Monthly Archives: November 2016

Final Reflection

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Mr. Danny Tulk

ETEC 565A

Final Reflection

November 25, 2016

ETEC 565A has been a great experience for me, as has most of the MET program. After rereading and reflecting on my initial flight plan and how its elements where achieved or altered during my progress though the course, I can say that it was a purposeful and successful experience. However, as with most endeavors in my career, education, and life in general, plans change and evolve and my not work out exactly how I originally planed. This is in no way a negative phenomenon, merely the understanding that as teachers and students we need to be adaptive and that is the process of learning.

In my initially flight plan I had planed to, among other elements, try a build my understanding in the following areas;

  • Create or find a simple framework that can be applied to tech and social media to evaluate their effectiveness in the class.
  • Develop, or find, best practices for using tech in the classroom and what steps need to be taken by a teacher or school to use it effectively.
  • Gain new tech tools (apps, software, hardware, etc…) that will enhance my own pedagogy and that of teachers in my school.

Each of the above mentioned goals were addressed during my term, maybe not exactly how I had thought, but that is how we learn. Rather then a protracted write up for this reflection, I have decided to take each of the above mentioned goals from my flight plan and explore how each has been addressed during the course.

Create or find a simple framework that can be applied to tech and social media to evaluate their effectiveness in the class.

This was the first goal that was addressed, and addressed in a few ways. In these first weeks’ readings, we were introduced the Bates SECTIONS model of applying technology to the classroom. I have come back to this reading on multiple times throughout this course, primarily in our groups rubric assignment and on the reflection of my own learning space and why I chose Google Classroom and GoAnimate.com. I have been exposed to a few other assessment tools throughout this class. But, I have found that the SECTIONS model to be the most concise and efficient at reflecting on and evaluating the use of a digital source or tool in the classroom. I have actually applied this tool to the class as well as my actual practice in how we use social media, using a new app developer, and contrasting Google vs. Microsoft as well as Epson, Smart, and Promethean smart devices. It has proven to be a great tool both academically and practically.

Develop, or find, best practices for using tech in the classroom and what steps need to be taken by a teacher or school to use it effectively.

This goal stands up as the one that was most comprehensively addressed throughout the class. Each unit and subsequent weeks’ readings added to my understanding of how to better use technology in my practice. From Application lessons, evaluation lessons, assessment lessons, and exposure to new tools. I must admit that the elements of the class that seemed to best fit with my actual practice and learning came from my interaction with the readings and exploring what my colleagues felt about each lesson. The combination of academics and practical reflections made for great combination.

The discussions and readings regarding Digital Citizenship in Module 4 were very effective as I explored the readings and my colleague’s reflections on how they use technology in the classroom and combat the rise in copyright infringement and appropriate technology use. This is something I have been combating in my school and practice and have been able to take many of the ideas and lesson from this course and put them into practice, or at the least reflect on my school and how we can better use Social Media and teach our kids about digital etiquette and citizenship. I recently used the readings Using the SECTIONS framework to evaluate flash media (Boyes, J., Dowie, S., & Rumzan, I. 2005), How Twitter can be used as a powerful educational tool (November, A. 2012) and Teaching in a Digital Age (Bates, 2014) in combination what other classmates said in a discussion with my students and staff. We used these to talk about the problems and rising incidents of taking ideas from the Internet and using them without citation. It was also a catalyst for a discussion with the student body, along with the RCMP, about proper social media use and sharing of personal photos.

The concept of co-operative learning and the on-line learning community has proven to be an integral part of my experience in ETEC 565a and the greater MET program.

Gain new tech tools (apps, software, hardware, etc…) that will enhance my own pedagogy and that of teachers in my school.

This has been my ultimate goal in the MET program; I always try to bring new tech and ideas from each class that can enhance my actual practice. It is always great when academic outcomes have direct practical application. Throughout this class, I have had been exposed to many different tools such as wordpress, MOOCs, on-line assessment, and video making programs to name a few.

The true highlight came with my Learning Module assignment and the exploration of LMS that came with the Spiro reading on LMS (Porto, S. 2015). In this assignment, I got the chance to work with the LMS Google Classroom. This came a great learning tool and benefit. Firstly, I am my schools tech director and we have recently moved to the Google platform and many teachers have questions about its use. Prior to the course I was behind the on learning curve and it was hard to find time to learn the platform. The time in this class have me that opportunity and it has already paid dividends with helping teachers and students with their own Google classroom accounts.

The other great benefit of learning on Google Classroom was the ability to develop a practical classroom utility and not just a project for a grade. I actually teach the course that I developed from assignment 3 and 4 and have begun using the materials I developed with my class to develop and blended classroom where students received the traditional Face-to-Face lesson, but are able to augment these lessons with the resources on Google Classroom. I have used the on-line assessment, sign-ups, and lessons and it has proven to be a beneficial and valuable addition to my practice.

Over all it has been a beneficial experience in ETEC 565a and has met the goals of the flight plan that I devised at the onset of the class.

Moving Forward: 

            Moving forward from here, I have full intention to fully embrace the Google Classroom platform in my classes and the school. As the tech director, I am also putting off PLC (Professional Learning Community) sessions that will help my late adopter teachers embrace the Google Classroom. I have also discussed the SECIONS model with my districts tech department in regards to evaluating new tech we may be using. I also plan on working with the staff to introduce and begin implementing lessons on digital copyright, citizenship, and etiquette into their classes.

