Learning with technology

In one of my teacher’s reflections on her takeaways from a recently held ICTLT conference, she spoke of getting a better insight about infusing technology into learning and teaching and cited examples of how technology may support the learning of our students such as use of website Blabberize.com. Riding on her reflections, I would like to touch on some of the points which she had made which I also value.

Her example of the use of the I-pad to create a talking video showed how technology is used as a resource for teaching, as it enables teachers to find and assemble materials and to guide their students in doing so as they take on independent inquiries to create the “videos of the subjects”. I also see such tool as an aid in reflection and improvement that allows teachers and students to consider and analyze their personal work and work of others – in terms of quality of work. Through this way, students are allowed to display more confidently what they know in an alternative way that I think extend well beyond the standard pen-and-paper practices or the stand-and-deliver presentation and so engages the students to the lesson. This is also a way for both teachers and students to reflect on what learners should know and what “teachers” do. With proper facilitation, teachers can then show the students on models of good performance and support the learning of their students in the classroom.

I also shared her belief that technology should only be used where its use justify as a method of achieving the learning outcome for a lesson. In her example, the use of the technology leads to greater motivation, increased confidence, improving presentation, promoting independent learning… just to list a few. In this case, the prime motivation in making use of technology is to address learning related to the subject. However, with a slight shift in emphasis I think teachers can modify such activity to help develop aspects of our students’ ICT knowledge and skills – which is important for today’s students and tomorrow’s future. For example, the standard production of a word-processed paper-based writing for students to deliver information related with the subject. Such activity modified to include locating relevant information and copying from two or three websites and students editing the pasted text, shifting the focus of the information or targeting specific audience (students need to understand keywords to find, refine search to produce usable results and then validate). Consider the different levels of thinking required of the students! Whilst the subject learning is broadly similar, shifting the technological focus for the task not only supports the development of the students ICT capabilities, it also deepens their learning by helping them engage more fully with the subject.