Blackboard 2.0

Quill, blackboards, whiteboards...and now interactive whiteboards. We have come a long way with developing things to write on and using them in the classroom. My first experience with an interactive whiteboard (IWB) was way back when in 2008 – one day, my biology teacher had this strange white thing in the front of the class and we were able to watch videos on it. There was no need to move desks in order to make space for the projection screen that had to be wheeled in – exciting times! Other than watching videos and writing with different colour “pens” on it, we had no idea how to use it. Pretty soon, it became a glorified blackboard.

If you Google what an IWB is, you get some pretty good explanations. “An interactive whiteboard is an instructional tool that allows computer images to be displayed onto a board using a digital projector. The instructor can then manipulate the elements on the board by using his finger as a mouse, directly on the screen. Items can be dragged, clicked and copied and the lecturer can handwrite notes, which can be transformed into text and saved.” Pretty much sums it up, right?

Wrong.

You can also add annotations, highlight text, add notes and drawings and then save them to be printed out and shared – to name a few. It is also a great way to get students involved in class – they can come up and move/highlight/change the content themselves.

I think the IWB is a great tool to use in the classroom, especially in subjects like Life Orientation and Xhosa. For language purposes, you could use the highlight feature to show how words correlate or differ in spelling or meaning. When displaying content words in different languages, each language can be assigned a specific colour to make it easy to see. The video function will come in very handy for showing videos about Xhosa traditions and cultural customs. Clips about personality, bullying, career choices, etc will add some variety to a Life orientation class.

An IWB also has many practical advantages. Since you can touch the board directly, you don’t have to worry about things like where to plug in the mouse, connecting the right cable, hovering around the computer to be close to the controls or run around looking for chalk. You will be (or at least seem) more in control – no one will see you going through all the files in your computer looking for the right image/video/PowerPoint.

I also think it is a great way to encourage teachers to be more prepared for class – if you want to highlight or move things around; you need to know exactly where on the board what is and be very familiar with your content.

I hope I get to use one of these very soon!

 

A meaningful classroom

During the past few weeks, I found myself thinking more and more about the complex relationship that exists between teachers, teaching, and learners. My initial idea of what a classroom should look and be like has changed - it has become increasingly clear that it is more about the relationship and interaction you form with your students than about just following a curriculum.

Our lecturers often tell us that we can clearly remember which of our own teachers we liked/disliked/respected/feared - and it is so true. It made me wonder why. Why did I respect teacher X so much? What is it that made them stand out to me? I realised, once again, that it came down to their approach to teaching and the atmosphere and culture they created in their classrooms.

Someone once told me that just because you are an expert in your field doesn’t mean you are a good teacher. At the time I didn’t really understand what that meant, but now it makes perfect sense. You can be the smartest, most knowledgeable person in the world, but if your approach is wrong, all you have to offer will be lost on your students. It is so important to create a space where learners feel safe, included, and motivated. If your approach is wrong, it creates distance between you and your learners and you miss out on so many things a closer relationship with them has to offer. In order to create a meaningful classroom, you have to form meaningful relationships. It does not mean that you should be their best friend, but as their teacher, you should have an idea about what your learners like, how they learn, and have an understanding of where they come from. Showing empathy can go a really long way.

Another important factor in creating a meaningful classroom and forging meaningful relationships is being open to feedback. Just as students use feedback to direct and improve their learning, so should teachers. Why would you not want to know if your approach isn’t working? Your students and co-workers will respect you more if you are open to listening to suggestions without getting defensive or making a big deal about it. I see it in our micro-teaching practices – some people get so defensive and upset if they receive any kind of criticism. It is not a reflection on you as a person and it does not mean you are a bad teacher – it’s simply another tool you can use to create an effective, meaningful learning environment.

Clearly, teaching is hard work, but if you put in just a bit of effort, the reward can be so big.

Teach yourself and become the teacher

All our life we have heard about the importance of education, that it is a powerful tool we can use to change the world and that students should be enthusiastic about learning. How then, in an education system that tends to be oppressive and limiting, are students supposed to gain knowledge and enjoy doing so? Not every student – and not every teacher – fits the mold: there is a lot more to education than just learning what we are told we should know. Herein lays the potential of a new approach to education: self-directed learning.

Self-directed learning entails that the individual takes the initiative and the responsibility for what occurs. Individuals select, manage, and assess their own learning activities, which can be pursued at any time, in any place, through any means, at any age. Learners do not follow a prescribed curriculum, but rather study the subjects they are most interested in, including things that may not be covered in any traditional school subject.

How can this approach to education work in our digital society? In short: Great!

With the digital technology available to us today, self-directed learning has the potential to enrich the lives of students all over the world. They can use the internet to search any topic, use Youtube to watch instructional or educational videos, and learn from experts all over the world using Skype. These are but a few examples of how digital technology can be used, as described by Hamilton (2014), not only as a tool to learn with, but a process to learn through. With the amount of information available, it would be easy for students to direct their own learning and step away from traditional schooling.  In the same way, our available digital technologies could also benefit and promote self-directed distance learning – local and global communities could support and engage each other to facilitate learning everywhere. Even in poorer communities, where schools just have the basics and nothing more to offer students with different ideas about schooling, self-directed distance learning could make a real difference. If they have the access, students could decide to take their education into their own hands and experience more than what a traditional school could ever expose them to.

Students are not just empty vessels and teachers are not all-knowing, and self-directed distance learning could benefit from this idea: students, after studying the subject of their choice, could teach it to other students with similar interests all over the world. In that way, the student becomes the teacher and learning never stops.

Isn’t that exactly what education is supposed to be?

