#UWinDig

Education is sharing of ideas, using technology modules, access to personal data and using several available resources for learning like the internet.
I found it very boring when I teach same course over and over again especially mathematics and Science at grade level without using a new approach or adding something new to create interest from my students. There is need to incorporate technology for the benefits of students using varieties of platforms that can make learning enjoyable, integrating technology in a way that will benefit the learners.
The Technologist modules which is available through the Ontario Extend is a good platform to introduce technology that will benefit learners digital pedagogy.
As a teacher,i see the effective use of the module coupled with extensive interaction with colleagues,using various on-line platforms to obtain information and creating personal data for inferences, as a far reaching approach .The completion of the technologist module extend which is available through Ontario extend , a great achievement completes the whole process.
The module helps to use and integrate technologies in a way that supports,facilitate and enriches learning experiences.
Whereas digital literature is complex, but with the use of technology tools very effectively to address specific challenges through ability to locate,use, summarize,evaluate,create and communicate information while using digital technology and web based platforms has revolutionized digital learning.
How do we get started?
Design thinking toolkit is our start up. It helps users in creating and experimenting to spark new ideas and then use feedback to improve those ideas.We shall be looking at this approach as demonstrated in the design thinking module below;

https://www.powtoon.com/my-powtoons/#/

The five design thinking module start with EMPATHY;The listeners,users or learners we ask questions,what do they want?The need to identify with would be users,learners,listeners and what they want.The need to empathize with would be users,identify a challenge that could be solved through purposeful use of technology in our curriculum.All these come through feedback or share such resources with our colleagues for solution.DEFINING the learner challenge is the second module; It identifies a problem,or a challenge observed from learner and suggested the following to make amends;a)provide focus and frame the challenge,b)We inspires others around us as an entity,c)lay out your process and ask for ideas,d) have ability to capture the heart of users,e)help in conjunction with others ability to deliver the right concept.
IDEATE the third module asks questions about how do i build an ideal feature and characteristics of how tech can address the learning challenge-mind mapping with guidelines being the surest approach.PROTOTYPE,another level module chosen technology helps design a chosen prototype that works on three legs;Design,Share,and Refine.The last module being CONNECT to the curriculum the exercise,and how it be used to integrate technology in the curriculum is the final stage and how it will integrate into curriculum? a big challenge.

The Technologist module by eCampus Ontario presents the scenario of a Teacher looking to make their classroom atmosphere more engaging through the use of technology. The first and most important key term in the module refers to digital literacy. It is important to understand one’s digital literacy before incorporating any technology into one’s lessons. Developing one’s digital literacy is an ongoing process with which technology will continue to grow. It is also important to note that technology is best incorporated with design-thinking, where students share in finding a solution to their problem. This module offers a 6-step process in design-thinking which I outline in the attached Youtube video. These steps include:

• Empathizing with your students and their needs
• Defining the challenge that faces your students
• Form an ideal way technology will be incorporated
• Create a prototype
• Connect it to the curriculum
• Test your creation

These steps are easy to follow if you understand each along the way. I will let my video explain each in more detail, but ultimately it is important to choose a form of technology that will blend seamlessly into your classroom. One that can be understood and used by most if not all learners and will help resolve a challenge that may be facing them. It is important not to pick a new website or app that you may not be comfortable with, if you do not have any means of learning it beforehand. The best creations are refined before entering the classroom but are still simple enough to understand that students will be able to catch on quickly.

In this multimedia reflection, I decided to try out iMovie and make a YouTube vlog style video. I am happy with the outcome and had a blast creating something that I found amusing and hope that others will, too. The video ran longer than my original script had accounted for, so I had to cut a few elements from it. After some edits, I remained in the 5min range, so I am not too concerned about cutting much more out of it. iMovie is simple to use for Mac users, and I recommend it to those who are just trying to go for a rant style video over something technologically savvy.

My reflection was based on the Extend scenario from ecampusontario.ca, and the platform I used was Powtoon The scenario talked about how people or in general teachers can incorporate technology into the classroom. The link talks about a design-thinking approach in order to incorporate technology more as a teacher. The methodologies and approaches that it talks about include Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Connect and Test. If you follow these steps and follow the module checklist you will have the concepts, ideas, and tools in order to incorporate technology as a teacher. Empathy means understanding the learner’s needs and wants and making sure you are incorporating differentiation. As a teacher, it is important to make sure inclusion is key in terms of incorporating technology into any setting. Define involves understanding problems as a teacher and make sure the goal of incorporating technology is to help the students as a whole. Ideate involves brainstorming in order to come up with an idea to start planning on what type of technology is necessary; mind mapping is a great tool to use. Next, you come up with a prototype that involves you designing, sharing, and refining the technological product so that it is worthy to share and incorporate in class. Finally, you test your prototype and get feedback that you can use for the future in order to make the final product. During this whole process, a checklist can be used to make sure you are following all the design-thinking approaches.

