I listened to Chris Friend and Amy Collier’s conversation about Questioning Learning on the Hybrid Pedagogy Podcast. I found this to be a very interesting read, as it touched on many different aspects of teaching and learning. The concept of critical pedagogy is something I will keep in mind as I move forward with my teaching career. I want to be critical of what is thought to be “best practice”, to ensure that I am truly doing what is best for my students.
The idea of “not-yetness” and taking risks is another concept that really intrigued me. As a student, I have previously noticed myself being afraid to be wrong, and hesitant to take risks. However, I do understand that sometimes it is necessary to step out of your comfort zone to improve and grow as an individual.
Going forward as a teacher, I definitely want to create an environment where students may learn to take risks, and try new things, to experience self growth. There needs to be a balance between setting expectations, and allowing students some room to showcase their knowledge in different ways. Ultimately, each student has a unique set of abilities, and as teachers we must provide them with opportunities to show what they are capable of!
I decided to write a twitter essay because I was somewhat comfortable with this technology, however there was still an aspect of challenge. I actually found it to be more challenging than I anticipated! Since there were so many concepts brought up in the podcast, I found it difficult to choose the main points, keep it concise, and create a sense of flow from the first tweet to the last.
My approach for this twitter essay was to summarize the podcast while incorporating some of my own thoughts along the way. I wanted to formulate the main ideas into a quick and easy read that anyone on twitter could understand. Of course, a few good GIFs always make a twitter thread more interesting! Incorporating these gifs and photos required creativity and a bit of searching to find what I was looking for. Overall, this was a great learning experience, and certainly opened my mind to some interesting concepts regarding teaching and learning.
After listening to the podcast by Chris Friend and Amy Collier I came up with a sketchnote to summarize some of the important concepts highlighted in the show. This was my first time listening to a podcast and it was interesting to see how formal ideas were presented in an informal way.
One of the concepts that Friend and Collier discussed was the idea of ‘Best Practices’. Best practices are created by someone else and said to be the best idea for everyone in any situation. We must question who they are best for and what they really mean. Best Practices are something that I have generally taken at face value, I hadn’t thought about what negative repercussions they might hold. Instead of ‘Best Practices’ I believe we should have practices in place that cater to individuals and their needs. Often times when something is best for a majority, the minority suffers the most. In my own teaching I want to make sure that the best practices I have in place are ones individualized to the students I’m teaching.
Another idea that was discussed on the podcast was that of “Notyetness”, embracing the discomfort of not knowing and playing with an idea without quite getting it yet. Noyetness is so important to a critical pedagogy because it takes away the burden of having the right answer, instead it embraces the process to the answer and showcases the creativity in finding the solution. I often times ask myself when working on something, “How can I do this the right way?” and then proceed to stress myself out thinking about all the wrong ways I could be doing it. Embracing notyetness means to embrace that unknown factor of learning. This idea actually reminded me of a concept I learned in another class about flow, it emphasized how you can achieve the most optimal flow when completing work if you have a balance between challenge and skill. Notyetness seems to be a part of that process for me, you can only achieve flow if you are working towards something that challenges you, and something that challenges you shouldn’t be something to which you already have a solution.
Collier also touches on the idea of “Learnification” which is essentially individualizing education so the responsibility falls on the learner rather than the community. This student interest based learning was not something I had ever been introduced to before but initially hearing about the concept, it seemed intriguing to me. I liked the idea of students wanting to learn whatever they wanted to learn, this personalizes learning and sparks a passion for it as well. Instead of just following a set curriculum that might not meet the interests of some students, why not introduce teaching as a way that touches everyone? Throughout the podcast I also learned that this ideology is quite romanticized and takes away from the student/teacher relationship. Though I wish to personalize learning for my students, I also believe that a part of teaching is maintaining a relationship with your students where there is trust, respect, and consideration. Classrooms are meant to be communal places of learning where we interact and work with one another, but by individualizing education it merely becomes a self process and aspects of collaboration are lost. When I think about my own learning experiences, the best ones have been where there was room for self growth and discovery as well as ways to work with one another in order to achieve the best result.
When we become so engrossed by these ‘Best Practices’ and forget to work through ‘Notyetness’ we can become obsessed with the outcome. Outcomes provide a way to derisk learning; when you set measurable outcomes for what students are supposed to know, you take away from the opportunity to measure students on their own individual learning, growth, and understanding. Whenever I start an assignment of any sort, my first step is to always look at the rubric and outlines and see exactly what is asked of me. In my own placement experiences I’ve found that many students do the same and it becomes a way to achieve the best mark rather than forming an interest or understanding. Instead of Outcomes, Collier thinks that we should have Beacons. These Beacons can be big questions that students ask themselves by the end of their learning instead of reductive and incremental outcomes.
