#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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As teachers we want to be able to introduce technology into the classroom but it is often difficult to do so in a way that supports the learning experience. This article helps educators figure out how to integrate technology into the classroom in an ineffective way. In order to teach with technology in an effective way we must consider digital literacies. We have to be able to communicate information while using technology and learn how to engage responsibly in online communities. Developing these skills is an ongoing process and won’t just happen at once. The article also informs us about the design thinking approach. It is a human-centered approach and the people who will benefit from this product are involved in the design. In an educational setting, it helps students become active participants in their own learning. There are five steps to the design thinking process:

1. Empathize. You must understand who this is being designed for and what that person needs. For the learner, we must identify a challenge that could be solved through the purposeful use of technology in the classroom.
2. Define. Now we must identify a problem based on what we have discovered about the learner. It is best to start small. A good learner challenge provides focus and frames the challenge, inspires others, informs how you will evaluate, captures the readers, and helps for most of the readers.
3. Ideate. It is time to form the features of how the technology could work in the classroom. Asking “How might I…?” or a mind map helps when creating your ideas. First we must pick a technology tool to help address the challenges that the learners are having. After selecting the proper tool, we must use the SECTIONS model to evaluate if it is the proper tool to use. It helps decide if it’s a good fit for your students, the course, or your classroom by taking into account things like ease of use, privacy, cost, etc.
4. Prototype. This is the step where we design a prototype of the creation. Play around t=with the tool you have chosen and find out as much information about it as possible. Next, share your prototype with peers or learners and get feedback from everyone. Take that feedback into account and make the necessary changes to the original prototype.
5. Connect. Figure out how to integrate this technology into the curriculum. Give your learners clear instructions on what to do and link the activity into the learning outcomes.

I chose to create a poster on Canva as my artifact. I wanted people to easily see the five steps involved in the design thinking process. This way they can use it as a reference when trying to find technology to help facilitate the learning going on in the classroom. I think that this module is an incredible tool to have as a teacher. The website itself is easy to navigate and it offers many outside resources for readers to check out. I really enjoyed how it gave examples of ways to do each step of the process. For example, in the “Ideate” section it gives us examples of mind maps to help organize our ideas before creating a prototype. This website gave us many different resources that we can carry over to any subject in the classroom. Sometimes as teachers we have so many ideas but need help with organizing or implementing them. This is a step by step guide to make sure that the ideas we do come up with are effective and won’t waste our time or our learners’ time. There are many different types of learners in the classroom and not all of them are comfortable with technology or may be new to using it. This article helps us with making sure each person in the classroom has an equal opportunity in learning.

After reading and analyzing eCampus Ontario’s open PD modules, I decided to create an infographic using Piktochart, a medium I have yet to use. I personally find infographics to be the most appealing and well-read due to its organized layout, thus I wanted to create something of my own to interest readers. Being it my first time using Piktochart, I found it easy to navigate and manipulate. I was presented with the option of whether I wanted to use a template or not and found it effortless to put my thoughts and findings into words by use of a template. The medium offers its users access to graphics similar to clipart, as well as the option to upload photos from external sources. In addition to this, the site also enables for customization through different background colours and patterns, and multiple font options. Though I created an infographic with ease and without running into any drawback, I quickly noticed a small icon that states, “Level Up”, wherever an upgrade payment is needed to access premium features. These features included colour schemes, additional templates, password protection and watermark removal – all things that honestly did not interest me in this particular assignment.

Prior to exploring the modules, I believed I was well aware of technology integration as I have done so in my previous placements, and experiences supply teaching. My knowledge on this subject has quickly changed from adding in a video, or an interactive activity to my lessons, to now using technology to benefit my learners and their needs. The technologist module of design thinking follows the steps of Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Connect. In outlining the Technologist modules for my infographic, I became excited to use the steps in my future classroom. Something I particularly enjoyed about the modules was its use of examples on how to facilitate the activities provided. When thinking of the SAMR model while perusing the Technologist modules, I thought of a way in which I have both enhanced through substitution and augmentation in my personal teaching experience. During an English Language task, I offered my students the option of hand writing or typing their assignment via Chromebook. In addition to this, I can also recall a scenario in which I provided a student with access to a voice-to-text programme to aid them in a written piece.

