Reflection 1

Welcome

Hello and welcome to 'D&M's with Brad,' an educational blog where I document 'deep' and 'meaningful' revelations regarding the unit 'Digital Pedagogies in Secondary Schools.' Today I will be analysing Blogger, 'a free Web log service from Google that allows members to share text, photos and videos' (Rouse, 2013). I will also consider the classroom applications of this "soft" tool (i.e. a tool which is content free and malleable in terms of learning purposes). I believe I have extensively harnessed the full potential of Blogger, but please drop a comment below if you have anything cool to add 👇😉

Blogger: Analysis

I have spent the better part of this week immersing myself in the performance and functionality of Blogger. This user-friendly technology is largely used as a means of sharing opinions, feelings or information, to a wide audience, which is usually displayed a reverse chronological format. This means the most recent posts are the first thing one sees. Viewers are able to comment on posts which leads to an interactive and variable platform. Within the classroom, students will generate writing to a higher standard since the audience of their work is beyond the teacher.

I am surprised by how creative the interface allows its users to be; limitless personalisations and customisations of layouts, text design, and backgrounds. There is an array of preset themes which shortens the time it takes to get started with blogging, but for those who have more time on their hands, the user can toggle through to an Advanced Settings Tab whereby they can tweak his/her design to best display their personality.

As demonstrated by the blog which you are currently reading, one can embed images or video to enhance learning, or within the text, there is the option to add emojis or symbols plus the ability to link words which will take the reader to an external webpage. (Please click on this link if you need further instructions on linking). There are some extra quirky 'gadgets' which a blog creator can explore and select to use such as Google Translate, Rankings, Page Visitor Trackers, previously Archived posts, etc.

I really like the fact that although blogs are typically single-authored, Blogger (and others) have the multi-author capability. This is easily located in the settings tab where the original author can add others by email.

Home > Settings > Basic > Permissions > Blog Authors

Check out this video of multi-author blogging and how it can be used to link students/stakeholders from around the country/world.

From my experience, I would suggest that anybody can use Blogger - or other similar online tools - so long as they have access to a digital device (e.g. laptop) and the internet. It is beneficial if one is literate in typing and has a general awareness of how to navigate the internet. With the aids of online tutorials (such as the ones provided by EDSE11024) anyone, especially students, are able to use this technology to a satisfactory, workable standard. There is an abundance of blogging applications freely accessible such as:

• WordPress
• Blogger
• Weebly
• EduBlogs
• Kidsblog

Limitations of Blogger:

Through my recent (and narrow) experience with Blogger, I have identified a few limitations with this application. There is no option to share audio files via Blogger, nor Word Documents, Spreadsheets or Powerpoint presentations. However, as shown in the below screen capture, there is the possibility to integrate within the Google Suite. I have created a link to my Google Site: "D&M's with Brad." This seamless blending of online spaces - which is easy for a site navigator to access - might not be considered such a disadvantage after all.

A final consideration - which could be interpreted as a limitation - is the need for cyber awareness and online behaviour management by teachers.

Cybersafety:

With such an extensive range of capabilities, it is important for teachers to ensure students understand the dangers that online tools can bring. Blogger has a function to publish ones' location. Though with a cursory glance this would appear harmless, a student might not consider the ramifications of utilising all the functionality within this online platform. A student could ignorantly reveal which school they attend, or worse still, their home address to online predators. Another concern regarding cybersafety is that students could become so immersed in the experience of being a blogger, that they share overly personal details in the 'About Me' section. They might even upload an image of themselves in uniform. All in all, it is important that teachers communicate these risks to students so that the students remain safe. I like what Hannah W says in her reflection, "It is important before introducing these platforms to students that there has been some time spent on what is safe, ethical and legal when using technology in the classroom and beyond." Most children aren't formally educated in cyber safety, so if teachers wish to employ these technologies in the class, they must ensure the welfare of their students is monitored. When working with younger children, it would be beneficial for the teacher to compromise the accessibility of student posts to the wider online community (i.e. to "cover" the teacher). This can be easily altered in the settings of Blogger as shown in the screen capture below.

Settings > Basic > Privacy > Let search engines find your blog

Teachers can implement further restrictions/'safety nets' within the blog, forcing students to 'log-in' before reading and commenting. In her blog Breanna's DPSS, Breanna makes a comment that blog settings allow for "mediation of comments and blocking of coarse language/adult content." This is particularly useful with challenging classes (e.g. immature year 9 boys). I really liked the funky YouTube clip that Sophie Parkinson shared in her blog Sophie's DPSS, so I have decided to include it in mine. This could be a useful video for teachers to present to educate their students in Cyber Safety.