Overall, the points that Collier and Friend made in the podcast were those that I agreed with. It made me question certain ideals we have for learning and what they really mean and I believe it is this questioning that leads to better teaching. I chose to present the information in a sketchnote to challenge myself. I initially wanted to do the Twitter essay because I have an easier time writing words than drawing pictures but this assignment provided me with the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. I struggled immensely creating the sketchnote and often wanted to give up and write the Twitter essay but I believe that the challenge helped me grow as an educator and really helped me to see how different forms of showing information can be helpful to students and for understanding. #UWinDig2020
Honestly, I don’t think that I’m particularly computer illiterate. I’m pretty confident in my ability to understand how something works and I’ve worked programming jobs before. But creating a multimodal platform is a first for me, so here’s hoping it at least entertains. (But really, why can I only embed two tweets at a time? With an odd number of tweets, I’m doubling up on tweets so I have to make an extra tweet if I don’t want to double up. This should be more streamlined.)
The Questioning Learning podcast had a number of topics that I needed to cut out of my twitter essay – it was just too dense for me to go into it with any real depth. For instance, there was a section in which Collier and Friend discussed the Rhetoric of Opportunity in contrast with a Rhetoric of Brokenness. The topic is fascinating, especially as the concept of Deficit Thinking came up, which was recently discussed in another course, the Global Issues course, last week. Since I had done some reading on it due to this course, I had thought that I had a decent background to talk about the topic, but found that my thoughts were too complex and wordy for Twitter. C’est la vie, or however you say it.
Instead, I chose to summarize with my own thoughts dispersed throughout. I think I managed to get to most of the important things that were discussed, though perhaps some of my image choices were a bit too tongue-in-cheek. But hey, it’s Twitter. There’s no way you go through an essay on Twitter without a few memes right?
Now, let’s start with the concept of standardization: the idea that we need to measure students by some set of standards. In Ontario, that would be EQAO testing and the Grade 10 Literacy test. In the USA, they have the SAT. #UWinDigpic.twitter.com/W9z5hdUj5u
But have you considered the history of standardized testing? It stems from the Industrial Revolution, where we viewed school as a sort of factory line so we could put students on factory lines. #UWinDigpic.twitter.com/m9FLmBCUZb
We’ve also decided that we need to keep those good old-fashioned values of the 1950s. Because those days were obviously free of strife and completely carefree. So updating our teaching paradigm makes no sense for some people. They insist on following a “best practice.” #UWinDigpic.twitter.com/co31FPfXFF
But wait. How can that work? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose when we emphasize the teachers’ learning instead of the students? Or is the idea that we learn together? Either way, the ones that need the focus on learning is the students, no matter how you phrase it.#UWinDigpic.twitter.com/hiN66BizAY
And that makes sense. We are in the classroom to facilitate students’ understanding and to instill in them the ability to think, rather than memorize how to succeed at answering questions related to particular subjects. #UWinDigpic.twitter.com/p6BdpV33Vq
That’s not to say that there are no useful digital tools. Collier also talks about building online communities outside the classroom to advance student understanding. By connecting to real issues, students become more motivated in their own learning. #UWinDig
Another YouTuber, 3Blue1Brown, uses his visual platform to explain a number of complex math concepts with simple visual representations and explanations. #UWinDigpic.twitter.com/bi3zXVIN4S
But at the end of the day, teaching is a human act, reliant on the relationship between teacher and student. Our connection to our favourite subjects is rooted in an emotional attachment made through human relationships. #UWinDigpic.twitter.com/z186xEzMEJ
By the way, as a bit of post-script, I’d also like to mention that standardization, while being so heavily opposed in a number of pedagogical styles and philosophies, especially in Critical Digital Pedagogy, does have its place in education. You really can’t do away with it. People want to know if the person they hire/accept will function if they let that person in. Standardization reduces the risk of failure, as evaluations will at least show that someone knows a certain bare minimum. So, there is value in it, particularly in a society that has to deal with issues of supply and demand in education and job applications. These institutions need ways to tell who they should be accepting into their programs.
There’s more too, but you know, if this wall of text continues, people will start looking for a TL;DR, and I ain’t doing one of those.
The following is my reflection on the 2018 article, “Digital
Ghosts in the Modern Classroom” by Ashley Hinck. (http://hybridpedagogy.org/digital-ghosts-modern-classroom/)
In her article, American digital media professor Ashley Hinck describes university students starting her class expecting to complete digital media assignments by following instructions and using templates. Hinck suggests that digital media educators should encourage digital literacy instead by allowing students to become true digital media makers and to learn through trial and error.