The artifact that I used to illustrate how to incorporate technology as a teacher was Powtoon. This was the first time using this platform, and I have some mixed emotions of it. I wanted to try this platform because it is a great way to show a slideshow but in a more technological way. What I enjoyed about this platform, was that it came equipped with premade items to use such as premade slides that came with relatable material on them and figures. I first started using it, using a MAC computer, and I was very frustrated because it did not have a mouse to click on all the items and I had a difficult time with it. However, I was able to finish it on a Windows desktop computer with a mouse and it became easy after a while to go through the slides and add and delete items that you did not want. I think the most difficult thing about this platform is trying to time every item just right so that you can read the captions that you have. I think access to an easy tutorial on how to do certain things would be nice. I noticed a lot of the features I wanted to use cost money and you needed to sign up for a subscription in order to use it which was unfortunate.

Looking at the experiences while teaching, I try to incorporate technology every day. In my classroom, every morning for math I used Kahoot to ask questions in teams; the students love the fact they can use technology to answer questions and it a way to promote competition while learning. Many projects I did with many students involved the use of computers/tablets to do research. I even had them create artifacts at one point to make menus for health. Whenever I get a chance I try to incorporate technology because technology is only advancing and the students are advancing with the technology and love using it, and I believe students will learn better with tools that they are familiar with and love using already. I have never really thought of using the design-thinking technique, however; without trying the approaches are always covered.  I understood that the children love using technology and empathized with that and understood I should incorporate it when I can. I noticed that the problem is that many students were off task and when had the technology they were more focused. So, I came up with an idea to have technology in the classroom every morning. I came up with my prototype being the Kahoots to test if they would pay attention more and work together because could relate with technology, I definitely made sure every question I did was connected to the curriculum, and I tested my idea of having students work together as teams with the tablet to answer questions, and it worked. So, in conclusion, I have seen the design-thinking approaches work and I will keep on using the steps the design-thinking approach offers to include technology in the classroom!

Visit my Powtoon!

Update February 20th, 2019 NOTE: *Not paying for the subscription for the product altered my final product! So I found out that after publishing the final product that the templates that I used were free of charge but embedded in them were tools that are only allowed with the subscription, so my final Powtoon that you are viewing does not, in fact, look like what I produced. This is very upsetting because what people will view will look like there are pieces missing, when in fact it is a way better artifact than what is portrayed. There should have been some sort of warning for this that was more obvious. I was able to go back into the Powtoon site and edit the artifact so that every slide would work! Yay!

Implementing the Assessment of Technologist Design Thinking

Technologist is an interesting and crucial read for teachers. With various perspectives coming into play in the module such as consideration of the learner and teacher, I found the read to be engaging. I feel although the module did have a lot of buzz words that often repeated the same ideas, it did in conclusion come to some vert practical points. The most important practical process the module spoke about that I decided to examine was the Design Thinking Process. This process focused on 5 stages starting with empathizing, defining, ideate, prototype and connect. Each stage built upon the next which I feel is a practical thing to have for teachers. With scaffolding in our own learning being present it makes it even easier to apply that kind of teaching style in our classroom. The components from the process that stuck out to me most were the empathy map template and the SECTIONS model. It is quite interesting when we think about all the internal and external factors that may be influencing our students. An empathy map contains things such as what a student is influenced by, what their emotions or feelings may be preoccupied it, or what students may see in their environment, or what their behavior might be as in what they see and do. I feel something like this can be used in every aspect of a classroom when it comes to understanding a student socially, academically and finally from a technologist perspective. The SECTIONS model stood out to me because it examined realistically the aspects of the technology. Such as if it is a good fit for the teacher, students, the institute and whether it is sustainable or not. All these considerations are taken into account in the stage of ‘ideate’ which I think is  brilliant as one way or another one of these issues can arise down the road when using technology. I feel the sections model can also be use to evaluate perhaps large purchases for classrooms that are outside of the technology realm.

