F200 phil essay belinda turner

1Running head: MY PHILOSOPHY IS “TECHNOLOGY”

My Philosophy is “Technology”

F200 Philosophy Paper

Belinda I. Turner

Indiana University Northwest


Abstract _______________________________________________________________________

The purpose of my philosophy paper is to reflect on my own personal ideas that I would like to use and integrate into the teaching profession; mainly with a focus on the less than fortunate urban school community. Hopefully in this paper, I will be able to give a detailed and informative synopsis on my belief that technology should be an integral part of this academic learning profession. With new and innovative technology tools as well as interactive educational software being created and designed, mainly for classroom purposes, it is virtually necessary that educators start to welcome these useful tools and implement them into their everyday classroom curriculum.


As a young African American female growing up in the poverty stricken city, Gary, I had to

attend several urban all black school institutions throughout my school age years. My

placements in these inadequate educational facilities just help me to realize my career choice; to

one day to become an urban elementary school teacher. The reasons that I wanted to become a

teacher in this urban environment, was because I saw firsthand how my classmates and student

peers were lacking the effective academic tools, instruction, and teaching skills that they needed

to become academically successful. Every day I had to watch these students fail in their

classroom subjects in marked numbers, because these old school classrooms were very one note

and boring, these students were skipping school on a regular basis. This uncaring behavior

eventually led to a lot of these students being retained; consequently, leading them to eventually

dropping out of school. Having to watch a lot of my school mates just give up on their schooling

made me more motivated; so I made a vow to myself that I would personally complete all of my

educational goals. My personal educational goals were for me to eventually graduate from high

school, enter into a prestigious college or university; thus becoming an effective urban

elementary school teacher. After I would become certified as a teacher, I would then venture

back to my home town of Gary, Indiana where I would seek out employment as an elementary

school teacher. After I became employed, I could then effectively use my professional college

knowledge to educate these less than fortunate urban students.

Unfortunately, my educational career goals at that time didn’t go as planned. I ended up

making a wrong decision choice that landed me in another whole career profession. However,

my passion for the education field once again came to the surface. When this inspiration ignited

again, I pursued and eventually landed employment at an all girls elementary school in Gary;

Frankie Woods Girls’ Academy. This new position placed me in unfamiliar territory; the


“Media Center.” I had no educational background or any experience of running an elementary

school media center; however that was about to quickly change.

My goal and dream of working in an urban school environment was finally happening! Even

though I was not in a classroom setting I could still educate these students in a different way;

through books and technology. This newfound position helped me to rethink my career goals; I

not only wanted to become an effective teacher, I also now wanted to become an effective media

specialist as well!

Consequently, my education and work history is what eventually led me to my teaching

philosophy. My philosophy of teaching is to be able to use innovative and new technological

ideas in an urban school community; and to integrate these new ideas into my everyday regular

classroom academic curriculum. Furthermore, technology tools would be placed in my

classroom for everyday use to insure the enhancement of my students’ cognitive abilities.

Working in the media center as a media specialist, I had to be technology savvy; therefore I

had to teach myself how to use technology that I had never seen or heard of before. This was a

very challenging and frustrating task, especially since there wasn’t anyone that I could ask to

assist me with learning how to use these unfamiliar instructional tools. I basically had to read

instructions, as well as google information that would literally instruct me on how to use each

technology tool. That is why the use of technology is so philosophically important to me,

because if students learn how to use these effective tools at an early age they can maybe avoid

embarrassing situations like the one I encountered at my workplace. By integrating these

interesting and useful tools into the classrooms, the students can gain experiences in how to

handle and use each individual piece of technology equipment. Furthermore, with their frequent

use and interactions with these tools they can become expertly knowledgeable as they advance


into the next phase of their academic lives.

