#UWinDig

The Need for a Critical Digital Pedagogy- A Commentary on https://t.co/BuujrBlRtO #UWinDig

— CriticalDigitalPedagogy-AnEssay (@CriticalDigita2) September 29, 2018

For my digital artifact I created a twitter essay discussing the article Digital Ghost in the Modern Classroom by Ashley Hinck.  Hinck felt that template based digital media platforms have shaped the minds of the youth who have grew up using them.  Similar to many aspects of the education system, these platforms are linear.  They follow steps, theres always a working product or a “right answer,”  and the simplicity has made students shy away from the trial and error process.  It is important for for educators to encourage students to use platforms such as HTML, where you don’t follow steps but instead create.  Students need to learn the value of failing in the learning process.  Students need to learn that trial and error are important aspects of growing.  Critical digital pedagogy will use platforms like HTML to help students grow into creators and develop a voice.  Many aspects of this will benefit students cross-curricular, as they are not just simply learning technology.  Creativity and being able to learn from failures our great qualities that will help students develop into well-rounded learners.

Here are some highlights from my twitter essay, please use the link at the top of the post to view the essay in its entirety.

Thanks,

Joseph Power

I had the opportunity to read the following compelling article that was written by Ashley Hinck, on how to avoid digital ghosts in the modern classroom.

Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom

Now after reading the article and if we’re being completely honest… When I first entered this class, I felt exactly the same way as many of students did entering Hinck’s class; hoping to learn about the basics of technology so I could implement it in the classroom one day. However, with further exploration of the article, I, along with the aforementioned students, came to understand that the way we have understood, explored technology and attempted to become the digital pedagogues that Hinck talks about, is obviously lacking. Hinck explains that the way students have become accustomed to technology relates to the banking model of education. Students are considered blank slates that the education system needs to fill with standardized tests and textbook reading, all while creating educational robots.

This expands upon the way that students use technology; they stick to what they know, limit themselves creatively with the shortcut/template options and hope and pray they followed the right steps to avoid failure. Yes, it is possible to have some imagination when it comes to these predetermined templates, but students still have to ensure that their creativity fits. It is unfortunate that these applications and technologies are programmed this way because it limits innovation, creativity and openness for students. Hinck concludes with ways in which we as educators can make the transition from the step-by-step linear instruction to a more open-ended, discovery-based way to implement technology in the classroom, and ultimately learning in general. If we give students the opportunity to try, fail, revise and succeed, students will be better equipped to become makers, creators and critical thinkers.

As you can tell from my infographic below, I have chosen to create a poster that highlights the different views that Hinck expressed in her article. Like I previously mentioned, the beginning of the article describes a more standardized form of education whereas the end it transitions towards authentic education and I found this infograph to be extremely helpful in getting my points across about these issues. I can conclude that I have definitely learned that the best way to shape critical thinkers, creators and makers, is to implement more discovery-based technology and let students try and succeed on their own.

-Leslie Webber

Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom

Throughout Ashley Hinck’s brilliantly written piece, Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom, readers are transfixed by her ability to depict one of the most profound fights within the field of education, standardisation versus authenticity. This, as depicted in Hinck’s article, has remarkable implications both for students and educators. For the former, the battle of standardisation versus authenticity shapes their entire outlook with regards to learning. If standardisation remains, the belief of a binary right or wrong will be ever present within both their educational and personal lives, thus, robbing students of their creativity and their ability to learn from trial and error. For the latter party in this titanic struggle, this educational matchup means that teaching styles and years of practice may have to be altered or abandoned altogether. Thus, it is easily discernible that the main theme of Hinck’s Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom has both important short and long-term consequences.

If teaching professionals wish to stand by the established orthodoxy of Standardised Education, students’ outlook on education, and indeed life, could be characterised by, as Hinck stated in her piece, “disconnect between their expectations…and what they actually encounter.”

However, if Standardised Education is archived into the annals of educational history, teachers can usher in a new age; this brave new world of education would see students free to experiment, use trial and error methodology, and make mistakes.

From the reading of Hinck’s article, it is overtly clear that she, along with a myriad of other educators, wish to see education traverse the path offered by Authentic Education. 

Please enjoy the video below.