This module has provided me with the understanding that technology can implement differentiation in the classroom. In future, I will incorporate technology into my lesson plans by referencing the SECTIONS model. I plan to focus on the needs of my students when choosing a tool, and always.

Below you’ll find my summarization of eCampus’ modules by form of an infographic.

While looking at the Ontario Extend website, specifically the Technologist Module page, my initial thought and reaction was “ou, Twitter essay!” But since I have already done two, ironically, I stepped away from technology use to talk about the incorporation of tech into the classroom.

 I decided to step out of my comfort zone and do a sketchnote, although I’m no art major like our fabulous Paige Godin, I did my best! I chose to use a whiteboard because as educators, these are our canvases. Now, to get down and dirty, while looking at this module, the scenario at hand was that Terry wanted to incorporate tech in a way to benefit his learners.

Looking at the overview of the module, the objectives are to reflect on our won digital literacies for teaching, learn to address student-centered challenges with tech, find new tools for teaching and learning and to create learning activities using a design-thinking approach with tech.

 Looking at the first of the five-step approach, as an educator, you must empathize with your students and understand what the need is from your students. You can do this by gathering info through evaluations, feedback, and/or other communications. This information can be put into an empathy map.

 The second step of design-thinking approach is to define. To identify the problem of your learner(s). You’re more likely to find success if you start small rather than big. A good learner challenge frames the challenge, inspires, provides evaluation, captures the mind of users, and meets the needs of the majority of your people. You’ll never be able to 100% please everyone involved. Use the empathy map to define your learner challenge or find patterns.

Step 3 and 4 consist of ideate and prototype. Ideate where you plan and build the features and characteristics of how technology could address your learner challenge. The best way is to ask yourself “how might I?”. Try mind mapping using the Learner Challenge Mindmap Doc or Mindmeister, MindMup, Coggle, Canva, Padlet, Prezi or even use pen and paper.

Prototype involves putting small tangible creations in front of your users rather than talking about abstract ideas. Results in much richer feedback. The basic steps design, share, refine.

The last step is to connect. Connect to the curriculum and indicate how the different elements fit together and link the activity to your learning outcomes.  

As a society, we have become increasingly dependent on technology is various forms and for various reasons. One of the constant reasons to integrate technology into your life is to make it simpler. Wether or not it truly makes your life simpler is difficult to say and is based upon your use of technology. The goal for many educators is to reach all of their students but many of them do not understand how to incorporate technology in the classroom. This week we looked at Extend, which is a site constructed to help educators to better incorporate technology into their classrooms in order to aid all learners.

In the scenario at the beginning of the module, Terry wanted to incorporate technology in a way that would benefit all of his learners. After talking to his colleagues and completing the Extend module, he incorporated the XYZ technology.

One of the main components of Extends modules is Digital literacies. Digital literacies use technology to address specific learning challenges on an individual basis. Digital literacies effectively locate, use, summarize, evaluate, create, and communicate information while using digital technologies and web-based platforms. It also includes the knowledge to engage safely and ethically in online communities. Developing digital literacies never stops as it is an ongoing process. As educators, it is our responsibility to

Design thinking sparks new ideas through creating and experimenting. It is human-centered so the people creating and experimenting will actually benefit from the product. In the classroom, it allows students to work together to come up with a solution to a known challenge. Design-Thinking involves a 5 step process: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Connect. The process invites educators to empathize with their students so that they can define their students challenge. Once the challenge has been defined, the educator can begin to ideate which technology would be beneficial to their students. Once the educator has chosen a technology they can begin to prototype it to their students so that they can refine it and make it better for their learners. The final step is to connect the curriculum into the technology so that the students challenge will not hinder learning in anyway.

I chose to create a twitter essay for this reflection because it is a technology that I have barely used. We were told to stretch a bit for this reflection so that is what I am doing here. I found twitter to be fairly easy to use although I will admit I did ask for some help when it came to using threads to connect tweets. Having run through the Extend module with myself in mind, I think this is a good platform in which I could see students reflecting on their learning or even writing stories about events in the world. I imagine this would be a technology that many of my future students will be very familiar and comfortable with using.

