WOL-I'm On the Curve

 In the readings from Unit 1 of Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory, I believe that I fall in the area of Early Majority. I will see that something will work or have seen the work of new technology and find out as much information as possible to take on what I can learn and apply new technologies into the classroom. I think about how I can integrate the innovative technologies to engage students and introduce them to something new. I think about the ways that technology use is encouraged in education and continue to find new ways to facilitate teaching students. I want to continue to apply new knowledge in the educational settings in which I teach.

I feel that being a teacher requires new knowledge in all areas to be effective and in the realm of what we continue to learn for future generations to come.

As a lead teacher, I am expected to be able to apply new teachings of technology into the classroom and to be able to share the information and technological program use with my colleagues. As we continue to utilize the learning design and technology in the classrooms the easier it gets as we continue to use it.

I would rather learn than lag and disagree with learning something new. This will also reflect that I can be flexible with oncoming changes. I personally try to learn new things all the time. I believe that we,  as teachers are ongoing learners to be effective and in the move of changes as education continues to integrate design and technology.

This course is allowing me to learn new skills and their use which I have not thought about. The possibilities and purpose of this course have opened my eyes more to what is and what can be integrated into the educational settings. I am continuously drawn to the readings and the live lecture that is shared by Professor Salik in this course. The knowledge and information that he has is outrageous yet very interesting.

An example of learning new technologies and their use is when I had to work with colleagues to set up and log into ZOOM for conferencing and teaching students virtually. The pandemic had me panicking and realizing I needed to learn different platforms of use and to integrate them into my teachings. I had to continue to be effective and keep students engaged. I had to do some research on my own and attend professional development meetings to learn more about technology and its use. This made me realize that I needed to learn more about technology and its use.

Listening to the different ways of integrating technology in all professions is exceptional. I have listened to how it may be used in various ways such as the medical field and how others implement the use for data analysis to fashion design.

In listening to lecture one by Dr. Salik, it was great to hear that technology will never take a person’s job. People will always need to make modifications and adjustments as needed to continue to expand on technological use and design. Another point that was intriguing to learn is that it has been here for centuries, and the developmental changes continue to increase as we learn new things.

Technology is used in other countries also. A student from group A also shared how he uses emergent technology to enhance how things are done in engineering. It could be related to electronics or any tool that enhances the way things are done in whatever profession. Yaakoub is from Algeria who designs curriculums to design courses such as Kids engineering. He shared how different countries are not as up to date on high tech technology as the United States. This information was shared from the Flip introductions.

There are many teachers in the group who are from all over the world. It is interesting to hear what all students share in this course.

This course has me reflecting on how technology has changed throughout my life. I remember the use of cell phones that looked like binders which had to have an antenna to get signal and to plug it in for charging. The changes in mobile phones have drastically changed to this day in time. We can have  conferences from our phones and do facetime. There are many uses of what our phones can do. I have also seen how gaming has changed along with the graphics which are HD and LED quality. People can control many things through technology use such as banking, various types of security systems, designing of all sorts, and the list goes on. Technology continues to be sophisticated and change.

In the readings by the EDUCAUSE Horizon Report it states, AI can help institutions address persistent challenges such as enrollment, retention, and financial aid allocation. AI also has the potential to alter the teaching by helping faculty create instructional content and grade assessments. It can impact the student experience by increasing engagement through the use of avatars and metaverse, in addition to improving learning outcomes via personalizing learning.

The readings have also highlighted on how the United States continues to rely on technological use and design.

Technological and connectivity advancements paved the way for a drastic increase in the number of news sources, delivery platforms, and access devices (2023, EDUCAUSE Horizon Report).

I find myself challenging new gadgets that come into the field of education to enhance my learning along with students gaining new knowledge. I will take all readings and apply them to the educational setting in which I teach. I appreciate all that Dr. Salik and fellow classmates for sharing the knowledge they have to help me gain better understanding of changes I continue to face to better apply to new technology and design.