Teachers and students in the information society. (Unit 3. Pedagogy)

The information society has made a lot of changes in some aspects that affect directly the way in which we live. 

In this topic, we talk about the changes that teachers have to do according to the society in which we live, because some of the teaching ways maybe now can be obsoleted. For that reason, teachers need to know what changes they need to do.

We have done the summary of this topic in group. Each of us has done one part.

At the end of this topic we can find some questions that you can solve. 

 "The technique is the opposite of man's adaptation to the environment since it is the adaptation of means to the man" (Ortega y Gasset, J., 1989)

Techné from ancient Greece (as a tool that man has arranged to adapt nature) has led us to technology and the technology has led us to new technologies.

New technologies are there and it seems they are intending to stay and teaching cannot be excluded from this technological reality. If there is a social space in which technological criticism must and can be done, that is teaching and, by extension, the school system.

There is an intention in the use of the technique: welfare. The problem arises when overcome a need, immediately it arises a new one, that can be real or created. The only way out to the new situation is the emergence of a new technique and start the cycle again.

If the technique is a tool for better living, It is transformed into a system of permanent generation of needs and dissatisfactions.

The technology is influencing nature, also new technologies, but they add an incidence, possibly higher, in society and through it in everyday life.

The problem is that the changes are not made under the initial principle of adapting nature to human so that he can live better. It is about transforming the society adapting it to technology.

In the field of education, we can see how distance learning systems, although they may provide a new educational model, require a teacher and student type adapted to technology and not a technology adapted to the student.

 New technologies require a previous needs which are essential to incorporate them into any field of education:

• Technical access refers to the material possibility of having access to these technologies.
• Practical access refers to the availability of time that is necessary for the use of technologies.
• The use of new technologies requires an operational knowledge that allows the management of technological tool.
• Besides, the use of technologies requires a previous critical attitude with the technology itself that allows taking decisions about its use.

 In the field of teacher training in relation to new technologies, the most important functions are grouped into four blocks:

a) Content in themselves.

New technologies are a knowledge that is in a constant state of development, which should be added to those that have traditionally set school systems.

b) Work instruments.

New technologies are considered as a working tool, facilitating and strengthening it

c) Media and teaching.

In the field of pedagogy, the interest of new technology is of its possibilities as media and therefore as teaching aids.

The media must facilitate the process of acquisition of specific content by the receiver, so that he can incorporate it with meaning and quickly to their personal knowledge.

The receiver must have some previous idea of what is represented.

Tele-education needs conditions without which it is difficult to have an appropriate methodology:

·         An autonomous student who decides when and how he wants to approach the content and knowledge, and he decides, also, how he wants to build his own learning process

·         The media isn’t an autonomous system that operates outside of objectives, methodology, content, etc.

The problem is on the one hand, the recognition of the elements of significance of the interlocutor and, on the other, the meaning which have for the interlocutor.

 d) Communication channels.

New technologies in the transfer of information in space and on time, almost instantly and without the distance or the geographical conditions involve a limitation.

Teleconferencing and teleworking, for example, are some of these possibilities which have to have repercussions in the field of education.

 Objectives:

1. A level of specialization for teachers who are responsible for the teaching of these topics and a general level.
2. Achieve the capabilities necessary to become users of the new technologies in all areas of our work.

The problem is in the existence or not of students who are able to work with new technologies:

The use of new technologies in education isn’t so dependent its possibilities but rather of the possibilities of the user and, in any case, training must be a fundamental step.

 We are faced with virtual systems , so students must make decisions that make possible the realization of these possible contents . For this, the student must have prior training on procedures for own research of scientific knowledge , both general view rants research , and from the perspective of specific scientific area in question . It is not enough that the student wants to create their own learning path and build their own materials. It is necessary that the intellectual tools available to do so.

 Along with the procedural issues, it is necessary to have knowledge, at least basic , about the content themselves concerned , so you can recognize what is offered. From scratch and completely autonomously , creating the material itself with which you approach the knowledge is difficult.

The need for work habits, responsibility , self-organization , etc. , to make sense of autonomy and freedom that new technologies allow systems that are supported by them.

 Teachers use new technologies to primary and secondary levels as users, for documentation, communication and as collaborative work.