SAMR in Action!

As shared in previous blogs, and in the 'About Me' section of this blog, my subject areas of interest are mathematics and biology. Below I contextually identify how technology could be integrated into a year 8 science class using the SAMR model, supported by Bloom's Taxonomy, ICT Capabilities and the Explicit Teaching Model.

When discussing SAMR alongside Bloom's Taxonomy, it is important to note that the relationship between each model is not correspondingly sequential in design. Terminology such as 'higher order thinking skills' might confuse one's understanding of this. For example, a student could be using evaluating skills in the substitution level of SAMR, or perhaps applying skills in a redefinition context. The 'level' in one model is not representative of the 'level' of another.

Accessed at: https://bit.ly/2JTzSqZ

Substitution

Substitution is where 'technology acts as a direct substitute for the task' (Tolisano, 2014). Perhaps I am teaching about how humans are hastening the effects of climate change so rather than directly lecturing my class, I could use a blogging platform as a 'basecamp' or 'reference point' for my students to learn from. It would be interactive where I share links to key articles and videos to guide their learning. The highest level of Bloom's Taxonomy harnessed with this level of SAMR would be 'application,' however, the level of thinking will remain at 'comprehension' since students are mostly interpreting the information provided by the teacher. Since this tool is online, it is accessible anywhere in the world so students cannot use the excuse "I was sick so I missed your class." The explicit teaching model begins with "I do," which is characteristic of this stage in SAMR as the teacher is the sole source of information.

Augmentation

The phase of augmentation has 'technology [acting] as a direct tool substitute with functional improvements' (Tolisano, 2014). To further enhance student learning, I might use a blogging tool in partnership with my students (i.e. "We do" in explicit teaching model). Students can design their own blogs as a place for them to note-take and share thoughts on climate change and what they have researched. Students will note-take during the direct teaching phase of each lesson and since blogging organises posts into reverse chronological order, these notes are easily retrieved and dated. This way teachers can 'get into the heads of their students,' if you will, by their ability to read what students are thinking and to what level each student is understanding. This leads to more personalised differentiation for students leading more level-appropriate and effective teaching.

Modification

This level of the SAMR model moves into transformation within the classroom whereby 'technology allows for significant task redesign' (Tolisano, 2014). Here, this online forum becomes a living space where students can utilize blogging to collaborate and collect facts to answer extension questions. The teacher might share the below video:

The teacher could either naturally allow students to discuss the content of the video, or pose extension questions on the blog which requires collaboration. This will lead students into a deeper understanding through synthesising and evaluating others' opinions, thus developing higher order thinking skills (Collins, 2019).

Redefinition

The highest level, redefinition, brings technology into the classroom and 'allows for the creation of new tasks previously inconceivable' (Tolisano, 2014). This 'creation' corresponds to Bloom's highest level of critical thinking when used properly. There are so many new possibilities to redefine the way science is taught in the classroom. For students to appreciate the large extent by which humans are affecting climate change, I would create an extended experimental investigation (EEI) where they measure human impacts (CO2 emissions, pollution within school grounds etc) over the course of the term. During this time they will blog about their findings and share their blogs with local (or potentially national) stakeholders (21st Century Learning Approaches) such as the National Parks or Climate Action News Australia. Here students gain accurate information plus real-world feedback which they can use in their investigations. Furthermore, the class would share their information with another school conducting a similar study to discover whether a rural or urban setting has different/similar levels of affecting climate change.

Concluding Remarks

I strongly believe that teachers should be facilitators in the way they integrate technology within their classrooms. They should create learner-centred spaces that enable true, deep and engaging learning. Robert Baker, in his national report on Pedagogies and Digital Content in Australian Schools, found, 'When students are provided with digital content in technology-rich learning environments they respond positively to the new opportunities for learning and collaboration that are provided.' This understanding is key for teachers so that they realise the potential in technology and act accordingly.

References

Baker, R. (2016). Pedagogies and Digital Content in the Australian School Sector. Sydney: Education Services Australia.

Collins, R. (2019). Skills for the 21st Century: teaching higher-order thinking. Independent Schools Queensland, pp. 1-9.

EdTech Hub. (2019). SAMR for Science. Retrieved from EdTech Hub: https://sites.google.com/a/ccpsnet.net/edtechhub/tech-services/samr/samr_high_school/science#bio

Rouse, M. (2013, January). Blogger. Retrieved from WhatIs.com: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Blogger

Tolisano, S. (2014, May 23). Upgrading Blogs Through Lens of SAMR. Retrieved from Langwitches: The Magic of Learning: http://langwitches.org/blog/2014/05/23/upgrading-blogs-through-lens-of-samr/