Pedagogy, for how?

Pedagogy whaaaaat?

So, in reading article 1, and article 2, I came to the very blatant observation that there are misunderstandings regarding the term "digital" and "pedagogy"... but there are also misunderstandings regarding the term "digital pedagogy". Well, now with all this confusion surrounding the term and its components, we should probably break it down (break it down). 

" Pedagogy concerns itself with the instantaneous, momentary, vital exchange that takes place in order for learning to happen. "  

I think that is brilliant. In this description it does not include anything about students and teachers and curriculum which in some sense all impose some form of limitation on learning. It concerns itself with the transfer of knowledge. But pedagogy goes further in that it also has the ability to inspire and encourage independent growth and development- what he describes as "sustained learning".

The dictionary describes digital as:

pertaining to, noting, or making use of computers and computerized technologies

They are tools which we use for learning, they have the ability to enhance a lesson, if used correctly. 

 “Digital pedagogy is the use of electronic elements to enhance or to change the experience of education.” -Brian Croxall and Adeline Koh

"Digital pedagogy is important because it is willing to improvise, to respond to a new environment, to experiment."

" Digital pedagogy is less a field and more an active present participle, a way of engaging the world"

"Digital pedagogy is less about knowing and more a rampant process of unlearning, play, and rediscovery."

So there we have it! This gives us a basic understanding of what it means to be a digital pedagogue. The Learning Management System is basically an online classroom. When we compare this to an online teacher, we can see that a digital pedagogue "looks at the options, refuses the limitations of the Learning Management System, invites her students to participate in — indeed, create — networked learning. Her practice is mindful of the landscape." 

So essentially the article is saying that teachers, when using the tools of technologies, are digital pedagogues and online teachers are... online teachers. A pedagogue is a truly unique individual, capable of inspiration and sustained development. 

After reading this article, I would also be tempted to knock over a glass or two over the misunderstanding, now that I understand the significance of a pedagogue. It is indeed a privilege, a responsibility which one should not consider lightly. To be a digital pedagogue involves innovation and adaptation and making learning relevant. 

So how does a teacher become a digital pedagogue? By asking oneself the questions which he states in the article.

• What tools are available for me and my students to play with?
• How can improvisation occur online to reinforce learning?
• Does digital learning end when the course ends, or is it sustained perpetually by the online learning environment (aka, the Internet)?
• Who are my students, and where can they be found? What are my students’ URLs? What is mine?
• Do disciplines matter online? Do canons exist? What is the point of rote memorization when everything is available online all the time?
• Where is my authority now that all authority is a Google search away?
• And most importantly: What happens when learning is removed from the classroom and exposed to the entirety of the digital landscape?

And by having fun and enjoying learning yourself! It is so important as a digital pedagogue to not only be on top of the curriculum, but to enjoy it. To not be on top of technology and understanding its relevance to the learners, but to effectively integrate it. To not only know what is going on in the world and the developments in the subjects which you teach, but to explore and solve yourself using the tools at your disposal. And this applies not only to you, but to your learners. 

This is digital pedagogy.

As always, 

watching the walking footprints.

Digital Pedagogy

Unplugging that which is plugged to use that which is plugged to help learners plug in...

Digital Pedagogy.

One cannot deny the presence of technology in the modern day classroom. It looms below the desks, it displays itself on the wall, it replaces paper. Digital pedagogy attempts to use this very technology to change the way students are taught and the way in which they learn. After reading the resource, I was interested to see the way in which the author responded to its use in a classroom.

Something which I found to be very interesting and true in the article was when the author said "you cannot even imagine the work you can do before you’ve invented or experienced the tools or the social dynamics they enable". I think something which technology provides us, is the opportunity to make firstly, the ideas which we have into a viable reality, and secondly, we actually have very little idea of the final product of our idea until we have used technology in our planning. We can see that there is so much information out there which can change our ideas completely, or can contribute to our ideas and make them better. This can happen to such an extent that the final product may look nothing like our originally conceived idea. From a teaching perspective, this is encouraging, as we encourage our learners to engage with information which they have and to formulate their own ideas and critical thinking. If this technology can have these effects of molding and shaping and improving ideas, then why could it be something which could have negative implications?

