Teaching with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) presents a digital pedagogy that encourages teachers to integrate modern technology in classrooms and achieve the best learning environment for students. As technology is constantly improving, new trends are increasingly appearing in our everyday lives. The latest generations, who are most likely introduced to technology at an early age, expect to use new ICT trends in the classroom the same way they use new technologies at home. It is an important job for teachers to ensure that the ICT used in classrooms fit in with the modern technological world we currently live in. New ICT that have been introduced as a learning resource include laptops, iPads and Interactive Whiteboards. Laptops are useful for searching the internet, typing up documents using word or excel, making powerpoints and are easy to transport from home to school. I personally use a Macbook Pro laptop, made by Apple, and it is fantastic for easy use, using Microsoft Office software, printing and transportation. On the downside, they are quite expensive and not as easy to move around as an iPad/tablet. iPads are easy moving, lightweight, user-friendly and accommodate recreational and educational resources using the Apple app store. Visiting online sites, typing documents, listening to music, taking photos, reading e-books and using apps are all acceptable with the Ipad. According to Howell, the benefits of an iPad are that students aren’t restricted to one place, it can be used in a variety of group settings and it improves fine and gross motor skills (2012, p. 101). A con for students using laptops or iPads in the classroom is that these devices can’t be effectively shared between more then two people. This prohibits group discussions. The Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) has been one of the biggest technological changes to learning tools. It is a large interactive screen that connects to a computer and projector. The projector projects the computer desktop to the IWB display that is controlled by the user with a stylus, pen or their finger. IWBs can run software that is connected to the computer, write notes like a traditional whiteboard that can later be saved and emailed to the students, used by multiple students at the same time, search the internet and accommodate classroom response systems. I believe the IWBs are a huge revolution to technology in the classroom. Long gone are the days where teachers stand in front of the class writing notes on the traditional whiteboards while students copy down notes on paper. With modern learning tools, teachers can use IWBs to display pre-planned powerpoints and interactive slides or write notes during class which can be typed up later and emailed to students or posted on a classroom wiki. The boards are easy to use and content can be easily manipulated or edited during class as new ideas are raised. The pre-planned lesson or class notes can be saved and accessed later instead of having to write notes from the previous lesson on the whiteboard again. IWBs are suitable for students of all ages, including those with special needs. As well as teaching the lesson content, they improve teacher and student ICT skills and encourage class and/or group discussion. In 2010, Kent described an example of an activity using an IWB that encourages group discussion “Students label each of the NATO or Warsaw Pact countries according to their strategic importance. This allows the teacher to ask questions that encourage class discussion” (p.18). Activities on IWBs can encourage group or class discussions that are not possible with a traditional whiteboard. Using the pen to move objects or text around the board, editing images, watch embedded videos or listening to sound files can start discussions by involving the students in ways that are only offered with ICT. Using the IWB as a tool encourages the use of other forms of technology such as Youtube, online games, email, sound files and photo editing websites. These forms of technology act as learning resources besides a textbook or a whiteboard full of notes. Finger states “ICT are at the core of learning and teaching in the 21^st century. Queensland’s future depends on how successfully we integrate ICT into the curriculum and daily learning and teaching” (2007, pg. 110). I strongly agree with Finger; teaching and learning with ICT are essential to keeping students of the 21^st century interested in education and motivated to study. We need technology like IWBs, laptops, iPads and mobile phones in school classrooms and tertiary environments to broaden our ways of teaching and learning while keeping up with the developing modern world. On the other hand, there are some cons of teaching with an IWB. The boards can’t be moved around the classroom like an iPad or laptop, the systems are expensive and if technology faults, the pre-planned lesson can’t be used. Some additional pros and cons of IWBs are presented on this website for further interest: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/Interactivewhiteboards.pdf

ICT will shape the future of education. Students can lead group discussions with the interactive whiteboard while other students take notes on their iPad or laptops and post questions on a class wiki. With a digital pedagogy, the possibilities to new ways of teaching are limitless.       

This is an example of a sound file that can be embedded into an IWB slide and used for a year 8 French class. Students can then go on to making their own sound files using iPads or laptops and later email them to the teacher who can embed them into the IWB slide. 

