As I continue on my doctoral journey, the current course that I am in has made me reflect on just how necessary technology is in the learning environment. Again, I apologize for the long lag in posts, but with work, travel, conferences, and schoolwork, time has gotten away from me. However, in this course, Technology-Driven Curriculum and Social Media, we have been asked to maintain a blog, journaling our reflections through the course. Luckily, I already have one! So, with my professor’s blessing, my next several blog posts will be reflections on my learning in the course. We are finishing up Week 5, and here are my thoughts thus far.
I am a learner who graduated from high school without Google. Facebook did not come out until I was a junior in college, and even then, the college/university had to petition to be added to the Facebook network, and you had to have a valid college/university email. Technology has advanced significantly since the early 2000s. With this being said, why would we continue to teach without weaving in technology when we have seen how far it has evolved in such a short time? While technology may unnerve us as educators, learners today are digital natives. They need technology to build meaning and to engage with the curriculum.
Preparing learners for their future does not mean abandoning behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and/or connectivism. Instead, it means finding ways to embed technology within these theories. The Metaverse Technology Learning Theory (Mercan & Selçuk, 2024) does this effortlessly. Without sacrificing any of the benefits in the above-mentioned theories, MTLT weaves technology into these theories and puts the learner at the forefront of their own knowledge acquisition. This encourages autonomy and engagement.
Through Situated Learning Theory (SLT), the Metaverse Technology Learning Theory allows learners to learn by doing (Wenger, 1998; Mercan & Selçuk, 2024). This course is designed to equip educators with the tools they need to succeed with technology. While not someone adverse to technology, the course has helped me to understand just how easy it is to incorporate technology into lessons. As I am not presently teaching, I took a unit that I loved and added technology. Through flipped learning opportunities and adding technology components to the unit, I have been able to bring Macbeth even further into the 21st century. Shakespeare’s work has stood the test of time due to its relevant and universal themes. Technology has not only made Macbeth more relatable but also allows for even more meaningful connections to be made within the classroom.
The use of technology is imperative to today’s pedagogical practices. In the lesson, we also have to reflect on how our use of technology enhances the lesson. In this module, we had to come up with our own objectives for reflection and how to assess learners with technology and using self-assessments. I used Wiggins and McTighe’s (2005) Understanding by Design to help me in building my objectives for this module. The objectives I landed on, after asking myself the five questions as to the rationale for the lesson, self-assessment, and the use of portfolios are:
- Establish a clear understanding of how to set up and use an ePortfolio.
- Collect and organize artifacts in a meaningful and logical way.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of how to create a rubric to assess ePortfolios.
Technology is not a solution; it is an enhancement. We cannot replace best practices with technology. Learners still need to feel connected, and their social and emotional needs must be met within the learning environment. This cannot be done with learners glued to a screen. Rather, just as with anything else in life, the use of technology needs to be balanced and woven in with activities that allow for meaningful, engaging, active, and social collaboration.
So far in the course, I have learned how to create YouTube channels and playlists, and I have discovered a new tool that enables me to successfully record videos and share screens. TapRecord is a free app that can be used on both desktops and phones. It allows you to pause and switch screens to make seamless transitions. I look forward to gaining more knowledge and learning of additional tools to help support learners in this age of synthesis (Sias et al., 2017) and on their journey of knowledge acquisition.
References
Mercan, G., & Varol Selçuk, Z. (2024). The role of Metaverse technology in education: A systematic review of opportunities, challenges, and educational potential. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 14(2), 360-375. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.1376341
Sias, C. M., Nadelson, L. S., Juth, S. M., & Seifert, A. L. (2017). The best laid plans: Educational innovation in elementary teacher generated integrated STEM lesson plans. The Journal of Educational Research, 110(3), 227-238. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2016.1253539
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. ASCD.
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