For my multimedia reflection, I chose to create and infographic/mind map using Canva to represent the (ideas) from Technologist. I have used Canva in past classes best for smaller assignments therefore I wanted to have the opportunity to use Canva for a much larger project. I have not created an infographic in my previous multimedia reflections and was excited to use Canva for my assignment. Canva is very simple and easy to use with the many different templates to choose from. You are also able to import your own pictures or backgrounds if you wish to use certain ones that are not from the Canva website.

I found this module was very easy to navigate and it did an excellent job at explaining the different steps of the design thinking process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and connect. I thought that each step was explained very clearly in order for the reader to thoroughly comprehend the steps of the design thinking process. The first step in the design thinking process is empathy where you must know what the user needs in order to design the most appropriate activity. The next step is to define or identify the problems or challenges based on what you have learned about your learner. This is the step that will help you to build a solution to those problems or challenges. The ideate step is where we create new ideas in order to incorporate technology to help address the different challenges that the learner is facing. The prototype step is the step where you have made a creation and it’s time to see if it works. It’s best to experiment with your creation and if it doesn’t work the way you had hoped, you are able to refine your concept to better fit the needs of your learner. The last step in the design thinking process is to connect how you will integrate technology into the curriculum. I feel that technology has become a huge aspect of our everyday lives and as a teacher I believe that using technology will benefit my students in the classroom.

https://www.canva.com/design/DADRrl2iGFQ/6GSTvjmoHEZoMJKqVIzApA/edit?category=tACZCpzRB-E

                                                                                       I truly enjoyed creating my third multimedia reflection because of the medium that I chose to use. I had the opportunity to pick a tool to summarize and reflect on the assigned website, and I selected Piktochart. This was not only one of options provided in the list, but it was a medium that I had heard of before but not been willing to try. I decided to break out of my comfort zone and try to use a new medium for this reflection. After learning the hard way and creating a stop-motion picture video and taking over 300 pictures for my last reflection, I thought best this time that I try a different medium. I had an excellent experience with Piktochart. I read some reviews about the medium and thought that it would be a tool that I could incorporate my creativity and style into my reflection. By using Piktochart, I was able to do just that. There were several different templates and different presentation styles you could choose from. I selected a template that is viewed in the form of an online article or paper. The template only included the amount of pages but I had the freedom to add images, different texts and other details on my own. I LOVED all of the different fonts, backgrounds, images, icons, that you were able to easily insert into your project. I could also import my own images. I loved using Piktochart because there are no limits to your creativity, it is easy to use, and another great pro is that it is FREE unless you want to purchse promo options, but you do not need those to complete a project. After I finished creating the visual multi-media for this assignment, I felt that I would definitely want to incorporate Piktochart in my future career as a teacher and show my students how they can use Piktochart as well. There are truly many different ways you could use Piktochart in a classroom. Whether it be how you are presenting a lesson, to make it more creative or giving it as an option for the students to use for a project or assignment.

For my multi-media reflection, I decided to summarize the website,  “Technologist”  https://extend.ecampusontario.ca/technologist-design-thinking/and provided a sneak peek of what the entire website has to offer. With my written reflection, I decided I would reflect in greater detail on what the website has to offer and why it is a great tool for teachers and anyone wishing to incorporate technology in their classrooms, lives or other careers. When I first went onto the website, my first thought was “wow, this is going to be a lot to comprehend”, but after sitting down and truly engaging in the website, it explains everything in great detail. The main purpose I believe of this website is to demonstrate and explain how teachers can successfully integrate technology into their classrooms. This website is an excellent tool to truly show the many steps you take and need to consider when integrating technology into the classroom. “Technologist” is broken down into different modules which you can complete to learn more about the integration of technology. The module did a great job of clearly describing the steps in order to achieve your end goal when integrating technology. There are step by step modules about digital literacies and digital thinking. With the help of an excellent video, I was able to fully understand what digital literacies mean. I would define digital literacy the ability to be able to use digital technology as a way to communicate, manage, create, analyze and share information with other people. The digital-thinking section of the website is broken down into other modules including emphasize, define, ideate, prototype and connect. In each of these sections I was able to fully understand what they meant. There was not only an explanation of each, but an activity you could complete as well. After diving into this website, I now feel more confident in how I will integrate technology into my classroom as a future teacher. I believe in the importance of differentiation within the class and incorporating technology is another way I can differentiate my lessons and assignments for my students. As future teachers and living in the twenty first century, a technology filled world, we need to make sure our teaching practices are unique, engaging and help our students to develop a love for lifelong learning. I believe incorporating technology will be a factor in reaching this goal.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW…. to view my Piktochart and to see an example of what you can create using the wonderful tool!