Cheers,

Thomas Merritt

https://ctl2.uwindsor.ca/uview/show/38561603E104E33C/

Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom written by Ashley Hinck, explores the influences left behind by shortcut/template websites and platforms on students while in the classroom and in their everyday lives. Students often times don’t realize they have such limited choices because it’s what they’ve grown accustomed to when constructing social media posts or taking a SnapChat and adding a filter. Similarly, students don’t have as much freedom when creating in the classroom either. The shortcut/template platforms used by teachers allow the students to incorporate some of their own work as long as it fits in the predetermined spaces within the selected template. These learning apps and platforms invite students to follow the directions, get the right answer, turn it in, and get praise. Although many teachers will claim to be moving towards a more authentic way of educating children, either purposely or without knowing these websites and platforms used by teachers reflect the old way of teaching and learning, which views students as containers to be filled with the right answers by teachers. Unfortunately even when these platforms and websites are absent from classrooms they are still affecting student learning, instead we as educators need to help our students move away from users of shortcut/template platforms to makers, creators and critical thinkers.

I chose to use a Sketchnote to respond and reflect to this article. Sketchnotes are essentially purposeful doodling and are much a method of notetaking as they are a form of creative expression. I chose this medium for my response because after exploring a few of the other options I was a little intimidated by needing to create something digitally. Additionally, after reading the article which spoke about online platforms limiting creative freedom I felt as though this medium just made sense because it would allow me to get my genuine untouched thoughts across. If I were to use this medium again for a similar purpose I would spend more time brainstorming and planning my Sketchnote before getting started.

A few thoughts came to mind while reading and reflecting on this article. First, the education system is a taking a big step with trying to incorporate STEAM into the classroom but these digital ghosts seem to directly contradict the STEAM approach. STEAM is about incorporating the arts into math, science and technology but by using these shortcut/template websites and platforms we are limiting the range of creative freedom for students trying to create when using technology. Secondly, I think that we need to give students the tools to critically reflect on these platforms on their own. By teaching our students to think critically and analytically they can start finding these digital ghosts themselves and find alternative ways to create digitally that allow them to use all of their own authentic ideas.

Digital Ghosts Sketchnote – Please open this link to view my artifact, you’ll also need to flip the image to view it I couldn’t figure out how to make it stay that way after I saved it.

Christine Belcher

Although teachers have been increasingly incorporating more and more tech into their classrooms, does this really mean that we are in an age of digital literacy and authentic education? According to Ashley Hinck in the article ‘Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom’, we have yet to take the leap away from standardized education. Efforts to create digital literacy within the classroom environment often involves template-based web applications. These applications are useful for getting students antiquated with tech, however, they do not allow for much exploration or creativity.

I believe that in order to have students become truly digitally literate, we need to provide them with the opportunity to explore and create. The elimination of these templates will surely result in some failure, but it is important for students to understand that failure is an essential part in the process of learning. This shift from template-based learning to active exploration will help us to achieve the shift from standardized to authentic education.

I chose to respond to the HybridPod – Questioning Learning by Chris Friend and Amy Collier. This podcast touched on a few key ideas that challenged today’s push for learnification. They used the concept of notyetness to encourage students and educators to ask questions that oppose the norm. I agree with the push to ask more questions. Students have to feel comfortable enough in their learning environment that they would be willing to take a risk to ask a question. In the infograph images were added to emphasize the risk in education and the focus on asking questions. Furthermore they added that there is value in embracing uncertainty. I do not believe that there is a right answer to every question, however I do believe that asking the question can promote conversation and perhaps reach the point of emergence which they discussed later in the podcast. In the podcast the term learnification was defined as the paradigm shift from teacher centered learning to student centered learning. It was also described as a shift from an instructivist focus to a constructivist focus.

Interestingly enough, as we learned about the shift from standardization, I used a template as my medium for this product. An attempt was made to increase interest and foster inspiration by adding photos to support the information written.

They outlined a number of issues with this new perceived best practice. When they discuss best practice they use it synonymously with the idea of standardization or overlooking individualized learning. They added that removing the teacher from the classroom, which is a major focus in the learnification push, is not the answer. I like that Amy and Chris challenged the way education is heading. In my opinion, educators have huge impacts on how students learn and they tend to be the ones to individualize the learning opportunities. They supported their idea by saying that the relationships that students create in the classroom with their classmates and with the teacher leads to a state of emergence. Emergence was described as a state that is reached when people come together and challenge each other to create extraordinary learning opportunities. In my practicum, I have seen that similar to the idea of two heads are better than one, working together often pushes people beyond their limits.

Ultimately, Amy and Chris emphasized the importance of the relationships that are built and leaned on in learning as well as the significance of fostering interest and inspiration. This can lead to true educational experiences and opportunities to connect students to meaning outside the course. I have noticed in my experience that there are students that could really benefit from being connected to some future aspirations or purpose beyond the classroom. This idea of emergence and inspirational learning outcomes can lead to that. Given that language is opportunity, Amy and Chris highlight the importance of properly framing questions and using fun language as fun fosters learning opportunities. I have seen it firsthand that when students are having fun they are more likely to take risks, and as mentioned in the podcast, taking risks is a huge aspect of education.