After completing the web 2 course it is easy to become overloaded with the idea of digital applications and the demand to utilise them in the classroom. Although some of the applications have great benefit, others seem to be impractical or not offer much substance compared to their traditional teaching and learning counterparts. Despite this, the course has been helpful in pushing me not only as a teacher but as a learner.
The introduction of Blooms digital taxonomy is a great way to conclude the course. It is an effective way of synthesising the use of the applications that have been presented thus far. After weeks of Blogs, Flickr, Glogster, Nings etc. it is easy to become inundated with digital applications and feel overwhelmed by the push to incorporate them into your own teaching. The digital taxonomy asks you to ‘think outside the box’ when planning lessons and see if a digital application could be a constructive option.
Teachers are always seeking effective ways to engage students with the content they are presenting. I know I am constantly trying to find creative and interesting learning activities for students to gain more meaningful learning. Now that I have completed the course I will use the digital taxonomy to choose the best learning activities possible, digital and traditional. It will also serve as a good reminder of which applications are beneficial for teaching a certain key learning objective.
It is important not to overuse digital applications or use them as a ‘soft option’ instead of challenging students to create meaningful and high quality work- especially written work. However, if they can be used to enhance learning and make tasks more seamless for teachers they are invaluable.
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