For my media reflection, I chose the Technologist Module. As future educators, we must create digital tools that fit the student’s skills and enhance their learning experience. The technologist module provides models that transform teaching into a creative and innovative manner. Since technology is an ever-growing invention with many drawbacks accompanying its system, as educators we must take into consideration how the selected tools will benefit or deter student learning. The “design thinking approach” is a beneficial tool because it aims to solve the students learning difficulties and redefine problems in a collaborative way. The core understanding of the tool is understanding your students. The tool reframes these problems in a human-centred way as the user is directly affected by the design. The approach follows a five-stage process that include empathize, define, ideate prototype, and connect.
I decided to make a slidedeck because I thought it would be fun to make. The only experience I had with a narrated slidedeck was when I took an online class in university, that was how my professor taught.As I was making my artifact, there were a lot of technological problems for me. I created my slideshow and did my voiceovers on MS PowerPoint. When recording the presentation, I was looking for a tool to help online, but I discovered that PowerPoint can record the slides. I though that this plarform was going to be a holy grail.
However, when it came to recording the whole presentation, the slides and audio would not match. The audio would either lag, play on a different slide, or won’t play at all. This took a lot of finessing to make it work. And just when I thought my video was complete, my laptop crashed and it did not save the video.
I could not get access to the video at all but I found my PowerPoint online using the office365 website. However, the audio went missing. At this point I want to throw my computer away and create a infographic instead. But I did not want to give up, so I rerecorded my audio. I used my phone for the audio, and I exported the PowerPoint into a movie and I used my sister’s mac to use iMovie and I created my narrated slidedeck. Overall, I though MS PowerPoint was going to be easy to navigate, it was a nightmare.
For my second multimedia reflection artifact, I chose to create an original sketch note based on the Technologist module. This module is used to assist educators with the process of selecting, using and integrating technologies that will help support and enhance student learning. I have never created a sketch note before, however I do enjoy drawing and sketching and thought it would be a cool new opportunity to create one. I used a variety of fonts and graphics to help the reader with understanding the main ideas of the module, and giving them something interesting to look at while doing so. As this is a sketch note, I wanted to keep the amount of text I had on it to a minimum (keeping it to the main ideas) and use the space for related sketches instead. The title is in the biggest font in the middle of the page that can tell the reader the main topic of the entire sketch note at the start. My sketch note begins in the top left corner with “Access Your Digital Literacy”, and moves clockwise as you go along, with loopy arrows to keep the reader on track.
My sketch note on the Technologist module
The first step begins with accessing your digital literacy collection. The development process is ongoing and your library will continuously grow, but by understanding what they are, you understand the many abilities of using digital technologies and web-based tools, including ways to create and communicate information, that can help address specific learning challenges. I displayed this with examples of knowledge, technology and access cards in a brain on my sketch note.
“Access your digital literacy”
The next step is to identify a challenge with your learners. Understanding their point of view through empathizing with them and planning your materials based on them and their opinion can help you with identifying a challenge that can be addressed with technology. A key is to keep the focus on something small rather than something big, so once you have a challenge, you will want to narrow it down to define it. This is exhibited in my sketch note by someone climbing a mountain in the background (large focus challenge) with puzzle pieces and a lock in front of it (small focused challenges).
“Identify a challenge”
Once a challenge has been identified, a technology can be selected. Picking the right technology for your problem is a process that can be cleared by laying out your thoughts on what you need from your technology for your solution, and a good way to do this is using a mind map. My sketch note has a silhouette of a head with thoughts of a map with sticky notes on it to show the thinking process, and a hand reaching in a basket of options to show the selection process.
“Mind map and select a technology”
Prototyping comes after the selection process, and the creation of something tangible to see rather than just hearing about ideas (the “testing” stage) can enhance the richness of feedback received. On my sketch note, I represented the prototyping stage with a person at eye level of a table carefully constructing some type of abstract prototype, with a pencil and design book open next to him. There are voice sound lines above him to show the thoughts of feedback that will be received once it is built and shared to help refine it.
