Monday 13 August 2012

EDUC 1751 Assessment task 3


Week 3: Discussion of how a pedagogical lens can assist teachers in making choices relating to ICT integration in the classroom.



On a daily basis teachers are faced with many decisions, decisions on not only what content to teach, but also how they are going to teach it. Due to the rapid pace of change and development in new and emerging technologies many teachers are struggling to come to terms with utilising ITC’s as a common teaching tool (Marsh, 2004). Unfortunately, some teachers tend to maintain their existing classroom practices rather than alter their pedagogical practice to complement the new technologies and ICTS (Kirkwood, 2000). In order to successfully implement ICT’s into the classroom, it is essential that teachers consider the use of technology through a pedagogical lens that is flexible and appropriate to 21st century learning.
As teachers, it is our duty and responsibility to develop and deliver lessons that successfully educate our students. By understanding the strong connection and relationship between content and appropriate pedagogies, teachers can make informed decisions that will motivate, support and develop student learning.  By adapting this pedagogical lens, teaching and learning for the 21st century learner will ultimately be achieved. And the significant benefits of incorporating technology into the learning environment will equip students and pave the way for participation, social interaction, and global networking in life beyond school (Anderson, 2008).


References:

Anderson, B.  (2008). Learning in the digital age: Are the ways we learn changing with the use of educational technologies? In A. St. George, S. Brown & J. O’Neill (Eds.), Facing the Big Questions in Teaching: Purpose, Power and Learning (pp. 134-143). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd.

Kirkwood, A. (2000). E-learning: you don’t always get what you hope for. Technology, Pedagogy, and Education, 18(2), 107-121.

Marsh, C. (2004). Becoming a Teacher: Knowledge, skills & issues (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.


Week 6: Description of a key learning moment during phase one of your artifact production and an explanation of how at least two (2) design decisions were made.

A major key learning moment I encountered and developed during this course was my knowledge and understanding of many programs and tools that make the possibilities of teaching with ICTs endless (and much easier at times). During previous teaching experiences of Graphics Technologies I have often encountered difficulties in teaching, developing and progressing the entire classroom cohort as a group. Teaching students how to use programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator can be very difficult and challenging at times due to a range of abilities across a class group. Previously I have taught these lessons as a demonstration tutorial, using a projector and working through a step by step process with the whole class group. Although, this was successful in keeping the entire class working at the same pace, it was often very difficult to give student struggling the time and assistance they each required. 

During my artifact production I learnt and developed my own skills in useful web2.0 tools such as Screenr and Audacity. These tool in particular are excellent resources for teachers to design and produce classroom tutorials for difficult programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. By developing and utilising electronic tutorials that students can work through at their own pace gives me as the teacher more time with those students who are less advanced in their ICT skills, needing more time and assistance.
Making the decision to use and develop my own professional skills with programs I was previously unfamiliar with will ultimately assist me in developing my own pedagogies, useful for a 21st century classroom.



Week 8:Explanation of how a depth of curriculum knowledge also supports the decision making process relating to ICT use in the classroom, with reference to a learning moment in phase two of your project.



There is no denying that the process of learning new computer programs, tools and software isn’t easy. Even for digitally native teachers and students this process is often complex and more often a very time consuming practice. When creating and developing my resources in phase two this rapidly come to my attention and at times was very problematic. Throughout the development of this task I quickly realised just how much time and energy can go into developing just one useful resource. This was a key learning moment. For a full time classroom teacher this time needed to develop a useful resource such as task 2 will be very hard to come by (especially for more than one class). For this reason our depth of curriculum knowledge and thorough understanding of ICT pedagogies and the Digital Education Revolution laptops and software is vital. 


Clearly, a teacher’s depth of knowledge in terms of the curriculum is very important. As essentially, that is what we are there to teach. However, this knowledge ideally helps and assists teachers in making informed decisions of how, where and why specific ICTs will be incorporated and used to teach a lesson. Especially in my subject area, Design and Technology education. If time to develop useful and relevant resources for the 21st century student is so hard to come by, then, it is through a depth of curriculum knowledge, a thorough understanding of ICT pedagogies and an understanding of the DER laptop programs that this problem can be reduced or overcome.  These skills and knowledge will improve resource production time and also allow teachers to focus on additional elements like the quality teaching model.






Week 10: Discussion of the relevance of multiliteracies and multimodal approaches to supporting student learning. 



The morning routine of a 'digital native' (Prensky, 2002), also referred to as a student of today, begins with checking their phone (messages, emails, Facebook, news updates...etc.), eating breakfast, speaking and listening at the table, watching the morning news which also involves still and moving imagery, websites, film clips, global broadcasting and even subtitled headlines. To process these multimodal texts and construct meaning, our digital natives need more than traditional language-based literacies (Anstey & Bull, 2006).



In essence, in order for students of today to successfully immerse themselves in society as active citizens they need to be multiliterate. That is – having the ability to develop meaning and understanding through linguistic, visual, audio, spacial, gestural, and multimodal methods.



The globalisation, cultural diversity and rapid development in communication media and new technologies demand greater literacy practices and a new educational response literacies (Anstey & Bull, 2006). Society continues to grow and develop and essentially, functions very differently to the 19th and 20th century. There is no longer reliance on decoding and encoding print, classroom practices have shifted from the traditional ‘chalk and talk methods and information and communication is all at the click of a button (Cope & Kalantzis, 2000).




References:
 

Cope, B. & Kalantzis, M. (2000). Multiliteracies: the beginnings of an idea. Multiliteracies, literacy learning and the design of social futures, 4-31.


Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon. Retrieved: March 26th 2012, from www.marcprensky.com


O'Toole, M., Burke, R., & Absalom, D. (2011). Language, Literacy and Learning. Seven Hills: Boraga Academic.




Week 13: Using a pedagogical lens, write an evaluation of the impact this project has had on your own TPCK. Referring to course readings and your experiences, include a brief discussion of your views on the social impact of technology on teachers and students.

If a teacher can successfully develop and sustain all three elements of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, then I believe impact of technology within the classroom of both teachers and students will be very positive.

The Digital Education Revolution and heavily embedded use of ICT’s within the classroom has sparked much controversy and attention over the past decade. However, I strongly believe that society and the education system need to accept, embrace and develop technology, technology education and technological pedagogical practices. 

It is undoubtable that technology sustains both positive and negative impacts, yet, the positive part it plays on society and the students of today far outweighs the negatives. As teachers we need to sister our pedagogical practice with technology rather than rely upon this technology. Teaching with technology like the DER laptops needs to utilised as a tool or resource rather than a technique. Teachers cannot become reliant on technology to teach for them, especially due to its unreliability. We must also be mindful of all the many other skills students need to be equipped with when they leave school too. For example social interaction and communication skills, the ability to work and interact with groups and collaborate and the ability to talk and communicate in person rather than relying on technology.

If we use and sustain technology effectively then the possibilities are endless. Education can become more effective, time efficient and functional for teachers and learning can become more authentic, interactive and informative for students. Students also develop skills and the ability to work autonomously and self-direct their learning, developing them into more independent and informed people within society.

Overall, through developing and expanding my own technological skills, knowledge and pedagogies throughout this course I can already see firsthand the positive impact it has had upon my teaching and students learning with in the classroom. Developing the ability to relate closely to the interests and preferred learning styles of my students as 21st century learners has very successfully helped engage and motivate my classes and almost eliminate all behaviour management within the classroom.


References:

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon. Retrieved: March 26th 2012, from www.marcprensky.com


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