Teachers use new technologies to higher levels and graduate as documentation , communication and teaching , to provide content, tutorials and evaluation.

 Pretending that one teacher assumes the different functions that can be developed with new technologies , it is lead to failure use in the field of education.

Common training prior to every teacher.

The teacher has the same sources of information that students and differs from that in the previous mastery of content on which work and accepted procedures for access to scientific knowledge.

The distinguishing feature of the student's training is needed in this capacity to assess and accept new proposals that may arise in the process of building knowledge from navigating the virtual spherical spaces.

 Teacher training from a methodological perspective , is an adult training .

New technologies are designing new learning spaces , new standards, new models that require new teachers who will be occupying the new space.

Knowledge , attitudes and skills necessary for the development of this educational task will have to be acquired by those who want to incorporate new technologies into their teaching

 New educational activities for new stages.

Teachers should prepare students to meet the new spaces for which they are surrounded, which should have a more thorough knowledge and assume a number of new features as society advances .

So far the teacher had as its fundamental mission the transmission of knowledge , but a time to this part of the evidence that not all information is on your person or in print nor faces .

Today teachers should not worry so much about providing information , as to allow everyone to access that information , select , manage and use it profitably .

According to Florentino Blázquez Entonado, technologies are a social major factor in today's society , which is something that must be addressed in order to train críticaente for use from education and provide criteria for deciding and improve their educational use , but alone they can not be as beneficial . They need the voice and pulse of teacher .

Even today there are not the necessary studies to tell us how teachers can work effectively with students applying new technologies .

        -Awaken the critical sense about the New Technologies.

-Teach them to read and write in their usual codes.

-Using media in the centres in an ordinary way.

 

-Looking for information about the New Technologies.

• More difficult tasks for educators.

They have to be aware about the change of the traditional activities by others related to the New Technologies. The teacher must have as an object of study the possible and important skills that students can bring to new forms of information and communication, using as a reason to think, the influence on the development of their own people.

It is important to keep in mind that to improve the quality of education it is necessary to start by improving training, social situation and the working conditions of teachers, because it can’t respond to what is expected of him if you don’t have the knowledge and the competence, the professional possibilities and the motivation required.

• The permanent critical attitude towards New Technologies.

In schools, the critical thinking is not encouraged enough. Awaken the critical sense and promote in students a critical understanding of the phenomena of information and communication should be a priority task of a teacher in the information society. It is because it is necessary that both children and adults acquire an education in the critical use of the communication media and the Internet.

Classes have become places where students and teachers communicate interactively between them, with specialists and colleagues, locally and in the rest of the world, and places where they exchange experiences and research data about their practice with new tools.

• Manage the new codes of the Society of Information.

Educational institutions and the family share the responsibility of preparing young people to live in a world dominated by images, words and sounds. Children and adults should be able to decipher the keys of these three symbolic systems.

• Accommodate the information of the centres to the demands of the New Technologies.

Teachers must be trained to assess the impact on teaching new channels, both organizational as on the contents and methodology. It is very important the organization of schools for new social spaces that have been created in them or outside them, but teachers will be those who will govern.

The New Technologies will modify the methodology, the contents or the objectives.

-About the objectives:they must be more responsive to the information or knowledge societies.

-About the contents: they will be greatly expanded with the new supply of technological content and the world of communication.

-About the methods: customized to fit the profile of each student methodologies, allowing the receiver will adjust to their interests, the content that the issuer offers.

 Schools and the family share the responsibility of preparing young people to live in a world dominated by images, words and sounds. The school would do better its role as a mediator of culture if it is not focus on the reading and writing. This is necessary because Internet use is becoming a necessary condition for access to knowledge itself.

 Throughout this paper has tried to raise awareness towards development of new environments in training, since ICT can generate flexible systems, so that the system of teaching and learning should be organized differently than we are used to.

Teachers for this society should be able to assess the impact on teaching new ways. New technologies will change teaching methodologies, but will also affect the content and objectives, some of the possibilities are:

• As it relates to objectives: they will respond primarily informational societies.
• In terms of content: They will be amplified
• Possibility of reducing time and space
• Will be generated new methodologies.
• As for the media used in the classroom will be used audiovisual media.

