Being a teacher can be hard at any time. No matter the era. I imagine teachers had difficulties long before the modern public education system and today is no different. There is much disagreement and opinions on bringing digital tech into the classroom. I think we need to look out how we bring tech into the classroom. Simply, allowing device time as a reward is not the way to go. Lucky for us educators, there is a system set in place if your classroom is being left behind in this digital society. The Technologist Module can help!
I decided on creating a Twitter essay which was more difficult than I planned. I wrote out what I wanted to say but ended up changing the entire work to accommodate Twitter standards. I never use Twitter and only made an account for this class. Since then, I’ve only checked for what’s trending. For this artifact, I began by introducing the Technologist Module and breaking down the steps of the module. As I continued, my artifact had took a new route with almost every Tweet to try to stay within the character count. As I progressed I seen the advantages and some disadvantages of this format. Nevertheless, I am eager to try this approach in my classroom. I hope you enjoy.
1. In a society that is dependent on Technology it is imperative, as educators, that we prepare students so they can thrive in the digital society after school. How do we accomplish this?? By using the Design-Thinking approach in the Technologist module set out by @ontarioextendpic.twitter.com/9Zkn7bxw66
In the evolving field of education, technology is playing an increasingly significant role for teachers and students in the classroom. New technologies are constantly being created to enhance student’s learning #UWinDig#OntarioExtendpic.twitter.com/HA8YEx4hVi
While new and experienced teachers are constantly being told to embrace educational technologies, the sheer amount of choice and complexity in these technologies can make this a rather daunting task. Educational technologies must be reviewed for their ease of access, terms of service, and level of modification to the classroom. These technological resources require the teacher, as well as the students, to have some prior digital skills and literacies. This can cause issues if not all students (let alone the teacher) have a similar level of digital literacy. The Ontario Extend Technologist Module looks to alleviate some of these issues by offering a wealth of digital teaching resources. These resources help to improve and expand teacher’s digital pedagogies, as well as develop student-oriented framework for them to learn as well.
For this reflection, I decided to summarize the technologist module in the form of a Twitter essay. Twitter is a platform I use daily in my personal life, so I wanted to try using it in in an educational capacity. In the Twitter thread, I first summarize the sections and main resources in the module. I then connect to the module to topics we have discussed in class, such as Bloom’s taxonomy and the Cynefin Framework. The technologist module connects to Bloom’s taxonomy by utilizing the cognitive skills of analysis, evaluation, and creation in the design-thinking approach. These are the most significant skills for student learning, as they require the most student agency. The module also related to the Cynefin framework by falling under the complex and complicated domains. I hope you enjoy my Twitter essay, feel free to log into the platform if you wish to share or provide feedback!
By familiarizing themselves with the technologist module, new and experienced teachers can improve the quality of students education and address unique issues that may have previously been ignored. #UWinDig#OntarioExtendhttps://t.co/852mOsQi20
I chose to reflect/analyze the Collaborator Module created by Ontario Extend. While reading through the resources, the articles and videos selected really sold the idea of collaborating to be better prepared. As a future-educator I really picked through this module and tried to understand everything that was being thrown in my direction. While talking about things like why to collaborate, they mention a lot of things that we already tend to do, like asking coworkers for resources for the class we are teaching. There will always be people with experience in the topics we want to teach and by accessing the PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) online, we can have access to tons of people who have tried and true resources they might be willing to share!
One of the first modules we can dive into talks about the important of collaboration and why we want to collaborate! The video “Where Good Ideas Come From” by Steven Johnson really sums it up well!
The next few parts of the module focus on the specifics of what defines a PLN and what makes them so special. Some aspects of this module that I really connected with spoke about how we adapt as professionals and how we can reflect together. This really resonated with me because as teachers it is vitally important to reflect when things don’t go as well as we wanted them too.
Looking back at the process, I really enjoyed how simple Canva was to work with! I chose the free trial and was able to organize my thoughts into a variety of available free templates. I was able to insert a few simple pictures to enhance my presentation, with more unique or expressive pictures needing me to upgrade to a “Pro” version. Everything I did on Canva was free and I didn’t need to insert any personal information, just a sign-in email and password! I found the interface I was working with very user-friendly and as an educator I would encourage my students to attempt to use this program for future assignments!
For this assignment I chose to explore the Collaboration Module. This module explores different aspects of collaboration ranging from what collaboration is to the different way’s individuals can now collaborate in different spaces. The main purpose of this module is to encourage collaboration between educators and explain how online collaboration can cultivate new innovations. To summarize the module I decided to make a sketch-note/mind-map using Coggle.
