Fundamental to education is the “3Rs”:

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Arithmetic

In this task we where briefly introduced to a number of different tools for using technology to aid in developing literacy and numeracy. For numeracy and mathematics we saw:

  • Mathletics
  • Mathsonline
  • Geogebra
  • Gapminder

For english and literacy we looked at:

  • Turn-it-in
  • Word
  • Schmoop

We had three questions to reflect and post responses too, these are included in my post to the discussion board, which follows:

Question 1: Should ICT be considered as important as the 3 R’s?

I’m not sure what the current state of the field is, but I think both are important. It also comes down to how you interpret the 3 R’s to some degree — as Jarrod said, there is also now “Digital Literacy”, do you include that in the literacy component of the 3 R’s? I think ICT is important, but I also think “the basics”: arithmetic, writing with pens/ pencils, etc. are important as well, and I think that some kind of balance should be found between both. Where exactly that balance should be, I don’t feel qualified to say.

Question 2: Program Review

Geogebra is fantastic in explaining/ teaching maths. I’ve used it twice in my MTeach degree already! Once in an earlier ICT task, and once in a task for Senior Mathematics Curriculum and Methodology to make an educational video. It can be used to create an interactive task for students where they can play with functions and geometry, and it can be used to demonstrate ideas like how i demonstrate that angles subtended by the same arc are equal in my video.

Question 3: Shift in Pedagogy?

In some ways I think the role of the teacher has changed as we move from an industrial age to an information age, but in many ways I think the fundamental role of the teacher has stayed the same. The content being taught and the methods for teaching are changing. In many ways the purpose of the teacher is the same: to help educate and prepare students for life in our society. Society has changed, and so what the students need to learn has changed. On the other hand the role of the teacher has changed from the source of information to a curator and guide through information, but I see these changes as reflections of the changes in our society, not changes in the purpose of teaching. So I would say that the role of the teacher has changed dramatically in terms of the approach to teaching and the activities undertaken in the course of teaching, but that the role of the teacher has stayed very constant in terms of it’s underlying purpose, motivation, and goals.

Note: APST standards linked are as specified by Jarrod Johnson (who ran the ICT component).