(Wk8, T1, 2015) EDSE12024: Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools.

Reflective Synopsis

The rapid evolution of digital technologies in the 21^st century has and will continue to radically change education in the coming years. Due to this, it is essential that educators equip learners with the necessary skills to become digitally literate and ultimately, active and effective members of the global online community. This reflective synopsis will identify key themes that have formed the basis of my e-learning within EDSE12024 to date. This synopsis will also consider the legal, ethical and safety issues that arise from the use of digital technologies in an educational setting.

One of the greatest attributes of digital technology, specifically Information Communication Technology (ICT), is its malleability in terms of adaptions for the modern classroom. This flexibility has the potential to (when applied properly) drastically enhance all learner experiences and as a tool, enable educators to enrich their pedagogies. The use of ICT can also aid educators in creating an environment that is highly conducive of student engagement and therefore improved learning outcomes. Additionally, the implementation of ICT across almost all learning contexts allows educators to enhance and transform curriculum development, content, delivery, access, participation and assessment, as can be seen throughout previous discipline specific blog postings by myself and other EDSE12024 participants. Another underlying aspect of ICT to consider is the learner-centered approach that is enabled due to the incorporation of digital technologies in the classroom. This can include personalised, realistic learning experiences that are designed to encourage students to use higher order thinking skills or skills that challenge their varying levels of ability. Whilst participating in this course it has become apparent to me that another essential element of digital pedagogy is that of collaborative learning.  Collaboration provides learners with the opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning and that of others. It is also a fantastic opportunity for students to engage with multiple perspectives, participate in higher order thinking activities and become in many respects, autonomous learners on what is potentially a global scale. This was demonstrated in our week 2 debonos hats activity. In this activity, we participated in a semi-scaffolded wiki based discussion designed to stimulate higher order thinking skills and demonstrate the effectiveness of online-based collaborative learning. Additionally I believe that the advantages received by learners by participating in a local, national, or global educational platform are enormous. Involvement in e-learning also allows learners to be connected with genuine experts in virtually all subjects.

Another vital aspect of digital pedagogies is the use of framework when selecting appropriate ICT material for use by learners. Both Blooms cognitive taxonomy (Bloom, 1956) and the SAMR pedagogical framework (Hogan, 2011) have played fundamental roles in my e-learning thus far. Together these frameworks highlight one of the most exciting outcomes from the use of ICT in education, where the previously inconceivable becomes reality. This is due to the fact that ICT lends itself so well to being scaffolded and allows a transformation (or redefinition!) of tasks for higher order thinking on the learner’s part and total task redesign which without the use of technology would be impossible.

Another vitally important aspect digital literacy is the legal, ethical and safety issues which arise from the implementation of ICT in the classroom. These issues are generally covered by school or department policy or code, educators can improve student awareness by modelling correct practice, engaging in class discussions, using visual aids throughout the classroom and including legal and ethical practice reminders throughout the curriculum.

 To conclude, this reflective synopsis has identified the key themes that have formed the basis of my e-learning within EDSE12024. The rapid evolution of technology, ICT’s malleability, enhancing learner experience, enriching pedagogy, learner centredness, collaboration, ICT as a global platform, and frameworks were all identified as key themes. This reflective synopsis also discussed the importance of considering the legal, ethical and safety issues that arise from the use of digital technology in an educational setting. As technology keeps improving and developing, it is necessary for educators to ensure that they are utilising the technology available, to effectively teach students in the digital age.

References

Bloom, B. (1956) Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains, Retrieved from

            http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html#cognitive

Hogan, L. (2011) SAMR- A Model for Instructional Technology Use- VIDEO, Retrieved from

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=519&v=PRo9cfp2baA

(Wk7, T1, 2015) EDSE12024: Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools.

Embedded task 6 – Reflecting on participation and engagement in blogs

So far whilst participating in this course (edse12024) I have learned a great deal about not only digital tools but the practical application of them in 21^st century classrooms. In this post I will reflect on the positive and negative aspects of my participation in this blog.

