 flickr photo shared by Maria J Aleman under a Creative Commons ( BY-NC-ND ) license The term scholar may, for some, conjure up an image of an academic situated within the walls of a university. This scholar may have gained tenure on the basis of past and continuing teaching and research undertaken in the field. Others may expand this view to encompass a studious youth studying at a university or possibly even a school. The emergence of the term digital scholar may add some confusion to one's image of a scholar. One may be excused for thinking that a digital scholar is simply one who incorporates digital technology into their work, given the ever-expanding digital landscape within which we live. Digital scholarship, however, is much more than this. This paper will explore the changing nature of scholarship within the context of blogging as digital scholarship. Scholarship has been in a state of transformation due, in part, to the emergence of new digital tools, social behaviours, and cultural expectations associated with participatory technologies (Veletsianos & Kimmons, 2011, p. 766). Digital scholarship, as defined by Weller (2011) includes the use of digital, networked and open approaches that demonstrate specialism in a field. Veletsianos & Kimmons (2011, p. 766) refer to Networked Participatory Scholarship in which scholars ‘share, reflect upon, critique, validate and further their scholarship’. Pearce, Weller, Scanlon & Kinsley (2010) argue that simply using technology in their work does not constitute digital scholarship; academics must be open to the particular affordances of new technologies that make possible open, networked collaboration between scholars for the purpose of benefiting not only the academy, but also society generally. Cohen (2007) discusses social scholarship that embodies openness, conversation, collaboration, access, sharing, and transparent revision. Whilst subtle differences may exist, the terms digital scholarship, Networked Participatory Scholarship and social scholarship all point to a shift in thinking about scholarship in a digitally rich society. Digital scholarship is increasingly being used to refer to the use of social software in academia and research (Heap and Minocha, 2012). Whilst the term may have different interpretations, including the curation and collection of digital resources, this discussion will focus more broadly on digital scholarship as it refers to the various scholarly activities that are afforded by contemporary technologies (Weller, 2011). Boyer (1990) identified four functions of scholarship: • discovery - the creation of new knowledge in a specific area or discipline; • integration - the creation of knowledge across disciplines; • application - engagement with the wider world outside academia, but still based on the scholar’s disciplinary knowledge and background; • teaching - a central element. These functions have been somewhat extended by the impact of digital tools, open data and open educational resources which make possible more open ways of working, although this is not inevitable (Pearce et al., 2010). Boyer’s framework now needs to be considered within the context of using blogs and other social, participatory, collaborative and dynamic affordances of the available software (Heap & Minocha, 2012; Pearce et al., 2010; Veletsianos & Kimmons, 2011). Whilst Boyer’s focus was on the individual, Borgman (2007) focuses her interpretation of digital scholarship on the work of teams and the capacity of the internet to ‘facilitate distributed, data and information-intensive collaborative research’. The Internet has also fostered a new culture of sharing, one in which content is freely contributed and distributed with few restrictions or costs (Seely Brown, 2008). The concept of digital scholarship can be explored through the practice of blogging. In the past, academic writing consisted of peer-reviewed, published communications that were, and possibly still are, staples of academic scholarship (Hank, 2013). The publishing of a peer-reviewed journal is traditionally the most respected means of contributing to a body of knowledge (Powell, Jacob & Chapman, 2012). What constitutes valid academic writing is now being challenged as blogging, along with other Web 2.0 tools, enter the academic landscape. The affordances of these tools for collaboration, interactivity, connectivity and social rapport, content creation and aggregation of knowledge and content also contribute to, and stimulate, the development of a participatory culture (Kirkup, 2010). As blogging becomes more popular and widely understood, one must now ask what place, if any, it should hold in scholarship. Despite some criticism of blogging as a valid form of scholarly writing, it is gaining more acceptance as a scholarly practice (Kirkup, 2010) as more scholars become known for their blogging that, in turn, develops their professional reputation. At the same time, blogging can enhance the identity of their associated organisation. Kirkup (2010) found that almost all of the bloggers in his study continued to use traditional print publication channels as well as other online media. Academic blogging is becoming a particular form of academic writing, a genre through which academics ‘engage in knowledge production and become public intellectuals’ (Kirkup, 2010, p. 83). Maitzen (2012) believes that blogging should be recognised for its contribution to the intellectual and institutional goals of universities but cautions that it will not suit every academic or academic purpose. Weller (2011) raises questions that may