#UWinDig 2020

For this multimedia reflection I went in the opposite direction of a sketchnote and wrote a twitter essay explaining the Technologist Module on the Ontario Extend website. Though I am familiar with twitter in a personal sense, presenting myself in a professional setting on the platform was a bit challenging. I felt very aware of the presence I had online and how my words may be perceived. This was not a challenge I had when doing the sketchnote, but in a twitter essay you are broadcasting information that has the ability and potential to reach a huge amount of people which can be daunting. I found it challenging to get my voice through and showcase my personality, but I feel more equipped to start building my own PLN after sharing my thoughts and findings on the topic of being a Technologist.

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The module itself was incredibly beneficial in allowing teachers to recognize the importance of using technology in order to benefit learning and broke it down in ways that were easy to understand. Right off the bat I was able to see how SAMR could be applied in the module, though they did not touch on the exact terms of SAMR, it was evident that Ontario Extend wants teachers to get past using technology as a Substitution and instead work towards something that is Redefining the way we do things and working towards solving problems with technology. This is something that we have already been working towards in our DigTech class so the concepts were not foreign to me, instead I was able to easily follow along and think back to my own teaching and learning. In my own learning, most instructors have used technology as a Substitution for traditional tools, other than being a shiny tech tool, those substitutions did not in any way aide my education or help my learning.

One of the most interesting components of this Multimedia Reflection was being able to directly relate what I had read about Digital Literacies to the assignment itself. The module mentioned that it is important for educators to come up with their own umbrella of digital literacies and constantly evaluate and expand on them. When drafting my Twitter essay I recognized the digital literacies that I had to keep in mind, especially my audience, online presence, and communicating my ideas safely in a shared space. It made me aware that I am constantly using my Digital Literacies when sharing on any social media platform but especially when working towards creating my own Personal Learning Network.

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The “Design-Thinking Approach” of the module explained in depth the process that one should take when trying to discover a solution using technology to a problem in the classroom. The five steps broke down approach and each section went into depth on how it is beneficial to the process itself. I believe that Empathy is one that many teachers may be challenged with for a variety of reasons. Some teachers may get comfortable in their own style of teaching and learning and not look past that, this can cause for certain students’ needs to not be met and the teacher to not grow in their own teaching. Others may forget what it is like to be a student and expect their students to simply understand the work they are being taught. When you empathize with students you try to not only see obstacles from their perspective but find solutions for those challenges in order to better their learning. This leads into the next step, which is to define problems or challenges that your students may be facing and work towards a solution. Arguably one of the most important steps, it is impossible to find a solution to a problem you don’t know exists, that is why we must empathize with our students; in order to see the problems that are there and work towards eliminating them.

Under the “Ideate” section of the module it discusses the importance of taking into account the technology you wish to use and all its features. It provides mind-mapping as a approach in order to help you come up with features you need and to see if the problem you are trying to solve is being solved through the use of this technology. I found that The SECTIONS Model by Anthony William Bates to be an excellent resource when assessing the functionality and purpose of an online tool and something I could see myself referencing within my own teaching. It allows you to take into consideration multiple elements that make up an effective tool and if it is the right fit for you and your classes, this way educators are able to think critically about why they are using the tool rather than as a substitution.

Once you have done your research and chosen your tool it is important that you create a prototype for your students. Though this may seem scary, it is essentially creating an example for them using the platform you have chosen. You must familiarize yourself with the platform by designing an artifact, then share it in order to gather critical feedback, and finally refine the work you have done in order to provide students with a concrete example. This is often a step that teachers tend to ignore or look past, in order for your students to understand your expectations, it is important that you also provide them with examples of work they can look to. This can be especially important when you want students to use one tool in particular and they themselves may not be familiar with it.

The last step of the Design-Thinking approach calls for you to make connections to the curriculum. It is important that the work your students are doing is done with a purpose in mind and relates back to the learning outcomes that have been set. If you find that what you are doing cannot be related back to the curriculum then students may question the validity of the content they are creating and why they are being asked to do it. At the end of the day, it is the curriculum guidelines that teachers need to follow in order to make sure students are learning all the necessary content for them to succeed.

Overall, this module was incredibly beneficial in terms of understanding technology and how to really be a technologist in your classroom. Especially as a new generation of teachers, teaching a new generation of students, it is vital that we constantly try to discover new ways to solve problems in our classrooms. Technology allows us many affordances that traditional teaching cannot and it is up to us to discover the best ways we can utilize it. #UWinDig2020

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