Let's Tech About It

There are multiple factors when considering the overall effectiveness of technological integration within the education system. Among those factors are hurdles that often play a part in various parts of societal infrastructure, especially with regards to new technology. Issues often stem from compressed budgets, as well as a lack of training and resources. According to Johnson et al. (2014, as cited in Hughes et al. 2018) barriers to effective technology integration included “reduced amount of face-to-face interaction with faculty and other students; lack of faculty support with technology integration; lack of time and monetary support; and privacy concerns” (p.297). While we can always paint a broad picture of what works and what hinders any form of operation, in this case it is incumbent that instructors become the focus for being able to enact true change towards the adoption of technology as not just a feature or gadget of the learning process, but as a fundamental tool for improvi...

This week I wanted to examine an available learning environment and have decided to focus on Blackboard Learn, a learning management system that is readily and expansively used by not only Sul Ross State University students, but many other institutions as well. As a learning environment, Blackboard at its most broad function, aims to facilitate traditional course instruction or training through an online platform available to multiple parties, including students at the collegiate level. Seeing as how my experience with Blackboard has taken place during multiple points in my education, I felt that allows me a certain comfort in determining what functions best and what could be improved upon within the system itself. There are a few notable aspects of this learning environment to focus on, starting with what cognitive presence was exhibited during the use of the Blackboard platform. This may differ in experience depending on the specific courses one might take, but the cognitive pres...

I’ve never been a teacher before, so it’s with great interest that I find myself in the center of a program that aims to improve the learning process for many different students, groups, businesses, and individuals over a broad spectrum. This has also led me to currently discovering how best to apply instructional frameworks and how to have a direct hand in development and analysis of those methods. So which development model or learning theory should I apply to my method? What is my specific pedagogical approach? Is there a one-size-fits-all option that will allow me to cover most, if not all, areas of which I expect a client or learner to successfully absorb? Will the information I need them to process be obtainable in terms of the design and desired outcomes? So far, I believe the answers are much more varied than just ‘yes’ or ‘no’.   In just the few short weeks that I’ve entrenched myself into the Ed. Tech program at SUL ROSS STATE UNIVERSITY, I’ve discovered that there is...