Category: Weekly Blog Posts

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

Posted on

Re-working an Original – Assignment #3

In this post, I will discuss how I returned to a Prezi that I had made about bears and how I implemented changes by taking the multimedia learning principles and learning theories into consideration. I will explain how the updates which I made have increased the effectiveness of knowledge transfer to my potential learners. I have written this blog, as well as have added an explanation within the presentation of how I have improved upon my original. 

I first began by addressing the Cognitive Load Theory and the Signalling Principal. Cognitive Load Theory discusses how, “if you overload working memory before there is time for encoding and long term storage in mental models, things will be forgotten” (Meyer, 2020) and the Signalling Principle discusses how, “people learn better when cues are added that highlight the key information and its organization” (Meyer, 2020). Therefore, when analyzing my original presentation, I noticed that I had potentially overwhelmed my learners by adding all the themes on the screen at once.

Bears with all themes present creating possible cognitive overload.

In hopes to minimize cognitive overload, I decided that I would signal attention to each theme one at a time through the use of a “fading” function within the platform. There would then be only one “theme,” (or white highlighting dot) on the screen at a time, thus lessening the cognitive load and guiding the learners eyes to exactly what I am speaking to. 

Next, I chose to address the Redundancy Principle which states that, “people learn better when information is presented in more than one format” (Meyer, 2020) and the Modality Principle which explains that, “people learn better from graphics and narration than from graphics and printed text” (Meyer, 2020). I had originally written text in each of the white theme bubbles.

Bears with words and oral description. This would spit attention and potentially over-load learners’ “cognitive cup.”

However, after my analysis and application of the modality principle, I realized that, since I would be speaking to my learners and saying the themes aloud, having the written words would be redundant. Therefore, it would be more effective to their learning if I had only an image on the theme to amplify the words I spoke. I also took into consideration the Split-Attention Principle and wanted to ensure my learners did not have to split their attention between the writing and the words.

Images rather than words so that learners do not have to split their attention by reading at the same times as listening.

Finally, I chose to address the Self-explanation Principle which explains how,  “people learn better when they are encouraged to generate self-explanations during learning” (Meyer, 2020). After my analysis, I noticed that I never set up a place for a discussion or a chance for parter talk. I decided that after we watch the video regarding bear facts, I would ask the learners to turn to a partner and discuss one thing they learned. I will also stop and give an opportunity after the types of bears. Perhaps the learners can discuss a type of bear that stood out to them and then question which bears they think would reside in Canada and why. This will help them generate self-explanations and potentially help take the learning into their long term memory to be retained. 

Overall, I believe the changes based on principles and theories have enhanced my Prezi immensely. I believe I have cut out extraneous information, used dual-channels, ensured that split- attention is less likely to occur and I have given space for the learners to engage with and discuss the information as much as possible in hopes to bind it to their long term memory storage. I believe I have managed the intrinsic load by using the segmenting principle, I have optimized the germane load by taking the image, voice, personalization and multimedia principles into consideration and that I have minimized the extraneous load by considering the coherence, signalling, redundancy and spatial contiguity principles were taken into consideration.

Below is a video demonstrating the changes which I made to this Prezi while taking the Multimedia Principles and Learning Theories into consideration.

https://prezi.com/v/qpjptb5by7gy/

Citation:

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

McGraw Hill PreK-12. (2019, January 19). Learning Science 101: Cognitive Load Theory[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpA6RdE0aYo

Wisc-Online. (2017, October 13). The Signaling Principle. [Video]. Youtube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENGjwO-kKpc

IITBombay. (2019, August 19). LeD 4.3B: Modality Principle and Redundancy Principle. [Video]. Youtube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNK21Li1b2Q

Posted on

Multimedia Design For Learning

There is no better feeling than “getting lost” in something you deeply care about. Whether it be a running race you are competing in, an art project you have been working on for months, a Mother’s day gift you excitedly finish for your mom, or a loose part creation you are making to demonstrate your understanding, you can “become lost” in something that you deeply care about and are intrinsically motivated to finish. This is “flow,” and is ultimately what every teacher wants their learners to experience in their learning. 

