#UWinDig

I chose to analyze and illustrate the article on Hybrid Pedagogy, Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom. The article starts off by explaining the common reasons for why students may take on the endeavor of learning about tech. Some of the reasons being that it is fun, interesting and that there are job prospects. From a personal perspective of both a learner of tech and future teacher of digital pedagogue, I created a poster to compare two very broad concepts of learning. The first category is an image of a teacher at the traditional starting point of learning, a blackboard. Within this blackboard there is an image of a laptop. Much like in the article there is a concept of traditional learning and teaching. Although the teacher is teaching a new subject he is still using an old teaching method of a chalkboard and self-centered teaching. If the viewer takes a closer look they are able to see that the computer screen has little avatars dropping and placing various images and texts on specific spots. This is a representation from the article of how the many of the current types of tech teaching in classrooms resembles the past ghost of fill in the blank hand out toil.

The right side of the versus contains individual design which can mean many things to different people. Perhaps the concept of dragging and dropping might be one person’s cup of tea and may be how presidential Obama marketing made their campaign, or perhaps it can also feel restrictive for those looking to make their vision come to mind. I chose this specific graphic for this side as it portrays many things spilling out of the screen without a proper place to land. This is how much of tech works as it can be messy business and will not always go as planned. There are various small icons within this graphic such as color pallets, eyedropper, camera, etc. All these images imply that there is not just one way of doing things but rather multiple mediums to the computer tech world and how we go about implementing our ideas right in the middle.

Now, what is good learning? This can vary from individual to individual. For new teachers, good learning is stepping away from standardized education as the article discusses that in previous classrooms this was the norm. The article emphasizes the need to depart from the ghosts of traditional classrooms in the digital world so students are able to experience good learning instead of traditional learning. Good learning is not perfect learning, meaning there is room for failure, success and growth.

What is building without direction? Well, with any stable project or endeavor a firm foundation is needed. This foundation can come in many forms, if it comes in the form of a template then it is based on one direction with spots to fill until the template is complete. Now when it comes to building something like a sculpture or an HTML webpage, there is no solid template, yes there is the initial blob of clay which is the foundation. There is the original HTML code that sets the framework, but the rest of the sculpture and format of the website is rightfully dependent on the maker.

Overall I agree with the article and that is why I chose to illustrate the main concepts of it in a self-made photoshop image. The fonts, colors, images have all been edited and altered by me to fit my own vision of the article Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom. There were a few trial and error copies that I discarded and even started from scratch at one point. I chose to create my own piece on a non-template program to further push the concept of individual design and individual learning. I am a self-taught photographer and amateur graphic designer. My experience outside of the classroom such as henna art, a photography tumblr, advertising jobs, lead me to the discovery of the tech world. Which further pushed me to learn about photoshop, lightroom and HTML through online articles and youtube videos. I believe the tech world is very much based around individual learning, individual design and individual variation, a concept of having one’s own voice and being a maker. I believe digital pedagogues must reclaim this right and allow their students to fail, succeed and fail again through inquiry-based learning in the tech world.

Yours in education,

Mrs. Ahmad

In episode 10 Questioning Learning of the podcast HybridPod, host Chris Friend and guest Amy Collier engaged in an informative discussion about the flaws of blindly adhering to standardized pedagogies.  One of the  important concepts from the discussion was the necessity for teachers to take risks and deviate from standardized models in order to meet individual student needs and maximize student potential.  I decided to outline a few of the issues of standardized pedagogies described by Amy Collier using an infographic as it was an effective way to visually represent the important details of the discussion. To create the infographic I used the website Canva.  This was my first experience using this website, and while there were limitations and struggles, it was a very easy site to navigate and proved to be a useful tool.

