Theories
of Critical Thinking
The
theories of Deep Learning, Bloom's Taxonomy, the Diffusion of Innovations, and
the Types of Adopters affect my coworkers and I, often, through the introduction
of new technology within the Learning Management System (LMS) and its use by teachers
in their corresponding LMS courses. I work as a system administrator in higher
education in collaboration with instructional designers, teachers, and administration.
We provide technological advancements through introduction of new applications to
improve the online learning experience. Rarely a day goes by that we are not aiding
an instructor in the use of technology. The university continues to invest in
new technology, but our department has seen firsthand that “simply purchasing
the latest digital technologies does not necessarily lead to the acquisition of
digital and media literacy competencies” (Hobbs, 2011). Our department is
needed to help administration and instructors move past focusing on the tools only
into how to use the tools “to promote critical thinking, creativity, and
communication and collaboration skills” (Hobbs, 2011).
In
relation to the introduction of new technology at a larger scale, we have seen
firsthand the adoption process as we recently changed to a new video recording
and editing solution for the university. Our department began planning the
transition a year in advance and offered training sessions on how to use the
new platform for over 6 months. Innovators and early adopters attended the
first couple of sessions and were quick to discover the relative advantage of
the new solution over the previous one. Inasmuch, they wanted to understand the
solution’s compatibility and complexity. Thankfully, the adoption rate increased
with each training session, and we experienced widespread adoption before the
start of the fall semester. However, we did encounter laggards, or according to
Rogers, those “oriented to the past”, calling for help days before the semester
started and requiring special assistance (Rogers, 1963).
In
terms of digital/information literacy for new technology, we are confronted,
almost daily, with digital risks associated with protecting student personal
information with LMS integrations from various software companies. There is always
a teacher with a new “app” that may or may not perform better than its competitors.
Our department vets these new applications through a lengthy approval process in
conjunction with the Registrar’s Office and Information Technology to minimize
digital risks, to include ensuring Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
and security compliance.
Many
higher education teachers are subject matter experts with no awareness or vested
interest in deep learning. They want to remain passive content disseminators
instead of differentiating instruction and meeting the needs of individual
students and their learning styles. In deep learning “Teaching shifts from
focusing on covering all required content to focusing on the learning process,
developing students’ ability to lead their own learning and to do things with
their learning” (Fullan & Langworthy, 2014). Additionally, many higher
education instructors do not have education backgrounds and are not experienced
with incorporating the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy to develop learning outcomes.
Our department works closely with administration and teachers to incorporate
new technologies while still promoting deep learning, assisting with
digital/information literacy, and applying the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy.
References
Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. (2014). A rich seam: How new pedagogies find
deep learning. London: Pearson. Retrieved from https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/global/Files/about-pearson/innovation/open-ideas/ARichSeamEnglish.pdf
Hobbs, R. (2011). Empowering learners with
digital and media literacy. Knowledge Quest, 39(5), 12-17. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Rogers, E. M. (1963). The adoption process II. Journal of Cooperative Extension, 1(2), 69-
75. Retrieved from https://archives.joe.org/joe/1963summer/1963-2-a2.pdf
What grade do you teach and do you have rebellion from older staff members when it comes to technology? Having your whole department approve the app is a great way to ensure students are not pushed in the wrong direction. Working with your administrations is a great way to stay on top of the current shift in technology when it comes to teaching. Make sure the administration has your best interest as well when it comes to technology for the students.
ReplyDeleteHello, Rico. Thank you for the comment on my blog post. I do not currently teach, but I do encounter higher education faculty members who are not as welcoming to new technology or changes in technology. It does seem like older instructors find it more difficult to adopt new technology and instructional methods to support a new era of teaching. I think one of the reasons is that it displaces them from their comfort zone and challenges them in a different way than what comes naturally to them.
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