be asked in relation to blogging that are true for all digital scholarship. These questions explore scholarship in terms of centrality to practice, applicability across domains and function, quality, tenure, impact on academic communities, replacement or complement to existing channels and whether or not bloggers should separate their blogging from formal institutional systems. Returning to Weller’s (2011) suggestion that digital scholarship includes the use of digital, networked and open approaches, one can see how blogging addresses these three critical components. Blogs, by nature, are digital and networked and have the capacity for openness. As a digital tool, inclusion of other digital media, such as video, image and sound can be incorporated into blogs to enhance or, at times, replace print. Whilst it is possible to keep a blog private or limit exposure, it is the capacity for openness to the public that is critical for blogging to reach its potential as a practice of digital scholarship. Greenhow, Robelia & Hughes (2009) state that the use of blogging to expand professional connections and build networks may transform their responsibilities relating to teaching, research and service whilst enhancing their scholarly practice. Whilst it may not be appropriate to state that participatory technologies such as blogs are catalysts for changing scholarly norms, a state of change is reflected in the growing practice of academic blogging (Veletsianos & Kimmons, 2011). Regardless of social or institutional structures and the 20th century paradigms of scholarship, some recognise how such tools have the power to support, amplify, or transform their scholarship in positive ways (Katz, 2010). Maitzen (2012) refers to blogging as a practice where all parts of intellectual life converge and coexist - reading, writing, teaching and research. Powell et al. (2011) and Hank (2013) agree that blogging can support the traditional goals of higher education institutions by serving as tools for teaching, learning, research and outreach. Mewburn & Thomson (2013) provide the example of some UK research grant applications which now require identification of the expected impact on audiences other than academics and maintain that blog advocacy sits neatly with official discourses of appropriate academic behaviour and performance. Advantages identified in the use of blogging include the rapid sharing of research methods, results and conclusions in an open, transparent manner (Powell et al., 2011) where information and ideas are instantly available to peers and the broader community and real time interaction and collaboration is possible. Immediacy is restored to scholarly discussion and logistical roadblocks are removed, opening up exchange of ideas and the stimulation for refining, reconsidering or expanding ideas (Maitzen, 2012). Further, Maitzen posits that quality of content is not determined by the form or platform. The process of peer review is well established in academia and some may argue that this element is absent from blogging. Hank (2013) challenges the thinking of peer reviewers and their role as gatekeepers by suggesting that, though not beholden to the same parameters or rigour of peer reviewed journals, blogging can be seen to be subject to critical review from a wider gate, though reasonably less expert. It is not suggested that blogging will necessarily replace the more formal practice of journal production at this point in time; it may, however, be seen as an important complement to the practice. Kirkup (2010) sees the possibility for engagement in critical ideas that may not have been accepted in a peer reviewed publication but still find a place in scholarly discourse where one may engage a much wider audience as well as those with common interests. Academics may need to adjust their writing style somewhat when writing for a wider audience. Writing less obscurely may be beneficial for promoting scholarly discussion on a global scale (Mewburn & Thomson, 2013). Blogging can certainly complement and contribute to traditional forms of scholarly publication. Powell et al. (2010) stress that referencing is critical if blogging is to become an acceptable form of scholarship accessed by government, organisations, industry and consumers. Rights management is also an important consideration for the digital scholar to ensure that legitimation and dissemination functions are not impeded (Borgman, 2007). An area of concern for academics regarding blogging is the conservatism regarding digital scholarship being recognised towards tenure, promotion and funding (Weller, 2011). Whilst blogging may complicate the notion of publication, Borgman (2007) states that publication occurs when a document is made public with the intention it is read by others. It is suggested that if blogging is considered for promotion and tenure decisions, it is the category of service rather than scholarship to which the practice is associated (Borgman, 2007; Hendricks, 2009). Hank (2013) agrees that blogging may not be seen as an opportunity for promotion but it contributes to scholars’ personal sense of other intrinsic rewards and elementary recognition, including greater visibility as a scholar, as well as institutional recognition, through invitations to publish, present and provide service and collaborate. When discussing digital scholarship, is it necessary to distinguish between an academic blog and a blog written by an academic? Mewburn & Thomson (2013) suggest that for a blog to be academic, the writer must declare affiliation with a recognisable