A Learning Session: Effective Use of Technology in the Classroom

Developing Lifelong Digital Learners: Effective Use of Technology in the Classroom by Estelamarie 'Tats' Vibar-Papa

Education is changing. Education is dynamic. Technology in learning is not new; we just have not embraced it yet.

It is amazing how technology has changed much of the way people do things. It has simplified complex tasks, made information conveniently available, and connected people in various ways. In education, it has become evident that technology has become an alternative tool in the teaching and learning process.

   Used correctly, it will allow us to better serve the diverse learning styles of our students and educate them for a wider range of intelligence. Everyone has a learning style that results to a meaningful learning but these cannot all be addressed in a traditional learning environment. Now, with the help of new technologies and its flexibility, we can design learning environments wherein learners can manage their learning and construct their own meaning.

Key Terms 

 In this digital age of learning, there are a number of key terms and phrases that educators need to look into and integrate into their instructional approach.

1. Blended Learning
2. Digital Learning
3. Digital Literacy
4. Online Learning
5. eLearning
6. LMS

Pedagogical Anchors of Digital Learning and Technology-Based Materials

  According to a known educational reformist, “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow" (Dewey, 1916). It is not unusual for teachers to instruct in the same way they were instructed. It is a natural pattern, however, with the evident change in time and the increase in the variety of tools available for teaching and learning, educators need to adapt to these changes.  Despite these changes, some learning theories still apply in the digital age.

   Learners today are surrounded by technology which has invaded every aspect of human life. It is not surprising that it has found its way into the school and into the classroom. Using technology in the classroom should be anchored on a certain set of pedagogical principles or learning theories aimed at enriching, enhancing, and customizing learning and not merely following a trend. 

  Adapting technology in the classroom is not a deviation from the learning theories that explain the teaching and learning process. The following learning theories actually serve as a basis for the development of many elearning programs and digital educational tools combined with the principles of multimedia. 

1. Behaviorism
2. Cognitivism
3. Constructivism
4. Experientialism
5. Social Learning 

Digital Natives

A person born or brought up during the age of digital technology and so familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age. (http://oxforddictionaries.com/)

   In meeting the needs of the learners in the digital age, we must familiarize ourselves with the way they acquire knowledge and information. The learning nature of the digital natives requires us to be more than just to be a step ahead in terms of the tools that they are used to interacting with. 

What kind of teacher are you?

• Are you a Digital Native yourself? 
• Are you a Digital Immigrant? 
• Are you a Digital Fugitive? still running away from technology 

 

  Digital Literacy

  In a paper by the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies on digital literacy on education, it explains digital literacy as more than the ability to handle computers and just like traditional literacy and numeracy it comprises a set of basic skills which include the use and production of digital media, information processing and retrieval, participation in social networks for creation and sharing of knowledge, and a wide range of professional computing skills (UNESCO, Policy Brief: Digital Literacy in Education, May 2011).


Digital literacy is now seen as a life skill.  A kind of skill that enables critical, creative, discerning use of digital technologies in all areas of life. Some of the components of digital literacy, according to Doug Belshaw (The Essential Elements of Digital Literacies, 2011), are:

1. Cultural
2. Cognitive 
3. Constructive
4. Communicative
5. Confident
6. Creative
7. Critical
8. Civic

Digital Learning 

Digital Learning is defined in different ways.

According to the iLearn Project, DL is either coursework or a comprehensive school program that takes place primarily online. (Online learning is untethered, meaning students can participate from anywhere the Internet is available.) 

According to Digital Learning Day, DL is any instructional practice that is effectively using technology to strengthen the student’s learning experience. 

According to Digital Learning Now, DL is any type of learning that gives students some element of control over time, place, and path or pace; more than just providing students with a laptop. It requires a combination of technology, digital content and instruction in which they gain knowledge. It can be full-time online, part-time online, or in a blended brick-and-mortar setting. 

And another one is according to Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, DL is a way to significantly increase learning experience between students and teachers, using effective application of digital technology. Digital Technology takes many forms. It can involve online video, software, e-mail, and virtual classrooms. 

All these definitions underscore the inevitable presence of technology and its potential uses in the teaching and learning process.

