Interactive White-Boards

Back in my day, 5 years ago, the Interactive White-Board (IWB) was seen as nothing more than a nuisance to teachers. They got frustrated when they pointed to something on the board with their hands which then made dialogue boxes pop up, they avoided it at all costs, and in fact wished them to be taken away. One of my teachers even accidentally used a white board marker on the screen out of habit, and as you can guess- white board markers and IWB screens do not go well together.

As I am yet to have any training on an IWB and have not had the opportunity to just sit and play to figure them out, I too am apprehensive about their use and effectiveness in the classroom. I don’t feel comfortable using them right now but hopefully the training sessions I will be attending shortly will allow me to change my mind and be able to use them effectively.

As a future life science, natural sciences and mathematical literacy teacher, I believe that I could use the IWB’s in my lessons. I understand that there are many online experiments and lessons that can be performed on IWB’s which will be important in the teaching of natural and life sciences. Pictures and diagrams are very important to me in the classroom as they help learners to visualise what is being taught in theory. They are especially important in science and biology where there are many processes that occur at a level that people cannot see. There are IWB resources online that have diagrams with moving parts to illustrate processes occurring at a miniscule scale. An example of this can be the movement of electrons around a closed circuit system, to illustrate the flow of charge from the positive to the negative terminal. Learners can see what happens when the circuit is broken and how the flow or electrons changes when light bulbs, resistors and other factors are added or removed. The IWB in this case allows teachers to change the circuit by dragging elements onto or off of the circuit, and the readings and flow of electrons around the circuit will change in response to what is being fed into the system. If a teacher were to draw all the systems out on a white board, with all the possible changes and combinations, it would take a long time and without the moving parts it would not be as easy for the learners to visualize.

I am really looking forward to learning about Interactive White-Boards so that I may use them effectively in my classroom. 

How to generate meaningful involvement in the classroom

Sit down, keep quiet, do your work, be still, get involved, concentrate, do not do that!

Teachers often resort to managing their group of learners by giving instruction after instruction, which creates military style obedience that is due to fear rather than respect. At the end of the day, is that what we would like for our learners?

It may be more difficult and require more creativity, however allowing learners some leeway in the classroom and approaching situations in a positive and encouraging manner will not only show them that you respect and trust them, but will stimulate their involvement in class.

Military style management of a classroom or even a school will make learners fearful of stepping a toe out of line or giving an incorrect answer. When teachers are strict and set boundaries for creativity, learners immediately shut off and hide their true opinions and thoughts. Teachers often then get frustrated when none of the learners feel free to open up or give their opinions, but the teachers have created this environment themselves.

I truly believe that if we want to get our learners involved in a lesson, we ought to create a positive environment and allow them a degree of freedom. This will in turn lead them to respect you as an educator and they will not take advantage when given space to be creative. You can form a mutual trust, where the learners respect you, because you have shown them trust.

This will produce a classroom where learners feel free to get involved and speak openly. Learners will be willing to participate and communicate with the teacher their peers.

This should be the goal of all teachers, to make their pupils involved, not by forcing them but rather by making them want to be involved.

When a learner has chosen, on his or her own accord, to contribute to the lesson, this is when meaningful involved in attained. 

Do we still need teachers?

Sticking with the overall theme of digital pedagogy, this weeks blog will argue the potential of tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning. We use two sources, namely: The Independent Project film and Hamilton (2014). These two sources allow us to think about the pros and cons of tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning.

The Independent project is an extremely inspiring and motivating film. It makes tech-mediated, self-directed learning look like the answer and the way forward in terms of education. The learners in the film have found their passion on their own and as a result have flourished. When the learners found something they were interested in, they did the research themselves using the technology they had at their disposal. 

Historically, school is a place where learners go to learn the same stringent subjects, year after year. Although these subjects are important, they seldom spark a passion in learners. The schooling system doesn’t afford learners the opportunity to explore their own identities and follow their own interests.

I found it fascinating that on their own, learners managed to create wonderful things and went above and beyond what we as educators would think they are capable of. This leads me to believe that if we allow learners to explore, they will return having found something of interest to them, and would have engaged more with this topic than they would with the school curriculum.

“Choose a job you love and you never have to work a day in your life.”

~Confucius

Personally, I never knew what I wanted to do when I left school and perhaps I still don’t. I wish I had been afforded the opportunity to participate in the Independent Project.

However, there is a need for supervision in tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning. The Independent Protect still occurred in a school setting and perhaps this aided in its’ success. I specifically think that younger learners need guidance in order to become effective users of this medium of learning. If distance learning is so successful, the need for educators becomes redundant. I personally believe that if a teacher can be successfully replaced by tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning then they deserve to be. However, an educator who can master the art of creating a space for engagement with a topic, all the while inspiring, motivating and generating true interest- such an educator will prove that face-to-face teaching and learning is still far more valuable than tech-mediated, self-directed distance learning. 