institution, professional purpose and be connected to other academic blogs in some way. Weller (2011) however, states that a well-respected digital scholar need not be recognised as an academic nor affiliated with an institution, thus opening up scholarship to a wider group. Likewise, a digital scholar does not include just anyone who writes online. Blogs range from personal and ephemeral to theoretical and substantial, so it depends on how the scholar defines blogs themselves and how they elect to incorporate it within their own professional and academic life that may determine the place of their blog in scholarship (Hank, 2013). Blogging is an emerging academic practice that can promote the intellectual identity of a professional academic and their engagement as contemporary “public intellectuals” (Kirkup, 2010). For some, however, this practice may not be one that they are drawn to or feel comfortable with. It is important, however, for academics to model lifelong learning by identifying effective uses of technology for educative purposes and for sharing scholarship with a wider audience (Greenhow et al., 2009, p.254). The development of the necessary skills and dispositions for digital scholarship may begin in K-12 education and continue into post secondary education. Writing for an online audience through the use of blogging can support learning (Downes, 2004), academic identity creation (Kirkup, 2010) and public writing and presentation skills (Heap & Minocha, 2012). Reflective writing in response to learning experiences, conducting conversations outside of the physical classroom and aggregating notes, references and resources relevant to study are ways in which students of any age can begin to develop as bloggers whilst building their online identities, gaining more experience writing online for an audience. As students develop their skills and use of technology in education, they bring new skill sets and attitudes to post secondary education; reading and reflecting online, as well as engaging a community, brings learning to life (Downes, 2004). For this to be authentic, students must have purpose for their writing and be unconstrained in sharing to a wider audience beyond the classroom. A new approach to learning using blogs and other Web 2.0 tools can provide students with access to rich, often virtual, learning communities and promote passion-based learning, motivating them to become members of a particular community of practice or ‘just wanting to learn about, make, or perform something’. (Seely Brown, 2008). Learners are now using the web in ways that require further exploration to understand current and potential implications for education (Greenhow et al., 2009). It is evident that technology is creating new environments for learning which ‘changes the relationship between knowledge and knowledge provider’ (Powell et al., 2012, p. 275). The emergence of digital scholarship has opened up academia to new, more open ways of working that makes collaboration beyond the academy a valuable addition to the nature of scholarship. Those who embrace the open values, ideology, potential and often challenges of technologies available through Web 2.0 understand the benefits to the academy and society (Weller, 2011). Whilst embracing the use of various technologies, such as blogs, may not yet serve the same function (or provide the same rigour) as the peer reviewed journals held in such high esteem by the academy, they do represent another way for sharing ideas, methods and research findings to a wider audience (Powell et al., 2012) and can have a significant role in all four types of scholarship identified by Boyer (1990). Cloud computing, social operating systems and the vast potential of virtual networks, will increasingly influence both education and research and will likely intensify the participatory and creative practices associated with digital scholarship (Greenhow et al., 2009). Digital scholarship is becoming an increasingly significant aspect of scholarship and may, in the future, be so integrated within scholarship that the word digital no longer becomes necessary to describe contemporary scholarly practice. 
flickr photo by tellatic http://flickr.com/photos/tellatic/6817840912
shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license
References:Borgman, C. (2007). Scholarship in the Digital Age: Information, Infrastructure, and the Internet. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities for the professoriate. Princeton, NJ: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Cohen, L. (2007). Social scholarship on the rise. Blog entry posted to Library 2.0: an academic’s perspective. Retrieved http://liblogs.albany.edu/library20/2007/04/social_scholarship_on_the_rise.html. Downes, S. (2004). Educational Blogging. Retrieved http://www.downes.ca/post/40939 Greenhow, C., Robelia, B., & Hughes, J. E. (2009). Learning, teaching, and scholarship in a digital age Web 2.0 and classroom research: What path should we take now? Educational Researcher, 38(4), 246–259. doi: 10.3102/0013189X09336671 Hank, C. (2013) Communications in Blogademia: An Assessment of Scholar Blogs’ Attributes and Functions New Review of Information Networking, 18, 51–69, 2013 DOI: 10.1080/13614576.2013.802179 Heap, T., & Minocha, S. (2012). An empirically grounded framework to guide blogging for digital scholarship. Research In Learning Technology. