TE 886

Karla Tranmer
My Technology Philosophy of Teaching
I graduated from a small high school in 1986 and a great deal has changed in the area of
technology over the past 30 years. My high school had only two computers that were in the
library and I dont think I did anything with them except play a geography game in my spare
time. I attended Midland Lutheran College, now Midland University, and there was a computer
lab in the library that could be accessed by students, but until I had to take an actual computer
class to learn how to create a program, I didnt do much with computers. I had my typewriter to
type up my papers and felt like the computers werent that great of an asset to my education.
That is not the way education and technology interact now. Technology is a vital part of
education and needs to be used as a way to broaden students outlook and enhance their learning.
Technology is an ever changing entity. There is something new constantly
being developed to use in the classroom. According to Utkarsh Lokesh (2013), technology is
simply a tool to aid education and learning. A teacher needs to know how to use the technology
available to enhance the lessons being taught. I dont think technology will ever replace
teachers, but it will make it so classes offered online will be more readily available to
individuals. One example of this is at my local high school where the senior class students are
able to take a few of their classes for dual credit so they earn college credit while in high school.
The students taking the classes did not leave the high school building, but instead used Skype to
interact with the college professor. He was able to see them and call on them just as if they were
in the classroom face to face. The students submitted their assignments to the professor
electronically so it was a money and time saving way to further their education.

I teach preschool and I have a SmartBoard that I use to enhance the students learning and
to keep them engaged in what they are learning. I create PowerPoint presentations to illustrate a
concept so the pictures are large and easy to see. I also have a handwriting program that we use
and we watch the letter formation on the screen rather than me writing it on the chalkboard. I try
to limit the use of the SmartBoard to very specific times since the underlying purpose of
preschool is for my students to learn social skills and unfortunately, those are not learned by
watching a screen. My school recently changed from having a dedicated computer lab to using a
mobile iPad cart. I have downloaded a few apps specifically for my preschoolers to practice
their academic skills such as iTrace and Writing Wizard to practice letter writing as well as basic
preschool skills apps such as Alphabet Phonics, Preschool All-In-One and ABC 123. I allow my
students 10 minutes on the iPad at one time and then they have to share it with a friend. Taking
turns and giving up something fun is hard for a preschool student to do so this does promote
social skills which is an added bonus to what the app is already teaching. Technology of any
kind must be fully combined with the educational objectives and goals of that classroom.
(Wardle, Early Childhood News) I wont use technology unless it will benefit my students
positively in some way and it is my job to mesh my early childhood objectives with programs on
the iPad that will enhance their learning.
Early Childhood education has been able to identify areas of weakness in children and
through early intervention has been able to address those issues to increase their ability to learn.
Lindsay Daugherty (2014) addressed this topic by stating integrating technology into early
childhood education means that children may have access to a wider range of opportunities for
learning. It can provide additional tools to focus on different areas that need attention such as
math and reading skills, small and gross motor skills as well as socio-emotional skills. Although

I teach in a school with a strong Hispanic population there doesnt seem to be a huge language
barrier since many of our children come from homes where English is spoken. If I found it
necessary to translate English to Spanish I could use the Speak and Translate app from Apalon to
help me make sure the information is clearly understood by my student. Using technology can
also help my students that struggle with articulation and speech by using the microphone and
having them practice pronunciations correctly with the help of the Speech Language Pathologist.
As I learn more about my students I will be able to identify the ones that may not have had
many experiences with technology and do different things to expose them to technology through
the iPad or the classroom computer.
Technology is not going away. It shouldnt go away. The advances that technology
affords education is dramatic. Teachers need to embrace technology in their classrooms and use
it to enhance lessons to reach all students. Teachers that are unsure about technology should
attend trainings to teach them the different ways technology can be used throughout the school
day. It will not be able to replace teachers since students still need that physical connection, but
technology can help students gain information that may have been inaccessible years earlier.

References:
Daugherty, L. (2014). Early Education Plays Role in Bridging the Digital Divide.
Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/news/press/2014/03/03.html.
Lokesh, U. (2013). Technology and Its Role in 21st Century Education. Retrieved from
http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/277-role-of-technology-in-21st-century.
Wardle, F. Early Childhood News. The Role of Technology in Early Childhood
Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/
ArticleID=302.

Programs.

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