I have been lucky enough to witness “flow” in my classroom. It is a magical experience. The room hums with creativity and engagement and everyone is focussed on their desired task because they want to be doing it. Flow was extremely present in a magic/mythical inquiry which we dove into in our Kindergarten/Grade One space. Learners chose what they were interested in: Fairies, Knights, Princesses, Unicorns and Dragons and were grouped accordingly. They then set off to learn everything they could about their choice using books, asking experts and consulting media such as youtube. Once they investigated, we began designing and planning to create a museum where we could share our learning and teach about these magnificent things. We used Instagram and Pinterest to generate ideas for artifacts that we could make for each group for our museum night where our “grown ups” would be present. 

The fairies chose to make fairy houses and fairy dust.  

The dragons made dragon eyes, paper chain dragons and a collaborative dragon den.  

The Princesses made crowns, necklaces, wands and painted a huge paper castle which a friend brought in.  

The knights made shields, catapults and swords.  

Finally the unicorns made toilet paper unicorns, puppet unicorns, wove yarn on a unicorn horn and made a collaborative backdrop that we could hang their paper roll unicorns from.  

Below is a youtube link to our museum night presentation. I have never seen learners so proud, engaged and excited to share their learning as I did in this inquiry. You will see and hear this at the end of the video.

Note: Somehow my camera went into slow motion so feel free to move the bar ahead where it is slow.

As Flow Theory suggests, in order to create flow, a teacher must ensure that,  “a task is intrinsically motivating, that they have set clear goals and a sense of progress with their learners, provided clear and immediate feedback, have the challenge match perceived skills, allow for agency or control over task, as well as instigate an intense focus on the present moment” (Henshone, 2019). I feel as though I had implemented all the principles of flow theory into my teachings here in hopes to motivate and engage my learners. Not only did I use Flow Theory, but I unknowingly used the modality principle to enhance learning as well. I used images to guide my oral teaching and videos to offer connections to the words I spoke. We read stories which aided the learners to retain the information by making connections and by inspiring them to get involved and to create. 

Meyer mentions how, “if you add graphics you can greatly improve peoples performance on problem solving transfer tests” (Meyer, 2020). When reflecting on this inquiry, I now believe that, by adding the visuals that I did to this learning, my learners were able to store the intended information deep in their memories. I know this because when it was time to share their knowledge with their “grown ups” on our museum night, they recalled and shared the information almost effortlessly. Knowing and better understanding the multimedia principles, dual Coding and flow theory, as well as experiencing these in my field of work, will better allow me to design my teachings so that concepts can be better received for my learners. The intent is to create flow and ease of storage of information for our leaners. Therefore, I intend to do this in the future using the understanding I now have of multimedia design for learning. 

First attempt on Screencasting:

Here is my second go! I moved my picture, I closed the tool box, and changed my wording. I noticed I said, “parent” and I prefer saying, “grown-up” as some children are looked after by their grandparents, aunts, foster parents, etc…

Citation:

Henshon S.E. (2019) Reflections on the Flow of Life: An Interview With Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Roeper Review, 41:3, 153-155, DOI: 10.1080/02783193.2019.1622487

Mayer, R., & Fiorella, L. (2014). Principles for Reducing Extraneous Processing in Multimedia Learning: Coherence, Signaling, Redundancy, Spatial Contiguity, and Temporal Contiguity Principles. In R. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 279-315). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139547369.015

Posted on

Creating Multimedia

Here are two designs I have made for my classroom. The first will be a poster I place on our front entrance, as well as on my professional website, as a reminder. The second will be the brochure I send home with my learners on the first day of school or hopefully in their “Welcome to Kindergarten” Kits.

Meet the Teacher Poster
Welcome to kindergarten

As a Kindergarten teacher, it is vital to show the intended learning in multiple ways. From my experience, most young learners cannot read written text and have both limited attention spans and long term memory. They are incredibly hands on and must be moving at most times. Therefore, images, video, interactions, play, tactile applications and oral storytelling is key to their engagement with, retention of and readiness for learning.

