Decoding Digital Pedagogy

This article cleared up some of confusion I had about digital pedagogy and opened my eyes to its’ potential and the difference between a teacher and a pedagogue. A point that I found interesting is how whatever pedagogy any teacher employed in their classroom became digitized. This meant that just because they were working online they did not automatically become a pedagogue and that if they were not a good teacher being online would not change that.

Another idea I enjoyed is how pedagogy should be used as a way of instilling passion in learners and that this passion will resonate beyond only the classroom. A teacher teaches the curriculum and a pedagogue teaches passion and meaningful learning, this allows the possibilities to be endless. The Learning Management System, in my opinion, is only beneficial when posting necessary information, for example SunLearn. I do not consider SunLearn an interactive learning platform as it is only a site for posting the information we need and no discussions are had, until we enter the classroom. This links to how Morris describes the LMS as “settling for the least innovative classroom practice and repositioning that digitally.” I think this added to the confusion of what digital pedagogy is. It was believed that it was a matter of relocating the content to a digital source, this is not the case. It is stated that very few teachers actually used the move towards digital as a way to innovate more. This is unsettling for me as there are so many possibilities as to what can be done with the use of technology and teachers should not become complaisant and shut off by merely relocating their work onto a digital platform. Digital pedagogues keep searching and discovering new possibilities and uses of online learning – this is the difference between and digital pedagogue and a teacher.

Pedagogy seems like it is a difficult concept to define but I realized that it has many definitions for each individual. We can make our own definitions of it depending on how we use it and how much time we put into it. Digital pedagogy is something we make our own. This is important when considering the point made by Stommel where he states that “the digital pedagogue teaches her tools, doesn’t let them teach her.” The effectiveness of digital pedagogy is only as good as the way we utilize the tools we have available. Teachers should not become slaves to the tools available they should think of all the possible uses of that tool and should include the learners in all of these processes. Learners should be central in this. I learnt a lot from reading this article and I feel as though I have a broader perspective on digital pedagogy now.     

Digital Pedagogy Unplugged

"'Hacking' these days means to adapt, manipulate, and make productive use out of a given technology or technological context or platform". By this definition I think we can all agree that every teenager in the world can be considered a hacker. Adolescents today are so wrapped up in technology that classroom settings of pen and paper and PowerPoint presentations seem boring. Fyfe brings up the argument of 'teaching naked' by excluding devices from the classroom. Most people would say this is impossible but they have not looked at the bigger picture. It is stated that the idea of 'teaching naked' is limited by only thinking of digital pedagogy as tools, and devices, however an interactive classroom can be created by means of separating digital pedagogy and human teaching. This means that the strengths of both methods are used effectively. Learners are comfortable using technology outside of the classroom and teachers are then able to actually engage with them during an ‘unplugged’ class. 

I like the idea of ‘cultural studies and digital technologies’ allowing learners the opportunity to learn and make their own interpretations of technology in relation to their culture. This is important in any country because what is considered technology in a third world country would be completely different to that of a first world country. Technology is not limited to a certain definition and each person is able to use their definition of technology to learn. This is true in the case of my home country, Zimbabwe, when I was in school we hardly used laptops in class or typed out assignments. Everything was hand written on multiple sheets of paper with teachers dictating notes to us - this was our technology. Now there are schools that only do typed and emailed assignments and have an iPad in every class.

I think it is important to remind learners about the labour that digital resources dissolve. I feel that learners are at the risk of becoming lazy and non-critical. They can google anything and copy and paste an answer they may not even agree with if they actual thought critically about it. Unplugging from the internet can allow learners to become more analytical and active in their education. I like the statement Fyfe makes: “This is ‘teaching naked’ as it is meant to be understood: using technology effectively, subordinating it to the pedagogical goals of the class”. Teachers do not have to see technology as a hindrance in the classroom, rather they need to see it as an effective method for 21^st Century teaching.