Prior to this course, I had not ‘blogged’, EVER! I had even vetoed the idea of posting anything but a picture (usually of something other than myself) on any form of social network. This is largely due to my fear that others will notice my maladroit grammar abilities. Being thrown into the proverbial ‘deep end’ in this course, and being indirectly forced to come to terms with my aforementioned fears of linguistic inadequacy has allowed me to not only see the incredible opportunities of working in a digital space but the prospects for collaboration and the benefits which it brings with it. The casual format of the blogging has also allowed me to become more confident with sharing in an online space. Through the use of the comment function on blogger I have been able to interact with others by providing and receiving feedback on blog postings. Through the existence of the course wiki (showing fellow students subject specialist areas) I have also been able to find students who share my (elective) subjects of history and biology. This cross-campus interaction has also allowed me to view multiple perspectives and form a broader understanding of some of the uses of digital tools within educational contexts specific to me. 

One of the noticeable drawbacks of our online collaboration through blogging is the tendency of users (myself included) to make minimal or no comment as to the blogs content. This problem effectively takes the collaboration out of the blog, as it becomes a non-constructive one-way, one-many form of communication. Obviously this could be overcome with scaffolding if desired; however the idea in this situation was for learner-owned interaction. 

A successful aspect of this collaboration can be seen in the comments section under of my week 6 blog, where fellow students have highlighted the effectiveness of ‘thinglink’ across multiple subject areas. This can seen be to deepen my understanding of the functionality of 'thinglink' and its implications on my own practice and students. 

My experiences so far in this course have led me to place a higher emphasis on digital tools within educational settings. This course has also allowed me to explore the impact of these tools on my own practice and encouraged me to think about ways that I can implement them when designing learning for my students. This weeks readings have further highlighted to me the ways in which social software can be used in learning and its crucial role in enhancing learning for students.

(Wk6, T1, 2015) EDSE12024: Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools.

Embedded Task 5 - Reflection on Simulations, Interactives (or Technology of your choice)

This week in Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools we examined more digital tools including simulations such as second life and interactives including Google maps. I have chosen to explore Thinglink (from topic 5) in more detail, as I believe that I will be able to use it within my teaching context. Once again I will apply the SAMR model to this technology to assess its effectiveness within the classroom setting.

Thinglink allows the author to provide links (in the form of images) to an array of digital artifacts. Thinglink also provides the author with an embed code, thus it can be displayed on a website, wiki or blog. This technology is easy to use, with informative tutorials as well as third party reviews and how-guides such as this. Thinglink is available in both free or subscription packages with the later providing more comprehensive options and features, paid subscriptions start at $10/month with discounted EDU packages from $35/year. The following interactive image was created in around 5 minutes using the free version of Thinglink. 

As pre-service science teacher I believe that this technology will become invaluable as both teacher and student use diagrams extensively. For example, students may use this technology to create study tools, presentations or interactive guides. Teachers could also use this technology to assess student work and provide interactive digital resources for content presentation eliminating many traditional delivery methods across multiple learning settings. The SAMR model can also be applied to evaluate Thinglink, which has similar outcomes to the previous PowerPoint table. Some examples of what this would look like in practice are outlined in the following table.

Level of SAMR	Effect on Learner	Effect on Teacher
Substitution	Will be more engaging than.	Creates digital resource able to be used at anytime.
Augmentation	Allows students to be in charge of their own learning.	Allows teacher to spend less time “chalk and talking” and more time focusing on student need.
Modification	Allows access, time and location barriers to be removed better suiting the needs of all involved potentially leading to a more learner centered approach and greater flexibility within tasks.
Redefinition	Allows the creation and implementation of digital components (which may be more relevant to the learners) in assessment potentially leading to improved outcomes.

This week I have reviewed Thinglink and discovered that it is an important pedagogical tool that enables an incredible amount of flexibility across a comprehensive range of learning environments.

(Wk5, T1, 2015) EDSE12024: Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools.

Embedded Task 4 - Presenting Learning

This week in Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools we examined some of the many ways of presenting learning, this included reviewing the use of PowerPoint, Prezi and Glogster among others. Many of us have more than likely wept, slept, or dreamt our way through some abhorrently boring speeches or presentations abetted by a poorly designed and executed PowerPoint slideshow. This indicates to me that either a) PowerPoint is a rubbish tool for presenting, or b) many people (myself included) are totally ignorant to the usability, versatility and effect of PowerPoint and the likes. Therefore this week I have chosen to base this reflection on PowerPoint as a digital tool for learning. I will also apply the SAMR model in order to gauge the effectiveness of PowerPoint.