This is where the multimedia, signalling, spacial and temporal contiguity , coherence and self-explanation principles truly strengthen the learners understanding. When we add images to words, when we add cues to highlight important information, when we present words and pictures close together in time and space, when we exclude extraneous material, and when we encourage learners to create and generate self explanations, we provide our diverse learners access to a multitude of modes in which they can process and generate the intended information (McCue, 2021). Thus, the learner can digest, manipulate and recreate the information in a way that best suits them. An example of this would be to use Canva posters to connect to the Kindergarten curriculum. One of the curricular competencies speaks to knowing who you are and where you come from. To telling your own stories of your family and life. Therefore, learners could create an “About Me” poster which can express who they are through images and text, much as Omar did in his Blog. This would deepen the connection to to the creator’s self as well as gives others the chance to learn about them from their poster.

Not only are posters and brochures an effective way to provide information for learners and to have them connect to and demonstrate their understanding, so is the use of AR (augmented reality). Imagine how wonder and curiosity would be ignited if you got to hold the sun in the palm of your hands. If you got to look at it from all angles and truly feel as if it were right there. How engaged would you be if you knew you could experience something you may never have been able to do without AR? Imagine the excitement and readiness to learn you would have if you knew you would be surrounded by the gorillas you were learning about? AR in classrooms offers experiences that learners may never be able to encounter in their “real lives” and it provides tangible experience and connection to what they are learning. When added to the pre-existing styles of learning, it would only serve to enhance the motivation, retention and understanding of concepts. It would facilitate learners being at the centre of their learning and promote a larger sense of wonder.

All that said, I can recognize the budget and accessibility truths of the school system, as well as the importance to remain connected to our true realities. AR is expensive, will need certain maintenance and is continually changing. Therefore, when taking AR into considerations in elementary schools, it becomes difficult to weigh AR against a music curriculum. (The below article speaks to how the budget is needing to shift and they may have to remove the music curriculum to account for Indigenous Education. There are always very difficult decisions being made on where the budget is best allocated).

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/victoria-school-district-budget-proposal-1.6032086

Budget aside, accessibility also poses a problem. I currently work at a rural school with limited access to internet. Therefore, running these programs is not always possible. Or it might be, but only if you are right beside the third window from the front of the classroom. Furthermore, there is always the fear of losing ourselves in AR and no longer being connected to the “real” which lives, breathes and grows beside us. If we go too far to AR, will our learners only want and appreciate that facet? Will we no longer travel and experience things in life because we can simply “experience it” from the palm of our hands? Will our children be sitting right next to their counterparts and not even engage in meaningful conversation/ play/ connection?

IAN HOOTON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/ getty images

There is a fear that “reality” may be lost. However, I believe that no AR can truly mimic the authenticity of physically being somewhere, smelling or touching something. Therefore, as long as AR is balanced with “reality,” using AR in classrooms and in education, will help learners thrive. Balanced AR use will provide new experiences and opportunities which leaners may otherwise never been able to have, excite and enhance engagement and retention, and have our learners using technologies and acquiring skills which they will use in their futures.

Citation:

Dickson, Courtney (2021). CBC News. “Fallout from Victoria school district’s budget proposal raises concerns about reconciliation.” Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/victoria-school-district-budget-proposal-1.6032086

McCue, R. (2021, February 20). Introduction to Infographics with Canva & Related Multimedia Learning Principles [MP4]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1k3deWbw2c

Augmented Reality. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 26, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality

Posted on

How we Learn

In education, our goal is to try and offer as much information to our learners as possible and to help them retain that information in order to use it in their futures. However, as mentioned by Richards Meyer in The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learner, “if [we] overload the working memory before there is time for encoding and long term storage in mental models, things will be forgotten.” (Mayer, 2021). Therefore, it is imperative that we begin to analyze how people think and learn so that we can design presentations that will give our learners the greatest chance to acquire the intended information. If we begin using aids such as images and videos and The Principles of Multimedia Learning, we will enhance our chances to facilitate the long term storage of information. 

By addressing the Dual Coding Theory while designing powerpoint presentations, or any presentation for that matter, we can “manage intrinsic load, optimize germane load, and minimize extraneous load to ensure maximum storage in long-term memory” (Mayer, 2021). That means that we can bring focus to essential material by scaffolding the information and by deleting all the needless distractions. We can use only simple visuals, graphics, text and narration that support learning goals. We can ensure there are images to support words or text in hopes to connect to our learners and give the information meaning, at the same time as being aware of needless images or text which could distract them from the intended outcomes. Finally, we can highlight and guide their focus by using arrows, highlighting and fading functions within programs.

