"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know.
It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't."
-Anatole France
It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't."
-Anatole France
Over my academic career, I have had many insights to various views that are commonly shared within the world of education. I have taken everything that was bestowed upon me and used it to shape my own personal pedagogy which revolves around the idea that technology is changing the way we as a society are being educated. We must embrace these changes and learn to adopt a new outlook that changes the roles of individuals: we are all students, we are all learners, and we are all teachers.
My Personal Pedagogy:
Concerning Instructional Technology
Within the world of education, there are many different theories about learning and instruction. There are numbers of books written on these topics that describe various methods and styles of teaching and learning that takes place within the classroom. There are also a variety of different strategies to apply real-world practices to almost any lesson. However, our world is expanding with advancements in technologies, and the word classroom is becoming a term that can, and should, be used in more ways than just the traditional definition. Where we acquire a modern education is becoming more and more
abstract as time goes on, especially with advancements in networking technologies. Now that it is possible for individuals located across the globe to hold meetings and interactions through the use of webcams, laptops, and the internet, classrooms seem to have no barriers. An individual in Pennsylvania can instruct a group of students located in Iowa about comparative agriculture. Students from the United Kingdom can hear a lecture from a professor located in Canada with the click of a button.
Through technology, the world of education is growing; geographic boundaries are becoming obsolete and every content area is becoming more enhanced over time. When it comes to education, I have three major beliefs: we are all students, we all have the capacity to learn, and we all are able to teach. Each of my beliefs are being affected directly by technology and expanding the limitations of the educational world.
We are all students. Everyday we learn something new (whether it be about the world, about another person, about ourselves, etc.). Lifelong learning helps us to grow as individuals. Through advancements in technology, information about any topic is right at our fingertips. As long as we have access to computers, unlimited resources are available to educate ourselves on any subject. In the world of education, promoting the use of technology to seek out and obtain information independently can help to shape lifelong learners. We as educators can model this behavior on a daily level. Become a student and
search the internet to find out something new about your content area and share it with your class.
We all have the capacity to learn. Not everybody shares the same set of strengths, weaknesses, skills, or interests, but we do share the ability to learn something new. The best way to obtain new knowledge or skills is to form connections. By relating new experiences and ideas to familiar topics and skills, we are able to build off of our past knowledge to learn and appreciate foreign content. Go out and use technology to learn a new skill. Whether you want to learn how to sketch or how to cook lasagna, research these things with technology. Connect these new things to familiarities; if you want to learn how to cook and you are a proud descendant of Ireland, use the internet resources available to find easy traditional Irish recipes. Technology offers endless possibilities.
We are all able to teach. Teaching is quite simply the sharing of knowledge with others in a meaningful way. Even if you are not an expert in a certain area, you can still teach what you do know. Today’s technology allows sharing of information in some of the easiest ways possible. Take some screenshots of your process of photo editing in Adobe Photoshop and post them in a tutorial on a blog. It doesn’t matter the content, but if you have knowledge or skills that others might not, you can teach what you know.
Technology has turned my laptop into a “classroom.” From my laptop, I am able to become a student when I sign-in to my online classes, read web articles about education, and research digital archives for academic journal articles. Also from my laptop, I am able to learn just about anything that I want to. Whether I want to learn how to change settings on my iPod, build a bookshelf out of household objects, or how to play a particular card game, I can easily look up the resources necessary to learn these things. I am also able to utilize my laptop to teach. I am able to craft a PowerPoint presentation to accompany a classroom lecture, design an informational website, or design informational graphics for educational purposes. Technology enhances education and has allowed the world of academics to evolve over time. Educational boundaries have been rendered obsolete due to the powers of technology.
- Nathan J. Pearce
abstract as time goes on, especially with advancements in networking technologies. Now that it is possible for individuals located across the globe to hold meetings and interactions through the use of webcams, laptops, and the internet, classrooms seem to have no barriers. An individual in Pennsylvania can instruct a group of students located in Iowa about comparative agriculture. Students from the United Kingdom can hear a lecture from a professor located in Canada with the click of a button.
Through technology, the world of education is growing; geographic boundaries are becoming obsolete and every content area is becoming more enhanced over time. When it comes to education, I have three major beliefs: we are all students, we all have the capacity to learn, and we all are able to teach. Each of my beliefs are being affected directly by technology and expanding the limitations of the educational world.
We are all students. Everyday we learn something new (whether it be about the world, about another person, about ourselves, etc.). Lifelong learning helps us to grow as individuals. Through advancements in technology, information about any topic is right at our fingertips. As long as we have access to computers, unlimited resources are available to educate ourselves on any subject. In the world of education, promoting the use of technology to seek out and obtain information independently can help to shape lifelong learners. We as educators can model this behavior on a daily level. Become a student and
search the internet to find out something new about your content area and share it with your class.
We all have the capacity to learn. Not everybody shares the same set of strengths, weaknesses, skills, or interests, but we do share the ability to learn something new. The best way to obtain new knowledge or skills is to form connections. By relating new experiences and ideas to familiar topics and skills, we are able to build off of our past knowledge to learn and appreciate foreign content. Go out and use technology to learn a new skill. Whether you want to learn how to sketch or how to cook lasagna, research these things with technology. Connect these new things to familiarities; if you want to learn how to cook and you are a proud descendant of Ireland, use the internet resources available to find easy traditional Irish recipes. Technology offers endless possibilities.
We are all able to teach. Teaching is quite simply the sharing of knowledge with others in a meaningful way. Even if you are not an expert in a certain area, you can still teach what you do know. Today’s technology allows sharing of information in some of the easiest ways possible. Take some screenshots of your process of photo editing in Adobe Photoshop and post them in a tutorial on a blog. It doesn’t matter the content, but if you have knowledge or skills that others might not, you can teach what you know.
Technology has turned my laptop into a “classroom.” From my laptop, I am able to become a student when I sign-in to my online classes, read web articles about education, and research digital archives for academic journal articles. Also from my laptop, I am able to learn just about anything that I want to. Whether I want to learn how to change settings on my iPod, build a bookshelf out of household objects, or how to play a particular card game, I can easily look up the resources necessary to learn these things. I am also able to utilize my laptop to teach. I am able to craft a PowerPoint presentation to accompany a classroom lecture, design an informational website, or design informational graphics for educational purposes. Technology enhances education and has allowed the world of academics to evolve over time. Educational boundaries have been rendered obsolete due to the powers of technology.
- Nathan J. Pearce
© 2011 Nathan J. Pearce