#UWinDig 2020

Introduction

The collaborator module is a tremendous part of education and is important to evaluate when speaking about Personal Learning Networks. PLN’s are crucial to establishing within the educational system as students can learn from teachers, administrators and peers on a daily basis. The large education system in Ontario uses social interactions to enhance learning environments and create new methods while incorporating technologies such as podcasts and videos as a learning tool. I used Canva to make an infographic to represent the collaborator module and the implications of the PLN’s within the module.

Role of a Personal Learning Network

The cognitive difference between people is important to note, however, by using others as a mediator, the verbal cognitive speaking can be interpreted in different ways. The educational systems had over two million students, thus, this leads me to assume that there are over two million conversations that happen in the school system. Just think about one conversation, how much you can benefit from only one conversation? To think that a regular student has on average 2,900 conversations a year with their teachers alone (Ministry of Education, 2017/18). So much information can be transmitted through verbal conversation, all while improving social-emotional learning and conversation skills which are so crucial in the world today.

Although technology continues to take over, people must be able to speak clearly sand market themselves to clearly communicate with others. This is a skill that many have noticed missing in many young individuals (Campbell, 2016). The collaborator model along with the conversational style of learning initiated by psychological theorist Vygotsky is crucial to the educational system of today (McLeod, 2018). In summary, PLN’s are enhanced by the collaborator model, therefore, students and all people should continue to practice these life long skills.

Objectives of a PLN

1. Assess how your educational approach is currently enhanced by your collaborations.
2. Explore ways to build or augment PLNs.
3. Identify strategies to extend professional connections beyond your institution or peers.
4. Experiment with digital tools that may be used to build PLNs.

The Power of Conversation

Conversations are so important in a society that is dominated by digital technology. The main way people express themselves and leave first impressions on people is by conversation and impressions by appearance. Conversations are crucial when someone presents themselves and how they transmit information to others. Conversations are used throughout the education system and in the workplace, good communication methods are very important and beneficial for learning. This is proven by psychologists and is focused on the development of kids. Speech can be comprehended at a fast pace and have other cues to pick up on certain information. Many say conversation is the most effective way of learning. Conversations are so powerful and so much can be transmitted through every individual conversation. Conversations happen on all cognitive levels and can include a variety of people amongst one conversation. 

Personal Thoughts

As I examine the collaborator module, I find a great deal of my own educational philosophies embedded in the module. I am a strong ambassador that Personal Learning Networks (PLN) are strong communications that can be established by students’ contributions and enhanced through social interactions. 

The social interactions that are established in the collaborator module enhance learning as new ideas can quickly be learned by others and transmitted efficiently through one too many and many to many communication methods. In my opinion, the collaborator module is paramount in the world of education as personal beliefs and information can be provided to students in a variety of ways and discussions in which students can engage and fully submerse themselves in the content. 

As the students can actively participate in social interactions they practice Vygotsky’s methods of learning (McLeod, 2018). Through this psychological lense, the students and teachers clearly communicate and can firmly establish their beliefs. As this approach continues to evolve it creates better communication skills that are useful for all people in life to express and market themselves under various personal circumstances. From a teacher’s point of view, a PLN is beneficial as it can provide a wide range of views and personal biases to enhance education and various views on the subject matter. This approach can also address personal biases and problems which can better the significance of teaching and inclusivity in the classroom. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, I strongly believe that the collaborator module can help in and out of the classroom for a variety of reasons. Not only does it impact the classroom environment, however, everyone involved in the module weather the communicator and or recipient of the information being provided to them. This approach is age-friendly and allows for an informal and formal dialogue to encourage communication between people of all social and cognitive levels. 

Personal Learning Network is forever and very important to the educational systems across the world creating unique opportunities.

For my final artifact, I decided to try my hand at creating an infographic using Canva. This was my first attempt at creating an infographic as well as using Canva to do so and I found the experience relatively painless. The website was easy to maneuver and use and it was set up in a way where you did not have to think much about how to use it and manipulate the images, text or layout. I also found that it gave you a lot of leeway with what you wanted to create. It provided templates that you could use to create your infographic but it also allowed you to create what you wanted from scratch if nothing matched the picture in your head about what you wanted to create. I believe that Canva would be a great educational tool as it is a very flexible and assessable way to get our students to digitally create and display their ideas. I could picture using Canva in a variety of ways whether it’s to enhance student’s presentations or to create an artifact on something we are learning in class. It’s a great tool for students to display what they know in a more creative space.

