The below video is of a Canva I created with an audio voiceover, summarizing the key points from “Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom” written by Ashley Hinck, published on March 29, 2018, http://hybridpedagogy.org/digital-ghosts-modern-classroom/.
Hinck criticizes the current digital pedagogy represented in schools, how teachers only use the basic programs that lack creativity. I agree with this, as in my educational experience teachers always promoted websites that were extremely user friendly with easy cut and paste methods. Looking back now, I see this lacked creativity, however in the moment I found these programs very useful. I did not mind a rigid marking scheme with specific instructions to get the grade. People like myself like to stick with what they know, it is hard to venture into more complicated software, even if the simple programs lack control over the final product. However, it is important to me to learn more complex software in order to incorporate these aspects into my own classroom so my students do not miss out like I did in the digital technology educational process. My current mindset is though, that I will struggle incorporating these more complex software’s into my teachable subject of the social sciences. Thinking of different ways to integrate technology in general is a challenging process but integrating more complicated programs will be even more so difficult. Social sciences is extremely broad, made up of multiple different theories, majority of the class is understanding these theoretical perspectives. I think that using technology to teach these theories is going to be complicated, and I would be very interested in my collogues thoughts on this.
In regards to the media I used, Canva, it took me an hour or so to get myself accustomed to the program. Once I figured out how the task bar on the left hand side worked it became much easier to navigate the site and create my summary of Hinck’s article. I enjoyed working with Canva and am happy with my finished product, I know it could be better and if I ever have the opportunity I will explore Canva’s functions more in depth in order to use it for a range of future assignments and even use it in my own future classroom. I realize how it is ironic that I am using Canva while Hinck directly opposes these types of platforms. However I strongly believe that starting with programs like these and gaining some basic knowledge is not a bad thing, and can be a stepping stone to the more complex programs that Hinck wants students to look at. A limitation to Canva that I found was that it lacked the ability to download and incorporate gifs. I was looking forward to using gifs on my presentation. In addition to using Canva, I also used a program to screen record my presentation with audio, called Debut Screen and Video recorder. I used this Debut Screen and Video recorder because Canva did not have the capability to screen record, which is another limitation I came across. I have never screen recorded before so this was a struggle for me, however I was extremely happy to be introduced to it because of doing this assignment. In conclusion, my finished product was a video that incorporated my Canva graphic design as well as audio. Overall, it was a positive learning experience.
Dani Dimu