And, I hope everyone has studied the concepts and theories of ECI 833 in depth.
We are about to embark on a rollercoaster of emotion that starts with testing your knowledge on the foundations and history of Educational Technology.
Look no further, and watch the video below to test your abilities and achievements in this course.
Please let me know how you faired in the comments below.
Thanks for your time, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
Also, the video of my face somehow was quite small when it was uploaded to YouTube, but feel free to check out the link here for a more full-sized video.
And, I hope everyone has studied the concepts and theories of ECI 833 in depth.
We are about to embark on a rollercoaster of emotion that starts with testing your knowledge on the foundations and history of Educational Technology.
Look no further, and watch the video below to test your abilities and achievements in this course.
Please let me know how you faired in the comments below.
Thanks for your time, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
Also, the video of my face somehow was quite small when it was uploaded to YouTube, but feel free to check out the link here for a more full-sized video.
I like to think that I am quite tech-savvy and have been known to be the “Go To” for anything related to MySchoolSask, but when it comes to coding, I feel like a complete novice. I am familiar with coding and conceptually I understand what it is, but to make it happen is a complete mystery to me. It was nice this week to check out different programs that teach elementary coding like Scratch as an opportunity for students to learn at a young age how this process occurs. I found it helpful to read more about coding in the classroom through the following website which provides a thorough guide for teachers to learn how to incorporate coding in their classroom. I think to fully integrate coding into the classroom, it would be important for educators themselves to deeply understand how it works, its applications, and why it would be necessary for students to learn.
However, I would like to spend more of my post exploring Makerspaces. Makerspaces focuses on the fundamental processes of building, constructing, deconstructing, and learning exchanges during these moments. It can involve the newest and brightest technology or the most primitive tools to explore and play. Personally, I love it when I have time to get into a woodworking project that involves all different types of tools and processes that I have limited experience with. This has served me well, and poorly in many various occasions, but it has been a great learning experience for me each time. So, I love the concept of allowing students to explore, and play with various types of materials and tools. Here is a video below that provides a thorough explanation of what this process could look like.
One of the trickier parts of this process requires finding the space, and equipment to set up this style of learning for students. It can seem daunting to start this process in your school if there is no program that is offered for students, but I stumbled upon this blog that offers great insight into how this transition could start in a school that can have a big impact. As well, on the Makerspaces website, they even craft a step-by-step process to how this concept could be applied to each individual context. This step-by-step process is quite intensive, but it does provide a framework for how this could work and operate within a school, or a community-based organization. And, after reading more on the topic, it feels it would be a great way to blend community resources and school-based projects all in one to maximize the impact of this program.
As a Math teacher, I took a class at university that focused on the major contributions of mathematicians over the course of history. Sir Issac Newton was one of the prominent figures in this elite list, and it was very interesting to learn more about his life and upbringing. Newton, from an early age, was known for taking things apart and building them back together. His approach was quite pragmatic in design, but offered great insight into how things function by inversing steps, ultimately to move in a full cycle. Many scholars have praised this problem-solving approach to the many inventions and discoveries that Newton made over his lifetime, and a few of those discoveries include modern calculus, laws of gravity, and fundamental laws of motion. So, these seem like pretty small impacts on the grand scale of mathematical contributions.
Newton had a keen interest in the practical side of constructing objects, and this process could be argued as a catalyst for his inventions and contributions to the math world. He did not inherently exude greatness or innovations in his educational journey, but his pragmatic approach to solving problems created countless opportunities to deepen his learning.
Makerspaces is a prime example of offering space and materials for students to develop their inner genius. And I believe that Newton would be a primary advocate for these programs to foster this innate ability that he developed over many years of tinkering and deep thought in these environments. Therefore, it would be really intriguing to see how schools and community organizations could unite to provide these rich learning environments for students to explore the inner workings of what could birth the next Sir Isaac Newton. In the worst-case scenario, students develop practical skills and self-confidence that could create numerous opportunities in their future.