Additionally, there were a couple things that I noticed about Canva that I did not like. One was the fact that most of the graphics I searched for in the side tool bar cost money to apply. For a free website, paying $1 for a photo or graphic is absurd, although there are ways that you would go around that. For instance, I uploaded my own images to my infographic that I took from the module or from google images. Furthermore, I found that adjusting certain objects and text boxes was difficult at times as it would randomly change the font size of the writing as well as the positioning of certain graphics. I also did not like the fact that you could not capitalize one word in a sentence. It was either capitalize the entire sentence or nothing at all. Thus, in order to add emphasis on one word in a sentence you needed to italicize or underline that word which I found did not do it justice.

On my infographic, Personal Learning Networks 101 I represent the key points made in the collaborative module from the Ontario Extend’s website. Throughout this reflection, I will reflect on why I designed my infographic the way I did and why I believe that it is important to get our students involved in building their own personal learning networks (PLNs).

When reading through the module my mind kept returning to three key points about why building our personal learning networks and collaboration in general is important. Using technology tools to build intentional connections with others, to pose and solve problems collaboratively, and to strengthen independent thought is key to building digital capacity for teaching and learning. Thus, I found it necessary to mention these three points at the beginning of my module to point out the importance of collaboration and building our personal learning networks since it was what stuck with me after reading through the module.

It’s important to approach each lesson with an openness to collaboration and creation. As teachers, we should be focusing on building our students PLNs from a young age. With the increasingly digital world, exposing students to the different platforms and how to cultivate a PLN should be apart of the curriculum. Thus, I found it necessary to mention in my infographic, the ways in which we can cultivate a PLN and why it is important. I found that the diagram taken from Howard Rheingold‘s article successfully and easily mentions the steps and tips to cultivating a PLN.

In my experience, I built my PLN through my classes and clubs at the university, my involvement with soccer and Hospice as well as a variety of social media sites (Facebook, Twitter etc.). I believe that it is important for everyone to have a niche of people who share the same interests as you so that you are able to discuss and express yourself with people who are interested in what you have to say. It provides an opportunity to converge and learn together as well as to share a variety of resources, strategies and tools between one another. Thus, I strongly believe that we should be teaching our students about the importance of collaboration and building up our PLNs in the things that interests them the most. Therefore, when creating my infographic, I decided I wanted to provide information on PLNs: what it is, why collaboration is important, what makes a good collaborative community, how to cultivate a PLN, and what to avoid when creating our PLNs. It’s essentially a quick summary of the key points I found necessary to mention to relay the message around why PLNs and collaboration is important.

Lastly, I am satisfied with how my infographic turned out. I believe that it successfully summarizes the important aspects of the module and I’ve learned a lot about the importance of PLNs and collaboration along the way.I am looking forward to incorporating what I’ve learned from the module into my teaching as well as having my students use Canva to create different things to express their creativity and to show what they know!

Submitted by: Jessica Landgraff (104371589)

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.

I decided to look more in-depth about what the Extend collaborator module had to say. I chose to create an artifact using the key points from the collaborator module because as an educator I believe that collaborating is important to improve your own knowledge and also a way for others to learn from you. I’m not the best when it comes to technology but I decided to challenge myself and share my thoughts through an infographic. 

This module explores 4 sections for online collaborators, it offers ways to explore, engage, extend and empower our personal learning networks through collaborating.

First, we should be exploring what is offered to us. Sharing, connecting and reaching out to as many people as we can, so our ideas can expand. Steven Johnson mentions in his video “ Where Good Ideas Come From” that we seem to disconnect when it comes to collaborating with others; however, the only way for our creative minds to form new ideas is to connect with others and branch off their ideas to create something new. Twitter would be a great app to use in a classroom, it gives your students the ability to connect with others and learn about their views.

Next, it is time to engage, Dr. George Siemens mentions in his video “Overview of connectivism” that “social connection is a process of learning”. This was a key moment that stood out to me because, in my opinion, it sums up what this whole collaborator module is trying to teach us. Connecting and being social with others is a form of learning and gaining new knowledge. I know from experience that when I hear or see someone else’s ideas online or in person, I like to take what they said and form it into my own thoughts so it will keep expanding for future learners. With your PLN’s you have the freedom to share with whoever you feel like and they get to see what you have created yourself.

