Digital Pedagogy part 2

The article suggests that in order to become an expert in digital pedagogy we need to research, experience and be open to each new learning activity, technology or the collaboration. Digital pedagogy is a discipline but in a dynamic and playful sense of the word. I agree with this and feel it is necessary to not take it too serious but rather to enhance teaching with the tools that are available to create a fun and creative environment for learners. This is after all the best way to take in any information and it will end up feeling like something you want to do instead of something that requires effort and hard work.

Today we do not rely solely on books for information. We have several ways to collect knowledge or data by means of the internet, E-books, databases, digital archives etc. Information has become readily available for use and the digital tools inspire us to often use them in a way the designer couldn’t anticipate. Since it has become so easy it is important for us to handle our technologies roughly and to think critically about these tools and how we use them and who has access to them.

Howard Rheingold argues we must develop a participative pedagogy that are assisted by digital media and networked publics that focuses on catalysing, inspiring and nourishing literacies essential to individual and collective life in the 21^st century. Digital pedagogy should thus be seen as less about knowing but more of a process of play and rediscovery. This will ensure that pedagogy honours learning that is life-long and that cultivates a desire to write or learn beyond the years of graduation.

Although it is important to consider all the tools and the importance of digital pedagogy, we should also remember that there is a place for all styles of classroom practice and that not all teachers are pedagogues.

The article also argues that the Learning Management System was a mistake because it was premature and also not a creative decision. I agree with this since it is important for today’s learning systems to take advantage of the possibilities the internet provides us with and to use it in such a way that we benefit from it.

It is of utmost imprtance that teachers realize the worth of digital pedagogy since it is willing to improvise, respond to a new environment and also be open to experimentation.