BED Science Technology integration in

Education

26th April 2010

Playing with technology

• iPod• Camera• Wikipedia• GPS• Online game• Weblogs • Television • Computer• MP3• e-portfolio• CMS

• Wiki– A wiki can establish a sense of community and task ownership.

The usefulness of sharing ideas on a wiki increases if the tutor contributes, but avoids taking charge.

• Weblogs– Integrating comments from the blog into tutorial discussions

extracts full value from the activity: a course blog should be central rather than peripheral to a course

• Digital audio– Feedback is essential to student learning. Providing feedback in

different media reinforces the message and gives students a more personal learning experience.

• VLE/CMS– e-Learning content frequently requires adaptation for use in

another context. Helping tutors to resource their courses appropriately is as important as developing their ICT skills.

– Skilful combinations of online resources and face-to-face activities can promote independent, self-directed learning.

• iPod touch– Multimedia resources accessible on mobile devices support situated

learning and provide opportunities for reinforcement and revision.– Video tutorials can level the playing field for students with some

disabilities and those dependent on a visual learning style.

• Digital video– Problem-based learning scenarios based around virtual resources

enable students to learn from their mistakes in safety.– Simulations can be significantly enhanced by evidence on video; as

a medium, video can evoke powerful affective responses

• E-portfolio– Learners need assistance in understanding the advantages and

disadvantages of using different platforms for their learning.– Opportunities for self-evaluation need to be introduced early to help

learners grasp the importance of reflective, e-portfolio-based learning.

Technology enhanced learning• Technology-enhanced learning’ is gaining favour

since it emphasises how technology adds value to learning

• Technology-enhanced learning enables:

– Connectivity to information and to others– Greater choice over the time, place and pace of study– Alternative modes of study: distance, blended work-based,

partially or wholly campus-based– Opportunities for reflection and planning in personal learning

Rapid feedback on formative assessments– More active learning by means of interactive technologies and

multimedia resources– Participation in communities of knowledge, inquiry and learning– Learning by discovery in virtual worlds

Technology integration in science and mathematics teaching

• Teaching is a complicated practice• It requires integration of many kinds of

specialized knowledge

• Effective teaching depends on flexible access to reach, well-organized and integrated knowledge from different domains, including – knowledge of student thinking and learning, – knowledge of subject matter, and increasingly, – knowledge of technology

TPACK for Teachers• TPACK: a framework for teacher knowledge for

technology integration– Teachers often have inadequate (or inappropriate)

experience with using technology for teaching and learning

– Many teachers earned degrees at a time when educational technology was at a very different stage of development than it is today

– They do not consider themselves sufficiently prepared to use technology in the classroom

– They do not appreciate its value or relevance to teaching and learning

Where to begin?

• How can teachers integrate technology into their teaching?

• There is no “one best way” to integrate technology into curriculum

• Integration efforts should be designed for particular subject matter ideas in specific classroom contexts

• According to Mishra and Koehler (2009), at the heart of good teaching with technology there are three core components: content, pedagogy, and technology, plus the relationships among and between them.

The TPACK Framework

Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge

• Technological (ICT) Knowledge– Skills necessary to operate particular technologies– The ability to learn and adapt to new technologies– A functional understanding of technologies

• Pedagogical knowledge– Students’ prior knowledge– How to use resources– Classroom management– Lesson plan development & implementation– Student evaluation

• Content or Subject matter knowledge– Knowledge of central facts, concepts, theories & procedures– Explanatory frameworks– Evidence for proof

Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge

• Technological pedagogical Knowledge: – How pedagogies change because of ICT

• Technological Content Knowledge:– How subject matter changes because of ICT

• Pedagogical Content Knowledge: – How particular aspects of subject matter are

organized, adapted and represented for instruction

TPACK• TPACK is the basis of effective teaching with

technology and requires an understanding of; – the representation of concepts using technologies– pedagogical techniques that use technologies in

constructive ways to teach content– knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to

learn and how technology can help readdress some of the problems that students face

– knowledge of students’ prior knowledge and knowledge of how technologies can be used to build on existing knowledge to develop new knowledge

• There is no single technological solution that applies for every teacher, every course, or every view of teaching

TPACK and Activity Types

• Identification of 42 distinct learning activity types• The activity types are divided into 13 knowledge-

building and 29 knowledge-expression structures.

• Knowledge-expression activity types are further divided into activities that emphasize either convergent (6 types) or divergent (23 types) thinking processes

• In the article of Harris, Mishra & Koehler these content-driven pedagogical strategies are connected with specific technologies

Technology for knowledge-building

Technology for convergent knowledge expression

Technology for divergent knowledge expression

A model of learning activity design