At the transformational level of SAMR, there is a direct link to higher order thinking (Blooms Taxonomy) and high level pedagogy. Below is a reflection that draws together Blooms Taxonomy and my understanding of pedagogy & the SAMR model in a teaching context.
​ Table 1: My pedagogy map
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MY EXPERIENCE OF PEDAGOGY
If there's gaps in the table, well.... that's just wonderfully symbolic of the gaps in my experience.
In terms of positioning myself as a learner in this unit, I found the idea of leaving the comfort zone from the video, “Do you Dare to Dream” by Inknowation, to be pertinent. My main challenge as a learner in this subject is that I have always been reluctant to use technology. Some kind of fear that I will break it, and a certain lack of exposure. My comfort zone, when it comes to technology is far too small really, and most certainly needs to be expanded. I entered the course fraught with trepidation. Other emotions that arose were frustration and irritation when I felt incapable of carrying out a task, but also excitement and pride at the simplest of steps forward, like the adding of a hyper-link and seeing my blog slowly come to life. The way forward through this challenge is to over-come the negative emotions I’ve associated with the use of ICT’s. To do this, I need to push aside my irrational desire for perfectionism, and just learn how to go with the flow, and try new things without worrying too much how good it will turn out. The more positive emotions I experience, and baby-steps I take, the more I already see myself willing to try new things and expand my comfort zone. I see the use of ICT’s as playing a valuable role in a student-centred approach to learning. Given that such a pedagogy is based on the assumption that "what the student does is actually more important in determining what is learned than what the teacher does" (T.J. Shuell, "Cognitive Conceptions of Learning" (1986), 429), it seems to me that the amount of things a student can “do”, particularly on their own, is greatly enhanced by their ability to use ICT’s: The more they can do on their own, and the more information they access, the more their interest in a particular topic is sparked, especially as they can come at any given topic from the angle that interests them the most. They can engage with topics in a way that is most relevant to their own lives. ICT’s allow students to not just learn, but also contribute to the learning of others, through the creation of video’s’ websites, blogs and commenting. Learners can become contributors to an ever-expanding pool of knowledge. If the use of ICT’s help create motivation, and a sense of excitement in learning, I am willing to let go of having tight control over what and how the students are learning. If we seek to control every aspect, students can develop an approach lacking in creativity, where they simply wait to be told what is important. A student-centred approach seeks to empower individuals to become active protagonists in society (Atweh, 2013), and the use of ICT’s can provide the tools for this. While I have some experiencing of learning using ICT’s in university, I don’t have much experience with using ICT’s as a teaching tool. Much of the emotions I have felt in dealing with this course were not so much about my ICT values being challenged, but rather my own disbelief in my ability to use them. For me, this implies a definite need to push the boundaries of my comfort zone, as will be explored further in Reflection 1.3. In response to the question, “How prepared are you to teach with ICT’s in the classroom”, I’d have to say that though I have the desire to learn, I know that my skill levels are quite low. Growing up in a developing country, we were probably a couple of generations behind Australia in terms of technology. The main teaching tools were the black-board and chalk, while students submitted hand-written assignments even in year 12, and still used printed encyclopaedias. I got my first lap-top and mobile phone in the gap-years just before I came to Australia to start university, and my first smart-phone two years later. So while this will certainly be a journey of learning and growth, I embark on it feeling exceedingly under-equipped.
To rate my current readiness, with zero totally unprepared, and ten being totally prepared, I looked at the following documents: The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) ICT Elaborations, and the Australian Curriculum ICT general capabilities. Using the thirty-seven ICT elaborations for graduate teacher standards mentioned in the AITSL, I assessed whether my current knowledge met the standards or not. I found that, out of the thirty-seven elaborations, I only met the standard for thirteen of them. I used this score of thirteen out of thirty-seven to give me a score out of ten. Thus, I gave myself a 3.5 out of 10 on the scale of preparedness. |