An eReflection.

A small “e” at the start of any word indicates that the process or item happens electronically or online.  Jay Cross is the man credited with first using the term eLearning online in 1998 (Mason & Rennie, 2006).  He states one common error is that people think placing educational material online is eLearning.  eLearning still requires human interaction between teachers and students both face to face and online (Cross, 2009).

eLearning is the explicit teaching of ICTs, digital literacy, uploading and downloading data to and from websites, and the use of technological devices and methods.  While most primary school children are digital natives we cannot expect them to have an innate ability to use technology.  Simply placing a computer in a classroom does not constitute eLearning (Howell, 2012).

In one of my first blogs I posted a picture of two boys playing with sticks. My philosophy leans towards tactile experiences more than sliding fingers across glass.  Dina Strasser commented that students who are constantly connected end up disconnected (Ferriter, & Garry, 2010, p. 3).

So where does this leave me?  Can a leaves and twigs person engage digital natives?  Can I hide my “go outside” messages online?  What I found most interesting about my blogs is that I concentrated more on increasing my own learning rather than finding ways to heckle eLearning.  Each time I looked at a new tool I considered how could it be used effectively.  With Glogster, my least favourite tool, I applied de Bono’s six thinking hats to be less emotional and more analytical.

Working safely, ethically and legally online.

While working on my blog I found anonymity in the Internet.  I consider myself an honest person but think nothing of taking a few photos from Google Images to feed into my blogs and PowerPoints.   Citing the author is one suggestion,  however, digital authors deserve traffic to their work.  One method I discovered from Smartcopying is to provide links for students rather than copying the material.  This is a practice I will do in the future.  I see this as good pedagogy too because students will have to do some of their own research on the linked page instead of being spoon-fed.   The use of Creative Commons is one way to work ethically and to teach students the value of working collaboratively for the enrichment of society.

Collaborative construction of knowledge.

The collaboration through this course was overt and covert.  I was able to read other students’ work if I was uncertain how to approach a certain topic.  As an online course I found email to be most effective for collaborating with my peers.  My view of collaboration is very limited to group work, which can be very trying. Vygotsky stated that learning is socially constructed (Snowmen, 2009) and collaboration is certainly a social event.  I often wonder how we can truly assess that all members of a group have achieved learning.

When I found this video, I realised that collaboration can lead to great things...

Wikis are seen as a tool for teaching collaboration (Wilber, 2010, p. 70).  Perhaps the most famous wiki site is Wikipedia.  However, not everything in Wikipedia is accurate.  This is part of teaching digital literacy.  Just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s accurate (Winch et al., 2010).  I worry though that we may be creating a generation of children who are unable to work on their own.  Larry Winget says that teamwork doesn’t work because someone on the team doesn’t work.  This is where teachers need to employ a range of strategies so that children are able to work in groups and individually.

Digital frameworks.

I thought that pedagogy that worked in the real classroom would be sufficient for the digital classroom.  While many teaching strategies do work regardless of the vehicle of delivery, I found that the digital classroom requires the educator to possess additional skills and view content in different ways.   Educators need to know about the technology, appropriate pedagogy and content before effective eLearning can take place (Mishra, & Koehler, 2006).  This is highlighted in the AITSL Graduate Standards for Teachers.  The SAMR model, developed by Dr Ruben Puentedura, is an effective pedagogical tool to analyse the need and purpose of technology in the classroom.  Analysing ICT with SAMR evaluates if the technology is merely replacing pen and paper or if it scaffolding students in creating new tasks previously inconceivable.   This removes the error of using technology just for the sake of it.  Like all learning, digital learning has to be authentic and purposeful (Schrock, 2013).

Final thoughts.

I am aware that ICTs are an integral part of modern society and young children are adroit users and consumers of technology (Solomon & Schrum, 2010).  My future practice will treat technology the same as all resources, that is, it shall only be used when it is the most appropriate and engaging resource for the given content.   Though technology is everywhere we still live in a 3D world and children need to have all their senses engaged while learning (Marzano & Pickering, 2007).   I want children to know what it means to create rather than just consume internet content.  Students need to be taught how to be critical so they do not add to the sea of medicroity that exists online.  As an educator I will increase my knowledge so that I can expose students to a range of creative digital tools. 

References.

Cross, J. (2009) eLearning is not a big cost-cutter.  Retrieved from http://www.jaycross.com/wp/?s=eLearning

Ferriter, W. M., & Garry, A. (2010). Teaching the iGeneration: 5 easy ways to introduce essential skills with web 2.0 tools. Bloomington, IN : Solution Tree Press.

Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT: digital pedagogies for collaboration and creativity. South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press.

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Moffet, C. A., Pollock, J. E., & Whistler, J. S.). (1997). Dimensions of learning: teachers’ manual.  (2^nd ed.). Alexandra, VA: ASCD.

Mason, R., & Rennie, F. (2006). Elearning: the key concepts. New York, NY : Routledge.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2006) Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge.  Teachers College Record Volume 108, Number 6, June 2006, pp. 1017–1054.

Schrock, K. (2013) Authentic learning for students.  Retrieved from www.schrockguide.net/authentic-learning.html 

Snowman, J., Dobozy, E., Scevak, J., Bryer, F., & Bartlett, B. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. Milton, Qld.: John Wiley & Sons Australia.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2010). Web 2.0 how-to for educators. Moorabin, Vic.: Hawker Brownlow Education.

Wilber, D. J. (2010). iWrite: Using blogs, wikis, and digital stories in the English classroom. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

Winch, G., Ross Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy. Reading, writing and children’s literacy. (4th ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.