Final Reflections - Artefact 10

I started this paper with a reasonable amount of knowledge and confidence about how to incorporate technology into my classroom, however I feel like I am walking away from this paper a much different teacher with a greater understanding of how technology can enhance teaching and learning.
I am working towards a post-graduate qualification in literacy, and I picked this paper as it is an area that interests me. However I have not just learned about E-learning, I have learned what constitutes effective teaching, and when technology is implemented thoughtfully it is a powerful tool.
E-learning is about more than having knowledge of new technologies and web 2.0 applications. E-learning is about student engagement, and giving students control of their learning. It is important to have a good understanding of these areas, as effective teaching with technology is complicated and requires many kinds of specialised knowledge (Koehler, Mishra & Cain, 2013). 

The conversations that I have taken part in through online forums have reinforced that I am a social learner, and need to be able to bounce ideas off other students. This is something that I find lacking in the other papers, I am taking via distance learning. This has also prompted me to take another look at how I encourage collaboration within my class and help those students who might prefer to work independently be more active during collaborative learning tasks.

Looking back on my journey I begun thinking I would be learning about different technologies that I could use within my educational setting, however I have learned much more. I have a good understanding of the theoretical reasons why E-learning is such a powerful learning tool and a vital part of modern teaching.

Ranked recomendations for student engagement- Artefact 9

As a cohort we came up with a list which of ideas that we thought were essential for student engagement. This is my ranked list ranked from most important to least.

1. Purposeful- Ensure that the technology and activities relate to the task/learning and will enable meaningful learning
2. Choice about how they work, autonomously or collaboratively
3. Provide a variety of technology mediums for delivering information and instructions
4. Cultivation of on-line presence so participants feel like they are communicating with people they know.
5. Prompt, detailed and personal feedback was what ended up being the most significant for my online class. Also providing a choice of platforms to access and submit work.
6. Feedback from peers and tutors.
7. Provide access to real-life data from online source.
9. User Testing - Test your activity with actual users or close to actual users.
10. Apply online communication and F2F opportunities to connect learners with external support and experts

It was difficult locking in my final rankings but I think purposeful technology is a strong component in student engagement, followed closely by giving children choice about how they work. Learning is enhanced when students are encouraged to talk with their peers and technology enables learners to communicate with people in different classrooms anywhere in the world, a powerful tool to support peer to peer networking (McLoughlin & Lee, 2008).

Learner Engagement Pitfalls - Artefact 7

Describe (a) the situation or context including how much experience with teaching and technology that you had at the time (b) the reason for the learner activity (learning outcomes, how it links with other curriculum areas, etc). (c) what you did (or didn’t do) (d) the result and (e) what you learned from it.

For a whanau team building activity I set up a QR code scavenger hunt around our school grounds. Students had to scan the red QR code to receive a challenge they had to complete as a team and then scan the blue QR code to receive the clue to the next QR code. Children were initially excited and eagerly headed off to complete the scavenger hunt but as the activity progressed it was evident most children had disengaged from the activity. One child was typically in control of the device scanning the codes which meant the other children were just along for the ride. Other groups scanned all of the codes and failed to complete the tasks in sequence, rather they scanned them and then tried to complete them all at once. I found that many of my year 1 students spent the time picking daisies or just running around with their group as the older students took charge as they knew what they were doing.
Looking back on this activity with some more pre-teaching and setting the scene it has the potential to be an engaging activity. Perhaps it should be done in smaller groups or done in classes rather than a whanau of four classrooms.
A QR scavenger hunt was an enthusiastic way to carry out a scavenger hunt and the same issues might have occurred regardless if the clues had be written out for the children to read. Next time before setting children out on the hunt some common understandings need to be established; ensuring all group members are included, tasks have to be completed in the order you find them, all team member need to be involved in the challenges.

TEC-VARIETY-lightbulb moment - Artefact 6

Assignment two provided me with many light bulb moments, and gave me theoretical confirmation of my current teaching practice using technology as well as igniting my desire to do more.

The TEC-VARIETY model was new to me and once I understood what it was I could see straight way the impact it could have upon my classroom. Having greater knowledge of learner motivation provides insight into why learners are sometimes more successful than others in their learning journey (Bonk & Khoo, 2014). Applying the TEC-VARIETY framework to my unit planning forced me to think more carefully about the types of technology and why. There have been times when I have encountered a new online tool or a new piece of technology and have rushed into using it without thinking "can this enhance my students learning? I will be using the TEC-VARIETY framework when I am planning my learning in the future as making learning activities purposeful will focus students energy and efforts towards their desired goals (Bonk & Khoo, 2014).

Pedagogy driven by technology? - Artefact 4

• What is the relationship between technology and pedagogy?
• Why do you think so?
• What is the implication of that position for teaching?

Technology is playing an increasing role in modern learning and is forcing teachers to think carefully about their pedagogical beliefs. Prior to studying this E-Learning paper I would have said that strong pedagogy would drive effective technology use, however I now think that they are reliant on each other.

Teaching that is driven by technology without sound pedagogical knowledge is ineffective and Hannum & McCombs (2008) stated that the introduction of media and technology alone to a learning environment, will not cause any improvements in learner achievement.

Technology is here to stay and I think we all make an extra effort to make use of technology in our classrooms. I think technology has been a positive way to encourage teachers to try new things in their practice in order to make learning more interesting and engaging for students.
Using technology for the sake of it has little or no value but every new app or device builds a teachers resource bank to choose from.

Task 1.4 - Reflection - Artefact 3

Does the adoption of e-learning imply modification of your teaching (i.e. evolution), extreme change in your teaching (revolution) or more of what you already do (status quo)?


When I first started my teaching career my teaching style and integration of technology was very different to how I run my classroom now. E-learning has been the driving force behind the evolution of my teaching pedagogy in many positive ways. When I first started teaching I was in a school that had a computer lab and one desk top computer in each class, however as technologies developed and my school didn't I decided it was time for a change and moved to my current school. Here I was thrown into the deep end in regards to technology but I quickly adapted to my new environment and as a result my teaching evolved to incorporate the tools in my new well resourced classroom. Technology enabled me to make the learning in my class more meaningful and relevant to my students, Howland, Jonassen & Marra (2012) stated that meaningful learning occurs when activities engage students.

Technology has changed rapidly in the past 10 years and many 5 year old students starting school are much more skilled at operating devices and more aware of what can be achieved by working online. This has meant that the children entering school have a larger  technological skill set and therefore are ready and more capable of using technology as a tool for their learning. (Howland, Jonassen & Marra, 2012).  This has meant that in order for my teaching to remain relevant and engaging for my students I need to ensure that how I incorporate technology in my class in authentic and engaging for my students. I-pads are an amazing tool that I prefer working with in my classroom as they allow children to work in groups of up to three and they can move beyond the walls of my classroom to complete a learning task. There was a time when allowing a 5 year old to carry an i-Pad outside a classroom would've been unheard of and thought of as crazy but I have seen that by treating my students as repsonsible learners they more often than not meet my expectations. It would be irresponsible of me not to create these real life learning experiences for my class as that is what makes the learning real and authentic. I see that it is part of my role as teacher to introduce my students to new technologies so that they can start to build a bank of resources that they can draw upon when they start to realise that they can choose the technology that best suits their learning needs. (Koehler, Mishra & Cain, 2013).


The rapid changes in technology are pressuring me to adapt my teaching, and incorporate more into my teaching practise.