#UWinDig

Using technology in the classroom is a daunting task for even our generation. Ontario Extend’s Technologist Module is one way to garner tips and inspiration on how to use digital tools to enhance and achieve activities that would otherwise be impossible. Even when inspiration strikes for a great digitally integrated activity, with so many platforms out there, it’s important to have a strategy in place to know how to select which ones. After going through the module myself, I used the tips and strategies to help me choose the platform that would be best at facilitating what it was I wanted to say for this multimedia reflection. I considered what information I was trying to convey and how I wanted my finished product to present it. Once I decided that I had mostly text, I knew something like an infographic wouldn’t be right. Then, I considered how the layout should appear based on how my thoughts were seemingly structured in my head. I could tell that I was thinking in a more linear fashion, and therefore I knew that something like a mind map wasn’t ideal for what I was trying to do. So, when considering that I wanted something more linear in structure that could handle a fair amount of text, a Twitter Essay seemed the clear choice out of the usual platforms (canva, coggle, powtoon, etc…). I found this process to be more efficient than how I chose the platforms for my other two reflections. For those ones, I chose a platform first, mostly at random, and then let that dictate what information I presented and how. This time, by considering the information and end goal first, the process of actually creating the reflection was much smoother for me because I didn’t feel as constrained and my ideas matched well with the characteristics of the platform.

Overall the module offers some good strategies, but there’s no way around the fact that integrating technology in a purposeful and meaningful way requires creativity, research, and for most of us, a continuous learning curve.

Chris Gilliard and Hugh Culik’s article Digital Redlining, Access, and Privacy draws attention to a very important, but—until now—unsaid issue. While most of us think of access to information as a right, this article reminds us that it is, in fact, a privilege.

Personally, I have never had to worry about being restricted in my research or access to information. I have been fortunate enough to attend post-secondary institutions that offer many databases and resources of information. I also always had access to the internet at home and even on the go, I have a fair amount of data for my research needs. Because of this privilege, I have spent most of my life being fairly ignorant to the struggles of others with restricted access to the internet and information. I have never known the frustration of being alerted that I am unable to access a certain webpage due to restrictions. That is what made this article all the more relevant to me because it really opened my eyes.

I would have never thought to make the connection between redlining maps in the United-States and the restriction of information at community colleges versus wealthy post-secondary institutions. Initially, I found the analogy shocking because I was not sure if it was appropriate to compare such a racially charged historical practice to this modern dilemma. However, as I continued to read the article it became clear that this was, in fact, the perfect comparison. As Professor Gilliard alluded to, many students attending community colleges face financial restrictions. In his lecture, Gilliard explained that unlike most students at wealthier institutions, many community college students do not have access to internet packages for their home or phone, meaning they only have the means to do research at school. This is problematic when their only online access is restricted. Community college should not be thought of as a lesser education and its students should not be limited due to stereotypes or the precedent that they simply need job training and therefore are not in need of research tools. All learning, at any level, should involve inquiry, which in turn requires research and research tools. Withholding these tools and deeming what limited access they have “good enough” based on an institution’s financial status is discrimination of its students.

I found Ashley Hinck’s article Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom to be a very thoughtful and relevant piece. Although it felt somewhat overwhelming for me, as someone who has really only ever used shortcut/template platforms, I was able to understand and even agree with her arguments. We expect digital technology to take education in new directions and help students develop new skills, but our cookie-cutter educational ways of the past are still looming over us and restricting the full potential that digital technology could bring to the table. Students have been trained to follow strict steps and believe that there is only one right answer. Therefore, students are accustomed to thinking that they are only successful if they can find that single right answer using the methods that they have been taught. There is little to no emphasis on the educational journey and learning from mistakes. These troublesome notions still haunt our current digital practices in education. Students are using websites where everything is laid out in a pre-set theme or template instead of experimenting, building, and creating from scratch by learning how to code, because coding is more complex and messier, so although it may be more valuable as an educational process, the end result won’t be as neat and tidy. Once again, we see where our priorities are. We need to reform these old ways and put the emphasis on the learning process! We need to kill the ghosts! By encouraging students to experiment and giving them license to make mistakes we can rid them of the notion that making mistakes, or “failing”, makes them failures.

My first instinct was to represent my response in a Sketchnote, but in the end, after a lot of back-and-forth, I chose to use Coggle. I felt that it was important for me to explore a new platform. I also felt that it would help me to be more in tune with the article if I used a template/drag-and-drop platform like the ones she talks about. I think in those senses, it was a successful choice. I learned a lot about a new platform whilst being able to experience a lot of the elements she spoke of in her article. Coggle was very limiting. Sure, it was fairly easy to use. A couple of clicks and some drag-and-drops were all I really needed to get by, but it was very limiting in terms of style and therefore caused me a lot of frustration and second-guessing. Should I just be doing this on paper? Should I just look for a platform like Paint, where I could have more freedom? Ultimately, I still feel like this allowed for a more authentic experience in relation to the article’s topic.

Originally, I set out to make a mind-map. In my head, this consisted of a web-like form with a center and multiple lines of thought branching out. What I found once I started, was that my “mind-map” was turning into more of a linear stream of consciousness. Hinck’s article really made me reflect on the roots of our education system. Digital technology facilitates student-centered learning, but our system still seems to be carrying its past traditions of teacher-centered learning and template teaching, where students have to find ways to conform to the lessons and teaching techniques presented to them, instead of those elements being tailored to them. I believe that if we can get to a place in education where the focus is completely on the individual student and their educational journey through experiential learning, then we will see more “complex” digital platforms being tackled in classrooms, but we first have to remove that fear of “failing” or being “wrong”.

Preview:

PDF of my Mind Map made on Coggle: Schoenberger Modern Classroom Ghosts Mind Map

Vicky Schoenberger