Teaching and Learning in a
Digital Age
Sue Watling
Festival of Teaching and Learning
June 2014
Digital Education Plan
• The University will…
– ‘……promote the wider and more creative
use of the VLE and other technologies for
enhancing and enriching students’
education.’
– Promote OER
– Develop digital literacies
Educational Development and
Enhancement Unit - EDEU
–Continuity of support for Blackboard
–Extension of support for content and
activity development on Blackboard
–Support for online communication
through Blackboard Collaborate
–Opportunities for digital teacher
education and continuing and
professional development
Myth of technological determinism
e-learning will:
• cut costs
• increase efficiency
• do more for less
• be intuitive
• user friendly
• enhance learning
• transform education
Not everyone…
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has a smart phone
uses track changes
manages their email
knows about html view
optimises images
chats online
uses a webcam
works with wikis
blogs …or tweets…
Image from http://edutech4teachers.edublogs.org/files/2012/07/digital-footprint-1beuk2c.png
SCONUL
• Seven Pillars of information literacy through a
digital lens
http://www.sconul.ac.uk/publication/digitalliteracy-lens
• Criteria to Identify, Scope, Plan, Gather,
Evaluate, Manage and Present digital
information.
JISC Developing Digital Literacies
• http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/digital-literacies/
Myth of the Digital Native
Image from http://babyurl.net/names/baby-domain-name/establishing-a-babys-digital-identity-by-registering-their-domain-name
Digital literacies
• CIBER research into the
information behaviour
of young people
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/progr
ammes/reppres/gg_final_keynote_11012008.p
df
• e-learning
• e-teaching
Teaching and Learning in a Digital Age
(TELEDA)
• 30 credit Postgraduate short course
• Emerged from Embedding OER Practice; HEA
Change Academy programme oer.lincoln.ac.uk
• Learning Blocks include online design,
communication, collaboration, assessment,
feedback and intro to open ed
• Encourages critical reflection on practice
through Blackboard Journal tool
• Assessment by eportfolio
After TELEDA – EDEU futures
• TELEDA 2: social media and e-resources approved
• Both courses to be validated as PG Cert in Digital
Education
• TELEDA led to development of online workshops
• Unaccredited, typically lasting 3 weeks
• Include: discussion forums, journals, working with
wikis and introducing OER and MOOC
• Stress on developing digital literacies and
pedagogic practice
Advantages
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Experiential learning
Repositioning staff as students
Research informed and engaged
Situated within wider sphere of social impact of
the internet on higher education
Introduces pedagogical concepts like ABC Model
(Activity Based Content)
Includes eportfolios
Promotes holistic digital literacies
Accreditation
Disadvantages
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Doesn’t reach everyone
Digitally shy less likely to join in online
Can reinforce existing prejudices
Can produce resistance
Can create a community of dislike for elearning
in general and Blackboard in particular
• Requires time and commitment
• Digital engagement not currently rewarded
• am finding that doing this course online is useful
in enabling me to identify with the way students
navigate information on blackboard
• I think I need to simplify some of my blackboard
information and make more use of
announcements and site links to show students
where to find information
• . I think adopting the role of student is a useful
experience as it reminds me of the pressures
involved in studentship and enables greater
empathy to students and their experiences.
• I have not used sign up before with my
students and think this might be a useful tool
in the future to get students into self selected
groups.
• I have largely used [Blackboard] as a ‘read
only’ site and have not really designed online
interactive activities. However, I can see
through my experiences on the TELEDA course
that there is some value in utilizing Blackboard
in a more interactive way.
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Pedagogy of Uncertainty
Recognition of E teaching alongside E learning
ABC Model – Activity Based Content
Myths of digital competence
Myths of digital competence
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Digital Natives Digital Immigrants outdated
Divide between techies and teachers
Techies work with the technology
Teachers are subject experts not technicians
Myths …. based on assumptions
MEE Model
Digital shyness to digital confidence
Sue Watling
Educational Development and Enhancement
Unit (EDEU)
swatling@lincoln.ac.uk
http://suewatling.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk
@suewatling on twitter
Achieving the vision…
• Professional support for producing learning
experiences …
• Technological expertise underpinned by a
sound understanding of pedagogy….
• Developing the digital literacies to enable the
full benefits of technology to be realised….
• Promoting and rewarding engagement with
the philosophy and practice of flexible delivery
and the use and reuse of OER…
• Promoting and supporting principles of
inclusive design…