Social media in the classroom

 

 

Social media in the classroom

A blessing and a curse.

Okay, so let’s be honest. As much as you like being a PGCE student and trying to save the world with your so called amazing techniques on teaching its most likely not going to happen. I’m not being pessimistic, I’m just stating the facts. Why do most of us then even try you may ask yourself? Well I’m saying why not. What do you have to lose? Your time? A follower?

The world of schooling is too populated with closed minded teachers. Thing year after year teachers use the same boring teaching method. In order to be life changing in your idea of teaching I believe you should incorporate social media into your classroom. Be honest now, all of you have once in your life sitten with your phone under the desk. Checking up on the newest trends and what Kylie Jenner wore out to town. We all are guilty of this. Then why not incorporate these social media trends into your teaching. Your learners will be able to connect on these “hot topics” and remember contexts more easily because it is something they are passionate about.

No! I do not want to tweet about blogs I wrote on topics that all sound the same to me but it helps. It helps my growth in the PGCE course.

My curriculum studies are business studies and accounting.

For business studies I will encourage my students to find innovative photos on Instagram. This can then be screen shared from their phones or available tablets in the class and a discussion can be made around these topics. Questions can be answered like: what business can this turn into? What will the target market be? And, which type of ownership would suit it the bin accounting twitter and LinkedIn can be used to explore these unknown territories more. Technology will also introduce students to pastel and associated programmes so that learners don’t get the shock of their lives when they step into the working world.

My idea is to not force my learners to use social media and to make deadlines. I will rather focus on evoking a passion amongst them. They will then use what they are passionate about to conquer the world using social media and technology.

 

 

 

Digital Pedagogy

Using technology within your lesson is not the final answer. Creating digital pedagogy takes time and practice. It asks for research, learning, creating and a curious mind-set. It is where you unlearn the traditional teaching methods or use them in a new and creative way. Technology should be incorporated with these previously used methods.

In order to use digital pedagogy in the most effective way we need to make a few changes.  It is necessary to create our own approach to digital pedagogy. As a teacher you can incorporate a few changes. These four main changes will allow the creation of a new approach to online learning.

Conversation, Creation, Correcting & Chaos

It is here where the learners can learn more about content and its context by discussing topics and working in groups to come up with examples that apply to the lesson. This will allow your learners to exchange more information than they would have with basic traditional worksheets.

There is no better way for them to learn than by creating. By changing this boring and monotonous way of learning allow your children in your classroom to let their creativity get flowing. Using exciting and innovative ways for the learners to teach themselves about a topic so that they can relate to the context it is taught in.

Like mentioned in my previous blog it is important for children to learn from their own mistakes. Allow learners to get the answers to their questions by learning through their own mistakes. Not all learners can strive in a controlled space. Some excel where chaos and creativity reigns. Remember to take this into account when preparing lessons so that all your learners can have a maximum learning experience

According to Sean Michael Morris pedagogy is about unlearning, playing and rediscovery. It is the place where philosophy and practice meets. Creating digital pedagogy is not going to happen in a wink of an eye but also not while you sitting there staring at this screen of words containing my opinion. Go and explore all there is to this wonderful platform.

Technology in the classroom

Technology in the classroom

I haven’t been so challenged in a while in my thinking and way of being like the first day I walked into the PGCE class. In a class as diverse as mine, with technology being incorporated in most of them, I’ve find myself in awe of the impact technology can have and how it can change a situation and the effectiveness there of. I have started to teach myself how to use some of these tools to better express myself.

How do we create the type of classroom we would have wanted? One that provokes your critical thinking and focus on controversial topics.

Technology is broadly defined as the collection of techniques, skills and methods to accomplish objectives. Why are we then limiting the creativity of our learners by basic learning techniques? When we as educators can start a fire in the learners for what they are truly passionate about.

This doesn’t mean that we should ditch the textbooks and let the room become a virtual class but rather get various approaches to equip our children with technological savviness. Like mentioned in Fyfe (2011) educators should shift their mind-set to one where we use a mix of digital and non-digital processes to present content in the right context. The future is technological excellent and why not start teaching children this from a young age.

We as educators seldom focus on equipping our learners for the world after they are done in the classroom. As educator it is your unwritten responsibility to look pass just the curriculum and incorporate technology into your teaching. Having said that it is important to take the responsibilities into account that comes with the use of technology.

It is here in the PGCE class with the help of lecturers and colleagues where I will start my journey of incorporating technology into my teaching method and I’m optimistic about what the results will entail.