I have taken part in plenty of “death by PowerPoint presentations” (Philliips, 2014) and have become completely overwhelmed by  the amount of information that is put on one page. I have seen how bullet points are followed by sentences and how twirly texts and images that have no tie to the actual information are being used in hopes to gain or keep my attention. These additions, in fact, had me guessing at what I was supposed to know and made my brain hurt, which either led me to guessing where to look, or shutting down my efforts completely. I also noticed how I would slump into my chair and become completely uninterested and unmotivated to learn. These sessions were missing engagement with the materials and with other people. A brainstorming activity, partner chat, personal story or video to deliver another avenue would have greatly increased my attention, retention and motivation to learn about the subject matter, since I would be participating in it. I would have felt part of my learning which would be much more effective at grabbing and holding my attention than a twirly text. Using brainstorming, partner chat or multimodal avenues would have allowed me to share my thinking, learn new understandings/misconceptions by attaching the new information to my prior knowledge and it would have allowed for me to connect to and with the material in more modalities than that of speaker and text. For these reasons and more, I will be taking The Dual Coding Theory and its principles into consideration every time that I design a learning object for my learners.

Prezi: Bears

Here is an explanation of how my Prezi about bears will be used. You must click the link below the image.

https://prezi.com/v/qhq8qlh88_du/

Here is the Prezi that you can explore at your own convenience.

https://prezi.com/view/mp2Qj7IjtZ7WOAW8pMoJ/

Here is the inquiry booklet that we use along with this presentation.

Bear-Inquiry-bookletDownload

Citation

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Ashley Kaster. (2019). Dual Coding Principle. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wixEGpznyG8

Phillips, David JP. (2014). How to avoid death by PowerPoint [Mp4]. TED Talks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwpi1Lm6dFo

Meme by Shyamanta Baruah. (2021). 5 PowerPoint Alternatives to Avoid Death By PowerPoint. https://shyamanta.me/5-powerpoint-alternatives-to-avoid-death-by-powerpoint/

Posted on

Who Needs to Know About My PLN? #11

This week’s reading truly spoke to strength in numbers and how, “ great ideas can come from anywhere and anyone” (Qualman, 2012). It spoke to how leading means empowering others to make change, as well as changing your thinking and having a “mind [that] is open to insight whenever it comes and [being] flexible enough to respond to it” (Qualman, 2012). Meaning that with every new technology or finding, a leader must be flexible and rethink/reshape their ways in order to be up to date, trustworthy and reputable. It also spoke to leaving this world better than it was when you entered it, with a quote by Bill Clinton (Qualman, 2012). 

The above statements made me reflect on our course and what we have been building. I began recognizing how I have learned so much from others in this course and it would not have been possible for me to have gained such great knowledge without my counterparts. Everyone in my university network has truly contributed to my knowledge, thus to my reputation and my well-roundedness. I also realized that during our final assignment, after tasks were delegated and each member felt empowered to create, our members offered expertise where I could not. Everyone had a role to play that was significant to the task and which enhanced our final product. One of our members was savvy in the use of TikTok, the other was excellent at making sure we were maintaining our goals and hitting out proposed due dates and the third was excellent at organizing meetings to ensure we had thoughtful conversations and dealt with any misconceptions. Left alone, I would not have been able to create a final product as efficiently and as flawlessly as we did. I am grateful for all the insight, experiences and abilities that my team brought to the table as they truly enhanced the experience and the product. 

Next, I began reflecting on having an open mind and changing my thinking  when necessary. We did this all the time while reading each others’ blogs, having Mattermost discussions and while creating our final assignment. I was constantly changing my blog posts, or adding to them once I read other perspectives or engaged in communications from someone who read my blog and pointed out new ideas. During our final project meetings, we were ever changing our thinking, sharing our new insights and moving ideas around in order to produce something that made the most sense. I know that I have listened to others, absorbed their ideas and changed my thinking before, however  I never understood the importance of this until this course. I never knew that these communications and these changes were truly broadening my scope and allowing me to be more inclusive and to generate more trustworthy and objective information. 

