Teachers, pedagogy and professional development - Teaching with Technologies: The Essential Guide - page 96

Webb and Cox (2004: 269) argue that teachers need to identify the range of
affordances that technologies can provide and evaluate those in relation to their
teaching objectives. This requires teachers to develop a much deeper understanding
of technology resources if they are to be used effectively.
Types of technology and pedagogic practice
With respect to developing technology knowledge, teachers need to understand the
capabilities of a range of technologies. The main innovations in educational technol-
ogy have been interactive whiteboards, the Internet, portable computers, followed
by developments in virtual learning environments, software programmes, hand-held
mobile devices and Web 2.0. With standard software packages there is little disputing
teachers' growing confidence; what is more contestable is the knowledge of the
affordances offered by more recent developments in technologies. Not only does it take
time to understand such affordances, the inclusion of these into lesson activities requires
investment in planning by teachers. The challenge is to create pedagogic activities to
relate the affordances of particular types of technologies to the learning objectives.
A seminal review of the literature on technology and pedagogy was conducted
by Cox et al. (2003) for Becta, and further reported by Webb and Cox (2004) in the
journal Technology Pedagogy and Education , which assessed international research on
teachers' practices. A range of technologies were identified, but widespread use of
the range was found to be limited. Across subjects and age phases, the types most
used were: the Internet, simulations, modelling software, programming, LOGO, data-
logging and multimedia editing software.
With respect to the Internet, Webb and Cox (2004) found that teachers needed
to identify more effectively the range of affordances this technology provides. More
promising were simulations. These enabled learners to 'engage with powerful ideas
and conduct explorations that are not usually possible in classrooms' (Webb and Cox
2004: 270) and were found to promote conceptual change in science and geography
in secondary schools. Rather than wasting lesson time on the mechanics of setting
up experiments, simulations afforded the opportunity to focus on the concepts and
processes under investigation. Additionally, animations could permit the represen-
tation of processes not visible, such as heart function and blood flow, which aided
learner's conceptual development. This finding is supported by later research on
interactive whiteboards, which highlights how the multimedia aspects of the tech-
nology, which support simulations and animations, aid metacognition through the
visual representation of complex processes (Miller and Glover 2006).
Modelling software was also found to enhance learning in science, geography
and mathematics in primary and secondary teaching. With respect to programming,
LOGO is an often-cited example of technology-enhanced learning, in which LOGO
has been shown to aid the development of mathematics skills and higher-order
thinking. However, controversy surrounding LOGO concerns how much learning
by autonomous discovery should be expected, showing how critical is the role of the
teacher and how teachers still need to scaffold the learning experiences with LOGO
(Webb and Cox 2004).