Month: June 2021

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Assignment 4 – Mental Wellness

Welcome to our Learning Object!

This learning object is meant to be accessed freely by learners or with the help of a facilitator. You will find all our original content within our Wellness Website which includes; 

  • Infographics x 2
  • Prezi
  • Powerpoint (Learning Objectives)
  • Canva Tutorial
  • Polleverywhere Tutorial
  • PollEverywhere Poll
  • Screencastify Facilitator Guide
  • Padlet Experience
  • Interactive Google Doc
  • H5P Assessment
  • Canva Self-Assessment  

Discussion

In the making of our Wellness website, we have implemented many learning theories and multimedia learning principles in order to effectively reach our learners, move the intended information to their long term memory storage and guide them to meet the intended learning outcomes. Below, we will discuss the many theories and principles we used, as well and how and why we implemented them. 

We have designed and structured this website wearing the lens’ of Cognitive and Constructivist theorists. We have done this by taking a learner-centred approach, which encourages learners to build their own, contextualized understandings of the material. We encourage discovery through self-reflective, collaborative activities such as our Padlet. We provide a variety of available resources, so that learners can interpret the information that works best for their own context, and scaffold new understanding that is meaningful for them. We have presented an integrated set of material designed to encompass one usable body of knowledge and have sourced data- and science-driven materials as researched by experts in their fields. Finally, we acknowledge that learner success depends on learners’ capacity, motivation, beliefs, and effort. Therefore, we included self-reflection activities after our learning resources in hopes that our learners will make a connection with the context and have them potentially alter their beliefs, spur motivation and effort; thereby expanding their capacity.We hope that through the above, we will change learners’ metal models of what mental wellness means to them.

We first considered the Dual Coding and Cognitive Load Theories. A learner’s short term memory is limited and can be overloaded, causing information to be forgotten (Bates, 2019). Therefore, we chose to design our learning experience in a fashion that reduces load on working memory. Therefore, we chunked our website into sections and steps. We offer a variety of channels to obtain and retain information and we have ensured that learners have the time to explore the website and tinker with the information as they feel fit. This way, learners can assimilate that information at their own pace. We combined visual and verbal channels to allow our learners to better process more information.

Image 1. Video on the website that includes visual and verbal information which illustrates Dual-coding theory. 

Next, we considered the Prior knowledge principle and the Pre-Training principle. “People learn better from a multimedia message when they know the names and characteristics of the main concepts” (Bates, 2019). Therefore, we chose to create an interactive padlet, which  allows us to draw on learners’ prior knowledge so that they can connect their experience to our presentation, give hints into what we will be diving into and provide a space where they can add information which they have learned from the website so that they, we, and  others can refer back to it.

Image 2. Padlet home screen which draws on prior knowledge and acts as a reference to learning.

We added several videos which explain Mental Wellness which will help learners connect to this subject matter. We created learning objectives that will give learners a purposeful ‘hook’ into the material. Finally, we included a screencastify tutorial video, a canva tutorial and a section where the instructor walks the learner how to engage with the website, so that the learner can see what is expected of them and be given a sense of how to use the intended materials BEFORE the learning takes place.

Image 3. Recorded video showing instructors how to navigate and engage with the website.

Not only did the aforementioned screencastify aid in pretraining and prior knowledge, but it adhered to the Multimedia & Modality Principles which can help our learners learn better since there are spoken words and imagery rather than words alone (Bates, 2019). We adhere to these principles by providing a written lesson plan and a screencast of how the lesson can be taught. This allows the learner, or potential facilitator, to better see/understand what is expected of them due to several visual, audio and video representations. 

All of the learning on the website is presented in multiple modes. We have both an infographic which explains how an active lifestyle can help mental wellness and a video. 

Image 4. Partial Infographic
Image 5. Video as another representation of how exercise benefits mental wellness. 

Multiple modes expose learners to the intended information in several ways so that, through repetition and re-representation, they take that learning into their long term memory storage. Within all of the videos and screencastify videos, we ensured to follow the Redundancy Principle. Since, learners learn better when there is only animation and narration (Bates, 2019), we chose to ensure that there were limited written words where we would be speaking. Therefore, in the screencasts, we did as much as we could to limit the amount of written text which came along with oral explanation. That being said, we allowed for transcription for those who are hearing-impaired. 

