The Starting Point When I first read the title of this unit, ‘ICTs for Learning Design’, my presumption was that using ICTs in classrooms would prove popular with students but would fail to effectively and efficiently teach content. Therefore, while I could see their worth, I could not shake my concern over their potential to become time-wasters. Furthermore, I feared that many ICT-based activities would leave students open to cyber-bullying or exposure to inappropriate content. I also envisaged frequent plagiarism due to difficulty pinpointing original authors of many online resources. I certainly was not aware of the diversity and availability of ICT tools useful for educational purposes, nor did I comprehend the capacity of these tools to drastically increase learning (Higgins, 2003; Reading, 2008). I had a long way to travel if I was to become a ‘tech-savvy’ teacher. Transportation How I did I get there? Throughout this course I was presented with open-ended tasks in the form of weekly reflections on my personal experimentation with ICTs. The open-ended nature of these reflections allowed me to explore and document my findings thoroughly, without fear of exceeding word limits. Furthermore, the way the reflection questions were posed led me to discuss how ICTs could be integrated in the classroom – this relevance kept me engaged and motivated in the tasks. While the frequency of reflections felt demanding at first, by week four I had grown to understand the process of exploring, experimenting and reflecting, and the tasks began to feel less stressful. Through this repetition I found that my understanding of the common themes deepened. What did I happen to notice along the way? While I journeyed towards a more digital pedagogy, I witnessed the value of open-ended tasks, experiential learning and purposeful reflections for promoting higher-order thinking. Furthermore, I was able to experience these teaching strategies from a student perspective. While I am not certain of whether these strategies were intentionally taught, they certainly made for a unique, engaging, and valuable learning journey. Thus, I hope to model my future teaching practices on the delivery of this course. The Destination After six weeks, I have gained confidence in the use blogs, websites, wikis, videos, YouTube and digital presentation software and I understand the value of collaboration for education both within the classroom and across the world. I now understand that "students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach", the generations to come are "digital natives", thus "digital immigrant" teachers such as myself must embrace ICT tools if we are be effective educators (Prensky, 2001). My newfound understanding of "digital natives" has helped me to understand how ICTs can provide the increases in engagement and improved academic success which is commonly reported in educational research [e.g. Higgins (2003) and Reading (2008)]. I have also gained an understanding of how the use of pedagogical frameworks such as Puentedura’s (2006) SAMR Model and Bloom's (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (later revised by Anderson, et al., [2001]) will enable me to get the best educational benefits from these technologies. Experimenting with ICTs and discussing them with tutors and peers has also calmed my fears in regards to the Safety and Ethical considerations that come with ICT use in schools. My Souvenirs: This is the knowledge I have gained along the way… A well-stocked ‘ICT Toolbox’ As a result of this course, I am now a great deal more ICT-aware. I previously thought I knew almost all multimedia applications and that I simply needed to learn how to apply them in schools. I was mistaken. The range of useful and readily available ICTs for teaching is immense. During this course I was introduced to blogs, websites, interactive digital images (i.e Thinglink), Prezi, bubbl.us, mysimpleshow, powtoon, wiki pages, and podcasts just to name a few. I have created this blog and I have written weekly blog posts filled with hyperlinks, embedding, my own and other's YouTube videos, even a calendar. I was also amazed to discover that many teachers, such as Christopher Pappas (visit his blog post here), use twitter and facebook to teach their students! While I am not necessarily adept at utilising all of these applications, my newfound awareness of their value in promoting academic learning and engagement is certainly a vital step towards a more digital pedagogy. An understanding of how to get the most from ICT integration Although a functional understanding of ICT tools is useful, this alone will not guarantee student engagement and learning (Lim & Tay, 2003). Fortunately, my studies have also introduced me to some useful pedagogical frameworks such as Puentedura’s (2006) SAMR model and the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (Anderson, et al., 2001). These frameworks can serve as a guide for integrating ICTs to achieve the maximise their benefits to student engagement and learning. Coupling Puentedura’s (2006) SAMR model with Anderson et al.’s (2001) Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy enables me to plan lessons and units of work that take full advantage of the capacity of ICTs to transform the learning process and increase engagement. For example, allowing students to type into laptops or iPads® as a substitute for pen and paper (i.e. the subsitution level of the SAMR Model) may result in a small increase in their engagement, however as Hayes (2007) states, this level of ICT integration does not significantly improve the learning outcomes or promote higher-order thinking. At the opposite end of the SAMR Model lies “Redefinition”, in which learning experiences are redefined to the point of creating "new tasks, previously inconceivable" (Puentedura, 2006). A sound example of redefining learning through ICT integration is the delivery of this course. The use of blogs has permitted resource-sharing and support among peers that goes beyond the confines of the classroom; becoming global. Furthermore, these collaborations could take place at any time of the day or night. Rather than time-consuming