ICT and Digital Students Reading

       This week reading raised some interesting points. Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009) discussion on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge shows how the social factors can influence the relationship between teaching and technology and how “at the heart of good teaching are three core components: content, pedagogy, and technology, plus the relationships among and between them.” Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009) It is this relationship between the three that forms the bases if the TPACK model.

     Marc Prensky’s paper titled Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (2001) seemed somewhat dated as there were some points that I tend to disagree with but in 2001 I would have been comfortable with his views. Prensky stated that “Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” (Prensky. M, 2001. pg.1) Today with the introduction the Smart School Program and the ICT Certificate schools are making a greater effort in having a system that matches the changing student body. The teachers are now having to develop their pedagogy in relation to the integration of technology to match the “Digital Natives” of tomorrow.

            Michael Henderson raises an interest point that “The nature of the task is more important than the technology itself.” (Henderson, M. 2008)  Henderson expands on this to further explain that the core task must be the focus and the technology should assist in the engagement of the task and that the students ability to make meaningful decisions in learning activities will assist in engaging in the tasks  

           Through out the readings this week there was a common theme of the impact social use of ICT is having on students and how the dependence of ICT’s in the home have influenced schooling. Research by Thrupp (2008), discusses how the social use of ICT had influence the students ability to use ICT”s to engage in their learning.

 

            An interesting application was the use of Google Moderator. The application uses crowdscouring to rank user submitted answers. This application was used in the 2008 US presidential elections to poll voters on key issues. The application can be used within the classroom for things such as reading assignments, set-up a page for questions about the reading material or to have students anonymously submit questions on parts they did not understand. 

            A major emphasis in the lectures was on the Professional Values of the ICT Certificate. The main points raised were regarding the selection of resources and the ability to operate safely, legally and ethically. Further discussion was also conducted on the TPACK model

            The lectures continue the examination of the Professional Values of the ICT Certificate and how we can best model these practices with students and the development of Professional Knowledge that best benefits students. This week we conducted a live webcast with a lower primary class called the “Gems”. It was fascinating to see how the students had embraced the technology and included it in their schooling on a regular basis. There teacher was a great model for the TPACK frame work modeling the use of technology to enhance and engage the students and their learning.