Over the last several weeks I have explored blogs and wikis (constructing my own online spaces), and digital media such as images, audio and video. My blog reflections show evidence of development in my technological knowledge through the inclusion of artefacts that I have produced or located. My content knowledge has played a minor role in my reflections with mention of specific key learning areas and tasks to illustrate my application ideas. Each blog reflection discusses how ICT can be used in my pedagogy in alignment with my pedagogical framework (what I believe is important in my classroom). The reflections incorporate all three domains of the TPACK Framework which I now try to be conscious of when designing learning for my students. I based my reflective thinking around the affordances of technology on the Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, the Productive Pedagogies and the DiAL-e Framework. I felt the DiAL-e Framework warranted investigation because it was referred to by Sandy Shannon and Kylie Joyce in their recent blog posts, as well as by Wes Heberlein a fellow eLearning student. I found it a user friendly framework to guide my thinking.
I have revisited my pedagogical framework on completion of these explorations and altered a little based on recent experiences and knowledge developed. I would consider my teaching practice to have been largely transmissive in the 80's, mostly generative for the next 20 years and slowly growing to include more transformative pedagogical episodes - in line with my continued professional development. This observation of my practise is based on the terms used by Joan Wink, 2004. Wink has also termed a transformative model of education as "critical pedagogy". This aligns closely to my pedagogical belief that higher order thinking skills (including critical thinking) are an essential 21st Century requirement, as supported by the Australian Curriculum General Capabilities statement.
More specific consideration to the SAMR model (Puentedura, 2009) for future Web 2.0 tool explorations would prompt me to stretch my technological and pedagogical skills, outside my comfort zone, when planning for student learning. Recently (this week in fact) Puentedura placed a slide presentation in his blog further exploring TPACK and SAMR and expanding on his earlier work. This reinforced the significance of understanding both concepts to ensure the focus of what the learner does (how and why) with digital artefacts is more important than the artefact in isolation. As per the visual below the ICT must be embedded in the curriculum not as a stand alone or add on to curriculum design.
Affordances of Technologies
"The nature and scope of ICT capability is not fixed, but is responsive to ongoing technological developments. This is evident in the emergence of advanced internet technology over the past few years and the resulting changes in the ways that students construct knowledge and interact with others."
ACARA 2014
This quote emphasises the need to constantly explore, assess and utilise the technology we have available to us to provide students with authentic learning experiences with current and emerging ICTs embedded. With regards technology assessment I considered the Wikis but have selected the affordances of Blogs as my focus analysis because I used this web space constantly during the last few weeks. I also explored audio and video media technology however, my more detailed affordances analysis is that of images.
Blogs
A blog is an online web space where users can create, share, provide feedback, embed other's artefacts and network with a like minded community. It is a flexible, user-centered space that can contain content in an audio, visual or text format. Content can be added directly or linked to outside sources.
As stated by Dron, 2011, "Soft technologies (of which a blog is) are flexible, supporting creativity and change because the gaps inside them have to be filled with processes constructed by people". Uitilising blogs for collaborative learning is a strategy grounded in social constructivist theory. The content is crowd generated.
Images
An image is a visual representation of someone's thinking (e.g. a concept, emotion, belief or experience).
If considering the IMPACT model of instruction (grounded in neuroscience) the first step "I for Inspiration" can be bought about through the use of images in innovate ways. The brains conscious sorting of input according to the DIPI criteria as per the video below means interesting images, positive and negative, can ignite emotion in the viewer.
Limitations of the brain from SentisDigital on Vimeo.
Once attention has been gained through interest the viewer will then try to make sense of the image by identifying the structure and organisation (visual syntax) and by making connections to prior knowledge (visual semantics). Dr Ann Bamford's work, "The Visual Literacy White Paper" elaborates on the syntax and semantics of images . This learning can take place individually or socially if the image is situated in a group context (in a physical or online environment). The importance of visual literacy cannot be downplayed in today's image filled society. It is every teacher's responsibility to include image utilisation and image creation at all levels and in all content areas of education.
21st Century Teaching and Learning
Teaching is by design a complex and dynamic process. No two lessons, students or in school experiences is ever the same. The nature of current and emerging online technology presents similarly - complex and dynamic. Examining ones own pedagogical framework is difficult at best when trying to incorporate vast amounts of systemic push. Add to this mix the (unquestionable) need to embed technology into pedagogy and it all becomes quite a complicated process.
Developing a way of managing my thinking around technology and pedagogy - through exploring the affordances of a sample of tools and through further reading of academic discourse - has allowed me to expand my knowledge in both domains. This in turn equips me to better cater for the needs of the learners I am responsible for educating for their future. If I am to successfully facilitate learning by today's children a student-centered and interactive approach to teaching and learning must include digital technologies built into learning design to ensure active and highly participative learning.
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