Below you will find a video I have put together of the Design Thinking Process. I decided to use a commonly available form of tech to put together this quick, upbeat informative video. I bet you can’t guess what it is…Powerpoint!!! This piece of tech has been often written off as typical, boring and mundane. Well, I’d like to challenge that assumption today by exploring the creative side of Powerpoint and it’s many features. With a little bit of research and quite a bit of trial and error I was able to put together a motion design based typography video. I enjoyed the process and am quite happy with my work in the end. I can see myself using this video in the future for presentations and perhaps for even grabbing students attention for specific lessons. Check it out below technologist!

The Technology Integration module that we read through, Technologist through “extend” Ontario, was very informative to adding, substituting and enhancing lessons and assessments for students.  Technology is a big part of our lives, with all the smart phones, tablets, and computers, that fill our society, even our K-12 students are becoming more literate with and using devices than ever before.  We should be teaching our students the skills they will need to be successful in developing and using technology.  However, in our school systems today their is still a lack of technology use and development being done.  Students stick to Microsoft or Google documents and slides and when doing Google searches do not look past the first result.  As teachers, we should be pushing them to look outside the box using their creativities to push them past their determined limits.  Their is so much potential and knowledge that our students can be learning about technology, yet the boundaries to what is taught and explored is so small.  In my opinion and from what I have observed, there are three main reasons that teachers aren’t using technology in their classrooms to enhance learning and it is because they are unsure of how to use the overwhelming number of tools and don’t know which ones to select, there are few totally free for use sites and finally they are uncomfortable with the tools and media, needing to get permission to use the sites from the school board, school administration and/or parents.  It’s complicated, however, we should be selecting the challenge and working on expanding our knowledge of teaching using technology, because it will only enhance our lessons by making students more engaged with the material and allowing them to interact with the tools available to them, which may be important for their future careers.  For educators interested in entering the technology world and using tools that are unfamiliar to them, I think the Technologist module is a great resource to integrating technology into the classroom.

This resource allows educators to obtain a certificate by completing the full module, and I found that the additional videos and linked articles were helpful in enhancing my knowledge of digital literacy and the digital thinking approach that was outlined.  I think the first step to incorporating technology is to understand and create your own working definition of a digital literacy.  It isn’t a simple concept, rather it is about effectively integrating technology to enhance learning in a safe space for students to interact with the world around them academically.  It’s also about the process of designing, communicating and using technology to share ideas.  Coming to an understanding of digital literacy and the importance of choosing technology that is safe for students is the first step to integrating technology into the classroom.

The next part of the module went into design thinking and the importance of making sure that the problem/challenge and the technology tool or media that is chosen to enrich the learning experiences of students is human-centred and involving learners in the use of technology in a way that enhances collaboration.  The module laid out one approach to integrating technology: Empathize with your learners by understanding their unique needs, defining the learner’s challenge where the educator looks at where technology can be used to enhance or change a lesson or assessment (SAMR model can be used here to identify how the integration of technology changes the learning environment), ideate by choosing and assessing the tool or media, prototype the exploration, designing, sharing and modifying of the tool, and connecting to the curriculum finding where your creation fits in with the expected learning.

This approach is useful, but the only thing is you should be assessing the connection to the curriculum all the way through, not designing and using the tool to only find that their is no connection.  Instead, you should be looking at the connections all the way through to ensure that you know the curriculum and can be implementing the expectations into the creation of your tool.  That’s my only thought.

I chose to do an infographic (see below) because I thought that the step-by-step fashion of the article would look best presented in this format. I used an infographic for the last multi-media reflection and I thought that this format would be perfect, as I’d get to practice using Piktochart again and I started from scratch without using a template.  I think this resource is great to use in the classroom for poster making and I wanted to learn more about the tools and options that are available.  I can see myself using this tool in my classroom and I now have a two examples of what posters that start with a blank white sheet of paper can turn into.  This can show students that they have the option of not sticking to a template and using their creativity to design their own projects, as well.  I like that this tool is very user friendly and once you’ve experimented for a very short time, you can use the site’s features, images from Google (using the “labeled for reuse” tool) to create a visually appealing and simple poster that conveys meaning through text and pictures.

These assignments have taught me the importance of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, trying something new and staying up to date as an educator.   It is time consuming to learn about these sites and the features they offer, but it is well worth it to have students learn about technology tools that are available for their use in creating projects along with traditional paper and pencil methods too.  The more students know, the more well off they will be in their futures.  We need to be pushing our boundaries to push theirs to new heights!