Not only did I reflect on changing my thinking, but I reflected on changing the technology and tools I use. Before this course I was hesitant about technology and social media, but now, I realize it is a way of life and a way to network. It is important for me to continue to grow and be flexible with what I use and how I network. Before I was afraid to get my “feet dirty” by potentially using a platform I could mess up on or posting something that could make me look foolish. However,  “we can’t expect to go through life without getting our feet a little dirty; digital or otherwise. In time we will acquire blemishes on our feet. However, as our feet continue to grow, the percentage of impurities in relation to the size of the foot decreases. The same holds true when it comes to our goal for our digital footprints” (Qualman, 2012). I have realized through this course that what I do now, how I post and engage today, is setting me up for my future. What I do today and tomorrow, if done in a positive and empowering way, will be what I am known for, not the little mistakes in my past or in my attempts.

This brings me to my reflection on how we should leave the world better than when we first entered it. Our networks allow us to do this. We can instill change by using our connections and I had done this in the past. However, what I never recognized was that my support (my network) truly started long before I needed them to help me. I began these networks before even thinking about making change or before needing help. I was helping others before they were helping me. I started by forming a community to share ideas with and to bond with over like-minded things. I never realized how much they would hold me up and look out for me and my endeavours as they have proved to. This was a huge reflection on how the world is good and how, TOGETHER, we have much more impact to make it better for those who come to be in it. It was a reflection on what is possible with the help from a community/network. 

Since taking this course, I will acknowledge that I was certainly not as well versed in privacy concerns/ protection as I thought I was. After taking the security quiz from one of our lessons, I went into my settings in my facebook and Instagram and tightened up a lot. I actually read the terms and conditions and thoughtfully and critically assessed why I was doing what I was and who I was allowing to see/share my content. I also decided to create two separate Instagram accounts; one for personal use for just myself and close family/friends, and a second for my professional account which I will allow access to through my school website and to students and parents. This way, I can connect to my learners’ and to their families and display my professionalism, without bombarding them with too much other information from my personal life. This acts as a way to keep me professional and as a way to share the amount of me that I am comfortable sharing in my professional life. 

All in all, this course has truly opened up my mind to what I have been doing online and to how I can use this network of diverse trusted people as a support system, as a community, as a way to empower others and as a way to make and spread change for the better for all. Moving forward I am excited to continue to expand my PLN and to seek new opportunities to learn. I am also ecstatic to share my knowledge with my children and with the learners I teach so that I can empower them to make change and to use these powerful platforms/tools and networks for good. To use these tools as a way to enhance their brains and to enhance the world around them. 

 I will finish off with a statement from a TedTalk where Miller speaks. Miller explains that, if we “reevaluate how we immerse in technology, not only for our kids but for us in our daily lives. If we rethink how we approach awareness of use we will raise a community of connected youth. This community will be made up of digital citizenship. One that will demonstrate an empathetic and positive use approach to communications online. And when we think about moving forward, the community will include leaders guided by versed educators” (Miller, 2014). In this course, I have reevaluated how I immerse in technology in my daily life. I have learned how to responsibly use technology in an empathetic and positive way. Therefore, it is my turn to teach these learnings to the people around me and to become a leader who is well versed so that we can grow together and realize that we all have so much experience and insight to offer this world. So that by building our brains and by working together, we can leave the world better than when we entered it, for everyone.

Citation:

Qualman, E. (2012). Empower Others. In Digital Leader: 5 Simple Keys to Success & Influence. McGraw-Hill.

Miller, J. (2014, November 10). “Reevaluate, Rethink, Release.” March, 31, 2021, YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiGclrVXAws

Image By: LibQuotes.com. From: https://libquotes.com/robert-baden-powell/quote/lba6v1f

Posted on

Engaging My PLN #10

How can you use the PLN interactions of this course to further your digital identity post-term. 

