Personal Philosophy on Educational Technology, by Becky Workman

  Summary

Technology is a part of our educational system because it enhances learning and is necessary in today’s world. Students need twenty-first century skills to be a part of a twenty-first century future. Educators have an obligation to include technology in their curriculum because research shows that it improves learning, therefore making it best practice. Studies show that students with a one-to-one student access to technology show increased student- learning, collaboration and communication (Kaufman & Kumar, 2018). Technology capitalizes on varied instruction and assessment (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019, p. 13). It is changing at a rapid rate, and educators have a responsibility to keep their technology skills current. Students today need to keep up with their peers in acquiring knowledge and technology to one day be competent, competitive and contributors in society. 

Biblical Defense

The implementation of educational best practices is the duty of every teacher. To disregard professional best practices is a disservice to his or her students. Staying current with everchanging technology requires work and effort by teachers. This may feel difficult as many educators already feel overwhelmed by the demands of the classroom. God understands this burden, and in 2 Corinthians 8:21, Paul teaches “For we are taking the pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of man” (James, 1994). This scripture teaches that God understands it is not easy but expects educators to use best teaching practices. Christian educators can find strength in Paul’s words “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13, James, 1994). Humility is a key factor to one becoming a successful teacher. The best teacher will never arrive at knowing everything, and always has room to learn and improve. Proverbs 9:9 teaches “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning” (James, 1994).

Preschool Classroom Application

In the past, I have resisted integrating very much technology in my preschool classroom. I have integrated some, but my reasoning for keeping it minimal is because as an early childhood educator, I know that children need to learn through hands-on authentic experiences, as well as learn vital social skills. Young children today are also exposed to high amounts of technology (or screen time) outside of the classroom. Research shows that “higher levels of early childhood electronic media use are associated with children being at risk for poorer outcomes with some indicators of well-being” (Hinkley et al., 2014). The more sedentary technology use such as television viewing is associated with lower outcomes than interactive electronic games though (Hinkley et al., 2014). 

In my preschool classroom, integrating technology with young children involves consideration of potential associated health risks. Following pediatric guidelines for screen time is also best practice for an early childhood educator to implement. It is a fine balance to use best practice with both technology integration and technology restriction. In the past I have used interactive videos for teaching songs with movement and short videos for enhancing learning in areas such as science or language arts. I believe that I can and should incorporate more interactive technology in my preschool classroom. One idea for adding more technology is to add a few centers utilizing tablets. A reading center could provide book choices to listen to with headphones along with the physical book for students to follow along with. A science center might offer a tablet with some short animal videos to watch. A puppet center could offer a camera to create a video of their production with. A math or phonics center could offer a tablet with games with varied levels of learning and assessment with student and teacher feedback. Another interactive and enriching social activity could be to arrange a sister preschool class in another country (like pen pals) and connect with them through online class video calls. I do believe there are many ways to incorporate healthy technology for young children in a preschool classroom and look forward to incorporating some of these ideas and more in the future. 

References

Hinkley, T., Verbestel, V., Ahrens, W., & et. al. (2014). Early Childhood Electronic Media Use as a Predictor of Poorer Well-being: A Prospective Cohort Study. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(5), 397–500.

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James, K. (1994). The Holy Bible : the 21st Century King James Version : containing the Old Testament and the New Testament. 21St Century King James Bible Publishers.

Kaufman, D., & Kumar, S. (2018). Student Perceptions of a One-to-One iPad Program in an Urban High School. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 4(2), 18.

Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching : transforming learning across disciplines. Ny, Ny Pearon.

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