Please let me know how you think Makerspaces could impact an educational setting, or if you have been directly involved with one.
This is an age-old question that the education world and most societies have sought to discover an answer to. How do we objectively assess learning, and what one knows in an effective, efficient way that can be reliable and valid over time. Spoiler Alert –> It does feel like a tough task to have a sufficient solution to this question. Perhaps, simply understanding that assessment is a very complex process that can take many different formats is a start to conceptualizing what a solution might look like to that question. I have really liked Hattie’s (2004) work that focuses on student learning as a “Rope” analogy that single strands all connected together provide strength through overlapping and it’s important to recognize these strands in each of our students when we assess their learning.
I love that quote above, and I feel like it captures an authentic view of how learning can occur and the simplistic nature of this process. However, I realize that it is very challenging to attach a grade or percent to a conversation, and the subjectivity that can cloud this process. Reading the article listed here, I can understand why education has made changes in assessment and judgment in the 20th century from only one individual evaluating someone to a more objective format of multiple-choice assessments. And, these changes were to create more objective and consistent means for evaluating knowledge. Still, it does appear we created a model that values efficiency over effectiveness for assessing knowledge. And, these notions of efficiency can still be felt in modern classrooms. However, I do think there needs to be a balanced approach in this process, but it is tricky to find a method that will cohesively fit into this format.
Another tricky facet of this assessment process surrounds the definition of what we as educators deem “good” citizens and the assessments that teachers create to mold and cultivate this outcome. This is an age-old debate about what it means to define a “good” student, and how we as teachers foster that process and effectively assess that definition. These definitions are deeply connected to our philosophical worldviews, and the various theories of learning that guide our practice. It is important to be cognizant of the context of these worldviews and theories that impact our understanding of assessment because that forms a framework that can be consistently reflected, and adjusted against best practices from year to year.
It is so valuable that we as educators continually reflect on the technology assessments we introduce in the classroom. If we randomly start using new assessment tools for the sake of flashy new things to increase engagement, then when is the purpose of this technology. I would hope that based on the paragraph above, teachers carefully select assessment technology and trial it for its use that meets higher levels of thinking. However, I understand and empathize with how exhausting it is to test out each tool. And, the time and energy needed in this process and is not afforded in a typical workday. So, it is difficult to break out of the mold of relying on dated assessments to produce the same data. And, the time consumed to scan new assessment technologies that connect with the same learning theories as before seems pointless. I can see why it is so appealing for educators to find the most efficient method for assessment technologies that do not value higher levels of learning compared to discovering an effective one that could do both.
However, I still think there is hope that this can change as more people spend time furthering their education about assessment technologies, but it is not an equitable option for all teachers. So, we can continue to hope that small changes can domino into bigger shifts in assessment policy and philosophies.
Please let me know what you think is a possible solution to the above dilemma, or an assessment technology that you find really makes your day as a teacher so much easier.
The evolution of the web from 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 is quite a fascinating process that was presented to our class through our peers, Brianne, Sydney, and Jenni. The presentation unfolded the makings of each web blueprint and the subsequent theories attached to each design. I really enjoyed reading Thenmozhi Babu’s post that offered great videos of the nuanced differences between Web 1.0 to 3.0. Here is a short infographic that highlights the unique features of each web design.
I wanted to dig a little deeper into Web 3.0 because as I read it, it feels more like a theory than it does a reality at this contemporary moment. Doing some more reading and researching on the topic, does reveal that it is more theory-based than actual reality. The thing that mostly sparked my cognition here focused on the theory of decentralization of web spaces, and in a way a dethroning of the capitalist nature of the internet. However, it could also be that we are only approaching this theory and perhaps we are only at the beginning. It does feel in my experience that the commodification and commercialization of the web are so deeply ingrained in our politics, culture, and social norms that utterly flipping them on their head would cause massive deconstruction and major shifts in our institutions and general societal structures. I think that is why it is so difficult to conceptualize the practical applications of Web 3.0 in our contemporary society that are not congruent with the theories of decentralization and shared autonomy.
