#UWinDig

I completed my third multimedia reflection on the Ecampus Ontario Technologist Module using Canva. Canva is a medium I was somewhat familiar with before this assignment. I have used it to make posters and promotional materials, but this was my first experience making an infographic. I still found it very user-friendly, but struggled with designing the layout so that it was visually appealing while still getting a lot of information across with it!

I found the Technologist Module very interesting to go through. As someone who generally likes more linear presentation styles, I usually get lost in modules similar to this one. This module, however demonstrated linear thinking with the process to incorporate design-thinking in your classroom, so I found it easier to follow. There were many hyperlinks, but I would save those until after I read the piece and see what I wanted further elaboration on. I absolutely loved the use of Padlet to allow teachers to share what has or hasn’t worked, and what they have implemented in their classrooms. This meant that even when I’m sitting at home going through the module, I have the feeling of community with other educators, and somewhere to share my thoughts. Here is my infographic summary of the module’s explanation of design thinking (click the hyperlink for a closer look)!

As a learner, throughout my elementary and secondary school education, I don’t believe this was something my teachers ever tried to integrate into my classes. As technology was beginning to show itself more in education, I feel that most of the teachers I had focused on the S(ubstitution) in the SAMR model. This included using the Smartboard instead of the chalkboard, or Desmos for graphing instead of sketching every graph. In this sense, technology was integrated into the classroom on the surface without changing the lessons from what they could be without technology.

Educators now, and the next generation of educators here on this blog, have more of a focus on the augmentation, modification, and redefinition of the SAMR model. This means that not only will students be more engaged, but we can more readily address the needs of our students through the process outlined above, as well as by incorporating this thinking into our differentiation for students with exceptionalities.

Overall, I think this module elevated my thinking of technological integration in the classroom, in addition to teaching without technology. This process is fundamental to teaching, whether individuals choose to integrate technology or not. The module used the analogy of architects, who don’t design buildings for themselves, but keep in mind the needs of the individuals that will be using the structure. So although technology makes it easier to differentiate and maintain student engagement, the design-thinking process should be at the forefront of every teacher’s mind.

Thanks for reading my thoughts! Sorry if I got this song in your head.

Kate Hatfield

Within the Jacobsen article, Teaching in a Participatory Digital World, and the Jenkins video, The Influence of Participatory Culture on Education,  focus was placed on utilizing participatory learning environments within the classroom.

Though many educators fear bringing these environments into the classroom, due to the issues that can arise, allowing students to explore safe digital practice provides them with lifelong skills they will integrate into their futures. Digital learning in the classroom allows students to expand their critical thinking and digital literacy, both essential skills in the modern workforce. Please watch my Powtoon below for a more in depth summary of the video and article, as well as more on how the topic of exploratory learning relates to my life!

As I mentioned in the video, as a student I always feared exploratory learning environments. I excelled in math and science courses, so preferred work where there was a clear end goal that I could achieve. Due to my logical tendencies, prior to this course and article, I did not participate in participatory learning environments because it was not integrated into my classes and I did not seek out these resources because I thought I was a stronger analog learner. This course has already helped me adapt to participatory learning environments, but as I stated in the video, this is an ongoing journey that I will never view as complete because I hope to constantly improve based on the knowledge I gain throughout the process.

Within my future classroom, I hope to introduce my students to participatory learning environments to allow them to escape from the mastery learning mindset. By making students aware of the questions they need to ask while exploring online resources, I will aim to help their digital literacy and assist them in gaining critical thinking skills that will last them a lifetime.  Within the text, I learned about Galileo as a teaching resource, and I look forward to exploring this resource in the future!

As I concluded in the video, I would love to hear about more participatory learning environments you have explored or plan to explore in the future! Also, how do you plan to incorporate these learning environments into your classrooms?

Happy Halloween!

Kate