At a glance PowerPoint enables users to visually present data to an audience. However as I learnt in this week fives learning activities, PowerPoint enables users to create interactive multimedia resources and provides an invaluable platform for all types of learning. The settings within PowerPoint also allow teachers or learners to prepare multiple ‘lessons’ or ‘chapters’ and make notes on individual slides within one presentation. Transitions, links, audio and video are also seamlessly integrated allowing each slide within PowerPoint to be totally customizable. Authors can also design from scratch or choose from many pre-existing templates that are included. These templates (which are included from manufacturer) have made PowerPoint incredibly simple to use and therefore minimal computer experience is necessary. There are also many templates and technical guides which can be downloaded and used to great effect.

As a Biology and History teacher I can see a broad use of PowerPoint within my classroom as a lesson preparation and presentation tool and a student assessment tool. Through the use of this technology I believe my students will be able to benefit from engaging, technologically relevant material that supports their needs as learners. For instance, in junior history lessons where expanding the vocabulary is important teachers may wish to use audio and visual within one slide to introduce a new word and its definition as I have done in the following presentation.

9 History Lesson 1

More presentations from ben

The SAMR model can also be applied to this technology in order to evaluate its potential effects on learners and teachers.

Level of SAMR	Effect on Learner	Effect on Teacher
Substitution	Allow learners to present their work in multi-modal ways.	Allow teachers to present and generate notes/slide handouts and enables embedded scaffolding in activities.
Augmentation	Removes traditional time and location restraints placed on learners.	Allow teachers to embed audio and visual aids to presentation of material.
Modification	Where appropriate students can create interactive resources as response to tasks.	Teachers can embed resources and create interactive lessons.
Redefinition	Enables students to record ‘lectures’ or ‘speeches’ ahead of time removing chance of poor performance due to public speaking difficulties.	Enables teachers to build lesson plans using PowerPoint for seamless transitions between tasks keeping students focused and engaged.

It is also imperative to acknowledge the potential application for PowerPoint presentations to be uploaded to a blog (as displayed above), wiki or website. This embedding allows teachers to remotely present information in interactive ways but more importantly allows students to add too and participate in interactive collaborative multi-modal learning within a global community.

(Wk4, T1, 2015) EDSE12024: Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools.

Embedded Task 3 - Digital Artifacts. 

 

This week in Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools we examined the role and creation of digital artifacts as pedagogical tools. Whilst this topic included audio, images and video this reflection will specifically explore the creation and use of video outlining its capabilities, usability and potential application in my own personal context. The SAMR model will then be applied to gauge the effectiveness of video in learning.

There are many ways in which video can be created including live capture and stop motion animation. However as I am predominantly an Apple user my reflection will be based largely on my experience with live capture and Apple’s iMovie. This technology allows users to edit and create video (the opportunities here are virtually limitless) that can then be used as valuable resources within multiple learning contexts. Entry-level video creation programs are relatively simple to use as set-up/walk through wizards can be run along with technical guides such as this which can be found online. The following video (created by my brother) was created using iMovie and only took a short amount of time.

As I plan on predominantly teaching science I can see a broad use of video throughout my activities as I believe that video should not be limited to resource creation and presentation to learners. For instance, when students perform scientific experiments they can be filmed and used within assessment or shared via blogs, wikis, or websites. The SAMR model can also be applied to evaluate this technology (video). Some examples of what this might look like in my classroom are outlined in the table below.

Level of SAMR	Effect on Learner	Effect on Teacher
Substitution	May be more engaging than traditional lessons.	Creates digital resource able to be used at anytime.
Augmentation	Improves inclusion of students with disabilities i.e. sight, hearing.	Allows teacher to spend less time “chalk and talking” and more time focusing on student need.
Modification	Allows access, time and location barriers to be removed better suiting the needs of all involved potentially leading to a more learner centered approach.
Redefinition	Allows the creation and implementation of digital components (which may be more relevant to the learners) in assessment potentially leading to improved outcomes.

This week I have learned that this technology (video) is an important pedagogical tool that may enable multi sensory exposure to resources across a comprehensive range of learning environments.

(Wk3, T1, 2015) EDSE12024: Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools.

Embedded Task 2- Reflection about blogs.