Eric Dunmore

I chose to look at the article, “Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom” by Ashley Hinck. A link to the article:

Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom

The main focus of this article is that though we are trying to push students towards becoming their own creators and innovators, we are not completely moving away from the standardized model because of the platforms and websites we choose for them to work with. For example, through the use of templates such as Canva, we are still continuing the traditional school culture, where the authority is placed on the teacher and the app’s hand. Because of the limited number of open spaces for student work, and less opportunity for exploration, we are gearing students towards the model of having one “correct” method of creating. Hinck also points out that even when we try to move away from these websites and templates, it continues to crawl up in student work, as they draw on their past experiences from within their school work and their digital world. One of the key issue is that students are used to everything being done for them so easily, that having to start from scratch becomes quite challenging for them and the many trial and errors they face is perceived as a failure from their viewpoint.

As a student and a future educator, I do agree with the article’s perspective. However, I do find myself in a bit of a contradiction as to where I stand on this issue. I am the type of person, though I believe can be quite creative when needed, prefers a guided model or a beginning tool, to help me get going and get creative. By bringing up that point, I do not necessarily agree that using these websites align with standardized education model, since the argument is that they are continuing to narrow down student creativity and exploration. I believe a good balance of guidance, with the opportunity to make your own creation is an important factor in ensuring we can meet the learning needs of every type of student. I personally was and still is, the type of student who would be completely lost and have a brain fart if I were given no template or platform to help me get started.

Below is the link to my infographic.

https://create.piktochart.com/output/32986350-new-piktochart

I decided to read the article “Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom” by Ashley Hinck. In today’s world, technology in the classroom is inevitable. Ashley tells her story of teaching digital media in the classroom and brings forward the different platforms available for students to use. Many of the platforms that she lists have pre-made templates that students can follow to help them reach the “right” goal. These platforms are created in the same way that our education is created. We follow a set of clear instruction, use resources that are pre-made for us like multiple choice tests, and in the end we pass or fail. These applications may be easy to follow but they are limiting students. If students are using a template made for them, they have no way of exploring. To the students, trial and error is a failure, not an opportunity to learn more. The students are creating something that someone else made for them; they are not being active participants in their own learning. Students draw on their past experiences so even if these templates aren’t physically in the classroom, they may continue to perform this way. This is why it is important to encourage failures and celebrate students’ successes. It is not about wrong or right, it is about how they can fix it and learning from fixing it.

I chose to use the application called Canva. Canva follows this step by step/template process but there is also an option where the student can start from scratch. I have to admit that I chose this because it was an easier way to create something, with a template ready for me to use. I could choose from different templates but add my own information to it. I had a few difficulties with the program but that was because of my own laptop. The website was actually easy to navigate through and fairly straightforward. I still get overwhelmed with technology and am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to the web.  I liked the idea that this website offers both options. It is important for the student to be an active participant in their own learning and to create their own work. At the same time some students learn different ways and need this template process to show their work. For some students, this step by step, and being told clear instructions, is the way that works for them. Some students enjoy a more organized lesson because so many choices can be overwhelming for them. Other students just have so many ideas and thoughts that they need the freedom to create every piece of the assignment. Personally, I can work both ways, so I enjoy having both options presented to me. I do like the idea of celebrating the successes and the failures of the students. This is how we learn. The mistakes are just as important as the things we get right. Students should be encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and learn more about the digital world. I think that freedom is a good thing and allows students to explore, but step by step instructions can also be useful to students. Everyone learns and creates in different ways! As a teacher I think it is important to include all of this technology in the classroom. But I find it scary to use ones that I have not tried out before. I remember being in grade school and my computer teacher gave us a lot of freedom with his assignments. We had to create songs on Garage Band but he did not tell us the instruments we had to use or the genre. We were allowed so much freedom in the way we wanted to make our song. I am hoping that as I learn more about the different platforms I can use them in the classroom without being so hesitant.

I chose to look at the article “Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom” by Hinck, A (2018).  The article connects standardized learning and practices like worksheets and multiple choice tests to technology that follows this same model. This standardized technology like standardized pedagogy leaves little room for exploration and true creativity. Success is possible within standardization, however it is not as authentic because it is essentially the art of playing by someone else’s rules, or mastering step by step process.

