Introduction:

This portfolio represents my journey in completing a Master's degree in Performance and Training Technology at the University of Northern Iowa.  The following pages will provide links to my artifacts including a reflection for each item and how it relates to one or more of the ECIT Standards matrix.  My portfolio is aligned with the Association for Educational Communications and Technology's Standards for the Accreditation of School Media Specialist and Educational Technology Specialist Programs.  The section on Standards Reflections will address each of the five domains and will include a reflection and link to the related artifacts.  The Comprehensive Reflection will refer to my entire learning experience in the IT program at UNI and areas of growth and development discovered along the way. 

Philosophical Statement:

“In any list of explanations for the errant passion for technology by educators (but not necessarily teachers), a solid candidate would be this dream of increasing productivity, that is, students acquiring more information with the same or even less teacher effort.  This dream has persisted from the invention of the lecture centuries ago to the early decades of this century when reformers sought efficiency through film, radio, and television.  The dream persists into the 1980s with promoters boosting desk-top computers for each student.” (p. 3).

-  Teachers and Machines: The Classroom Use of Technology Since 1920

The moment I came across this paragraph in Larry Cuban’s book was when everything I thought I knew about technology in education changed.  It was one of my greatest “A-ha” moments of my graduate studies to date and probably had the strongest impact on my philosophy for integrating technology into a learning environment.  In the margin of my book, I wrote “1-to-1” which represented my realization that not only was the idea of one computer for every student not new, but the fact that we had been trying these technological fixes unsuccessfully for decades.  It was in that moment where I questioned my participation in this educational technology graduate program and wondered why we even bothered to continue this push for technology.  But it was from this low moment of realization that I began to rebuild my ideas and understanding of the integration of technology into our schools and businesses. 

In order for technological advances to reach their full potential within the learning environment there are vital conditions which must be in place.  This includes the placement of technology, the skill level of the instructors, and the true integration of the technology into the curriculum.  If any of these three conditions are not met, the technology will most likely fail.  As is evident by past failures of technology, it may take multiple elements to support the use of technology, but only one wrong condition to contribute to its demise.  The technology specialist can play a key role in seeing that the conditions are met and to foster an environment where technology is a natural addition to the learning community.

The first condition is to have the technology in the hands of the learner and available just when the student needs it.  The technology can not be locked away down the hall in a computer lab or in a technology coordinator’s office.  The technology must be hands on and easily accessible.  The technology should be viewed as a tool in the classroom just as a chalkboard or ruler would be.  There should not be a separate time to learn specific computer skills, but instead the learner should learn the skills through an authentic use of the technology as part of a larger task.  The technology will require a support system which will allow it to function properly and so the learner is not burdened with technical difficulties. 

The skill and comfort level of the instructor is often a gage of the expectations for the use of the technology within a learning environment.  While it is absolutely acceptable for an instructor to learn about the new software or devices along with the students, a confidence must be there which allows the instructor to feel safe in this exploration.  The instructor must also have an avenue for gaining technological skills that is accessible and fits to her needs.  This may be fulfilled by a technology specialist, a peer coach, or just-in-time training modules that can be customized to the instructor and technology.  The instructor must be in an environment where time spent on technology skill enhancement is not seen as at the detriment to time spent on reading and math skills.  The instructor should feel encouraged to learn about technology in addition to the core academic subjects and that this time is an investment towards the future success of the learners in their technological development.

The use of technology within a classroom must be authentic and adequately integrated into the curriculum as to be viewed as a seamless process.  In the past, technological advances were often seen as a separate part of the day where the student was placed in front of the radio, television, or computer while the instructor was off on a different task.  This “technology time” was not part of the larger picture of the learning experience.  The role of the technology specialist is to assist the instructor in designing learning opportunities where the technology is seen as a tool for the project and not the entire project itself.  The hands on learning experience with the technology will allow the student to reflect on their learning processes as well as the role of technology in this process. 

The Domains of Instructional  Technology

Figure 1 (Seels & Richey, 1994, p. 26).

Seels, B. & Richey, R. (1994). Instructional technology: the definition and domains of the field. Washington, DC: AECT.