and tedious oral presentations, our reflections were shared with our classmates (and the world) online, enabling limitless access for others to revisit, re-read or revise thus increasing learning opportunities for all. This mode of demonstrating knowledge and level of peer-collaboration would have been inconceivable without integration of digital ICTs; clearly an exercise which redefines learning. The reflection process also stimulated higher-order thinking by affording students the freedom to critically analyse and evaluate each of the ICT tools and synthesise situations for their use. These are all higher-order thinking strategies identified in Bloom’s Taxonomy (Anderson, et al., 2001). For specific examples of how I anticipate using the aforementioned frameworks in my own learning areas, see Reflections 1, 2 and 3. ICTs as avenues for developing learning networks and support ICTs and ‘e-learning’ have the ability to drastically increase learning and engagement while still providing avenues for collaboration, networking and peer support (Maor, 2003). While at first I felt self-conscious about my work being displayed publicly on my blog, I quickly realized that I was grateful to have access to my peer’s work as a learning resource for course content. Subsequently, my self-consciousness was replaced by self-worth through the realization that my blog could help others to learn. Since we are all unique, so too were our interpretations and reflections. I feel that being able to access such diversity of thoughts played a vital role in deepening my understanding. For example, it provided alternative wording of definitions and a wider array of practical examples. My peer’s blogs have become a source of inspiration and information and I can hope that my own blog serves this purpose for my peers. I immediately realised that collaboration with peers would be vital for successful blogging in this course. It began as 'old-school' face-to-face collaboration with my student group at the Geraldton Universities Centre. We sat together while creating our blogs, assisting each other through a process that was foreign to us all. In the tutorials to follow, I received verbal feedback and suggestions from my peers regarding my posts, and I was able to assist a fellow student with few blog-layout difficulties they were experiencing. Since many of us study from home and at odd hours, we "digital immigrants" (Prensky, 2001) have shifted towards exploiting our online blogs and facebook forums for collaboration. I have enjoyed the feedback and comments on my blog. It is nice to know that my work is being read and that my peers believe I am doing well. It has been especially energizing to see that my work has promoted higher-order thinking in some of my peers. Here are a few examples: I also enjoyed commenting on my peer’s blogs to share my encouragement and, in some cases, my frustrations! For example: I found blogging to be an extremely useful depository for valuable online resources, with the added function of sharing these resources with my peers. For example, while studying for another course, I stumbled across a fantastic resource for mathematics teachers. I realized that a blog post was the perfect avenue for sharing this discovery with my peers. Clarity in regards to responsible and safe use of ICTs I have gained an understanding of how ICTs should be implemented in schools with student’s safety and integrity intact, especially in the case of school-aged students. The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Learning (AITSL) Standards for Teaching ICT Statements stipulate that graduate teachers are expected to “[d]emonstrate understanding of safe, legal and ethical use of digital resources and tools, including cyber safety practices, respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources” (AITSL 2014, Standard 4.5). In order to achieve online safety, I plan to work towards developing good online citizens by encouraging them to report bullying or inappropriate behaviour, they can enforcing clear rules, create technology-friendly classrooms to support online-safety education (Clifford, 2012). Devices with Internet connections should be restricted with firewalls to prevent student exposure to age-inappropriate material, as is already the case in most schools. I also plan to continue to incorporate the correct acknowledgement of sources and intellectual property in my own teaching practices and into assessment criteria for my students. There are some extremely valuable rsources online about student’s online safety (one example can be found here ). Below is a YouTube clip by WellCast (2013) aimed at educating school-aged children about internet safety. The Big Picture This course has opened my eyes to the range of ICTs already being implemented in schools worldwide. In my era of schooling ICTs were seen as a handy tool for willing teachers. Today, educators are expected to frequently and effectively integrate ICTs into their classrooms. This expectation is enshrined in the ICT elaborations of AITSL’s Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. These not only stipulate that teachers are expected to use ICTs to expand learning opportunities (e.g. Standard 2.6; AITSL, 2014), but also demand the use of a wide range of ICTs (e.g. Standard 3.4; AITSL 2014). Furthermore, the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA), list ICT capability as one of its seven General Capabilities (2014). I can now see that these expectations have been formulated in light of a recent wide array of research illustrating that ICT integration can deliver significant learning advantages (for example: Hayes, 2007; Higgins 2003; Lim & Tay, 2003; Reading, 2008). Planning for Future Journeys
I look forward to integrating these tools in my classroom to increase student engagement and learning. I will now embrace new technologies with an open mind and I have an understanding of pedagogical frameworks that will guide me to implement these tools effectively. I am eager to add to my ‘ICT toolbox’ throughout my career as an ICT-savvy secondary school teacher. References
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