We moved from the  redundancy principle into The Signaling (or Cueing) Principle. “People learn better when cues are added that highlight the key information and its organization” (Bates, 2019). Therefore, we used a fade function in both our Prezi and PowerPoint which allowed for information to enter the screen when we spoke to it and ensured that only one piece of information was given at one time.

Image 5. Screen before fade in.


Image 6: Screen after fade in.

We demonstrate signaling again in our blogging. We highlighted the important information within the blog so that learners could easily pick out the important information. For example, blue text highlighted the links within the website and CAPITALIZED or bolded gave awareness to other important information.

Image 7. Important information is bolded.

We then came to the Spatial Contiguity Principle. Throughout all of our infographics, presentations and website we aimed to keep photos/images within close proximity to the text which relates to it. This way, the learners can make sense of the text by seeing the video/ images that relate to it in real time. 

Image 8. Photo matches the descriptor of the website blog.

We then moved to the Segmenting Principle, which specifies that learners should be empowered to view content at their own pace (Bates, 2019).For instance, the Prezi can be viewed in sequence, but the movement through the different phases is user-controlled. The videos presented in the Prezi are from YouTube and have the expected functions enabling repetition, skipping backward and forward, and presentation speed. Further, the Prezi’s individual elements can be freely navigated at the end. The website itself is also presented right-to-left, top-to-bottom, and is intended to be worked through in sequence. However, we have created it as separate pages in order to delineate the sections of the lesson for the learner, and to allow easy reference to any individual part of the site. The pages are self-contained and have their own value. We hope that learners see this and feel it useful to be able to easily navigate to any one of them when it suits them.

Image 9. Ordered blog posts presented on the wellness website.

Moving forward, we followed some of the characteristics of Instructional Design Models, created by Branch and Merrill, which are described as follows. Our website and lessons are learner-centred. We draw upon learners’ prior knowledge and experience by asking them to continually self-reflect as they work through the material and connect it to their own context. We make the learning outcomes, as well as the mental wellness goals, explicit in a powerpoint presentation, so that learners can engage constructively with the goal-oriented process. We provide tutorials to empower learners to enhance understanding of the intended outcomes and have them reflect their new understandings back in creative tools, thus encouraging real-world performance. We provide a rubric to help guide them to success. Our outcomes are actionable and measurable since each has a unique, discrete product. The learning resources were all vetted for being science-based and empirical. We chose informational videos only when they were data-driven. Finally, we worked together as a team to build our resources. Therefore, learners will benefit simply because of the different knowledge, understanding, and perspectives that each of our members brought to the table. 

Finally we took Flow Theory into consideration. “Flow’ is created when a learner engages their skills with a task they are invested in. Csikszentmihalyi suggests that the best way to do this is to find something that a learner enjoys doing and connect it to learning outcomes (Richards, 2021). We aimed to create flow through the use of informational presentations and material, and through self-reflection activities, to connect their context to the learning, we then present options for selecting a program of physical activity in as open-ended a way as possible. 

Image 10. Providing incentives, excitement, purpose and potential “Flow” through choice, puropseful activities and experience. 

We make suggestions but also give guidelines for independently finding a program. We encourage thinking about whether the learner would like to do the program individually or as part of a partnership. We hope that, with purpose gained from reliable data and self-reflection, the learner will engage with their chosen exercise program with reduced need for determination and resilience, thus potentially achieving ‘flow’ and joy in the journey.

Citation:

Bates, T. (2019). Teaching in a Digital Age – Models for media selection. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/chapter/9-1-models-for-media-selection/

Bates, T. (2020). Choosing Media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W79hGvukTs

Kampen, M. (2020). Everything You Need to Know about Scaffolding in Education. https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/scaffolding-in-education/

Mizrahi, J. (n.d.). Cengage. The Importance of Self-Reflection in Learning. https://todayslearner.cengage.com/the-importance-of-self-reflection-in-learning/

Paradigms of Education (2019). Paradigms – Cognitive constructivism. https://www.paradigmsofeducation.com/cognitive-constructivism/

Richards, Luke. “Multimedia Design for Learning.” EDCI 337: Interactive and Multimedia Learning, June 2021, edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2021/05/29/topic-4-multimedia-design-for-learning/.