As well, the volatility of cryptocurrency mixed with the ever-changing nature of NFTs creates immense challenges for a central blockchain-style economy to take presence in our modern world given the regulation and prevalence of banking institutions and politics. Now, I will not pretend that I am an expert in any of the fields listed above, but these are a few of my thoughts regarding the theories of Web 3.0 given my limited understanding of the concepts. And I would welcome any thoughts or comments on my ideas here.
Furthermore, I do find it a tad bit scary to think about the future of Web 3.0 given the rising tensions of the world dynamics, and even more challenging to think of the impacts of Web 4.0 on a global scale.
So, those a few of my thoughts regarding the theories of web 3.0 and how it may impact the world that we currently live in.
And on that note…I think I will close this post, but please let me know what your thoughts are on the nature of Web 3.0 and its potential impact on education.
The list is long when I think of online and blended learning tools that have been impacted by technology in my teaching career. There is an ever-changing list of tools that are introduced as a method to enhance learning. Still, often these new tools reflect older technology and dated epistemology and theories of learning. So, it is critical to examine and reflect on these new tools that enter the classroom via online or physical space and analyze if their impact connects to a more modern theory of learning that reflects deeper epistemological theories that represent a more holistic nature of the culture we are striving to help students adapt to. So, I say all this as a preamble to examine the various tools that I have been impacted by in my career that offer a greater method to deliver advancement in terms of learning.
Google Classroom has created an organized space for teachers to update all their coursework and classroom tasks for students to follow along and complete in a timely fashion. This productivity suite has greatly impacted the efficiency of allowing students a space to connect, collaborate, communicate, and engage with coursework and tasks to complete. All of their work is efficiently synced through Google products. I have found that this tool enhances my ability to reach students in the classroom, and many have commented on the positive impact it has had on their learning through its ease of access and simplicity. However, Google Classroom is mostly a teacher-friendly method for efficiently storing and organizing information for students to access connecting with more aspects of behaviorism and hopes of constructivism with advanced application.
Screencastify is one example of a screen recording tool where I can utilize audio and visual as a method to record my lessons for students to watch when they are unable to attend class. I am a high school Math teacher and during Covid, I spent probably close to a hundred hours recording all of my lessons for students to view. Once these videos were recorded I have been able to continually utilize them for supplemental instruction and absent students. I would argue that students do receive not quite as good of instruction as in class because they miss any discussions or questions asked, but the videos are thorough enough. The video settings allow for students to pause and rewind which can make for a quick and easy fix for misunderstandings. I have allowed other teachers to use these videos in their classes, and many students have let me know how my lessons have helped them to understand a concept more deeply. It is also interesting to see how Screencastify was one of the tools listed on one of the websites for our weekly readings. I would also interject that I utilized a drawing pad in my lesson videos to accurately and efficiently display the math which has certainly helped in the validity and reliability of these videos. However, these screen-recorded videos do connect with the same theories of learning and epistemology of a simple whiteboard in the classroom, but I do feel it extends the reach of the classroom and sometimes enhances the learning for some students.
Youtube combines audio and visual all in one place to maximize its accessibility and effectiveness. YouTube has become a critical aspect in my lessons to extend and sometimes enhance learning through unique contrast of audio and visual in an engaging way to connect with students. All of my lesson videos are uploaded to Youtube for students to view at any time and can be downloaded with an account, so students can even watch them without wifi. Although Youtube is only a website that stores content in the form of videos, it is impressive how its access can impact equity gaps through non-traditional methods of learning.
In closing, I only have three different tools listed above, but I think these differing forms of technology have in some method extended, advanced, or sometimes even changed education and learning through their accessibility. However, I can also see that each of these tools will inherently require access to wifi or a computer so there is still an issue of equity that is present in this technology. And, it might continually be a tough question to ever find an answer or solution to, but as we progress in education, I do think it is a vital part of our craft to reflect on.
Please let me know if there are any tools above that resonated with you in your career thus far, or others that are different from mine.