https://create.piktochart.com/output/36454843-multimedia-reflection-3

The Extend Technologist Module was a great resource to help educators not simply use technological tools in their class, but also consider why they are using them. The module proposes a scenario of a teacher who has taught the same class for a long period of time and is seeking for a new way to integrate technology which his learners will enjoy. As future educators, I think the most relatable part of this scenario is integrating technology in a way our learners will enjoy. It is easy as educators to use simple technological mediums when teaching, however this module emphasize the need to use technology to enhance learning. This module has a goal of using technology to help addresses specific learner challenges; while also encompassing how to build that challenge for your learners. Early in the module the question is posed regarding how to define digital literacy. Personally, I would define this term as the ability of one to use technology to optimize multiple aspects of everyday life. I think it is important for the module to address this topic very early, because our students will always have varying levels of digital literacy. When creating challenges, and strategies to overcome these challenges that are centred around technology, we need to constantly consider the digital literacy level of our students and strive to create something that fits as many learner’s needs as possible. For example, if someone were to be teaching a class with many new Canadian immigrants that have not worked extensively with technology, slow steps would have to be taken throughout the year to build these student’s digital literacy in order for technology to truly enhance their learning.

Next the module introduces the Design-Thinking Approach.  This concept is a human centred approach to solving problems, which involves the learner creating and experimenting, while also using feedback to find a solution. Ultimately the module recommends this strategy when trying to integrate technology into your teaching. This approach is broken down into 5 key elements. The first element is to empathize. This means that in order to create something for a learner, you need to first consider the learners needs. I think this is relatable to all teachers.  Personally, when integrating technology into my teaching practices, I always try to ask myself, “will this be benifitial for the students?”   When planning as educators, the student should always be the centre of using technology in the classroom. The second element is definition, which involves taking the information you gathered about the students and narrowing it to a challenge. I personally think this element was great and something I will strive to improve on in the future. Often as teachers it is easy to find a technological tool and attempt to find ways to integrate it in your class room. The Design-Thinking Approach however does the opposite, having educators think about the learner first and creating a challenge, before even considering technology. Two elements into the approach and technology has not been mention, which I think will ultimately create a better learning experience for the students.

The third element is to ideate, meaning creating ideas regarding how technology can address the challenge you created. Again, I think it is great to have this as the third element.  At this point a learning goal centred around the student has been created, and now technology is being used to enhance this. The fourth element is prototype, meaning using the technology in a scaled down form to test the platform. This is an important step that many teachers forget. Technology can be fidgety and slow down the classroom when the teacher is not proficient in it. When using technology in the classroom the teacher must first become comfortable with the medium, in order to ensure a smooth delivery and be able to assist students.  The final element is to connect, meaning connect what you created to curriculum.  Personally, I believe this element is placed out of order, and I would make connections in the first stage of this approach.  Curriculum and learning goals should come first, and ideas should be branched off of this.  Centring learning around curriculum is key, followed by using technology to enhance the delivery of curriculum.

For my artifact I have created a Pow-Toon.  My Pow-Toon presented the Design-Thinking Approach to integrating technology into the classroom, however it is re-ordered in a way that I believe will ultimately create a better result for students and teachers.  Check it through the link below and let me know what you think, I bet you’ll #UWinDIG it!

https://www.powtoon.com/c/bhAqpooDYHM/1/m

-Joey Power

#UWinDig