Category Archives: technology

The progressive World Wide Web & The evolving Classroom

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What sounded really interesting to me in one of the articles that my classmate shared as a part of class assignment was this and It was so profound: The web influences peoples way of thinking, doing and being, and people influence the development and content of the web. The evolution of the web from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and now to Web 3.0 can be used as a metaphor of how education should also be evolving, as a movement from Education 1.0 towards that of Education 3.0. The Web, Internet, Social Media, and the evolving, emerging technologies have created a perfect storm or convergence of resources, tools, open and free information access. The result is not only a change in what individuals learn but how, wry, and where they learn. Taking this one step further, or from another angle, moving from Education 1.0 to Education 3.0 can be likened to moving from Pedagogy/Essentialism/Instructivism through A andragogy/ Constructivism towards Heutagogy/ Connectivism.

The Education 1.0 class feels something like this:

It’s slow, one-way, and about as exciting as watching paint dry. Welcome to Education 1.0 – where teachers talk, students listen, and the snooze button gets a workout….. the common instruction from Education 1.0 was something like, ““Alright, class, here’s your digital worksheet for today. It’s basically the same as the ones you’ve been doing, just on a screen this time. Enjoy! It’s like the regular stuff, but with some extra pixels thrown in.”

Stepping into a progressive Web 2.0 Classroom

It’s like switching from dial-up to high-speed broadband. It’s interactive, dynamic, and engaging. Picture classrooms buzzing with activity, students actively participating in discussions, and learning materials that respond to their input. It’s a whole new world of education where students aren’t just passive listeners, but active contributors to their own learning journey. Welcome to the future of education!

Sneak in “Good morning, class! Today, we’re into the final phase of our course and will begin with assignment. So you’ll be tackling it right here on your screens together in groups. You will find it on your screens, write down what you understand and I will keep arranging it here on the Board to make it a perfect Jamboard. Comment, share ideas, and engage with your classmates in real time. So, let’s get started and make the most of this dynamic learning experience!” Education 2.0 – it’s the modern way we learn, and it’s wonderous. Instead of boring lectures, we’re diving into hands-on, interactive learning. It’s all about teamwork, solving real-world problems, and making learning fun. So, let’s embrace the future of education and make it an adventure!

The unimaginable for the most- Web 3.0

And now Education 3.0 – the ultimate upgrade in how we learn. It’s all about self-determined, interest-based learning where problem-solving, innovation, and creativity take center stage.

Web 3.0 is often referred to as the “Semantic Web,” a term coined by World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee. This new generation of the web is characterized by more meaning, context, and personalization. Unlike today’s Web, which is mostly focused on providing information, Web 3.0 is designed to provide users with a more personalized and interactive user experience. (LinkedIn)

In Education 3.0, learners aren’t just passive recipients of knowledge – they’re the creators of it. Picture a world where students actively shape their learning experiences, collaborating through social networks. It’s about blurring the lines between students, teachers, and the learning process itself.

Here’s the deal: Education 3.0 revolves around the three Cs – connectors, creators, and constructivists. These aren’t just buzzwords – they define the essence of becoming a self-determined learner. It’s about students taking charge, with educators as guides on the side.

To me, Education 3.0 is a dynamic blend of heutagogical, connectivist teaching. It’s about harnessing the power of networks, resources, and personalized learning journeys. Because every learner’s path is unique and driven by their passions. So, Education 3.0 leads to more ownership, validation from the learner and is a path for personalized, self-determined learning experiences!

This paradigm shift also calls for a paradigm change for the teachers. A feeling of being an empathetic, kind, intelligent teacher who not only facilitates learning but also is a student always and keeps learning while teaching.

Over all Web 3.0 brings some great transformation to teaching and learning however the AI and it’s reach is scary too. As education integrates with digital tech, privacy risks rise. Safeguards are vital to protect student data and ensure responsible use. The access to technology varies and may become a reason for the widening educational disparities. Social isolation may increase with excessive digital reliance, impacting not only the interpersonal skills. This may lead to a hoard of psychological issues and ensuing problem in classroom, family and society. Navigating these challenges is crucial for ethical and inclusive digital education.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-web-30-important-todays-evolving-world-how-changes-nextupgrad

Assistive Technology: How does it help?

