Reflection 5

What were your "Aha!" moments this semester?

My "Aha!" moments still have me amazed on all of the resources that are out there to help better equip learning. I always thought that I was ready to accept technology and the benefits that it brings. However, I have has a reality check on just how unreceptive I actually have been. Sometime ago one the Elders at my congregation was trying his hardest to get me to get more involved with technology. I told him that I already embrace technology and needed know help. He wanted me to blog, use various google resources and much more, but I said I use technology enough. This last Sunday I apologize to him publicly, because after all the things I was made to do in this class (for a grade) are things this elder wanted to show me a while back. I realize now that the only person who can truly stop our learning and development is our self.

From here I truly plan on implementing most, if not everything, that I have learned in this course and ETEC 597 (i.e. blogging , google reader, etc.). I have already started a sign up list at my congregation where a number of my member sand I are going to start a virtual bible study. With the hustle and bustle of life, them nor I can always come and meet a a neutral location. However, online we all can respond either from our smart phones, laptops, or desktops. There are 15 in total who will be testing what I have learned in this course to help us all grow more mentally and spiritually. After going through this course I realize that my educational technology philosophy sounded great to me, but I actually was not doing what I stated I should be doing. This course has opened my eyes so wide, that I trying tot to mentally drown on all of the knowledge and techniques that I have been taught. In trying to be lead by my philosophy in this course I actually started doing what I needed to do so long ago.

Reflection 4

Are you more comfortable composing documents online than longhand?

• I actually prefer composing documents online than longhand. For me though it goes back to a teacher I had in 4th grade who said my manuscript was horrible and I need to type all materials that I submitted. That really hurt, and so when computers became more accessible, I never looked back and have been composing online/computer than long hand.

Have you turned your "remembering" (phone numbers, meetings, and so on) over to a technology device?

• Before cell phone and other technology devices I knew everyone ones number, date of birth and even address. Now I cannot give you 5 people phone number and I do not know anybodies physical address. It is so sad. Technology has consumed me where I back up my phone, and other devices that keep important materials, on a regular basis. If I lost everything I would go crazy (FYI: I have over a 1,000 contacts in my phone and I use ALL of them. Remember I am a Minister and CEO).

Do you go to meetings with your laptop or PDA?

• Yes I do. I have documents saved on a smart phone and record meeting. One time I had to preach unexpectedly and pulled up a sermon on my phone so I could preach my notes from it. The sermon went very well.  

Are you constantly connected? Is the Internet always on whether you are at home or work? Is your cell phone always with you?

• I am always connected, except when I am preaching (it is the only time.)

How many different activities can you effectively engage in at one time?

• Online activities I am able to engage in about 3 or 4 at one time. Face to face I would say about 2 or 3. I can talk to someone, text and configure an email all at one time. Lol

Do you play video or computer games?       

• No I don't.

What generational category do you fall in or are you a mixture of a few?

• I seem to be a mixture of all four. I am a self-sacrificing, workaholic, independent and hopeful person. Growing up as a child I hung around people that were older than me, so people say I have an old soul. Over the last 7 years I have just began to fit in with those who are around my age. So I am a mixture of all generation. I think I have to be to be an effective minister.

This article focused on implications primarily for higher education; however, the characteristics for the Net Gen remain true for students in K12. What and how do we need to change?  

• Those of us that are not so use to the upbeat technological society will have to get use to it, because it is not going to leave. However, we also need to show the Net Gen that everything is not immediate gratification. If we continue to allow them to think that way then that generational will lose out on the true essence of life, and ability to truly appreciate things. Why would they appreciate knowledge when they do not have to work to obtain it, but just go to Google to find the answer. I appreciate all that I have learned because I fought to learn it, I own the knowledge I possess and nobody can take it away.

Reflection 3

Out of the 10 research based principles related to AFL, i related to “AFL develops learners’ capacity for self-assessment so that they can become reflective and self-managing”. I relate more to this one now, because of my spiritual side. At first in life I would have drifted more towards "Learners should receive constructive guidance about how to improve:. Here I saw that to be an effective learner one must have someone to guide and lead us to knowledge. This concept however, left it where I held no accountability to what I learned, how much I learned, and even when I learned. I was able to place everything on someone else. The more I grew spiritually, I saw that learning (in all aspects), is totally based on the individual. If a person wants to learn then they will, in spite of what others say or think. Then my focus seem to mature more towards me not comparing my learning towards others, but just seeing the growth that I have made within myself. I do not compare my spiritual or academic success to anyone else; I just strive to be better than I previously was.