“Gain feedback, refine a prototype”
Once you have the product, connecting it with the curriculum is the next step. Educators have to keep the original learning goal in mind, understand and review that their technology is being used to address this, and sharing this information with the users to show them the link between the two. This is displayed on my sketch note with two hands, one with a piece of technology, the other with curriculum documents, being brought together with a connected wire explosion in between.
“Connect the technology to the curriculum”
Once this is all done, it is time to share the technology with your users. I have represented this on my sketch note with Santa Claus throwing presents around him. The last step is to reflect on the entire design-thinking approach that you took to generate this technology. This is shown on my sketch note with someone looking into a puddle on the ground, and seeing their reflection (a brain). The brain is something that was seen at the start of my sketch note and is used here to connect all the ideas together and signify the end of the process.
“Share the technology”“Reflect on the design-thinking approach”
All in all, with the world and technology evolving at a rapid pace, using this technologist module as a new way to address learning challenges gives innovative options for an educator. While this is still a fairly new concept, and may lack examples that can help with the understanding, I believe it provides a good basis of an approach for educators to go off of when exploring solutions with a technologist mindset. I think this is a great way to find new methods to address learning challenges. I believe the biggest focus when using this module is to not get caught up with something because it is new and shiny, but to make sure to relate to the main goal of helping the learning challenges.
GIF from giphy.com https://media.giphy.com/media/UWD6pyspC3nI5fXhdF/giphy.gif
Have you ever worked on a presentation or research paper but can’t seem to find the missing pieces to your idea? Guess what, there is a solution and that is Collaboration. Collaboration allows you to communicate and work together with others to share new ideas and solve problems. Through my infographic via Canva, I was able to summarize the Collaborator Module created by Ontario Extend. This module explains in four sections; Explore, Engage, Extend, Empower, how to effectively collaborate as an educator. In other words, “We are all in this together”.
The first section of the module is explore which explains the importance of collaboration. Steven Johnson shares his philosophy on good ideas in terms of “hunches”. A hunch is the starting of a good idea and it is through coming together that collectively you can find the missing piece needed to develop a great ideas. This can be compared to the saying “two heads are better than one”. As a beginning teacher, you enter into this new world and it can be very stressful and scary. However, I found that in collaborating, I was able to learn from other teachers experiences when it comes to discipline, organisation, flexibility, etc. I also found it very useful when designing a lesson, I was able to build upon others ideas instead of reinventing the wheel.
It is our job as educators to explore the different resources that we have to our disposable specifically the wide variety of information we can find online. This also means that unlike before, we now have the power to not only collaborate face-to-face but through social media and texts. Alec Couros explains the value of Twitter as a collaborative tool and the importance of familiarizing ourselves with the hashtags such as #EdChat, #SciChat to stay connect. As a first time Twitter user, the platform has been a valuable resource for me to expand my knowledge and communicate with other educators in my discipline. On numerous occasions, I have had the opportunity to see the papers my colleagues have written and read about their pedagogical journeys. In fact, I met a colleague when doing research in Costa Rica and through social media I am able to keep in contact with him and bounce ideas for future research.
A Personal Learning Network is a mean for connection with other educator via face-to-face communication or online. When creating a PLN you decide the who, what, when, where, why and how. To be more specific, you choose if you want to “lurk”; read others posts or “share”; express your thoughts and opinions. A benefit about a PLN is that the people who you connect with are also associated with other individuals with different knowledges and backgrounds. A PLN is also tailored to your personal interests. M. Lalande explains that his PLN is focused on development in education and therefore he has selectively chosen other individuals who discuss topics such a didactics, pedagogy and tech. When designing my PLN, I would include individuals who’s opinion I value. This would include members of my research lab, influential teachers and professors as well as fellow teacher candidates. I would also include members of the opposing view to ensure that my knowledge is not bias and one sided. I would focus on the topic of science and technology as well as student engagement. I would therefore choose to interact with individuals who have done biology lessons while incorporating the use of technology. I would also have the opportunity to learn from the experience of other teachers with regards to keeping students engaged during class.
