Author: M Small-Cooke Page 1 of 4

“The end is not the reward; the path you take, the emotions that course through you as you grasp life – that is the reward.”

— Jamie Magee

My people….my people, my people!!!! 13 Weeks and it’s a wrap!!! Over the past couple of weeks, I have learnt so many things regarding “Educational Technology for Learning.”  I can honestly say that there were weeks that were more interesting than others.  Working and studying online require a great level of personal discipline.  Overall, the course was very enlightening and has taught me a vast of knowledge in developing and managing a technological class.

The numerous hands on activities throughout the course promoted the use of technology and was very enriching.  One of the most rewarding aspect of this course for me was developing my PLN.  Having a team that provides support is essential if we are to keep up to date with the trends of technology and in so doing also allows us to garner ideas from people around the world.  Another key aspect of the course was experienced through the “Diffusion Simulation Game.”  Playing DSG reinforced, that knowledge of your staff is key in gaining success when introducing a new idea/technology.  The time of year at which new concepts are introduced as well, plays a very important role in how well it will be received, executed and evaluated.  Demonstrations and workshops are great ways of introducing new tools, its usages and benefits.  These strategies can be very time consuming and can take up a lot of the school year, but if it is introduced and shared on an accessible website and/or document it can be well received and useful.

Building friendship was also emphasized every week, as we had to comment on other fellow classmates work when posted.  Most of the classmates were super supportive and could be counted on to shed light on unclear concepts.  I had the chance to peer with Sara and Gabby and I can say that these ladies formed part of my “adopters.” Well done ladies and thanks for the support.

It is my hope that as we end this course, we reflect on all that was experienced and take from it not only the good pointers, but also the ones we feel that there’s room for major improvements.  By doing so, it gives us a chance to evaluate those areas and adjust so that we can grow.  After all, “Education doesn’t stop when you get your teacher’s license.  We need to follow the profess we make/give to our students that they are life longer learners – because so are we.” (Tom Whitby – Founder of #edchat).

Technology trends do not exist in isolation.  We must decide what combination of the trend will drive the most innovation and strategies – Gartner.

My own experience using AR, VR and Wearable Tech involves my day to day activity.  I have never used any of the listed trends throughout my teaching career to deliver a lesson.  All exposure involves my leisure activities such as playing games – “Pokemon,” the usage of social media app. – “snapchat,” and through the visitation of museums.

However, I do believe that AR, VR and Wearable Tech can be beneficial within the classroom environment.  Augmented Reality (AR), can help make classes more interactive and allows learners to focus more on practice instead of just theory.  It can turn our ordinary, curriculum based classrooms into an engaging, fun filling experience.  As AR adds virtual objects to the real world, it lets students train skills using physical devices and foster better retrieval of information that they have learnt.  Practice by doing has always been considered “one of the most effective methods” of learning, as it moves information from short-term to long memory (Gleb, B. 2019).  Its usage is also versatile within education.  There is no limit to a particular subject, age group or educational level.

Virtual Reality (VR) is very effective within the learning environment as well.  It places individuals inside an experience. Instead of viewing a screen in front of them, students are engaged and able to interact with 3D worlds. This is achieved by the simulation of as many senses as possible, such as vision, hearing, touch, and even smell, the computer is transformed into a gatekeeper to this artificial world. The only limits to near-real VR experiences are the availability of content and cheap computing power.  Reflecting on this course, my VR experience within education was first experienced in week six of this course, where we were engaged in “Alternative Learning Space – Second Life.”  It was very frustrating for me to master this learning space, but I am positive that proper training and more practice of this learning trend can be beneficial within my classroom.

Wearable tech in my opinion is quite remarkable, but at this stage I only see it beneficial for me for exercising purposes.  I am yet to see how it could be incorporated in the elementary level of the education system.

These exposure to future trend is pretty awesome and I am very much interested in the many different ways in which it can be used to enhance my teaching/learning experience.

