Week 4 Reflection

"Why do you think digital technologies have been put into schools?"

Digital technologies have been introduced to schools for multiple reasons including the requirement to meet policy and curriculum mandates, to enhance pedagogical practices, and increase equitable access to education. MCEETYA and MCVTE in 2008 announced that “AUSTRALIA will have technology enriched learning environments” which will result in “high quality learning outcomes” and result in students who will “productively contribute to our society and economy” (Thomson, 2008. P. 1). This requirement is reflected in the ACARA Curriculum V9 general capability Digital Literacy which incorporates the teaching and practice of digital literacies into the “context of learning areas” across the curriculum (ACARA a). The aim is for students to gain the digital literacy to “create, manage, communicate and investigate data, information and ideas; and solve problems” in the classroom and future workplace environments (ACARAb, p. 1.). Digital technologies have also been introduced into classrooms to increase access and equity for all students, not only those with access to traditional classroom settings or “limited by [their] location’ or personal circumstances such as poor physical or mental health (Education Qld, 2024, p. 7). They also provide access to resources, experts, peers outside the classroom and “an audience beyond the teacher” for their work (Henderson, 2013, p. 5).

Finally, digital technologies have been introduced into classrooms to improve and diversify pedagogical practices. Technologies alone “do not, of themselves, improve learning” (DAG, 2012, p.17.). Nor do they “fix” an underdeveloped pedagogy “or compensate for inadequate practices” (Lim, 2013, p. 62). However, digital technologies do provide a framework for a pedagogical practice of collaboration, student agency and engagement. Littlejohn reports that this is also made possible because the ACARA curriculum is collaborative” and “creative” because it considers the opportunities for technology in student learning” (Littlejohn, 2016, p.62.). Collaborative work is also enhanced students use “inquiry-based practices” technological tools” to solve real life and authentic problems (Sinha, 2015, p. 1.). Hence, digital technologies are here to stay in the classroom and as a result teachers and schools must adapt their teaching to embrace them to ensure students have the digital literacy skills required to “productively contribute to our society and economy (Thomson, 2008, p. 1).

Bibliography

Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARAa). Understand this general capability -Digital Literacy, https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/curriculum-information/understand-this-general-capability/digital-literacy#accordion-c9572d090a-item-788a28502b .

Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARAb). Digital Literacy development background paper, Digital Literacy development background paper .

Digital Education Advisory Group (DAG). 2012. Beyond the classroom: a new digital education for young Australians in the 21st century, https://www.education.gov.au/download/1357/digital-education-advisory-group-final-report/1374/document/pdf .

Education Queensland. (2024). Equity and Excellence in action: Digital innovation in teaching and learning, https://education.qld.gov.au/initiativesstrategies/equityexcellence/digital-innovation-in-teaching-learning/Documents/digital-innovation-teaching-learning.pdf . 

Henderson, M., Snyder, I., & Beale, D. (2013). Social Media for collaborative learning: A review of school  literature, Australian Educational Computing, 28(2), http://journal.acce.edu.au/index.php/AEC/article/view/18/PDF .

Lim, C. P., Zhao, Y., Tondeur, J., Chai, C. S., & Tsai, C., (2013). Bridging the Gap: Technology Trends and Use of Technology in Schools, In Journal of Educational Technology & Society , Vol. 16, No. 2, Grand Challenges and Research Directions in e-Learning of the 21th Century, pp. 59-68, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/jeductechsoci.16.2.59 .

Littlejohn, C., & Hunter, J. (2016). Messy or not: the role of education institutions in leading successful applications of digital technology in teaching and learning, Australian Educational Leader, vol 38, no. 3:62, pp 62-65, https://search-informit-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/abs/10.3316/aeipt.215492 .

Sinha, S., Rogat, T. K., Adams-Wiggens, K., & Hmelo0Silver, C. E. (2015). Collaborative group engagement in a computer-supported inquiry learning environment, Intern. J. Comput.-Support. Collab. Learn, vol 10, pp273–307, DOI 10.1007/s11412-015-9218-y .

Thomson, S. (2015). Policy insights: Australian students in a digital world, Australian Council for Educational Research, https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=policyinsights .