Overall, I found that the articles detailed the components that drive pedagogy in day and age that we are teaching. A lot of which I read is currently adopted by my school system and emphasized on a regular basis. For example, each of the articles emphasized the idea that we do not want students to simply be able to regurgitate simple processes or information, but instead be able to reach a level of deep understanding (as a part of Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain) so that they may gain the skills to problem solve their way into being creative and collaborative individuals. One of the articles specifically discussed how learning goals, feedback, and collaboration help us to be able to reach that level of demand. The intentionality behind planning a lesson must involve the depth of the lesson and needs of each individual student, especially when it comes to technology being used as a purposeful integrated tool.
This is most proactively done by understanding the importance of teacher-student relationships and students knowing that you care about them in order to work proactively alongside the students. The largest problem is that most of the new pedagogies don’t necessarily have a way of measuring deep learning outcomes. I noticed that these articles found a way to each relate to technology in the classroom or digital literacy as a whole. The idea is that the term literacy has evolved over the years, but digital and media literacy remain an essential component of citizenship. Now more so than ever, the ability to access information and acquire skills to make wise and responsible decisions for themselves is imperative for students. This can be done in a number of ways in the classroom, but the intent is to integrate current events or news into the curriculum so that students have the opportunity to do so.
I love that digital literacy lends itself to reaching higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. You pointed out that in order successfully integrate technology into the curriculum teachers have to know the needs of their students, and I agree with this point. My school system is good about making sure its teachers have access, training, and familiarity with various technologies and platforms. Even still, sometimes it feels overwhelming trying to decide which tools to use in the classroom. This is why strong teacher-student relationships are important. Understanding the needs of your students makes it easier to determine which technologies will be best suited in your classroom.
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