Second Week of B. Ed. 2020

Hello Friends! 
    This week was the second week of my time in the Bachelor of Education program at Lakehead University. Due to the current pandemic, there are many changes that have been made to the program. The biggest change is that everything has been moved to online formats. I guess it was a good thing that during my undergrad studies I took a critical digital literacy course (which started this blog). Now more than ever in education, it is crucial to have a good understanding of the digital world and how it can be used to improve education. I hope that my experiences in my critical digital literacy course will have given me a jump start on collecting and becoming familiar with online resources. 
    So far, I have found that the program is enjoyable regarding what we are learning; however, I am finding the workload to be quite heavy. This may be due to myself having difficulty navigating learning online, or it could be that the program is simply a challenge so that it will prepare future educators for a busy career path ahead. During these first two weeks, I have found that I must get a handle on my time management skills and my sense of patience. Time management will be for the purpose of having all my readings, tasks, and assignments done when they need to be accomplished. The need for patience is needed because the online format adds complications such as weak internet connections, computer troubles, and the physical impact of being on a screen all day. I need to have the patience to be ready to handle any troubles that may come my way while navigating this online program.
    Despite the many challenges I have faced so far, I am very excited to be moving on to this point in my education. The discussions that I have had with professors and colleagues during class time and personal time have been very focused on what I am most passionate about: helping children be successful and fulfilled people. It's so nice to be able to hear from other people who are interested in the same career path as myself.
    I look forward to continuing this blog to share some of my more personal experiences with education and expanding my collection of online resources. 

Persona, Citizenship, and Reflection - Week 12

Created with Bitmoji

          This week is about our identities online and how we must behave in regard to that. This course has further helped in my understanding of maintaining a positive identity online. This blog especially has been a form of digital media that I have worked hard to establish a positive and professional persona. A major part of creating a profile online is establishing a community or network of people that you can interact within the digital world. Given that this course has been formatted online, I have had the opportunity to engage with my professor and my colleagues digitally. Our discussion forum has been exercising my skills of interacting positively with others and I feel as though it has made me more comfortable and capable in discussing or sharing my thoughts online. Even going back and looking at my first attempt at posting in the discussion threads, I can see that I have become much stronger at communicating my thoughts in this way. I think that my critical digital learning has had a major influence on my community engagement. I have taken the time to explore more than just the basics of my blog and the discussion forum. When I first tried to insert a photo or embed a link in my blog, I had difficulties figuring it out and it took much more time than it does for me now. This is because I have taken the time to break the codes of this digital platform and understand the meanings of the tools and buttons. 

          When I first thought about digital citizenship, I had thought it was the same thing as a digital persona; however, citizenship has much more to do with respecting others when using technology. This means that the rights we have as citizens outside of the digital world are equally as applicable in digital spaces. If we were to see someone bullying another online, we must act accordingly (report it to the police). The repercussions of what we do or say online are important to understand and be reminded of. The 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship is a mind map that Olivia C. created to break down what digital citizenship consists of. The 9 elements are digital: law; commerce; security; literacy; etiquette; access; rights and responsibilities; and health and wellness. Being careful, respectful, and following regulations summarize these points. Bullying and hacking are two major areas of concern related to digital citizenship. Given that technology is used for much more socializing and financial interactions in this day and age, we must be sure that we prioritize the safety of ourselves and others. People have been switching to online banking and making online purchases which provide the opportunity for theft to occur via hacking or tricking/conning. We must be careful and analyze the validity of the websites we use before we share any personal information. And seeing as cyberbullying is a term that has recently been added to dictionaries, it should be recognized that the texts, messages, and videos that are shared online can deeply affect the emotional and psychological state of the one who recieves it. 

          These are all important aspects of digital learning that I believe is important to be passed on to future students. Given that they are growing up in an age of high digital technological advancement, they must have a good understanding of their online identities. This incorporates the way we portray ourselves online and our behaviour regarding the responsibility involved with using digital platforms. 

          Throughout the past few weeks of this course on critical digital literacy, I have learned and expanded my own critical digital learning in many ways. One creative space that I have been using in order to visually demonstrate my understanding of some of this course's major concepts was Mindomo. It was my first time creating a mind map using this program and I found it a bit difficult to use, but I still think readers will be able to work through my understanding of critical digital media as I have learned in the past few months. I have utilized my critical digital literacy skills to navigate through this program and create my own codes for readers to decipher. I have used colours, arrows, bolding, and lines to help the readers decipher the information. This program helps with creating digital mind maps which assist the user in organizing their ideas. The following is a link to My Critical Digital Literacy Mind Map. 


          Prior to this course, I had only a bit of knowledge as to what critical digital literacy consists of. Now that this course is coming to a closing, I realize that I have been able to explore the digital world on a deeper level than I once had. I have developed new skills in analyzing and creating digital spaces and tried a number of new creative makes. Some of them have been, Mindomo, Flipgrid, Zoom, Padlet and more that went beyond the course activities. I have taken the opportunity to share my thoughts with my own blog and engage in the comments section of other people's blogs. I hope that in the classroom I will be able to share some of my experiences and digital learning with my students. Many of these programs will assist in creating my lessons or finding methods of incorporating participation. Since many classes now have laptops or other technological devices, I believe it is important to use them to our advantage as educators. Computers and other devices are often used heavily in students home lives and many are comfortable with using them, which means that we can't ignore it in the classroom. 

