Abstract:

In an increasingly digital world, education at all levels confronts and is confronted by new technologies. The digital fluency required by educators to teach in this rapidly changing and increasingly technology-rich educational landscape, at any level, requires professional proficiency, skills and tools, and confidence in digital pedagogies. This is a challenge for many of our teachers at every level of our education system. But it also demands a criticality rather than unquestioning acceptance that technology-enabled learning will always benefit the students. There exists a need to research the associated pedagogies required to enhance learning outcomes for students using these new technologies in their learning.

To facilitate informed shifts in our teaching practice with digital technologies, this research project examined the efficacy of establishing elective semester-long professional learning communities (PLC) within our Faculty of Education staff—based on research which suggests that the professional learning conversations which occur within the context of PLCs can provide a catalyst for significant, powerful shifts in classroom climate, pedagogy and learning. These PLCs were underpinned by Lave and Wenger’s community of practice framework. Sociocultural and socio-constructivist theory and connectivism provided the foundation for understanding and critiquing shifts in teaching and learning. Six PLCs were established, each with a different digital pedagogy focus, and each met weekly (one hour) for three weeks out of four, for four months.

It was found that meeting together as PLCs with a people-focused rather than technology-focussed approach, enabled the participants to deepen their understanding and application of digital pedagogies in their teaching practice, develop a knowledge base, create a shared commitment to community, and improve resources for teaching with digital technologies. As a Faculty of Education, a strong driver was to prepare preservice teachers for the classrooms in which they would be required to teach, where the only certainty is that education systems will be constantly open to further change. However, the findings are relevant for any institution wanting to reflect the shifts in the societies from which they draw.

Keywords:

Professional learning communities, digital technology, digital pedagogy, teacher education, e-learning.