If I am being honest, with being in University for the last 9 years straight, I have discovered so many resources and traded ideas with many incredible minds but the one thing I am yet to do, is to actually explore all of these things. I have books, websites, programs, and many other technologies that are sitting in my resource pile waiting to be explored once I finish school and have some time to myself…which will never happen. Whenever I am looking for something new to integrate into my teaching, I tend to google the exact idea and find the closest thing to what I want and attempt to use it only to go back to what I was doing before. When we began to look at the Technologist Module, I instantly became entranced with it.

Through eCampus Ontario, we have been provided with a way of linking the curriculum to technology rather being told that the curriculum drives the learning (which I have been constantly told). One of the ideas that stood out to me was the module has you interacting with ideas instead of just flooding you with information and then moving onto the next thing. It may take some people 30 min to get through the module and it may take others 3 hours. As well, it doesn’t just go right into bulk of things, it asks simple questions to help us figure out why we might be stuck.

The module explains the process of Design Thinking, which is a 5-step process used to tap into a designer’s toolkit to engage users in creating and experimenting with new ideas and then use feedback to improve upon those ideas. These 5 steps are: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and connect.

Empathize: Understanding what the needs of our learners are. Identifying the challenges, setting aside our needs, asking if this challenge can be solved through the purposeful use of technology.

Define: Narrowing in and identifying the challenge based on what we have learned about our learners. Start small as it is more productive and yields better results, this is the key to the design step. A good challenge is one that:

• Frames the challenge
• Inspires
• Informs
• Captures
• Helps

Ideate: Form and build features and characteristics of how technology could address your learners’ challenges. Asking yourself “How might I?” and generating a mind map to generate and link ideas.

Next is to select technology that will help build a creation to help address the challenges. We have been provided with two incredible tool resources in case we are uncertain of which one we want to use. Once we have found one, we must evaluate the tool using the SECTIONS Model by Anthony William Bates.

Prototype: Try out your technology and develop a prototype. Show it to your learners and find out what went well and what needs work. Create something small and show it off in order to get feedback. Follow these three steps for richer results:

• Design
• Share
• Refine

Connect:  Think about how your tech fits into the curriculum and how to integrate it into the classroom. Map out and clarify how you will teach your students.

I hugely believe that this is an incredible resource that has been given to us and although at times, it will feel like a huge burden that consumes lots of time, we must take our time with this process. So long as we understand it well enough, it will allow us to truly integrate tech in a meaningful way. Please enjoy my Pikochart that I have created about the 5-step Design Thinking Process.

The design-thinking approach is a methodology that provides a solution-based approach to tackling problems. In this particular case, we are placing an emphasis on the challenges a learner may face.  When I first took a look at the technologist module, I felt quite overwhelmed with all the information that was being provided. In order to break it down into steps, I decided to make a Piktochart highlighting the five steps of the design-thinking approach. Instead of going through all of them at once. I went through them one by one as I was creating my piktochart.

The first step to this approach is to empathize. In order to do so, a teacher must gain an empathetic understanding of the challenges faced by her students. Depending on time constraints, a substantial amount of information is gathered at this stage and will be used for the next stage to develop the best possible understanding of the users, their needs, and the problems that underlie the development of that particular product.

The second step is to define the problem(s). The teacher must put together the information gathered during the first stage. This is where you will analyze your problem(s) in order to create features that will benefit your students in their learning.

The third step is to ideate, which means to form and build ideal features and characteristics using technology that could help your learners overcome their challenges. First you must build a list of possibilities. This can be done by using online mapping tools such as mind, mindmup, canva, etc. This is the time to think outside the box to identify new solutions to student challenges.

The fourth step is the prototype. This involves putting your creation together. The basic steps are to design, share and refine!

The fifth step is to connect. It is crucial that you connect this technology to the curriculum. Make sure to link the activity to learning outcomes.

https://create.piktochart.com/output/36651513-untitled-infographic

The extend technologist module by eCampus Ontario, outlines for teachers and educators how to implement design thinking when implementing technology in the classroom. The module outlines practical steps for teachers to decide what technology should be used in the classroom to promote meaningful learning for both the instructor and students. I found this to be a very helpful step by step guide to analyse my own practice and critically think about technology integration. This module aligns with the SAMR model we discussed in class as it promotes transformational technology that redefines learning and is not simple a substitute for the same thing; such as typing something instead of writing it by hand.

