Hot new report for Deeper Learning from a digital expert
Where did it lead him?
A Dad and local digital expert, Cam Swainson-Whaanga, was helping his own children with their homework when he noticed that not all the resources encouraged deeper thinking and deeper learning.
He was hoping for resources with tasks of greater cognitive complexity/creativity, more critical thinking and problem solving. This lead him to a model that can help parents and teachers redesign the learning experience to achieve Deeper Learning. It is called the 4Shifts Protocol:
Read more of this amazing article from Scott Mcleod & Julie Graber
Limitations of the Current Frameworks or models
The current frameworks and models help teachers and parents understand if their technology integration for a given activity may be strong in one area (e.g. active technology use) while simultaneously low in another (e.g. authentic technology use) But there is difficulty in implementing these frameworks in practise, they are useful mental models, but they don’t help educators know what to do differently.
The current frameworks, do not help the educator to know what to change instructionally. Popular frameworks are SAMR/TPACK/RAT. They highlight usage continuum only, not learning continuum.)
Experts, evaluators and observers use the frameworks to highlight technology instructional level on those frameworks but don’t give guidance on how to progress towards transformation.
Our Digital Expert/Dad, raised the question, are Educational Digital technologies the answer? Most schools have the tablets, youtube, gmails, online resources, gamified learning, etc, but has this enabled teachers to redesign lesson plans and facilitate deeper learning ?
He discovered that not all Edtech or educational technology achieves that goal of deeper learning pedagogy within its digital modules and learning areas. In order to find “Deeper Learning platforms” in this saturated and complex edtech environment, parents and teachers need to know how to assess and qualify the digital resources they allow into their classroom.
So our creative dad and businessman set about to design and build a well planned and truly “deeper learning” digital resource called www.afedsquad.co.nz. Cam and the design team, set out to create lessons and modules with deeper learning in mind.