Reference

Augmented Reality. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2018 from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality

Brownlee, M. (2015, March 27). Virtual reality: Explained! [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/i4Zt3JZejbg

Crampin, T. (2015, April 24). Wearable technology in education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ec4m0hH2H2w

Instructional strategies are techniques teachers use to help students become independent, strategic learners. These strategies become learning strategies when students independently select the appropriate ones and use them effectively to accomplish tasks or meet goals. – Alberta Learning, Alberta Canada.

For my final project, the intent is to have it hosted on the school’s website.   Through this method it will encourage parents to visit the website on a regular basis, so that they are aware of the most updated information through various bulletins and keep abreast of what is happening based on the events calendar.   However, since I am not currently employed within the teaching sector, I created my own website using a free app site, to host my activity.  Once you get to the website, you will be able to navigate it easily to learn about my “Integrated Activity.” It is user friendly and the layout is easy to follow.

The Integrated Activity, provides students with instructional strategies regarding “Simple Machines.”  The lesson targets the fourth grade, but it can be altered for students at the lower or upper grade of an elementary school.  Through various digital tools, this lesson can be executed to meet desired objectives.  My digital tools focus on “Flipped classroom, YouTube and Digital Library.”  Using these tools, I can to maximize on my instructional strategies, as they will:
• motivate students and help them focus attention.
• organize information for understanding and remembering.
• monitor and assess learning.

As it relates to accessibility, the pros and cons must be taken into consideration when developing a lesson that will be web based.  Clear instructions must also be given so that students and/or parents do not become frustrated throughout the navigation process. Below is the link that takes you to my hosting website:

http://5de9d5300cd80.site123.me/

Reference

www.education.alberta.ca Instructional Strategies Retrieved December 07, 2019

This week looks at “Storyboarding.”

The Principles of Storyboarding for E-Learning Design explains that it is the preparation of a what one considers to be a map of an online module and what is should look like – Adeboye’s (2014).

Below you will find the link to my storyboard of a Science lesson for my 4th graders.

Small-Cooke_M_EDDL5101_A4

My video was created using PowerPoint and is intended to be used as a welcome video for my students at the start of the academic year.  However, since it was created using PowerPoint it can be tweaked and used as an introductory activity for a given lesson or to incorporate into a Technology Integrated Activity (this is not the planned scenario in my case).

Inserted Pictures Source: Creative Commons

Suggestion to Increase Teachers Presence

• Make your Presence Felt – this can be done by checking in and up on your students on a regular basis so that they feel important and not left out in the online world of content delivery.
• Be Actively Involved – have your presentations organized and be knowledgeable of the content your are presenting, so that you do not come across to your students as uncertain.
• Be Engaged – provide evidence that you are engaged and interested in your students’ learning and achievement.  This can be done through posting of videos and photos on the discussion board, provide timely feedback and act as a facilitator and support system rather than an absent figure who is always in the hiding.

Reference

https.//creativecommons.org

https://www.youtube.com/

A key beneficial aspect of digital learning is “Interactivity.” Technology provides many opportunities for students and teachers to collaborate. – Gonzalez, E. 2009.

There are a number of resources that are accessible to the public to integrate in one’s lesson.  However, being aware of the copyright, trademark, or patent laws must be taken into consideration when obtaining your resources.  

For my technology integrated activity the resources I need are:

1. Imagines – clip arts  of simple machines will be used to promote interactive activities among my students.
2.  Video Resources – a selection of YouTube videos will be viewed that meet the requirements to assist in obtaining my desired objectives for my students.  A compilation of short videos will be selected to upload as part of my flipped classroom.
3. Documents – the students text books and also resources found through the digital library will be used to engage students in group activities.
4. Interactive Activities – words and short phrases written on flashcards will be used to foster treasure a hunt game.  These will also be used to promote word recognition skills, as well as to build vocabulary.

The resources were found through search techniques in Google engine, YouTube website and Creative Common tool.  These websites are public domains and as such are not protected by intellectual property laws and are also UDL friendly.

