Teachers in Australia have access to more classroom technologies than ever before, and as a result, it is increasingly important that schools can make the most of their existing edtech solutions.
As well as the practical side of maximising technology usage, which includes effective teacher training and tech maintenance, schools can get more out of their edtech by adopting a ‘digital pedagogy’ approach.
Digital pedagogy is ‘the art and science of teaching when using technology to support student learning’ – and to help you get started with the concept, we’ve broken it down into five key elements of pedagogy.
1.Learning Spaces
A learning space is any environment in which learning can take place, from traditional classroom setups to non-conventional spaces such as online forums or even multiplayer games.
Think about how your educational environment promotes learning – does it give access to effective technologies, encourage communication and enable social learning? Don’t be afraid to try something new or mix up the layout – you could even take a rounded classroom approach.
2. Technology Frameworks
Beyond individual devices and classrooms, Technology Frameworks provide you with a ‘big picture’ approach that clarifies how and why you are using technology. Three frameworks that you can try are:
- The TPACK model – which looks at how you can apply Technological, Pedagogical and Content considerations to an edtech rollout.
- The RAT model – a taxonomy that takes you through technology implementation in three stages: Replacement, Amplification and Transformation.
- The SAMR taxonomy – which explores edtech through the lenses of Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition.
3. Intellectual Rigour
Intellectual Rigour is all about deep thinking, and encouraging students to ask the right questions. From an edtech perspective, this means that you should consider how you can use technology to really bring topics to life and spark interest among your students.
If you can get them asking questions and seeking rich knowledge, you’ll be imparting the right kind of intellectual rigour.
4. Student Engagement
In recent months, it’s become clearer than ever that students learn best in the classroom where education can take place as an engaging, social activity.
Think about how you can use technology to encourage collaboration in the classroom – why not try using the ActivPanel’s Screen Share app to set up a peer review activity?
5. Emotional Connection
Finally, the importance of encouraging emotional connection cannot be overstated. Whenever you are using technology in the classroom, like a Promethean Australia ActivPanel interactive display, try to make sure that it is augmenting the human aspects of teaching and learning, rather than replacing them. If you can use edtech to promote passion and purpose within the classroom, you’ll be able to deliver much more fulfilling lessons.
By considering the Elements of Pedagogy, and matching your edtech strategy to the ideas within them, you’ll be well-positioned to begin delivering high-quality teaching and learning experiences across the curriculum.
For more ideas on how to use technology to create engaging lessons, read our blog post on ‘Getting creative with the ActivPanel’.