#UWinDig

I chose to do a Twitter essay for my reflection. I thought that the Technologist module presented some useful info, but was also not organized in the most effective manner.

I enjoyed the Empathize section of the module. I found this particularly relevant to the teaching world as they explained that:  “Design thinking starts with empathy. When you design something that is going to be used by someone else—a lecture, an activity, an assessment—you must first understand what that person needs.” Teachers should constantly be putting the needs of their students before their own when it comes to designing lessons, and the same can be said about technology integration.

Although the module explained some interesting strategies and concepts, a lot of them seemed intuitive for someone who is somewhat tech-savvy. I think the platform is better suited for those who are not confident with technology and really need extra help with digital literacy.

In all honesty, I thought the platform quite overwhelming and felt as though I was being overloaded with information that wasn’t the most engaging to read. I found myself ‘shutting down’ every time I went through a new section because it seemed like I was entering a never ending labyrinth of hyperlinks which unlocked pages upon pages upon pages. I soon had more than 20 tabs open on my browser and just wanted to shut the whole thing down. I am someone who likes order and simplicity when it comes to my work, so having no guidelines for the website and never knowing what I was getting myself into when starting a new section was daunting. I found myself quickly clicking through everything and not actually retaining any information – I just wanted to get through it. I wonder if other readers felt the same way and focused only on reaching the finish line, rather than enjoying the ride and taking in the sights.  I think a ‘learning goals’ list or a timeline would have helped me better visualize what I should take home from each section and have an idea in mind of how much time/energy each section will take me. Overall, I felt like I learned a lot more about myself and my learning style than I did about technology.

Something else I noticed and found ironic: the Design Thinking section had (yet another) hyperlink for readers to explore. When I clicked on it, it took me to a Wikipedia page that explained what Design Thinking is. I personally enjoy and frequent Wikipedia for basic knowledge of topics, but I found it quite digitally illiterate for a website to directly send it’s readers to Wikipedia for a definition. No? Just me?

Lastly, it seemed like this Extend site offering the Technologist module didn’t actually contain much of its own information. It seemed as though most of the learning would occur through exploring other websites. I think that Extend would be better off summing up the other sites in their own words for their readers in organized sections, rather than just sending them to what felt like a bijillion different websites.

Anwyay, I summed up my thoughts in the Twitter essay below. Have a read through my rant and see if you can resonate with my thoughts. Maybe I’m just being a little extra with the complaining, but it is meant to be a reflection after all, right?

– Nat G

2. The module is broken down into several sections which, at first glance, look like bite sized chunks of material. But upon digging a little deeper into the platform, I found the sections to be quite lengthy and to be honest, overwhelming and seemingly never-ending.#UWINDIG pic.twitter.com/X0ldSmHx5E

— Natalie (@NatalieGagne17) February 21, 2019

4. The module is broken down into several sections, one of which focuses on Design Thinking. The core principle of design thinking is that it is human-centered; The people who will benefit from the product or solution are directly involved in its design. pic.twitter.com/qKIqaQYMnr

— Natalie (@NatalieGagne17) February 21, 2019

6. Isn't it ironic that a website intending to teach us about technology and digital literacy is referencing a Wikipedia page? I would have rather seen a definition in the website's own words. I mean, I personally love Wikipedia and frequent it for basic info. But really?#UWINDIG pic.twitter.com/V4qc48FCIA

— Natalie (@NatalieGagne17) February 21, 2019

8. Students should be the core focus of our lesson plans and their needs should be prioritized before our own as teachers. We should look at situations through their eyes and make the learning experience as valuable as possible for them. #UWINDIG pic.twitter.com/SsgTeVvvxF

— Natalie (@NatalieGagne17) February 21, 2019

10. In addition, there seemed to be an endless amount of hyperlinks. I felt as thought I was in a never ending labyrinth of clicking and soon found myself to have 20+ tabs open on my browser at once. I would have enjoyed the module more if everything was in one place. #UWINDIG pic.twitter.com/3ULwIIrGt6

— Natalie (@NatalieGagne17) February 21, 2019

12. Overall I thought this module had some great ideas and great resources for teachers to expand their technological knowledge. I think it would be a good resource for those who aren't very tech-savvy, but for someone who is, the information may not be resourceful to them. pic.twitter.com/Wbe1DEKEbP

— Natalie (@NatalieGagne17) February 21, 2019

13. The quality of information was there, but I think the site could have been better organized and a timeline/learning goals list would have made my experience better. I think that readers could easily get lost in the abundance of information and become overwhelmed. #UWINDIG pic.twitter.com/QETPMwYnZT

— Natalie (@NatalieGagne17) February 21, 2019

Henry Jenkins and Michele Jacobsen raise interesting points about the integration of digital technology in the classroom. In his short video, Jacobsen explains that present day students are raised in a digital word and grow up on things like podcasts, video tutorials, gaming and social media and we are losing sight of the big picture when we consistently discourage them from using these modes of technology and networking in the school environment. Jacobsen also makes light of this in her article “Teaching in a Participatory Digital World’ and explains that teachers need to engage themselves more in the digital world to successfully integrate technology in the classroom in a way that engages and motivates students. I’ve attached links to Jenkin’s and Jacobsen’s content below.

