It is difficult to keep up with the latest technologies that are available for education. Slick programming for e-texts, gamification, holographic images and interactive models are all becoming more prevelant and more accessible for all. The new applications keep coming in and it is virtually impossible to keep up! Using blogs, wikis, online discussion forums, web searches, collaborative tools such as those found in Google Drive or any array of apps that pertain to the subject matter are becoming more popular in the classroom environment.
Not all adults are able to maneuver their way through the technology nor are some even willing. Educational settings are still seen by many as places where professors lecture to you, you take notes in a binder and you write and study. With educational technology (the subject I chose for my area of interest) the possibilities are endless in how to use the technology and the apps that are available. I would suggest that small steps into integration of technology will allow the learners to get used to the idea and time to be able to see the benefits of it. Learners who are completely fluent in their own technologies such as texting, Facebook or Instagram and gaming do not always easily adopt educational technologies or navigation of online learning platforms. And, some younger learners who have been exposed to educational technology in their classrooms such as Smart Boards do not actually know how to use them.
Implications can include more time spent mentoring on the technology which is supposed to enhance learning and not impede it. Taking valuable time to explain technology and to make sure everyone is able to use it can take time away from the actual subject matter. Conversely, implications can also be that learners will learn how to use the technology and they will integrate it into their own lives and workplaces. Many of the skills that can be learned in projects using technology have built in skills that will transfer in to the learner "real life". As an example, using blogs and website builders allows the learner to gain experience that can be used in a business sense. Having a place for learners to go to receive tutoring on device use or how to navigate a program is a good idea. Or, making these skills a prerequisite for the course could be a strategy.
In the classroom setting, there may be times when servers go down, devices do not work properly, learners forget them, the power runs out on their devices or an app is not working at that moment. A plan B is always in order. "Old school" teaching methods such as lively discussions or simple lecturing can always fill the gaps when technology lets us down. Having an extra device in case a learner needs one or a charger for someone who needs it would be a good idea as well.
C.
Review the Cranton (2012) chapters and Morrison et al. (2013) for a discussion of the considerations a designer must make as he/she integrates technology into a curriculum. As you read, make specific notes related to the following and begin to consider how you can integrate this new information into your current curriculum design project:
- Matching technology choices with the learning context;
- Matching technology choices with the learner profile;
- Matching technology choices with the learning outcomes, their domains and levels;
- Matching technology choices with the evaluation plan
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