The importance of teaching roles when introducing Personal Digital Assistants in a Year 6 classroom

Abstract

This paper analyses the experience of a teacher and her Year 6 class (10-11 yearolds) over a school year, while participating in a pilot project introducing Personal Digital Assistants as a learning tool. The intervention was initiated and supported by the local City Learning Centre, which was concerned with how best to use technologies for learning, and the teacher was prepared to take risks to learn how to use the technology and apply it within the national curriculum. This paper focuses on the roles the teacher played in designing, managing and mediating multi-modal approaches to teaching and learning, while meeting the curriculum requirements. Her creative approach was rewarded with high levels of student engagement, motivation and autonomy across the class, and higher than expected results in the national tests.

Pre-service Teachers’ Motivation in Using Digital Technology

“…Allowing students to explore new knowledge with DT and play with new ideas requires the teachers' willingness to take risks and allow students to take risks as well. Teachers who use technology in class have to prepare to learn new technologies and new knowledge that they have never come across (Hartnell-Young, 2009). For those teachers who adopt a higher performance goal, less use of technology is probably perceived to be more productive.…”

“…Unless the teacher is ready to allow students to explore new knowledge and is prepared to be challenged with the uncertainty of problems and answers arising from unexpected sources of information, it is unlikely that the teacher will be comfortable using DT in teaching (Hartnell-Young, 2009). In a competitive environment where performance scores are the only important assessable outcome, DT is unlikely to be one of the top priorities.…”

Children within Mobile Technology: Interacting and Learning

“…In part, the desire to incorporate new technologies as part of instructional practice is a function of their ability to motivate children, encourage persistence on challenging tasks, and personalize the learning environment (Gee 2008;Hartnell-Young 2009;Looi et al 2009;Specht 2010;Specht, Howell, Young 2007). In addition, the capabilities of these devices offer the potential for "anywhere, anytime", creative, and collaborative construction of knowledge (Evans, Johri 2008;Hoppe, Joiner, Milrad, Sharples 2003;Norris, Soloway 2008).…”