The week 3 Course readings on Moodle are based on the notion that digital pedagogy is an effective means of enhancing student learning. The videos presented support this perspective, demonstrating the learning capabilities that are harnessed when children engage with different technologies. Even at the toddler stages of cognitive development, digital technologies are being used to educate children. This is evident in the video A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work, as a child is seen discovering the difference between paper-based and multi-modal literacy. This is a clear example of how the recent advancements in interactive technology has shaped our literate practices. This idea is also reinforced in the video Kids React to Rotary Phones, as children are asked a series of questions relating to how the operation of technology in the past has shaped our current social practices. Essentially, these questions were designed to help students understand how the changes in technology have underpinned modern society. After learning of this, the next step is knowing how to effectively operate these technologies today. In the video, Hacker Scouts: Kids Learning Through Tech, young students are building real and relevant skills that will allow them to become leaders and innovators in a new technological era.
Following these videos, the resource Early Years Curriculum Materials: Learning about technology, uses investigation to encourage students to engage with technology and consider how it affects everyday life. As the Queensland Studies Authority (2006) states, "for children, engaging with technology means designing, creating, using, envisioning, responding to and reflecting on the designed world, and thinking about the impact artifacts, processes, systems, services or environments have on people and places". In addition to engaging with technology, it is evident in this resource that students also learn through experimentation, watching television and other media sources, through observations of technology being used in society, and by interacting with other students.
Curriculum Links
The ideas raised in all of these resources are well supported by the Australian Curriculum, which states that "students use technologies knowledge and understanding; technologies processes and production skills; and systems, design, and/or computational thinking to solve and produce creative solutions to problems, needs or opportunities. They communicate and record their ideas using a range of media and technologies. These specialised problem-solving activities will be sophisticated, acknowledge the complexities of contemporary life and may make connections to related specialised occupations and further study" (ACARA, 2015).
Digital Pedagogy
Social networking is an emergent technological practice that has rapidly evolved in the last decade. As children are becoming literate in an age of escalating technology, it is essential that teachers recognise the “intricate interweaving of technology and literate practices that underpins our society” (Carrington, 2001). As Martello (2007) states, “Teachers’ recognition of the multimodal practices available to children through their homes, communities and popular culture enriches and extends the possibilities for literacy teaching”.
Twitter
Twitter is an example of a social networking tool commonly used by students of the 21st Century. Although it is important for us as teachers to integrate these emergent digital literacies into our teaching pedagogy, I believe this style of social interaction may have negative implications. In this site, personal information is easily accessible to the public; leaving you vulnerable and unprotected. For this reason I choose not to participate in this task and leave a digital footprint that could potentially affect my career as a teacher. Twitter will not be included in my pedagogy as I do no want to invade or expose the privacy of my students. In saying this, I do believe social networking is still an effective way to encourage student collaboration and should be integrated into my teaching practice. For this reason, educational sites like TodaysMeet are valuable as they allow students to experience and develop networking skills in a controlled environment. Although boundaries need to be established, the use of online interaction is an integral pedagogical approach to monitor learning and encourage students to share ideas collectively.
Online Concept Maps
Design Cycle Phase: Ideation Following these videos, the resource Early Years Curriculum Materials: Learning about technology, uses investigation to encourage students to engage with technology and consider how it affects everyday life. As the Queensland Studies Authority (2006) states, "for children, engaging with technology means designing, creating, using, envisioning, responding to and reflecting on the designed world, and thinking about the impact artifacts, processes, systems, services or environments have on people and places". In addition to engaging with technology, it is evident in this resource that students also learn through experimentation, watching television and other media sources, through observations of technology being used in society, and by interacting with other students.The ideas raised in all of these resources are well supported by the Australian Curriculum, which states that "students use technologies knowledge and understanding; technologies processes and production skills; and systems, design, and/or computational thinking to solve and produce creative solutions to problems, needs or opportunities. They communicate and record their ideas using a range of media and technologies. These specialised problem-solving activities will be sophisticated, acknowledge the complexities of contemporary life and may make connections to related specialised occupations and further study" (ACARA, 2015).
Twitter is an example of a social networking tool commonly used by students of the 21st Century. Although it is important for us as teachers to integrate these emergent digital literacies into our teaching pedagogy, I believe this style of social interaction may have negative implications. In this site, personal information is easily accessible to the public; leaving you vulnerable and unprotected. For this reason I choose not to participate in this task and leave a digital footprint that could potentially affect my career as a teacher. Twitter will not be included in my pedagogy as I do no want to invade or expose the privacy of my students. In saying this, I do believe social networking is still an effective way to encourage student collaboration and should be integrated into my teaching practice. For this reason, educational sites like TodaysMeet are valuable as they allow students to experience and develop networking skills in a controlled environment. Although boundaries need to be established, the use of online interaction is an integral pedagogical approach to monitor learning and encourage students to share ideas collectively.
Online Concept Maps
In modern teaching practices visual literacies are considered to be a fundamental avenue for student learning. For this reason, online concept maps are vital; encouraging students to think critically, brainstorm concepts relating to the lesson topic and organise their ideas in a visually stimulating fashion. This would also be an effective way to encourage collaboration, as students could voice their individual ideas and collectively contribute to the development of the concept map. To enhance this capability, students could participate in concept mapping through an online networking site. This way individual students can access the mapping tool and upload their own ideas relating to the topic.
The Ideation phase of the technology design circle incorporates the designing, generating, communicating and planning of a project. In this process the original ideas of a design are analysed to generate a final design product. As seen in my Wiki page, this phase of learning is evident in the development of my project, as I have designed several solar oven alterations to discover what features are most integral to my overall product. The outcomes of this study were evaluated and cross-analysed using a decision-making matrix. This examined the size, cost, ease of construction, ease of access, and durability of my design. When I assessed my four design alterations using this criteria, I discovered and selected the design that rated the highest mark overall. (see below)
Peer Reflection
During this planning stage of the project, peer reflection was also an integral contributor to the development of my final design. From this feedback I was able to reassess my list of specifications for the solar oven design and discover what improvements could be made to enhance the quality of this project in relation to the areas of the design criteria.
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
[ACARA]. (2015). Technologies.
Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/technologies-across-foundation-to-year-10
Carrington, V. (2001). Emergent home literacies: A challenge for
Educator's. Retrieved from
http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=204890707970043;res=IELHSS
Davis, V. (2014). A guidebook for social media in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis
Davis, V. (2014). A guidebook for social media in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis
Queensland Government. (2006). Early Years Curriculum Materials: Learning about technology. Retrieved April 24, 2015, from https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=13721
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