I like the connection the article makes between the classroom and shortcut template websites. I do believe that we as teachers need to prepare our students to be the creators and innovators of the future. Students need to be encouraged to make and create in their lives and with technology. This can be a scary process for students and teachers alike because with creation often comes trial and error and failure. I think that their is a fear of failure in our society and in the education system. I think this is the main ghost of the work sheet that Hinck is referring to; failure. As a future educator I want to normalize and even promote failure. The article talks about permission and opportunity to fail, which is the beginning of viewing oneself as able to take risk in creation.

As a student I have always felt very uncomfortable without having clear instructions from my teachers. I think this is because I have always been afraid to fail, or not follow instructions properly. Especially when it comes to using technology, like this assignment I had to give myself permission to fail while even using a template. To me this shows that we have work to do with the next generation. In my last placement I did a final project on the Geography unit I was teaching. I wanted to incorporate choice so I allowed students to present their information that they collected about the place they would like to live by using either a traditional bristle board, a power point, canva, a youtube video, a recorded song/rap, or a powtoon. I realized that even though I am not the best with technology my students may be and I have a lot to learn from them. This assignment was a hit, and students were able to create something they were proud of. Although many of them used template websites (not all), it was a great into to being a creator in grade 7. I hope that experiences like this will give them confidence to create and expand their knowledge with technology and perhaps they will create websites like kahooot and canva for others to use. They are a great way to offer accessibility and spark interest in students!

I used Powtoon to create a video. While reading the article I envisioned a parallel between choreography in dance and template web design and the dreaded standardized test. Although there is a place for all of them. Dancing without fear of missing steps, or dancing with friends on a night out is much more freeing and fun! In the last slide I purposely left the add company name here, because although it is a professional video it was essentially a work sheet.

Please click the link to view 🙂

https://www.powtoon.com/c/dczmrlL4wxa/1/m

Tabitha Klein

Multimedia artifact #1

For my first multimedia reflection assignment I chose to read the Hinck article titled Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom. The author begins by stating that students today are fascinated with digital media and love to create it. However, most tend to use predominantly “drag and drop” models which recall the students as container education theories of the past. This method of education saw students as a tabula rasa (blank slate) which needed to be filled with the right answers which educators neatly provided to them. The process of education was seen to be linear with no room for deviation, student centered learning or creativity.

The author argues that these popular template/shortcut platforms mimic this archaic way of viewing students and education. These sites can be seen that way because they have predetermined settings with little to no room for students to make individual choices or display creativity. If, as educators, we encourage our students to create their own meaning and connections in the classroom, why should we not do the same when it comes to digital media?

In the article it is also pointed out that when students are asked to struggle through the process of working with HTML coding or CSS they often get frustrated and see any challenge as a personal failure. The old linear way of thinking still haunts students. They are uncomfortable with making mistakes and trying to fix them, they just want to achieve success (the “right” answer) and have a finished product.

I myself struggle with this phenomenon. My ineptitude with digital media and technology has, on more than one occasion, caused much anxiety and feelings of personal failure. In beginning to create my Piktochart infographic artifact I was nervous at just the thought of having to create my own content and share it in a digital space. I spent quite some time struggling to try to get everything to look just as I wanted. I had to look a few things up and ultimately learned a few tricks along the way (like how to mask pictures together to get different shapes). The process was uncomfortable but I kept Hinck’s article in mind throughout and kept on.

In moving towards a better future with our students, we have to learn from mistakes and try to employ digital media to teach them to create original content. Part of doing so is to show them that the road to success is filled with many mistakes and that working to fix these mistakes ensures progress. Students need to learn to value progress and problem solving over rushing to create a finished product. When they can achieve that, we can empower them to see themselves as valuable makers, creators and speakers in the digital world.

-Alyssa Poole