Educational Technology Philosophy

Educational Technology Philosophy
By Sherry Rowe
Spring 2010

Introduction
I would like to be a facilitator, coach, leader and trainer.
As a child I wanted to either be a nurse, counselor, or teacher. Considering that I hate the sight of other people’s blood and I talk more than I listen, I concluded that teaching would be the best career for me. My values and vision will allow me to contribute positively to any school district. My vision on how I can contribute to a classroom and my personal view on the world; along with my strong values, which include my gifts and goals have helped me to grow into a strong and confident leader. As I contemplate on what I need to do in order to grow as a leader, I need to first ask myself, “Who is Sherry?” In order to find out who I am, I need to consider my gifts and strengths, my character according to me, how I view the world, and my personal leadership goals and philosophies. I will also be considering my beliefs on education and what I am willing to commit to as a teacher; along with activities and goals that will help me to improve my philosophy views. Well, after reading all philosophies, I feel that I am most like the philosophy of constructivism. I encourage higher level-thinking, try to implement real-world problems in the curriculum, I believe that my classroom should be student-centered, not teacher-centered. In all of my lessons, my activities are centered around my students and not me.

My Gifts and Strengths
I believe that God has blessed me with gifts and strengths that make me unique and special. These gifts include the work that I do with children, animals, and the elderly, like tutoring, teaching bible class, and teaching inner-city children about God, volunteering at Christian Care Center, and speaking for the rights of animals. I also will include my hospitable nature and the ability to speak in front of large groups. I am caring, open, and honest. My empathy that I have for animals, children, and the elderly, my outgoing personality, my ability to talk to anyone, and my love for God are just a few strengths that help contribute to my views about different philosophies.


My Character According to Me
I feel that I have strong character, which can be a good thing and contribute to my philosophy in the classroom; however, sometimes, it can be a handicap. My strong character can sometimes cause intimidation among certain people. But for the most part, people are drawn to my strong and independent character. I feel that my character has allowed me to be adventurous, independent, understanding, and somewhat patient. My character has made me who I am today.
How I View the World
My view on the world has changed throughout the years. As a child, I was protected from certain people because of their choice of life style. I rarely watched the news as a child, so I was ignorant to all the bad in the world. I was young and innocent; however, now that I am an adult, my worldly views have changed. As a thirty-nine year old, I believe that children are taking over. In the eighties, parents, along with schools were not afraid to discipline children, but now adults want too much to be a child’s friend and not a disciplinarian. There are children killing and abusing each other, adults killing and abusing each other, and people killing and abusing animals. There are a lot of politics in schools; school officials are abusing their power, and teachers, who spend all day teaching the future doctors, lawyers, and other professions, are getting paid very little. However, despite all that is bad in the world and in the school system, I still see the good. I also know, through history and through my family that I can help change the bad. I, along with other people, need to concentrate on the good and how we can make a difference in my student’s lives. My worldly views contribute to my philosophy views by allowing me to get involved. A few ways that I have taken the leadership role concerning my worldly views is to write my state representative about some of my concerns and going to meetings that will allow me to voice my opinions. I feel that no one has the right to complain, unless they get involved and voice their concerns.
My Personal Leadership Goals
As a teacher, daughter, sister, dog owner, friend, and a child of God, I plan on making a difference in my student’s lives; by smiling to people at the store, letting people in as I’m driving, helping someone who needs my help, basically, just by being nice. I believe that being nice to all people will give me a sense of understanding and empathy for my students. I will write to superintendents and ask what I can do to help the school system. I will improve my leadership skills by going to workshops, volunteer to lead and take initiative for school activities. I will also practice my listening and delegating skills. I need to work on my patience for adults and realize that other people may not share the same views as I do; however, their views are just as appreciated. I need to step outside of my comfort zone more often and get to know a variety of people. As a child, I was a leader and not a follower, but as an adult, I have realized that it is good to let someone else be in the driver seat once in a while.
My Belief on Education
I believe that politics is getting in the way of positive learning. I also feel that creativity has been lost within the schools, because teachers are so busy teaching for the TAKS test, that they don’t have time for anything else. I agree with most people that the test should be done away with in the elementary level. Children need school for learning the basics, which includes math, writing, English, science, and social studies; however, school should also be a safe place to explore and create. I want my students to to have real world applications and a safe learning environment.

My Commitment as a Teacher
As a teacher, I commit to seeking out leadership positions and keep the line of communication open with my students, their parents, my team, other teachers, administration, office staff, and all other staff through out the school. I believe that good communication throughout the school will provide a more effective learning environment for all students. I commit to listening and drawing on my fellow staff members for wisdom and suggestions because their opinions and suggestions are valued as well. I commit to making contributions not only in the school but within the community. Having a relationship with the community, helps provide support for the school and students. I commit to being a leadership role model for my peers and students by leading activities, workshops, being a facilitator and counselor within the school and classroom. I commit to be a proactive citizen by getting involved with school related politics, by talking to superintendents, congressmen, and others who can help change the school system for the better. There are a few activities that can help me to improve my leadership skills. I am a teacher, because I love watching children grow and knowing that I had something to do with it. I knew that I always wanted to work with children, where I could help in some way and make a difference in their lives. At first, I thought about working for CPS, but it would be to emotionally draining and that is when I made up my mind that I wanted to teach. Teachers still make a huge difference in their student’s lives and that is why I teach. I want to make a difference. I teach the way I do, because this is how I was taught and because I know how important teaching can be. I love to teach and it shows through my teaching. I believe that every classroom should be student-centered, encourage real-world application, and higher-thinking should be applied. I also believe in creativity and self-expression through work. I was blessed enough to have had most of my teachers teach me using this same philosophy

My Activities and Goals
In order to help me be a better leader, I need to improve my listening skills. I can practice this when my student and peers are talking, by looking them in the eyes, nodding and agreeing, and summarizing what they just said. I also need to practice letting other people be in charge. In order to practice this, I need to not accept leadership roles all the time, and by doing this, other people get the opportunity to step up and lead. I need to learn to delegate responsibilities verses taking everything on myself. Being a good leader takes time and practice, and for now, I will commit to these two goals and activities. When I feel that I have mastered these two goals then I will set other attainable goals.
My Leadership Responsibilities
As a teacher I will have plenty of responsibilities, one of which will be my leadership responsibility. It is my belief that I should take initiative and not wait for someone to tell me what to do. It is my responsibility to model what a good leader looks like by listening, taking charge of an activity, and knowing when to delegate. I can do this by leading conferences, meetings, and workshops. Also, part of my leadership responsibility is having good classroom management skills and uniting my class through diversity and equity. As a teacher, I will continually be trying to improve my leadership abilities. I want my students to be successful and gain knowledge that will not only get them through the 1st grade, but prepares them for future grades as well. I want my students to also learn subjects in which they can apply to their everyday life. I want them to be able to be creative and engage in higher-order thinking.
I select assignments that push my student’s to think outside the box and to use higher order thinking. I also use certain activities that encourage creativity and real life applications.




Conclusion
In order to be an effective leader, I must try and figure out who I am as a person and as a teacher. I need to have vision and values, along with my gifts, my character, a view on worldly issues, and how I can grow as a leader. By practicing my listening and delegating skills, this will help me to become a more productive leader and person.
I want to be more like my best teacher and am trying hard not to be like my worst teacher. I have the same believes concerning teaching as my 5th grade teacher had, which is that anyone can succeed, no matter the background. I also believe that creativity should be implanted as much as possible and that worksheets are out dated and should only be used occasionally. I try to be innovative and not boring, by using technology and plenty of games and activities to encourage the learning process.