References 

Fishermen, E. (2016, July 5). How long should your next video be? [Web log post] Retrieved from https://wistia.com/learn/marketing/optimal-video-length

Perez, S. (2017, February 7). Creative Commons unveils a new photo search engine with filters, lists & social sharing [Weblog post]. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/07/creative-commons-unveils-a-new-photo-search-engine-with-filters-lists-social-sharing/

Stim, R. (n.d.). Welcome to the public domain. Retrieved from https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/welcome/

W3C. (2018). Accessibility. Retrieved from https://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/accessibility

Webster, K. (2018). Copyright for educators. Retrieved from http://kumu.tru.ca/Copyright-for-Educators

YouTube, LLC. (2019). YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/

Schools have a duty of care and must ensure they are able to safeguard children, young people and staff. – Becta. (2010).

Having a Digital Safety Plan should not be taken for granted irregardless of our students age and how often they surf the internet.  There are a number of safety risks that are present in online learning and our students must be aware of them.  As teachers we are responsible for the safety of all our students and online safety is no way different.  It our duty to eliminate, reduce, or mitigate potential digital risks that our students may encounter.  For my Technology Integrated Activity, the below are a few potential risks that my fourth graders may encounter and will need to be aware of:

1. Privacy – recording and uploading each other without consent (parental and/or school’s) is not acceptable.
2. Using Computers Responsibly – never click on links or open an attachment without knowledge of who it is from.  If in doubt, ask?  Be aware of what you download, post, share or like.  It is your responsibility to be mindful of the things you do and participate in, as it will be a reflection of you, your class and school.
3. Online Activities – these should be monitored so that students can be guided in completing the required tasks in a safe and enjoyable manner.

My Responsibility

1. Ensure that the school’s network is secure and that antiviruses are up-to-date.
2. Receive parental and school’s consent to make videos and upload them for future usage.
3. Educate students on cyber bullying, so that they are aware that it is not ok to treat others online disrespectfully nor is it ok to participate in anything that makes them feel uncomfortable.
4. Monitor and observe students keenly when performing online tasks.
5. Educate parents on ways in which they can safe guard their children’s digital activity at home.
6. Manage screen time.

Children are enthused with technology and the risks in online learning increases daily.  Equipping our students with the skills and knowledge is an ongoing practice.  This is the only way these risks can be managed and behaviours that are safe and responsible can be promoted.

References

Becta. (2010). Safeguarding children online. Retrieved from http://courses.olblogs.tru.ca/
eddl5101/files/2012/10/safeguarding_children_online_risks_poster.pdf

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/erase/online-safety

https://www.google.com/search?online/learners

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead

The “Diffusion Simulation Game,” was very captivating for me.  I played 3 rounds of the game back to back and started a fourth round, but did not get to finish due to time constraint.  In my first round I ended with zero adopters and so I decided to do another round right away.  Second round I ended with 14 adopters and the third round I ended with 11 adopters. Below is a snippet of my highest results:

My Experience Playing the Game

In the first round I was totally unaware and didn’t pay much attention to the amount of time of the school year it would cost me to engage in the diffusion activities.  So, I just randomly selected an activity with the hopes of getting it all over and done with in the quickest possible time.  Oh! bad on my part, a true representation of my technology acceptance character, as I did not “perceive it as being useful.”  However, due to my adaptive skill, I quickly reviewed the game’s rules and headed into my other attempts, which I found myself getting hooked to each time I played, as it allowed me to think outside of the box and paid attention to small details.  I truly enjoyed this activity.

Number of Times Taken For Me to Be Happy

I was very happy on my second trail with the number of teachers and staff I convinced to adopt a new technology and also very pleased on my third.  Hence my reason for starting a fourth trial, just to see if I could beat my highest score.

Strategies that Worked for Me

The strategies that worked best for me were:

1. Awareness – getting to know the staff members and learning their strengths and weaknesses allowed me to strategize my approach.
2. Seeking Assistance – getting help from staff member(s) who were deemed as being influential is a great strategy.  It helps to gain the remaining staff’s trust and interest.  
3. Interest – having the staff curious and knowing the benefits of the new idea was of great value.
4.  Demonstration – this was a key factor in gaining the trust and winning over staff members’ interest, so that they were willing to give my idea a try. 
5. Presentation – this gives an opportunity to reach a wider group of individuals when presenting new ideas.