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For many years, in my division, assistive technology really meant that students could be issued a laptop that was designated for only their use. While this is a great use of technology, I did not realize the amount of other assistive technology that was out there! Students that were issued laptops were typically issued headphones that had microphones attached or two separate pieces. As we have advanced our technology and as students grow older, the headsets and mics have been phased out. Students usually have their own sleeker versions. 

I have often used many different programs for students as part of best practices; however, they are considered Assistive Technology. For example, Google Read&Write is an extension on Chromebook that I teach my students to use. This extension has the ability to make web articles accessible to all students. Students can enable the text-to-speech function so they can listen while reading along; text and picture dictionary for words that need explaining; word prediction when writing; speech to text to dictate writing; collect highlights from documents or the web when researching; and copy summarize text to new page without ads that can be distracting for students.

In the school I am in now, each of our classrooms is equipped with a sound system, including two different mics. One is to wear around your neck like a necklace, the other is a headset, like Madonna or Britney Spears wear. We choose the one to wear around our necks as it is the easiest to wear. However, this is one of the best Assistive Technologies that I have been able to use. I also teach in a double classroom with another teacher and 57 students. Using the mic eliminates the need to speak loudly all day long; all students can hear me, no matter where they are sitting in the classroom; and for the sake of fitting in, no student needs to feel different from anyone else because of a piece of equipment.

With many, many EAL learners in my school and classroom, I have noticed students bringing their own Assistive technology that our division has never provided. Several students have brought to school Cpens. They have shown me the functions and how they assist them everyday. Knowing the number of EAL students in our school system, it would be great if more students could have access to these. Several students also have their own phones with apps installed that will allow them to take a picture of a document and translate immediately to their native language. 

Assistive technology helps to level the playing field for students, like glasses do for people that need them. As it is evolving, software, apps and cheaper hardware is making assistive technology more accessible to students and school divisions. On the other hand, computers, FM systems, sound systems and newer tech like Cpens are expensive. It is up to the student and teacher to work together to find out what is needed and works best.

Assistive Technology – My Experience

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According to the Disabilities Education Act Assistive technology is “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities”. This is a very descriptive definition except it only takes into account children with disabilities. In my experience all types students might need or benefit from assistive technology. At Central Collegiate we have a lot of English as an additional language learners who don’t have a disability but they can understand so much more clearly with these technologies. Therefore, the definition from the World health organization fits a little better for my practice so far. “Assistive products help maintain or improve an individual’s functioning related to cognition, communication, hearing, mobility, self-care and vision, thus enabling their health, well-being, inclusion and participation.”

The issues I have come across is not having enough hands-on deck or space to support our students who struggle whether they have disabilities, or they are learning English or they are neurodivergent thinkers. Hence, this assistive technology replaces a scribe, or a reader for activities or assessment. As there are more and more students that need supports to be more successful, we will either need to buy more subscriptions to supportive software, physical tools to help or have more adults in a classroom. The assistive technology I have used the most in my high school classes is google read and write, speech to text software, and google translate features on docs. Speech to text software is great for students with ADHD to help them get all their ideas down by speaking rather than typing, same for my students who struggle to write and type. The technology that was shown in the presentation was called immersive reader and this was such a neat tool to replace a person for a student with dyslexia. Instead of having a reader a student could use earphones with a chromebook to listen or use the line reader aspect to support themselves. This is the exact reason and importance for this technology, is to help students become more independent regardless of their limitations.

https://www.knowlarity.com/blog/an-exhaustive-guide-on-text-to-speech-software

However, there are limitations with these technologies. Firstly that students need to have independent instructions on how to use these tools. They then need to practice them and when other students don’t need to do this sometimes it is an issue. There seems to be a lot of comparison in my grade 9 and 10 classes when I try to use these technologies. Kids do not want to be different. My language learners really are happy about the support but my students that need those adaptations to be more successful they seem to rather not do well than be different. The other issue is the space. Students to use text to speech will need an alternate environment and we have no room at Central. There are no where for kids to go with adult supervision and a quiet environment. There is always that adult needed to support. Sometimes kids don’t want to leave the room because again they look different. I have tried getting all kids to try this technology with their phones to show that is normal to use different tools for writing. Still hasn’t helped a few of my students. According to the Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams video, students should learn these skills from a very young age to foster independence as they get older. I think this would help with some of these embarrassment issues. I speak to students about equity vs equality when they notice differences, we speak about all different people need different things. But they seem to compare often so kids would rather not use the tool and not do well than be different. I have tried getting students to then try these things at home, but then there is the issue of accessibility, wifi and the parent having to know how to use the technology as well.

