Pedagogic transformation, student-directed design and computational thinking

ABSTRACT

In a world where technology has become pervasive in our lives, the notion of IT integration in education practice is losing its significance. It is now more appropriate to discuss transforming pedagogy where technology is not considered a tool anymore but part of what we are. To advance this hypothesis, an enterprising, student-directed approach is proposed which embraces problem-solving as activity and computational thinking as knowledge development. In order to test its efficacy, a case study of students developing a 3D virtual space for international collaboration is used to exemplify the transformational pedagogy. From observations of the enactment of heutagogical characteristics and computational thinking, it is argued that we can now teach and learn “in” technology. This modality will come to dominate how technology operates “as” our lives, and become central to what it means to know and learn.

KEYWORDS:

• Information Technology
• pedagogy
• heutagogy
• transformation
• student-directed design
• computational thinking

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by JAIST kakenhi [grant number 15K01080] and Future University Hakodate tokubetsu kenkyuhi [grant number 2014B02]. We, the authors, declare that we have received no financial or other benefit arising from the direct benefit of our research.

Notes on contributors

Michael Vallance

Dr. Michael Vallance is a Professor in the Department of Media Architecture and the Director of the Center for Meta-learning at Future University Hakodate, Japan. His primary research is in robot-mediated interactions and virtual world communication. He was awarded second place in the Distributed Learning category of the United States Army’s Federal Virtual Worlds Challenge in 2012.

Phillip A. Towndrow

Dr. Phillip A. Towndrow is a Senior Research Scientist in the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. His primary research and writing interests are in the fields of Task Design, Enactment and Assessment/Evaluation, New Media Literacies, Pedagogy, and Teacher Learning.