Over the past 3 weeks since beginning study in EDSE-12024 I feel that my knowledge of digital pedagogical tools has vastly grown. I am now beginning to understand the vital role of ICT in modern education. This reflection focuses specifically on blogs, as this has been the first digital tool I have encountered which allows users to access blogs at anytime and to leave digital feedback (comments) on the authors work. The construction of our blogs in class using blogger was relatively simple as blogger has a short and simple set-up wizard that is very easy to follow. Once created the layout and appearance of a blog can be easily customized to suit the needs of the author. It is also possible to embed or link other digital resources on your blog using either the page layout tab (in ‘settings’ on blogger) or by entering some html script directly (this scares me a lot). Links can be to any valid URL whilst embedding is useful for things such as audio and video, an example of this can be found below. The use of ‘Blogger’ in our class is a great way for students to connect across campuses with other students in this course. Whilst the aforementioned ability to comment on an authors work is an effective form of interaction, it should be noted that without an account the viewer (or reader) cannot comment on an authors work. 


As I hope to predominantly be a science teacher the use of blogs could play a major role in my future classroom. For example, students could write a blog pre experiment stating their hypothesis and ideas of how their experiment may turn out, and post experiment stating what happened or writing a report. While the blog platform may provide users the opportunity to reflect on their previous experiences and perhaps write a report however there are some key functions missing. For example, in scientific investigation it is essential to compile data sets and display them in efficient and effective ways, for this reason a wiki such as Wikispaces may be needed. Unlike blogs wikis allow for a much more collaborative space and can be scaffolded internally (without the use of a task sheet), a great example of this is the debonos hats wiki (from week 2 of our moodle course materials) which we completed in class in week 2. This highlights to me that multiple digital resources can be used simultaneously to a great effect. The SAMR model can also be applied to evaluate this technology (a blog). Some examples of what this might look like in my classroom are outlined in the table below.

Level of SAMR	Effect on Science Students
Substitution	Students can use a blog to record scientific hypothesis or write reports rather than writing in their book.
Augmentation	Makes final assignment/ report work more efficient as it is already a digital copy. Allows for more collaboration and peer assessment between students schools and others.
Modification	Enables traditional chalk and talk (teacher led) lessons to be partially replaced and students to work at their own pace, either at school or outside of school hours.
Redefinition	Encourages students to take control of a significant portion of their learning and enables them to share their learning on a global scale. Due to the high functionality of blogs. peer learning is also inevitable.

The uses of blogs in education enable teachers to create engaging and relevant learning environments. After investigating blogs further, and by applying the SAMR model to learning design I feel that my knowledge of digital pedagogies has improved.

(Wk2, T1, 2015) EDSE12024: Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools.

Reflection 1: De Bono's Hats/Mobile Phones wikispaces activity.

Whilst I have observed similar thinking hats activities previously this was the first time I have participated digitally. I feel that the digital presentation of this activity on a wiki promotes increased engagement from 21^st century learners in a variety of ways. The scaffolding used within this activity can be seen to stimulate both higher and lower order thinking skills when completed correctly, as it walks learners through the thinking processes outlined in both Bloom’s Taxonomy and SAMR. This activity can also be seen to include whole groups of learners regardless of social, digital or academic ability as this wiki features a simple layout and is relatively self-explanatory. I believe that the potential benefits of participating in a wiki like this are enormous. However, it should be noted that the level of participation in this style of activity must be monitored, as there is opportunity for participants to only contribute the bare minimum response. Participating in this activity has highlighted to me that the use of ICT, in this case a wiki based activity, removes many traditional constraints such as; distance, time, speed and efficiency along with a multitude of cultural, social, and economic barriers. This activity encourages learners to view multiple perspectives around a particular topic in an efficient and interactive way. Reflecting on this activity brings me to the conclusion that the use of ICT in learning is not just beneficial but essential in the 21^st century.

(Wk1, T1, 2015) EDSE12024: Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools.

After engaging with the course materials for week 1 it becomes apparent (once again!) that if teachers are to successfully select and implement ICT resources within their pedagogies they must first understand the students that they teach. This is evident in Meet Generation Z from sparks & honey which compares previous generations (which we may predate or be a part of) with generation Z by providing a board range of statistics presented in parallel. This resource helped me to identify some of the differing expectations, motivations and inspirations between generations. This week during our tutorial we were asked to undertake an activity that involved us making and uploading a video entry using the Flipgrid app on an ipad. Having to complete this exercise made me realize how much the digital world has evolved even over the last few years and forces me to think creatively about the use of ICT in the classrooms of today and the future.