How I am addressing the context of different audiences (local, national and/or international) and their perspectives in my inquiry?

For my teacher inquiry I am looking into how current and emerging technologies can play a role in teaching and learning. I will consider international, national and local perspectives and their context when designing and implementing this inquiry.

A national theme that I need to consider for my inquiry is the role of future-focused learning and the place of digital technology within this. I will consider research and emerging national trends within this theme. After reading Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching: A New Zealand perspective, this informed me of the most effective ways to incorporate current and emerging technologies.

We need to remodel our current learning environments to ensure they are best being used for learning. Research states when incorporating technology into learning it is essential to consider our educators technological abilities and ensure they see the possibilities for learning - they need to believe in the value of ICT. The following four strategies have been identified by national research when it comes to integrating technology into education;

• Providing enabling tools and infrastructure
• Providing inspiring ideas and opportunities to connect ideas 
• Enhancing capability
• Supporting innovation

I will incorporate these four strategies into my teacher inquiry through; 

• having access to iPads and appropriate apps (tools), as well as providing teachers with ideas on how to use in the classroom
• the apps will be easy to use so the children will be able to use them independently
• wider support from the school is currently in place regarding professional development and support for the innovation

Similar themes were noted internationally. ‘Trends Shaping Education’ released by OECD in 2018 considers education based global trends in technology. We need to be improving teaching and learning with technology and preparing children for future jobs as there is serious demand for these new skills.


The following insights were identified in international literature in order for technology to have a positive influence on students learning. We need to;

• have specific technologies available
• acknowledge students’ prior knowledge and learning needs
• acknowledge teachers’ professional competence and the context in which teaching and learning develop

In order to value the importance of the above insights we need to rethink our current teaching practices and reassess the teachers role in the classroom. For technology to have a beneficial effect on learning the following must be considered;

• the level of confidence and digital skills of teachers and students using ICT
• the actual use that teachers make of technology
• their ability to integrate it into their teaching to further learning 

Teachers’ attitudes to technology are crucial. We need teachers to value and fully understand the benefits technology brings as this corresponds to its adoption and use. In order to do this professional development needs to target the school culture so that teachers understand how to implement it into their practice. To ensure that we are addressing these international perspectives I will address the teachers attitudes to ensure they are confident and understand the reasoning behind the implementation of digital technologies. I think that the professional development on offer at school currently is allowing for this.

Lastly, local perspectives I must consider in my inquiry are the teachers in the Junior Hub. Their attitudes towards digital learning is mixed regarding their adoption of digital technologies in the classroom. They are not yet eager adopters and are still skeptical about the process. From looking at the national and international evidence, it has become clear that these teachers will need support and professional development to ensure that they are confident with integrating it into their teaching practice.

Furthermore, parents offer another perspective. I think that some parents are skeptical surrounding the use of technology in class, however, with the right infrastructure, tools and appropriate support/education this will ensure they are happy with the changes.

Resources

Supporting future-oriented learning & teaching - a New Zealand perspective

Trends Shaping Education

Teacher Inquiry - ‘How to integrate the use of iPads effectively to enrich the junior literacy programme’.

My Teacher Inquiry for this year is to look into "How to integrate the use of iPads effectively to enrich the junior literacy programme'.

The Research topic for my inquiry focuses on introducing digital tools to Year 1/2 students. Recently we have acquired enough new iPads for a 1:2 ratio in the junior hub at our school. The devices are in the process of being set up with apps to facilitate cross-curricular learning. As we are still at the beginning of our digital learning journey we have not yet developed a framework for delivering digital learning and how it will be implemented in the hub.

After scanning the communities needs and I identified that there is a strong desire to integrate digital tools for learning to prepare children to be lifelong learners and effective participators in 21st Century society.

Our schools vision is “Choosing to be an innovative, Catholic, learning community that inspires and empowers learners to succeed.” Furthermore, this vision is future-focused and the philosophy of the school facilitates the importance of incorporating e-learning and digital technologies in the school. This is strongly supported by our board of trustees and parent community who are keen to see the use of devices in purposeful ways. Our parents expect that we are using devices as learning tools as opposed to using them for entertainment. We are part of the Manaiakalani Cluster which follows a Learn, Create, Share pedagogy. This provides teachers with professional development, support and resources. When using this pedagogy in our planning this ensures that the use of digital tools is purposeful and transformational.

With the upcoming introduction of the new digital curriculum we are making steps to ensure the needs of our community are met by developing lifelong learners who can Learn,Create, Share and use digital tools in innovative ways and to create connections both locally and globally. For these reasons I have chosen to focus on the purposeful implementation of digital tools in the junior hub.