The Finale - Reflective Synopsis

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And ladies.

Before the finale there is the crescendo, and the reflective synopsis is as such until the completion which is the last word. Consequently, the ‘in-between’ will consist of a reflection on the broad range of technologies used and explored over the last seven weeks, in conjunction with the legal, safe and ethical behaviour that must be executed when using such technologies within a classroom context. It is important to consider such elements within the learning theory and foundations of digital pedagogy, since it is e-learning which will pave the way for transformative learning.

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The Technology of Digital Pedagogy:

There is a plethora of digital platforms available which will assist in teaching, yet developing learning strategies that are inclusive and learner-centered can still be a struggle. Participating in the weekly blog postings – in aggregation with Moodle and internal tutorials – has taught me how to apply a wide range of technologies to my pedagogy, and therefore support and transform teaching and learning.

By considering the most effective integration of

• Digital platforms (eg. WikiSpaces)
• Digital tools (eg. Video)
• Presentation tools (eg. PowerPoint)
• Learning objects/support tools (eg. Tiki-Toki)

I was forced to consider how these can be applied to multiple learning frameworks, such as the SAMR model, de Bono’s Thinking Hats and Bloom’s Taxonomy. At the beginning of this course I struggled to grasp the concept of both the SAMR Model and Bloom’s Taxonomy, and it was through collaboration with fellow peers that I was able to eventually design a learner-centered pedagogy in which the technology transformed the way that learning – and teaching – was undertaken.

I’ll admit, at the beginning of this course I did not think of technology as ‘transformative learning’. Rather, it was just a support tool for the oral lesson. Now, however, I know that technological tools play a major role within the classroom and have allowed 21^st century education to go above and beyond.  

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Technology's Serious Side:

When integrating technology into the classroom it is crucial that both teachers and students demonstrate a legal, safe and ethical approach to the digital tools being used. There are many documents, videos and images which outline the issues associated with Copyright, plagiarism and referencing.

To ensure that my students are cybersmart in my areas of History and English I would:

• Guarantee that they understood that cyberbullying is just as dangerous as bullying within the school grounds, and punishments can still apply
• Aid them in understanding that what they say online is permanent and will establish an ‘online reputation' (see image below)

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• Aid them in understanding the issues of privacy (in order to avoid spam, etc)
• Instil into them that, unless it is your own original idea, it must be referenced
• Present a video or PowerPoint on how to correctly reference all sources
• Help them to understand why schools block and regulate particular sites (for their safety)
• Model the legal, safe and ethical use of ICT personally
• Inform them that I run their assessment through a plagiarism checker, such as Turnitin
• Use a site such as CyberSmart for resources and materials
  
        (Fasso, 2015)

By educating and encouraging students to partake in the legal, safe and ethical way to interact with technology and its resources, a teacher is preparing them for a future in a digital world.  

My Overview of the Entire Experience:

After having been immersed in technology for the past seven weeks I now feel confident in using it to enhance students learning. 

Each week we expanded our knowledge with something new. De Bono’s Thinking Hats offered a systematic method of considering information in a completely new way (de Bono Thinking Systems, 2013), and WikiSpaces allowed us to dip into the world of educational resources. For the following four weeks we applied multiple digital tools to the SAMR Model, which opened our eyes as to how technology impacts teaching and learning during a progression of multiple levels (TED Ed, 2014). I personally found such an exercise improved my critical thinking, as I had to consider new ways to apply a new platform each week. It also increased collaboration both online and in the physical classroom, as peers shared ideas and comments on how to improve, or what aspects they liked about a particular SAMR Model. As seen in my SAMR Models, digital tools such as Tiki-Toki and WikiSpaces are able to challenge student’s higher order thinking skills and reinforce multiple other learning outcomes. It is important to remember that these tools are vehicles designed to improve the learning environment, and improve student’s collaboration. 

Meanwhile, Bloom’s Taxonomy was used to classify forms and levels of learning (Athertib, 2015) and provided an opportunity to apply digital curation to each. Many of my learning outcomes were based on the cognitive domain presented by Bloom’s Taxonomy, as it is an essential serial structure in understanding how students can progress through each category as their knowledge and skills develop.

The weekly readings, too, reflected and reinforced many of my beliefs and values about technology which Digital Pedagogies came to instill in me. No more do I consider it a mere support tool. Rather, ICT is essential in developing a multi-dimensional approach to teaching that will ultimately achieve a transformative pedagogy. It will also aid in cooperation and collaboration, and my own experience with online collaboration can be found in my previous post, which explores the successes and failures of Blogger.

Overall, the opportunities presented by ICT in e-learning far outweigh the risks and downfalls, thus it is by preparing effective strategies and teaching students about legal issues that education can further transform.

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Carpe diem.

References

Athertib, J. (2015, May 8). Bloom's Taxonomy. Retrieved from Learning and Teaching: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm

de Bono Thinking Systems. (2013). Six Thinking Hats. Retrieved from de Bono Thinking Systems: http://www.debonothinkingsystems.com/

Fasso, W. (2015, April 2). Media - The Focus this Week. Retrieved from Moodle:                                    https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=16631

TED Ed. (2014). SAMR Model. Retrieved from Technology is Learning: https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model