Reflective Synopsis
This synopsis aims to critically reflect on the past five
weeks of digital learning, accessed and challenged through an interactive
online university course. The 21st
Century digital world has opened many locked doors to a highly technical
digital future that is beyond our current comprehension.
First, let’s look into some of the theory underpinning the
digital technology of today’s classroom.
The four learning theories applied throughout this course were Behaviourism,
Cognitivism, Social Constructivism and Connectivism; all of which when cleverly
combined and used effectively next to each other, contribute to creating the
successful learners of today.
The TechnologicalPedagogical Content Knowledge Framework (TPCK) was also used to inform
theoretical understandings for implementing technology into the classroom. As the framework states “TPCK is the basis of
good teaching with technology and requires an understanding of the
representation of concepts using technologies; pedagogical techniques that use
technologies in constructive ways to teach content; knowledge of what makes
concepts difficult or easy to learn and how technology can help redress some of
the problems that students face; knowledge of students’ prior knowledge and
theories of epistemology; and knowledge of how technologies can be used to
build on existing knowledge and to develop new epistemologies or strengthen old
ones (Mishra & Koehler, 2006, p.1029).
Effective application of the TPCK Framework into current pedagogy also
addresses requirements of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL, 2012) Standards 1, 2 and 3.
Of course, with the benefits
of accessing digital technology in schools, practitioners must also be aware of
the dangers and must adhere to safe use, policies and procedures when accessing
the Internet. Ways in which these issues are addressed, as outlined by the Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE, 2013, p.1), are to:
- “Develop and implement procedures and
guidelines for web publishing at the school level
- Skill staff to manage school-based web
publishing
- Guide and supervise students during the
course of web publishing
- Develop and implement policies and
procedures for the removal or replacement of inappropriately published
material”.
Addressing these
issues is also another requirement of the AITSL (2012) Graduate Teacher Standards
4 – Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.
One
of the first online activities completed required the application of De Bono’sSix Thinking Hats. This activity
involved accessing Wikispaces as a collaborative online tool and applying learning
theories such as behaviourism where thinking was re-shaped throughout the
process, cognitivism - discovering the massive benefit of using De Bono's model
to become a more effective thinker, social contructivism – accessing and reading
what other peers were thinking to elaborate or widen original perceptions of
the subject matter, and connectivism - where all thoughts, ideas and
experiences were added to a learning space aiming to enlighten minds.
Online learning spaces like Wikispaces are fantastic
engagement tools for the classroom as they may be used by an individual to lead
into collaborative and social construction of knowledge, are accessible from a
range of locations and contribute to learning through the evaluation of the perspectives
and ideas of others. An individual
critical reflection was recorded onto a personal blog, accessible by all
enrolled in the course. Blogs are
quickly becoming essential learning tools in modern day classrooms. As noted in Michelle Lampinen’s (2013) blog; students
are quickly able to experience the benefits of blogs, are easily engaged and
enjoy expressing their opinions in an online space, whereas they usually wouldn’t
in classroom discussions due to shyness or disability.
Working
harmoniously alongside these two collaborative online tools are thousands of other
digital technologies. As this is an ever
evolving subject area, the digital technologies that were focussed on to create
this synopsis were Weebly, YouTube, Prezi, Voki, Moviemaker and Zooburst. When any of
these tools are implemented effectively into classroom practice, a level of
learning and achievement is accessible to all learners, regardless of age,
gender, ability or disability; so long as the school has access to a computer
lab with Internet connection. The
Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition (SAMR) Model is an
effective tool used for scaffolding learning development when integrating these
technologies into the classroom (Department of Education, Training and
Employment (DETE), 2012). This model is
used to demonstrate how computer technology enhances teaching and learning
(DETE, 2012). Now is the time to see and
understand that technology assists in creating presentations and products that
are not only professional, but include multiple types of media including text,
images, video and audio files.
21st Century pedagogues must acknowledge the importance of assisting
their students in becoming technologically savvy as it is a fundamental need
and right of young learners today. There
is currently an intense focus on supporting and extending literacy skills in
Australian schools. The implementation
of technology can assist in this area as information literacy is a skill that should
be supported by the explicit modelling and teaching of processes that can be
used to make informed decisions about the reliability of information found on
the web.
All stakeholders involved in education need to see the value of
technology, as technology has the potential to save time, providing students
with more time to analyse and interpret solutions that enhance
capacity-building whilst supporting a greater emphasis on problem solving.
Teachers need to view technology as a universal skill; as digital pedagogy. Once this vision has been unlocked and basic skills and competency in using the hardware and software packages has been achieved, they will understand the power and potential it encompasses (Mishra & Koehler, 2006).
References
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2012). Graduate teachers. Retrieved from http://www.teacherstandards.aitsl.edu.au/CareerStage/graduateteachers/Standards
Department of Education, Training and Employment. (2013). Risk management. Retrieved from https://classroomconnections.eq.edu.au/topics/Pages/2013/issue-7/samr-learning-technologies.aspx
Department of Education, Training and Employment. (2012). The SAMR model: engage in deep learning and authentic contexts. Retrieved from https://classroomconnections.eq.edu.au/topics/Pages/2013/issue-7/samr-learning-technologies.aspx
Lampinen, M. (2013, April 8). Blogging in the 21st Century classroom. [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/blogging-in-21st-century-classroom-michelle-lampinen
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. (pp. 1017-1054) [PDF for digital Edition]. Retrieved from http://site.aace.org/pubs/sigs/sig-Mishra-Koehler-TCR.pdf
