How a teacher can use digital tools in pedagogically meaningful ways?
A digital
tool itself is not a guarantee of a pedagogically meaningful approach in the
teaching-learning process, but it may help a lot the teachers in their
activities for the student based learning. The process also depends on the
teachers planification to take advantage of the tools to facilitate the student
based learning, the interaction among students (considering a given group) and
between teachers and students.
In this
context, one of the uses of the digital tools is to make previous knowledge
assessment in which each student is free to write his/her own impressions about
a given issue. This tool can be applied in both big or small students groups,
and allows the assistance of the individualized progress of the students.
In a world surrounded by many digital tools for helping the learning process, Facebook has excelled against the others because it is a virtual meeting place that encourages authentic interaction, sharing and collaboration.
As Facebook is "the most used social networking site globally, for a variety of reasons—its low barrier to participation, and ease of use (Pew Research, 2014)", it is easier for students to follow the teachers's posts and interact with other students, promoting a collaborative work and experiences sharing.
The use of Facebook in Electrical Engineering classes
Subject: Environmental Sciences
How this tool can be used?
- Some auxiliary material is made available for the students;
- A previous knowledge assessment is performed;
- The results are analyzed;
- The teacher makes the planification based on the results;
- Groups can be formed in accordance to the previous knowledge level;
- A new assessment is made based on the acquired skills and competence evidence provided for the students or groups;
- Based on this results, the teacher can plan the next steps, and seek for individualized teaching.
Closed Facebook group with participation of the teacher and the students
In the facebook group are posted reports of issues related to subject, activities, as well as the schedules of technical visits
The above figures are examples of the use of Facebook as a pedagogical digital tool. However, other activities that require the direct participation of students can and should be employed, because the students in online learning environments are more likely to engage with classmates on social platforms.
References:
Pew Research Centers Global Attitudes Project RSS (Rep.). (2014, February 13).http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/02/13/appendix-4/
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