Teachers, pedagogy and professional development - Teaching with Technologies: The Essential Guide - page 105

Table 5.3 The relationship between technology, application and theory of learning (adapted from

Hammond et al. 2009: 89)

aPPLIcaTIon
and supports desirable
application by involving:

THeorY of LearnIng - how
learning is conceptualized. This
is because:

TecHnoLogY
Technology offers:

Support for creativity; focus
on higher order thinking

a challenge, going beyond
the routine, giving element of
control to learner

Knowledge is personal, it
is about making personal
meaning; learner-control and
self-regulation

Support for creativity doing something the learner

would find purposeful

making meaning requires
purposeful activity; learner-led
inquiry, decision making

changing role of teacher,
providing alternative means
of explaining and clarifying

going beyond what is taught
and how it is taught

Knowledge is unbounded

focus on higher order
thinking; support for talk
and collaboration

communication, interaction,
dialogue

Knowledge is not acquired
spontaneously, it requires
reflection; dialogic learning

These affordances of the technology facilitate learner-centred pedagogical approaches
supported by constructivist theories of learning, where learning is conceptualized as
a search for meaning in which knowledge is developed through scaffolded reflection
and purposeful activity.
In moving beyond routinized practices and changing traditional teacher-pupil
roles, technology can transform pedagogy. Table 5.2 provides further information
about how pedagogies can be transformed with technology. Also, the following artic-
ulation by Hammond et al. (2009) as outlined in Table 5.3 is useful in illustrating the
relationship between the applications of technology and theories of learning. Given
the potential for technology to transform pedagogy, with its concomitant range of
affordances, it is worth reflecting on how this can be achieved in practice.

Applications to practice

Following over 20 years research, Somekh (2007) developed a 'Generic Pedagogic
Framework' for teachers to incorporate technology into their classroom activities.
The following case study is an example of transforming pedagogy with technol-
ogy, from the project 'Developing Pedagogies with E-Learning Resources' (PELRS)
(Somekh 2007). Working with researchers, teachers and learners in technology-
rich schools, Somekh asked the question: 'could we organise teaching and learn-
ing in radically different ways now that we have digital technologies?' The project
developed strategies to change the traditional role of teachers and learners. By
assigning new roles, the project established 'prototype innovatory practices'