Richards, Luke. “How We Learn, Key Learning Theories” EDCI 337: Interactive and Multimedia Learning, June 2021 https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2021/05/15/2-topic-how-we-learn-key-learning-theories/.

Kurt, S. “Instructional Design Models and Theories,” in Educational Technology, December 9, 2015. Retrieved from https://educationaltechnology.net/instructional-design-models-and-theories/ Dr. Serhat Kurt, Instructional Design Models and Theories. February 17, 2021.

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Comment #6

Blog #6 – Different Types of Assessment for Learners

Omar, great post. I love how you also played this game and learned from it. You mention, “While playing the game, once I received a badge, I took a moment to read the description of each one and understand how it works in mainstream media.” This is exactly the point of this game. The game was teaching you something throughout and it made that badge a learning opportunity and incentive to learn more. When I played, that was the first time I noticed that I was being TAUGHT something. This is where adding these tools to education can lead to a huge boost in motivation and investment from learners. I am glad you enjoyed the game and your comments truly make me want to create these types of activities for my own learners. It has been wonderful working with you and learning from your insight.

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Comment #5

Blog #6 – Different Types of Assessment for Learners

Hi Omar,

Thank you for yet another well written and insightful post.

You wrote, “I often found classes that relied heavily on summative assessment to be quite difficult. I feel that as students our knowledge of the material shouldn’t all count towards one examination. By breaking up the learning into manageable blocks and taking a formative approach for assessment, I believe this is a much more efficient way in students retaining information.”

This is incredible insight. I also believe this is so important. It should not be about one exam, but the journey to get there and the knowledge gained throughout. When we formatively assess, we can see the learners where they are at and help them get to where they need to be. Because all learners are different and are at different stages in their learning, “conferences” and “check ins” allow instructors to guide individuals in their unique needs to their unique destinations.

I do still believe in a summative assessment in areas. However, that assessment can be engaging and exciting to the learners if it is created together and will inspire them to produce something meaningful. Therefore, I always try to make a final assessment a multimedia museum of learning. By that I mean, learners can demonstrate their learning in a way that best suits them and their needs, in a museum night where others can come to learn from them as experts. It is much like what we are doing for this course. We have learned the basics of the programs and tools, and now we can display our learning by creating something that is meaningful to us in hopes to educate others.

Thanks again for your thinking. I love reading your weekly posts and always gain something from them.

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Comment #4

Blog #5 – The Effects of Poorly Made Videos on Learners

Hi Omar,

Yet another well laid out and thoughtful post on your part. I too have been a victim of long winded videos that have bored me beyond belief, thus impeding my ability to retain and engage in any learning.

You mention how, “if longer videos were cut into segments, this would be much more favourable for learners to take information in chunks and retain the needed information, then move on to the next.” I completely agree. Isn’t it great that video editing now allows us as educators, or potential educators (as we are all sharers of information), to chunk out the important information and make an already made video better? I know I have some resources that I have created that I will return to, chunk out and improve and I could not be more excited about it. Video editing has come a long way and I am sure has a long way to go. Therefore, we need to stay up to date with what exists so that we can continue creating, chunking, theming and amplifying what we produce.

Thank you again for all your insight.

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Comment #3

https://sarahyvetteblogedci337.opened.ca/

Sarah,
Thank you again for an insightful post regarding storytelling in education. I forgot about the microphones being a tech aid within the classroom as they are now simply part of my teaching world and daily use. That being said, you are so right in the fact that this tool fosters learning as it exemplifies the words I speak. Not only does it help the learners who may be hard of hearing, but it may help other learners at certain times too. I know from experience that my littles often remind me to turn on the mic!

You say, “children are able to comprehend the information better through digital storytelling, [and] it also creates a sense of meaningful and active listening. ” I absolutely agree with this. They are able to better comprehend the information given to them in a storytelling way because it is more meaningful and allows them to make connections to the intended learning. I also think that storytelling helps learners get interested, engaged, involved and inspired. I think it was Lynch that said, “when research has a story, it has impact.” (Lynch, 2017). Therefore, storytelling has more impact because it evokes those emotions and engagement.

