My Instructional Technology Philosophy
Technology Use in the Classroom
As technology advances, it is important for teachers to understand how beneficial proper technology use can be for both students and teachers. I am very fortunate to be employed at a school that values the importance of technology and invests heavily in Professional Development that trains its teachers to be equipped with the latest tools and resources to be effective teachers and enhance classroom instruction. Although I am still learning about technology integration, I am very open to it and embrace any opportunity to learn about the subject. Therefore, under the ISTE Standards, I consider myself a Facilitator. The benefits and challenges of using technology in the classroom vary, however, it is important to outline them and understand them to fully be a facilitator of technology in the classroom.
Pros of Using Technology in the Classroom
In my classroom, I have found that using technology has empowered my students to take ownership of their learning. For our state testing, my students have access to their scores and set goals accordingly based on their performance. They are able to share their goals with me and we are both able to collaboratively focus on their areas of growth and the online programs that our school uses allows us to track their progress and make any adjustments as necessary. These adaptive learning systems, as Sposato mentions in his article, help increase feedback practices and adapt to personal learning styles (Sposato, 2025). Furthermore, as our school begins to integrate AI into our lessons, we will have access to an endless bank of lesson plans that increase student engagement, enhance critical thinking skills and create more activities that incorporate real-world context that prepare our students for college and beyond.
Cons of Using Technology in the Classroom
As an avid supporter of technology in the classroom, I understand the need to establish safeguards to make sure that all of my students are engaging in responsible and safe internet use. To begin, my school ensures that every classroom uses Apple classroom to monitor whether students are navigating to websites approved by the school, specifically by the teacher for said assignment. As a teacher, our leaders encourage us to assist many trainings and Professional Development courses that educate us on proper use guidelines and ethical practices. This is critical because without the support of the school leadership team, specifically our principal,
it would be very difficult to achieve our vision and establish technology teams to help us reach these goals (Groenewald, 2025). With these practices in place, the teacher and facilitator can provide students with opportunities to explore other educational pathways safely, ethically and responsibly.
Conclusion
Knowing that the school and district that I work for are supportive with curriculum objectives that involve technology integration in the classroom is a breath of fresh air. Our leaders are there to support us and provide us with the training necessary to use these tools effectively and safely. As a student in the doctoral program of curriculum teaching, I look forward to learning and evolving my understanding with new technologies and cutting edge practices that ensure that my students are prepared for college and beyond and are advocates for their learning.
References
Groenewald, D., Larvey, S., & O'Neill, M. (2025). Characteristics of senior leadership in high-performing Western Australian Catholic schools. Issues in Educational Research, 35(1), 181–198. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/groenewald.pdf
Sposato, M. (2025). Artificial intelligence in educational leadership: a comprehensive taxonomy and future directions. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 22(20), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-025-00517-1