Can we Leave it to Chance? New Learning Technologies and the Problem of Professional Competence (original) (raw)
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Creating sustainable ‘bottom up’ models of continuous professional development (CPD) around the use of information communication technologies (ICT) in primary and secondary education in England has long been recognized as a significant problem, while providing effective CPD for teachers is seen as even more problematic. While a variety of models of ICT CPD have been reported on in the research, too little attention has been paid to large-scale models that promote collaborative teacher-generated CPD that recognizes their ICT expertise. This paper examines data from Vital, a professional development programme in England which aims to help teachers use ICT to add value to lessons and find new ways to engage their pupils. It focuses on Vital’s model of CPD which includes ‘TeachMeets’ and ‘TeachShares’. Both are analysed to explore teachers’ participation in, design of and responses to collaborative ICT CPD. This differs significantly from traditional CPD courses which tend to be centralised and a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. The paper argues that collaborative e-Learning through Vital was significant in enhancing teachers’ motivation and accomplishment in using ICT in their classroom. We argue this kind of CPD provides a productive framework for future teachers to achieve a greater understanding of the dynamic relationship between ICT and its practical application to their individualized contexts and subject areas.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ICT IN EDUCATION
Over the years in the history of Education, Educational Technology has taken New Avatars from the Programmed Learning Movement to the present era of Web 2.0 Technologies and Social Media. By using Social Media Platforms such as Wikis, Blogs, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter in the classroom, teachers have seen an increase in achievement and classroom participation – even less sociable students have become more participatory. Tablets not only offer the present digital learners the chance to browse for information in quick fashions, but they also allow them to more easily collaborate on projects and become more engaged in their learning process. They have become exceptional tools that soon every classroom will strive to have. The Smartphones, like the tablet, have had different receptions. In addition to providing access to social media platforms which allow students to more freely interact, the Smartphones also provide easy access to useful information which betters a child’s overall learning experience. They also offer numerous apps designed to help students better budget their time and create more efficient schedules to complete their school work. Like never before, students are able to access any type of information about any subject matter through free web resources. They choose Khan Academy, YouTube, NROER, OER and numerous other forums which have bettered the learning experience and allowed student access to resources necessary to supplement their own education. Since the start of online programmes, anybody is able to pursue education anytime, anywhere. “With the emerging new technologies, the teaching profession is evolving from an emphasis on teacher-centered, lecture-based instruction to student-centered, interactive learning environments” (John Daniel, 2002). Today, the world of education stands loaded with unprecedented hope for a new paradigm of ‘anybody, anytime, anywhere learning’ through collaborative and constructive pedagogical models, thanks to the all-new web technologies. According to Douglas Kellner (2008), this technological revolution will have a greater impact on society than the transition from an oral to a print culture. George Siemens (2009) observed, “Technology is altering (rewiring) our brains. The tools we use define and shape our thinking”. Today’s teachers, whether in school or college are working with students whose entire lives have been immersed in the 21st century media culture. “The previous teaching practices of teacher directed, ‘chalk and talk’ no longer can engage the learner, nor can it provide the learner with the knowledge needed to connect and stay connected in this digital era (Siemens, O’Neill & Carr, 2008). The New York Times (2011) observed, “Learning, like culture, is a dynamic thing. It was an oral thing once, then it became a printed thing and is becoming a digital thing.” The much-hyped 21st century education is bold. It breaks the mold. It is flexible, creative, challenging, and complex.
The use of online pedagogy within universities is increasing. However, this expansion is not accompanied by an associated increase in investment in lecturers' pedagogy to assist them in the transition. At present, lecturers lack the tools to describe or illustrate the meaning they try to make of this transition between online pedagogy and technology. This paper describes the changing relationship between pedagogy and technology that a group of academic staff demonstrated in a one year Action Research project. Diagrams, produced by the lecturers, demonstrated a tension between the two continua of pedagogy and technology. This way of representing their views is presented as a potential tool for assisting lecturers to construct meaning as they continue to adopt technology in their online teaching, while also providing a benchmark for their online pedagogy in order to ensure quality teaching in higher education.
Research on Education and Media
The social, cultural and economic changes of this century have inevitably also affected the world of education and training, which, therefore, have renewed paths, objectives and goals. Internalised knowledge must be re-used creatively in a new context. ‘Knowing’ becomes ‘knowing how’ and then ‘knowing how to be’. Learning is lifelong and is understood as the right/duty of the citizen, who in the globalised world, needs to acquire increasingly specialised skills to face the continuous challenges that modern society offers. In this perspective, technology should not be exclusively understood in its most technical dimension; it is a precious opportunity for training and learning-teaching. In other words, this work intends to highlight the multi-dimensionality that distinguishes it and allows every teacher, who knows how to use it consciously, to variegate and personalise their educational proposal. The laboratory, which is intended as a new didactic space, becomes a privileged place fo...
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is a key player in shaping the new world economy and bringing about rapid changes in society. Over the past decade, new ICT tools have revolutionized the way people communicate and do business. It will bring significant changes in agriculture, industry, medicine, mechanical engineering, business and other fields. ICTs play the role of learners and teachers in the process of teaching and learning can also change the nature of education. To take whole advantage of ICT in education, teachers must have basic ICT skills and pre-service qualifications. Education is a vital social activity and quality education is traditionally associated with strong teachers who have a high personal connection with students and techniques. The use of ICT has fundamentally changed the way all business and governance efforts. ICT is beginning to show its importance in education, but its impact is not as great as in other areas. The use of ICT in education contributes to the further development of student learning and puts pressure on some teachers and students. With the rapid development of the world of digital media and information, the integration of ICT into teaching and learning methods has become increasingly important, and this importance has grown and evolved in the 21st century. The purpose of this study is to explore the process of integrating ICT into teaching and learning methods and how ICT empowers teachers.
The current study aims to explore the potential of blogs as efficient learning environments for in-service educators within the context of continuing professional development (CPD). Secondly, it seeks to validate the effectiveness of a developed framework that intends to examine blogging as a problem solving process by employing a particular methodological approach. A number of 20 postgraduate students from the Department of Primary Education participated in the current research study. The paper reveals the great potential of blogging in giving voice to educators in providing ideas and guidelines on how to design, organize and deliver an effective and successful professional development courses on how to integrate technology as a tool.
Using ICT to promote teachers’ competences: strategies and challenges
When merged with new pedagogical practices the use of open social web tools as a means to mediate and support teacher training triggers a whole new set of implications for education and individuals. It is important for teachers, learners and other educational agents to think of themselves as co-learners in a social collective aware of their role in developing the skills and knowledge they need to function in today's world. In this paper we present partial data from a case study conducted to analyse the contribution of social web tools for knowledge construction in a post-graduation course. We describe the context of the study and the methodology adopted, followed by a description and discussion of the results. Data used for the purpose of this paper were collected through a questionnaire and a focus group, and results presented relate to the development of relevant competences and attitudes for teaching practice. Results suggest that the use of social web tools can contribute to the creation of personalized learning environments, in which the development of skills related to the social, technological and professional spheres can be supported. Although results cannot be generalized, the paper adds insights into the teacher training panorama and draws possible future directions for work in the area.