Creating a Personal Learning Network takes time and work. Similarly, to teaching, you need to take the time to explore creative way to teach you students, engage with your students and strengthen your connections to build that student-teacher relationship. Howard Rheingold proposes an eight-step process which includes the following when cultivating your PLN: explore, search, follow, tune, feed, engage, inquire and respond. In summary, Rheingold suggests that we must start by getting a sense of the field we are working in and the experts of that area. Once we are informed, we can interact with others. The last couple steps are to both share our ideas, question others and respond to inquiries relating to our work.
In image displaying the filter bubble that surrounds us when we are online.
Eli Parser reminds us that the information we encounter online can be bias and tailored to our search history without our recollection. He warns us that when creating our PLN we need to “Beware of the Online Filter Bubbles” and keep in mind who we are engaging with. He suggests that we should not only connect with people who support our ideas and findings but search for information outside our discipline and opinions. When teaching, we must be aware that we bring biases to the table and that they can come out in our lessons. It is therefore important to have an open mind and provide students with a variety of sources so that the information they are receiving is not one-sided.
A gif demonstrating the power of maping your connections.
Lastly, the module reminds us about the importance of reflecting on our PLN, making improvements and mapping out our future connections. This parallels one of the many hats we wear as teachers. A good educator must reflect upon their lessons and looks to see what went well and what they can do to improve their lesson in the future. When reflecting on your PLN, it is important to identify the “nodes” on your diagram. In using tools like Google Drawing and Coggle you have the ability to visualize the names of the people you connect with, their role and the relationship you have with those nodes.
In conclusion, I think this module did an excellent job at introducing the idea of Personal Learning Networks. I believe that this skill is very valuable and could potentially be introduced in the careers course in high school so that students can start to create their PLNs. As educators, I think we need to take advantage of the connectivity we have online and share our ideas and resources to both improve and discover great ideas.
In this post, I will be discussing the “Technologist Model” found on Ontario Extend. As future educators, we must aim to integrate tools that assist in our student’s learning and diminish their challenges and stress. The technologist tool provides educators with modules that allow them to advance their teaching and integrate technology in innovative ways.
For this multimedia reflection, I chose to create a twitter essay. I am not too familiar with social media outlets so this was a challenge I was ready to take on. In terms of difficulty, twitter was somewhat confusing, at first. However, I continued to explore my way through the web and it seemed pretty straightforward. This assignment pushed me out of my comfort zone because it encouraged me to express myself in a relevant and educational manner. At first, the thought of presenting oneself on a huge networking platform under trending hashtags was a bit intimidating, but as I continued, it became an insightful experience that allowed me to become more aware of my networking abilities. Just as the technologist module teaches, I was able to navigate through an unfamiliar digital data and acquaint myself with its tools and purposes.
Technology is a big component of modern education. As educators, we have to design and integrate technological tools that appeal to student learning and broaden their knowledge beyond the digital world. Not only is technology teaching students useful skills and keeping them engaged, but it also enhances the traditional way of teaching.
The “design thinking approach” is a process that seeks to understand the user and provide solutions to problems that may not be apparent at a glance. The process aims to provide a solution-based approach to solving problems and find technology that best suits the user’s abilities. This is one of the most useful models an educator could use in the classroom because it identifies one of the key components that many educators seem to lack in: empathy. By empathizing with student’s learning difficulties, the teacher gains a personal perspective about the student and challenge their assumptions of them which then allows them to find better solutions in improving their student’s learning. In order to understand our students, we must identify their problems and form a grasp of who they are as learners. By identifying the student’s challenges, the teacher can design thinking principles that inspire and motivate student learning.
One of the most effective processes is the SECTIONS model. It takes into account key components that influence technological tools which are students, ease of use, costs, teaching functions, interaction, organisational issues, networking, and security and privacy. When choosing new technology, the SECTIONS model is one practical way to approach decision-making about media and technologies for teaching.
After designing the digital tool, it is important to share one’s creation with colleagues and peers for a second revision. It is useful to gain a second input of one’s creation and work in a team collaboration to ask questions such as “what worked?” or “do you have any ideas for me to consider?” which are questions that encourage one to think “outside of the box” and consider oneself from the student’s perspective.
