Michele Brannon-Hamilton ePortfolio

ETEC 532 Arts and Humanities Reflection

ETEC 532 covered using educational technology in the Arts and Humanities. Initially, this course was not exactly what I expected it to be because it was much more philosophical than other courses I had taken. However, it taught me how important culture is in all elements of educational technology.

First we discussed whether online learning was as effective as face-to-face learning. We investigated educational pedagogy and critical inquiry before analyzing our own methods of instruction.

An interesting assignment involved analyzing photos and videos to determine cultural features of education. We then discussed collaboration, self-directed learning, online communities, culture, and relationships. Next, we looked at the new types of technology and how they could change learning, particularly in the areas of language, symbols and new literacies.

In this course, we analyzed 3 vignettes which I found difficult to do. One vignette was about puppets and how they could represent culture. This led to an analysis of culture and how it affects teaching, communicating and choice of tools. We also looked at the culture of the net generation which includes issues of immediacy, knowledge everywhere, and learners as creators. Apparently, everything we learn is culturally influenced.

Other interesting issues we discussed were online games, social justice, and ethical responsibility. I found the topics regarding the digital divide very interesting because I hadn’t considered how dominant cultures can push their views onto others or how some people can be left behind because of a lack of access.

For vignette two, I analyzed how to “mov[e] a whole school towards integrating technology” and discussed my views in a group setting. Another group project included creating a visual representation as a framework for distance learning.

Our main individual assignment included writing an Annotated Bibliography and Literature Review followed by a final paper about integrating technology into the arts and humanities. This was my first experience at writing a literature review so I had a lot of research to do. In hindsight, I believe this course would have been easier if I had taken ETEC 500 earlier on instead of near the end of my MET journey.

My literature review included using adult learning theory and principles of good education to show how educational technology could be implemented into an adult literacy classroom. A difficult part of this assignment included reading and editing another student’s paper. It was interesting to read someone else’s view but stressful trying to edit the paper fairly.

Overall, I learned how to recognize the influence of culture in all aspects of the classroom including the symbols, language and tools we use to teach. I found myself using this knowledge in other classes to determine how new technology would affect people of varying backgrounds and abilities.

I chose these artifacts because they represent the integration of what I learned about educational technology, culture and the Arts and Humanities.

Artifacts

Annotated Bibliography
Literature Review
Final Paper Implementing Educational Technology into a Literacy Classroom