Another reason I love technology is the fact that it is kid friendly. Students love working with

new and innovative technology equipment, especially the computer, because not only can it be

an interactive learning tool; it can also be used for social interactions, educational games, and

most importantly, as a source for a wide variety of information. So it is no wonder that the

significance of computer-assisted education and the presence of technology has become a topic

of relevance in American education (Carr & Reigeluth 1994, p. 301). Sadly, this important topic

has been discussed since the late 19th century, and it is appalling that the urban school

community is still left without the proper technology guided facilities and instructors in place to

incorporate this new era. Technology truly needs to be an integral part of a well-planned

curriculum for students as well as for educators. In addition, “since today’s technologies are

fundamentally different from the past,” it is almost adamant that these urban school communities

get with the program, because “technology has the potential to transform education.” And, “how

smoothly this future is realized depends on” administrators, principals, and teachers “ensuring

that technology is used widely in our schools (Carter and Cunningham, 1997 p. 371).” Yes, I

agree with this statement, the lack of technology use is widespread; especially in the urban

community. This important and relevant issue needs to be fully addressed once again in this

underdeveloped school community. Also, the problems with lack of use not only lie with

government funding, but it also lies with professional development, and educators’ lack of

advocacy. Furthermore, there is not enough government funding to assist these urban schools

with the technology equipment that is needed to implement more effective instructing. Plus, the

teachers in these school settings are not knowledgeable enough to use these new and innovative

tools; therefore more money and government funding is needed for professional development.


Also, the lack of educators in this community, advocating for technology is nonexistent. Is it

that these teachers just don’t know about these new and creative teaching tools that are available;

or is that they just don’t want to know so that they can continue to teach using their same

familiar teaching styles? In reality however, test scores are dropping and students are failing so

their need to be new and innovative technological ideas placed in these classrooms, so that their

students can also have a competing chance at a well-rounded educational experience just like the

other school districts in the rural and suburban communities. In the end, I am also afraid, if

these students don’t receive the updated technology support for teachers to implement into their

classroom strategies; “it will only continue to widen the learning gap between the advantaged

and the disadvantaged.” (Carter and Cunningham, 1997, p. 371).

To my surprise, the federal government since the early 1990’s attempted to invest heavily in

instructional technology, and with this investment access to technology improved dramatically in

some urban schools (Wells & Lewis, 2006, p. 301). So, why the Gary Community School

district technology access is is still undeniably insufficiently, and the teachers and students still

do not have reliable working computers in their classrooms. As I stated earlier, research on

educational technology identifies several factors that may influence the use of instructional

technology. Some of these factors reside at the organizational (e.g., school and/or district) or

macro level, whereas other are specific to teachers and students and are classified as micro-level

factors (Miranda, 2007, p. 302). Education al technology literature points to district- level

factors, such as resources, funding, leadership, vision, and technology planning, as important

drivers of educational technology use (Anderson & Ronnkvist, 1999; Becker, Ravotz. & Wong

1999; Fisher, Dyer, & Yocam, 1996; Lemke, Quinn, Zucker, & Cahill, 1998. P. 303). With

district level authorities withholding funds in lower poverty threshold communities such as Gary,


Indiana, and principals not enforcing their teachers to use technology equipment, it is no wonder

technology use is limited in these urban schools, and educators are unqualified in teaching their

students how to use these innovative tools. Nevertheless, evidence clearly suggests that at the

school-level leadership appears to be an important contributor to multiple uses of technology by

teachers and students (Anderson & Dexter, 2005; Dawson & Rakes, 2003; Russell et al., 2003a,

p.303).

Doubtful, as my philosophical dream may seem with the integration of technology tools daily

into an urban classroom setting. I was pleasantly surprise that Gary, Indiana is not the only big

city with insufficient technologies for their underfunded schools. I found out that it is quite the

problem in the big overpopulated cities. It seems that when it comes to implementing innovative

classroom technology programs, urban school districts face significant challenges stemming

from their big city-status. These range from large bureaucracies, to scalability, to how to meet

the needs of a more diverse group of students (Gordan, Dan, 2011). Of course, there are always

some stipulations in place when funding is needed to help poor areas that have a diversity of

students in their school communities. Building funding should be a first priority, and more

initiatives should be made through the selected officials in the bureaucracies to insure that all

schools in diverse communities are technology funded. These schools are monuments in a

community, and should be preserved and made up to 21st century standards for future use in the

next generations to come. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, there are urban districts that

have managed to implement bold technology initiatives. Some urban districts used common

themes like buy-ins, flexibility, and professional development as essential elements to achieving

success in implementing technology into the classroom (Gordon, Dan 2011).


