The Greatest Powtoon

For the last multimedia reflection i did chose to differ from my usually piktochart and went with the much more infuriating powtoon. I did not like using powtoon at all, I found it to be a really clunky program that was not user friendly and often a pain to do very simple things. Coming from something as smooth and well optimized as piktochart this was definitely a learning curve. I believe my journey using powtoon accurately reflects the Technological module  I had many struggles and many failed attempts using this medium which took lots of planning and lots of researching how to use this to the minimal extent that I did.  I can definitely see the value in paying for this program because it does open up the program and allow a lot more freedom and even more pre-made modules that a beginner could save a lot of time trying to replicate.

The five steps I will be going over in my powtoon will be from the previous link we looked at in class in slightly more summarized depth. I dispalyed how simple this giant website can be and hopefully outlined and rephrased most of the important information that can easily be digested and taken not of without missing out on too much. That is the  benefit of using a video platform such as powtoon, you are able to stop, rewind and add interesting music to your video that benefits all types of learners. What these 5 steps in my video display are the ways to integrate technology in your classroom and how you as a teacher can feel safe bringing new ways of learning into your classroom. By following my checklist you will hopefully have a good understanding of when it is okay andc when it is not okay to implement tech in the classroom and doing it in a way that is not overwhelming to your students and not discouraging any new learners you may have.

A Brief description! Lets Get Integrated!

1. Empathize – Think about your learners not as a teacher but as a learner yourself.
2. Define – Don’t assume whats wrong, have a clear understanding of problems that may occur.
3. Ideate – Be creative in your solutions to problems, how can we solve these problems?
4. Prototype – Put it into practice, figure out what is working and what is not, where do you go from here?
5. Connect – It should all be coming together. Put your prototype into practice and apply it to curriculum.
6. Add new tech and keep pushing yourself to learn using technology!

Thanks for reading!

The Article (original)

laptops, classrooms, and matters of electrate concern

The much more creative response (Original by: Kyle)

The Writing Part

I chose to do Piktochart again because I think this format can have a lot of fun and get the point across very quickly. The format also fit the article I chose to respond to, in case you missed it https://profalexreid.com/2016/05/17/laptops-classrooms-and-matters-of-electrate-concern/  is an article that goes on to say that technology is very scary and nobody has a real plan for it yet. When I say nobody has a plan, I mean nobody: not the teachers, not the students, not the parents or the principals. Yet this is an emerging area of learning that is only growing and it cannot be ignored, and it cannot be contained by a small plastic pouch.

It is easy to dismiss technology and call it a fad that is not worth investing too many resources in. However, is that what teaching is really about? I always thought teaching was about pushing the envelope and refining your lessons and making them as interesting for the students as possible. Technology is giving us (the teachers) a chance to teach in a way that was not available before and will improve before we know it; and I intended to embrace it and try and help my students see past technology as a faucet for social media. When I decided on becoming a teacher I envisioned myself being the laid back English teacher who would do things as boring predecessors had done before me. As I spent more time in the ed program I realized how fun being new could be and all the technology I had at my disposal could help me make a difference. In my placements I never really used tech at all, aside from a slide show or two. Reflecting on those experiences I realize how I can add to each lesson or change them entirely with different mediums that I never would have thought could be used for teaching. Twitter and instagram were becoming less of a social media construct and became a way to easily share and reflect on one another work. Technology is something I will be using in the future and it will be something I’m going to fail at using but its going to be something I never stop trying.

Technology as I stated is always changing and improving which is why I chose to do a Piktochart again. If this platform is still relevant I wanted to show that I could improve on my work from the previous lesson because I felt that I could still do better. As long as a platform is relevant I do not see the problem in using it again as long as you can get a firmer handle on how to use it to your advantage. I think technology only becomes a problem when you are lazy with it. If you are constantly trying to better yourself like with any new skill, such as, juggling it only becomes boring when you stop adding more balls. When you feel like you’ve mastered all juggling has to offer go try a new skill. With regards to technology I feel like I have mastered Piktochart and I am eager to start my next response in a new platform I can grow with.