My PLN interactions in this course can further my digital identity post-term because I have been learning from and reflecting on my practices within Mattermost,  my blog and in the break out media platforms I have used with my final group members. From all these experiences/interactions, I have become aware of my DI and learned “how to manage [my] presence in public and private online spaces” (Olivera, 2014). My experiences have taught me how we can kindly communicate and collaborate on several platforms with the intention of learning and developing. I have learned through experience how my DI affects how people view me online and offline, as well as how it feels when I am treated with kindness and respect in my course PLN. Therefore, I will continue these practices which have enhanced my learning, my credibility and my reputation (my DI). My interactions in this course will also continue to develop my DI post-term because I have been part of a network that I will likely work alongside outside of this course. Therefore, somewhere down the line, these same people may inform another person about me because they have seen how I interact and know what knowledge and gifts I have to offer. In the same case, I may inform someone about a person I had networked with in this course. 

I want to note that, not only has this course enabled me to develop my DI, it has also enlightened me to the fact that I had been forming PLN’s and defining my DI online long before this course without realizing what I was doing. By reflecting on this, I have changed the way I act online, as well as some security settings. I also look forward to teaching my children and students about why and how we post and form networks so that they can  be educated about the power of social media before going into it .  Imagine what power our children and learners will have for learning, change or opportunity when they know why they are using social media and how purposefully they can develop their DI/PLN. When they realize how they are benefitting their minds and others’, I can only imagine how empowered they might feel. Our children’s and learners’ future DI’s depend on that knowledge and I cannot wait to share it. 

What does it mean to have a digital identity in your industry of choice and can your current PLN be used to help professional development post-course? 

Having a Digital Identity in teaching means that online, I am represented as a reciprocative, trustworthy person, who accepts and encourages the exchange of information with the goal of learning (Oliveira, 2014). It means that I am someone who has a lot of knowledge to offer, as well as someone who is open to learning new information. It means that I am educated in the realm of Education. Since my DI presents me as the above, my PLN that surrounds me is likely to share like-minded interests. Therefore, these connections to like-minded diverse people will provide me with more knowledge and possible contacts so that my teaching can be enhanced. I may learn more about inquiry from one, or collaborate with another and share what we make to develop others’ thinking. As I have done in the past, I can find a strong voice on my social media platforms and ask them to speak at a professional development day at our school. Therefore we are all professionally developing. At the end of the day, my DI gives me credibility and my PLN gives me access to new knowledge that I can digest and that I can share. Therefore, as long as I keep hearing all voices, learning from them and sharing them, I would consider myself growing professionally and personally daily. 

Additionally, as you progress through the steps of your career, Can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?

I believe my PLN can be relied on to open professional opportunities because I have developed a network that is diverse in both the people within it and the tools I use, it is centered around interactivity and connectivity and it is open to hearing all voices and to share those new views with the world (Olivera, 2014). Since I have tailored my network in this way, I will have connections that can last a lifetime, or a minute. No matter the length/strength of the connection, these connections can provide me with opportunities for learning or in guiding me to another possible career path/ opportunity, so long as I am open to it, flexible and adaptable within it. 

Oliveira, N. R., & Morgado, L. (2014). “Digital Identity of Researchers and Their Personal Learning Network.” Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Technology-Rich Environments for Learning and Collaboration, 467–477. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-07485-6_46


	


	





		

		
Posted on 
Media literacy in PLN #9
	


			

			
							
		

	
	

		

Our babies are raised in a world where they have access to media and technology before they even celebrate their first birthdays. Babies who are “bathed in bits [of technology] from birth” (Trilling, 2012) develop quickly into humans who are fluent in the use of technology and who use that technology daily. That being said, we cannot simply allow these tech savvy humans to dive into the world of media and technology to read, view and curate blindly, without developing their critical thinking skills and their ability to assess what they are seeing or what they are doing. This notion applies to people from all generations who surround these savvy humans as well. When we educate all, the fear of technology and media decreases and the ability to use technologies for greater learning purposes increases. 





Trust me, as an educator and a parent I have experienced all the feelings and the fears behind my learners’ and my children’s use of technology and would, at times, rather it did not exist or to simply choose to not to use it in my spaces. I see my kindergarteners making youtube videos of who knows what and I wonder if they even know the possible consequences of posting these videos or the actual reason behind posting it. I see the content that can appear when we don’t apply the right security measures. I have heard parents talk about gorey video games and the fear of a potential predator entering the game. I have worried about how my son and daughter might think of themselves when they view certain media; Should I look like that? Am I beautiful/strong enough? Am I smart enough? Am I enough? I also worry about if they will view/use/post images that might harm them in the present or in their future. These fears are legitimate and worth thinking about. However, they are not worth discounting all the beneficial uses of tech and media. In the following paragraph, I will share an account of what changed my fear of false/skewed information into an opportunity to teach. An opportunity to develop critical thinking skills, abilities to make sound judgement, and an understanding of potential consequences when reading, viewing and posting media.   