French Sound File Blog post 1.mp3 (68782)

Image: Students using an IWB - https://www.datanetworks.com/events/Newsletter/Pages/vii_prod_InteractiveWhiteboards.aspx

Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT: Digital Pedagogies for Collaboration and Creativity. Victoria: Oxford University Press

Kent, P. (2010). Promoting Intellectual Quality with an IWB. South Yarra: Macmillan Education Australia     

Finger, G. (2007). ICT planning issues and ideas: How do teachers plan for ICT intergration and for transforming learning with ICT? NSW: Pearson Education Australia     

A wiki is a form of ICT that can be used in an educational setting inside and outside the classroom. It is a website that is developed and collaboratively edited by a group of people. It interacts peers and teachers over the internet as they reply to each other’s posts, links, images and questions. According to Maloy, 96% of kids aged 9 to 17 use social networking technologies (2011, pg. 210). By using a technology so popular and common to most school-aged children, it is more likely they will enjoy using it as a way of learning. Having a class wiki encourages collaborative learning. Collaboration is the act of working with one or more people in order to achieve something (Teehan 2010, pg. 9). Wikis are a form of collaborative learning because they enhance the communication between teachers and peers, provide an opportunity for students to share information, discuss new ideas and build on other students knowledge. Collaborative learning is an important teaching tool because it allows the students to learn off each other and lead discussions as opposed to the teacher. Using a wiki teachers can post class notes, discovery missions, homework questions, assessment details and web links to online resources. This means that students can access information out of school hours and easily contact teachers and other peers. Maloy makes a good point when he states “The idea of a wikitext is a promising new instructional model. Students are put in decision making roles, becoming not only readers and writers, but also editors and collaborators” (2011, pg.230). A wiki promotes students to read, write and collaborate with other peers and teachers by responding to posts and suggesting other ideas. Teehan also supports my view that wikis enhance the communication process (2010, pg. 3). An example of a productive way to use a class wiki is for the students and teacher to share online resources that may correspond to what they are learning in the classroom. The link that follows is from an educational game website that is an example of what could be posted on a class wiki for primary students. Instead of handing the students a worksheet to take home and do, this addition game could be posted on the wiki and used as a homework activity. https://funschool.kaboose.com/formula fusion/games/game_dr_brains_robot.html

Wikis can have a great impact on teacher-student collaboration. If the teacher regularly monitors the wiki and posts resources, questions and information it is likely that the students will respond and use the wiki as a sharing and communication tool effectively. The advantage of sharing and collaborating information between the teacher and students is that education is strengthened through the use of ICT that continues to improve.

Image: Online game weblink

Maloy, R.W. (2011). Communicating and Networking with Websites Blogs Wikis and more. USA: Pearson Education

Teehan, K. (2010). Wikis: The Educators Power Tool. California: Linworth 

Digital Storytelling is a creative form of ICT that can be effectively used in the classroom. A digital storybook is a collection of digital images placed in a specific order with audio to create a mini movie. It allows the user to become artistic and hands-on by using technological software and images rather then writing an essay. Microsoft Movie Maker, Imovie, photo story and powerpoint are all forms of software that can create a digital storybook. They provide a technology-based replacement for writing assessment and examinations. By using digital storybook software students learn how to use new ways of technology, different formats for stories, new uses and editing programs for images and new ways to display information (Howell 2012, pg. 96). A multimedia digital story is likely to capture the attention of students and increase their interest during class or for assessment. Teachers who create their own digital story and use it as a teaching tool in the classroom will find that it is not only helpful in engaging the students but promotes class discussion and makes complicated topics more understandable (Robin 2009, pg. 222). It is important that teachers use new and creative forms of technology as a teaching and learning device because the use of technology is so common to modern day students that writing assessment with literary devices is becoming less appealing. Using digital storytelling teaches many different skills including: (Robin 2009, pg. 224).

1. Digital literacy – communication with the community to discuss issues and gather information
2. Global literacy – ability to read, interpret and write from a global perspective
3. Technology literacy – ability to use computers and other forms of technology
4. Visual literacy – ability to understand and interpret images
5. Information literacy – ability to find and evaluate information            

Using digital storytelling in the classroom can be useful in a few different ways that allow the students to go beyond expectations and be as creative as they wish to be! Creating a personal narrative, stories that inform or instruct, stories of historical events, reviews and a collection of works are just some of the different ways a storybook can be used. Digital storytelling encourages the use of other forms of ICT such as audio recordings, soundtracks, visual additions and photo editing. I have experienced seeing a digital storybook used by a student for their media assignment where they created a music video by putting together different segments of footage accompanied by audio. In their opinion, creating a digital storybook is more intellectually stimulating because it involves new technology and creative ways of learning how to edit, gather information, compile images or footage and display assessment. If students are given the opportunity to present their assessment as a written, oral or in storybook form it allows them to choose the presentation that they feel are most motivated by and comfortable to use. Robin states “digital storytelling can be a potent learning experience that encompasses much of what society hopes that students will know and be able to perform in the 21^st century” (2009, pg. 224). As technology is becoming more and more the centre of everyday life, digital storytelling teaches young students the skills that are expected of them in 21^st century lifestyle such as using computers, creating presentations and critiquing their own work. Digital storytelling is an important learning tool for the present and future. It is a perfect option for students who don’t want to write assessment and instead present their information in a creative way. It is especially great for subjects like media, the arts and history where digital storytelling can be used to display historical information in history, a video story in media and show a compilation of artworks in media, to name a few examples. It teaches students important skills for the future like how to use new technologies and how to create an appealing presentation that could be presented to work colleagues.     

