Design+Rationale

Design Rationale

This unit was created to utilise the principals and concepts from the relevant Key Learning Area (KLA) Essential Learning’s from the Technology Syllabus (Queensland Studies Authority (QSA), 2007). During this Rationale it will demonstrate that the unit was created by following relevant theories, initiatives and pedagogical decisions that all pertain to creating a unit that is suitable for today’s generation of students. One of the first things you learn about the students in the 21st century is that they are digital natives (Knipe, 2007). Digital native students know and use technology in their everyday lives. This unit hopes to work using the [|**Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge**] [| (TPACK)] framework by Mishra & Koehler (2006), by embedded technology in a pedagogical way, will create a unit that is not only interesting to the student, but will also challenge them to work with media and technology that they already feel comfortable with. One of the ways this will be done is by using blogs as the design media for their Process journals. Using a Blog site allows the students to update and reflect about their learning in real time, while the reflection is still fresh in their heads, before all the other distractions of being a teenager can take effect. These Blog sites also help to support the equity issues that many students can face in schools today. In a Blog students can document their learning in a medium that is comfortable to them. Supporting the equity of the students is of utmost importance during adolescences, as this is the stage of their learning in school that can be severely damaged or expanded (Pendergast, et al., 2005). During the course of the unit students will be prompted to view and comment on each other’s blogs, creating networks of Peer Learning. Peer learning effectively builds relationships within the classroom and provides opportunities for comprehensive learning (McInerney & McInerney, 2006). Networking can also be viewed as collaborative learning, through collaboratively working with peers it enhances Piaget’s theory of social interaction, which is students learn best from their own peers (Snowman, Dobozy, Scevak, Bryer, Bartlett & Biehler, 2009). Ultimately it can be viewed by saying “they function best when networked” (Knipe, 2007, p 32). The structure of the unit is set up in a way that the students will be building upon their own prior knowledge and experiences to gain the new knowledge and skills (Duffy & Jonassen, 1992). Structuring the lessons in a logical order for the students to follow and build upon is scaffolding the learning for the students (Snowman, et al., 2009). Scaffolding is an instructional design strategy known as constructivism and like all instructional design strategies it calls for an understanding and knowing of the students’ prior knowledge to build upon for the new knowledge (Smith, Lynch & Knight, 2006). Scaffolding the lessons allows students to see the logic in the design process. This design process is an activity or strategy that students can adapt and transfer over to other subjects or challenges they may face. Structuring the unit in this way will be keeping the students interested as they know it is something that is useful in future life (Larsen & Keiper, 2007). The assessment compound of this unit is a task that works in conjunction with the ‘connectedness‘section of the Productive Pedagogies framework (Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE), 2002). This is done by asking the students to complete a real world task, using the higher order thinking skills from Blooms’ taxonomy of ‘Invention and Justification’ (Frangenheim, 2007). The students will be asked to create a company that will produce party food products suitable for people who suffer from obesity. Not only will students have to **invent or modify** recipes to be suitable for their clientele, they will also have to use **Justification skills** to document their thinking and rationales to be viewed by their peers and members of the food industry community. Making the students demonstrate their products and ideas to food industry members will make the students feel that they are creating something that could benefit the community. When students feel accepted as part of the community they are comfortable, even energized motivated to achieve (Marzano & Pickering, 1997). These food industry members will be talking to the students allowing them to consult and investigate, what requirements and constraints that need to go into their design, for filling the Ways of Working required from the Queensland Syllabus in a meaningful and engaging way (QSA, 2007). Using the TPACK framework comes will certain risks to the safety of the students, it is the teachers responsibility to "Create and maintain a safe and supportive learning environments" (Queensland College of Teachers (QCT), 2006). To ensure the safety of the students is maintained in this unit, students will be required to discuss the risks that they could face, After the students have discussed the dangers that they face they will work together to create rules and procedures to avoid possible dangers. Some of the concerns that can happen when using ICT's in the classroom can be: privacy issues, the use or abuse of copyrighted material and even cyber bullying. Each student will be emailed and asked to sign a disclaimer to acknowledge that they understand what and why these policies are in place in the classroom. This disclaimer will be stored by the teacher and used as leverage to be able to remove students from the classroom if the students do something that can be considered unsafe or unethical.

As has been demonstrated this unit of work had been created following the guidelines set by the governing bodies, but it still follows the recommendations of relevant theories, initiatives and pedagogy of the middle phase students. This unit was constructed on the bases of knowing how best to engage the using technology giving the best chance of learning.

References

Department of Education, Training and Employment. (DETE). (2002). //Productive Pedagogies//. Retrieved from. [|http://education.qld.gov.au/public_media/reports/curriculum- framework/productive-pedagogies/].

Duffy, T,M,. & Jonassen, D,H,.(1992). //Constructivism and the technology of instruction a conversation//. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Frangenheim, E. (2007). //Reflections on classroom thinking strategies// (9th ed.)//.// Sydney, NSW: Rodin Educational Consultancy.

Knipe, S. (ed) (2007). Middle years of schooling: reframing adolescences, Pearson: French’s Forest, NSW

Larson, B. & Keiper, T. (2007). //Instructional strategies fro middle and high school.// New York: Routledge

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn,G. J., Brandt, R. S., Whistler, J. S.). (1997). //Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual// (2nd ed.). Alexandra, VA: ASCD.

McInerney, DM. & McInerney, V. (2006). //Educational psychology: Constructing learning.// (4th ed). French Forest, Australia: Pearson Prentice Hall

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Teachers College Record, 108 //(6), 1017-1054.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Pendergast, D., Flanagan, R., Land, R., Bahr, M., Mitchell, J., Weir, K., Noblett, G., Cain, M., Misich, T., Carrington, V. & Smith, J. (2005) //Developing Lifelong// //Learners in the Middle Years of Schooling.// Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/lifelonglearn_midyears.pdf

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Queensland College of Teachers (QCT), (2006) Professional Standards for Queensland Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.qct.edu.au/Publications/ProfessionalStandards/ProfessionalStandardsForQldTeachers2006.pdf

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Queensland Studies Authority (QSA). (2007). //Technology: Year 9 Essential Learnings//. Brisbane, Qld: Auth

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Smith, R., Lynch, D & Knight, A. (2006). //Learning management//. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Snowman, Dobozy, Scevak, Bryer, Bartlett & Biehler. (2009). //Psychology applied to teaching// (1st Ed.). Milton, Queensland, Australia: John Wiley & Sons Australia Limited.