Blog 5 response

I think the Foley video touches on very important key factors that a teacher can use in the class room and that is to create a comfortable space where learners can learn and engage. The pastoral care initiative sounds like a effective method to get learners involve with sharing knowledge. I think we as future teacher have to find ways to help our learners to understand what learning is all about. Ina addition, I think gone are the days where the teacher merely presents learning material and the learner is expected to just sit there and take it all in, without using critical thinking and not making sense out of it all. The 21st century learner wants to relate to what is presented to him/ her, therefore, we as future teachers need to use all pedagogues we have to our disposal, and make it relevant, interesting and exciting. Wills suggest we use methods such as meditation or reflection with our learners, to unearth their own sense of problem solving to challenges they as learners experience. A learner is more likely to learn when he or she is confronted with difficulty and then overcome it than being told what to do in that instance. Furthermore the Vigotsky method of teaching, meaning organising learners in smaller groups, helps in this regard, for it lends the strength of peer interactions among the learners. If a learner can see he/ she is not the only struggling with a specific challenge, he/ she is more likely to share to what it is he/ she is struggling with. This feature changes the dynamic, with regards to teacher- learner dynamic, and allows for group learning and experience. In a sense the class room become the teacher's pedagogy and the learners a extension there of and visa versa. THE CLASS ROOM SHOULD BE SEEN AS A LIVING ORGANISM, WHICH CAN ADAPT AND CHANGE. Learners are more prone to learn if they feel comfortable with the method of teaching, the teacher and their fellow learners. Therefore we as future teachers should be mindful of this fact, and should allow for mediation with our learners to create a space where ideas of knowledge are not stagnant or strict but rather flexible. Knowledge comes in all shapes sizes and if we do not realize this, we may lose out on a opportunity of learning.

The Standards of critical Digital Pedagogies and the Independent Project Response

As response to the Independent Project video, I am of the opinion that it is an amazing initiative to promote learning on all levels. It shows the capabilities that can be achieved when both students and teachers work together to establish a productive educational environment. The project allows for an open debate between the learners, students and teachers and promotes an a engagement.


However this space of learning can only be achieved when all parties, such as the students, teachers and educational structures are willing to work together to promote knowledge. With that being said, what the ICT suggest makes reference to that which is being employed by the Project. A learning sphere that uses digital technologies to connect more communicants by sharing and engaging about knowledge. In addition the ICT works on the notion that everyone involve in the program have access to these pedagogies. This feature runs a risk, for in the context of South Africa, it would be very difficult to create such a program or even  to implement it. Reasons being I that in order for such a program, to work nationally, the educational structure needs to be re- evaluated. The problem is that most curricula in the country is set up in such a fashion that promotes productive and production learning, meaning that the learner acts merely at a receptive level. The teacher acts as a distributed knowledge level and all of this is based  and mark around a merit system of education.

However I do feel that if a more tech-mediated self-directed distance learning system was implemented, it would allow for more engagement and extensive connectivity  with  regards to information. That being said, the educational system needs to be updated to cater for learners with no access to these portals. In addition, an example of such initiatives would be to incorporate more facilities, such as libraries or computer labs that will allow learners to access these networks. Furthermore a joint venture needs to take place where feedback from students need to be incorporated in the evaluation and write up of curriculums. This feature shall allow for more fluidity when it comes to the teacher as student and student as teacher dynamic.

IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL MEDIA IN MY CURRICULUM

We as citizens of the 21st century are in the midst of the digital age, therefore it is expected form us as future teachers to use social media to our disposal. As future teachers, we need to adapt to the changing learning environment in schools, for students these days are very technological savvy. I think a very initiative, would be creating a website or a blogging community, wherein schools in the same area can discuss different takes on the prescribed curricular. In addition  co-ordinating teachers of schools should be able to discuss certain aspects regarding topics of engagement. Furthermore these websites or blogs should be highly regulated and control, to allow only registered learners and schools to partake in the medium. Security should be  MAIN PRIORITY. I think this avenue would serve as a great medium in establishing the overall standard and pace each school in a region is working on. Furthermore ties and relationships are forged not only academically but it can also branch out to the domains of sport and extra curricula activities. The aim is to establish a network in a specific region, where social capital can be harnessed.


Further more, I think using social media apps such as "Whatsapp", is an ideal platform to utilised, to encourage information sharing. Reasons being are: the majority of learners may not have access to pc's or laptops, but do have cell phones. Therefore their phones become a personal active device of learning, digital pedagogy. It is important however to stress the security issue, therefore "Whatsapp" is ideal, for it works of the basis of a cell phone number. Furthermore security can also be obtained by linking the phones directly to that of teachers and parents, to curb any invalid or unknown invites. Hence the need for the app to be used as a closed group, where by the administrator have the right to regulate admissions.