Next is to extend your knowledge, not only twitter but multiple other digital tools can be used to create and alter our personal learning networks; however, we do not realize what important information is being edited out from our lives. Eli Parser mentions in his Ted Talk “ Beware of Online Filter Bubbles” that filter bubbles are affecting how we view the world. We have to extend our knowledge before we form a final opinion.

Finally, it is time to empower, we are constantly growing and building our personal learning networks, from everything we search on the web, to other people that we choose to learn about. It’s time to focus on your own PLN’s, making it stronger and personalize it any way you want. There are many ways to show your PLN through the use of Twitter, Google drawing, YouTube etc. Share and map out your ideas for others to see and make your personal learning network anything you desire. 

Thanks for reading, 

Elysse

Teachers have strived for years to create a sense of meaningful tech integration within the classroom. The struggle, however, is to make the tech more than just a prop but to transform it into a piece of learning inside of the larger lesson. The problem is how to achieve this feat? Everyone knows brief google jujitsu and you can find a visual plethora of open source tools made for classrooms, but how do you pick the right one? and how do you even begin to implement it properly?

This is where our Technologist module shines. The goal of this module is to provide educators with a strategy, or framework of steps to guide your decision making in tech integration. This module hosted by Ontario Extend allows the teacher the ability to work past the marketing hype and the facade put on by businessmen who haven’t seen a class since they graduated, and use their own interactions and ideas to integrate tech.

The module encompasses 8 key areas of focus or “sections” some of these stages compliment and works with one another others are separate but connected. For reference, I have created an infographic displaying the sections and their key concepts.

The model encompasses 8 sections, however, I found that several were so closely connected they often could be done at the same time. For example one cannot work on teaching digital literacies without encompassing some elements of design thinking, or else you wouldn’t know which specific elements to focus on.

The module follows a sense of flow going from one area to the other in succession and as you reach each new section a more in-depth view is given however the focus is heavily upon identifying specific digital literacies to target for learning instead of just a generic “digital literacies learning”. Educators can use the module to not paint broadly but to hone in on where the student needs improvement most. This pairs well with the idea of the frequently creating outlines, charts, mind maps, or other physical reflections of what you’re attempting to do, whether it’s through empathizing with empathy graphics to highlight students specific learning goals, or fleshing out a prototype with a mind map to show your goals, This module focuses heavily on creating visual reflection of progress to show what you have created.

As a history teacher, I find that many of this section is already used, just often not for tech integration but for general lesson planning. In order to present this material, I find I must frequently target a specific area and reflect heavily on how I plan to get there. I find that the steps of this module would have been helpful for my lessons that required student interaction with tech and the content, as while I was successful in implementing lessons, I often forgoed tech simply because I was unsure which would be most appropriate or useful. I found that the Sections framework was especially helpful as it has given me the tools to narrow down which tools to integrate. Hopefully with this new armament of knowledge future lessons will flourish and become more successful.

I read the article “Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom “, by Ashley Hinck. I chose to create an infographic using the website Canva which directly goes against the articles main ideas about the “drag and drop method”. Websites like Canva allow students, like me, to insert their ideas or opinions without the creativity behind making the technical decisions of the platform. For example, in the case of my assignment I was able to choose a template and just insert the main ideas of the article. 

In today’s education system, I would agree with Skallerup Bessette that the new worksheet may be the short cut/template method. These websites allow for a lack of technical knowledge. While technology is on the rise and fields such as robotics continue to expand students are still not taught programming. As educators, we are preparing students for the unknown, the future can only get more technical and complex, students should be prepared for that reality.

In the way that desks influence classrooms I feel that templates do the same. If a classroom has desks row by row its stunts discussion and thought-provoking conversations. In the same way templates stunt creativity. Hinck describes the drag and drop, students are used to the idea of just inserting their content in the place of some pre-finished work. In some ways, the templates allow for better writing, if a resume template allows for a student to obtain a time job, that should be a good thing. But when it comes to creation, this is where the benefits lower. Students aren’t learning how to invent or create.

The unfortunate reality is the switch to more intense, creative, technical platforms is difficult. Students have become accustomed to the method of drag and drop templates. The other websites listed in the article allow for more freedom and creativity but it seems extremely complex. Students are disappointed and confused when shown how to really create these platforms, unaware of how much work truly goes into creating platforms.

In reality, I hope to teach students to be creative and use technology as an asset. Although the rate of success for using alternative ways of creating these projects is slim I believe the path to creating something from scratch is a valuable lesson. To attempt to move away from the traditional template and towards an unknown future.