I am not sure how to go about the needing space or relieving embarrassment around assistive technology in my high school classes. Any suggestions?

ECI 833 – “How do you know what you Know?”

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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.

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Models-of-Self-Concept-that-are-Neither-Top-Down-or-Hattie/beaadff694619622d0101925281f3a019bb5a3e7

“Assessment is not a spreadsheet, it’s a conversation.”

https://medium.com/learning-re-imagined/assessment-is-not-a-spreadsheet-its-a-conversation-3d743c754809

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.

All Assessment is Valuable

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“Assessment is not a spreadsheet, it’s a conversation”, stated by the late teacher, Joe Bower. I think he is saying summative assessment with a number or letter attached to is not good assessment or depiction of what a student has learned. Instead, he imagines assessment as a lifelong process and it is never finished, hence it isn’t about what is learned but what learning has occurred and how to move forward. I mostly agree however what he is saying is easier said then done, and I think the “spread sheet” isn’t all bad.

I always tell my students there are 3 reasons for what you learn in high school: one, to help you learn ideas about the world, formulate your own ideas, and explore new ideas; two, to inspire interest in certain subjects or ideas; and three, to teach you different skills in the process of learning different things; how to manage time, how to collaborate, problem solve, critically think and so forth. This is just my personal philosophy I have used to make sense or our education system and to explain to students why they are learning what they learn.

Because this is my idea I believe our curriculum does have valuable outcomes and we should assess them, hence we do need summative assessment. Depending on the goal or outcome giving a range of what the student may know at that point and time helps them know how well they learned the topic. For very content-based outcomes this works! Here is an example: “Distinguish between physical and chemical properties of common substances, including those found in household, commercial, industrial, and agricultural applications.” If a student got an 80 % on the assessment for this outcome it tells me and them they get the concepts 80 % of the time. In the world of assessment tools. A multiple choice assessment tool like zipgrade might work just fine for this outcome to determine a students ability to distinguish this. It is an efficient way for teachers sto save some time! Kahoot, blooket and quiz multiple choice programs on socrative are all great to practice these concepts because of hte wide variety of premade quizzes. Time saver for teachers and fun for students. Everybody is hatin’ on this a little, however science knowledge can be objective hence this is a great way for the teacher to assess a students abilities to distinguish this information. Even if we wanted to remove grades for specific concepts it would be difficult.

I do live in the high school world where students need certain classes and certain grades to get into the program of their choice. So removing grades is impossible at this point in education. University, and secondary programs still need numbers on a spreadsheet called a high school transcript to determine if someone is eligible for a certain program. On the other hand I wish there was more options for students, those that know they were not heading to post secondary it would be great to have pass fail courses based on a variety of outcomes that hit these different categories that I believe are most important. Number two is really important hence why choice for students is key.

We need to inspire and motivate our students and studies show grades don’t do that. Relevance does. The problem is some of these outcomes are not interesting to students and have no motivation to learn anything about them. So, if we were to completely change to only formative and remove grades there would need to be more choice for students. This would help build intrinsic motivation. This would help students to be excited about what they are learning and maybe students would be even more inspired! If we remove grades and continue with the curriculum we have it will not work.

In this article, Pendergast et al. goes onto say that objective ideas aren’t as valuable as skills. I agree that, sometimes the content is not as valuable moving forward in life as the process of getting there. However, it is still a duty as teachers to asses the outcome. But is it a duty to summatively assess the outcome? I think so? Correct me if I am wrong. So, should we be assessing their effort, or the skill of just distinguishing and not worry about the content at all? According to this article yes.

I think the third one is what has gotten lost sometimes.   Learning should be exploration, engagement, discovery, analyzation and creation. Hence we should assess these processes. This is where some amazing assessment tools can come in because be honest, formative assessment with personal feedback is the ultimate goal. However, the amount of time given to teachers to assess this way is -1,000,000 hours. That is what it feels like anyway. Although, there is some great tools to help with this. I was very impressed by the Brisk Teaching Chrome Extension. It could give extremely accurate and thorough feedback based on your rubric instantly. It gave positive feedback as well as next steps on how to improve and continue growing and that is exactly what students need.