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v20i0.19195 Hendricks, A. 2010). Bloggership, or is publishing a blog scholarship? A survey of academic librarians. Library Hi Tech, 28(3), 470-477. Katz, R. (2008) The tower and the cloud: Higher education in the age of cloud computing. Boulder: EDUCAUSE 2008 eBook Kirkup, G. (2010) Academic blogging: academic practice and academic identity. London Review of Education, 8(1), 75–84 DOI: 10.1080/14748460903557803 Maitzen, R. (2012). Scholarship 2.0: Blogging and/as Academic Practice. Journal Of Victorian Culture (Routledge), 17(3), 348-354. Mewburn, I & Thomson, P (2013). Why do academics blog? An analysis of audiences, purposes and challenges. Studies in Higher Education, 38(8), 1105-1119. DOI:10.1080/03075079.2013.835624 Pearce, N., Weller, M., Scanlon, E., & Kinsley, S. (2010). Digital scholarship considered: how new technologies could transform academic work in education. In Education,16(1). Powell, D., Jacob, C., & Chapman, B. (2012). Using Blogs and New Media in Academic Practice: Potential Roles in Research, Teaching, Learning, and Extension. Innovative Higher Education, 37(4), 271-282. doi:10.1007/s10755-011-9207-7 Seely Brown, J. (2008). Open education, the long tail, and learning 2.0. Educause review, 43(1), 16-20. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/minds-fire-open-education-long-tail-and-learning-20 Veletsianos, G. & Kimmons, R. (2012). Networked Participatory Scholarship: Emergent techno-cultural pressures toward open and digital scholarship in online networks. Computers & Education, 58(2) 766–774. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.10.001 Weller, M. (2011). The digital scholar: How technology is transforming scholarly practice. A&C Black. Retreived https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/the-digital-scholar-how-technology-is-transforming-scholarly-practice/ch1-digital-networked-and-open |
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Digital Scholarship: An Interpretive Discussion
Monday, June 1, 2015
Friday, March 20, 2015
Concepts and Practices in a Digital Age
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| creative commons licensed (BY-NC-SA) flickr photo by Stuck in Customs: http://flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/6495437857 |
As I begin to explore concepts and practices in a digital age, I find myself jumping all over the place - it is such a broad area to study. What concepts do I associate with the digital age? The first to come to mind include connectedness, collaboration, cooperation, globalisation, stability, change, belonging, sustainability, space, environment, ethics, ownership. No doubt, there are many more.
My thoughts about practices in a digital age are somewhat cloudy as I consider what practices are specific to a digital age. How are they different from those of a time before the impact of digital environments and tools? Are they improved or just different? What implications arise that are directly related to this ever expanding digital environment?
In exploring this subject, I hope to answer these questions, particularly in the context of primary school education.
My work in education is directly related to the pursuit of these answers. My role sees me working with primary school teachers with vastly different experiences, opinions and abilities with regard to digital practices in the classroom. I hope that by exploring and clarifying my understandings in this field, I will be better equipped to collaboratively navigate the ever-changing landscape that educators face.
With such a wide distribution of knowledge and skills demonstrated by teachers and students alike, the terms ‘digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’, as coined by Marc Prensky in 2001, are often used to help explain the digital divide. These terms, however, do not sit comfortably with me when the former is often used to refer to the younger generation and the latter connected with the teachers born before this digital revolution. Prensky states that our students today are native speakers of digital language, yet I would also consider myself a native speaker because I have used the language as it has developed. I have lived in the time when the language was invented so I could also be considered a native speaker. The fact that some people choose not, or have no need, to use the language does not necessarily mean that they are immigrants any more than a person who does not use language related to disciplines that use a specific language are eg music, medicine, law. There may be a digital divide, but I don’t believe it has a great deal to do with when one was born. I agree with Gerald Haigh who writes in Open University research explodes myth of 'digital native’ that there’s no evidence of a clear-cut digital divide. Use of technology varies with age, but it does so predictably, over the whole age span. And secondly, although younger people are more likely to be positive about technology, there is evidence that a good attitude to technology, at any age, correlates with good study habits.
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| creative commons licensed (BY) flickr photo by Mike Sansone: http://flickr.com/photos/mikesansone/2606565992 |
An area of interest I aim to explore further is that of digital literacy. My understanding of digital literacy is the ability to efficiently and effectively select and use a variety of digital technologies to locate, understand, synthesise, evaluate, create and communicate information whilst applying social and ethical protocols in order to protect and respect self, others and property. For teachers who are not digitally literate, supporting the development of these skills in their students will be a significant challenge.
