#UWinDig 2020

Submitted By: Shantel Triolet Student ID: 104906459

I decided to write an infographic since it something new and I have never done anything like it before. I was very anxious when I picked an infographic because I am not very skillful with technology and working with new platforms always makes me nervous. This multimedia has allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and I used Canva to help me create this infographic. I found this format better than the sketchnote I did last time as it allowed me to focus on the key points and they were much easier to highlight and draw attention to. This infographic allowed me to be creative while still conveying the important detail from the module.

In the Collaborator Module the main focus is on creating, building, and maintaining your Personal Learning Network (PLN). One of the main points discussed is in the video Using Twitter Effectively in Education by Alec Couros, he mentions how Personal Learning Networks got their start and for a PLN to be successful educators need to be personally motivated and create connections with people that are about more than just work. People connected through hobbies and personal interests before working together to collaborate on projects.

In order for people to collaborator there must be a sense of community and knowing there are are other people that are helping you with your ideas while you do the same in return. There must also be communication as well as cooperation for PLNs to be successful since people need to work together to accomplish their goals and build on ideas.

One of the main resources this module highlights is Twitter since it is an online media and helps people to share ideas with people not only in their area but around the world. This wider communication has resulted in global collaboration and built an online community that is dedicated to helping educators and growing as an educator as well. More people connected to each other has resulted in larger PLNs and more idea collision which has revolutionized the way educators are communicating and working with one another.

Having access to a leaning network is not enough. For a learning network to be successful they require trust, integrity, and openness. Everyone must be honest but kind at the same time, and everyone must contribute in order for the network to be advantageous. It is also important to continuously keep adjusting and adding new people to your learning network. You must have an openness and be willing to constantly strive to be better and work with new people who bring new ideas and skills to the conversation.

After working through the issues and figuring out how I wanted the infographic to look I am content with the outcome. I have learned a lot about the importance of PLNs and through designing this infographic I feel i have a more in-depth understanding of the module than if I had just read it. I am looking forward to getting started on building my own PLN. I am looking forward to incorporating technology into my classroom and I will definitely encourage my students to get out of their comfort zone since the final product will be more than just a assignment, but a new learning experience and will hopefully instill the idea of trying new things to my students.

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.