greatly influences my teaching style. When I contemplate the process of teaching, I recognize the influence of my visual, creative, learning approach, and I embrace this approach while fully understanding that catering to as many different learning styles seems to be the obvious goal. It is however, painful to have to admit that I also understand that restrictions on time and resources make this obvious goal very difficult to attain.

I am hopeful, that with the influx of technology in today’s teaching environment, educators will continue to access and explore the many free resources and tools that are available at their fingertips. In addition, I am also hopeful that school districts and state officials will begin to recognize the desperate need for investment in technology to assist in enhancing the learning environment for our students. This investment in technology goes far beyond just equipment and software. Educating our educators on how to use the technology that is available is also imperative.

Providing an environment open to learning of all sorts, and modeling critical thinking skills mixed with creative, artistic and organized visuals are the key elements to my personal educational philosophy. Influenced by my feminist belief system I draw inspiration for my personal philosophy from the following words…

Empowering I will continue empowering students to create a culture of both teaching and learning,

Encouraging I will continue encouraging students to demonstrate concepts, be productive, independent, and involved, as well as to use critical thinking skills beyond the classroom. I will continue to encourage them to be life-long learners.

Providing I will continue providing students with multiple formats, options, opportunities and methods for engagement.

Ensuring I will continue ensuring students are prepared to participate in a global society.

Facilitating I will continue facilitating learning and allowing students the opportunity to explore their interests thoroughly.

Cultivating I will continue cultivating an environment of learning where innovative instructional strategies are available to support learning for all students. I will continue to educationally provide the foundation for students to build their knowledge base on.

Striving I will continue striving to be consistent and balanced in my approach.

Role of Technology in Learning On a constant basis, we are inundated with technology. From our smart phones, to the Internet service we get at home, to the ATM machine at the bank, there is technology literally around every corner. We are in the middle of a drastic technological revolution and are experiencing change on a level that really is beyond compare. We need to harness, embrace and improve technology rather than hide from it or avoid it. Even more interesting is the fact that right now we are experiencing a radical shift in the way people think about technology. The influx of computers, smart phones, and the digital shift in television has prompted consumers as well as employers to think of technology in a more flexible and evolving manner. There are many reasons to integrate technology into the curriculum. Technology integration is essential to education as it continues to evolve and we too need to evolve. We can’t be afraid of changes that are in our future and teachers can’t afford to be tentative about integrating technology. Plato’s parable of the cave is a perfect example of why. Technology integration gives students hands-on experience with real-world innovations.

There needs to be a purpose for technology usage though, we cannot stray from the standard educational model just for the “Cool Factor” of the products that are out there. If administrators are worried about educators not being able to keep up with the shifts in technology and software, they should prioritize and invest in training and development for the educators.

All of this support for technology integration, does NOT mean that I think books should be replaced by computers. Quite the contrary, I feel books and other means of education are absolutely necessary. There is a delicate balance that should be teetered on according to the strengths and interests of the particular student or group of students. The relevance of the equipment, media, software and techniques are all dependent on the subject matter, and these items must be considered as equals to other teaching supplies, such as books. Technology and Computer integration into education has been criticized, this is true. Parents tend to have a perception and expectation of computers and technology being top-notch and implemented in a modern way, however a significant problem lies in the fact that educators don’t always have the time to use them, let alone apply the use of them in an effective way.

Many parents believe that the money used to implement technology could be used more effectively in other ways. The reality is that this is unfortunately, also partially true. Technology costs more than the physical prices of just software and hardware. The costs of professional development, technology support personnel, and constant upgrades to stay current, can be extensive. The pressures for schools to be innovative and modern are so strong that administration and faculty are pressured into believing that they need it regardless of its benefits or downfalls. The implementation of technology is often times more political for the approval and acceptance of the parents, rather than as a way to enhance the learning environment.

Professional development for teachers and easy access to Internet connected computers for teachers and students are the keys to enhancing the learning effectiveness of instructional technology. Computer enrichment programs have been shown to have positive effects on students’ writing, mathematics, and performance in the natural and social sciences. Student familiarity with and knowledge of computers influences effectiveness of technology-based instruction. Technology is most effectively integrated into instruction when educators and education decision makers review and analyze the content of technology applications to determine if the introduced skills and knowledge align with curriculum content standards. This brings us to the subject of Visual Media Literacy.

