Summarise and reflect on your own significant
learning from this module. Identify its implications for your future role as an
English or ICT subject leader. Make links to relevant readings.
Yesterday I picked Isobelle
up from primary school and I asked her if they use iPads in the classroom? She
replied “no”. Just as Latchem (2014) stated,
traditional teaching methods remain the back bone of present teaching at
present. Herrington and Parker (2013)
undertook research of emerging technologies (ET) in a teaching context with
trainee teachers and found they had difficulties utilising the potential of ET. Audain (2014) highlights some of the
questions teachers have to ask, such as: what are the limitations of ICT? How
to assess? How to gauge the learning? Is it ephemeral? Etc. This module has for
me, addressed the findings of Herrington and Parker (2014). Furthermore, it has answered many more
questions that Audain (2014) envisaged. My attitude has changed considerably,
just as Kirkwood and Price (2013:538) visualise
the comparative approach- ‘Doing better things’ as opposed to ‘doing things
better’.
Regarding sessions nine, ten and eleven, some
literature contradicts the progress that some schools similar to the one used
in this module for our practice. Latchem (2014) implies, little evaluation of teaching
practice appears to cover how and in what ways educational outcomes can be
improved by employing the new tools such as iPads, and methods in ways that
will convince the politicians and policy makers of the benefits of these
approaches and the best ways to manage their adoption (Latchem, 2014). I witnessed in the above sessions and
testament from the teachers, heightened pupil participation, the fostering of
learning communities for knowledge creation and progressive shifts in the type
of teacher’s delivery methods (Rambe and Bere, 2013). Moreover, the school is
using technology to improve their outcomes and they apply their assessment
tools to all cross curriculum subjects. This is transforming educational
technology into successful evidence-based policy and practice, which Latchem
(2014) calls for. Gartner’s (2013) emerging technologies hype cycle would be
very relevant to apply the doctrine but word count will not allow discussing in
depth.
The emerging technologies hype cycle (Gartner Inc. 2013)
Literacy is a subject I
am developing; combining ICT with Literacy has raised the profile of ICT
generally as a subject and it has helped me access literacy with strength and
confidence in a way I hope to be able to enthuse my future learners. Not just as a subject but as an accessible
resource, embedded in every lesson, for all curriculum subjects for all pupils,
just as the school mentioned earlier, expect the future to hold. The last
exercise in school today supported this assumption. At every table, different
models supported different year groups and subjects that exemplified the
comparison of Kirkwood and Price (2013). The module embraced the pedagogy and practice;
it covered in detail digital literacy to prepare the children for their future
in a digital world. In addition, it included popular culture and graphic novels
and comics, which, goes against the traditional teaching approach mentioned
earlier. Lastly, e-safety was discussed at length and depth, virtually in every
session, this is so important in my future as a potential subject leader.
One day, I will pick
Isobelle’s little sister up from school and I will say “what did you do today?”
And Harriet will tell me all about how she wrote an iBook and narrated an animation
and that her homework is to write a blog about Article 15 on the freedom of
association (Unicef). I will then reminiscent on how I reflected on this
module.
Bibliography
Audain, J. (2014) The
Grassroots Guide to Primary ICT: Embedding the basics and beyond: Chapter 3 – Mobile devices (forthcoming, expected April 2014)
[online, accessed through the University
of Winchester learning network] http://learn2.winchester.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/295225/mod_resource/content/1/Chapter%203%20-%20Mobile%20devices%202nd%20edit%20JM%20JA.pdf
(Accessed on: 19/02/2014).
Gartner Inc.
(2014) ‘The emerging technologies hype cycle’
www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jsp (Accessed
on: 21/02/2014)
Herrington, J. and Parker, J. (2013) Emerging technologies as
cognitive tools for authentic
learning. British Journal of Educational Technology. Vol. 44 No. 4 pp607-615.
learning. British Journal of Educational Technology. Vol. 44 No. 4 pp607-615.
Kirkwood, A. and Price, L. (2013) Examining some
assumptions and limitations of research on the effects of emerging technologies
for tweaching and learning in higher education. British Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 44 No. 4 pp 536-543.
Latchem, C. (2014). Editorial: Opening up the
educational technology research agenda. British Journal of Educational
technology. Vol.45 No.1 pp3-11.
Rambe, P. and Bere, A. (2013) using mobile instant
messaging to leverage learner participation and transform pedagogy at a South
African University of Technology. British
Journal of Educational Technology. Vol. 44 No. 4 pp 544-561.
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