The module outlines 5 steps for educators which are Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Connect.

1. Empathize- This step reminds us that we are teaching humans, and that making a human connection with our students is very important. knowing our learners and asking them questions such as what their learning needs are, things they like, and where they are at will help us integrate technology that will be meaningful. This beginning stage is for asking students and then taking time to reflect.
2. Define- This step is where educators are invited to think critically. in this step we identify our learners challenges or barriers and start small with possible solutions. its important that the plan of action meets the needs of most of your learners.
3. Ideate- This stage encourages the educator to establish the ideal features of how technology can address/ aid in your learners challenges.
4. Prototype- This step encourages the educator to put a sample of the tech in front of the students and try it out. Through this process of design, share, and refine the teacher can gather richer feedback from the students.
5. Connect- Finally the teacher connects the technology to the curriculum and makes sure the tool aligns with the curriculum. Next, you identify clear steps/ instructions of how it will be used. This is the final step of the design model where your planning comes to fruition.

I found this module to be a great tool for becoming a technologist that is reflective in my own teaching style. I love that the first step is empathy. I think it is so important to know our learners and make human connections. Its important to consider our learners as individuals and use differentiated instruction to enable and empower everyone to learn. I have found that simply asking students what they would like can be a simple solution to identifying what your students need. In my own teaching in my placements I have integrated technology in many lessons such as menti -meter, Kahoot, making videos, slide shows. I have found that students really enjoy mixing things up with tech, and some learn better using technology. As a future educator I am committed to life long learning. I want to always be evolving and making sure I am staying current. this module will help me critically think about how and when I will integrate technology into my classroom.

For my artifact I chose to create a mind map. I have never made a mind map before and really enjoyed the process. I created my mind map in pencil while I went through the module for the second time. When I was done I went back over it with a permanent marker and jazzed it up.  I found that it helped me to engage with the material better and it made it personal to me. The ideate section suggested making a mind map in this step, so I thought I would test it out for my blog post and see what that process felt like. I am a visual learner and think I will try this process in my next practicum.

– Tabitha Klein

I have chosen to use Piktochart to create an infographic for a second time for my reflection artifact, because I received some valuable feedback the first time I used it and I have applied the suggestions that were offered to me to create a more effective product. The first time I used Canva, and found that there were more choices, however I did find Piktochart to be user friendly. My biggest complaints about Piktochart is the inability to save my image as a PDF or in High Quality without paying for a subscription. Since it was my second time creating an infographic, I decided not to use a template this time, in order to further challenge myself.

The Technologist module outlines how to select, use and integrate technology tools effectively in a way that supports, facilitates and enriches learning challenges and experiences for students. This is very much in line with the SAMR technology integration model that outlines the different levels of pedagogical integration – we want to integrate technology into our lessons in a meaningful way, aiming to implement tools that will modify or redefine a task. We can use the process of Design Thinking, which involves the learners in the process in finding a solution to a problem or challenge, because ultimately, they are the ones who will benefit from the solution, and their input is therefore valuable. The process involves 5 steps: empathize with students’ to identify areas in your teaching where they are having difficulties, define a challenge, ideate by building a listing the ways that technology could address the challenge, create a prototype and seek feedback, then finally connect and integrate it into practice.

I think the Design-Thinking process is a great way to start thinking about technology integration in my own classroom, because it is so important to involve students in the process. During my placements, I always asked my students for feedback since everything we do in teaching is to benefit their learning. Although researching and collaborating with other educators to determine strategies is important, it’s the students who benefit from our choices, which makes their feedback valuable. Starting with empathy is the best approach. As a teacher, it is crucial to place yourself in the shoes of your students, and make sure that your teaching practices are suiting their needs. Differentiated instruction isn’t only for students with a formal Individual Education Plan, but rather to help educators reach all of their students by enabling access of information and demonstration of understanding through multiple means of engagement, representation and action. Instead of imagining one specific profile of student when we design our lessons, we need to think of students as a unique group of individuals with varying abilities, identities and strengths to allow everyone to be successful.

The Design-Thinking process is definitely the way I will begin to think about which ed-tech tools I will integrate into my lessons to favour universal design and differentiation. Reflecting on our chosen tools is certainly the best way to integrate technology in a meaningful way and ensure an inclusive learning community within the classroom.

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!