I thought this module was very easy to navigate, as you scroll through the side bars the information is set up in almost a chronological order. Starting with the inspiration behind collaboration, then why it is important to collaborate, which leads to what collaboration looks like and finally how to cultivate collaboration. As someone who is fairly new to online collaboration, I found this module very user friendly and after looking through it I feel I have a good grasp on what online collaboration is and the avenues available to begin collaborating.
From an educator standpoint this module touches on the way’s collaboration can be helpful to educators. A key component of this module is explaining what a personal learning network (PLN) is and how to cultivate one. This part of the module is key for educators, it is important for teachers to be connected to other educators to learn and grow in their teaching. I believe having a PLN allows you to be connected on a deeper level and creates new innovations that help students and teachers. It allows ideas and innovations to grow and develop. Having a PLN is also important because of the support it provides for educators. Teaching is not an easy job and having a network of support is crucial to being a successful teacher. I have learned through my teaching placements that having other educators to reassure you in your teaching and to offer suggestions is imperative. This module offers useful ways to grow and maintain your PLN.
The idea of connectivism is also talked about, this is the idea that the context of your learning is provided by your network. A key part of connectivism is the idea that learning is a social and collaborative activity, in order to learn to the best of your ability you must be connected to others. The idea of a PLN is to create a collaborative space online, the module not only talks about the importance of collaboration and a PLN but gives strategies of how to cultivate your PLN. I believe this is a very important aspect of the module. It not only says to collaborate but gives practical strategies to help people who are beginning to collaborate online. We do not learn in isolation and therefor we should not teach in isolation, being active and connected to other educators creates a community of learning which is transformed through technology.
I believe this module was is a very useful resource, it offers a lot of information and relays the information using many different mediums. It is very accessible and easy to navigate. A key component of this module is that it offers not only why collaboration is important but it gives practical strategies of how to collaborate. I personally have experienced how helpful online collaboration can be. Connecting with other educators I have been able to grow in my teaching and develop strategies and ideas for my future classroom.
Collaboration is key to furthering the education of future generations. We must share ideas and offer support to one another in order to continue to thrive in the classroom. This module gives meaningful suggestions and ideas about why collaboration is important as well as practical suggestions regarding how to collaborate online.
Please click on the link below to see a full size image of the mind map
My second multimedia reflection is an infographic based on the Technologist module (https://extend.ecampusontario.ca/technologist-scenario/). In all honesty, part of me enjoyed the challenge of creating something concise that tested my (admittedly limited) design abilities, and I got the hang of Canva quicker than I thought.
The content of this eCampus Ontario resource for educators begins with a page about digital literacy, which contains several articles with different takes on the topic. The next page is a history and explanation on design thinking. Each subsequent page is one of the five steps in the design thinking process.
The first step is to empathize, or to ensure that planned activities satisfy a real need. Ideally, a need is satisfied on the audience’s terms in the ways most accessible to all learners. The next step is to draw on knowledge about learners in order to define a challenge or problem to tackle in designing an activity. Step three is to ideate how technology can be part of the solution to the challenge defined. The fourth step is to design a prototype, or to make a trial run using chosen technologies. The final step in the design thinking process is to meaningfully connect technology use to curriculum.
While working on this task, I tried to be aware of my own bias surfacing. I am no expert on using technology: throughout my life I have had little interest, need, or opportunity to engage much with it. However, I do try to keep an open mind.
I acknowledge technology’s place in today’s classrooms, and I wish that budgets, boards, and administrators could keep technology at the top of their crowded priority lists. That said, I am not opposed to using technology as much as I am wary of using it in applications where simpler methods are more practical, efficient, and friendly for teachers, students, and budgets alike.
I appreciate this module’s early emphasis on digital literacies. After that point, I enjoyed some of the design concepts and recognized some of them as just being intuitive to good planning. However, I had difficulty resonating with the many rosy buzzwords and somewhat pedantic processes outlined in the design steps. My personal planning and teaching tendencies at this point are more fluid and heavily based on ongoing, candid, comfortable back-and-forth discussions with colleagues and students, and certainly less technology-based. During my time at the Faculty of Education, I have encountered and used several truly helpful technologies that I liked, though each was discovered with guidance from a colleague or mentor. In my experience, fumbling around blindly on the internet looking for new technology to enhance a lesson doesn’t work as well as sharing and networking.
Here’s a scenario: you want to implement technology into a lesson, but you find that you’re stuck.
If you’re interested in integrating technology into your lessons, then the Technologist module provided by Ontario Extend may be useful to you. In the module, one technique of technology integration is suggested by way of design thinking.