Blended Learning

- is a kind of digital learning

- defined as “Combining online delivery of educational content with the best features of classroom interaction and live instruction to personalize learning, allow thoughtful reflection, and differentiate instruction from student-to-student across a diverse group of learners” by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning

Models of Blended Learning 

  In adopting a blended learning strategy, the approaches differ in terms of the nature and degree of blending.  According Charles Graham (The Handbook of Blended Learning, 2006) the models of blended learning are the following: 

1. Activity level - Blending at the activity level occurs when a learning activity contains both face-to-face and computer-mediated elements
2. Course level - is one of the most common ways to blend. It entails a combination of distinct face-to-face and CM activities used as part of a course.
3. Program level - observed in higher education wherein blending entails one of two models: a model in which the participants choose a mix between face-to-face courses and online courses or one in which the combination between the two is prescribed by the program.
4. Institutional level – organizational commitment to blend face-to-face and CM instruction. Many corporations as well as institutions of higher education are creating models for blending at an institutional level.

Keys Elements in Blended Learning

  The effective use of technology in the classroom using a blended learning approach requires some important elements. According to Jared Carman (Blended Learning Design: Five Key Ingredients, 2005), these elements are:

1. Live Events or the face to face (F2F)
2. Online Content or the digital Component
3. Collaboration or the opportunity for learners to work together
4. Assessment or the measure of the transfer of knowledge
5. Reference and Performance Support Materials or the readily available resources that supports learning retention

Advantages of Blended Learning

The overall advantages of blended learning are the following: 

• Helps maximize the student engagement because of the variety of formats the materials are presented
• Promotes differentiated instruction to meet the individual students’ needs
• Has the potential to broaden academic offerings—enrichment, remediation, new offering

For the students, blended learning:

• Encourages the correct use of technology
• Offers flexibility and convenience
• Develops independent learning skills

For the teachers, blended learning: 

• Provides an opportunity for faculty development and introduces them to online learning
• Enhances curriculum with access to new resources
• Allows more flexibility in scheduling and planning

Effective Facilitation of Blended Learning

Whatever the model of implementation we choose in creating a blended learning classroom, consider the following in order to encourage student accountability and create a meaningful learning process:

1. Identify course/subject requirements.
2. Identify tools and know how to use them.
3. Introduce students to the program and conduct an assessment/evaluation.
4. Create awareness among students about what is expected of them.
5. Emphasize among students that the digital or online component is an integral part of their existing curriculum.
6. Ensure teacher support/make a readiness checklist.

Every computer session should have:

• Pre-teaching warm-up activities
• Focus activities while students are working on computer
• Post-teaching follow-up and reinforcement activities

 Student’s grade should be based on:

• Classroom participation
• Project work
• Online content assessments: exit tests and homework

Sample of Technology-based Tools for the Classroom

There are a number of technology-based tools that are readily available for our use in the classroom; some have become too common that it has lost its appeal. But most have yet to be fully utilized in the learning process.

Hardware	Software
Overhead Projector Document Camera Projector Multimedia projector Audio and Video Recorder Smartboards/Interactive Whiteboard Class Pad Computers Tablets Smartphones	Learning Management Systems Online courseware/module Educational Apps Dictionary/Thesaurus Apps Note taking apps Brainstorming and Outlining Apps. Writing Apps Podcast/Webcast Graphic manipulation tools Spreadsheets Word processing tools Presentation tools

 
Different Approaches to Educating the Digital Native

1.      Powerpoint	2.      Excel
3.      Video Streaming	4.      Instant Messaging
5.      Apps	6.      Blogs
7.      Web 2.0	8.      Wikis

Conclusion

Technology in the classroom should not be considered as a threat to learning nor should its disruptive nature be taken as an opposing force to teaching and learning.   As educators we also need to learn how to use this to our advantage.  Integrating technology into the teaching-learning process is not an overnight activity. It will take time, effort, and a paradigm shift in order to begin. Moreover, it should not be a mere display of available tools but an armory that teachers can use to teach. And ultimately educate the 21st century learner.

**Talk presented to teachers of De La Salle Lipa on November 05, 2013 at the Mabini Auditorium.

   

For more photos, visit our Facebook page: BECOMING LIFELONG DIGITAL LEARNERS