Week 5 Blog Post

In week 5 of our math journey we discussed two very important concepts in, not only math class, but in education in general. The topics were technology integration and blended learning in the classroom. 

One interesting item that was introduced to us was the padagogical wheel, of which I have included an image below.

Carrington, A. (2015, March 01). The Padagogical Wheel V4.0 [Digital image]. Retrieved October 14, 2018, from https://bit.ly/2rm6Q8e

 Not only did I find this tool very interesting but I also believe that it can be very helpful in integrating technology in the classroom. As educators I believe it essential to integrate technology in order to engage students, however I also believe that it is important for technology integration to be relevant and constructive. In other words, we must not include technology simply to include technology but rather technology needs to serve a specific purpose in the lesson. The pedagogical wheel is a tool that teachers can use to help them reflect on the use of a particular application or technology and how they can effectively incorporate it into their classroom meaningfully.  It does this by providing numerous applications, the functions they serve and the types of activities an instructor can use them for. This is a great spot to start when reflecting on what technology to integrate and how to go about integration. Here is a link to an online PDF that breaks down the Padagogical Wheel for a clearer explanation of how it is segmented.

Another important aspect of technology use we discussed in the classroom was blended learning. One thing that stood out to me, in particular, is that blended learning and technology integration are not one and the same thing. Technology integration, as previously stated, is ensuring technology is included in the classroom whereas blended learning is an approach to teaching that combines in-class instruction, one-on-one teaching and online content. This is a great approach to teaching because it gives students some control over the time, pace well as the pace of their learning. This is because the student can access the online content at leisure and spend as much or as little time as they need on each topic of instruction. This is empowering for students because it allows them to feel some measure of control in their learning. Further it allows educators to spend in class time guiding students who require further explanation and help in their learning.   

Check out this link that describes some very interesting strategies to implementing blended learning. Here is a list of the approaches mentioned:

1. Station Rotation:  This approach allows the educator to adapt tasks to suit varying student needs and use technology in many ways in a single class. 
2. Whole Group Rotation:  Similar to station rotation but instead the instructor moves from one task to another.
3. Flipped Classroom: This approach requires much of the knowledge transfer portion of instruction to be done online via recording or interactive lecture and in-class time to be spent exploring the content in a face-to-face environment. 

Thank you for dropping by and see you all in week 6!!