 New technologies for the pupils.

Since schools are urged to use new technologies as a conduit for student expression involves not only consider the student as a passive recipient but as an active processor of information, and an agent that can express their interests and abilities. With this it is intended that students also develop a critical and creative skills.

The necessary changes in the educational relationship

One of the most significant changes that will occur is the largest student autonomy and less dependence on colleges or universities.

 The influences of new technologies aimed at forming a type of flexible learning systems, open, distance and according to pedagogical approaches to self-training.

This will involve a dysregulation of the current roles of teachers.

The new society of information and communication therefore requested education the following qualities: creativity, adaptability and flexibility.

 If you want to say me something about this topic, you can do it giving a comment or sending me an email to this address: albialbita@outlook.es

The Society of Information and Knowledge. (Unit 2. Pedagogy)

This topic is about the Society of Information and Knowledge, as we can read in the title, and we talk about the changes that have been produced during the last years in how people obtain the information, and also the influence that this fact have produced in education. It is also related to the use of the New Technologies, that become more popular day by day. 

I think that it is an interesting point from the point of view of Education, because in the last years, the way in which the world worked has changed a lot. 

At the end of the topic, there are some questions about it. You can answer if you want. 

At the beginning of the twentieth century education was perceived from the political state as a need to "social spending" to improve the social conditions of a country and thus to improve their situation and economic and technological position

At the end of the century there was a change to conceive education as an investment in social capital, and therefore families saw that education was a value that determined the possible future status of their children.

In the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century, education began to be perceived as an element of social, moral and cultural improvement of the people.

Society today is called Network Society, and is characterized by:

1. Globalization of economic activities

2. Increased intake and mass production of consumer goods.

3. Replacing mechanical production systems, by other character electronic and automatic.

4. Modification of the relations of production

5. The selection of development areas in research related to technological impact.

6. Flexibility of work and labor instability.

7. Emergence of new employment sectors

8. Turn around the media, around new technologies of information and communication, and as a result thereof, the potentiating of creation of a technological infrastructure.

9. Globalization of the media

10. The transformation of politics and of political parties, establishing new mechanisms

11. Tendency to an Americanization of society.

12. The establishment of principles of quality and cost effectiveness both in the products and results

13. Support a neoliberal ideological conception of society

This information society or knowledge is driven by different media and information technologies have been fundamental computing, telecommunications and multimedia.

The consequence is the increased of the separation between the villages developed and developing.

The reasons are:

1. In a global economy, the technology becomes a strategic element and a competitive factor of the first order and therefore nobody wants to transfer it disinterestedly.

2. When a technology is transferred, is transferred the product not the process of design and development. It is not given the knowledge which split to generate it, so there is a constant dependency of the developing countries to those that have transferred technology products.

3. Normally is not transferred leading edge technology, but rather technology is already outdated.

4. Lack of training, lack of business management autonomous and different cultural values, impede a real use and exploitation of technologies and solve problems emerged there.

The relations between the society and the technologies are bidirectional. The society influences to the creation and exponentiation of particular technologies and, at the same time, technologies propel particular social and cultural models. Technologies aren’t neutral.

The use of the new technologies without a previous cultural and training knowledge and without a spirit made to select and assess the information used, can lead to a cultural colonization and to the subjection to particular cultural clubs. It isn’t enough trying that all people can access to the information, is necessary that all people can be able to decide what information needs.

These technologies are showing impressive personally, with the exponentiation of new models of mind thanks to their potentialities to the simulation of phenomenons, in which project ideas and fantasy.

In the last years, is been developed an ideological speech in education about the new technologies that are understood like motors of change and didactic innovation.

To Cabero (1998), the technologies are only media and didactic resources, used by the teacher when he or she needs them to create a different and favorable environment to the learning.

The possibilities of the new technologies of information tend to be oversized and focus on its characteristics, instrumental potentialities and technological potential .

New technologies come to be closely linked to traditional technologies and thereby create a new galaxy of technologies where all can participate jointly with the project to be achieved .

Finally, we have to keep in mind that we dispose of sustainable technologies and accepted standards, with quality parameters.

The new technologies has some important elements:

-Creation of flexible environments to develop learning.

