Now that I have some time to "blog," I would like to share my reflections on and analyses of the class readings, assignments, and activities.
The first reading to which I had quite a notable response was the LoTi (levels of technology implementation). Learning about the levels challenged my assumptions about teaching with technology by "opening my eyes" to what I don't know about technology expectations in the classroom and helping me realize how far I have to go in order to reach a satisfactory level of technological advancement.
Basically, I was under the impression that using technology to enhance instruction (such as Power Point or other multimedia materials) and taking students to the computer lab/library to do research are considered pretty technological activities. However, using technology in this sense is only considered a level 2 of 6! Reading on about the other levels, I learned that, ultimately, the goal of using technology for education is to teach students how to understand all aspects of technology and use it frequently for real life, practical purposes such as problem solving, research, data tracking, publishing, business, social activism, etc. While using technology for the aforementioned purposes, students will learn the content they need to learn while they use and apply it in a more advanced way/format.
That being said, I do hope that, as we progress through the levels of technology implementation, content area instruction is preserved. Although computer literacy and fluency are essential, students still need to know content area information so that they can participate in academic circles and thrive as knowledgeable adults.
The first reading to which I had quite a notable response was the LoTi (levels of technology implementation). Learning about the levels challenged my assumptions about teaching with technology by "opening my eyes" to what I don't know about technology expectations in the classroom and helping me realize how far I have to go in order to reach a satisfactory level of technological advancement.
Basically, I was under the impression that using technology to enhance instruction (such as Power Point or other multimedia materials) and taking students to the computer lab/library to do research are considered pretty technological activities. However, using technology in this sense is only considered a level 2 of 6! Reading on about the other levels, I learned that, ultimately, the goal of using technology for education is to teach students how to understand all aspects of technology and use it frequently for real life, practical purposes such as problem solving, research, data tracking, publishing, business, social activism, etc. While using technology for the aforementioned purposes, students will learn the content they need to learn while they use and apply it in a more advanced way/format.
That being said, I do hope that, as we progress through the levels of technology implementation, content area instruction is preserved. Although computer literacy and fluency are essential, students still need to know content area information so that they can participate in academic circles and thrive as knowledgeable adults.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Dean Mantz. I am a national mentor and an educational advocate for LoTi. I am glad to see that this approach to education has made you stop and think about how lessons and interaction with students should be changed. I would just like to explain that LoTi no longer stands for Levels of Technology Implementation. Dr. Moersch changed the philosophy behind his program about 18 months ago. LoTi now stands for Levels of Teaching Innovation. The name change came as a result of multiple influences. One influence was the change in ISTE's T and S standards. The new online survey is mapped to those ISTE standards as well as being mapped back to a variety of educational pedagogy approaches. A second influence on the name is the stress on "HEAT". HEAT means higher-order thinking, engagement of the students, authentic learning, and finally technology.
Dr. Moersch wants to stress that it takes all of those components for education to change and be enhanced so that students today and tomorrow are challenged and provided the opportunity to be life long learners that can think, problem-solve, and collaborate on a global level.