I believe that discussing technology integration in education cannot come without an additional discussion about Visual Literacy skills. Students should be engaged in critical dialogues that help them to articulate their intuitive understandings of their visual experiences with technology. Visual literacy skills should not be acquired by youth, on their own without adult intervention or supervision. The education system is the appropriate place to start integrating visual literacy while embracing technology. We should be engaging them with media and technology and motivating them to think critically about what they see and are exposed to. We cannot assume youth are actively reflecting on their media experiences and can thus articulate what they learn from their participation. It is unfair to them, to assume that they already have this understanding. We also cannot assume that youth on their own, can develop the ethical norms needed to cope with a complex and diverse social environment online.

Professional Vision In my approach to education, I hope to promote the use of web2.0 programs that support learners recognition networks. In further Investigating the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a research-based set of principles that together form a practical framework for using technology to maximize learning opportunities for every student., I have developed a strong approach to integration and I hope to continue to work toward that goal.As an educator, I also hope to continue to Investigate alternative forms of professional development resources that cultivate an understanding of how teachers and students using Web 2.0 tools can enhance teaching and learning. Enhancing curriculum and instruction by redesigning classrooms to include instructional technologies: Interactive White Boards, projectors, computers/laptops, printer/scanners, digital video cameras, web cams, etc.

Enhance curriculum and instruction by assisting teachers and faculty with implementation of instructional technologies for both learning and cognitive purposes.

Enhance the technology literacy skills for teachers, support staff and administrators to become "digital natives" in using emerging information technologies (e.g., Web 2.0, distance education) for the 21st Century.

Provide educators with a variety of classroom-based assessment skills and the skills needed to analyze and use data in instructional decision-making.

There is a general perception by some NOT ALL, that twenty-first century literacies seem to assume that communicating through visual, digital, or audiovisual media will displace reading and writing.

I completely disagree with this line of thought. I believe that textual literacy remains a central skill in the twenty-first century. Before students can engage with the new participatory culture, they must be able to read and write. Youth must expand their required competencies, not push aside old skills to make room for the new. Before students can engage with the new participatory culture, they must be able to read and write.

Beyond core literacy, students need to acquire research skills the skills to access books and articles through a library proper note taking skills skills necessary to assess the reliability of data the skills necessary to read maps and charts the skills necessary to make sense of scientific visualizations the skills necessary to distinguish between fact and fiction, fact and opinion to construct arguments to develop technical skills to know how to log on, to search, to use various software programs to focus a camera to edit footage to do some basic programming to acquire a basic understanding of the ways media representations structure our perceptions of the world; to understand the economic and cultural contexts within which mass media is produced and circulated; to understand the motives and goals that shape the media they consume

Schools need to foster a critical understanding of media as one of the most powerful social, economic, political, and cultural institutions of our era. New media literacies should be taken as an expansion of, rather than a substitution for, the mass media literacies and textual literacy.

Plan of Future Growth and Development In order to explore a plan for the future, I believe you really have to explore the past first. You need understand where you’ve come from in order to recognize your growth. As a enlisted Navy airmen, I worked in the Avionics Engineering field and was exposed to military technology first hand. My love of new and emerging technologies and media has fostered my constant education since then. As soon as I left the military in 1999, I began taking classes at Tompkins-Cortland Community College It was in the later part of 2000 that I discovered I could pursue the visual arts. I met my mentor at TC3, who instilled in me a great appreciation for my educational surroundings and what opportunities were literally resting around each corner. As the chair of the Communications Department, my mentor understood the significance of the technology and the allegiance that I felt for it. I moved on from TC3 to Ithaca College to continue my studies. While at Ithaca College, I discovered a more in depth analysis of the associated methodologies of using various forms of technology but I also realized there was a lot more to it than what I understood. I felt that, as an emerging artist in the New Media environment, I needed to research and study more. Thus began my obsession with information. Working independently on documentary projects, research projects and using what equipment I had available, I explored subjects that were interesting to me. I submersed myself into what ever visual reality I was obsessed with that week. Going from reading scholarly articles, to researching EPA regulations to creating a documentary about a secret spill no one was aware of, this process taught me the joys of educating myself on a subject. It wouldn’t be until much later in my life that I would realize, I was already exploring the the inner workings of what I would later come to enjoy as my career. Learning. I don’t think of myself as an educator, I think of myself as a learner. After graduating from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, I realized that the technology goes far beyond the various areas I had studied, both in the military as well as college. If I hadn’t of run out of money and time, I would have continued my studies at Ithaca College for a long time. There were so many classes and lectures in various fields that I was convinced I needed to experience because they directly related to my career objectives.

