Hello! I’m Ross and I have decided to take Digital Technologies as my optional module for the second term of first year. I would consider myself to be quite digitally literate as I have a good understanding of digital devices and the levels of communication which can be reached through using an electronic device. I chose this module as its an area of strength which I feel comfortable with but also to help gather some classroom ideas for my future career as ICT has become a large area of the Curricula used throughout education. I also chose this module due to enjoying National 5 admin 5 or 6 years ago. I find the digital world fascinating due to the evolving technology so I am looking forward to the next few weeks exploring new technology programmes which I may use throughout placements or in my own teaching career.
To have an understanding of digital technologies it is important to know and grasp its definition. Therefore, digital technologies can be defined as the terminology which is used to depict any electronic applications, resources and services which help a person find, analyse, create, communicate or use information in a digital environment. In Scotland, we have a digital learning and teaching strategy called Enhancing Learning And Teaching Through The Use Of Digital Technology (The Scottish Government, 2016) which provides local authorities with guidance surrounding the use of digital devices within the classrooms and the importance of technology on the life of the children but also of the teachers. This provides our schools with an aim for the use of digital technologies through the 4 key objectives. These are:
- Develop the skills of our educators.
- Improve Access
- Enhance Curriculum and Assessment Delivery.
- Empower leaders of change.
Each of these objectives helps to create a classroom where digital technologies are used in every curricular area and also helping those who may not have access to digital devices within the household environment.
The government have expressed their concern over this area due to the children coming into the classroom already being “Digitally Native” (Prensky, 2001) This means that the children already have a great understanding of the digital technologies that they will be using to further their education. However, that is not to say that all children are digitally native as many have different upbringings and may not have the correct equipment. This is why the government believes it strategy helps to fix the attainment gap in Scotland as they believe that children gaining these opportunities in school helps them to be equal and helps the children foster the creativity, ambition and interest. Also, not all teachers can be described as digitally literate individuals and also need help to improve their skills which this strategy will cover. It can also lead to more engagement within the classroom and also motivates the children to complete tasks which is a great benefit to this strategy. However, I disagree to an extent about their idea that it fixes the attainment gap as many schools use programmes such as class dojo and sumdog which require an electronic device at home to participate. Surely this means that there have to be restrictions for the document. Overall, I think the document in place is fantastic as it shows that our country is matching the digital needs of the children within the modern day classroom.
Throughout the module, we will be covering a variety of topics which I am excited about as I have not worked with programmes and devices in particular areas. These topics are:
- Programming and Coding
- Interactivity and Multimodality
- Games-based Learning
- Movie Making
- Animation
- eBooks and Mobile Devices
- Internet Safety
- Outdoor Learning
- QR Codes.
I look forward to exploring the world of digital technology and hope to learn many new skills which will help me throughout the university and also within the classroom. I hope to learn about new programmes which will help to create future lesson plans incorporating the experiences and outcomes from the Curriculum for Excellence document but I also look forward to an enjoyable module where I can cooperate with peers and write my thoughts and feelings throughout this reflective blog.
This module is going to provide me with lots of new information about digital technology and I cannot wait to see what is in store over the next few months.
References within this post:
Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants MCB University Press.
Scottish Government. (2016) A Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Government [Online] Available at: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00505855.pdf [Accessed: 7 January 2019].