What we felt like before Brisk Teaching

 All types of assessment is valuable from tests, assignments or questions on content, to rubrics evaluating ones process and opinions, exploration and creation. Some should be assessed by how much effort was put in by the teacher, self assessed, or peer assessed. The means of how we asses should also have variety as well like conversations, projects, observations, questions, team work and so forth. The key is look at the outcome but also look at the big picture and this will guide you in assessment.

EC&I 833 – Web Evolution

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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.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/crypto-101-part-5-web-1-vs-2-3-erik-frederiksen

And here is one more infographic that shares an interesting perspective of the web blueprints.

https://bertugcaliskan.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/diffrences-between-web-1-0-web-2-0-and-web-3-0/

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.

Evolving.

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I am old enough to remember life before Web 1.0 became a useful tool in education. 

I am old enough to remember when my high school first got the internet and we could sign up for 15 minute time slots. But we had no idea what to do once we were signed into the internet! What were we supposed to do? Look for? Search for?

I am old enough to remember when Facebook was new and controversial. And we could download free music on Limewire or Napster. It took FOREVER but it was FREE! Once Facebook and Twitter became a part of most people’s lives, new apps were being introduced quickly. Some apps were more prevalent or popular than others such as Instagram and Snapchat. But what they have in common is the social aspect. These apps were a different way for people to socialize through social media. Suddenly people could keep in touch with one another all over the world. Or could meet new people with seemingly minimal risk.

This technology quickly entered the educational world. Teaching in a Web 2.0 educational world has been fun, challenging and diverse. Students have gone from textbook learning to the world at their fingertips! If we do not know the answer, Google it. It’s an adjective now. Google it. 

Students and teachers are learning together rather than teachers being the sole owner of knowledge. The teacher’s role has changed to become the facilitator and guide in the classroom. This creates independence in the student and takes the ownership of learning from the student out of the teachers hands and gives it to the student. While this sounds wonderful, in theory, there are drawbacks. 

  • Not all students have equal access to the same resources. 
  • Not all students are mature enough to handle the responsibility of “owning” their learning. They need someone to tell them what to do and be more than a guide in the classroom.
  • Discovering information together is ok, but sometimes students need an expert in the field they are studying. They need a strong point of reference so they can question. The internet can only provide so much.

Web 3.0 will expand our knowledge and our boundaries regarding technology in the classroom. Students and teachers are already taking advantage of Generative AI in very creative and useful ways. We are already connected to the Internet of Things; however, how we use this in an educational setting will be something to explore. Web 3.0 seems like it will take the commodification of education to the next level as it relies on a ‘token’ system. The idea that teachers could potentially share their knowledge and resources with each other on a token based marketplace is wonderful; however, it relies on the permission of the community!

Using Web 3.0 in the classroom relies on an expansive skills and knowledge set from the teacher to be passed to the student. Students no longer just need to know basic computer skills; rather, they need to be able to understand and potentially build Blockchains! Also, students will need to understand that digital citizenship is critical. Students will need to keep their personal information PRIVATE! In Web 3.0, compromising your personal information could be devastating. It is also important to remember that there are people on the internet with bad intentions. Using Web 3.0 is a decentralized network and this will make cyber criminals even harder to stop and catch.

ECI 833 – Online and Blended Learning Tools and their Relevance

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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.

Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels.com

1. Google Classroom.

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.

2. Screencastify.

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.

3. YouTube

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.

Thanks for reading!

The Productivity suites: suit the Education

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10 Best Productivity Apps for Students

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, declares in Article 26, that, Education is a fundamental right, however, many around the world still don’t have it. The Evolution of the Virtual and Online learning has disrupted the comfort zones of many people around the world. Factors like climate change, economic struggles, and health issues have added to these struggles in many ways. But as said:  

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein 

And here’s where technology steps in to save!