References

C, O. (2011, September 13). The 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship. Retrieved from https://www.mindmeister.com/111741413/the-9-elements-of-digital-citizenship

Mindomo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mindomo.com/

Analyzing - Week 8

Created with Bitmoji

This week I explored analyzing and creating with new digital resources in the hopes of advancing my presence academically and professionally online. I have to admit, I was shocked to read curated lists of the top digital tools and see that there were many in the top 20 that I had never used or heard of. This presented me with the opportunity to experience some new applications, tools, and programs that could greatly impact my work. There were also many that I hadn’t even realized I use regularly, such as Twitter, Bitmoji, Google Slides, Kahoot, YouTube, and many, many more.

              One tool that I discovered during my search is called Wooclap. This is one that I’m really excited to use for my future presentations in university and in my teaching career. This program is very similar to the format of Kahoot. It allows students to actively participate by connecting on their devices to a quiz and they can compete on the projector screen at the front of the class. The difference is that Wooclap allows you to upload your slideshow so you can insert questions throughout your presentations. It also has many different formats for questions and participating rather than just multiple choice. Upon first discovering this resource, I started by analyzing the quality of the program. I began by testing out some of the features and looking at how professional it seemed in its format. There were pop-ups that would explain what clicking on certain buttons would do which provided an easy to use experience. There were many different examples shown which helped my understanding of how to create questions and answers. Given that the questions are created by the user and could be any level of difficulty, I found this resource to be adaptable for a vast range of age groups. One of the formats of questions was that you ask the participants to click a specific part of the image shown. This could be useful for younger students that need very basic things shown with pictures, or it could be used for a more advanced group that needs to point to a part of a complex diagram.

              Another creative tool that I tested out this week was Storyboard That. This resource allows creators to make their own comics and storyboards. They have many different aspects that can help with designing and creating exactly what you want. The one that I have below shows my experience in discovering new resources. This would be a great assignment for students to create their own comic that relates to the content they are learning about in class. This gives them a visual way of showing their thinking, while also being creative.

Created with Storyboard That

              Interactive presentations and creative assignments are a key part of teaching and being a student. It is important that teachers have a multitude of diverse resources to help them keep the attention of there audience, whatever level that may be. It is also crucial for teachers to have reliable resources that are of the highest quality and value. When teaching a class, the teacher does not want to have time taken away from teaching because they must deal with a technical error or they don’t understand what how to work something. Having these digital tools and resources are important so that we can use technology to our advantage. Technology can be used in so many ways and it is important that we explore them as teachers so that the students will be immersed in their work.

              This website shares a few more creative digital tools https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/5-creative-digital-tools-visuals-writing.
Another resource that can be extremely helpful in both students and teachers questioning of a new resource is the "Q Chart". This chart discusses all the important ways that one must analyze any new information they are given, whether it be a resource, a book, or a tool. This resource was given to me in my class last year and is a key part of education. This link will take you to a pdf file with the chart and some additional information.

References

Bitstrips Inc. “Your Own Personal Emoji.” Bitmoji, www.bitmoji.com/.

“Google Slides - Create and Edit Presentations Online, for Free.” Google, Google,                     www.google.com/slides/about/.

Jan, McLellan. "ReadIt…Understand It…Communicate It" JEMCON Publishing, 2000.

“Learning Games | Make Learning Awesome!” Kahoot!, kahoot.com/welcomeback/.

“The World's Best Free Online Storyboard Creator.” Storyboard That, LLC Clever Prototypes, www.storyboardthat.com/.

“Twitter. It's What's Happening.” Twitter, Twitter, twitter.com/.

Watanabe-Crockett, Lee. “5 Creative Digital Tools That Bring Visuals and Writing Together.” Global Digital Citizen Foundation, The Global Digital Citizen Foundation and Wabisabi Learning,19 Feb. 2018, globaldigitalcitizen.org/5-creative-digital-tools-visuals-writing.

“YouTube.” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/.

Code Breaking and Meaning Making - Week 5

Code breaking and meaning-making is the aspect of digital learning that focuses on understanding the text, image or digital message that is given to you by someone else or created by you. These two concepts really go hand in hand as they are so closely related to one another. In fact, they're almost considered a two-step process. Code breaking is focused on the symbols and patterns that are used in digital spaces. During this step, you may be given an emoji (😮) and you must use your knowledge of social situations or texting norms to realize that it means that it represents being shocked or surprised. Meaning-making is when you ask yourself "What does the shocked emoji mean?". It may depend on the text that surrounds it, the person who created/sent it, or the general connotations society has created for it. In the past week, my biggest challenge was breaking the code on Flipgrid. For those who may not know, Flipgrid is an online platform that students and teachers can use to share and discuss via videos. Upon my first glance, I was very confused as to what the symbols on the website meant and what I had to do to use it. Shortly thereafter, I was able to read their explanations of the website and how to use the features, as well as watch some video tutorials that were shared with the class. These greatly helped my understanding of the platform and I was confident in creating my first Flipgrid video to share with my classmates.

