Tuesday 8th January 2019
Welcome to the first day of my Digital Technologies module. This is not a core module within the BA1 Education programme, it was a module option which I chose before starting the course. I chose this module as I feel I have some skills within digital technology, but I do not feel confident enough in advising or teaching other people how to use certain types of technology. I believe as a teacher you should possess a vast range of knowledge and confidence in all areas within the curriculum, thus allowing you to be a successful educator.
The lecture started off with us finding out what is expected of us within the module and the assessment criteria. The lecturer also directed us to relevant books and reading, which will help us throughout the module. We also discussed the extra work that is required of us out with the lectures and if we want to perform well within this module, we must put the extra work in. This is something I am prepared for and look forward to being involved in. I am also excited to discover more about digital technologies and how it will benefit me in becoming a good teacher.
We also completed a self-assessment wheel. This comprised of us personally reflecting on how confident we are within certain areas of digital technology and also highlight our strengths and areas of improvement. As I said before I feel I have some skills and understanding of digital technology, however once completing the self-assessment wheel I realised I have not heard or seen half of the devices before. Resulting in me feeling slightly overwhelmed about the thought of working with these pieces of equipment, although looking at the course content I feel more at ease as these are going to be looked at in depth and we can personally test them within the module. Allowing me to explore the devices within class will hopefully help me build my confidence and allow me to use them successfully within the classroom when the time comes.
Before the lecture we were asked to read a document from the Scottish Government. The document is a new strategy that has been implemented by the Government to help enhance and promote the use of technology within Scottish classrooms and to ensure every teacher and school are equipped and knowledgeable enough to teach within this area of the curriculum. The Scottish Government believe that improving technology within the classroom will help close the attainment gap and achieve equity for every child. Allowing technology to play a large part in the classroom, allows schools to develop children’s ability to become more digitally literate in an ever-expanding digitised world. It opens doors for parents also, as it allows parents who have negative experiences within a school setting to still communicate successfully with their child’s school and feel part of their education experience. (Scottish Government, 2016)
Overall, I really enjoyed the first lesson and believe it is an area of the course that is really going to benefit me in my teaching career. It has helped me identify my main areas for concern and where I need to build my knowledge within the module.
Deborah ♥
References:
Scottish Government. (2016). A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Government [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/enhancing-learning-teaching-through-use-digital-technology/pages/2/. [Accessed: 05 January 2019].