The e-portfolio will assist me in assessing my own growth. It will take the focus on what other classmates, or others, are doing and totally put the picture on me. E-portfolio make is where students are only in competition with themselves and not others. This helps remove jealousy and helps students grow themselves to the best that they can become.


For my learning my e-portfolio will help me focus even more on me, and not the comparison to others. The world puts more focus on being better than others. The e-portfolio puts the focus on being better than the previous state of oneself. I believe this e-portfolio will help me grow intellectually quicker than the traditional learning style.

Reflection 2

After completing the MAPping information activity, what are your reactions to your findings? What will you do differently while searching on the Internet for information now? How confident are you with the information you've used in the past (as part of your college career and/or in your profession)?

• After completing the MAPping information activity I realized that I knew very little about the resources that I utilized for research purposes. After using the resources presenting in this weeks section, I will do a better job of examining and finding more creatable resources. At this time I will try to gather a number of credible sites that I can keep on my delicious bookmark. I am concerned about information that I have used in the past. And to be honest I am glad that information is in my past, yet concerned because some sites that I now know are not creditable were deemed creditable by my peers, instructors and myself.

What are some implications for the future of our students if we fail to teach them these skills in school? After all, the schools may block access to sites, but students still have access at home.

Do you see any advantages for organizing your information via Delicious and/or Google Reader? What are some ways you think you could use these tools in the future?

• If we do not teach these skills to our students then they will have a greater chance of learning inaccurate information. With inaccurate information, our current students will become uneducated  students who believe they are knowledge of various subjects. If this form of teaching is not done quickly and efficiently then we continue a generational course that will be damaging to society as a whole.

• I just returned from out of town this week. However while out of town I was transferring a friend of mines information to a new computer. the old computer moved so slow that it took me a couple of days to complete everything. One of the main issues was that he wanted to transfer his favorites section from the old computer to the new. Now if his computer would have been working better, like he told me, then I would have already known about Delicious and could have utilized it instead of copying his Favorites from the old to the new computer. Hindsight. Well now that I know better, I can do better.

This week, you also explored the concept of wikis and created a wiki for a specific purpose. What purpose did you have in mind when developing your wiki and have you started to implement your ideas yet?

• My wiki is going to help me function better with my students at my congregation. We will now be able to formulate better discussion questions for our bible class, as well as utilize the wiki to plan some very important upcoming events. I will be sending out the site to a number of them on Sunday, to have them subscribe and get to work. I think this will make things a lot easier.

What advantages do you see in utilizing wikis? What disadvantages do you see? Think back to the digital natives reading. How do wikis have the potential for engaging them?

• The main advantage I see is that it will resolve the distance issue that my members were having with being involved in bible studies. Also to help us become more organized on who is doing what, and what is needed done for various task. One disadvantage that I see is my members utilizing the wiki when they may be able to come to bible class.The easy way out may become their way of being engaged, instead of meeting face-to-face. Wiki do have the power to engage, by giving people the ability to be a teacher/facilitator and not just a learner. When people are able to contribute some for of knowledge, they are more likely to participate in the event.

Educational Technology Philosophy

             As a minister, and former college administrator, I see education as the key to solving many of life’s problems. Education has become of little to no importance. Federal, state and local governments have made such drastic cuts to educational budgets that it seems no one cares about it. Years ago, a song declared that the children are our future. Without education, we should all be asking what is happening to our future.

The purpose of education is to enlighten and equip the learner to be able to utilize valuable and needed information in order to make an informed decision. Without education people are utilizing their feelings, and sometimes inaccurate or outdated information, to make decisions that are transforming their way of life. Education, in my estimation, is truly the key to transforming society and eliminating the ignorance, prejudice and racism that currently resides in the world.