Overall, the technologist module is a very beneficial teaching process because it integrates a wide topic such as technology and narrows it down to specific models that approach decision-making about what technologies to teach. I, for one, see myself using the “design thinking approach” in my future technology-friendly English classroom.
For my multimedia reflection, I chose to create a sketchnote on the Collaborator module by Ontario Extend. Even though I have never made a sketchnote before, I thought it will be a good idea for this assignment since I consider myself a fairly good artist when it comes to drawing and sketching. The process of creating a sketchnote requires many hours of work and involves a lot of thinking, planning, and creativity. To begin, I watched a couple of Youtube videos to familiarize myself with sketchnoting and what makes a good sketchnote, then I started with my main centre piece idea of the globe and the shaking hands to represent worldwide collaboration. One challenge I experienced while working on my artifact was trying to visualize how all the sections, symbols, notes, and colors will come together at the end of the project.
I personally enjoyed creating a sketchnote because it kept my mind busy as I had to summarize information, make connections between notes and images and choosing the right colors and representations to make it visually appealing. My experience made me think of how helpful sketching noting could be for some students in the classroom as it helps keep their brains focused and engaged, make connections between concepts and images and remember information better.
Professional collaboration among educators is essential to ensure continuous improvement in the teaching practice that will lead to the main goal; student learning, and success. The collaborator module explores ways in which teachers can use technology to build learning networks and professional connections to generate and share ideas for better practice. The module introduces a concept called “Community of Practice” which is a group of people that share the same interest and passion, engage in regular discussions for the purpose of sharing valuable knowledge. Communities of practice can be formal and informal, it can be a book-club you are currently a member of.
Learning is a collective activity and being part of a learning group or network grants us access to useful teaching tools and unlimited resources. These networks are called “Personal Learning Networks”. PLN’s are networks designed for the purpose of learning, in which users/participants can connect with each other, build from each other’s ideas and expand. Users have total control over how much they want to participate and contribute. With the help of digital technology, these networks can connect professionals from all around the world and transform learning into an open space with no limitations and boundaries.
Prior to this course, I wasn’t aware of how I could use networks such as Twitter for professional learning purposes. Other professional users have so much to offer and are willing to share new ideas, methods, and strategies and we don’t know how beneficial this information can be until we get involved. The Collaborator module is a great tool for students who want to build and expand their practice by adding that little touch of technology. I think it is a really well-designed introduction that offers the bases of how we can learn to create PLNs and learn from them. I think a tool as such can be introduced earlier to students (high-school) so they can start thinking about ways they can use the net to grow and develop a sense of responsibility towards their own education.
For our second multimedia reflection, I chose to explore the Collaborator Module by Ontario Extend and developed a Sketchnote. You can find an embedded image of my Sketchnote below:
This is a full view of my developed Sketchnote.
This was the first time I have ever developed a Sketchnote because I typically shy away from anything that involves demonstrating my artistic abilities (or lack thereof). In our previous multimedia reflection I developed a Twitter essay. I have been an active member of the Twitter community for several years, thus it is a platform that I feel comfortable with. Developing a Sketchnote forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and to my surprise, I truly enjoyed developing this artifact.
Much like a Twitter essay, a Sketchnote is a platform with a visual capacity. However, I felt as though in the development of this artifact I was less restricted in my abilities to incorporate text and visual elements to represent the key points of the Collaborator Module. I specifically chose particular fonts and colours, as well as creative cartoons, to enhance my Sketchnote.
The Collaborator Module consists of four main sections: Explore, Engage, Extend, and Empower. The Explore tab focuses on explaining why it is important to collaborate. Teaching and learning requires collaboration because you can develop and extend your personal learning network (PLN). This tab explores the ideas that Steven Johnson proposes regarding good ideas. In his video, “Where Good Ideas Come From,” Johnson explains that networks help to spread ideas. Overtime, Johnson has noticed recurring patterns associated with the development of good ideas. He describes what is known as ‘The Slow Hunch’: that ideas are individual hunches and as time progresses, the collaboration and collision of multiple hunches develops breakthrough ideas.