 www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKZiXR5qUlQ

Howell, J. (2012) Teaching with ICT: Digital Pedagogies for Collaboration and Creativity. Victoria: Oxford University Press

Robin, B. (2009). Digital Storytelling: a powerful technology tool for the 21st century classroom, Theory into Practice. London: Taylor & Francis   

Social constructivism is one of the theories of knowledge that derive from the list of behaviourism, social learning, constructivism and social constructivism (Yilmzas 2008, pg. 161). Social Constructivism is concerned with enabling individuals to learn through interaction, collaboration and experiences (Rogers 2012, pg. 175). Vygotski, the founder of social constructivism, believed that social interaction is important because learning is based on student interaction with others in the class and the critical thinking process. (Powell 2009, pg. 243). The three major aspects of social constructivism are: (Howell 2010, pg. 23).

1. Social interaction
2. Learning from an individual who has a better understanding e.g. a teacher or another peer
3. All learning occurs within the “Zone of Proximal Development” which is a learners ability to understand and perform a task without the help and supervision of someone else

In the classroom, student discussions are associated with the learning theory of social constructivism. When students collaborate with other peers, they follow the three major aspects of social constructivism by interacting with others, learning from those who have knowledge on the topic and understanding the topic as an individual. According to Watson, social constructivism in the classroom encourages the interaction of pupils, peer initiative to lead group discussions, sharing resources and understandings of the topic and informing the teacher of group conclusions. (2001, pg. 143-144). Using ICT such as IWBs and wikis encourage group and class collaboration which allow the students to learn through social constructivism. An example of social constructivism in the classroom is giving a webquest to students to work on in groups. A webquest (discovery mission) is where the teacher starts the students along a path before the students take the lead role in researching and self-learning the topic (O’Shea & Kidd 2013, pg. 1). Rogers states “learners should be enabled to construct their own meanings and understandings within the academic or profession field” (2012, pg. 175). I believe it is important that teachers enable students to use social constructivism as a learning theory. However, it is equally important that other learning theories are practiced so that class discussions are alternatively lead by peers and the teacher. By doing so, the students can learn to interpret and understand information from the teacher in addition to collaborating with peers in a social constructivist setting. Social constructivism is an important learning tool for 21^st century learning environments. It teaches students how to lead discussion and interact with peers. These are important skills to learn for the workforce.          

Image: https://socialmedia4444.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/social-constructivism.png

Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT: Digital Pedagogies for Collaboration and Creativity. Victoria: Oxford University Press

O'Shea, P & Kidd, J. (2013). DiscoveryMissions: An Educational Tool for Web 2.0. R. McBride & M. Searson (Eds.) Retrieved from <https://www.editlib.org.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/p/48744> 

Powell, K & Kalina, C.J (2009). Cognitive and Social Constructivism: Developing Tools for an Effective Classroom. Retrieved from

Rogers, G. (2012). Applying Theory to Educational Research. Adams, J & Cochrane, M (Eds.) Oxford: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Watson, J. (2001). Social Constructivism in the Classroom. Retrieved from  

Yilmaz, K. (2008). Constructivism: Its Theoretical Underpinnings, Variations and Implications for Classroom Instruction. Retrieved from    

The range of digital technologies has been rapidly increasing in the last decade. It has had a huge impact on education and the learning tools available to access resources, assess student work and new ways to display and record information. With new technologies like IWBs, laptops and Ipads, the range of ICT to use in classrooms is greater then it has ever been before. There are many different forms of technology that can be used to assess student work as an alternative to written essays and exams. Some of the most effective forms of assessment using ICT are as follows:

