For my second multimedia assignment, I was really excited to do a Twitter essay. The in-class assignment of the hashtag chat really got me engaged to use Twitter as my multimedia medium! Using the Twitter essay is perfect for this assignment in my eyes because of how recent we used it as a class. I used to be an avid Twitter user for leisure use, but being able to use it for a school assignment really had me enjoy it, rather than stress and dread over completing it on time. This piece by Dr. Michele Jacobsen was an excellent read and very relatable as a student and future (and kind of current) teacher. It really tied in the course material with realistic situations and even backed up by evidence of over 175 studies.
This course has opened up my eyes on how connected we really are, even when we don’t know it. As we discussed some of the negative effects in the hashtag chat in class, this multimedia piece focuses more on the positives. As I started reading the article, it seemed like it was going to go in a negative direction, and that is where my essay was going. It turned around very quickly as I read more and more on the article, truly seeing the positive aspects of the 24/7 connectedness.
Before reading this article, I would honestly say that I was indifferent on the subject. To me, I guess I understood why some teachers would not change their ways in the classroom and remain analogue, but this article has definitely changed my opinion. For some, they might have a “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” attitude towards their ways, and it is understandable. They have been doing something for a long time, and it has worked for the most part, why change it? I had no idea how much students truly benefited from including digital literacies in the classroom. Being at the faculty of Education has really made me see that it’s about the students, not us. My views have definitely changed about adaptation and teaching styles. There is always room for improvement.
I saw a lot of these benefits during my first practicum as my associate teacher always tried her best to stay connected to her students at all times. She used the Google Classroom platform so that she could post all resources and materials used in class, easily accessible to the students. She also used the Remind app to be able to give students updates on whatever she needed to, at all times of the day. The Remind app was also very useful because she turned on the option where students are able to message her back, almost like texting. The article really emphasized how it is up to the teacher to create a positive online learning environment for the students – giving them the best chance to succeed. I could really relate to that because that is how I want to teach when I am teaching full time. I want to be as engaging as she is, always looking to keep the students interested, no matter the lesson. After reading this, it has really encouraged me to be more aware of my technological resources because it can benefit me and my students in both teaching and learning. This course is teaching me a lot of about digital literacies and I am really looking forward to seeing what’s next to come!
Here are a few tweets from my Twitter essay, click on any of them and check out the thread to get the whole meat and potatoes on how I feel about digital literacies making their way into the classroom.
The digital age is forever changing the way we do literally anything, and it is currently making its way into the professional world #uwindig pic.twitter.com/jTfbkHzoAu
— Anthony Tannous (@atannousUWIN) October 29, 2018
— Anthony Tannous (@atannousUWIN) October 30, 2018