One day in the computer lab, we were using a safe site to search for interesting animals which lived in the countries we originated from.  Two of the students working on England were ecstatic to learn that there was a signing fish that originated there. These students immediately began sharing this detail with the rest of the class and wrote it down on their information sheet. When I heard the conversation, I felt the need to add to it. “Wait a minute, a signing fish? Do we all think this is true? Why/Why not? How can we find out? Can we find other sources to support/disprove this? This fish does not, in fact, exist, but my class certainly wanted it to and believed it did. I was shocked by how my students would simply absorb and believe that this information was true from one source. This moment truly helped me better understand my fears behind my children’s and learners’ use of technology and media viewing/ sharing.  It made me realize that it is not solely the technology or the media creating the problem, it is the lack of instruction and skills behind the use that is the culprit. This is where media literacy steps in. 





Being media literate is one’s ability to recognize different forms of media such as TV, internet, newspapers or radio, and comprehend the messages they’re conveying. It is, “asking questions about every message. Who is the sender? What is their motive or intent? How is it created? Who profits? What information is left out? Who is the target audience? [It is the] constant critical questioning of media” (Smith, 2020). It is imperative for potential users and producers of media to develop media literacy skills, so that they are as informed as possible and are presenting the most factual and unbiased information possible. If users can ask the right questions, they can confirm the accuracy of the information they are receiving through the media and make their own judgments if something is reliable or safe. If children and students can assess media for safety and reliability, media and technology will become less feared because the onus lies on the capable user, rather than the media itself. The user then holds the power and the autonomy to make an informed choice. If I teach my children how to analyze the media presented to them, I  will trust that they will be able to decipher between someone selling a product and fact. From there I will trust that they will be able to make educated/objective decisions behind their next actions/choices. We cannot avoid or escape the presence of the media because it is ever present in our lives. Therefore we need to become literate in it, rather than avoid it or wish it never existed. 





Media is all around us and we present it continuously to our friends, family and colleagues through our PLN. If we make sure to critically analyze information as it comes in and before we present it ourselves, we ensure that the information we present is unbiased. The more perspectives one’s PLN takes on, the more objective they become. Therefore, having multiple perspectives enhances inclusion in your PLN. Smith mentions how she reads both the National Review and the Atlantic review which hold differing views and that she does not always agree with all that is in either. She takes bits and pieces of it all to make her own informed decisions so that she can come across as well rounded (Smith, 2020). Not only do we need to see both sides like Smith, we sometimes have to “put ourselves in uncomfortable exposures to make sure that we don’t live in an echo chamber of affirmation” (Miller, 2020). That means getting out of the mindset that we need to be affirmed in everything. It means embracing challenging ideas and difficult conversations because it is not always about giving people what they want, rather, it is about giving them what is right or what is fact. I know we all want to think the singing fish is real, but that does not help us in the long run. We need to know the truth so that we can be informed on how the media can affect our culture and so that we can make informed judgement calls and share information responsibly. We need to know the truth so we can recognize other points of view and so that we can slow down the cycle of biased information sharing. When we are informed we know the truth and the truth will break down the impossible expectations and skewed information that the media can present. Once you break down those walls, we are given the gift of objectivity and the ability to vote, curate and choose responsibly/respectfully. 





When I think of it, media literacy is like a super power that I want to give my children, my learners and myself. Media literacy is the power to see media as it is, a source of information that can be manipulated to influence human behaviour in order to make a profit or swing a judgement. It is the power to realize that we are in control of what we put out there and what we choose to take in. With this power, we can provide others with facts and become analytic, educated and contributing members of society who can make sound judgment calls and who can understand the potential future consequences of using certain media for themselves, others and for society as a whole. 





Citation:





EDCI 338 (2020, Nov 1). A01 Smith, Julie [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_T9RghwJlI&feature=youtu.be





Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2012). Digital Literacy Skills. In 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.