Sarah’s Blog is about …

I spent an enjoyable day yesterday at the @Bristol complex, meeting colleagues from a variety of countries (Kenya, Netherlands, US, Ireland) and backgrounds (teachers, civil servants, academics) to engage in dialogue about the ways in which technology can support learning in the 21st century.

Conference Photo

There was some really interesting stuff about immersive technologies (EcoMUVE)  from Prof. Chris Dede of the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University and although in an early phase of creation, one could easily begin to see the pedagogical thinking behind the development of such software.

And it is this, which is key. The use of technology in education needs to (and all too often doesn’t) enhance learners experiences and positively impact on learner development. Don’t use blogs in class for the sake of using the tool, do it to create critical thinking skills or to develop reflective practice. The message of purposeful technology seems to be so fundamental that I wonder why I need to bang on about it, yet at that same conference, I heard people, talking about using tools without really giving thought on how they would use these to engage learners in learning.

It is then timely that John Anderson, from the Department of Education in Northern Ireland should go on to ask in the penultimate session of the day, “What are the “right” questions which research should be asking about technology enhanced learning?” For me the answer is in finding, locating even redefining more agile and flexible pedagogies, which enable emerging technologies, irrespective of what they are, to be utilized in meaningful ways for learners. That these new pedagogies should then be articulated in accessible ways to practitioners who, dare I say it, find themselves at the chalkface with an unquantifiable number of choices before them.

Tags:   Conferences · Innovation · PedagogyNo Comments