#UWinDig

As the world is spinning, new ideas, new technology is being invented daily for our better daily use. As teachers we want to integrate technology into our classroom because it’ll make our lessons more effect. Our students are becoming more tech savvy, we should be able to adapt to the new times. We depend on technology more than ever these days, so why not add technology into our lessons that we possibly have taught the same way for so many years. Developing these skills won’t take us a day to figure out, it will happen over time. This is what “Digital Literacies” are about,  “using technology tools effectively to address specific learning challenges is just one aspect of digital literacies for teaching.” (https://extend.ecampusontario.ca/technologist-digital-literacies/)

There are five processes for the design-thinking process:

1. Empathize: You have to put your desires aside to make a lesson better and think about what the student wants. You may want to use a specific technology module that will help the students understand the material you are trying to teach them. In the end, it starts with the students, and it’s for the students.
2. Define: Is pinpointing a problem that your learner will come across. You want to build a focal point that will overcome the challenge for your student(s), and this will help you identify challenges in the coming future.
3. Ideate: This is where technology will come in and help you with your challenges. There are many different programs that will assist you in making these mind maps.
4. Prototype: This category allows you to chose your favourite technology and add design a prototype lesson. This is your test run with your lesson. If it works, great, and if it doesn’t, you knew it was a test run, and make sure to refine it for next time.
5. Connect: This is the key part of your lesson. You will need to connect your technology to the curriculum. Overall expectations, and specific expectations need to be checked off when you are designing your use of the technology for your lesson. If they are not, you’ll have to scratch that and make a lesson or find a new program that connects.

I found this Google Image and I liked it a lot, because it shows all 5 categories outside of an infinity loop, showing how all of these frameworks tie into one another. 

Picture citation: https://productcoalition.com/design-thinking-isnt-just-for-your-product-development-team-e8e25f713643

I wanted to challenge myself and make a Twitter Essay talking about the Design-Process.

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I read the article, Privacy Concerns for ClassDojo and Other Tracking Apps for Schoolchildren and it was very interesting to read. First and foremost, I never heard of this application and never thought one existed. While reading the opening few paragraphs, when it is discussing how a teacher can give points for treating others well, bringing supplies in to share for the class, and completing your homework, I thought, “well that is a neat idea on how to give points to a student. It is motivating the students and in return they are receiving points for their work.” Then it continued on saying, if you take your cellphone out you will get docked points, or if you do not finish your homework when it is due, you will also get docked points. As well, I thought, “well that is a great system on how to award points and take them away.” Right then and there, I was sold on using this app in my future classroom, but only with my principal’s and/or my school’s permission to use it. Teacher’s today have to be safe on sharing any confidential information online about their student. I would like to watch over my back and be safe if I ever work with this site. Your job is (always) on the line.

Continuing to read the article, I began to change my mind on the possibility of using this application. First off, I have to believe companies that make applications for school’s to use or just in general, make long ‘Privacy Acts’ that most of the time, the customer will just scroll through to the bottom and hit “Agree.” When I read that it was 18 pages long, I immediately thought, “no one is going to read every single word. They do this on purpose because they’re smart enough to know that not one teacher will read this agreement.” You may have a few teachers that will read a few paragraphs and give up because it is too long of a read, or you may have teachers that read the whole agreement. 

Relating this article, to our classroom and what we have learned about how social media works, is that I will not use this application in my classroom. There is always tweaks in the ‘Privacy Act’ that will get you. The company will know how to work around their terms because they will write them so vague, that they will leak students’ information to the world. But who knows, they might not do that. They say the teacher owns 100% of the rights on their profile. And again, no one knows because companies can figure out ways to outsmart the user. 

Ashley Hinck’s article Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom was an interesting read. After reading the whole article it made you think of all the social media applications you can make templates, GIFs, YouTube Videos, and much more on, and how they are limited to what they provide to their consumers.

There is no visual step by step process written out for you on most of these sites. Students do not like that and wish there was a process for them to follow. I’m the type of person that can figure out the steps along the way, but for the average Joe student, I don’t think that is the case. It comes with practice and years of experience working with different softwares. If I was teaching a class and I knew the site did not have any steps to go along with the project, I would make sure to make my own project as a guide for the students, and communicate with them the steps I took in order to achieve the final product. Along the way it is alright to fail, we as future educators have to encourage the failing process, because if we fail a few times we know what it takes in order to succeed. Students have to realize that failing is not bad thing, but a learning experience. Maybe sometimes a wake up call, but majority of the time sometimes we need it.  

As a teachable being in the arts, these programs are awesome because art is all about creating something visual, something auditory, and an emotion. Students will be creating their own assignment through the help of these programs. Schools, teachers, and future educators need to bring the creative process to the classroom. You wouldn’t believe what your students can create if they put their mind to it.

2018/09/30 – 103586003