The correct use of technology in education was discussed at the “Digital Tools in the Context of Digital Pedagogy: Course Design and Content Development Panel” held by the Near East University Educational Technologies and Informatics Coordinatorship.
The more intense use of digital technologies in our daily lives continues to transform life. One of the most important areas of these transformations is education. The use of contemporary digital technologies in teaching and learning processes is defined as digital pedagogy. Digital pedagogy means creating an environment of dialogue and discussion, creating opportunities for students to reflect themselves, creating the most appropriate learning experience for the target audience, quality and purposes of education with the help of digital tools. In short, the fact that the classrooms are equipped with digital education tools and smart boards are used does not mean that digital pedagogy is implemented by itself.
Near East University Educational Technologies and Informatics Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gülsüm Aşıksoy said that they aim to contribute to the correct perception and application of digital pedagogy by opening the issue for discussion through the events they organize. “Digital Tools in the Context of Digital Pedagogy: Course Design and Content Development Panel”, one of the activities held in this context, was also held online. The panel, where Yıldız Technical University Department of Educational Sciences Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Başal attended as a speaker, was held with the intense participation of Near East University lecturers.
Lesson designs should be designed in accordance with the digital tools used
While discussing the concept of digital pedagogy, which we often hear during the pandemic process, the panel discussed the use of contemporary digital technologies in teaching and learning processes, as well as information on which digital tools will be used in which learning experiences and which tool would be suitable for which student group.
Emphasizing that equipping the classrooms with digital education tools and using smart boards does not mean that digital pedagogy is implemented, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Başal said that digital pedagogy can be applied by making the course design in accordance with the digital tools used.
Stating that new educational technology tools come out every day, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Başal said, “When only a technology-oriented approach is used in education, it can create many negative pedagogical effects. Technology needs to be integrated with appropriate pedagogical approaches and used in a pedagogy-oriented framework rather than a tool. Otherwise, no technological tool, hardware or software can replace the traditional lectures that are made mutually in the classrooms. If technology is to be used in any lesson, its decision must be in line with many factors such as the objectives and needs of the lesson, learning equipment, school and student opportunities. If the learning process in a course takes place smoothly, unnecessary use of technology only disrupts the learning process by disrupting the flow of the course.