Finally, I love how you speak to using storytelling as assessment. I love doing this with my learners. Using programs such as screencast, or creating digital storytelling lessons such as these in this link: https://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/lessons/digital-storytelling, helps our learners share their understanding in a way that is authentic and engaging to them, as well as in a way that they are able. For example, they can use images when they do not have words, they can use thought bubbles and limited text when their vocabulary has not yet expanded. Another great storytelling app is ComicLife3. I use this with my learners as a way for them to show me all about them, or their DNA (Dreams, Needs and Abilities). SD62 offers this program free.

Thank you so much for your post. I am looking forward to reading your next.

Lynch, M. (2017, November 7). How Digital Storytelling Can Amplify Your Students’ Voices. Retrieved November 14, 2017.

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Comment #2

Blog #2 – Creating Multimedia

Sarah,

Thank you for your post regarding multimedia and its effectiveness and ineffectiveness in the classroom. You mention, how “nowadays Smartboards are a basic, and there are enough Chromebooks for a minimum of a third of the school. Kids are taught coding starting in kindergarten. When I was an education assistant it was eye opening to see how technology has been interpreted into schools.” I agree how there is more technology entering into the school system and that schools and teachers are absolutely placing more value on tech. Tech, media and online learning is a part of our world and what our learners will be entering into in a few years. Therefore, it is imperative to include these learning systems in the classroom. Not only to prepare them for their futures, but to engage them.

However, that being said, not all schools look like this. In the school I teach at, we are struggling to receive a Smartboard and chrome books are just beginning to show their faces. Budget cuts and the accessibility to internet has us lagging in the realm of technology. It makes me wonder if our learners are losing our because they don’t have the same access to these tools as others.

You speak to this when you mention how, AR “allows students to access the material anywhere with a stable internet connection.” This unfortunately demonstrates how many people are not getting access to these practices and reminds me of my teaching in Africa. When I taught there, there was no internet or technology for that matter in the classrooms. No access to a computer and still only the use of flip phones. Again, the costs and limited resources are inaccessible to certain areas and demographics. These lack of resources are not setting the people who live and learn there up for their futures as well as more accessible places are.

I have never actually used goggles and been in an augmented reality before and I would love the opportunity. I am sure I would also feel sick, but perhaps with time we would adjust like anything?
Finally, I LOVE your idea when you say, “in an AR setting they can almost create a real-life Magic School Bus scenario. The students can be walking with the dinosaurs, or travel to other planets. In a sense this is more hands on than looking at a slide or a black and white photocopied picture on a paper.” This is the point of AR. It lets us connect with our learning and feel part of it. It brings us into our learning through experiencing it in a way we may not have been able to. Imagine that! I would love the chance to wander through space if I had the chance. That is not to say that I would one day want to actually explore space. But until that time, I think AR would satisfy some of my curiosity and spark so much more wonder and joy!

Thanks again for your post Sarah.

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Comment #1

Blog #1 – Multimedia Learning

Omar,

Thank you for such a thoughtful post. I appreciate how you laid out your experiences and then spoke to how Dual Coding Theory could have helped thereafter. You mention, “there’s no need for additional explanation, proofs, weird symbols, colours/symbols that do not match. This will only serve to distract the learner at retaining the most important points.” I absolutely could not agree more. I teach Kindergarten and the more things I place on the screen, the less the learners retain since their attention is then everywhere, rather than where it ought to be. After analyzing your powerpoint, I wonder if I have placed too many videos in my powerpoint thus “muddying” the actual concepts which I hope to get across. That being said, although it could be an overload, it is also the modality principal of how people learn better from oral and image rather than text and image. It is difficult as I have non-readers and everything must be orally explained and visually demonstrated. What do you think about this? I would love your feedback on my Prezi and regarding this question. Thank you again for such an insightful post. It definitely sparked more wonder and curiosity in me.

