What does digital pedagogy mean?

Digital pedagogy is different to what I previously thought. Instead of being a form of teaching via technology it is so much more. The fact that the word digital is used does not mean, in this case, technology and the use of computers and so forth. Instead digital pedagogy refers to a way of creating a learning space where learning actually takes place. By being aware of the diversity in classrooms, one can become a digital pedagogue if you aim to research all that you don't know so you are more able to be a well structured and well defined teacher.

Therefore my view of digital pedagogy has changed for the better, as I now understand why it is necessary to have digital pedagogues, but it is also not necessary for each teacher to be a pedagogue as their are many types of teachers and each one has its strong and weak points.

pedagogue vs teacher vs curriculum technician

A pedagogue is by definition a teacher who is strict or old fashioned. Considering this I would suggest that a pedagogue be trained in a very particular way. This teacher would have to be aware of the diversity in the classroom and be trained to recognize different pupils and their different learning needs. This teacher  would have to attend lectures where the importance of creating an interactive class are discussed as simply standing in front of a class and lecturing is never effective as learners have very short attention spans. Therefore it would be prudent to teach a pedagogue how to effectively give a classroom, for example do the hardest work first while the students minds are still fresh and then interact with them for the rest of the lesson by either giving interesting facts about the subject or by creating an activity for the learners to take part in. It is also important that this teacher be aware that group work is an essential tool for a teacher as it develops many more aspects of a child's mind such as leadership, compromise and so forth.

A teacher must be taught, just like a pedagogue, about the importance of diversity in a classroom. It is necessary for this teacher to embrace new technologies so that they can relate more with there students who are becoming more technologically efficient everyday. They need to be educated in different forms of educating learners in that not everyone studies or takes in information in the same way, therefore it is important to integrate different types of teaching forms such as different types of media. To incorporate these other forms of education such as media into a lecture will capture the attention of learners as the are drifting of.

A curriculum technician needs to be aware of the different backgrounds of students who attend school to create a curriculum which is suited to most learners. This person also needs to be in the loop about different textbooks, the availability of these textbooks as well as the prices, as prescribing an extremely expensive or relatively rare book will only compromise the learner of many if not most financially challenged pupils. This technician needs to go to different schools with different backgrounds to assess the different needs of all the diverse students so that a fair consensus can be reached as to what should be put into the curriculum.

This these three different occupations need to be trained in a very specific way, however a lot of elements needed for one is also needed for the other two and it is important to remember it. The needs of the students should always be a priority and teachers need to be aware of this at all costs no matter at which end of the teacher spectrum they are.

Question of the week 2

Digital pedagogy should be met with teachers and facilitators who are able to encourage the learners to be self-efficient, adult who can one day be in control of their life and surroundings(Beetham, McGill, Littlejohan, 2009). Teachers should read up on the different approaches of digital pedagogy to help these learners reach their life goals. The approaches include(resources for rethinking, n.d. p5):

·         Open minded instructions

·         Interdisciplinary learning

·         Discovery learning

·         Values clarification

·         Differentiated instructions

·         Experiential learning

·         Cooperative learning

·         Assessment and evaluation of student learning

·         Peer teaching

·         Case studies

·         Locus of control

These approaches are necessary to improve the abilities of learners in a school so that they canbe free thinking and technologically equipt.

References

Beetham, H., McGill, L., Littlejohan, A. (2009). Thriving in the 21st century: Learning Literacies for the Digital Age (LLiDA project). Retrieved from http://www.caledonianacademy.net/spaces/LLiDA/uploads/Main/LLiDAreportJune09.pdf

Resources for rethinking: pedagogical approaches. (n.d) Retrieved from: http://www.resources4rethinking.ca/en/resource-review-tool/pedapp