The Nature of Digital Pedagogy

The Nature of Digital Pedagogy

University of Melbourne (2002) defines 8 Pedagogical Principles that should inform our teaching...

1. Facilitating deep knowledge through higher order thinking.

2. Facilitating collaborative learning in which conversations are important.

3. Supporting students in knowing how they learn best.

4. Planning learning that is problem-based, and situated in real life contexts.

5. Is relevant to students, and connects to their background knowledge.

6. Supports learning that is owned, controlled and managed by students themselves.

7. Is socially supportive, engaging, and values cultural knowledges.

8. Is supportive of the development of active citizenship, and strong group identity.

Personally, my understanding of these principles become clearer when looking at this summary of focus questions when linked with the above 8 principles. As a preservice teacher, this summary applies the pedagogical principles in a common language as they provide a practical reflection to deepen engagement with the 8 key pedagogies...

Pedagogical Principle	Focus Questions
#1 Deep Knowledge   #2 Higher Order Thinking	Are higher-order thinking and critical analysis occurring?
	Does the lesson sequence cover operational fields in any depth, detail or level of specificity?
	Do the work and response of the students provide evidence of depth of understanding of concepts or ideas?
#3 Collaborative #7 Social Learning	Does classroom talk break out of the initiation/response/evaluation pattern and lead to sustained dialogue between students, and between teachers and students?
#4 Knowing How Students Learn Best	Are students critiquing and second-guessing texts, ideas and knowledge?
	Does the lesson sequence range across diverse fields, disciplines and paradigms?
	Is there an attempt to connect with students’ background knowledge?
#5 Real and Relevant Problems	Do the lesson sequence and the assigned work have any resemblance or connection to real-life contexts?
#6 Student Direction	Do students have any say in the pace, direction or outcomes of the lesson sequence?
	Are the criteria for judging student performance made explicit?
#7 Cultural Knowledge #8 Active Citizenship	Are diverse cultural knowledges brought into play?
	Are attempts made to foster active citizenship?

Table Source - Grauf (2001)

In my experience of learning in my secondary schooling and in my current tertiary study, the pedagogical principles do make sense however particular elements have been experienced been both soundly and woefully - let me explain! It is my belief that, those that were woeful stem from collaborative practices and understanding how students learn best (this was primarily in my secondary schooling). I found teachers to be quite rushed in pushing through content and assessment without explicitly slowing down in order to have discussions around what we were learning at the time. 

Personally, I would have benefited from regular class discussions that were informal but also organised in a relaxed setting in the classroom (such as sitting on the floor in groups or a circle - yes, this can even be effective in a secondary context, not just primary). Looking digitally, my schooling was a blend of ICT and concrete resources which, even as a Gen Z, I really appreciated. I believe there were a lot of assumptions about what students valued and found a lack of diversity within lesson sequences (predictable thus becoming disengaged often). 

Those that were sound, I found particularly in my tertiary studies that student direction, real and relevant contexts, social learning have been the standouts for me. I have experienced units that have delved deep into the content not only from a teaching-learning perspective but growth as an individual to be able to be reflective. The purposeful assessment comes from real/relevant contexts that also link to active citizenship such as service-learning projects, research and inquiry-based projects and building a teaching portfolio in preparation for being a graduate teacher in Queensland.

21st Century Digital Classroom: The Brain and Learning, Creativity, Contemporary Learners and Pedagogical Principles

Looking at the bigger picture and how these principles link with different ideology about the brain, learning, creativity and the needs of contemporary learners, it is best depicted as a visual map in my opinion (also my way of understanding this myself)...

ICT as a General Capability in the Australian Curriculum: Legal, Safe and Ethical Practice

According to the ICT Learning Continuum in the Australian Curriculum, "students apply appropriate practices to recognise the intellectual property for digital information of themselves and others. They need to be aware of the appropriate practices for the physical and logical storage and security of digital information and apply appropriate protocols when using ICT to safely create, communicate or share information. Students need to gain an understanding from the classroom teacher about the benefits and consequences of the use of ICT by individuals, groups and communities and the impact of the use of ICT on society". 

In developing and acting with ICT capability there are 4 key dimensions that students and teachers need to adhere by and model...

1. recognise intellectual property.

2. apply digital information security practices.

3. apply personal security protocols.

4. identify the impacts of ICT in society.

These can look slightly different across the levels 4, 5 and 6 and are applied in context appropriate to the year level (years 6, 8 and 10). In considering my curriculum learning areas of English and Home Economics, there are 3 key dimensions of ICT use in the classroom - legal protocols and obligations, ensuring safety and security and abiding to ethical practices. For instance, in a junior secondary classroom, a blend of my personal knowledge and the ICT Learning Continuum Australian Curriculum outlines key considerations...

LEGAL - applying practices that comply with legal obligations regarding the ownership and use of digital products/devices and resources such as;

• Copyright permissions including the use/sharing of music or other digital media in an online format such as movies, music videos, news clips, cooking video's.

SAFE & SECURE - apply strategies for determining the appropriate type of digital information suited to the location of storage and adequate security for online environments and explicitly teach the benefits and risks of the use of ICT for particular people in the school and home environment such as;

• Cybersafe practices including trusted websites and links such as credible news sites.
• Storage options such as the school G drive or a classroom One Drive.
• Privacy settings available in particular ICT and digital programs.
• Protecting personal and confidential information including password protection.

ETHICAL - identify and value the rights to identity, privacy and emotional safety for themselves and others when using ICT and apply generally accepted social protocols when using ICT to collaborate with local and global communities such as;

• Plagiarism and academic honesty such as referencing for the online platform (credit to original source).
• Students illegally downloading or pirating software.
• Prevention of cyberbullying and reporting/recording procedures for both in and out of school hours.
• Self-image and student reputation online in regards to social media and content being posted affiliated with the school. 

References

University of Melbourne (2002). Productive Pedagogies: New Basics, Rich Tasks [PDF]. Education Queensland. Retrieved from https://digitised-collections.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/115606/scpp-00431-qld.pdf?sequence=1 

Grauf, E. (2001).  New Basics: Queensland trials a curriculum for tomorrow. Education Queensland.

https://www.acsa.edu.au/pages/images/2001_new_basics_qld_trials_a_curriculum.rtf.doc

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2015). Learning Continuum of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/information-and-communication-technology-ict-capability/learning-continuum/?element=Applying+social+and+ethical+protocols+and+practices+when+using+ICT&page=2