#UWinDig

For my multimedia reflection, I chose to create and infographic/mind map using Canva to represent the (ideas) from Technologist. I have used Canva in past classes best for smaller assignments therefore I wanted to have the opportunity to use Canva for a much larger project. I have not created an infographic in my previous multimedia reflections and was excited to use Canva for my assignment. Canva is very simple and easy to use with the many different templates to choose from. You are also able to import your own pictures or backgrounds if you wish to use certain ones that are not from the Canva website.

I found this module was very easy to navigate and it did an excellent job at explaining the different steps of the design thinking process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and connect. I thought that each step was explained very clearly in order for the reader to thoroughly comprehend the steps of the design thinking process. The first step in the design thinking process is empathy where you must know what the user needs in order to design the most appropriate activity. The next step is to define or identify the problems or challenges based on what you have learned about your learner. This is the step that will help you to build a solution to those problems or challenges. The ideate step is where we create new ideas in order to incorporate technology to help address the different challenges that the learner is facing. The prototype step is the step where you have made a creation and it’s time to see if it works. It’s best to experiment with your creation and if it doesn’t work the way you had hoped, you are able to refine your concept to better fit the needs of your learner. The last step in the design thinking process is to connect how you will integrate technology into the curriculum. I feel that technology has become a huge aspect of our everyday lives and as a teacher I believe that using technology will benefit my students in the classroom.

https://www.canva.com/design/DADRrl2iGFQ/6GSTvjmoHEZoMJKqVIzApA/edit?category=tACZCpzRB-E

Cellphones. These are the rulers over people in today’s society. Everyone is always on their phones reading text messages, looking at Facebook or Instagram, taking pictures, checking email. This is especially prevalent in today’s youth. Yousif’s article entitled Tackling tech: How some Ontario teachers are attempting to limit students cellphone use discusses this issue among student’s in the classroom setting. The article starts off by saying that students are allowed to take their phone to their desks with them but only on one condition: they are required to place them in a special pouch before they put them in their desk. These specials pouches are called Yondr cases which lock once the phone is placed in it and can only be released when the teacher unlocks it. It has been found to create a positive impact in the classroom setting. I would love to use these pouches in my future classroom. I believe everyone would benefit from these cases including the teacher and students. In my first placement, I found that all of my students were constantly trying to hide their cellphones in their desk and I found it very distracting as the teacher. I was always telling students to put their phones away or to go put them in their lockers. If every school had these cases I think that it would eliminate the distractions for students. I believe that school boards need to look into investing into these cases because their current methods of no cellphones are not really working.

I chose this medium because I thought that it would be a great opportunity to practice my movie making skills. I used iMovie for my last project and wanted to continue to practice my skills by creating another type of video. I used the website www.promo.com to create my video. I was able to use some clips and pictures from their website but I was also able to import my own as well. I did enjoy using this site because I found it to be very user-friendly and easy to use. My only issue with the website was that you could only use five of their clips to create a video unless you wanted to pay for it. Even though I experienced this, I would still recommend the site to anyone who is not familiar with the video making process.

https://slide.ly/promo/share/5bd0c2f2f8bb6e58207b24bd

I chose to respond to the podcast that was written by Chris Friend and Amy Collier. I have chosen to complete a rant and discuss how teachers are always told to follow the curriculum exactly and “teach to the test”. In this rant, I will discuss my opinions about teachers teaching to the test and how they should branch out and try new teaching methods. It will also be discussed how every student learns differently, whether it be visually, kinaesthetically, interpersonally, etc therefore we shouldn’t just have one method of teaching. The whole point of teaching is to take risks and experiment with different teaching methods to see what works best for your students. You need to encourage risk taking with your students, and to teach them that making mistakes is okay and they won’t get punished for it.

I chose to edit my project using iMovie. I have never used this medium before therefore I had some difficulty when I was first using it. I was hoping to film my entire rant in one take, but unfortunately that did not happen. Luckily, I was able to film it in 2 parts that way I didn’t have much editing to do but I still had difficulty editing those 2 clips. I tried to play with the program a little bit, but was having no luck so I had to call a friend who has used the program before for help. She was able to talk me through what to do and helped me to better understand the program. Now that I know how to use the program properly, I would definitely use it for future assignments and in my future classroom.

Rant 

http://hybridpedagogy.org/questioning-learning/