Reflective Synopsis

Retrieved from: http://bayyinah.com/elearning/

Technology has transformed the learning environment drastically in the past few decades. While students still sit in lecture halls and access physical texts and databases from their local or campus libraries, much has changed. In this digital era, technological tools are being implemented more and more in and out of the classroom to learn and teach, and a broad term used to describe this is e-Learning.

Online resources, tools, and handheld devices have changed the way we think, behave, process information and learn. We have access to endless amounts of information and powerful tech tools at our fingertips. This new technology has not only changed how students learn, but also how teachers teach. Technology is a prevalent factor in everyone’s lives, so the importance of using these tools to our advantage in the classroom is a given. It has the power to easily engage and cater to all teaching and learning styles through static images, animations, video, auditory and interactive stimuli. Furthermore, due to the ease of access everywhere, learning is not limited to the classroom. Flipped classrooms are common and learning can now be done through self-guided searches virtually anywhere and anytime, alone or learning collaboratively with others.

Technology can aid the three long-standing theories of learning and teaching of behaviourism (e.g. online quizzes), cognitivism (e.g. online mind-mapping tools, like bubbl.us, to name one), and social constructivism (collaborative and scaffolding learning through blogs, wikis, websites), and a new idea has emerged relating more directly to the online environment called connectivism.

Connectivism is the theory that encapsulates the digital age and its expanse of resources and information. It is not about the knowledge itself, but on knowing how to connect to and find the sources of said knowledge. Open and communal sites, wikis, and databases all hold this information, and discovering where and how to access it opens up an entire world for the learner. This itself is a form of social constructivism; the virtual world stage of more knowledgeable people creating a collaborative and scaffolded learning environment for anyone to build on and discover.

Pedagogy, the methods and science of teaching, is a term educators should be familiar with. And using ICTs in the classroom for this purpose is called digital pedagogy. Merely using technological tools to aid, enhance, and present, however, is not what is fully meant by the term digital pedagogy. Technology should not be used for the sake of it, but should be implemented to transform the learning environment, encouraging students to investigate, create, communicate (Australian Curriculum, n.d.), and tap into those higher order thinking processes using the modern tools at their fingertips. Pedagogy needs to change with the times and reflect the world we live in.

retrieved from: https://sites.google.com/a/richland2.org/svh-tech/pedagogy/samr

Using the SAMR Model (DETA, 2013) developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, which shows how digital media is integrated in the classroom, teachers can use tech at the substitution and augmentation level, or completely transform the activity and experience with at the modification and re-definition levels, facilitating learning in ways not previously possible without the use of ICTs. While there is nothing wrong with simply substituting older methods for ones using modern technology for more ease of use, the higher tiers of SAMR redefine the learning activity and increase the engagement factor among learners.

retrieved from: scottjhovey.blogspot.com

In order to successfully and effectively use technology to transform the learning stage, teachers must be proficient in their field as well as in the use of the ICT tools and be able to utilise them in a way that incorporates the workings of the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) framework by Schulman (1986), with the construct of technology (TPACK). In contrast to the simple view of technology, the TPACK framework emphasises the connections, interactions, affordances, and constraints between and among content, pedagogy, and technology (Mishra, P., Koehler, M.J., 2006). It will be fascinating to incorporate these ICTs into my own pedagogy in my future classrooms, making the teaching and learning area an interactive and innovative one, engaging students and me, the teacher, as well.

The online environment can provide a rich tapestry of ideas and sources, but teachers and students must be aware of the risks involved, such as safety, privacy and copyright issues. According to the Department of Education and Training (DETA, 2012) schools should "develop and implement web publishing procedures to minimise these risks, keeping in mind that the risks associated with publishing information on the Internet are greater than for a school Intranet which is a closed environment. Schools should:

• 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"

Mobile devices, with their connectivity, pose a regulatory difficulty for schools, as it is hard to control what a student accesses online. Ethical behaviour must be enforced and encouraged when using these tools in a classroom setting. Despite this, they are a growing technology with a plethora of possibilities for the present and future classroom.

References

Australian Curriculum, n.d., accessed at:

      http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Pdf/ICT  , p.3

DETA, 2012. Department of Education and Training. Accessed at

      (http://education.qld.gov.au/web/schools/riskman.html)

DETA, 2013. The SAMR Model: Engage in deep learning and authentic contexts. Accessed at
      https://classroomconnections.eq.edu.au/topics/pages/2013/issue-7/samr-learning-technologies.aspx    

Mishra, P., Koehler, M.J., 2006. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge:

A Framework For Teacher Knowledge. MSU, Teachers College Record vol. 108, 6, pp. 1017-1054, 2006, Columbia University. Retrieved from: (http://punya.educ.msu.edu/publications/journal_articles/mishra-koehler-tcr2006.pdf)

Shulman, L.  (1986). Those Who Understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational

Researcher, 15 (2), 4-14.

Images:

SAMR Model, retrieved from: https://sites.google.com/a/richland2.org/svh-tech/pedagogy/samr

TPACK, retrieved from: scottjhovey.blogspot.com

E-learning, retrieved from: http://bayyinah.com/elearning/