When I began teaching I was very in love with technology and used it frequently in class, creating PowerPoint presentations, using Youtube videos and music, but I slowly began to thrift away from it. After a while I divorced from technology. My main focus and energy was mainly directed toward improving my pedagogy and especially my Instructional Design. My main goal was to learn and then help students make meaningful, long-lasting connections with the class content. Some of the learning theories that interested me were Cognitivism and Behaviorism.
Recently my fire and passion for technology ignited once again, but sadly I often overdose on technology and I wonder if the students overdose too. When do we stop? How do we know? Sometimes nostalgia hits me and I long for those remote time where students were not easily distracted by buzzing, flashy or vibrating sounds. I do believe in having a well-balanced class, taking advantage of the great resources and tools EdTech (E-learning) can provide for the instructor and for the students. I strongly believe technology can provide that long-lasting connections and learning I so eagerly search for. I loved when Jordan Molina on her post asked how much harder does an online teacher has to work to inspire her/his students. In my opinion, not much because personally I have been inspired by cyber-friends whom I have never met. It is a mysterious connection I cannot describe well. Do you have a online friend, teacher or instructor who has inspired you?
