Digital teaching and learning - EDED20016: A challenge to your preconceptions

This series of questions considers my initial feelings as I approach a new unit of work, Digital teaching and learning. If you are undertaking this unit, I would encourage you to do the same as it has helped give me a better insight into self-system thinking and challenged my preconceptions. 

To what extent is it reasonable to conclude that if you are not experiencing positive or negative emotions about the materials and activities in any learning experience, that you are potentially disinterested or not motivated? Discuss in relation to your first emotional response to the nature of this unit.

Highly prescriptive. This is probably due to the nature of this unit in completing a Masters. I do however have an interest in exploring the effects of a digital pedagogy further as I believe this is one key 'influencer' for teaching and learning. There is also a degree of apathy as we are looking at some similar materials to what we have covered in EDSE20019. Finally the networking and group work has gone negatively and positively in past studies so I am interested where this component will go.

Elaborate on your emotions on engaging further with this unit? Positive, negative. Indifferent?

A little stressed given the delays applied to Praxis 3. This is complemented by an interest in the content and the less-usual format (using Teams, Wisemapping) alongside traditional digital items like YouTube.

To what extent do you have the commitment to actively interrogate your emotions, and your beliefs about creative pedagogy (that extends beyond the mere delivery of information to your learners)? How might you be challenged to engage as you enter this unit?

Creation is the highest order of thinking (Blooms, 1956), More recently, Marzano discusses it as the highest-yield instructional strategy for use by teachers including creation of metaphors, analogies and non-linguistic or graphic representations like T-Charts PMI's and Venn Diagrams (2001). By engaging in this type of thinking, students are encouraged to think outside of the box, an ideal that is fundamental to my current role as a Landscaper and my future role as a Teacher. As such, I am committed to actively interrogating my emotions, especially my apathy, to gain a more rigorous understanding of why I am approaching this subject in such a way.   Engagement might be challenged through creation especially via the use of peer reviews, networking and Zoom breakout rooms. These will likely improve my engagement in the unit along with my disposition toward my emotions.

Identify your present values and beliefs about ICT in the classroom. Keep it brief and focused.

ICT, for me, is highly valuable for the development of my practice as a teacher and perhaps the biggest effect for all teachers moving into the profession today. The future of speech-to-text in a example of just one of the quantum leaps in technology this millennia that has changed how we interact with each other and create data. Other technologies that interest me include the use of electroencephalograms in mapping brainwaves and I suspect this will also support education.

Identify your approach to teaching and learning - are you committed to the delivery of information, with yourself in control of all learning? Are you willing to let go of some control over what your learners learn, and how they learn it?

From a child I was brought up largely thinking that children should be seen but not heard, a belief my parent explained, that was held by their parents. This rule extended from the belief that parents controlled the home and children were under that control. It also meant we didn't have a say in decisions about the house and how it was controlled. By identifying this behaviour, I can see how my ideas of teaching and learning were formed, largely under the tyranny of my parents and their oracle-type position. This meant that education was largely lectured and authoritarian, a mindset that I only deeply understood once I started counselling last year and in undertaking my Masters of Teaching.   In studying teaching and psychology more recently, I have formed a very different approach to the pedagogy I was taught, one that is focussed on the teacher as a facilitator and one that releases control back to the learners so that they are agents of their own learning with me as more of a guide to the curriculum context and content. As a facilitator, I realise that students know more and by letting go of my early-established lecture-style teaching and adopting techniques like reciprocal teaching, research assessments, silent card shuffles and more inquiry-based learning strategies, not only have I allowed students to be co-constructors of learning but I am better preparing them for life after school.

Identify any challenges to your values and beliefs as you enter this unit?

- Difficulties with pre-dispositions mentioned in the previous question - Changing perceptions of teacher as facilitator from teacher who just chalks and talks - Using technology more in classroom setting and - Confidence with new ICT's

What experience do you have with ICT in the classroom?

My experience with ICT in the classroom includes: 

- use of computers to enable lessons, especially through tools including:

 MathsPathways and Mathspace 

- use of mobile to:   

    - run QuizletsPro, Blookets & Kahoots   

    - share resources on Compass, OneNote and Teams   

    - collect survey monkey data    

    - give rewards using Class Dojo      

    - NAPLAN data collection    

    - screen casting feedback to students