As a teacher in the 21st
century it is important to utilise technology (ICT) in the classroom, and use
ICT advancements to further the students learning. It is important for teachers
to give students the tools to develop their learning techniques through the use
of technology, and for the students to become comfortable using a variety of
ICT resources.
Blooms Taxonomy is great
resource to use and refer to during planning classroom activities. The biggest
impact of ICT on learning outcomes is where you are working towards complex outcomes,
such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. This is generally where learning
occurs as an extended task or experience.
Through the teachers use and reflection of the SAMR
model, teachers can utilise ICT in their teaching. The SAMR model can be used
to aid in design and to redefine learning experiences to incorporate the use of
technology.
At the substitution level of
the SAMR framework it asks teachers to use technology as part of their
activity. From my embedded task 4, I can use an example of an effective
PowerPoint presentation while I am explaining the assessment guideline. This
will also make the activity more engaging for the students. At the modification
and redefinition level of SAMR, allow for teachers to redesign tasks and incorporate
student centred learning and of course, the use of technology. Through the use
of Prezi, as seen in embedded task 5, it is useful for both students and
teachers to brainstorm and present presentations, as well as provide digital
resources across a range of different learning settings. Overall, the SAMR
model/framework is a great tool for teachers to utilise to improve ICT
capabilities among students and to focus on student centred learning.
To follow on from this,
productive pedagogies can be incorporated to help students with their learning.
There are 4 different productive pedagogies, which are included in the picture.
These pedagogies can become
part of the inclusion of technology in many different ways. The first aspect of
productive pedagogies is connectedness; it can be included in the classroom
through either blog entries or wiki pages. In my analysis (embedded task 2) I
discussed how students can communicate online with one another and share their
ideas on school work/assessment. Blogs can also be useful for teachers as they
can collaborate online with other teachers and even share some resources. Blogs
can be used to improve the student’s educational outcomes and allow them to
engage in higher order thinking. Another part of productive pedagogies is
intellectual quality. To relate to this, embedded task 3 students had the
opportunity to design a digital artefact to create a movie about the how they
completed different skills and drills relating to basketball. This is relevant
to me as Physical Education is one of my discipline areas. This particular task
had students engaged in designing videos for their assessment item. This
activity met productive pedagogy guidelines and engaged students in using
technology. It is important to be aware of students communicating online and as the teacher, make sure that there is a safe
learning environment online. This is one of the only draw backs in implementing
the use of ICT in the classroom, however there are far more positives than
negatives. As the teacher it is
important to check if ICT resources have safety settings. If they do then they
are safe to use for educational purposes.
Also some small parts of the
AITSL standards for teachers can be related to the incorporation of ICT in the
classroom, and online safety. Standard 2.6 is implementing teaching strategies
for using ICT in order to expand curriculum learning opportunities for
students. Standard 3.4 is selecting a range of resources including ICT that
engage students in their learning. Standard 4.4 is to describe strategies that
support student’s safety working within school systems. Lastly, standard 4.5 is
using ICT safely and responsibly in learning and teaching. All these are
helpful for teachers when they are implementing ICT in their classrooms.
Lastly, collaborative
learning is an integral part of digital pedagogies. It gives learners the
opportunity to take full responsibility for their own learning. It also allows
students to engage in a number of different perspectives, engage in activities
that develop their higher order thinking and become autonomous learners on a
global scale. An example of collaborative learning is from embedded task 1
involving the de Bono’s hats activity. This activity got our class involved in
online collaborative learning on the wiki site. It engaged our higher order
thinking skills and allowed us to demonstrate the effectiveness of online
learning. It is extremely important to engage students in e-learning on a
local, national and global scale, as it allows them to be connected with people
all across the world.
To conclude, these ever evolving
technologies are allowing 21st century teachers to further develop
their teaching methods and techniques to accommodate these. Through the use of
Bloom’s, SAMR and AITSL frameworks, successful learning experiences can be
created, which in turn will enhance students abilities to effectively use
technology.
References
AITSL. (2014). Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list
Curtin University, (2015), Collaborative Learning, Retrieved from https://ctl.curtin.edu.au/teaching_learning_practice/student_centred/collaborative.cfm
Luck, J, (2013), Productive Pedagogies, Retrieved from http://joluck.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/eded20491-week-2-engagement-activities.html
Schrock, K, (2011), Resources to Support the SAMR model, Retrieved
from http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html
Vanderbilt University, (2015),
Blooms Taxonomy, Retrieved from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/