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The Great Debate of Tech in Education

I wanted to frame this final blog post as a reflection on my participation in the game “Badnews” and how I believe it was an exemplar of how information can be learned through a multimodal and joyful experience.

“Badnews” asks the user to make choices on what fake news to create, as well as to gain as many followers and merit as possible. While reflecting on the game, I realized that creating fake news gave me a purpose for the activity. I noticed that being able to make choices in what news I wanted to share or how I wanted to share it gave me autonomy and choice and that the goal of gaining followers and merit gave me incentive. You bet your bottom I was going to make the best fake news out there because stakes were low if I “failed” and because I was fully engaged and in a a learning experience that I was excited about. I realized quickly that, this is what learning ought to look and feel like.

Now, as you can see above, I don’t think I got the best score possible. However, I do know I retained the intended information. “Badnews” demonstrates how learning can be fun and can be set up in a way that we do not even know we are learning. It is a true example of how learning can be experienced in a play based way and still get the intended information through, perhaps, even better than other ways.

While playing the game, part of me did want someone to read me the writing or interact with me, rather than me having to read it all. I also noticed it was mostly all text and it would be difficult for readers who are not quite at that level.

That being said, if it were done in partners, one person could have read aloud to inform the rest. I also thought about sketchnoting after this week’s learning. I could not help but think about how more effective my learning would have been from Badnews if I had done a sketchnote about “How to make the Best Fake news” alongside the game. To be able to classify and define the six aspects of fake news; Impersonation, Emotion, Polarization, Conspiracy, Discredit, and Trolling through imagery and text in a way that suited me would have enhanced my understanding. Much like I have done in the sketchnote below.

After experiencing this game and participating in all the hands on activities we were given in this course, as well as reflecting on my own practice, I am beginning to see what I can do to give my learners learners the best chance possible to retain and understand the intended information. If I provide a fun, purposeful, multimodal and interactive way for learners to interact with and create with , they will engage in a sort of flow with learning and sit in a place where they don’t even realize what is happening. This is what I want for all learners.

Citation


Won, Jayne. Made from Imgflip Meme Generator. https://imgflip.com/i/5e70f7

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Differentiated Assessment FOR Learners & Learning

” Somewhere down the line, learning became not fun.”

Game Based Learning

When I heard this quote in the “Game Based Learning” video I sunk deep into my chair. Do learners entering my room feel this way about learning? This made me reflect on what I do for learning and how I make it engaging and effective.

In our space, I have created “Exploration Bins” where we explore numbers and letters in a game-like or play fashion.

These bins are very low stakes and they can be differentiated as the learners need. They also allow me to move around the classroom and monitor learning and offer guidance if needed. They also allow me to have an interpretive role where I can ask , “what can I learn about the student’s thinking by attending carefully to what she just said?” (Black & Wiliam, 2014) This way I am formatively assessing where my learners are at so that I can build more learning resources to guide them to where they need to go.

In this bin, each learner will pick a colour and a partner and choose one sheet. Their job is to roll the die, build that amount of blocks and place it on the corresponding digit. Once a player places their blocks on the digit no one else can go there. The goal of the game is to have the most amount of spots filled on the sheet once you no longer have any cubes.

Here, learners who are just beginning to recognize digits will be happy with this. But as an extension to those who are further along in their number sense, they can grab two dice and add them together to find where to put their blocks. I realized, that I do gamify in my classroom and that these bins truly keep them engaged and entertained.

That being said, I learned from this weeks learning materials that I have NOT flipped my classroom, but I now have ideas how I will. I love the idea of sending home the learning resources through videos, readings or tasks to respond to via something like Padlet or Polleverywhere. This way, I can have my learners prepped about what is happening in the class and have exciting and interactive tasks for them to DO in class. Not only that, but I can have a basic understanding of what they know coming into a lesson. If I know what they know or do not know, I can start there and move forward. Rather than potentially reteaching something they know and boring them to tears.

I have been following a teacher on Instagram called Trevor Mackenzie, aka @tntmackenzie, and he has just written a book on Student ownership of Assessment. If you have a chance to check him out, he is a great resource, and so are his books. Below is a sketchnote that I use as a reminder for myself.

