Blog Assignment #16

At the beginning of my study of technology in Education in EDM 310 I evaluated what should be the central focus of Education in Humanities subjects. I stated my belief that the development of the individual's intellect in modern society is dependent on critical thinking skills and technological literacy. Therefore, students should be encouraged to use technology as a medium for developing critical thinking skills. My opinion on Education remains the same, but my experience in EDM 310 has given me a broader perspective of how technology is being used in Education and the practical knowledge of how to apply these technological mediums in my classroom.

Though my central Thesis on Humanities-based Education remains very similar, EDM 310 has expanded the scope of my opinion of technology in Education. At the beginning of the semester, I envisioned using technology as a medium for students to develop Classical critical thinking skills by analyzing primary documents or watching videos; then discussing students' findings. What I learned in EDM 310 was this was only the base level of technological application in Education. To elaborate, EDM 310 taught me that effective technological application in Education goes beyond the most basic technological skills, such as looking up primary documents or videos, and into an area where students are the creators.


Technology in Education serves a multitude of purposes, but two are distinctly prevalent. A) Project Based Learning using technological mediums encourages the development of critical thinking skills as long as the projects are carefully developed with the intent of developing critical thinking skills. B) Project Based Learning using technological mediums encourages technological literacy, developing students for success in our world where technological literacy is required for almost all professionals.

My experience in EDM 310 challenged me to think of deeper ways to apply technology in my classroom and allowed me to develop the practical skills to be able to accomplish this goal. In addition, my experience in EDM 310 instilled the desire in me to apply Project Based Learning in my class just as equally in my classroom as class discussion and subject analysis. My initial goal of developing critical thinking skills by applying technology remains the same, but my experience in EDM 310 has given me a broader perspective of this goal and allowed me to develop a greater understanding of how to effectively use technology to develop critical thinking skills. Technology encourages communication, collaboration, networking, and creativity all of which are necessary skills for success in the modern world. My initial vision for my classroom at the beginning of the semester was to develop a classroom where critical thinking was developed by applying technology. EDM 310 has allowed me to develop the skills necessary to accomplish this goal and an understanding of technology in Education that will allow me to encourage students to develop critical thinking skills in more profound ways than I ever thought possible.

EDM 310 Final Reflection Video