The Savvy Academic Librarian's Guide to Technological Innovation by Ippoliti Cinthya;

Author:Ippoliti, Cinthya;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Digital Pedagogy

UC Berkeley’s Center for Teaching and Learning does a great job of laying out the main issues that should be taken into consideration when thinking about the role that technology plays in the classroom. Digital pedagogy is as much about using digital tools thoughtfully as it is about deciding when not to use digital tools, and about paying attention to the impact of digital tools on learning. Another aspect of digital pedagogy is thinking about how technology enhances engagement and how it changes learners. To that end, the author discusses ways the instructor can consciously involve students in that very discussion by asking them about their level of comfort with technology as well as letting them choose the tools they prefer to demonstrate the learning that has occurred.[2] This parallel speaks to the notion that an instructor has to be conscious of both the pedagogical goals as well as the technical ones if they are to work in tandem in order to achieve the ultimate aim for that session or the overall course.

Mabel Okojie et al. also masterfully outline the broad challenges and opportunities that are present when discussing the integration of technology in the classroom. Specifically, they state that technology “is part of the instructional process and not an appendage to be attached at any convenient stage during the course of instruction.”[3] They go on to argue that “most educators have not addressed the pedagogical principles that will guide their use of technology for teaching and learning.”[4] These assertions point to the fact that the pedagogy has to guide the use of technology, not the other way around.

In addition, instructors have to have enough technological knowledge in order to ensure that the use of any tool does not impede the learning process, so that they, themselves must first become well versed in these resources and understand how they will help to further student learning before any instruction occurs. Melissa Evans-Andris expands this idea by stating that the way in which technology is presented is biased by the faculty member’s own learning style and technical abilities. She mentions that instructors who have a higher level of expertise and comfort with computers have higher expectations for student learning, and think about how technology can assist students on an individual level as well.[5] An instructor has to be aware of his or her preferences and inclinations and take care not to impose them onto the students in a way that will confuse or alienate them from the process.

Similarly, Michael Flavin offers an interesting perspective about the use of technology and control over the learning process. He asserts that “when digital technologies are brought into the classroom setting, the lecturer may have to relinquish some of their authority.”[6] This is especially important, as we have seen the shift from the Standards for Information Literacy to the Framework for Information Literacy in which the role of the librarian and the students becomes more collaborative and therefore less well defined. While this may seem

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