What is design thinking? I created a simple infographic, with a template thanks to Piktochart, that summarizes the steps of design thinking and how they relate to technology integration in the classroom.
Figure 1. Use design thinking to integrate technology to help your learners.
There are 5 steps in design thinking: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and connect. You begin with the empathize step by setting out and determining as many learning challenges as you can in the classroom, then look for spaces where technology could help you out. Then you define what you’d like to address and narrow your focus. Ideate by matching a tool to your challenge and begin to prepare an activity. Prototype the activity and put it into practice, then use the experience to assess the activity’s strengths and weaknesses. Finally, after refining your activity, connect it to a broader context in your curriculum. Connect the technology to your learning goals and implement the activity.
Figure 2. If you don’t have end-goals in sight, you might not strike your target.
Giving my own take on this, I think this method is useful but I wouldn’t feel comfortable using it exactly as prescribed. When I think about applying technology into my classroom, I tend to start with learning goals that are in the curriculum or in my lesson – the things that must be covered or the things that I aim to cover- and see how I can modify and enhance them with different representations. In other words, I tend to prefer to set end-goals or clear learning destinations that I then work towards. The method of integration outlined in this module seems to start from an intentionally open and large field, the challenges of the learners, and then incrementally refines that field towards a solution that meets the learners’ goals. The danger that may arise from this method of technology integration is that by not firmly incorporating the connections to the curriculum, there is a risk to miss the mark.
I think one should also be wary of creating a dream-list of ideal features that a digital tool may have – while this is useful to to outline exactly what you’re looking for, there may not be a tool that fits your parameters. In some cases, it may be more efficient to take the inverted approach and start with a tool, asking yourself, “Okay, what can I do with this?”
Figure 3. Choose what works for you! Different problems require different solutions.
However, I don’t mean to imply that there are no strengths here – certainly, when one is thinking about incorporating technology for a lesson, you must make an active effort to meet the learning needs of your students. A hybrid approach where one keeps learning goals in mind along with learning needs can help you reach your students while keeping focus on results. Additionally, the Define and Prototype steps are powerful ideas to incorporate in lesson design.
Ultimately, I think some of this comes down to preference. Some might like to start with end-goals and some might like to start with many ideas, refining them down and seeing where they’re taken. This method of design thinking can address different kinds of problems and open your mind to different solutions in lesson design.
Figure 4. Reach your goals of technological innovation with careful and critical methods.
Have you ever had a really good idea? Do you want to share and grow that idea to something even greater? EXPLORE! Take your idea and share it with a community of practice. BOOM. You have created a great idea with the help of people on the Internet! It’s all about collaboration.
What is a community of practice you may ask? Well, a community of practice is a group of people with a shared passion and would like to learn more about it. Communities of practice regularly interact online, even though members may have no personal connection at all. They are tied together by a certain topic with like-minded ideas. Communities of practice have the same focus in terms of domain, community, and practice. Domain means that the group has a knowledge and skill set for a specifically focused area of interest. Community is the individuals that are a part of the group, converging and learning together on a platform such as Twitter, YouTube, or blogs. The group practices exchanging and sharing different ideas, tools, and resources.
Being a part of the community means you are contributing to something greater than just your own idea. You want to grow your learning and teaching styles through the collaboration of others. Like Steven Johnson says in his video Where Good Ideas Come From, we are in a time and place that makes collaboration super simple. With the power of the Internet, collaboration even on a global scale is not hard. Different platforms allow for educators to come together to share ideas, outlooks, and resources with the click of a button.
ENGAGE using your Personal Learning Network (PLN). A PLN is your own personal way to learn from other’s ideas/connections/reflections. This learning can be done of platforms both formal (like a TED Talk) or informal (such as Twitter or YouTube). Whatever the case, everyone is connected to different ideas, institutions, and learning styles. This helps to enrich the learning process and provide you with the most relevant information. It’s all about collaboration.
You are able to personally chose what kind of group you would like to be in. It is all about choice and what you are looking to gain from the experience. Your learning could be focused on a certain topic, or maybe you are just open to listening to other’s ideas. Whatever the case, there are many different platforms to choose from. Dr. George Siemens talks about in his video Overview of Connectivism how he started blogging in the late 1990’s. From there, he would read other blogs, share ideas, and connect with others. Now in 2020, there are all kinds of networks for teacher to collaborate on. My personal favourite platform for collaboration is Twitter, due to the convenience of hashtags, abundance of users, and of course the use of GIFs. Networking has never been easier or more fun. Like Vygotsky’s theory states, learning is both a social and collaborative activity.
Cultivate your PLN by EXTENDING. Your PLN is not going to develop overnight, odds are you will not find a group you fit in well with your first try. It takes time to comb through and find a group that aligns with your interests and theories.