Professional development is essential for successfully implementing technology into the

classroom. To my surprise, less than half of the teachers in Gary School’s district seemed to be

tech savvy, and with this modern day society that is not acceptable in the education profession.

Teachers should be trained efficiently on the use of technology before they receive their

credentials in the field of education. Teacher training is critical to the success of any district’s

efforts to integrate technology tools into classroom education. One urban district required their

teachers to attend a two-hour orientation on the educational software that was installed on their

laptops showing ways that technology can be implemented into their classrooms. The district

then provided ongoing professional development on the use of the technology in the classroom.

This plan also required working with curriculum departments to include use of the technology in

their own professional developments efforts (Gordon, Dan 2011). “After the first year, teachers

reported a significantly increased frequency in the use of technology to deliver instruction”

(Dodd, 2011). This is a prime example that technology could be successfully implemented into

an urban classroom, and with continued professional development these educators will

undoubtedly become technology savvy. Also, with continued professional development these

educators will also gain knowledge about the new modern and innovative technologies that are

geared toward educators that could also be implemented into their structured classroom.

Surprisingly, there is one area that principals and teachers implement technology into their

curriculum, and that area is through testing and assessment. The low functioning schools in the

Gary, Indiana district are not only taking ISTEP tests on the computers, they are also mandated

to take Star Reading, Star Math, Acuity, Dibels Next, and Success Net tests on the computer to

assess and evaluate students’ progress. Assessment tools are then put into place to use on the


computer to help students improve on their ISTEP scores. This is the only time that I have seen

a principal and teaching staff advocate technology use; because they had no choice.

These urban schools are mandated to use these technologies because they allow a

representation of domains, systems, models, data, and their manipulation in ways that previously

were not possible. Correspondingly, a new generation of assessments is well on its way to

transforming what, how, when, where, and why assessment occurs and its linkages to teaching

and learning ( Pe egrino, James W. 2010, p. 119). Powered by the ever increasing capabilities of

technology, these 21st century approaches to assessment expand the potential for tests to both

probe and promote a broad spectrum of human learning, including the types of knowledge and

competence advocated in various recent policy reports on education and the economy (e.g.

NCEE, 2007, NRC 2006, p.120).

In addition, a distinction has been made between assessments of the outcome of learning,

typically used for grading and accountability purposes (summative assessment), and assessments

for learning, used to diagnose and modify the conditions of learning and instruction (formative

assessment) (Stiggins, 2005, p. 122). Furthermore, research has repeatedly shown the formative

use of assessment to significantly benefit student achievement (Black & William, 1998; William,

2007, p.122). Such effects depend on several classroom practice factors, including alignment of

assessments with state standards, quality of the feedback provided to students, involvement of

students in self-reflection and action, and teachers making adjustments to their instruction based

on the assessment results (Black, 2004, p.123).

As research indicates, that assessing and monitoring students through the use of technologies

have several benefits. These new and innovative assessment tools not only help students to

enhance core standard skills, but they also promote learning by allowing student to practice key


core standards that they failed on standardized test. If students continue to practice on these core

standards, and are monitored accordingly through the help of their teachers and computers; these

assessment tools will only help students’ cognitive abilities to continue to grow.

If technologies are in fact integrated into my everyday academic classroom curriculum, I am

going to be essentially aware of the ramifications of any applicable laws such as copyright laws

and Fair- use guidelines for educators. Also, since I have worked in the media center for many

years I am fully aware of how “intellectual property” laws apply to proposed academic course

content (Nenych, Laura A., 2011, p.1), and what acceptable technology practices should be

integrated into my classroom curriculum. Nevertheless, to keep up with this rapidly changing

technology, I have to also be aware and knowledgeable of the way that I, as well as my students

would be using copyrighted materials.

