Today I have a challenge for you, dear reader; but first a little context.
Each year, the PCHE course has a couple of special interest sessions: optional workshops to look at issues related to learning and teaching in HE.
For a number of years this has included a session on blended learning, run by previous PCHE graduate AC. This year I offered him my assistance, little knowing that he would soon be offered a new job leaving me with an opportunity to lead the whole session.
So, that session is next Wednesday, and as well as selling the use of technology in teaching, I’d also like to demonstrate it’s use for professional development; this ties in nicely with themes of reflective practice and social learning.
To that end, I would like to ask you, the readers, to take a few seconds to answer the following question:
What is your top reason for using technology in teaching?
To start the ball rolling, here’s one from me:
To make courses interesting, we should make use of a wide variety of different media, particularly those with which our students are fluent.
Please leave your answer in the comment section, or tweet me. I’ll summarise the responses on the blog next week, and they’ll also help me persuade a group of keen, talented new teachers to make more use of elearning.
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Oooh interesting question. I am semi-cheating by editing your answer to read: To make courses interesting, we should make use of a wide variety of different media, and encourage students to think about how to transfer the skills they have in one aspect of media into their education. Too many assumptions are made about digital fluency, and sometimes staff need to go back to basics to ensure that sound pedagogic practices are laid down to help students develop the confidence to transfer their skills from one area to another and apply them to their learning. Check out our typology for more info! http://www.elp.ac.uk/downloads/Defining%20Generation%20Y%20Bradford.pdf
Hi Jez, I presume you’ve seen Ben Grey’s blog post entitled Why Technology? and the follow-up he crowdsourced: Why Technology? Because…?
Lots of great stuff in there. You can see my response (which Ben quotes) in more detail in my post Why (educational) technology?.
Hope that helps!
@Becka A good point and something I missed from that original suggestion. Your typology does a good job of separating the ideas of technical competence and information literacy — an interesting read!
@Doug I hadn’t come across Ben’s blog yet, but I’ll certainly be taking a look at it now.
Thanks to you both!
HI Jez
Good questions are always better than good answers – this is a great question.
Many clever heads have contributed here or in the blogs linked to Doug & others so I won’t expound, it would simply be a bit ‘echo chambery’.
For my 2c – it is because with technology (by that I mean digital technology you and I are using right now) we can develop not just “21st century skills” (whatever that means because we don’t exactly know how the century is going to turn out do we…) but “2nd century BC” skills that even some of the old Greek wise heads were talking about – democracy, participation, freedom of expression & thought, active citizenship … you know those pesky old things that never seemed to go out of fashion with thoughtful people.
As long as technology is used to those goals it is a professional travesty not to consider it in education. Sadly, we are often more focused on the science of technology (the ‘best version’ or ‘latest tool’ or ‘most efficient system’) to kinda forget the massive opportunity to change not what and how we know, teach & learn but what we are and become. That’s the ball game for me!
Can we be better with & because of technology? I reckon we can, time will tell. Never forget that some of the world’s most creative, intelligent and passionate people once used the cutting edge technology to create a …. nuclear bomb.
You know, some teachers freak out when you ask them ‘why do you teach’ let alone ‘why would you (not) technology?’.
Keep asking questions my friend, way to go!
Regards
Tomaz
I teach online, but I am going to avoid the obvious and try to reach a bit deeper here. As teachers, we often approach our subject matter primarily as teachers in a classroom, and only secondarily as learners in the real world. I believe when we transcend the paper-delivery (or pdf-delivery) format of information exchange with our students, and attempt to deliver content or concepts through the use of technology, it forces us to think about our disciplines more creatively. I see technology as essential to my own ability to relate my subject to the real world my students are living in. Technology presents opportunities and challenges that stretch us to become better teachers.
Hi Jez
I think I mentioned to you about the Building Schools for the Future E-Learning promo I worked on for Wolverhampton City Council. There might be some relevant stuff within that. The website is http://www.wolverhamptonbsf.org – click on the link that says ‘BSF Focus’ and the film should start playing. We got loads of interviews with kids about what they got from from technology – a really strong theme of improving life chances emerged.
Hope this helps! jen
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Thank you all for your comments: some interesting perspectives that I hadn’t thought of. I’ll post a follow-up summary in the next few days.
Hi Jez
Looks like I missed the discussion but I’ll chip in anyway.
Fundamentally I think teachers use technology when it allows them to do what they do more effectively or more easily. Students will use technology when it is necessary for their assessments.
An educational model that goes: lecture > reading list > seminar > individual assignment is likely to only have a place for technology on the sidelines.
I blogged on this recently: http://learningunlearning.blogspot.com/2009/06/technology-for-learning-technology-for.html
I’d be interested in your thoughts.
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