Citation

Game Based Learning. (2021, May) University of Toronto. https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/c.php?g=448614&p=3507705

Black, P., & Wiliam , D. (2014). Assessment and the Design of Educational Materials. https://www.educationaldesigner.org/ed/volume2/issue7/article23/.

Mackenzie, Trevor. (2021). Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/tntmackenzie/?hl=en

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Video Editing using SAMR & SECTIONS

This weeks topic really struck home with my teaching pedagogy and they way I organize lessons and assessments for my learners. Not only I have always believed that it is imperative that our learners use technology and media as a way to learn new tech and to absorb information, but I have always believed that it is just as, if not more, important to use them as a way to collaborate with and inform others, as well as to create in a way that is authentic to them.

The SAMR and SECTIONS models enhance my pedagogy by giving me

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-1024x846.png

a quick acronym to abide by so that I can ensure my learners are engaged, enthusiastic and able to transform their learning into new meaningful creations that have the potential to help and inform others. As Dr. Ruben Puentedura puts it, by abiding by the “modification” and the “redefining” sections of the SAMR model, learners are “taking ownership of their education, building excitement and ownership around it and finding joy in it” (Puentedura, 2021). Not only are learners able to find joy and excitement, but so are teachers. I know that the more I work with a certain tech or media and become a “master” of it, the more I want to use it in my lessons or to teach others how to use it for their own purposes. Becomig saavy with it also shows me how I could possibly use it in multiple instances. Puentedura mentions how it is vital for every educator to “continual[ly] reexamine [thier] practice to make the best possible use of technology” (Puentedura, 2021) and I think that using the SAMR model helps us do just that.

This brings me to the SECTIONS model. SECTIONS addresses the “real life” make up of potential learners, teaching spaces and accessibility to wifi/ tools, which can be daunting. If a teacher has difficulty getting their hands on a tool, wifi or support to help them learn about that tool, they will likely give up out of frustration and not implement it. The same goes for the learner who is being asked to use the same tool. Therefore, educators need to pick a tool which is accessible to them and to their learners. They need to lay out thoughtful objectives and steps to get themselves and their learners to the expected destination. As Bates mentions, educators must be, “clear about desired learning outcomes and what kind of skill [they] are going to develop and how can the technology can support the development of those skills” (Bates, 2021). If not, educators and learners will be left using tech and tools as substitution with no greater purpose intended, rather than as a way to redefine and represent understanding in a meaningful and deliberate way. We want out learners to get something out of their use of technology and media rather than have them leaving our lessons like the man in the giphy below. 

https://giphy.com/clips/parksandrec-parks-and-recreation-rec-peacock-tv-LVebActgtZQwHYYtqf

Finally, I want to address media and editing, as well as SAMR and SECTIONS in assessment. I believe that the more tools a learner has to demonstrate their understanding or knowledge, the better off they are. More tools allow a learner to present information in a way that best suits their abilities and in a way that is motivating because it targets their interests. Assessment then does not feel like work. This course is an example of this in reverse. EDCI 337 is meant to teach us about technologies and tools that we can, and will, use in our future. We need to learn the tools, but we are allowed to create whatever we want using the provided tool. This allowance, gives me the opportunity to create for me and drives my want to create, thus my will to learn. Imagine what learners could create if they had the tools to create in multiple languages so that they could show their learning in a way that is truly authentic, interesting, meaningful and joyful to them.

My attempts at editing.

Citation

Parks and Recreation. “I got nothing out of that experience at all.” Giphy. https://giphy.com/explore/useless

What is the Purpose of School? (2020) Demystifying SAMR with Dr. Ruben Puentedura. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9h9ePoXqS8

Duckworth, Sylvia. (2015, April 2). New #sketchnote The SAMR Model @karlyb @ICTEvangelist @ShakeUpLearning #elemchat @TheTechRabbi #ipaded #ipadedchat http://t.co/1lJAqEE6my [Tweet]. @sylviaduckworth. https://twitter.com/sylviaduckworth/status/583778319235031041

Sarah. (2015, October 4). The SECTIONS Model. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwmo2NLBbkU&t=62s

Bates, T. (2020). Choosing Media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W79hGvukTs