1. The digital camera or video camera can be used to film and take images for visual additions to a multimedia assignment. They can be used to take images for a photostory or film segments for a mini-movie.
2. Digital storybooks are a compilation of digital images, placed in order with audio narration (Howell 2012, pg. 94). They can be created using photostory, movie maker or imovie software. Digital storytelling can be used as assessment by creating a storybook that tells of a personal narrative, a form of presentation and a storybook that examines historical content. Students can use storytelling in an oral presentation as a background visual that supports the main ideas of the topic with images, videos and texts. Digital storytelling is good for students who are less comfortable speaking in front of the class and more motivated to complete assessment in a creative, hands-on manner.
3. Prezi and powerpoint are presentation software that are great learning tools if used effectively. There are some common mistakes when creating a powerpoint that can erase the visual effect such as an overuse of text and slide animations. However, if used correctly, prezi and powerpoint are great for displaying images, text, videos and hyperlinks in a creative way (Howell, 2012, pg.154-155). Prezi and powerpoint can be used for assessment by presenting images or information, the results of a webquest, a summary of a group discussion or reviews on resources.
4. Blogs are websites that act like an online journal. The user can write about anything they wish, whether personal or professional, and can include text, images, videos and other multimedia (Kent & Campbell 2013, pg. 34-35). They can be used as an assessment item by having the students create a blog about a selected topic that is accompanied by forms of multimedia. Blogs are a form of formative assessment. Formative assessment involves sharing criteria, questioning, teacher feedback and self-evaluation (Simmons & Hawkins 2009, pg.137).
5. Wikis are websites that allow the user to post comments, edit and make changes to the content. They are generally created and maintained by a group of people who collaboratively work together to manage the site (Kent & Campbell 2013, pg.35-36). Educational wiki websites such as www.wikispaces.com and www.wetpaint.com allow the teacher to create a safe web page only accessible to students. They can be used for note taking, sharing resources and student-teacher contact. Wikis can be used for assessment by having the students post group discussion notes, images or a weblink.
6. Social networking sites can be creatively used as an assessment resource. Although there are aspects of using social networking sites that need to be carefully considered beforehand such as addressing online safety and the permission of parents (Howell 2012, pg.158). Two of the current popular social networking sites, facebook and twitter, can be used as a class webpage to submit assessment material. On facebook, a class discussion page can be created using the ‘groups’ or ‘pages’ tool. It can be used to share book reviews, participate in polls, share multimedia and submit a class activity. (Kent & Campbell 2013, p.37-38). Twitter can be set up so that the teacher has an account that the students ‘follow’ to create a class twitter group. It can be used for collaboration between students on assessment topics and reviews.
7. Learner response systems (LRS) are voting systems that allow students to respond to a question that the teacher asks using a computer, laptop or mobile. They are good to use for student-teacher feedback and allow the quiet students of the class to have the opportunity to express their ideas without addressing it to the whole class. The LRS can be used for a quiz, survey or student comprehension on a topic (Kent & Campbell 2013, pg. 40).

The mentioned forms of assessment using ICT are just a few of the wide range of possibilities. Howell says “Students like technology, they enjoy using technology and they find learning tasks that involve technology are more engaging and motivating” (2012, pg.13). By using ICT in the classroom, in particular for assessment, it will encourage the students to be creative and motivate them to do their best using new ways of technology that they can continue to use in the future. Effective use of technology in schools will ensure learning is fun and engaging. 

Image: iMovie Screenshot 

Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT: Digital Pedagogies for Collaboration and Creativity. Victoria: Oxford University Press

Kent, P & Campbell, C. (2013). Assessment for Teaching Today. South Yarra: Macmillan Education Australia

Simmons, C & Hawkins, C. (2009). Teaching ICT. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

mLearning is any sort of learning that occurs with mobile technologies such as smartphones, iPads, laptops, ebooks and iPods. They enable users to learn with a device that is easily transportable and has many functions (Howell 2012, p.140). iPods and iPhones are new learning tools that are becoming more multi-functional as technology develops. Some current classroom functions of the iPhone and iPod are:

1. Access to the Apple App store, which offers a range of educational apps for all ages that are fun and resourceful. Apps can be used to assist students with typing documents, finding information and learning tools. An example of some educational apps are dictonaries, translators, thesaurus, googledocs, youtube etc. 
2. Corresponds to other learning tools such as wikis, blogs and LRS. The mobile devices can be used with the learner response system by texting or messaging through the software. Using the LRS with mobile phones or iPods, students will keep engaged and are more likely to participate in answering questions from the teacher and offering responses   
3. With access to the wireless internet, iPods and iPhones can search the internet and connect to a class wiki or blog site
4. Mobile learning devices can easily share documents. The notes application on these devices can be used by students to type class notes, than shared to other peers using email or applications such as ‘bump’ that transfer documents or images with the touch of two devices.

Dale & Pymm claim “The iPod can be used for playing music, for use as a portable hard drive, for displaying pictures and recording audio” (Dale & Pyym 2009, pg. 86).  As technology continues to grow the functions of mobile learning will increase in classrooms. Using the iPod and iPhone enable educators to generate new and interesting learning opportunities.                

See mobile learning in practice: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCQsnt3rDvk