Labels...

After reading ‘Decoding Digital Pedagogy, Pt. 1 and 2’ I am no longer so impressed with what digital pedagogy is. When I first heard about it two weeks ago it seemed like something new and I was so confused. At this point I still don’t know if I get what it’s about but to me it seems like what every fun and interesting teacher has been doing.

Growing-up in a family of teachers who have decades of experience there is nothing they haven’t tried. From allowing learners to YouTube for better understanding and demonstrations to building terrariums and going to the woods to understand Biology, Chemistry, Physics and geography. Never mind the countless Wiki hand outs to give a bit of popular belief and background. Asking learners to design games for PT and performing topics that I believed could not be acted out.

I agree with Morris (2013) that digital pedagogy is largely misunderstood in higher education. Personally I feel as a varsity student the closest we have gotten to realising it, is now only, in my postgraduate studies. After years of being drilled into “my way or the high way”. I’m happy for things like the flipped classroom and the odd ways we have been taught the past three weeks.  The paper tweets and drawing in English – Never thought I would ever draw in English.

Like the author I believe LMS came to soon, however I don’t think it’s a mistake. I enjoy and appreciate having my work at the click of a button and answers with the flick of my thumb. Saying it is easy is also not right – teachers put many hours into creating and putting content online. Learning from moocs is also not easy, there are some things you have to ask someone or need a better explanation that only a teacher can provide. Whether it be another online person or a video that was online since who knows when – someone made it for someone else to learn.

As Stommel(2013) says, it’s not the function  of the tools we have at our disposal but how we use them to educate at the hand of the needs of those we serve – learners. They know way more than their teachers about how to ‘hack’ technology and use it to their advantage. Be a digital pedagogue (wear that label with pride); teach by learning from your learners. What do you have? Use it in a way unimagined.