MEDIA FOR TEACHING AND CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

This week has begun quietly on Monday as Linda was explaining in general the media use in the educational process. With no explanation of the subject completed, we have not yet been assigned the task, but all of us suspect that on Friday we will have a wide surprise judging by all the videos and materials left in the virtual classroom.

The contents that were discussed during the class were several. First we talked about the definition of "media for teaching" as curricular elements that help the understanding of information by students and that are developed in one context and at any given time. She continued talking about the main features that should have a good media for teaching, which should be: to integrate the curriculum, aim to improve student learning (developing skills and facilitate learning) and dependent and influence the context in which it develops. There was talk of the context as not neutral but who decides what type of media needs to be used and at the same time the communication process depends on the context. There were also examples to differentiate the two main parts of a media: physical instrumental part (hardware) and the code structure information. As an example, spoke of a possible explanation in class with the use of projections in which the physics would be the computer, projector, screen ... while the projections would be coded as such. Another example that was brought up was that of an explanation by the teacher without relying on any materials where the physical part would be the body of the teacher and the symbolic would be the voice or language.

Later we continue to review the concept of curriculum and its three main approaches:- All the guidelines included in the law: contents, basic competent, maximum of student per class…- It is everything that happens in the classroom. All types of relationships established between individuals involved in the educational process.- It is everything that influences the educational process: law, rules in my school, the different levels of relationship.

According to this last approach, when we want to implement a media in the curriculum, everything needs to be taken into account (technology, pedagogy and content knowledge). Thus we review TPAK theory that we had studied last week.

At the end of the class it was explained which are the 3 main categories that can be included in the curriculum elements (people and institutions, design and media technologies) and what we find in each of them. We only had time to talk about the first category, people and Institutions, on which it was said that in class must be taken into account evolutionary variables, being the mental and chronological age the main things that are going to define individuals.

In addition, we must also take into account the psychological variables and possible disabilities, as well as cultural variables and socio-economic characteristics of each individual. In terms of educational institutions we should take into account the infrastructure, teaching training, teacher and students attitude...


To be continued…