Reflective Synopsis

Effective teaching requires a teacher to be creative with designing teaching strategies.  Using digital technology is a great way to do this. That being said, it all depends on the teacher. An excellent teacher can effectively teach a class using basic teaching strategies. By that I mean with just a whiteboard and marker the teacher can present a great stimulating lessons for the students who can gain exceptional educational benefits. On the other hand a. poor teacher could have all the resources in the world but if they don’t know how to effectively use them to better the learning of their students.  These resources then have no educational benefit to the students in the class. I have been reflecting on these thoughts over the last seven weeks of this course and will continue to keep them in the back of my mind for as long as I am a teacher.

Over the past seven weeks we have been exposed to a number of different technologies to incorporate into our teaching practice. SAMR model and Blooms Taxonomy are great structures that we used to assess how valuable a digital tool is in the classroom. The SAMR model is, I believe, a big help in knowing how to understand and develop the use of a digital tool through the four steps Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. While Blooms Taxonomy assisted in providing me with the fundamental questions to think upon when learning about digital pedagogies. These models were great in focusing my thinking when evaluating digital technology. They are great as they get you to focus on the basics of the digital tool and then build on this to use them to advance the students learning. I will continue to use these models to develop and teach effective digital pedagogies to students.

During the length of this course I have learnt about these models and how to utilize them to affect my own digital pedagogies. I have learnt how the SAMR model is designed to use creative teaching strategies as a foundation to build upon to develop higher order thinking and learning within our students. It has also allowed me to focus my thinking, which will allow me to identify how well some specific digital technological tools can have a positive effect on students with different types of learning styles. As all students learn in different ways, it is obvious that different types of digital tools would have different effects on student learning styles.

I used the SAMR and Blooms Taxonomy models to review work and lesson plans that I used at my last placement, so I could see where I could have improved these plans. While reviewing my lesson plans, I notice that a fair few areas were involving digital pedagogies or building on the small parts of the technology.  Had I used these the SAMR and Blooms Taxonomy models better I would have engaged the student’s attention more and inspired a greater participation within the class. One on my biggest problem on placement was that the students began to get restless and started to loose concentration.  I can now see quite clearly that by using the SAMR model, where I could have made changes to provide optimal strategies for my student learning potential.

There are some major aspects that need to be considered when introducing digital technology into the classroom. Student’s safety is the main priority, and then any laws associated with the technology such as the copyright laws.

The Biggest issue with introducing digital pedagogies into the classroom is that some students may use it inappropriately. Students may test it out and use it to view inappropriate content. Some may use  or it to pick on others (cyber-bullying) or use it for any other purpose that could jeopardise their safety such as giving personal information to complete strangers over the internet. It is important that when we look at using digital technology in the classroom, that teachers are themselves aware of the risks, monitor the process and to highlight the dangers of the technology to the students when it is being used in the classroom.

Cyber bullying is common in this day and age as technology is a now a major part of our society. Cyber bullying is a serious issue that can have and has had, some devastating results. Some people believe that what they say to others online has less of an impact on them.  They see that they are hidden from any direct blame for the affect their words have on others.  It is vital that we make students aware of the dangers associated with their actions on how they treat people online. Sadly this technology does not turn off as it is passed around and around social media and a victim rarely gets a break from the bullying.   

When using online digital technology it is important that teachers ensure that they do not plagiarise the work of others. This is illegal. You cannot take credit for other peoples work ever without permission from the original owner. It is important that this is passed on to students to ensure that they can’t take credit for another’s work. Resources used must also be properly referenced to ensure that students and teachers are not breaking copyright laws.

It is important that teachers employ digital technologies into the class room as this is now a major part of our world. Digital technology allows students with different learning styles to engage and learn effectively with it unlimited catering strategies available. Teacher cannot become complacent with using digital technology but must use it wisely. It only makes a positive difference in our lives if the teacher is capable of utilizing the technology appropriately.