A close-up image of my Sketchnote describing the main ideas of the ‘Extend’ tab of the Collaborator Module.
Alec Couros then explains The Power of Twitter and how educators can use twitter effectively in their practice. Rather than hoarding our knowledge, we as educators are encouraged to use Twitter as a way to broaden our networks. Teachers are able to collaborate, connect, and share through Twitter. The platform uses the hashtag as a key digital literacy. #OntarioExtend
Retrieved from https://media.giphy.com/media/uTjpIPVMaYlBS/source.gif
The Engage tab goes into further detail about PLN’s. Marc-Andre
Lalande explains that a PLN is not limited to only online interactions, but its
rather the existence of online interactions that makes a PLN extraordinary. We
may not personally know these people within our network, but we together have
common learning goals and interests.
A close-up image of my Sketchnote describing the main ideas of the ‘Engage’ tab of the Collaborator Module.
A PLN emerges from the Theory of Connectivism, which explains how the affordances of digital technologies and networks serve as bridges to connect us to, and encourage creativity between, the community.
Digital technologies connect us to a broad community, allowing for conversation and collaboration. Retrieved from https://media.giphy.com/media/m8WyGRkSBeLRTRz8oA/source.gif
The Extend tab describes how to cultivate a PLN. PLN’s do not simply emerge- they require growth over time. The cultivation of a PLN requires one to associate with people of similar interests. Furthermore, the strength of connections will develop with increased interaction and engagement. As professionals, we must always remember to think before we post as actions can have consequences.
A close-up image of my Sketchnote describing the main ideas of the ‘Extend’ tab of the Collaborator Module.
In his TED Talk, Beware of Online Filter Bubbles (TED 2011), Eli Parser explains the actions of an invisible algorithmic web. To develop a more well-rounded and diverse PLN, we want to see information that is relevant, important, uncomfortable, and challenging in order to exist within a more realistic universe of information. #DontBeShyDiversify
The Empower tab briefly dives into mapping
your PLN. Using different digital tools, we must consider how we will use these to develop our PLN’s and
ultimately grow as professionals. Consistent pedagogical reflection will
support our teaching and learning.
A close-up image of my Sketchnote describing the key ideas presented in the ‘Empower’ tab of the Collaborator Module.
In short, the Collaborator Module stresses the importance of interpersonal association to develop networks. Our cultivated PLN’s will ultimately enhance our teaching practice and will allow for a long-term and continuous professional growth.
I choose to create an infographic that focuses on the Collaborator Module. The overarching idea of this module is the importance of collaboration and building a strong PLN.
Steven Johnson’s video, Where Good Ideas Come From, emphasizes that collaboration is the foundation of creativity and innovation because it brings people together and provides them the opportunity to learn from one other through an exchange of ideas and knowledge. While I believe that collaboration is beneficial, I would argue that collaboration with the right people is even more rewarding. I view collaboration as a two-way avenue in which both individuals must contribute something of value.
This exchange of information does not necessarily need to occur at the same time. But to create a sustainable and valuable relationship, that give and take of knowledge must be shared and balanced. Collaboration can take place via digital communities such as Twitter or LinkedIn, or can take place within personal networks.
The module also explores the concept of PLNs (personal learning networks). Marc-André Lalande describes PLNs as a “group of people or organizations that you connect with in order to learn from their ideas, their questions, their reflections, and their references”. While PLNs are not limited to online interactions, that digital, cooperative, and global aspect of them is what draws people to them. PLNs offer individuals that open and inclusive environment to share and spread knowledge with one another. Moreover, individuals have autonomy over their network, so they can decide whom they wish to connect with and the degree of that engagement.