PLNs are meant to promote growth, development, and understanding. Find a group that does this for you. Strengthen your connections in communities of practice by commenting, sharing, and advising others. Intake information and output your own work to gather feedback. Search. Annotate. Browse. Find what is out there that best benefits your needs. You are not tied to the first group you join, keep extending your online growth.
EMPOWER your PLN by continually growing and learning. Use your gained knowledge for both personal and professional growth.
Use digital technologies to build and develop communities of practice. Adapt and elevate both your teaching and learning styles through these communities. Track your growth by mapping out your PLN. Create a diagram that helps you to visually see the people, content, and organizations you have come across. Use your connections to help you set goals, solve problems, and continue to collaborate.
We are now in 2020, the age of technology and now more than ever we see teachers trying to integrate it into their classrooms. The key word here is ‘trying’. Not all teachers feel the same about technology, lots do not know how they can use it to better their classrooms. Through this blog post we will take a look into the ”Technologist Module” (https://extend.ecampusontario.ca/technologist-overview/ ) from e-campus Ontario and hopefully open your eyes to navigate the world of technology.
First we look at Digital Literacies. These are tools we use to “locate, use, summarize, evaluate, create, and communicate information” when we are using technology. Digital literacies can mean different things to different people. This is important for the teacher to assess before looking for technological tools. It is important to know what you view as a digital literacy before you teach your students.
Next up is Design Thinking.Design Thinking is all about using resources to make a plan to follow through. There are five key steps to design thinking and these are all human based. First you should start with ‘Learn From People’, ask the people related to your study and collect that information. Next is ‘Find Patterns’, this is looking into the information collected and see if you can gather it into some sort of pattern. Then ‘Design Principles’, this step is figuring out how your information collected can be used in your final piece. Then ‘Make Tangible’, where you start asking ‘how might we’ questions and begin figuring out what you can do to help. Last we have ‘Iterate’, where you should start looking for a solution. This will most lily involve multiple tries. After following these steps you should finally have a solution.
When you are looking for a tech tool it is extremely important to empathize with your learners. I know from experience that using technology as a student can be very frustrating and it sometimes can feel that you teacher just does not understand. If you empathize and put yourself in the student and think about how they might feel, it may make the integration of technology easier for your classroom. I believe that no matter what you are doing it is important to think about how your students may feel.
I think that when planning anything as a teacher it is good to define what kind of students you are working with. In this step you need to analyze how your students learn. Once you know how they learn you will be bale to easily find things that might be a problem with the tool you wish to use. As teacher we always want our students to be successful and tis step is a great way of finding a good fit for your learners.
After you have a better understand of your students you need to figure out how you may use this tool in your classroom. The module suggests using mind maps to organize your ideas. I think mind maps can be very useful tools when you are dealing with so much information. By making these mind maps you may find ideas that you want to try out, which leads to the next step.
Prototype is where I think a lot of the learning happens. This is all about making things and trying them. I firmly believe that you learn best by making mistakes and revising works and that is what the prototype section was all about. It mentioned getting feedback to grow, and I think that feedback is also important for our students.
When working with technology it needs a purpose. Yes technology can be the new shiny thing everyone wants to use in their classrooms but if it does not make any connections to the curriculum is it even useful? When looking at a technological tool it is important that you can make connections to the curriculum. I am one of the people who think ‘if I can do it in person why do I need to involve technology’, however I think that if a tool makes those connections it gives it a bigger purpose.
Technology can be seen as such a powerful tool, but it can also seem so overwhelming. Hopefully by reading through this blog post you are more confident in looking for ways to integrate technology in your classrooms.
In an age where the top scientists can reach each other within a matter of seconds and a click of a button, it’s no wonder we as a human species have advanced this far since the development of the world wide web.
The collaborator module synthesizes the benefits of collaboration and makes connections within the context of education. The module checklist includes learning about the benefits of collaboration, signing up for and exploring twitter, engaging with people who share similar professional interests, listing some activities to engage with a personal learning network (PLN), blogging about expanding your PLN, and mapping your own PLN.
In my experience as a student and teacher, using the collaborator module’s masterclass has helped my self-efficacy, competence, emotional stability, and motivation. Throughout this blog post, I will endeavour to connect this module to my own life.
