EDU80010 Teaching in the Digital Age Assessment 1 Sound Cloud Transcript

When we talk about teaching in the Digital Age we are not just referring to
teaching Digital technology, we are referring to teaching in a time when digital
technology is changing the way we live, the way we do things and the way we
communicate. So what skills will I need to teach effectively in the Digital age?
Pittaway (2015) explains that I will need four key skills. These skills include
Critical thinking and problem solving skills, effective Communication skills,
Collaboration and team building skills and Creativity and innovation skills. In this
Sound Cloud I will focus on critical thinking and effective communication skills.
Critical thinking is about developing your own understanding of a matter by
researching, analysing and questioning the reasons as to why that understanding
is true, enabling you to make your own judgement (Dewald,2013). As a teacher
in the Digital Age, I need to be a critical thinker as I now find myself in an era
where there is an abundance of information as well as an abundance of
technologies, I need to be able to decipher this information and determine if the
information I find is good. If we compare this to teaching 30 years ago, in a world
where internet did not exist, research would be done mainly by using an
encyclopedia, and information then was quite reliable. Lau (2014) explains that
you need to be sceptical or doubting to be a critical thinker, this will ensure that
you obtain information that you can trust. By using critical thinking skills we will
be able to determine inconsistences and common errors and base our
judgements using evidence we find and in this day and age this is what is most
important to ensuring we are teaching effectively (Lau,2014).
In a time where student centred learning is more common I am going to have to
place effective communication skills as a skill of high importance.
Communication refers to verbal, such as talking and non-verbal such as facial
expressions and eye contact. In the past both verbal and non-verbal
communication was used however in the digital age, I am now going to have to
incorporate digital communication, such as social media, emails, messaging and
mobile telephones. It is important that this communication is done effectively to
ensure that the message received is the same as the message I have sent and as
Ewing, Lowrie & Higgs (2014) convey noise such as language barriers, the type
of language used, different cultural backgrounds need to be considered. I will not
only need to plan for my daily lessons but I will need to plan communication
(Clarke & Pittaway, 2014). This planning will involve thinking about my
explanations, ensuring I have a good understanding of the content I will teach,
ensuring that there is time for students to question the content which will also
help me know that my messages are received as sent. It may also involve the
use of interactive whiteboards, songs and games to ensure that my learners who
all learn in different ways each have an opportunity to interpret the messages I
convey correctly (Clarke & Pittaway, 2014).
To conclude it is extremely important to have Effective Communication, Critical
thinking, Creativity and Collaboration skills, in order to be an effective teacher in

the digital age. The vast amount of information available and array of technology
available also requires us to have good technological skills, thus requiring
teachers of the digital age to constantly keep up to date.

References:
Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marshs becoming a teacher (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW:
Pearson.
Dewald, A. (2013, August 13). Episode 1.1: What is critical thinking? [video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0yEAE5owWw
Ewing, R., Lowrie, T., & Higgs, J. (2010). Teaching and communicating: Rethinking professional
experience. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Lau, J. & Chan, J. (2004-2014). What is critical thinking? Retrieved from
http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php
Pittaway, D. (2015). EDU80010 Week 2. Retrieved 19 July 2015, from
https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-5027699-dt-content-rid25787731_2/courses/2015-SO2-EDU80010-208814/UnitLearningMaterials/week02.html