#UWinDig 2020

Hello! For this Multimedia Reflection, I chose to respond to Ashley Hinck’s article, “Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom”, with the sketchnote format.

In the course of this post, I’ll talk about the article and relate it directly to the sketchnote I created, which you can see directly below:

The sketchnote shares the same title as Hinck’s article and is broken up into three main sections. First, the upper left section discusses template platforms and ends with a problem. Second, the section to the right discusses tools that provide more freedom and creativity and promote openness in creation, but also ends with a problem. Finally, the third section is near the bottom, attempting to address the remaining concerns.

The article takes a critical look at platforms and tools that assist in the creation of digital artifacts using a template or “shortcut” method of composition. Typically these kinds of tools have drag-and-drop interfaces that interact with some sort of template, and some examples provided by Hinck include Canva or Blogger. These tools are designed so that they are easy to use to create some artifact with little risk of failure. In order to provide this kind of service, these platforms provide an easy set of steps that are foolproof; all the user must do is follow the prescription and they can’t get it wrong.

The problem with these template platforms, as Hinck argues, is that because they are designed to be easy to use, they are rigid. Their specialization forces them into producing very particular kinds of artifacts and as a result can become detrimental to true creative expression. Additionally, the more a user uses template platforms, the more that template takes hold of them and shapes the kinds of creations they make, so that there becomes a danger where creative expressions are made in the image of the template.

This section of my sketchnote summarizes these points, first by giving some examples of commonly used template platforms, then leading some of the issues that come along with these platforms. The “evil”, corrupting template is represented by the red box. I tried to express the monotony of template platforms by using the number three often along with plain colours; the examples are colourful to “lure you in”.

An additional problem that comes from template platforms is that they will only take your creative endeavours so far; the tools are easily mastered and are quickly worn out. So what is it that we do?

Instead of encouraging students to use template platforms to create, Hinck suggests that educators should encourage students to try out tools that provide more flexibility, like Photoshop, Audacity, or GIMP. There are no prescribed set of “correct” steps, as a template platform may encourage; instead there are many undefined steps that aren’t always progressive. With open activities like these, sometimes a student must explore a problem from the side rather than head-on.

As a result, these kinds of tools or platforms are more difficult to use, and students are prone to fail on their first few attempts. Additionally, the use of template platforms can come to haunt the student! They shape the student’s perception of expression and create a disconnect between the expectations they bring to open platforms from template platforms and the effort required to create artifacts.

Hinck suggests that we normalize the sort of trial and error process that is necessary to master these open platforms and to reduce frustration in using them. We shouldn’t expect to nail down wonderful expressions of our creativity on our first attempt, nor even the next few tries. Even if we are frustrated in creating these artifacts, we must keep in mind that this work is the necessary cost to create a true expression that rewards and empowers us. We should work towards banishing the ghosts of templates that haunt us.

In my history as an undergraduate student in physics (and later in my Master’s), I greatly valued template platforms because assignments typically required me to use them to complete the assignments in a reasonable amount of time. A frequent example is that I had to give many presentations and I always found myself gravitated towards something like PowerPoint. Often I was in some evaluative setting that only valued the scientific content in my presentations and the way I presented myself, which I didn’t necessarily have any problems with. In these kinds of cases, I think worrying about some novel presentation of scientific ideas would actually have been detrimental, because the pedagogical value in these settings was, “Can you talk about this topic that you’ve researched?” and I often liked to present these scientific ideas as simply as I could. There was no need to re-invent the wheel, so-to-speak. Trying to become comfortable with some of these open platforms often requires many hours of work and practice, which makes it difficult to use them in practice as a novice when the assignment you need to complete is due in a week.