The first question that the module answered was “why collaborate?”. Steven Johnson’s powerful sketchnote gave some insights into the benefits of connecting with people professionally. Personally, I have seen the positive impacts of collaboration in some of my seminar courses during undergrad. One course I took was called “Issues in Physical Education”, where one person each class lead a seminar and opened the discussion for people in the class to express their opinions and reflect on different possible solutions. This class helped me connect professionally with people who face the same issues in their careers, and helped me connect emotionally as well. Sometimes I feel alone in my profession, partly because I am outnumbered by students, and I forget there are other teachers facing similar difficulties. This class helped me connect and learn from my classmates in a professional manner.
The next section the module discussed was the scope of a PLN and how it can help you professionally. It built on the previous section by explaining how PLN’s can be beneficial, especially virtually, because people from all over the world can contribute their ideas instead of just in person face to face, which can be extremely limiting. In my experience as a soccer coach, I was introduced to a PLN for the first time this year. I work at the largest soccer academy in the world, and they have configured a virtual PLN where certified coaches from around the world share their coaching lessons. I have benefitted immensely from this as I am never at a loss for an idea, and people are always willing to help, share, and reflect on each others lesson plans. Perhaps the reason for this academy doing so well is because of its PLN.
I decided to focus the next part of the infographic on the specific type of PLN, a “community of practice” because this is the best way to grow and advance as a professional. This PLN only involves people who are active professionals within the area of interest. This ensures that no outside perspectives are being thrown in by people who have no expertise in the field. If we were to relate this to my experience at the soccer academy, I wouldn’t feel comfortable adopting a lesson from a parent or kid. These people don’t have the necessary training, qualifications, or expertise to make valuable contributions to the PLN.
The module discussed the theory of connectivism in learning and teaching – that giving students the ability to connect, share, and discuss helps them learn and gives them autonomy. It is important that learners know they are never alone, and that humans work best learning as part of a community. I think that this is important, however, there must be some direction in their learning – meaning finding people who are certified and have expertise rather than only people with a shared interest. I believe that students should be able to find a PLN where they can participate but also be exposed to active practitioners. Twitter is a great way to do this, by following active practitioners in the student’s field of interest and engaging thoughtfully and politely with the community.
The last section of the module discusses how to build your own PLN through Howard Rheingold’s framework. He maintains that this framework will help one become a responsible contributor to a PLN. By following the steps listed below, one can become an active member of a PLN and help themselves and their community grow. Personally, I have not refined any of my PLN’s yet, rather I have joined them unknowingly and serendipitously. For example, on Facebook, I have followed a few people who continuously post Physical Education games and workshops on their pages, and often times I use these ideas. I have yet to contribute something of my own to a PLN, but I believe this course is preparing me well.
This infographic coupled with my real-life experiences hopefully gives you a comprehensive outlook on why collaborating as an educator is a positive step forward.
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used to create them” – Albert Einstein
My final response is a reflection on The Design Thinking Process. I chose to go with a mind map as it is short and straight to the point, and serves the broadest range of students with diverse needs. A mind map is both interacting and engaging and provides multiple means of representation. I thought of the target audience and saw it best to use a simple and straightforward approach that makes the entire idea easy to understand and relate to.
I first thought of this idea as I was walking through campus a while back. It is true that a majority of students at any university are average at best, only a few of the students are ever actually brilliant and get all the top grades. The video entitled “The End of Average?! Disrupting the green of education.” gives an idea of the skewness of the educational system and why so many students are deemed poor and below average. Everyone is different and each of us has a unique learning style. This implies that the learning process should be personalized to suit individual needs.
Design thinking is the form of design methodology that is centered on finding solutions to everyday problems. It is specifically useful in solutions to complex and undefined problems that may not have an orthodox solution. This method works by incorporating numerous group brainstorming sessions in an all out, hands on approach geared toward prototype perfection. Understanding the core principles of design thinking could help in complex problem solving in a wide variety of problems and issues. In addition, this process is beneficial to all types of learners.
Empathize is the first step and always entails empathizing with the problem at hand in order to gain a better understanding of the problem. This could be through consulting experts, observation, and engagement to gain a feel of intent and motivation.
Define stage involves compiling the data from the previous stage. The observations recorded are used to develop a problem statement that defines the core of the problem.
The brainstorming and ideation stage is vital in the entire process. Here ideas are generated by the collective. At this point, the problem is well defined and the problem statement provides a guideline for idea formulation. These ideas are geared towards solving the problems identified at the earlier stages. This stage is followed by prototyping. Here, inexpensive and scaled down models of solutions may be developed to test the effectiveness of specific modules. This stage aims at finding the best solution to the problem at hand.
The testing phase puts probable solutions in testing and generates working solutions.
I believe that the design thinking process has endless positive gains. It simplifies the learning process making it easier for almost any student to internalize concepts easier and retain them for longer. Instructors using this concept could make their lessons more effective in the long run.
