Running Head: Langley reflective essay

Issues in Instructional Technology:

A reflective paper

Whitney R. Langley

University of West Georgia

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Langley- reflective essay

Introduction

I am Whitney Langley, a fourth grade teacher in Atlanta Public Schools. Because I am an

elementary school teacher, I instruct all of the core subjects: reading, English language arts,

mathematics, science, social studies, and health. Our school has provided both teachers and

students with an abundance of technology, but very little training on the implementation in the

classroom. Therefore I enrolled in this program to with the hopes of better navigating my way

through proper technology integration.

The goals of this course were laid out in the syllabus as wanting students to be able to

identify, evaluate, and plan for emerging and new technologies in the classroom, to investigate

and evaluate problems related to instructional media and technology, and to be able to discuss

the impact of such technologies on our lives. This paper will serve as my personal reflection

chronicling the activities that helped me to meet course objectives and how I will apply this

newly acquired knowledge into my pedagogical practices.

Review of Learning

I participated in many class discussions about how to best reach students in the digital

age and the importance of student-centric learning. The initial purpose of schooling was to

prepare students for factory jobs which is why an emphasis is placed on following directions,

sitting still, raising hands in order to speak. A fundamental shift in the human thought process

was forced with the inception of technology. Bates asserts that “knowledge has become an

increasingly important element of economic development, and above all in job creation

(Bates, 2015, p. 15).” Because “most technologies were not developed specifically for

education (Bates, 2015, p. 227),” it takes teachers to use these new technologies in innovative

ways to most benefit students. Unfortunately, not all teachers feel that the incorporation of
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Langley- reflective essay

technology is imperative for student success. I immediately think about the work that we

completed around the Richard Clark and Robert Kozma debate surrounding instruction al

technology use. The greatest take away that I have from this course throughout all of the class

discussions is that it is of extreme importance to use technology in the classroom, but that a

proper balance of teacher instruction should be present.

Overall, I think that I entered this class not knowing what to expect from the program

because this was my first class and it was 100% distance learning. I had some reservations

because I am one who likes to interact with peers to glean knowledge. This semeste r, I learned

so much about the past, present, and future goals of instructional technology. I worked

extremely hard to explain myself in discussions and assignments. I was so impressed in

reading the vignettes in the Disrupting Class (Christensen, C., Horn, M., & Johnson, C.,

2017) when a student, Maria, wanted to take a course that was not offered at her school so the

principal found a way to enroll Maria in an online course. I was inspired to personalize the

learning for my students with the help of technology. One thing that I could have done better

is to make discussions more like a dialogue between classmates. I traveled a lot this summer,

so I found myself turning in assignments around the deadline which is uncharacteristic of me .

If discussion posts were submitted earlier, I would have probably learned more from my

classmates because I would have more time to respond replies that I received.

Implications of Learning

Many opportunities to reflect on current beliefs and teaching styles were presented in

this course. In a 2010 publication, Marzano found that "effective schools can make a

substantial difference in the achievement of students" (Marzano, 2010, p.1), but that three larger

categories led to effective classroom pedagogy: effective use of instructional strategies, effective
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Langley- reflective essay

management strategies, and use of effective classroom curriculum design strategies (p. 6). I use

these categories to improve my approach in my classroom. The Marzano discussion helped me to

analyze my beliefs and practices in my classroom. I will continue to believe that every student is

capable of learning even if the rates at which they acquire information varies. I will use

technology to have a student-centric classroom where students enjoy learning and create learning

experiences. Effective classroom curriculum design in for me most resembles the team process

as described by Gibbons (2014). It is described as "a method for disciplining and coordinating

the creative efforts of design team members across several phases (Gibbons, A., 2014, pg. 27)."

This view focuses on the shared vision of an interdisciplinary team. It is important for educators

to work together to improve the overall performance of a school.

I am the grade level chair this year so I will share some of the examples that I have

gleaned from this class will translate to my team. I have already planned several virtual field

trips for students to visit ancient ruins in Rome and Greece to support the social studies

curriculum. Team planning will be intentional and focus on student customization. Together, we

will plan not only for re-teaching purposes, but also for enrichment activities support with

technology. I will also set aside time for technology meetings in the event that there are members

on my fourth grade team that do not feel as comfortable using technology to ask questions and

receive the training that they need. After completing the instructional design video, I also want to

bring video making into my classroom as students learn better from their peers. My students will

have opportunities to make short training videos for their classmates on topics covered each

month.

Conclusion
Historically, there has been some disconnect between the availability of instructional

technology and student achievement. This can be attributed to teachers not knowing how to use
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Langley- reflective essay

the technology with the content covered in the classroom, a resistance to adapt, or teachers not

being able to use the newer technology in general (Mishra, P., Koehler, M. J., & Kereluik, K.,

2009). The introduction of the internet has been a disruptive technology that has altered the way

we think, communicate, and learn. As such, schooling should change with the technological

revolution. Technology in the classroom can provide teachers more opportunities to engage,

instruct, and assess students. Instructional technology will propel 21st century schools by

promoting student motivation and preparedness for future jobs that we do not even know exist

yet.

References

Christensen, C. M., Horn, M. B., & Johnson, C. W. (2017). Disrupting class: How disruptive

innovation will change the way the world learns. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Gibbons, A. (2014). Eight Views of Instructional Design and What They Should Mean to

Instructional Designers. Springer. Design in Educational Technology: Design Thinking,

Design Process, Design Studio. (pg. 13-36).

Marzano, R. J. (2010). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective

instruction. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

accessed at

https://mcshare.wikispaces.com/file/view/The_Art_And_Science_of_Teaching.pdf on

July 20, 2018.

Mishra, P., Koehler, M. J., & Kereluik, K. (2009, September/October). The Song Remains the

Same: Looking Back to the Future of Educational Technology. TechTrends, 53(5), 48-53.

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