In the following clip, I examine her proposal of allowing
students to be ‘creators’ and
compare it to the traditional template-based ‘recipe’ style of instruction. Traditional recipe or template-style
assessments dominated most of my own education, and though I still appreciate
its use in some contexts—like larger classes, compulsory classes, and classes that
do not demand much creativity—I support Hinck’s claim as a means to deepen the
learning experience and to inspire students. Reflecting on my time both as a
student and as an aspiring educator, I explore opportunities to bring the
creator model beyond the university-level digital media realm before confessing
to my rocky but slowly improving relationship with technology.
Looking back on this project, I understand that the content
and delivery may have been better-suited to a video or a twitter essay. This is
something I’ll keep in mind for my next media reflection. Working with some new
tools and methods (voice recordings, timing and linking a PowerPoint, searching
for appropriate images) was a little challenging but a valuable experience. This
project also reminded me that a good old-fashioned Google search can offer
priceless insight, that inevitable mistakes and frustrations can be easily
worked through with the right attitude, and that technology is sometimes even more
cooperative than expected.
And to clarify something I said toward the end of the clip:
I assure you that I know, and always have known, what a telephone is. I should
have specified that I related to Mr. Carson’s feelings while discovering other
valuable technologies throughout my teenage years…including the GPS, the NHL
app, Google slides, and the lowly toaster oven.
I read Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom by Ashley Hinck. In her article, Hinck talks about how students’ previous experience using digital media templates and/or platforms, such as pre-made slides in Microsoft PowerPoint or HTML website code templates, influence their future learning and work in the classroom. Hinck believes that the use of such digital templates limits the creativity of students, causing them to be unable to “think outside the template”. Personally, my previous use of templates has simply introduced me to a vast variety of data presentation formats that I hadn’t thought of before. I now use formatting elements which I found in these templates for different projects, not because I can’t “think outside the template” but because I may never have thought to use these formats if I hadn’t discovered them inside templates.
By assuming that digital media templates stop the user from making creative decisions of their own, Hinck overlooks a whole category of creative platforms. The templates within programs such as PowerPoint or Canva, or even HTML web page templates, are highly customizable. Such platforms or templates give students a starting place for their work, something to build off of and improve on. This is especially helpful for when students are having trouble starting on an assignment.
HTML web page templates were particularly scrutinized by Hinck and are of particular interest to me. Hinck believes that the use of HTML templates gives students an unrealistic expectation of how easy it is to code in HTML. She explains that she sees students in her class, who have previously used such templates with ease, frustrated and struggling to code in HTML. I, however, believe that HTML templates are a great way for novice coders to try out more complex coding applications. Furthermore, such templates can introduce particularly interesting coding applications to students who may regard coding as boring or dull. However, this doesn’t just apply to coding: digital templates can allow novices to produce their own content for digital media using just about any medium from HTML to GIFs.
I have put together an infographic comparing Hinck’s views on how digital media templates affect the modern classroom to my own views on the matter and included it in full below.
Infographic comparing the views of Ashley Hinck to those of Kate Golden. Image by author.
It is important to understand the difference between digital literacies and digital skills. Since the rise of technology isn’t going anywhere but up, it is vital to keep up to date as a teacher with the newest tech platforms in order to know how to keep yourself safe. It is something that teachers have to know in order to educate their students on, as this article promptly explains; giving students the information about their rights and responsibilities online in regards to everyones safety.
My opinion of the author’s main message is
that the classroom is modern and we, as educators, need to take responsibility
for creating a modern digital classroom. I interpreted that embracing and using
digital technologies in the classroom is not as hard as possibly assumed, and it
is a great option for learning. Educators need to debunk the assumptions and expectations
of digital technologies. Digital technologies should be used to enhance the
classroom to create a modern classroom. Educators need to lead by example and
show their students how to use these technologies in ways that are best for
them. Not every digital technology is going to suit each student and if
students have the technical knowledge and understanding, they can use technologies
that enhance their learning. These technologies should simply be another
learning tool.
The text opened my eyes about how “old”
technologies limit student’s creativity. Before reading this article, I did not
see PowerPoints, for example, as limiting and controlling (of a student’s
creative choices). I use PowerPoint often and I choose from the variety of
themes they offer. This article made me ask myself, what would happen to my PowerPoint
presentation if I was able to make all creative decisions, if I could make my
own theme.
I am a classic example of a student who “all
they know of digital making are the template/shortcut platforms that have
enabled them to participate in digital culture up until this point” as
described in the article. I enjoy assignments that provide a lot of structure
and that translated into my digital technology use. I did not often explore
digital technologies that put me in the role of the “creator”. As a musician, I
am constantly expressing myself through my music. Why not apply that same
creative freedom to other areas and embrace these digital technologies that
give me that opportunity?