The concept of connectivism emerges from the conversation of PLNs. Connectivism is the idea that an individual’s network provides the context of learning, not necessarily the content. I agree with this theory because when you are part of a PLN, your perspective arguably becomes limited to the thoughts, ideas, and information shared within that network. Your PLN creates this invisible bubble around you and therefore, the information you seek will subconsciously hold a specific bias. For instance, if you are part of a PLN that favours education over travel, you may not necessarily see the other side of the argument that travel is also a form of learning and therefore just as important as traditional education.
This is why it is crucial to be aware of online filter bubbles. In his TedTalk, Beware Online “Filter Bubbles”, Eli Pariser explains that a filter bubble is essentially the unique universe of information that you live in online. Your filter bubble depends on who you are and what you do, but you don’t get to decide what gets in or see what gets edited out. That being said, while I think it’s useful to have a PLN that shares similar interests and opinions, it is important to break out of that bubble and seek people who may have different interests and opinions. You may not agree with those individuals, but at least you are aware and mindful of other opinions.
In terms of the digital tool itself, I enjoyed using Canva to create an infographic for this module. It was a very different experience compared to the first multimedia reflection, where I drew a sketchnote. Canva is a user-friendly platform and despite using the free version of the tool, I found the range of templates, images, fonts, and colours to be endless.
What I found interesting about Canva was the flexibility it offers with the templates – you can either use the pre-designed infographics exactly how they are and just fill in the required text boxes and insert a few images. Or you can experiment and alter the pre-designed template to really make it your own, which is what I did. Compared to a sketchnote, I found Canva to be slightly easier because you can easily delete, rearrange, or edit any aspect of your design, whereas, doing that with a sketchnote was difficult. Both tools are useful in their own unique ways – it’s a matter of figuring out which platform you believe would best convey your ideas!
Teachers are often tasked with integrating meaningful technology into their lessons. After reading Ontario Extend’s Technologist module, I decided to create an original sketch note to overview the module as my second multimedia post. I felt that this module provides an informative overview of how teachers should navigate through this technology era. After reading through all the sections, I found myself reflecting on my own digital literacies in teaching while exploring ways in which technology integration can address learner-centered challenges. The objective of this module and post is to help educators select, use and implement technologies that supports and facilitates student learning.
My Technologist Sketch Note
As my second multimedia artifact, I enjoyed the process of creating a sketch note to illustrate the main points of the technologist design thinking module. In my opinion, this illustration does a great job summarizing the design thinking steps using pictures and bright colours. My artifact begins on the top left with the big red arrow ‘design thinking’ (that hopefully catches the eyes attention first) following clockwise from left to right.
The first step of design thinking is to empathize with your learners. It is important to understand your learners point of view before beginning with your lecture, activity, assessment planning and technology integration. The goal of empathizing is to consult your learners and identify a challenge that could be solved using technology. Teachers should consider a variety of ways to get information from and about their students. One suggested way from this section that lets teachers communicate with their students is to create an empathy map. Empathy maps are designed to let students give their feedback and opinions on any aspect of the classroom and course material. In extending the activity, the module provides a link to a downloadable empathy map template and example.
Empathy GIF giphy.com
The next step in design thinking is to define your learners challenge. This challenge should be based on the information you previously learned about your learners. In my sketch note artifact, it shows that in order to define a problem you must first start small then build larger and inquire more information to decide on the most important challenge to solve.
Once a challenge is selected, it is time to ideate, asking yourself what the ideal technological characteristics are for your solution. The suggested way to ideate is to create a mind map, laying out all the features of technology that can best address the learners challenge. There are examples of mind map guidelines in the module. In my sketch note I also included a few main starting points for an effective mind map.
Prototyping is the most exciting step in this process and was the most fun part of my sketch note to draw. Prototyping involves actually testing out the selected technology before officially implementing it into your lesson. Prototyping requires teachers to design, share and refine their tool. This can be shared with colleagues who would provide feedback to improve the tool further.
My Sketch Note Prototype Robot
The final step in the design thinking process is to connect to the curriculum. This asks teachers to sequence their instructions for their learners, making sure to indicate how the technology elements link the activity back to the original learning goal. I also think it is important to connect back with your learners, possibly with another empathy map to confirm their challenge has been overcome.
