Emerging Technology Justification

According to Blooms Taxonomy of Learning skills (cited in DeHaan, 2011),

creative thinking is the most complex and abstract of the higher-order
cognitive skills which individuals develop. Aligning lessons with the Australian
Curriculum (ACARA, 2013), means that students will develop capability in
critical and creative thinking as they learn to generate and evaluate
knowledge, clarify concepts and ideas, seek possibilities, consider
alternatives and solve problems (ACARA, 2013) in their learning
experiences. These critical and creative thinking skills are a vital consideration
for all teachers when planning activities whereby their students must think
deeply and inferentially using skills and behaviours such as imagination and
innovation to learn content across all the Key Learning Areas (KLAs).
The module Being Sustainable is structured around the development of Stage
2 students critical and creative thinking skills through engaging with the
educational program Voki (2015). By using this educational technology Web
2.0 tool students are able to think creatively as they customize their own
avatars, program them to talk, and can then use these avatars to assist with
class presentations on sustainability. This module has been designed to
reflect a constructivist pedagogical approach; whereby the lessons are
designed for the type of student that is self-directed, innovative and creative
which are all components of ACARAs Critical and Creative thinking (2013). In
this instance it is the teachers role to assist and foster the creative thinking of
students and to model activities and the expected outcomes prior to the
student commences. This module incorporates content from three KLAS:
Science, English (NSW Syllabus, 2012) and Information Technology (ACARA,
2013). A positive component of the module is that it allows teachers to
differentiate their students based on various abilities when using Voki (2015),
this is done by selecting on certain students to complete extension activities
or more simplified and basic lessons for those lower ability students who do
not have the skills to think critically.

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Dr Martha Stone Wiske (cited in Schacter, 1999) once stated that one of the
difficulties about technology and education is that many individuals think
about the technology first and the education later (Schacter,1999), when really
the two should come hand in hand. When designing a lesson incorporating
technology, the content should be the main focus with all other components
being structured around this. Just have a think; what would be the benefit of
incorporating a technology if it did not have any educational value?
Often a problem that teachers discover with implementing creativity into their
lessons is that it is not easy to assess due to being a complex,
multicomponent construct (DeHaan, 2011). Yet with this module that is not the
case. Voki (2015) was explicitly chosen as it provides teachers with the ability
to manage their students, classes and lessons through one application. Voki
(2015) allows teachers to monitor student progress of assigned assessments,
which is extremely beneficial for student records. An added advantage of
operating Voki (2015) is it can be accessed outside of the school environment
through home computers or portable m-learning devices such as mobile
phones and iPads. Student learning is evaluated in each of the four lessons
through formal and informative formative assessments (both Voki tasks and
peer assessment) and a summative assessment in lesson 4 whereby
students must complete a three minute presentation. In the presentation
students are provided with the marking rubric, which they are assessed on.
The effectiveness of the module can be evaluated through one criteria of
students presentations where they must comment on their experience with
using Voki (2015). Along with students reflecting on the module, the module
website also provides the option of viewers to leave feedback.
The module Being Sustainable has implemented relevant Stage 2 content
from both ACARA and the NSW Syllabus, with the outcomes from each KLA
being the driving force behind the activities within four lessons. Voki (2015) is
an excellent emerging educational technology with more educators should be
incorporating into their teaching. It allows for those visual learners to exceed
in class, with all students developing their critical and creative thinking skills
which are essential when becoming an effective learner.
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Link to module website: http://missbarnsleyeducation.weebly.com

References

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Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2013).

Critical and creative thinking - Introduction - The Australian Curriculum v7.5.
Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/critical-andcreative-thinking/introduction/introduction
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2013).
Draft Australian Curriculum: Technologies. Retrieved from
http://consultation.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Static/docs/Technologies/Draft
%20Australian%20Curriculum%20Technologies%20-%20February
%202013.pdf
DeHaan, R. L. (2011). Science education. Teaching creative science
thinking. Science, 334(6062), 1499-500. doi:10.1126/science.1207918
NSW Board of Studies (2012). English K-10 Syllabus: English K-6.
Sydney: NSW Board of Studies. Also available at:
http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au/english/
NSW Board of Studies (2012). Science K-10 Syllabus Volume 1:
Science & Technology K-6. Sydney: NSW Board of Studies. Also available at:
http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au/science/
Schacter, J. (1999). The Impact of Education Technology on Student
Achievement. Milken Exchange on Education Technology.
Voki Classroom Management System. (2015, May 16). Voki Classroom
Management System. Retrieved from
https://www.voki.com/classroom/classroom.php?

Appendices
Science and Technology
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ST2-8ES
Describes some observable changes over time on the Earths surface that
result from natural processes and human activity
ACSSU075
Earth's surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human
activity.
Technologies (ACARA)
4.1 Recognise factors that impact on the design of products, services and
environments including the role of designers and technologists to meet local
community needs
4.7 Select materials, components, tools and equipment using safe and
sustainable work practices to produce and evaluate designed solutions based
on identified criteria for success for technologies contexts
English
EN2-7B
Identifies and uses language forms and features in their own writing
appropriate to a range of purposes, audiences and contexts
EN2-6B
identifies the effect of purpose and audience on spoken texts, distinguishes
between different forms of English and identifies organisational patterns and
features

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