Taking time to get more field experience and hands-on training brought me here to ESU. My work history in the last 10 years, since leaving the military has included, Government Contracting for an Avionics Engineering Firm, Broadcast Engineering, Video Editing, Graphic Design, and Technical Directing for numerous television stations throughout NY, VT, and PA. The broadcast television industry offered significant opportunities for me to dissect the internal workings of broadcast engineering and communications, however I found that it took a thick skin to see the world through the lens of the media and broadcast news. As I started realizing that an emotional toll was being paid and an inevitable burn out was coming, I began exploring other avenues and quickly began my departure from the broadcast television industry, which is what brought me to ESU.

Fast forward 5 years.

Recently being laid off from ESU’s Instructional Resources Dept. has offered me some extended time to reflect on my experience. It occurs to me, that over the course of the 5 years I worked for ESU, I witnessed, first hand, some pretty dramatic changes. Speaking strictly technologically, ESU showed me a very clear view of how quickly and drastically technology is evolving. Some of those being interactive white boards being installed in classrooms, projectors being updated, computers drastically changing, the more frequent use of wireless technology, laptops, cell phones and even the delivery systems for all of the various digital communications that happen on the campus. In my job alone, we spent more than $500,000 in the last 5 years on upgrading and updating equipment for my specific video production department. This included things like a new production switcher, new sound boards, new software, new lighting systems in both television studios, and other things like new studio curtains and new sets for the student productions. The ironic and somewhat painful side of this system of spending on innovation in education, is that these investments aren’t always planned properly or made for the right reasons. Here it is 5 years and more than half a million dollars later and my department has been eliminated. The technology still stands, it will still be used, but the my position no longer exists. There is no longer someone to research, update, and upgrade what is available to students and faculty in my building. Where does responsibility fall now? On the students? In my opinion these investments weren't not properly planned. As is the case with a lot of the technology on this campus and I can only assume other campus’ as well.

ESU has very clearly, on more than one occasion, shown me how easily susceptible educators and administrators can be, to the seductive nature of attaining technology. Quite frequently this technology attainment is strictly for the purposes of “seeming” innovative not actually “being” innovative. On many occasions, the technology is not only unnecessary, but is flagrantly excessive, obviously for show, and not for the purposes of enhancing the educational experience. An example I love to talk about dates back to 2010, At some point in 2010 I was requested to record a speaker at the CFRED building on campus. CFRED stands for the Center For Research and Economic Development. On this particular day that I was asked to videotape a speaker, I showed up 30 minutes early. While there, I was setting up my tripod in the back of the room and quietly minding my own business. Throughout the course of 30 minutes, I went from quietly minding my own business to standing and staring with my jaw hanging, while I listened to 4 adults debate the pro’s and con’s of having the computer monitors lowered already when students came in or lowered via an electronically controlled switch at the front of the classroom after all the students had all sat down. They were debating what the effect of “seeing the monitors lower electronically” would be on the students. They were NOT debating the obstruction of the student’s view between the student and the presentation being shown on the whiteboard. They were NOT debating the unnecessary distraction of waiting for the monitors to slowly lower, once the speaker was ready to start talking. They were however discussing the so-called “cool factor” of being able to flip a switch and raise or lower all of the computer monitors in the room.

When the 30 minutes was coming close to an end, and students started sitting down. I watched as they continued to whisper and engage each other, debating the merits of “monitors up or monitors down?”. The students, all ranging is ages and cultural backgrounds sat quietly staring and I can only assume they were wondering what all the fuss was about, as I was. After all of the students were seated and another 1o minutes passed, they finally opted to leave the monitor’s up and once the speaker was ready, they would flip the switch and lower them, as if achieving some sort of superb feat of technological prowess.

While I stood there recording, the only 2 things I could see were 1. A complete waste of time, and 2. A complete waste of money.

Based on this story, I can tell you strongly and assertively that there is a drastic need for change in our education system. We cannot just buy the next coolest thing and hope people will think we understand technology. We can’t just throw money at technology and think that we’ll understand it. We have to learn how to use it. We have to learn what to use. We have to learn when to use what tools for a specific job and we have help and support each other to effectively use it. It’s not always about having the fanciest desk or the most expensive camera, the key to advancing our understanding of technology, and the key to advancing our education system lies in the hands of the educators. We must have educators who are willing to take the time to understand the tools, to think critically about what to use, how to use it and when to use it. We must invest in our educators as much as we invest in our learners. To stay apprised of what is available, we must activity participate and actively engage in learning as well as educating. Gone are the times, when we can sit idly by and lecture while scribbling illegibly on an overhead projector. We must engage students. Technology is where engagement is bred.

My goal with the Instructional Technology Degree that I am working to attain, is to help facilitate evolution in the educational system as quickly and as drastically as technology seems to be evolving.