An aspect of the information environment that has been brought to my attention by embarking on this subject is that of digital preservation. On a personal level, I have always understood the need to back up data, especially after losing data that could not be retrieved. I had not, however, considered the impact that this concept has on larger scale. I am comforted to know that the International Internet Preservation Consortium is working on our behalf to ensure that our web is preserved for future generations. On a local level, it makes me wonder about what I should be preserving and encouraging others to preserve. Can we rely on the cloud to keep our data safe? Hopefully access to the cloud will not be dependent on specific hardware (yet I suspect at some time in the future it will) like previous storage solutions were such as floppy discs and, more recently, CDs and USBs. My first instinct is to think that all will be safe in the cloud. That was, at least, until last week when a radio discussion I was listening to drew my attention to the disastrous effect a solar storm would have on our society if one such as the Carrington event of 1859 were to happen today. Dr Karl explained how an event such as this would impact on our everyday lives, from banking and GPS navigation systems to the watch we may be wearing on our wrist.
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| St Francis - Kindy |
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| Poem - Handwriting test - Year 6 |
I look at the work samples above from my days in primary school and wonder what future generations will have to show of their past or, indeed, what they will consider valuable.
References:
Haigh, G. (2011). Open University research explodes myth of 'digital native'. Merlin John Online.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon 9(5). Retrieved http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
Monday, January 12, 2015
ICT changes things
It seems that the variety of ICTs appearing in schools is growing at a rate many find difficult to keep up with. Where once teachers only had to worry about what to do with a few desktop computers, we now face the challenge of deciding which of the latest technologies on offer we can/should harness in the classroom for enhancing or, indeed, improving educational outcomes for our students. Having decided that we must have the latest, dare I say, gadget in our classroom, what is the process we go through to convince the school community that this is a good idea?
Supposedly we have experimented with the new technology and have seen the educational potential of adding it to our toolkit, but the next step is not always easy, especially when funds are always short. One problem we face is the requirement from various stakeholders to demonstrate how the new technology will improve learning. This in itself is problematic given the speed with which new technologies are appearing and the difficulties with conducting long term research when the ‘goal posts’ keep changing.
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Bigum (2012) describes a loop that schools can find themselves in:
- New ICT appears in the market
- Arguments are put forward as to how this new technology will improve current teaching and learning practices. These arguments are usually made in terms of how the technology will address a particular problem.
- The case for the technology is successful and it is introduced into the school.
Before too long, a new technology enters the market and the loop begins again. To justify the expenditure, calls are made to explain or prove how learning is being improved. Bigum states that this search for improvement is a distraction and can cause people to miss the obvious - ICT changes things. Interesting things happen with ICT that are unexpected and bear little resemblance to what what anticipated.
The problem with this loop is that the technology is usually made to fit in with current practices - it would be difficult to successfully make a case for introducing the technology by saying, “let’s just see what happens, how it changes things.” I have attended many parent meetings in primary schools where the parents insist on knowing how the technology will improve learning - it is their main concern. It is therefore necessary to focus, not on improvements that, at this stage, cannot be quantified, but on how ICT has changed the way we do things. When we accept this, we may move towards exploring how school can change to accommodate a more contemporary approach to learning.
Reference:
Bigum, C. (2012). Schools and Computers: Tales of a Digital Romance. Transformative Approaches to New Technologies and Student Diversity in Futures Oriented Classrooms. L. Rowan and C. Bigum, Springer Netherlands: 15-28.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Affordance Analysis
In his article, Affordance analysis - matching learning tasks with learning technologies, Bower (2008) presents a design methodology for matching learning tasks with learning technologies. The use of the term affordance was previously unfamiliar to me but Bower has assisted me in understanding how consideration of affordances relating to technology as well as educational goals will greatly enhance the use of ICT in classrooms to meet the varied learning needs of students.
As with all use of technology in school, the first priority is to establish intended learning goals and the possible ways to achieve them. Once established, the affordance requirements of the task/s can be determined. The teacher must decide what it is the students will need to be able to do throughout the task e.g read, write, listen, watch, link, modify and many other affordances (some of which are represented on the figure below).
Whilst determining the affordances of the task, the teacher may begin to consider the elearning tools available that may suit the learning intention and the affordances of that technology.
Although unfamiliar with the term affordances, I have considered affordances of technology when planning for its use in class. It is often what leads to the selection of device for a particular task or component of a task. For example, if students need to capture still or video image, an iPad would be an appropriate device. If students are required to share their work and provide feedback, this could be done using blogging software on either tablet or laptop. However, if students are required to comment directly into a document, this may best be achieved using Google docs on a laptop.
Employing a methodology that focuses on affordance of both task and technology should focus the teacher more on ensuring that the learning task fulfills the pre-identified cognitive requirements and the chosen technologies, in turn, support that cognition. This will, hopefully, ensure rich tasks that can be used as exemplars for others in the learning community. Bower also suggests building a portfolio of approaches for identifying, describing, analysing and allocating technologies for deployment. Affordance analysis provides a means to do this and highlights the critical aspects of the selection process - the cognitive and technological requirements.