If you can't beat them, join them

There are no two ways about it; social media is inevitable and completely unavoidable. Therefore, rather than fighting to keep social media out of both the classroom and the lives of learners, let us adopt the motto:

“If you can’t beat them, join them”

I believe that instead of fighting a losing battle to keep social media away, why do educators not rather embrace social media for what it is and use it to enhance the schooling experience of their learners. It also provides educators the opportunity to teach learners how to effectively use social media, and how to manage their accounts. This will allow learners to be guided through social media so that they do not misuse it and get into troublesome situations later on in life when applying for bursaries and jobs (Davis, 2014). On a personal note, Facebook memories have made me wish I had had some guidance when I was thirteen posting cringe-worthy statuses on Facebook.

There are many ways of incorporating social media into the classroom to the benefit of both the learner and the teacher. Twitter can be used to remind learners about homework and to answer questions they may have after school hours. As Twitter is open, all the other students can see questions and answers from other peers that will eliminate the educator being asked the same question many times. Blogging as a good way of handing in essays, as not only will it teach learners about writing online, but it will also encourage them to put a little more effort in as not only the teacher can see their work. There are many apps and websites focussing on social media and the internet, allowing the internet to be a safe place to connect learners and educators from around the world.

Social media can knock through the boundaries of typical schooling, by providing a means of communication at any time from any location (Provenzano, 2015). If used correctly it could make education and learning extend longer than the school day. Social media makes learning fun, engaging and freely accessible.

I truly believe that social media can transcend the limits set by stringent schooling, and create a platform for learning that will empower pupils to learn, not force them to.  

Beginning to grasp digital pedagogy

After reading three articles with many big words resulting in mass panic and confusion, I feel that I may be starting to finally understand what digital pedagogy is. On the first day of PGCE the word pedagogy, a word that for 22 years had evaded me, was thrown around many times. I had no idea what this meant, and eventually I grabbed my phone and Googled "pedagogy":

Pedagogy

noun

the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.

This vague definition helped ever so slightly, and I thought I would survive my PGCE with this understanding, I did not anticipate having a subject called digital pedagogy. 

Now however, I believe the action of me pulling the World Wide Web out of my pocket, was an act of digital pedagogy. 

I now grasp digital pedagogy may not refer exactly to, as I previously thought, online courses and interactive smart boards. Digital pedagogy is a way of naturally and effectively incorporating many moving parts into creating a lesson where learners can occur. 

A digital pedagogue, as said by Morris, is not person hired to teach, who uses PowerPoint and YouTube videos. I believe a digital pedagogue to be anyone who uses technology to enhance or support their message, with the result being that what they said being completely understood and learned. 

As Stommel suggests, successful digital pedagogy is not easy to accomplish. It requires a great deal of research, keeping up to date, and planning to be a digital pedagogue, which therefore makes digital pedagogy a lifelong learning experience.

Technology is advancing rapidly, and companies are coming up with new and exciting ways to bring technology into the classroom. Some teachers stay set in their old ways, others try but fail at using new techniques, and only a handful are successful in incorporating digital pedagogy into their classrooms. This is because it can be exceptionally distracting and if the teacher does not take caution in their use of technology, learning may not necessarily occur.

From the two articles by Morris and Stommel, I have learned that using technology in the classroom does not make you a digital pedagogue. In fact, being a digital pedagogue is a lifelong commitment to learning and researching in order to incorporate technology successfully into learning. 

To digitize pedagogy or not to digitize pedagogy- That is the question

A question has educators up in arms- to incorporate technology or to go back to basics. Fyfe (2011) highlights many negative schools of thought on the matter; however, I cannot say I agree with them.

When I think back to my own time at school, we had limited amount of technology available. Since then social media and technology such as tablets, and smartphones have exploded. Educators now have the challenge of incorporating all of the aforementioned into their lessons, if they dare. 

Many educators, stuck in their ways, will insist that technology should be left out of the classroom. It is seen as a distraction and a hindrance. I think that this can hold true, if not used correctly.

However, with the world becoming more digitized, online and high-tech, learners who do not experience technology in all its forms will fall behind. In real world situations, it is vital to have a deep understanding of technology. This is becoming more true as CV’s are taking the form of ePortfolios, university courses and degrees can be obtained online, and communication occurs via countless platforms that discard the need for people to actually interact.

It is for these reasons that I see the inclusion of digital pedagogy into education as imperative. The exclusion of such would be to strip learners of many opportunities. In fact, I feel that it is better to teach learners how to engage effectively with such technologies so that they do not use it negatively. Instead of digital pedagogy being a interference in the classroom, correct implementation rather can allow students to perform optimally and to use it to enhance their education.

Technology is making the world smaller and opportunities greater.