Participants’ views on the effects of digital technologies on their teaching/learning in food and textiles technology education.

Digital technology integration into general education classrooms in New Zealand is moving ahead as these technologies become more available and accessible. Literature, conferences and statutory authorities in New Zealand indicate the need to incorporate information and communication technologies (ICT or digital technologies) into educational settings in an effective way. Raising educational outcomes for further education, life-long learning, economic growth and use in industry is a top priority, especially in a subject like technology where students are challenged to problem solve, plan and create (NZ Government, 2012). New digital applications and online environments are being developed and used in New Zealand, like POND, the Network for Learning portal which aims to “unite New Zealand teachers, school administrators and students with providers of educational content and services” (Network 4 Learning, 2014), with the view of “strengthening the capability of teachers and school leaders to integrate the use of digital technologies with effective teaching and leadership practices” (NZ Government, 2014, p.18). Specific subject courses like food or textiles technology have little research in the area of digital technologies on which to base development and implementation. Technology courses are a mixture of practical skills based activities along with a design process which incorporates technological literacy and theory. Using digital technologies effectively in a blended learning environment would be beneficial for students to manage this complex learning. The main research question of this study is: How is the pedagogy of food and textiles technology teachers changing with the introduction of digital technologies? This was asked to find out what the teachers’ digital pedagogies are and also to determine how they perceive the use of blended learning to assist students with digital preparation for future employment and study in the wider community. The interpretive methodology using an initial questionnaire to gain some quantitative data followed by semi-structured interviews to gain greater insight in a qualitative manner were used. The perceptions of the pedagogical approaches teachers were using was also partially gained from the questionnaire. This was initially analysed with the use of the SAMR and also the TPACK models thus assisting with the discussion on the pedagogical integration of digital technologies in food and textile technology classrooms. A thematic approach was used to analyse data collected and the findings include the positive use of digital technologies in the participants’ food and textile technology classrooms. The Teaching as Inquiry model proved to be a useful tool to assist teachers. Some thoughtful integration of digital technologies, in their particular subject contexts, was demonstrated. The participant teachers showed a desire to use many of the available online educational resources and have found their students are using these tools effectively and often in a creative manner. The teachers used various digital technologies for instance Youtube videos to show students techniques to assist them with product design or development. They also utilised different assessment collection methods such as videoing conversations which can give greater flexibility to the teaching and learning. It is an exciting time in technology education for both teachers and students alike