Bower, M. (2008). Affordance analysis—matching learning tasks with learning technologies. Educational Media International, 45, 1, 3–15. Retrieved http://www0.sun.ac.za/ctl/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/bowerarticle.pdf
Friday, December 5, 2014
Digital native vs digital immigrant
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| by Campus Party Brasil |
The terms ‘digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’, as coined by Marc Prensky in 2001, do not sit comfortably with me. I have heard many speakers and teachers use the terms, usually as a basis for promoting the use of technology in classrooms. Whilst I do not argue that the children of today have only known a world with technology and are often comfortable in using a variety of technologies, I do not believe that those of us born before the digital revolution are any less capable of operating within this developing environment.
Prensky states that our students today are native speakers of digital language, yet I would also consider myself a native speaker because I have used the language as it has developed. I have lived in the time when the language was invented so I could also be considered a native speaker. The fact that some people choose not, or have no need, to use the language does not necessarily mean that they are immigrants any more than a person who does not use language related to disciplines that use a specific language are eg music, medicine, law.
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| by Aron Stevenson |
Prensky refers to people as having digital immigrant accents and states that schools often feel as though they are staffed by heavily accented foreigners.
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| by Mario & Amanda |
Another aspect of the digital divide that is often commented on is the ability of digital natives to multi-task. Can students really learn whilst watching TV or listening to music? Wood et al in their article, Examining the impact of off-task multi-tasking with technology on real-time classroom learning, concluded that while multi-tasking did not seem to affect rote memorization, it might hamper higher-order tasks that involve understanding material and application of the material to novel situations. The results of studies are consistent with both the cognitive bottleneck theory of multi-tasking and provide evidence that attention, especially for complex tasks, can be impaired when multi-tasking is involved.
There may be a digital divide, but I don’t believe it has a great deal to do with when one was born. I agree with
Gerald Haigh who writes in Open University research explodes myth of 'digital native’ that
there’s no evidence of a clear-cut digital divide. Use of technology varies with age, but it does so predictably, over the whole age span. And secondly, although younger people are more likely to be positive about technology, there is evidence that a good attitude to technology, at any age, correlates with good study habits.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Technology vs Pedagogy
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| by Wesley Fryer |
We have been talking about technology as if it is something brand new for the past decade. Since the introduction of the iPad into classrooms and the availability of more affordable technology such as Chromebooks , the conversation seems to have increased, especially with the move towards BYOD in many schools.
We have been saying for years that is is not about the tools, it is about the learning. And yet, we still talk about the technology. I believe this is because many teachers are trying to work out how to incorporate technology into the programs they may have been using for years; the technology is still a substitution for books, pencils, paper.
So, if we focus on technology, we do miss the central issue - pedagogy. When teachers adopt a more contemporary approach to learning, the technology required to support this will eventually move into the background - students will reach for the readily available technology that will fulfill their needs, whether that be to investigate, collaborate, create or communicate their ideas (and in ideal situations, all four).
Paul Saettler (as cited in Roblyer & Doering, 2014) said "Computer information systems are not just objective recording devices. They also reflect concepts, hopes, beliefs, attitudes." We may ask if the current technologies being used in classrooms do, in fact, reflect our hopes, beliefs and attitudes with regard to educational outcomes for students? The move towards personalisation of learning requires a broader approach to the use of ICT than was possible in the past. We have seen the use of technology develop from being used predominantly for consumption to an emphasis being placed on creation. Whilst technology can have an enormous impact on what is possible in education today, unless it is being driven by solid, contemporary pedagogy there is a risk of the technology remaining a shiny gadget which contributes little value to student learning outcomes.
ICT General Capabilities in all Subject Areas will be a key driver in helping teachers to develop an innovative approach to contemporary pedagogy.
Teachers who struggle with technology should consider setting up their own peer network and seek help at the point of need. Use the technology available to learn about the technology - YouTube is now the go-to place for finding out how to do almost anything. A Google search can also provide access to ideas tried and tested by other educators from around the world.Utilising students' skills will also harness their knowledge and build a learning community within the classroom where everyone feels comfortable enough to ask for help (including the teacher).
References:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2012). 21st century education. Future Tense. Retrieved from
Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching: International Edition, 6th Edition, Pearson.
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