Unit 6 summary

Changing practice in a digital environment

Task and project based fluency

Citizenship

Learning

• Consider your own attitudes to online citizenship. How do you manage your privacy and reputation? Why?

I know that I always err on the side of caution when online and hence have always been more an observer when online rather than an active contributor.  I am, by nature quite reserved and sometimes lack self-confidence, therefore when in a large group I will tend to just sit and listen rather than speak and I think this is extended into my online persona.   Online I do not have multiple personae, I am just myself whichever online tool I am using or whichever group I belong to.  I think this is again a reflection of me in the non-digital world….I am much the same person in whatever environment I find myself.  I manage my privacy and reputation online by not actively contributing as much as I  should or would like.  I know this  is not a good thing and is something that I need to address.  I would like to think that I am a good citizen and a good contributor to society in the non-digital world; I am a team player and always try to contribute for the good of the team ….I find this much easier to do, however, in the real world rather than the virtual world! 

• Track down a person under the age of 18 (or a slightly older one if that thought scares you too much). Discuss their attitudes to privacy online: are they concerned about their online reputation and do they take steps to protect their privacy? What tools do they use to stay in touch? Do they have multiple personae? How would they feel about using the same tool for their personal lives and their learning?

My younger son is 18 and an avid user of social media; he mostly uses Facebook and Instagram but also engages with Twitter, Band camp, You Tube and Sound Cloud.  He operates on line with two personae – himself and with his rock band.  He seems to display a sensible level of care with his online privacy by carefully selecting his privacy settings when using online tools.  His band obviously does not choose such privacy settings, however they carefully monitor their online presence to ensure that they portray a positive image.  Through both personae and across a range of online tools, my son contributes confidently online. Security and privacy issues do not stop him from actively and confidently engaging with others online.  He displays the attributes of a good online citizen by considering the needs of other users, using appropriate language and doing no harm to others and by doing this does not have any concerns regarding his reputation.  His learning both at school and now, at university has mostly been conducted using different tools or different accounts to those which he uses socially.  However they are now beginning to overlap and he finds that using the same tools for his personal life and his learning/career development is perfectly acceptable.  By setting up different groups within his online accounts he can keep a certain level of separation and organization within his online environment.

• Consider the relationship between digital fluency and citizenship. If one of the powerful aspects of online platforms is the way we can connect with others, then is it okay to try and lock students into walled digital gardens?  How far does an educator’s responsibility stretch? Do they need to teach students to be responsible and informed users of social tools? Is this limited to the tools that we encourage students to use, or does it extend to the tools that students want to use? For example, should we be teaching responsible use of Facebook, or is it better to model behaviour in a platform like Edmodo and hope that it rubs off?

Developing digital fluency with our students is vital so that their skills become transferable as they move from tool to tool and so that they become more confident in the way in which they engage with information and communicate with others online.   Students need to be digitally literate and be able to operate online tools but more than this; they need to gradually develop digital fluency to enable them to engage online at a deeper level and to become creative and innovative online.

Consider learning to play a forehand, backhand, serve, volley, drop shot and lob in tennis.  We can become very proficient in these strokes and also learn variations such as spin, slice & kick etc.  However, until we learn how to use these tools of the trade in a match situation and learn to use them to good effect then we are not fluent tennis players.

Think of a musician improvising and in doing so producing a totally original composition.  These original creations always however evolve from prior knowledge of other musical genres and would not be possible without first the mastery of technical skills.

When learning a physical skill or new language, transition from the cognitive stage of development to the automatic stage occurs after much practice and repetition.  Much of this practice can be done in modified environments such as drills and models.  However to be what Dreyfus describes as a master, these skills must also be put into context, for example putting physical sports skills successfully into a match situation or putting language skills into meaningful communication (spoken or written). The same applies with digital literacy we need to use our digital literacy skills to make meaningful communication therefore we need to put our students into real situations so as to help them to progress from literate to fluent.  Would we refrain from taking students on excursions outside of our school environment for fear of either them being exposed to negative influences or fear of the students behaving inappropriately and damaging the school’s reputation.  No, of course not….we take students of all ages physically out of the school environment to help them to learn acceptable behaviour in all situations and also to have experiences and influences beyond that which the school alone can provide…..despite the risks involved.  Should we treat the digital world the same way?  Despite the risks involved we need to teach our students to be responsible digital citizens and therefore we should not always fence them in – we can begin within modified environments such as Edmodo but then we need to move out into the wider virtual world such as Twitter or Facebook. We need to teach our students how to assess risk and how to behave appropriately, then surely this will equip our students to be good citizens far more effectively than simply shielding them from all outside influences.

My characteristics of an effective learner:

Inquisitive:  Learners need to be curious and need to be asking questions.

Passionate:  Passion increases enthusiasm and engagement.

Imaginative:  An imaginative learner will always think outside the square and will come up with creative and effective solutions.

Creative:  Creativity helps to put imaginative ideas into practice.

Collaborative:  Collaboration and teamwork produces stronger results.

• Your own progression with technology. How has it changed the way you learn and shaped your professional practice?

I am making good progress with technology and this course has greatly helped my progress.  I am more proactive with my learning and also more collaborative.  In my professional practice I feel that I am now more efficient in my use of technology.  I am more knowledgeable and feel that I am far more equipped to transfer my skills from one situation to another.  

• Your feelings about the impact of technology on us as citizens

There have been many genuine concerns over the impact of technology on us as citizens, however I feel that time will show that the impact has been mostly positive.   Local and global communication have been vastly enhanced by technology and whilst there will always be concerns and negatives, the overall benefit to both individuals and communities will surely be undeniable?

• Your thoughts about the use of technology in learning and the role educators play in modelling the use of technology

As educators we certainly need to keep abreast of the ever changing technology that is available to us in the classroom.  If our students observe us engaging enthusiastically with technology they too will embrace its use in the classroom.  We need to demonstrate to the students that we have flexible, transferable skills which enable us to embrace change.  We need to ensure that students also develop these transferable skills so that new technologies can be introduced easily and successfully into their learning programs.  

• How technology can be used to support your chosen 5 characteristics of an effective learner

The absolute wealth of information instantly available to us through the use of technology can provide the inquisitive and passionate learner with the resources they need to keep them both engaged and enthused.   The many online sites such as Weebly, Go Animate, Voki, Xtranormal, ToonDo, Storybird, Popster, Gogster and Prezi, to name just a few, can provide imaginative and creative learners with exciting tools to help them to put their imaginative ideas into action and to enhance their creativity.  Finally, the use of tools such as Mightybell,  Edmodo, Padlet, Meetingwords,  Sharepoint  and Dropbox can provide platforms for the collaborative learner to communicate, share and create with others easily and effectively.

• We’d also love to read your predictions about how technology will change the way we learn in the future.

It is so hard to even imagine what the new technologies of the future will look like let alone consider the ways in which they will change the way we learn!  Ten years ago we would not have imagined the amazing things we can do today and I am quite sure that ten years from now we will be able to do unbelievably amazing things with the new technologies of the future.  How exciting!!