AECT Reflection Essay
Like any young child we discover ourselves through our experiences. Through these trials and tribulations we set our sights on achievements big and small. With a push towards technology integration, educators across the country are urging for supply because of the perspective promise technology can have on a child’s future. The field of educational technology has transformed within one person’s lifetime. Theories morph into practice filled by new ideas, principles, and doctrine. But where do I fit into the mix? How can I make a difference? Paulo Coelho’s mystical novel The Alchemist, portrays a young boy destined to find his personal legend. And despite the obstacles and never-ending setbacks, Santiago finds what he has always been looking for, a treasure worth more than gold; his true love Fatima. His pursuit and drive cast a large shadow on people like myself searching for my own legend. And the journey over the last two years has finally cast light on what my personal legend is all about.
Theories morph into practice filled by new ideas, principles, and doctrine.
Educational technologists must be capable of using theoretical and practical applications in the field, emphasized in AECT’s first core standard. Two specific examples
highlight the systematic approach of this core concept; gamification and web 2.0 tools. In the course Digital Games and Simulations, we discovered the knowledge and principles behind the gamification community that is transforming educational environments. We were tasked with using the principles of gamification to evaluate how they would transform into practical applications within a K-12 learning environment. Projects I developed used these principles and merged them within the critical reading process that students learn throughout middle and high school grade levels. The development of the gamified curriculum unit allowed me to manage the diversity of students while meeting the principles of gamification. In addition to the realm of gamification, Digital Media Production provided opportunities to meet the standards of Content Knowledge.
In Digital Media Production we were tasked with developing a production piece utilizing technology integration in a formal educational setting. I choose to develop a practical how-to guide for my students as a high school history teacher. At the beginning of our course, students are asked to obtain a number of web tools that will further enhance their experience throughout the year. In doing so, I had to develop a set of instructional materials that showcased to students what steps to take to be prepared for the years curriculum. These technical resources I chose supported student learning, providing both verbal and visual cues to enhance student retention. This learning environment was developed in a digital space to encourage students to recognize the boundless forums education can take place within.
The theoretical principles of gamification and the technology applications I used in the interactive how-to guides align with AECT’s first standard and helped strengthen my ability to further manage theoretical and practical applications within curriculum design, manage peoples and infrastructures to meet course objectives, and evaluate the effectiveness of implementation. AECT’s second standard takes the field of educational technology further through content pedagogy, emphasizing teaching practices that are effectively and successfully implemented.
AECT’s second of five core standards, Content Pedagogy asks technologists to utilize the best practices to effectively implement technologies far and wide. Through the courses Library Networks and Databases and Media Literacy, these pedagogical principles were most prevalent. One project we created in Library Networks and Databases required a structural course that explained the process of understanding research database interfaces and the educational research skills students need to be successful in academic research. For the course I knew the diversity of the learners would require the process to be flexible. The assessments needed to include the process and product throughout the course. The pedagogy required the course design to tackle multiple learning preferences while still meeting the course objectives. During development, I had to analyze the best technology tools available to meet the objectives while considering the ways I would deliver the content. I chose instructional videos and screen casting technologies to best provide visual and verbal instructions to reiterate the direction of the course. These steps of instructional design were vital to the success of the project. Content pedagogy, the art of teaching others, is vital to educational technologists niche within the field of education. Furthermore, content knowledge and pedagogy only thrive through technologist’s abilities to meet AECT’s third standard, Learning Environments.
Educational technologists must have skills to develop, design, implement, and evaluate learning environments to successfully integrate the principles of the field. These learning environments are best developed and managed when technologists utilize their peers to collaboratively design and develop these spaces. Reflecting on my educational experiences, the course Facilitating Online Learning best showcases the importance of these learning environments in education. The transformative task of taking a face-to-face course completely online was a challenge. And during my development of this online course I had to consider that the environment was changing. One of the processes I had to consider that aligns with the Using indicator in standard three was how online environments require explicit instructions and direction because the learners lose their traditional interactions with their instructors. And because of this change, technologists have to collaborate with the content specialists and the instructors to specify the goals and objectives break down the content into manageable modules, and provide written instruction where verbal instruction once existed in traditional face-to-face environments.
In Foundations of Educational Technology, my colleagues and I were tasked with discovering the foundational contexts that encompass educational technology and design. The course appropriately aligns with AECT standard 4, Professional Knowledge & Skills. Within the discussions of the course and understanding of the developmental core principles, the field demands that candidates will assess learners, design instruction, develop practices, implement procedures and evaluate these systems together. During our discussions, we recognized that educational technologists have to work and lead by example with content specialists and other leaders. And these processes need to be replicated in educational settings with learners at every age. Collaboration strengthens technologist’s abilities to utilize varying learning environments and recognize the positives of working with others to better learning. While the Foundations of Educational Technology help establish AECT’s third and fourth standards, technologists must now turn towards the fifth and final standard, Research.
Research skills that I have developed for myself and for future learners will carry weight throughout my educational journey as an educational technologist. Research is best centered on an essential question. The process of inquiry fuels discussions and authentic learning. Research Methodologies enhanced my understanding of research skills and techniques to further pedagogy and content theories. I developed a research proposal for the course that looked at reading comprehension levels of adolescents exposed to digital texts over extending periods of time. This proposal furthered my understanding of how inquiry can develop critical skills to extend research knowledge and how research methods can solve real world problems. Furthermore, in our course Instructional Design, we wrote research papers that differentiated the principles of lesson plans, lesson design, and instructional design. The theoretical research is constructed around the inquiry of how each core concept can vary and the values they all have contributing to learning. The project asked me to use research methods to evaluate the resulting sources, assess for their applications, and synthesize each to better articulate their meaning for further application in learning environments. These align well with AECT’s fifth standard indicators including assessing and evaluating where we are expected to measure and gauge these processes to better construct learning and curriculum. The core principle of AECT’s fifth standard, Research, asks candidates to push the boundaries of the field. To redefine the standards and strive to find what best will benefit our future generations.
Throughout my educational program I have discovered the foundations of educational technology, what they represent and questions they stir as I find myself on the cusp of the industry. AECT developed standard theoretical frameworks that technologists utilize to make the best use of technologies and practices across the fields of education. From knowledge acquisition and the skills to take theory into practice, I discovered practical steps to better my new skills and abilities. The practice of teaching is vital to educational technologists. Library Networks and Media Literacy uncovered the value to master teaching practices to better implement the technology. Developing the ability to analyze learning environments and more importantly discovering which will fit curriculum designs, enhancing chances students will reach authentic learning. My professional skills and abilities like AECT’s Research standard will further my ability to build a growth mindset in my future and align my research with current trends and movements within the field of educational technology. All too often I found myself in places where my personal legend, my goals, were clouded with doubt. The road was undetermined or blocked by obstacles that I thought were impassable. Like Santiago and his own obstacles, I have found that the journey is just as important as the destination. And through my experiences with course content and more importantly my peers and professors, I have found sight towards completing my personal legend. And who knows, maybe it’s time I find more journeys to take.