As I created my artifact, I connected with
the recurring theme in the article that modern digital technologies make
students great makers, creators, and speakers. I realized that as I was
creating my sketchnote, I was in complete control; I was the creator. I was
creating a product exactly the way I wanted to. I was not following a script of
steps. I used the shapes, colours, fonts, etc. that made sense for my learning.
I think a sketchnote was a great artifact for me to help me get my feet wet in digital
technologies for a modern classroom. Students should be encouraged to learn
through methods that work for them! As an educator, I will create a learning space
where my students can take control and be creative in their learning.
My assignment is on the article “Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom” by Ashley Hinck. With that in mind, I presented my multimedia reflection in the format of a Twitter essay due to the fact that I have little experience with the platform and I wish to be able to increase my knowledge on it. The reason for this primarily is that I feel it might be a good way in the future to connect with fellow people in the education field.
Interestingly enough I chose to do this article over the podcast because I was rather taken aback by the central message of it that these “create your own website” websites are not that creative and I had to dig deeper. Upon reading the article a few times I came to agree with Hinck due in part to her compelling arguments, and in part to my own experiences in the classroom as a student. To be specific. within my robotics class in high school we were taught how to do things such as both physically build the robot, and write the program for it. Although the building aspect required little trial and error, the digital aspect of it seemed more error than trial. This however was not a bad aspect of the class as it showed us that it is okay to fail, because through failure one can learn from their mistakes and then take that knowledge on to the next try at it. After reading Hink’s article, I do not believe that the same sort of experience and knowledge could have been gained without this sort of learning through failure. I honestly believe that no matter the discipline that is being taught, the ideas presented in the article such as there not being a necessarily “right” answer and that failure can be good if something can come out of it, are paramount in developing the creative minds of students.
Hi everyone! I decided to create a video including some images and main ideas taken from the article “Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom” by Ashley Hinck. I found this project to be a very fun learning experience as I had never made a video like this before. I used imovie to put my videos together as well as to add voiceovers.
My thoughts
I agree with Hinck’s arguments about the overuse of certain digital tools in the classroom and its negative effect on students creativity and their expectations of digital technology. I believe as educators we should introduce our students to websites and digital tools that will allow them to make mistakes, experiment, and have more creative freedom. This is especially important today because digital technology holds such a strong connection with our daily lives, and time spent in the classroom.
I chose to read Ashley Hinck’s Article Digital Ghosts In The Modern Classroom, which discusses the barriers in today’s teaching system throughout digital making. Students enter digital courses expecting to create great artifacts through the use of technological tools though, what most students are used to are shortcut templates that are preset by most technological programs. These linear focuses are nothing new to the classroom as the same protocol exists with the standardized worksheet and multiple choice testings, the same creativity limiting aspect passed down year after year. Hinck goes on to point out that the use of these tools (e.g. Fix, Google Slides, Canva, etc.) affects students learning as it suppresses the students ability to MAKE and reinforces the assumptions of restricted learning outcomes, causing a fear in students to step out of those guidelines to create something new. Digital culture has experienced a withdrawal of trial and error for the reassuring device of a guaranteed working product with little to no risk of failure. Students have this routine approach embedded in their minds since Pre-K, the constant step by step rubrics, and the instinct to create a product the teacher wants and deemed as the right answer.
I used the tool of a sketch note to visual map out the key ideas and themes found throughout Hinck’s article. By doing so, I am able to control the approach of my learning completely, choosing the symbols, words, colours, fonts, etc. Broken down to 3 portions, I first represent the “drag and drop” excerpt and relate the use of the shortcut templates that eliminate the need for technological knowledge to the tired notion of worksheets and multiple choice technologies (which, let’s be real, none of us learned from and just memorized the information needed for the time being and forgot all about it the next day). Throughout most of my educational pathway, I relied on these preset applications to create what I believed to be an artistically organized guaranty for a good grade, and the best part? I had to do the bare minimum work because hey, it was all already set up for me and I just needed to input the information, how amazing! Though, seeing it as an amazing concept then, I can surely agree that my desire of creativity has shot down to an all time low since, as I am not used to creating ideas from scratch and putting in the creative effort. The lack of that experimentation has made me feel fearful in assignments such as this one since my mind is so used to having strict steps to follow and ensure the teacher’s expectations. Continuing to push out of that mindset will set a great record of creative flow.
Next, we have what Hinck encourages educators to do with their students. Supporting students to become makers, creators, and speakers, instead of shortcut platform users. Creating the urge to experiment and build original ideas from scratch is what we want students to be comfortable and confident with (just look how happy little stick figure man is now!). Promoting trial and error, mistakes are OKAY and needed!
Open tools allow creative choices and build a stronger learning environment for students, it’s time to help our students claim themselves as creatives and have the ability to practice doing so in a safe space. Integrating such open tools into the classroom will create a future of confident creatives and the sooner we let go of the digital ghosts, the sooner we build a new system of success.