Retrieved from Flipgrid.com

Along with Flipgrid, I was also able to explore some other creative "makes" the past couple of weeks. As I have mentioned before, one of the most important factors in understanding digital spaces is that I am consciously aware of the fact that I can always learn something new even if I feel comfortable using that technology. This was apparent as a professor explained a new feature of Desire2Learn to me this week. This platform is used for teachers to post content, documents, announcements, etc. to their students and for students to submit assignments or email their teachers. Although I have been using many features on this website for years, I was made aware of the "Groups" section. This allows students to work on group assignments together. This includes a discussion forum and a "locker" which allows students in the group to share files with each other. This is a great new way to collaborate that I hadn't done before. I learned the new labels, mechanisms, and structures using my code breaking and meaning-making skills. As Hinrichsen and Coombs write "The existing purposes and conventions of digital texts are not always rigidly defined and can be subject to rapid metamorphosis or splintering; reading and creation practices may therefore be similarly fluid" (2013). The word "locker" was one I previously had associated only with a physical, metal, containment unit, with a locking mechanism. The way that the locker on D2L is used is a digital storage space for documents. 

This resource discusses the concepts of code breaking and meaning-making, as well as the concepts of "text users" and "text critics". http://alphaliteracy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Four-roles-of-reader.pdf This source helped further my understanding and build on what is discussed by Hinrichsen and Coombs.

References

“#1 LMS for Online Teaching & Learning.” D2L, www.d2l.com/.

Flipgrid. Ignite Classroom Discussion. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://flipgrid.com/

Hinrichsen, Juliet & Coombs, Anthony. (2013). The Five Resources of Critical Digital Literacy: A        Framework for Curriculum Integration. Research in Learning Technology, volume 21. DOI:          10.3402/rlt.v21.21334

The four roles of a reader [PDF]. (n.d.). Eleanor Curtain Publishing.

Definitions and Frameworks- Week 3

Critical digital literacy can be defined as the techniques, skills, and knowledge used to interpret and create digital media. 
      Learning about these techniques and skills will help my experiences in the classroom. With technology being such an influential part of society, it is virtually unavoidable. Teachers are encouraged to use digital learning when educating students because technology is used in so many aspects of children's lives today. There are many different forms of digital learning, and it is important that students have a good understanding of media. Students need to be aware of their impact online.
      I am excited to be learning about some of the uses and skills associated with technology. In the classroom, I will need to continue to explore the uses of technology. It can be a great method for connecting with students and for them to connect with one another. The ways in which we learn are forever changing and technology is one of the most influential advancements in the last few years. Teachers are finding new ways to engage their students in the learning process (which is AMAZING!).

      The International Society for Technology in Education provides a great framework for how critical digital literacy can be used in the classroom, specifically from an educator's standpoint. It provides great methods as to how a teacher can use technology to advance their teaching. They express the seven standards for educators which include; learner, leader, citizen, collaborator, designer, facilitator, and analyst. The section on collaborator discusses the importance of learning from our networks and colleagues, as well as our students (ISTE Standards FOR EDUCATORS). Even after years and years of teaching, there is always even more for the educator to expand upon. As educators, we need to conscious of the many roles that we must fulfill in order to be successful in providing the best learning experiences for the students.
      This framework made the most sense to me as a future educator. I am aware that being an educator means that I must continue to develop my understandings of the world around me, especially those related to my field of work. This career is much more than that just explaining information to students from books. It requires all these qualities for the students to recieve the education they are deserving of.

From Promethean

      The teaching and learning practices that I use somewhat correspond to these frameworks. In my experiences with teaching before, I have not explored as many different options as to programs and the functions that are available online. I am certainly not opposed to trying them. I was able to learn a lot about using technology in the classroom from my host teacher during a placement I had last year. This teacher was fully engulfed in expanding the student's level of learning beyond the walls of the classroom. There were opportunities for students to use new programs and keep up with work on laptops. One great use of a program called "Google Classroom" was that the teacher was able to update and assign work to students when they were away. This meant that absent students were still able to keep up with the rest of their class. This is a link that gives a bit more information on the use of Google Classroom. At the bottom of this page, it has a few stories of instances when this platform has been really useful.

This blog post by Kelly Bielefeld explains some of the strengths of using Google apps for the purpose of educating: Ten Reasons Why You Should Use Google Classroom.

References

Bielefeld, K. (2016, September 21). Ten Reasons Why You Should Use Google Classroom. Retrieved from http://blog.mimio.com/ten-reasons-why-you-should-use-google-classroom

Google: For Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://edu.google.com/intl/en_ca/k-12-solutions/classroom/?modal_active=none

ISTE Standards FOR EDUCATORS. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators

Welcome to my blog! This blog is for the purpose of sharing, discussing, and learning about critical digital literacy in EDUC-3910 😊

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