 

A practical classroom

There are many ways in which technology and social media can be used in our classrooms to enrich and facilitate teaching. As with anything else, we just need the right tools for the job. I myself hope to use some of these apps and networks in my own isiXhosa and Life Orientation classes one day.

Twitter is a great way to share and connect with students. Tweets are short, to the point, and can be sent from virtually anywhere. As a teacher, it would help me remind students of homework, assignments, or any changes in school related events. Students can also create a pseudonym and discuss topics anonymously. This would be great in a Life Orientation class where we sometimes discuss sensitive topics such as sex, STD’s, drugs, and violence. Students could then use Twitter to ask questions they were too shy or uncomfortable to ask in class. By making use of hashtags, students would also be able to keep up with current events and follow trends or discussions about topics we handle in class. For Xhosa, it would be great if we could follow a prominent Xhosa celebrity or engage with an online Xhosa community.

 Blogs are another great form of social media to use in the classroom. It would be a fun way to teach students about social media and all you can do with it – how fun would it not be to write an essay in the form of a blog instead of just handing in a hard copy. Creating a blog for our class would also be a good way to keep parents informed of what is happening in class. That way, if we discussed some serious or sensitive topics in Life Orientation for example, parents could read what was said and which questions were asked and follow up with their children if necessary. For our Xhosa class, we could read some Xhosa blogs to practice grammar and sentence structure – the students can see it being used in a real way. Blogs could also be the modern version of connecting with a a pen pal – instead of writing letters and sending it once a month, students could read each other’s blogs and comment in real time.           

Youtube is another great tool to use in the classroom – you can do so much with it! I would use it to show educational videos, introduce a new topic, or simply to give my students a quick break between classes. There are so many videos out there about different communities, cultures, and teenage issues, problems and solutions – I would have no trouble finding a way to use it in any of my classes. It would also be great to show a video on Xhosa culture – sometimes a ritual can’t be properly explained in words – especially if students have nothing to compare it to – and is best understood when you can see it happen. It would also be fun to give students video homework – instead of doing a group presentation in class, they have to make a video and upload it to Youtube. This way, their pen pals can also see what they are getting up to.

These are just a few examples of how I think social media and technology can b used in the classroom. I am sure there are many others I am not aware of…and when I start teaching, who knows what else might be available!

Internet teaching vs Digital pedagogy

With all the technological innovations and digital advances available to us today, using it to teach is something that was bound to happen. The internet made distance learning easier and more accessible and opened up opportunities to reach and educate faraway communities. Great work has been done, but calling it digital pedagogy is not always accurate.

Does teaching over the internet automatically mean that you are a “digital pedagogue?”

Absolutely not.

Pedagogy can be described as your beliefs about teaching and the way in which you facilitate learning. Sean Morris calls this place where philosophy and practice meets “praxis”. Digital “praxis” would thus be the way in which we use technology to facilitate learning and the practical, effective methods we employ to accomplish it.  This digital “praxis” is often missing when teaching over the internet.

 Many think that teaching over the internet is easy and does not require a lot of work – you do not have to deal with an unruly class and not being prepared is not a problem. Simply show a video or upload a Power Point presentation and your work is done – congratulations, you have now successfully employed digital pedagogy. This kind of mindset couldn’t be further from the truth and undermines what the internet actually can do and how combining it with teaching could be phenomenal.

Digital pedagogy is not as easy as logging onto the internet – to be successful, it requires hard work and a lot of time spent learning and getting comfortable with all that it entails. Sam Morris says it perfectly – “simply slotting your pre-written materials into an online framework and calling it a class is not interesting or sound pedagogy.”  Digital pedagogy involves teachers and students and it is those students we have to take care of- even if you are on a different continent. For teaching and learning to be effective, the students have to engage with the work and do more than simply stare at a screen. It is your job as teacher to make sure your content is up to date, easily accessible, interactive, and open to discussion. To create a successful learning environment the teacher thus has to think outside the box of ways to make an impersonal experience a meaningful one. As a teacher, you have to put a lot of thought and effort into your work and find a way to use the internet in such a way that it suits and supports your pedagogy.

Not so easy, huh?

 

 

 

 

Digital Pedagogy – Yay or Nay?

Digital Pedagogy – Yay or Nay?

The use of electronic devices to enhance or revamp education and the experience thereof is a hot topic right now (just ask my fellow future educators…) and rightly so: we live in an age where we are constantly told that the future is digital. So it was only a matter of time before the education fraternity jumped on the digital bandwagon as well.

The use of modern technology in the classroom has many advantages – it can make lessons more interactive, illustrate and explain difficult concepts in new ways, and put a different spin on teaching “less fun” subjects. I myself had a very memorable class on the human reproductive system involving an interactive whiteboard and different colour pens.  There needs to be a balance though. I think that schools and teachers have become so focused on keeping up with the latest technology that they now care more about how they present a class than what they actually should be teaching. Digital devices can definitely enhance teaching, but not all the time.

Sometimes it is just more practical (and fun) to teach something the “old fashioned” way. In Biology for example, students could watch a Youtube video on the dissection of a frog and its different parts, or they could do it themselves. Using technology to do the work ensures a clean classroom with nobody shrieking, fainting, or throwing around brain matter, but where’s the fun in that?

Electronics definitely it’s place in the classroom, but we should focus less on what is new and why we “need to have it” and rather spend our time figuring out how to effectively incorporate it into the classroom in a “real” way – “real” referring to knowing when to use technology and when not to.  Digital pedagogy should entail the best ways of using electronics in the classroom, but also acknowledge that not using technology is sometimes the better option. If we learn to view and use digital devices as part of our everyday teaching arsenal and not see it as the ultimate tool, we will  be more able to determine the most effective way to present a class. A balance between traditional and digital pedagogy will result in a more effective teaching environment.

Digital pedagogy should enhance education, not replace it.