Learning best by forgetting:

In the two readings for this week, Decoding Digital Pedagogy part one and two, I have obtained a much greater understanding of, firstly, what it means to be a pedagogue, and secondly of the nature of digital pedagogy. The readings have opened my mind to the endless possibilities when thinking as a pedagogue and how this applies to digital pedagogy.

Pedagogy is defined as a “scholarship unto itself” something that is used “wherever learning is poised to occur”. Pedagogy is synonymous with being spontaneous, innovative and momentary in the way knowledge is exchanged with the learner. It is the aim to cultivate a desire to strive for knowledge in and outside of the classroom. It is “the place where philosophy and practice meets”. It is thus, in my opinion the greatest strength a teacher can aspire to. The aim to create and distribute knowledge in innovative, engaging and meaningfully lasting ways is paramount to the future generations of our society and indeed all societies.

A pedagogue has the ability to understand the tools he or she is presented with and create new tools out of them in order to facilitate an enhanced teaching environment. How does this apply to a digital pedagogue you might be wondering? In order to answer this we must first understand the concept of digital pedagogy. A digital pedagogue is someone who uses the format of the digital in order to innovate and revolutionise it in order to create new tools for teaching. This is best achieved by forgetting about what the designer created the tool for and learning from scratch in order to innovate and evolve the tool.

An example of how a digital pedagogue fits into the world of the digital would be to inspect the LMS (learner management system). The LMS failed as a concept due to its rigidity, it did not allow for expression or innovation. Teaching is not rigid in nature, it needs to be able to change and evolve. This is why a digital pedagogue “teaches her tools, [but] doesn’t let them teach her”. The ideals of the digital pedagogue could not be possible in such a rigid framework and thus the system could not evolve.

The digital pedagogue thinks critically about their tools, how to use them, and who is able to access them. It is thus apparent that “digital pedagogy refers less to tech and more to the community tech engenders and facilitates”. Pedagogy is about creating; it is the backbone of innovative growth in teaching and thus when it applies to the realm of the digital it is not about what tech is available but how this tech can be used to enhance teaching and learning.        

 

Teaching with Digital Technology

In order to improve, in any context, we must be able to define and implement the tools in our environment. This statement is broad but serves as a useful point of departure in trying to understand how technology can be used as a tool in education.


Educating can be defined as the act of creating and enlarging knowledge in others. So how does the use of technology fit into this? Should it replace the current pedagogy of education, and, how can it be used in conjunction with current teaching methods without depleting the human aspect of teaching?


The use of digital technology does not have to even be present in the classroom. The idea of digital technology in education should be seen as a tool to guide and fuel the knowledge of the students through the creation of multiple platforms for learning, many having nothing to do with physical class time. An example of this is the notion of ‘teaching naked’. It proposes that digital tools can be completely absent from the classroom, but that they can still contribute to the classroom experience. This means that the use of digital technology should be encouraged as they can be used outside of the classroom in order to create a greater learning experience inside the classroom.


It would make sense to find a platform (tool) that can be utilised by all in order to enlarge knowledge. The use of digital technology in everyday life has exploded into many societies around the world. Does it not make sense then to use this as a tool for education? The knowledge is out there for the students to find; it takes only a few seconds to find information on the internet. Perhaps teaching them how to find credible, accurate and useful information it is a good start in the creation and enlargement of their knowledge.


The point is that in this new era of knowledge seekers, digital technology is at the forefront of knowledge acquisition. As a result, we as educators need to accept and utilise this fact. We need to use digital technologies to our benefit. Digital technology is a tool for teaching more widely and effectively and thus it needs to be utilised.