To use it or not to use it!

Coming into this course I knew how to create a PowerPoint, make a few slides, and send emails, I know impressive! By the end of the second week of Digital Pedagogies in Secondary school, I have my own blog and wiki and have interacted with both. I have used flipboard in class and interacted with my classmates and honestly my mind is in over drive thinking of using these interactive ICT programs in a classroom situation. Learning how to be able to transform or modify a wiki to be able to create an activity that will be suitable for an interactive assignment in the classroom is an invaluable tool to have.

Reading through the course readings this week, two ideas that I really took notice of and reflected on was firstly giving students in your class a project or set of work to complete and letting them produce work with different platforms of ICT. Secondly was to allow students to use ICT in the classroom so that they can work at independent rates. Both of these ideas would benefit all students in the class and I would be very interested to find more information on any research done in this area to find out whether it is a viable teaching aid.

With the wiki activity we were all involved in this week even though we worked in small groups we were able to do so at our own pace. Setting it up using de Bono’s hats theory also ensured that each person answered different aspects of the question. By using de Bono’s hat theory the lecturer was able to create the higher order thinking structure needed to complete the activity without direct instructions pertaining to each detail required.

What I really enjoyed about the wiki activity was being able to read others ideas, a collaboration of sorts where I could gain other ideas and theories. I feel that Wiki’s and interactive boards would be great ways for teachers to share ideas with others in their fields as well as letting their students do the same with peers. So to use it or not to use it? ICT in the classroom is a must, and as teachers in the 21^st century we need to find new and creative ways to ensure our students remain engaged. By using ICT I think we can do this, it won’t be easy to begin with and will require ongoing personal development however the end results will be worth it in the end.