Reflective Blog Positing # 2

An organization I found to be important to me is ATMI.  ATMI is the Association for Technology in Music Instruction formed in 1975.  It currently has around 200 members from the USA and a few members from other countries as well.  ATMI’s website address is here. I selected it because I personally am a lover of music and believe that students who understand music and read music have an easier time learning mathematics.  I also believe that music is an incredible stress reliever and if student’s are able to study music and use emerging technologies to do so they will be able to focus better in other classes.  According to ATMI’s website, the mission of ATMI “is to improve music teaching and learning through the integration of current and emerging technologies into the music learning environment.”  ATMI is dedicated to sharing information and solutions for people interested in music technology in instruction. 

       I also found an organization called ISTE.  ISTE is the International Society for Technology in Education.  More information can be found here.  I chose this organization because I believe it would benefit me as a future US teacher to connect with teachers in foreign countries so that I will learn teaching methods that I may not be taught in the US.  The mission of ISTE, according to it’s website is to “advance excellence in learning and teaching through innovative and effective uses of technology.”  The purpose of ISTE “is to maintain a various membership of world wide educators and professionals.  ISTE allows members to connect, collaborate and share ideas.”

My definition of educational technology is aiding students in the utilization of technological processes so they may improve learning performance and better understand real world application of the material being taught in a classroom setting. 

This aligns with my philosophy in that one of the foremost lessons I want to relay to my future students is that what they are being taught in my classroom applies to the real world and will improve or make easier their future careers and adult life.  If I am able to facilitate their learning with applications such as web based learning, use of computer, blogging etc. and they in turn use those applications in their career/adult life, I will have given them a real world advantage.