The purpose of the technologist is to explore ways in which technology integration can address learner-centered challenges. In order to have positive change for learners, educators must first understand as much as possible about their learners. Using this design-thinking approach (as illustrated by my sketch note), beginning with empathizing, educators can create their new and improved technology-enabled learning activities.
“Technologist Design Thinking Process” By Joanne Kehoe
I decided to do a twitter essay on the Collaborator Module. I really enjoyed creating my twitter essay, but I found it challenging at times to stay within the word limit of each tweet. I did have a lot of fun adding in funny memes and gifs, and even took some time to explore twitter. I used to use twitter quite frequently when I was in high school, but then took a break from it while in university. Twitter has changed so much in the past few years, expanding in the amount of users, and giving users new options for users to explore. As a future teacher candidate, I now view twitter from a different perspective, looking at how it can be used in the classroom. I have realized there are SO many benefits to twitter regardless of the subject!
The collaborator module is a module that discusses the benefits of collaboration within the teaching profession, as it promotes personal and professional growth for all. As teacher candidates with minimal teaching experience, we would all benefit tremendously from collaborating with experienced teachers. They can help us out by providing us with a lot of “dos” and “don’ts” within the classroom!
Digital technologies play a huge role in collaboration! Online sources such as twitter, word press, and education.com are just a few of these digital technologies. They allow us to reach more individuals who may have opinions or ideas that differ from our own, building on our ideas and allowing us to make new connections. It is extremely important that we do associate with people who are outside our “filter bubbles” to challenge ourselves, and help us further support our teaching.
I love the idea of being able to connect with individuals all around the world. The world is such a diverse place with so many individuals who hold opinions that differ from one another. As we approach these differing opinions, we are forced to view our own ideas and opinions from a different perspective, which can help us build and improve ourselves. Our ideas combining with the ideas of others can promote the formation of larger, more success idea.
Collaboration does not always have to take place in an online space! It might even be more difficult for teachers who are not particularly familiar with technology to navigate these spaces. In my most recent practicum I was able to observe the benefits of collaboration between teachers. There was a teacher in the science department who was teaching a locally developed class for the first time. My associate teacher had taught the course before and gave her all the resources he had used. Having support from other teachers is extremely helpful in cases like this one!
Collaboration is something that can be difficult for people who tend to be more shy, and afraid to ask others for assistance. Those that are not the best at delegating tasks and sharing their work may also stray away from collaboration. I think it is vital that we all keep in mind that teaching is a profession that encompasses the word “collaboration”. As we help one another we are able to unlock our potential to be the best teachers we can be.
For this assignment, I chose to make a Canva infographic to look into the eCampus Ontario’s Technologist module. I chose this piece because I’ve always been interested in how technology works and using it to make my life easier. As a teacher, I plan on passing on my passion for technology to optimize my students’ success.
I plan to use what I learned from this module in my classroom by integrating technology in an open and accessible way for all students. Students deserve the opportunity to succeed no matter their obstacles.
This module revolves around the idea that technology can and should be used in the classroom to address all students, including those with learning differences. Many present day classrooms simply focus on taking notes and subsequently being tested on the content. This is not the way that all students learn, so it is not an efficient way to reach all students and ensure knowledge.
Digital literacies are a vital piece to surviving in today’s technology-dependent world, and I believe that students should learn how to safely and beneficially use digital tools. The main point that I want readers to take away from my Canva artifact is that students should learn not only curriculum in school, but life skills too.
Design-thinking is another concept discussed in the module and it follows the path of empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and create. This framework allows students to troubleshoot and learn from their own mistakes. I believe that this is beneficial for the students because critical thinking and problem solving are vital for success in any field that they go into.
My opinion on open pedagogy is that all education should be open and accessible for everyone. Spending money on classes and on resources to succeed in those classes is ridiculous, so I really hope that Open Educational Resources become more common.
Teachers are a vital part of shaping the young minds and they have an amazing impact on our futures. The future Prime Minister is probably sitting in a classroom right now and I know that I want my leader to be well-educated and to be able to think for themselves.