Furthermore, it is clear that there are several issues with respect to copyright reform that are

of particular important to the academic community. The first is that the Copyright Act must be

amended to allow fair and reasonable educational uses of materials found on the Internet that

have been made publicly available by the copyright owner, who has no expectation of payment

for the use of such materials. Second, copyright laws must allow for the easy use of technology

to enhance student learning. Third, faculty and students must be allowed to take advantage of

technology to deliver programs inside the classroom (Nenych, Laura A., 2011, p.6).

At any rate, until the Copyright Act is amended to facilitate use of materials in educational

settings, it is important to keep in mind that making unauthorized copies of copyrighted

materials poses legal risks, which include injunctions, damages, costs, and possible criminal

sanctions (Nenych, Laura A., 2011). So as an educator, I am going to make sure that I state a

clear policy against copyright infringement in my classroom setting. I am also going to be aware


of any copyrighted materials that I use through web pages or online teaching tools, because I

would not want myself or my educational institution be faulted for a copyright infringement.

In the end, even though I do plan on making technology an integral part of my classroom

setting; technology is not my only philosophy because in reality I have many. I also highly

believe that as a teacher I will represent myself in my classroom on the way I morally live my

life. My classroom will show a reflection of my personality, as well as the personalities of all of

my students. I love arts, crafts, posters, drawings so many of those designs will be cultured

centered to be displayed throughout my multicultural classroom. Furthermore, I believe that a

classroom should be student centered with technology infused throughout the room. Every

classroom should have computers, Smart Board, Elmo, LCD Projector, television and DVD

player, Compact Disc players to encourage interactions between the classroom teacher and

students. I would have all these teaching tools integrated throughout my classroom for daily use.

I also believe that I would be an inspiration to my students. I will also be a caring and

respectful teacher to my students so that they can know that I am dependable. Also, I would love

to inspire a child to work hard to reach their fullest potentials. What students aspire to be is

already inspirational, so if I can inspire them to work harder toward their attainable goals then I

have done something amazing.

As a teacher, I also value honesty in my students and the willingness to want to learn and be

educated. I say this because of my experience working with so many lying and non motivated

students in the urban Gary school district. I would just like to have my students know they can

trust and believe in me and I would give them that same respect. I also want them to be able to

show me a real interest in education and learning. I know that young people do not have a clue

about all the resourceful information that they are missing out on when they display those


negative attitudes toward education. Students feel like whatever they don’t understand during

instruction time they can simply get it off of the internet. My students wouldn’t have that issue

because computer use would be an integral part of my academic time, so hopefully this will keep

them interested in their academic studies. However, I know I love technology but I do also value

some of the traditional teaching methods like reading a novel or a book. Sometimes students just

need to find a good book to read to enhance their reading; because books are also useful learning

tools.

Last, I would love to teach a diverse number of students particularly students with disabilities

or exceptionalities. In my field experience, I got to interact with several special education

classes in the media center. I was amazed how well mannered and behaved they were. Those

students loved learning new information; thus they loved getting praises for learning that new

information even more. Another quality I enjoyed about those students was their sincerity and

their love of life. When they came into the library, I could always feel the excitement and see

their wonderful smiles. Consequently, I am now inspired to teach special education, because

there is something special about all of the students with disabilities; they truly are exceptional!


References

Hess, Frederick M. (1999). Computer –Assisted Learning in Urban Classrooms The Impact of Politics, Race, and Class. Urban Education, 34(3), 370.

Gordon, Dan. (2011). Big- City Rules. The Journal, 38(8), 26-31.

Miranda, Helena; Russell, Michael. (2011). Predictors of Teacher-Directed Student Use of Technology in Elementary Classrooms: A Mutilevel SEM Aproach Using Data from the USEIT Study. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43(4), 301-323.

Nenych, Laura A. (2011). Managing The Legal Risks Of High-Tech Classrooms. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 4(3), 1-7.

Pellegrino, James W.; Quellmalz, Edys S. (2010). Perspectives on the Integration of Technology and Assessment. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43(2), 119-134.

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