In my teaching practice, I make a deliberate effort to incorporate various digital tools to enhance student engagement, promote collaboration, and equip students with essential skills for the modern world. Research has demonstrated the strong correlation between the use of digital tools, student motivation, and positive learning outcomes (Heindl & Nader, 2018). One aspect I particularly value is how online resources can expand students’ perspectives and engage them in learning experiences beyond the confines of our classroom walls. Until now, I have primarily relied on ready-made digital tools gathered over my years of teaching, never considering the possibility of creating my own.
Initially, I felt daunted by the task of creating a web-based guide and digital artifact for this assessment. I questioned whether my technical abilities were sufficient to develop something truly valuable that could address a technology need in my current context. However, as I delved into the task, I was pleasantly surprised by my ability to create, although not without encountering challenges. Overcoming issues such as video syncing, ensuring functional links, and creating a user-friendly design led me to seek assistance from my colleagues. This process of collaboration yielded a surprising discovery: my utilisation of technology actually fostered increased collaboration as I sought help from my colleagues, asking for guidance on video syncing in Canva and verifying the functionality of my links. This finding has ignited my curiosity and serves as a catalyst for potential future action research on the impact of technology on student collaboration in the classroom.
I intend to utilise my web guide to assist teachers in my school in understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) can be implemented ethically and responsibly in the classroom. Given the prevailing hesitancy in my current context towards embracing technology, I hope that through education and exploration, it can be the start of alleviating their concerns and showcase the benefits of digital technologies for teaching and learning.
References
Heindl, M., & Nader, M. (2018). Digital technologies in a design and technology lesson and their influence on a learner’s situationally perceived value of a task when engaged in inquiry-based learning. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 37(3), 239-263.