Pedagogic conceptualisations for touch pad technologies

Abstract

The rationale for the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)-funded research study, which informs some of the papers in this Special Issue, was based on two driving forces. One was growing international interest in the increased usage of touch technologies in schools. The second was the researchers’ growing concern about the need for expanded pedagogic conceptualisations to support teaching with digital platforms such as touch pads. In this final paper of the journal using data from classroom observations and teacher reflection the authors report on the pedagogic challenges of working with the dynamic level of interaction that touch pad technologies promote. To investigate the link between curriculum goals relating to literacy and pedagogic design incorporating the affordances of touch pads an example from the Australian research site is profiled. The evidence drawn from teaching/learning cycles shows that students are provided with increased levels of interactive affordances through touch technologies to develop reading and writing. As a result teachers express the need for careful planning as well as highly flexible pedagogy in this learning context. A picture is beginning to emerge of the nature of teaching with touch pads that supports student agency but a clear account of pedagogy is not yet evident. It is recommended that pedagogic designs for literacy education in the future will need to focus more closely on the materiality of meaning making with technological artefacts while taking into account designed-in and contingent scaffolding.‘The core purpose of a teacher’s job is to design good lessons to stimulate learning’ (personal reflection by focus teacher)