-Enhancing of interactive situations.

-Changes in the communication models and in the teaching-learning methods used by teachers.

-Use of situations that favours the individual and social collaborative work.

-Human interaction environment.

-Evaluation culture.

It is important not to make these two mistakes:

1. Parallelism between information and knowledge.
2. Think that have access to more information means be more informed.

The possibilities that these technologies offer to the interaction with the information allow us the use of textual information, sound, visual or audiovisual messages.

With the new technologies we can create environments to facilitate that users do the formative activity independently of the space and the time in which the teacher and the student are. This is “just-in-time training”, a formation when the student needs it.

These interactive possibilities allow that the communication control is moving toward  the receiver. This will determine the moment and the use modality.   

Some of the comments made earlier lead us to another possibility, which is the potential at the same time of an individualized work and cooperative, this brings many advantages, it has been shown in several studies the improving of the academic performance of students, by favoring interpersonal relationships. Overall it could be considered as a teaching methodology based on the belief that learning increases when students develop skills cooperatives together to learn and solve problems in which they are immersed.

To achieve a truly collaborative learning in training environments, a number of conditions must be taken by the teacher, as it can be:

1. The structuring and planning of the training strategy

2. The search for specific designs in the materials used

3. The specification of the roles to be played by the teacher and students

4. Determination of new criteria and evaluation strategies.

According to Paulsen we can distinguish the following ways of developing collaborative work:

- Building a team

- Nominal Group

- Forum

- Discussion Group

- Role play

- Formal Debate

The use of each of these forms depend on various factors, such as the objectives, the nature of the subject, the student characteristics, teacher style ...

One of the first measures to be adopted for the integration of media and teaching materials in the curriculum is that they are present in the training centers.

Another measure is that the teacher should assume different roles in the technological environment as information consultants, collaborators group, lone workers, facilitators, resource provider and academic supervisor.

As Harasim et al (2000) point out, in the context of e-learning, the teacher's role, unlike the traditional activity of the classroom, it is student-centered and requires a different role of the teacher, closer to an assistant than to the charge of teaching lessons:

"The emphasis must be on the student's own intellectual process and the collaborative learning”

In addition, the teacher must learn to work in group and in collaboration with other professionals.

Two of the most significant roles that teachers will play in these new learning environments, and no doubt will involve the need to acquire new skills and technical domains are moderator and virtual tutor.

In the new communication environments, computers are a basic part for communication between the different participants in the process of teaching and learning; we often refer to this as "computer mediated communication"; which is a type of training in which the transference, exchange, storage and communication is done through computers connected to the Internet or an intranet.

Ryan et al (2000) indicate that the computer mediated communication offers a number of possibilities for training: frequent contacts between students and tutors, cooperation and collaboration to emphasize learning, silence, reflection and application of the learning facilities of the students, continuous feedback to students and the possibility of developing different learning experiences.

These new features should lead us to reflect on the possibility that the training and improvement of teachers is one of the cornerstones that determine the inclusion of the media to the field of education.

Thus, the United Kingdom Department of Education and Science (1992) suggests that there are four basic objectives that should direct the training and improvement of teachers in new technologies:

a) The ability to have personal confidence in the use of a software package.

b) The ability to critically review the relevant software packages and equipment of information technology.

c) The ability to make a constructive use.

d) The ability to assess the way in which the use of Information Technologies changes the nature of teaching and learning.

In addition to the requirement changes in the faculty, the student must be able to teach himself by taking decisions, the choice of media and learning paths, and meaningful search for knowledge.

We should take into account two perspectives: the media  in the context, that is, the idea that learning does not occur in a vacuum but in the interaction of a given context; and the media as context, that is, the potential of media to create differentiated learning environments.

Finally, we must say that for the use and the curricular integration of the media and not a simply add, possibly we have to forget more the media and to focus on the remaining variables: teacher, students, content …

• It could be interesting to think about that, because maybe technology can be excessive nowadays, and it could be a good idea to take in mind that we can search for information in books or asking people, but it is only an example of what I think about this kind of Society in which we are living. 

If you want to say me something interesting about this topic, or if you want to comment something or give me your opinion, you can write a comment here or you can send me an email to this email address: albialbita@outlook.es.