Today, I feel, digital productivity tools are like superheroes for education. These tools give the power to create, problem-solve, and express like never before. They’re not just about getting stuff done quicker; they’re about unlocking creativity so then whether it’s building models, organizing thoughts, collecting data, or showcasing the work. Productivity and creativity tools support users in constructing models, publishing, planning and organizing, mapping concepts, generating material, collecting data, developing and presenting other creative works (Paulus et al., 2013; Tsatsou, 2016; Oloyede and Ofole, 2016; Egbert and Shahrokni, 2022).  

I was prompted to write this blog as a part of my Study program, coincidently I have always been grateful to the productivity suite especially Google and its paraphernalia, Microsoft office, Teams, Zoom, Canva, Jamboarding, MentiMeter…….These have been my favourite eversince because I feel I can multitask more effectively and efficiently, I can reach out to my trainees despite the geographical differences.

I personally feel, in the contemporary times what has eased the learning process is the administration part both from the Teacher, institution and student side. With the advent of Google and Microsoft It’s practically like carrying all my books and stuff with me wherever I go, I am in touch with my teachers, Institute and classmates wherever I am and moreover I can today sit and write my blogs during my lunch breaks at my workplace. Accomplishing study goals, work goals has become super easy with technology. This affects a lot of other areas of life, like managing the work life balance, managing everyday stress, managing time and connecting people effortlessly. That is why probably Connectivism is one of the prominent Learning Theory nowadays in the Education space   

While I was writing this blog and searching on google, I came across this video on Youtube titled:

The Paperwork explosion

IBM’s, corporate video delves into how their technology aims to enhance people’s productivity by 50%. There’s a line towards the end of the film that runs, “IBM machines can do the work so that people have time to think. Machines should do the work, that’s what they’re best at. People should do the thinking, that’s what they’re best at.” 

And 50+ years down the line now, It’s the productivity suites, that do the work and spare us some more time. 

An intriguing aspect about the rise of productivity suites is, the comprehensive ecosystems that has catered to the increasing demand of work and have been an answer to the massive disruption. Initially, productivity suites primarily consisted of word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation software. However, with advancements in technology and the increasing demands of modern work environments, these suites have expanded to incorporate a wide array of features and functionalities. 

Eversince the collaboration tools became part of productivity suites, the world has shrunk further. People can easily connect across work and education. Real-time collaboration features like Google Docs, Zoom, MS Teams, canvas design, and others have revolutionized teamwork, overcoming distance barriers and  fostering seamless communication. 

Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms into productivity suites have remarkably accentuated their efficiency. AI-powered features, such as predictive text, smart suggestions, and automated workflows, help in saving time and reducing manual work. 

Productivity tools have contributed to education in many ways. It’s worthwhile to think: What methodologies result in better knowledge gain? And How can teachers and learners benefit and how this Treasure Trove be uncovered?  

Prudent teachers employ various methods like: working in groups, giving lessons in bite sized pieces so that students can build up on them, sharing ways that the productivity tools can be used for better results, creating a connect between institutions and students to better facilitate the purpose of learning. When designing cooperative computer-based strategies, teachers must deal with issues such as the size of the groups,equity concerns,and software that is designed for individual use. However the good comes with some bad too! Because these tools are like ATM- that add value to users, people can learn at their pace, anytime, anywhere therefore people seek information more than they seek knowledge. This may lead to over reliance on these tools and students may undermine the importance of cognitive skills, social skills. 

The cost and sustainability of using this type of infrastructure may not be affordable for all and may lead to social, emotional, moral and digital gaps. Another important concern is the The collection, storage, and sharing of student data through digital platforms which has raised privacy concerns regarding the protection of sensitive information and potential misuse by third parties. 

Yet for me they are no less than a magic wand. I can create these kind of simple images in a jiffy 🙂

References

Oloyede, G. K., & Ogunwale, G. J. (2022). Digital productivity tools as a necessity in education, research and career in the 21st century. In Proceedings of the 31st Accra Bespoke Multidisciplinary Innovations Conference. Accra, Ghana: University of Ghana/Academic City University College (pp. 1-6). 

An Engaging Pedagogy “Sesame Street”

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“Sesame Street” undermines what the traditional idea of schooling represents.” When I read this statement of Neil Postman, I wanted to read what he had to say about the different forms of education prevailing throughout the history. The reason was also because I was intrigued by his article- Postman, N. (1998). Five things we need to know about technological change. http://Recuperado de http://www. sdca. org/sermons_ mp3/2012/121229_postman_5Things. pdf.

