(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.