Fizzics

Following on from the comments I received after blogging about being approached to write a chapter for a book on digital literacy in science teaching, I’ve started work on the piece.  I’ve created a wiki for note taking and am now drafting the chapter.  I seem to have plenty to say, the problem will be keeping it within the context of science education.  How often does a person get the opportunity to write for an academic textbook about using their favourite web2.0 tools in the classroom?  There’s a danger that I end up submitting something too edupunk for either the editor, publisher or both.

I received an email today from an academic I know.  It was an invitation to write a chapter for a book that is being put together on digital literacy in science teaching.   I’m very flattered to have been asked but not yet sure if I should accept.

I am very grateful for the professional learning network I have acquired through my use of twitter.  Several people contacted me with advice and they were unanimous in saying I should take the offer.  I have a few doubts.  One of these is my lack of teaching experience, I am only in my 3rd year since obtaining the PGCE.  How would I be able to justify my use of ICT in the classroom with pedagogically sound evidence given my short teaching career to date?  Would the reader, or the editor for that matter, see my use of ICT be as technology being introduced just for the sake of it?

The other aspect that troubles me is how little time I have had to use ICT in the classroom.  One response from twitter captured this quite well.  He pointed out that few classroom teachers will have been making effective use of ICT, especially for 3 years – 4 if you count teaching placements where you are expected to have all-singing ICT through the 18 weeks you are in school.  I discussed this with a friend from my PGCE year and we finally agreed with his perspective.

So I’m back to the teaching experience thing.  Well, that and the lack of an accessible reference library from which to back up any arguments I might want to put forward in my chapter.   Given the remit of providing a realisation of how digital literacy is facilitated by science teachers, it is perhaps unlikely that I would find much in a book anyway.