However, I do not mean to say that this idea of focusing on open platforms would not have been irrelevant to me. In fact, there were times where I needed to create something on Google SketchUp or GIMP for some sort of report. In my Master’s thesis, I had to create my own diagrams because I wanted to avoid issues of citation with other authors, or there was no suitable template of representation I could use. So I was forced to try my hand at working with vector graphics software like Inkscape, and when I got the hang of it, it felt good that I could create what I wanted. I think it is good to keep the criticisms of template platforms in the back of one’s mind at all times, and, when the time permits, to strive towards working with platforms that encourage openness and experimentation.

Canva by Jordan Thrasher

I read Ashley Hinck’s Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom and created an infographic using Canva, to summarize her article. The main point she is trying to get across throughout the article, is the idea that using shortcut/template websites and platforms or “cookie-cutter” platforms as I described, is killing creativity in our students. A few examples of these programs include: Facebook, Snapchat, Canva, Google Slides, etc. She believes that by allowing students to “create” by using drag and drop platforms, we are limiting their technical potential. Moreover, students are not able to build resiliency in understanding that getting stuck or trial-and-error are all part of the process of success. Once they are able to build this skill through practice and learning, the sky’s the limit. 

While I agree with the ultimate goal of getting the best out of our students, I don’t necessarily think that teaching kids how to code will prepare them for what is expected from them in post-secondary or the job force. However, it is a different story if their career aspiration is in computer science or some kind of communications or marketing position. I still think the tools provided allow students to be creative because there are so many tools available to choose from. I believe if students are providing well-thought out projects, regardless of how they do it, then we are not only limiting stress, but rewarding success as well.

Incidentally, my stance on technology in the classroom is one I approach with caution, but with open arms. I appreciate a challenge and furthering my technical knowledge, but only if I can make it beneficial for my students. This assignment I found to be a challenge creating my first infographic and I can now use that experience moving forward if I make one again.

 I chose to create an infographic using Canva to summarize the Article Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom by Ashley Hinck. The artcicle speaks about the lack of creativity and individuality as a result of using digital technology in the classroom. I believe technology has not eliminated the “drag and drop” model of learning it just changes the medium by which we apply this model.

 The traditional ways of learning through worksheets and simply plugging in the correct answer because it is what the teacher expects is not eliminated by the use of technology in the classroom. Many media platforms implement pre-designed templates for students to use when designing online resources. These templates are nothing new to students, they have been conditioned to follow the instructions to get the “right answer”, essentially eliminating any chance for creativity. Traditional school culture is reinforced in these “drag and drop” models of online learning.

 It is critical for students to develop a better understanding of the creative process. As educators it is important for us to take students to the next level, moving from pre-determined to original, creating rather than filling out a template. I believe it can be difficult for students to move from high school to post-secondary to the workplace, engaging on a deeper level in online platforms helps students to develop their creative identity as well as problem solving skills. Working with online resources can be frustrating, however, it is important for students to recognize the variety of ways to accomplish their goals and recognize their “failures” as an opportunity to grow and learn. 

We must move away from the idea that obstacles are equivalent to failure and that there is only one way of accomplishing a goal. This is an ongoing issue in the education system, the way we measure knowledge uses a “right or wrong” answer system with no room for creativity or opinions. I believe that we have begun to move in the right direction towards enabling students to express their creativity and to change their mindset so that they begin to break away from the drag and drop model enabling students to realize that there is more than one pathway to success.

In the tenth episode of the Hybrid Pedagogy podcast, titled “Questioning Learning,” Chris Friend interviews Amy Collier about critical pedagogies, the concept of ‘risk’ in teaching, and the constructivist model of education. Collier’s research revolves around an idea called ‘not-yetness.’ She describes ‘not-yetness’ as a mental state where students have both an interest in a topic and a comfort in not yet knowing it, but lack the resources and teaching strategies needed for them to thrive. Collier believes that through a constructivist model of education, teachers can exploit this innate curiosity and create excellent learning experiences. Collier centres this experience on teacher-student relationships, which she believes are prerequisites for any successful pedagogy. She strongly states that teachers will never be replaced by computers, since it is neither an effective nor a natural progression.