So when I started reading the back ground for: “Sesame Street” undermines what the traditional idea of schooling represents.” I was amusingly-interested in reading the backdrop of this book, the works of Marshall McLuhan and Neil postman; both the writers felt that media has the potential to bring about change, however their perspectives differed. For Mc Luhan, his “the medium is the message” approach emphasized qualities of media and technologies with their varied repercussions on human perception and behavior. Postman critiqued how media was affecting cultural and educational theory. He was concerned with the effect of television, and its impact on education, public discourse, and the erosion of critical thinking skills. McLuhan spoke about the transformative potential of new media technologies. He believed that technological innovations, including television, had the power to reshape society and create new forms of communication and community. Postman’s idea of Classroom was that of a place of interaction whereas it was becoming a space in front of the TV. The two significant concepts mentioned here are:  there’s the shift of responsibility from human educators to an entertainment medium. Secondly, there’s the shift from a social learning environment, like the classroom, to a solitary one, in front of a screen. Over three decades later, these issues remain unchanged. Whereas skimming through the various works of Postman- Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology” (1992), “The Disappearance of Childhood” (1982), I felt Postman was more skeptical of the impact of television and other media technologies. He warned against the uncritical adoption of technology and argued that certain forms of media, particularly television, were contributing to the erosion of traditional forms of knowledge and critical thinking.

Postman’s 1985 book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in today’s world is bound to lose the lustre. In our everyday life as we wake up the smartphone has many apps to take care of our time, workout, To do’s, health, travel, so on and so forth. Segregating technology from today’s world means separation from the world.

One thing I do agree with Postman is that: “Parents need to regulate how much time their children can watch television and what they can watch, what films they can see and even what records they can have. They must talk to their children a lot about what they are exposed to in these media. If parents are paying considerable attention to what’s happening, then I think it’s possible to provide children with a childhood.

But, if you are too busy or your life circumstances, for whatever reason, don’t permit that, then NBC, CBS, Steven Spielberg, Coca-Cola, and Procter and Gamble will simply do the job.”

Postman continues:

This does not mean that “Sesame Street” is not educational. It is, in fact, nothing but educational—in the sense that every television show is educational. Just as reading a book—any kind of book —promotes a particular orientation toward learning, watching a television show does the same. “The Little House on the Prairie,” “Cheers” and “The Tonight Show” are as effective as “Sesame Street” in promoting what might be called the television style of learning. And this style of learning is, by its nature, hostile to what has been called book-learning or its handmaiden, school-learning. (p. 144)

If against this backdrop we view the contemporary world, how knowledge is imparted, how learning happens, especially after the onslaught of IOT, connectivity and then Pandemic; we can practically operate, learn, and educate ourselves with media being the prominent factor. I feel the key to calibrating what works what doesn’t (Faustian Bargain) makes all the difference. The various ways of imparting education today seem kind of indispensable, which can be MOOC, Virtual classrooms, Social Media, video sessions, etc. Change has been constant ever since; if we look back in the history; in the 5th century BC, the 1st change came when the Oral culture shifted to alphabet- writing culture, the second was in 16th Century with printing press, the 3rd is with EdTech.  

http://elearninginfographics.com/the-history-of-classroom-technology-infographic/1

A lot of education for all age groups is not just imparted through various Educational websites, Social Media, LMS…rather online element always exists in one form or the other.  The need for paper notebooks is almost fading. And I think this is what Postman dreaded. While the most common objects in the 20th century classroom consisted of slates, boards, pens, sheets of paper, chairs and desks, personal digital devices have become central objects in today’s BYOD schools. In the BYOD model the devices that are used for education are owned by students and which have their personal stuff, stored onto these devices, to school (Carvalho et al. 2016).  Henceforth the digital media brings loads of distraction for the students and that in some way affects the quality of education too

References

Willis, D. J. (1987). Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business [Review of Technological Media, from Message to Metaphor: An Essay Review of Neil Postman’s

“Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business,” by N. Postman]. Journal of Thought, 22(1), 58–60. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42589207

Carvalho, L., Goodyear, P., and de Laat, M. (2016). Place-Based Spaces for Networked Learning. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315724485