Strategies that Did Not Work 

The strategy that did not work was “Confrontation.”  This strategy usually brings animosity and resent among any group of individuals. Compulsion is also another strategy that must be taken into carefully consideration.  I used it in my second attempt because I believed that having 14 adopters out of 18 members was a great move.  I believe this was so, because it was my intention to give all staff the opportunity to try the new idea being introduced so that they could integrate it into their classroom or tweak it to suit their needs.  This is a strategy that has to be trod carefully, as it can be viewed by some staff members as forceful or that they are being bullied.

Lessons Learnt that Will Influence My Approach in Integrating Technology in My Practice

Playing DSG reinforced, knowledge of your staff is key in gaining success when introducing a new idea/technology.  The time of year at which new concepts  are introduced as well, plays a very important role in how well it will be received, executed and evaluated.  Demonstrations and workshops are great ways of introducing new tools, it’s usages and benefits.  These strategies can be very time consuming and can take up a lot of the school year, but if it is introduced and shared on an accessible website and/or document it can be well received and useful.

References

https://diffuse.sitehost.iu.edu/dsgdebrief.pdf

https://diffuse.sitehost.iu.edu/dsg.php

Technology Acceptance model (adapted from Davis, 1989)

Please click on the link below to view my web presentation on my exploration with my selected tools that are appropriate for solving the instructional problem I explained in Assignment 2.

https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/eQjB80vatxj/?mode=movie#/

For those who were wanting to view my presentation at their own pace, please see the pdf version before.  Thanks 🙂

Small-Cooke_M_EDDL5101_A3

Skype is a telecommunications application that specializes in providing video chat and voice calls between computers, tablets, mobile devices and smartwatches via the Internet. Skype also provides instant messaging services. Users may transmit text, video, audio and images – Wikipedia.

I was unable to connect with a peer for this activity.  However, since I have numerous experiences connecting through video conferencing to facilitate communication with work colleagues, family and friends, I will use those experiences to share my thoughts.  Over the years I have used a lot of video conferencing to share ideas with colleagues and most recently to keep in touch with my family and friends since I migrated.  My main video tools are Skype, Facebook Messenger, Tango, Whatsapp and Viber.

Video conferencing tools are a great way to facilitate communication and collaboration between students and teachers.  It promotes:

• Socialization – provides opportunities for students to socially interact with people outside of the classroom.
• Anytime Access – in real time.  It connects people and objects that are not in the same physical environment.
• Less travel – allows guest speakers to stay at their office to give their presentation to a number of students/audience within a given day.
• Communication – through images, text, audio and video.  Providing better clarity of ideas being conveyed.

Skype is easy to set up and navigate.  However, there are a few things to take into consideration when using Skype or any other video conferencing tool; especially within our classrooms.  Some of these are but are not limited to:

• We need to have consent from parents to allow the use of Skype in our classrooms, since it is an online communication system.
• Skype in the classroom is not like regular Skype, which means that there are some limitations to what projects you can do during class time.
• Resolution – the webcam has to be at least 2 – 3 megapixels for the effectiveness of picture resolution.
• Speed of Internet Connection – having your WiFi cutting in and out can be a disaster and takes away from your presentation.  Images will be scrambled and audio will delay if the internet speed is slow.

Skype is synonymous with “video chatting” and allows users to make video and regular calls (Purwal, S.J. 2011).  One great feature of Skype is that it allows you to tweak your webcam settings for better quality pictures.  The option to turn off the video camera during a presentation, especially if it outside of the work hours is also a great benefit if you are not the presenter.  This allows you to multi-task in the comfort of your home.

Reference

Purwal, S. J. (2011, August 9). Luditte’s guide to online video conferencing.
Retrieved from https://www.itbusiness.ca/news/luddites-guide-to-onlinevideo-conferencing/16347.

https://sites.google.com/a/my.maryvillecollege.edu/anna-owens-educational-technology/home/project-1/skype-in-the-classroom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype