Introduction to Technology in Schools (ISLT7377)
Course Description: Study of theories and practices associated with educational technology. Explores basic instructional design processes and strategies for integrating technology into teaching and learning. Provides an overview of the EdTech field and a survey of emerging trends.
Reflection: This course was a great way to begin my coursework. Being a member of an online community was emphasized, and as I learned what it was like to be a student using technology I learned better ways to be a teacher using technology. I also began building relationships with people that have sustained throughout the process of earning my degree. Every course I have taken since Introduction to Technology has included a classmate I first met in this course, which really made me feel at home as a distance learning student at MU. It also drove home what true connections students can build with people all over the world through technology, which has led me to encourage my students to make those same kinds of connections through classroom blogs to other students across the country.
I also learned in the course that “technology” can mean very different things to different people. I teach in a school district where every teacher has a school-issued laptop, iPad, document camera, and web page. Because of this I was very surprised when given an assignment to interview a teacher about their use of technology to have her list “overhead projector” as a technology that she used in her classroom. To me, an overhead projector is antiquated, but to someone not given the tools I have, a projector might still be the best “technology” for the job.
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