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Competency 4: Think Critically and Reflectively
  • Develops a personal vision of inclusive educational practice

  • Describes the relationship between Educational Technology and the broader field of Education

To demonstrate my competency in thinking critically and reflectively, I present two artifacts.  The first is a discussion post that I wrote for my course EDCI 56800 Partnering with web-based tools.  While taking this course and writing this particular post, I believe that I was able to develop my personal vision of inclusive educational practice.  The particular week that I wrote this post, I had read an article discussing that the Internet is more of a literacy issue than a technology issue.  Coming from a multimedia background, I cannot see myself living or working without understanding and using the Internet.  In my writing I described the argument of literacy versus technology as such:  “To view the Internet as a technology, or a tool, is to vastly underestimate its modern capabilities, ignore the functioning and connectivity of the modern world, and deprive students of valuable resources that will help them to assimilate into their careers and into modern society” (Donnoli, 2017.).  I firmly believe this statement and hope that our education system is able to meet the demand of the future workforce.

Later in this post, I describe the relationship between Educational Technology and the broader field of Education.  I discuss the issue of how “children in the poorest school districts in the United States have the least amount of Internet access at home [and] the greatest pressure to raise scores on tests…and schools do not always prepare them for the new literacies of online reading comprehension at school” (Leu et al., 2009. p. 267).  I suggest limitations that I believe are holding school districts back from providing these underprivileged students with the technology they deserve and my hopes of how an influx of 21st century teachers will be entering education might change the landscape.  I close by stating, “from an Instructional Designer’s and future instructor’s standpoint, we can begin suggesting alternative ways to approach lessons that will begin to explore and showcase the benefits of technology and internet literacy so that others will be more willing to realize its place in the modern world” (Donnoli, 2017.)

 

 

  • Critically evaluates theory and practice

My second artifact, my research paper The benefits of digital storytelling for students with disabilities, demonstrates my ability to critically evaluate theory and practice.  Throughout this paper, I assess constructivist theories and practice in the classroom of the 21st Century skill, digital storytelling.  I discuss current practices of digital storytelling as described in scholarly journals and compare them to traditional learning theories, practices, and literacies.  Digital storytelling enables students, who may have difficulty expressing their thoughts through written and oral presentations, the opportunity to explore their own perspectives and convey ideas in new ways.  Evaluating current classroom practices such as this gives me the confidence that I will be able to bring my skills as a multimedia professional into an academic environment to enrich the student experience.

 

 

References

Donnoli, N. (2017). Internet Literacy Discussion. Purdue University.

 

Leu, D. J., O’Bryne, W. I., Zawilinski, L., McVerry, G., & Everett-Cacopardo, H. (2009). Expanding the new literacies conversation. Educational Researcher, 38(4), 264-269.

Partnering with Web-based Tools Discussion Post
The Benefits of Digital Storytelling for Students with Disabilities
Artifacts
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