In relation to exploring new tech, I have been working on growing the use of Social Media in the school to communicate and advertise the great things that are going on at Westwood High School (facebook: westwood community high school Fort McMurray, Twitter: @wwhighschool, Instgram, wwhighschool). I am also working on using the new augmented reality app Aurasma in the school to help students learn in a more tech-enabled environment. However, as mentioned in this weeks post, technology moves at such a rapid pace and the new horizons are often not what we expect. So, the reality is, moving forward I will be open to new tech trends as they arise and apply my acquired evaluation methods to find the best way and ones to implement in my school and personal practice.

References:

 

Bates. T. (2014). Teaching in a Digital Age. Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/5-8-assessment-of-learning/

Bates, T. (2014). Choosing and using media in education: The SECTIONS model. In Teaching in digital age. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/9-pedagogical-differences-between-media/

Boyes, J., Dowie, S., & Rumzan, I. (2005). Using the SECTIONS framework to evaluate flash media. Innovate Journal of Online Education, 2(1). Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.186.6505&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Porto, S. (2015). The uncertain future of Learning Management Systems. The Evolllution: Illuminating the Lifelong Learning Movement. Retrieved from

Spiro, K. (2014). 5 elearning trends leading to the end of the Learning Management Systems. Retrieved fromhttp://elearningindustry.com/5-elearning-trends-leading-to-the-end-of-the-learning-management-system

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assignment 4

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Danny Tulk

ETEC 565A 

Rationale for my Digital Story and breakdown on why I used GoAnimate.com

When deciding on which tool to use to develop my digital story, I took a little time and explored powtoons, ActivInspire, and Toondoo prior to going with GoAnimate as my chosen medium. The final decision to use GoAnimate was predicated by a few decisions that worked for me and my teaching style, these also seem to work within the frame work of Bates SECTIONS format (Bates, 2014). Below, I have broken down each segment of the SECTIONS model and how it applied to the use of GoAnimate and the Digital Story.

My Digital Story was used as a means of engaging the student and introducing them to myself, the benefits of playing music, and the fudimental elements of the class. It would be my hope that the video would help students feel comfortable with me and the course, as well as set the tone and expectations for the class.

 

 

S – Students I have always been an advocate for the idea that we need to teach where our students are.   The idea that, if you build it they will learn, does not seem to work, as we would like. I decided to use of graphics, music, and dialogue would make for a multi-media presentation that would engage and entertain students and be accessible from any internet connected device, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
E – Ease of Use This is another great benefit of Go Animate.

 

Ease of use for the Teacher: The program is very much a click and drag system with limitless customizations. However, the stock scene are varied and have built in graphics and timings that allow the teacher, or creator, to make video in a timely fashion without too much stress.

 

Ease for use for the Student: This is where the program really gets great. The videos are downloadable and can be shared in multiple formats and dozens of platforms directly from the site. Subsequently, students do not need to have special software, logins, or access to see the video. The Videos can easily be embedded into youtube, google, etc…
C – Cost Maybe the biggest downfall for the program. As teachers we are always looks to save or get a resource for free. However, GoAnimate is a private company and gets its money from subscribers. So I did have to pay $39 for the month. There is a Trial program that offers a limited version,   but it would not develop the quality I wanted.

 

The reality is that the price is not enough to dissuade me from using it and the add free and quick operation is actually rather nice and smooth. Also, the fee also covers the use of copyrighted images and music for videos.

 

Finally, there is no cost or the student to access the videos and the owner has the rights to use the video where he/she sees fit.
T – Teaching Function It makes a great tool for review or introducing topics, or the course in general.

 

In my instance and for my Digital Story. I used the video to introduce myself to the class, outline the benefits of playing music, and introduce the major topics of the class. It is a great way to break the ice, as it were, as well as set the tone and expectations for students.
I – Interaction The medium of video does not really offer interaction. The Digital Story is very much a sit a get example. However, they are encouraged in the first lessons of the class to create there own introductory video.
O – Organizational Issues No real issue here.   The only real problem I see it setting precedence for teachers spending their personal money on program and resources (which we all do already). There might also be an issue if your school district / organization has blocked websites or slow internet speed and fairly fast computer and internet connection is required to get the most of the program.

 

Also, as it is hosted completely on-line, you would need access. But, this also allows the user to access anywhere and on any device.
N – Networking This is another great use of the program, as it is on-line based, you are not ties to a specific workstation, network, or server. Also, it saves on there website so you can have access anywhere and there is no fear of having the project deleted.

 

Also, even after you have finished the assignment you can go back and access it     and make changes. In this way the format is able to evolve with the course,
S – Security and Privacy The program does not require much personal information, with the exception of a credit card, to use. You may upload your own photos, but may also use stock photos.

 

Once you download the video, it is just a file and no user need to login or access the site to see what you have created. So, your user name and info is safe and no private info needs to be shared.

 

There is always the risk of using a private company, but I have never had an issued with Go Animate.

Bates, T. (2014). Choosing and using media in education: The SECTIONS model. In Teaching in digital age. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/9-pedagogical-differences-between-media/