MUDS in the classroom : teachers' learning, epistemic potential and pedagogical dilemmas

Abstract

This research article recounts an authentic integrated project undertaken by Martin Woodbury and his teaching partner, Su Cooper, with their socio-culturally and linguistically diverse multi-age middle years classes at Coopers Plains State School. Their purposeful integration of ICT literacies into a SOSE inspired unit for their school's 75th Anniversary won them a National Literacy and Numeracy Week Celebration Grant in 2006. Attention is focused on Martin's talk about his first time exploration of two multi-user domains (MUDs), forums and blogs. This article documents and discusses Martin's developing awareness of his technological literacy content knowledge, their epistemic potential, and the pedagogical dilemmas besetting teachers as they engage student with these new technologies.