It is distinctively evident that
information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed our lives and
reshaped the nature of everyday activities (Yelland, 2008). In the education sector, it is
imperative that teachers are appropriately utilising students’ ICT capabilities
through integrating e-Learning (electronic learning) systematically in all
subject areas. Students develop ICT capability as they learn to use ICT
effectively and appropriately to access, create and communicate information and
ideas, solve problems and work collaboratively in and outside of the classroom (ACARA, 2015).
The high levels of engagement I have had investigating numerous digital
tools, exploring and trialing online devices, and interacting with my peers
electronically over the past few weeks, has enabled me to appreciate the
importance and wealth of e-Learning.
Throughout the
e-Learning journey, the importance of working safely, legally and ethically
with technology was emphasised. I personally believe I followed appropriate
procedures to avoid plagiarism and copyright concerns by giving credit to
sources from images and text. Secondly, I collaboratively engaged with my peers
online while maintaining a favorable persona by providing constructive comments.
This is evident through my blog postings and peer feedback. It is vital that
teachers uphold correct digital practice so that they can model appropriate
behaviours to their students, and to also teach learners to safely and
ethically use their digital devices in the classroom and the wider community (I Keep Safe, 2015). As the world continues to be
immersed in technology, bullying is being welcomed into the home. Students have
social media available at their finger tips and unfortunately this results in
negative behaviours such as cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the use of technology to
bully an individual or a group with the intent to cause harm (Australian Government, 2015). If students are presented with knowledge about this
form of bullying and proactive procedures to eliminate it from occurring in
their cohort, the learners will be practicing safe, legal and ethical
behaviours.
ICTs have the ability
to enrich children’s learning experiences in many ways. There is widespread belief that ICTs
can empower teachers and learners through transforming teaching and learning
processes from being highly teacher-dominated to student-centred (Trucano, 2005). Through weekly exploration of the
digital tools, it was acknowledged that the implementation of these devices in
classrooms allows the learning manager to uphold the role of the facilitator. The
facilitator’s role is to introduce subjects of discussion, encourage sharing of
perspectives, and integrate students’ shared experiences (Sunnarborg,
2008). Digital
tools such as Wikispaces, Weebly, PowerPoint and Prezi enable students to take responsibility
of their learning when provided an intended learning outcome. The teacher
delivers the key information and contributes to student work when warranted.
The rapid growth of technology allows teachers and students to have
access to a world beyond the classroom (Majumdar, 2006).
Students can connect with children of different cultures who reside in
countries on the other side of world. This communication is possible due to
technical devices such as podcasting and digital videos and provides learners
the opportunity to accept diversity, different ethincs, religions, and beliefs.
Due to significant educational paradigm shifts in the area of ICTs,
current day learning occurs through projects and problems, inquiry and
design, discovery and invention, creativity and diversity, action and
reflection (Majumdar, 2006). Digital tools such as Google Earth allow
students to investigate key information about specific places on Earth such as weather, location,
etc. Presentation tools including Glogster, Bubbl.us and Google Docs allow students
numerous engaging, inventive methods of producing ideas and knowledge. It is
strongly believed that these tools enhance students’ overall learning
experience, as learners are generally eager to participate and collaboration is
often essential when using Web 2.0 tools.
Through consistant experimentation of a wide range of technologies, I was
silently encouraged to collaborate with my peers. To be an active participant
in the Wikispace and blog postings, it was expected that I systematically engaged
with peers. This practice developed my skills to better implement my learning experiences, which aligns
with the Technological Pedagogical and
Content Knowledge (TPAK) framework. To enable
success, the framework requires pedagogical, content,
and technological knowledge, which are embedded and integrated in an authentic
deep learning collaboration (TTF, 2015).
The SAMR model was used weekly to portray the four levels of technology
integration for each digital tool that was explored. This model is integral to
promote higher order thinking in the digital classroom. The transformative
level enables technology to be advantageous instead of an alternative option to
hand writing. Technology has many opportunities and it is vital that teachers
are utilising them. Creator of SAMR, Dr.
Ruben Puentedura, believes the model provides greater possibilities for forms
of student interaction, which students consequently learn from one another (Common
Sense Media, 2015). This idea is relative to social constructivist theorist, Vygotsky’s
belief that students are more capable to perform well while under the guidance
of advanced peers, therefore students learn effectively from their peers via social and collaborative means (Hurst, 2015). Collaborative knowledge
instruction was practiced in the Wikispace task as all students were
participants in the learning experience and guidance was available from their
peers when necessary.
Children of the gloablised world are heading to a hyper connected time
with more people, fewer resources, and many uncertainties (AITSL, 2012). The
integration of technology enables students to be successful as they are
competent in validating, synthesising, communicating, collaborating and problem
solving (Delafosse, 2011). The consistent practice of ICT skills will be key for economic growth and stability
in the future.
References
ACARA. (2015). Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
capability. Retrieved August 27, 2015 from Australian Curriculum,
Assessment, and Reporting Authority:
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/information-and-communication-technology-capability/introduction/introduction
AITSL. (2012, May 7). 21st Century Education.
Australian Government. (2015). Cyberbullying. Retrieved August 28,
2015 from Australian Government:
https://esafety.gov.au/esafety-information/esafety-issues/cyberbullying
Common Sense Media. (2015). Ruben Puentedura on the Impact of the SAMR
Model . Retrieved August 28, 2015 from Common Sense Media:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/ruben-puentedura-on-the-impact-of-the-samr-model
Delafosse, S. (2011, October 24). Teaching in the 21st Century.
Hurst, M. (2015). Lev Vygotsky's Theory of Cognitive Development.
Retrieved August 28, 2015 from study.com:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/lev-vygotskys-theory-of-cognitive-development.html
I Keep Safe. (2015). Educators. Retrieved August 27, 2015 from I
Keep Safe: http://ikeepsafe.org/educators/
Majumdar, S. (2006). Emerging Trends in ICT for Education &
Training. UNESCO.
Sunnarborg, M. (2008, October 27). From Teacher to Facilitator.
Retrieved August 28, 2015 from Learning Solutions Magazine:
http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/74/from-teacher-to-facilitator
Trucano, M. (2005). Impact of ICTs on Learning & Achievement.
Retrieved August 28, 2015 from infoDev:
http://www.infodev.org/articles/impact-icts-learning-achievement
TTF. (2015). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK).
Retrieved August 28, 2015 from Teaching Teachers for the Future:
http://www.ttf.edu.au/what-is-tpack/what-is-tpack.html
Yelland, N. (2008). E learning: issues of pedagogy and practice for the
information age. University of Wollongong. Wollongong: University of
Wollongong.