            I believe the role of the teacher is to equip the learner with the skills to go out and use the knowledge they have obtained and to expand on that learning. A teacher’s role is not to just give facts and answer all the students’ questions, but to show the learner how to go out and gain the knowledge. Teachers are facilitators and guides to knowledge; teachers must stop just being only dispensers of knowledge. A great teacher will encourage their students to go out and learn as much as they can. In doing so, the learner will gain a love for learning. If a teacher is able to do this, then they will help the learning move further into their role. A learner’s role is to gain an appreciation for learning. When they gain this appreciation for learning then they are able to absorb a wealth of knowledge that will then become a part of them, and not just something that they regurgitate for a test or quiz. The learner must be willing to go out and search for truth, and not expect truth to be absorbed by osmoses. He must also ask questions and use his knowledge to seek out answers.

            My approach to education is to implement various ways of learning that will enable the students to capture the knowledge and skills required. From using collaborative learning to hands-on learning, PowerPoint presentation, YouTube videos, and Skype or Oovoo, I try to engage the student into gaining a love for learning and see that it can be fun. My main focus is to train my learners to become teachers and to be accountable for their own learning. One way I have done this is at my congregation with my “How to Study the Bible” course. I teach them how to accurately study. I teach them how to maneuver through the text and how to seek out answers to their own questions. By the end of the course the students not only have the knowledge on how to accurately study Gods word, but can then apply the same techniques to showing others. Their final project is to actually implement what they have learned. My expectations are for them to just not be able to know the materials, but teach it to someone else. If a student cannot share what they have learned then I question if they have truly learned anything.

How is having your philosophy down in writing helpful?

           Actually being able to see my philosophy is helping me to truly make a stand on what I believe. When a person is made to actually write down their beliefs, they are no longer able to just say whatever comes to mind. Now I was actually able to gather my thoughts and formulate a more accurate definition of my educational philosophy. Overtime I know that the more I learn then my philosophy will change, but in order to have growth and development there must be a starting point.

Educational Blogging

           In Stephen Downes' article on Educational Blogging I see where in limited areas we have reached a portion of the potential. However, overall we have made no progress in using the full ability of educational blogging. From working at a junior college to ministering to a congregation I know of very limited usage of blogging for educational purposes. Numerous students and members utilize blogging for personal usage, but there was never any formal structure set aside to use blogging to enhance learning. From a minister’s prospective many of my members travel long distances to attend Sunday morning services, yet are not able to attend our numerous mid-week activities due to traffic and high gas prices. With the use of technology, especially blogging, powerful and useful discussion could be held at various times to help meet the needs of my members. Thinking outside the box is the key, the problem is leaders, and educators, sometimes do not want to use the key.

           There seems to be a lot of fear and doubt on using blogging as an educational tool. With the fear that students will have someone else post responses to difficulty in obtaining meaningful dialogue, encourage people to shy away from taking a chance towards using technology. However, the fear does not stop with a look at the student, but even a look at the teacher. New technology entails more training to stay up-to-date and the motto if something works don’t fix it hinders faculty development. As educators we must understand that yes something may work, but if there is something to help you get to your goal quicker, and be just as effective, do we not owe it to our students and ourselves to use it. A true educator is always learners, or is that only what we say.

Creating a Culture for Teaching and Learning

         “Collegiality is what’s needed” stuck out the most to me. As Allan November stated when faculty development is to take place, teachers are normally forced to sit in and learn a new method of instruction. However, normally that new method is never implemented with the classroom. As stated in my educational philosophy students must be made a part of their learning experiences. When hosting these training sessions, students need to be just as involved as the instructor. With a student involved, it helps both the faculty member and the students. Over the last two semesters I have helped convert numerous face-to-face courses to either becoming hybrid and fully online courses. The technology that was implemented (e.g., Jing, YouTube, etc.) had ever been used by either professor, but through teamwork we have developed courses that we are all proud of. This partnership not only helped them, but through the process they allowed to develop my course development and implement numerous teaching methods into the courses. This situation allowed all parties to be both instructors and learners.

Concept Map

          My concept map is made up of all the words that I see are benefits of educational technology. Everything from being able to implement to reconstructivism philosophy to networking, all words are vital products of educational technology.

Expectations

My expectations for this course are to enhance my knowledge of technology resources that can be used to enhance learning. With the development of new products (e.g., IPad 2, HP Slate, etc.) technology is ever changing, and to be a better educator I must be aware and able to implement the new technology.