It's time to reimagine Digital Pedagogy.

A learner-centred approach that may be applied to online, hybrid, and face-to-face learning environments, Digital pedagogy also traces its roots in the theory of constructivism.?

According to this theory, knowledge isn’t passively received from the world or authoritative sources but constructed by individuals or groups attempting to make sense of their experiential worlds.?

In terms of teaching and learning, constructivism states that learning should be meaningful, help in developing in-depth understandings and construct complex cognitive maps to connect knowledge and understanding, which can be enhanced by the use of digital pedagogy.?

As we advance to the year 2020 the onset of the pandemic marked the halt of formal education across the globe.?Therefore, to not fail an entire generation of students that is bound by an unwarranted thrust on online education, digital pedagogy is what triumphs again. Digital pedagogy can also be referred to as the skill of embedding digital technologies into teaching, to enhance teaching, learning, assessment and curriculum.?

The need of incorporating digital pedagogy into the education system is increasing with every passing day, especially after the entire model of education was made online. In the past five years, the dropout rate from online classes was recorded to be 96 per cent, denoting that while people do sign up for MOOCs, they remain incomplete.?

One would assume that the generation that is followed the Millennials often labelled as ‘Gen C’, ‘Gen I’, ‘Gen Y’, ‘Gen Z’, ‘Net Gen’, ‘Internet Generation’ and ‘digital natives would fully comprehend everything bestowed upon them by technological mediums and capitalize upon it to the fullest extent.?

While these students may be digitally fluent in their lives outside the school, a lot of educators and researchers are of the view that they are markedly less fluent within the educational context. On the other hand, many teachers in possession of basic knowledge on how to operate the computer, generate data sheets, use an excel spreadsheet, and google for information believe that they are digitally fluent which isn’t enough.?

Digital pedagogy is about an attitude and aptitude for digital technologies, a willingness to use them in the classroom effectively and an understanding of how and why they should be used. To enhance the learners’ experience with an emphasis on a better constructive understanding of theoretical concepts, educators can take these two suggestions to integrate digital pedagogy into their teaching styles.?

First comes learner-centred orientation which can be divided into two broad categories- traditional and constructivist and accentuates the attitude of the teacher and learner towards this medium. A traditional pedagogical orientation consists of the role of the teacher as an expert and assessor and the role of a student as completing given close-ended tasks. On the other hand, a constructivist orientation emphasizes the students’ activities in learning, and the social and reflective knowledge construction. This orientation recognizes a teacher as a facilitator whose goal is to enhance the students’ deep understanding of a particular topic by providing them with opportunities to express their conceptions and perceptions. For instance, a lot of teachers opt for options like a ‘break-out room’ where groups of students are assigned a particular topic and are expected to discuss them in these break-out rooms. After a specific duration, these students would automatically come on the main screen and present their points from the said discussion. This gives these learners a platform to participate and reflect and it also helps the teachers to engage and retain the learner’s attention. This is where the pedagogical practices used by the teacher also surface. Teachers need to understand why ICT (Information and Communication Technology) should be integrated into learning areas and plan ways of integrating ICT into their teaching. Digital pedagogical practices emphasize ICT as a tool that enables a learner’s engagement with problem-based activities.

The second suggestion considers the digital pedagogies competencies which shed light on the skill side of availing this practice. Teachers need skills to integrate digital technologies into teaching successfully. Pedagogical competence can arise from various aspects, including ability, which refers to the skills required to plan and organize activities and present information to students in an appropriate manner. Adaptability is another important aspect because, in different circumstances, teachers should be able to handle a diversity of factors to optimize students’ learning. It isn't a static skill but rather something that needs to be developed and evaluated. For instance, in a Human Anatomy class, a professor may use the traditional way of drawing diagrams on the blackboard for an illustrative understanding of the learner. However, to adapt to the online mode, the professor may switch to showing videos of 3D models that can augment the understanding of the learners due to the availability of visual aids. Lastly, perseverance is also a significant aspect for it refers to teachers’ commitment to the learners and maintaining high quality in their teaching.

It is noteworthy to talk about the metaverse at this juncture. The combination of the physical and virtual world to create a third space, in this context, that will help students learn about various topics in a deep interactive way. Imagine a situation where students learn about Indian history in a augmented reality setting where they are able to see and feel characters move around them. This makes history more than just a subject where you have to mug-up facts and spit it on a paper. The advent of the 5th Generation(5G)internet speed should be able to support the creation of a meta space and be part of user-generated global community on an interoperable multiplatform where they can share their knowledge and other scholarly work.

These suggestions for digital pedagogy can help educators in utilizing digital technologies in their work. In addition, the learners can create an environment which is competent enough to support their moral, social and intellectual growth in terms of conversions and interaction with each other. One conclusion that can be drawn is that since digital pedagogy traces its roots in constructivism, there is a more learner-centred approach rather than a teacher-centred approach.