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Jacobsen Article:

https://www.edcan.ca/articles/teaching-in-a-participatory-digital-world/

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I decided to write a Twitter essay to reflect on the ideas that Jenkins and Jacobsen raise. I’ve uploaded a link to my full twitter essay and a few snapshots of it below. Twitter is a platform that I passionately dislike and avoid using to express my own personal opinions, but I decided to give it a whirl to express myself in an academic context. In the end, I surprised myself and actually really enjoyed this reflection. Scrolling through the endless GIFs was addicting, and I found the poll feature to tweeting really useful. It seems like the platform has come a long way from when I can remember last using it years ago. The character count frustrated me while I was trying to get all of my thoughts on one idea into one tweet, but it forced me to be concise and to the point without sounding redundant and to keep my sentences short and sweet… unlike this one. 🙂 Overall I actually enjoyed using Twitter for this reflection. Nonetheless, this positive experience hasn’t motivated me to start using the platform again to express my personal thoughts outside of school. Maybe it’s gotten better since I first starting using the platform, but it seemed to me like everyone was just whining and complaining about things more than they were posting funny or positive things. I think it’s a great way to network with people all over the world and share news with one another, but it’s just not for me.

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Before reading Jacobsens article, I was always ‘pro-technology’ in terms of its integration into the classroom. Being a 90s baby, technology has been present in my everyday life since childhood and it doesn’t intimidate me. Jacobsen challenged me to think more critically about HOW I would actually integrate this digital world into my classroom one day. Looking back on when I was in high school, I can’t remember any teachers really encouraging the use of technology in our lessons, projects, homework, evaluations, etc. The times have changed dramatically in only a handful of years since when I was in high school, so I don’t have any previous personal experiences to build on or inspire me. Everything I’m learning about classroom technology is through my BEd, and I need to focus more on HOW I will actually make use of this digital world to benefit my students.

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In regards to Jacobsens article, I whole heartedly agreed with most of what she had to say, but there was one idea that I struggled with. This was her idea that schools should remove their internet firewalls so that students can have access to the web without any boundaries. To some extent, I think this is a great idea and has good intentions, but I think that there will always be students who will abuse this privilege. I also think that some parents wouldn’t agree with this, namely those who apply firewalls to their internet at home to block their children from discovering sensitive content on the web. Then again, I think to myself: “Well, if these kids have cellphones and have access to the internet away from home or outside of school, they will find on their spare time whatever it is they want to find online.” I’m a strong believer in school being an environment greater than just one to host books and to teach students traditional academia. Students should be learning people skills, life skills, social interaction skills, learning about themselves, their strengths AND their weaknesses and how to embrace all of this in this crazy thing we call life. Learning experiences like getting in trouble for whatever ridiculous things students do help us grow and blossom into responsible and sensible adults. Sometimes getting in trouble is the BEST thing that can happen for a child, because in that moment, they are LEARNING. It’s cliché, but it’s true: we learn from our mistakes. Thus, maybe students should have the freedom to explore the internet freely while at school. If they’re going to do it on their own time anyway, why not let them explore what they want to explore in a safe environment under adult supervision and with guidance from teachers. If they push the limits of these privileges and abuse them, the privileges can be revoked and consequences can be enforced. Learning is occurring either way. Win Win for everyone.

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Jenkins’ video and Jacobsen’s article really put things into context for me as a future teacher. It is our responsibility not only to include technology into our lessons, but to embrace that technology and engage ourselves in the digital world so that in turn, we can better engage students. If we aren’t motivated and passionate about what we are teaching, students won’t be either. This is partially why I chose to do a Twitter essay. I wanted to push myself into an uncomfortable environment and better familiarize myself with the platform that students regularly use. Teaching isn’t always comfortable, and learning often occurs at the boundaries of our comfort zone.

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– Natalie Gagne

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#uwindig

1. The classroom is an environment where the use of cell phones, social media and other web tools are typically frowned upon or feared. But instead of regarding them as distractions, could teachers do a better job of integrating technology into their lessons? #uwindig pic.twitter.com/xPBIBDYuXa

— Natalie (@NatalieGagne17) October 30, 2018