For this multimedia reflection, I decided to create a narrated and animated sketchnote using my phone’s built in time-lapse feature and a small whiteboard. This idea was inspired by a relatively popular YouTube channel called “minutephysics.” This channel creates very simple but polished animated sketchnotes, and uses them to explain complex theories and phenomena in the world of science.

I assumed it would be easy to create a minutephysics-esque animated sketchnote, but I quickly realized that I was mistaken. Finding a mount to hold my phone was probably the most creative part in this entire process, and finding a way to cover its shadow on the whiteboard was infuriating at best. I have decided to include a picture of my workstation for this assignment, as I believe it to be both informative and humorous. I hope you enjoy my multimedia reflection, I look forward to hearing any of your opinions about this topic!

For this assessment, I decided to investigate Chris Friend and Amy Collier’s podcast, Questioning Learning. This podcast centers around the fact that teachers are the heart of learning. There are online courses being taught in the schools today and the teachers are being forgotten about. These online courses are designed for specific answers and does not encourage the students to think beyond the norm. The pod casts discusses how both the teacher and students need to take risks to accomplish new learning experiences. They talk about how the teacher needs to incorporate risk, uncertainty, discomfort and unpredictability in their teaching methods as well as encourage the students to apply these assets in their own learning experiences. I demonstrated these ideals with a sketchnote.

Student-Teacher Relationship

The main focal point of my sketchnote refers to the main idea of the podcast; teacher-student relationships are the heart of teaching and that’s what it is really about. I decided to draw a teacher and student inside a heart to represent this and made it the largest image on the page. I also used more color in this image than the others because I wanted it to immediately draw your eyes to the heart then the image inside. Amy Collier mentions that this is truly the whole point of education and at it’s most basic fundamental level, is what education is about. You need a teacher’s guidance and knowledge to help a student reach for new ideas and push themselves beyond their own expectations.

There is a line of child’s blocks leading to the next image. The blocks spell out canned courses since this is another one of the main topics. I drew and outlined a can to get the point across that all cans are basically all the same shape. Outlining the can and the picture of the laptop to represent the idea of online courses, I followed it up with a few key points mentioned. Amy Collier mentions that online courses have very predictable outcome and only go from point A to point B. There is very little room for the instructor to make the course engaging or to keep students thinking. The course is already done and essentially all the teacher is expected to do is grade the incoming assignments, in which all the answers are expected to be the same. Where is the fun and learning in that?

The blocks leading to the next picture spells educational technology. I colored in the laptop since I wanted that part of the image to stand out and have the teacher fade into the background a little more. This way your eye finds the teacher after the laptop and students staring at it. Amy Collier mentioned that there is a huge push for learner centered teaching which is of course what we all want, but there has also been talk about technology replacing teachers.  This hurts the educational system at the core, since that relationship between student-teacher is fundamental to advance learning.

Following the building blocks, there is, taking risks leading to a car with learning outcomes on it and having a sign that catches your eye. The car takes the risk and has two possible outcomes, one of which could lead to entirely new learning experiences. A great teacher will encourage the student to try new ideas and concepts and be there for guidance and support. The teacher and students need to take risks together in learning, since the learning process is entirely risky in itself. By taking these learning risks it could lead to great and exciting discoveries but there is possibility it could lead to nothing at all. But with both the teacher and student working together and taking chances there is a chance for many amazing possibilities.

The next block chain reads chance reward which is a huge aspect of teaching. When you, as an educator take a chance in teaching the rewards can be great. The chalkboard with the four main words that Amy Collier used to explain the qualities a teacher should feel stand out with joy and discovery being the next thing your eye follows as those are the possible outcomes from teaching with a certain level of risk, uncertainty, discomfort, and unpredictability. A teacher needs to put themselves out there and push their students to strive for more. This might result in teaching lessons outside your comfort zone but when you relate to the students and teach them not only context but lessons you yourself have learnt, the rewards can be great. You need to also push the students beyond their comfort zones as well, because when you strive for more, the possibilities are endless.