"For many teachers, especially early- or non-adopters, digital pedagogy is often presumed to be just something that uses electronic tools or computers. This is unsatisfying as it often limits the teaching to the extent of its tools." 

So one of the problems is that it is not being used correctly, it should be something which can be "manipulated correctly". Why could this be?

• teachers do not know how to use it effectively as a means of facilitation
• students are too heavily dependent on it to produce immediate answers

The second I am especially passionate about. There are many times where I have looked up the answers to questions on the internet instead of grappling through it on my own. I have used technology in the past, not as a tool, but as a crutch, and it has actually caused injury to my work in the long run. As the author speaks about the example of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (that book... ah what a pleasure to read), I am reminded of my experience with Chemistry. I became incredibly skilled at sifting through the little summaries of the website when I did a search to provide me with my answer that I did very little learning of the content and as a result, very little understanding. So this is an example of how technology can negatively impact on learning. It takes away the opportunity to "mine" through the work. It is a fundamental part of learning which is lost. We have two types of thinking modes: focused and diffuse modes. The way I understand it, the diffused mode is a relaxed way of thinking, when you are learning new concepts which your brain has not yet made connections for. By going through the equations and theory slowly, you are introducing your brain to the concepts and slowly revealing the connection points. When you use the focused mode you are thinking in a way which connects those points. So technology can hamper this process by removing the opportunity to create the connections... because it is used wrong. So what if it were used as a facilitator instead. What if the equations came alive and began to explain themselves instead of providing a quick and easy answer to the homework question.

I believe that this is what people who embrace technology as a tool are going for. Where you create a space where the digital world provides a platform for further critical analysis to be performed and then remove it as a necessity for further learning to take place, where you use it as a facilitator in furthering knowledge which you have instead of it being the root of your knowledge where without it, you would be lost. This is how pedagogy should change. 

So use technology wisely, not fleetingly.

As ever, watching the walking footprints.

Phase l

And so we begin!

I think something which requires consistent attention is the need to be curious. For many, curiosity is easy, they constantly have the desire to pursue information and there is a snowball effect with ich naturally occurs as the information creates connections and the connections link concepts which makes an individual's knowledge base like something of a modern thesaurus. For people like this, knowledge is a path, not an endpoint.

Now, there are others who may find it difficult to be curious. It may be an effort to open a book or watch a YouTube video because there may be information which is readily available which may either require less thinking or something to which we are accustomed. Yes, creatures of habit, we need to change that. But why?

1) Despite popular belief, curiosity skills the cat. The only cat which dies from curiosity is one who takes a leap into a dogs backyard because they weren't curious enough to know what a dog does in the first place. Curiosity can challenge your brain. It makes you grapple with your reality, create new possibilities in your mind and stimulate innovative thinking.

2) It makes the world new. Have you ever felt that your life is monotonous and that there is nothing to look forward to? Well, then the solution is to explore, using your mind. It produces wonder and it can kickstart your inspiration.

3) It can positively affect you socially. People love hearing stories and exciting ideas, how much more fulfilling would it be if you were the individual to bring it to the table?

So these are just some reasons why it would be useful. So how do we do it? Because it can be difficult to beg started on something which does not come easily.

• Read. Yes, it may be hard, but essentially, what you are doing is training your brain. Training requires consistency and dedication. When you feel tired of reading, read one more paragraph.

• Speak to other people. Feed off of their excitement. This will begin to motivate you and you be challenged and feel a desire to challenge others.            

                                                                     

• Enjoy it. Start with something which inspires you. If nothing inspires you at the moment, check out "People are Awesome" or a Ted talk. Something is bound to grasp you. Move on from there. Keep adding to the collection.

So there you have it. Go forth and be curious, or learn to be. 

Watching the Walking Footprints

Purpose

So, Life.

With all the new exciting developments in technology, society, innovative thinking, one is presented with a choice: to embrace, or to avoid. But what are we embracing or avoiding? Essentially, knowledge. Information is right there at your fingertips! So in deciding that I wanted to embrace this chance, there are a few challenges which one must overcome in order to do that. Of course, these will all be subjective as each individual finds different things challenging depending on their contexts; but this is my blog, so you can read about and hopefully draw some courage from my challenges and how I plan to overcome them. 

Watching the Walking Footprints,

Sarah