As the digital age progresses, I find it far easier to focus on the finding the easiest, most efficient. or what’s familiar, than reflecting on what works for the purposes, or goals, I actually need the technology for. This frame of thinking can often be seen in the way our students think about how they compose and what they use to compose their work, often choosing the easiest or most efficient tools to complete their work.
Almost ‘uncanny’ the similarities between the two, huh?
In creating our teaching philosophies, for the first time, potentially ever, I got to think about what role technology plays in supporting my goals, beliefs, and values as an educator. While I often use platforms like Google Classroom and The Learning Network, I’m not sure I’ve ever intentionally voiced my reasoning, to myself or others, as to why these platforms help support my instruction. In Teaching with Technology, Danielle Nicole Devoss shared the following questions to guide her and her teams thinking about how technology plays a role in their everyday life (28):
What are your earliest experiences with technology?
How has your writing changed with or in relationship to digital writing technologies?
What does your current digital writing environment look like?
And these questions about how technology played a role in their lives as students and educators (29):
What are the least/most effective ways I’ve seen teachers use technology in the classroom?
What skills and abilities do I want students to enhance or gain in my classroom?
What XYZ tools or technology allow that more traditional means not allow, do, or facilitate?
Both sets of questions motivate teachers to reconsider how they use technology personally, but also their technological experiences within their educational careers have been. These questions ultimately lead us to the reality of choice. Though it may seem obvious that we have, especially as educators, choose what we value, believe, and do in our classrooms, the truth is that when it comes to technology, choice isn’t always considered. As I’d mentioned, sometimes using tech can feel like an easier more efficient way of composing, even if it isn’t the most effective. Therefore, as we go through the process of creating our teaching philosophies and focus on our use of tech, I encourage each of us to reflect on the what, how’s, and why’s, so that... maybe...just maybe, our students will too.
Alexander, P., Chabot, K., Cox, M., DeVoss, D., Gerber, B., Perryman-Clark, S., Platt, J., Sackey, D. and Wendt, M. (2012). Teaching with Technology: Remediating the Teaching Philosophy Statement. Computers and Composition, 29(1), pp.23-38.
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