Week 5 Technology Tools Importance

The information that we have been covering over the past 5 weeks is very near and dear too my teaching philosophy. The types of technologies that we have been investigating and utilizing are all ones that I try too incorporate into my classroom. I teach problem based learning in all of my classrooms because I believe that is the way students learn the best. Students today need to be trained in problem solving because it is one of the number one tools that they can possess.

I really like the concept of e-learning in our classrooms. I teach two courses that are strictly using Blackboard. Our district is switching over to Moodle, but until that day I will fully utilize all the functions of this powerful programs. No longer do I have to worry about students losing papers or leaving their homework at school. I scan or pdf everything that I create into Blackboard. This way, even if students miss class for a day or week, they will have access to the information. Students are very receptive to this fact because they don't want to have to work on homework if they are not around. I am continually reminding them that in their future endeavors, they will be required to be connected to their professions at all times.

If I were to pick two things out of this text that I would use in my class they would be the portion on creative thinking and problem solving. Students in Technology Education classrooms must think outside the box. By allowing this too occur in my classroom, students will be better equipped with the application of creativity. I am currently working on a project that students are reverse engineering a product; culminating in them adding something to it to make it a better device. The culminating activity requires them to think and apply their knowledge of the subject to its real life application.

As for problem solving, as I eluded too before, it is important for all students to be challenged by problems. My automotive courses consistently face students with problems which they must work through to complete. The students have told me they get a lot more out of working through the problem than they would if we just talked about it.

Finally, I am going to continue to implement creativity and problem solving across the broad range of classes that I teach. Students in my digital imaging course will be able to express their creativity through a variety of different projects that we will complete throughout the year. Studnets in engineering and automotive courses will be faced with a variety of problems that they will have to struggle through, resulting in concrete knowledge occuring.