My ETEC 565 Course Synthesis is complete.
After reflecting, I have been able to gain perspective on the amount of learning that has occurred throughout this course.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of it.
Dave
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Constructivist message
An inspiring constructivist message from the video:
“We have moved beyond right or wrong. If you can find evidence to support your answer – it has been a valuable process.”
http://www.edutopia.org/ferryway-ironworks-integrated-studies-video
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An Introduction to Arduino
My Moodle Page is ready to be populated. I feel confident that I have satisfied the dreaded Selective Release requirement!
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Selective Release Moodle
Selective release can be accomplished through a number of mechanisms with our version of Moodle. Three ways that I have done this is through:
1. Time Constraints – Assessment is set to be released on a specified date (September 29 at 8:00am).
2. Group Constraints – Through group settings, things like Forums can be selectively released to only members of a group.
3. Specific Grouping Constraints – In the “Grouping” feature of “Groups,” you can setup specific groups to be in specific groupings. Certain activities can be selectively release to groups of a specified grouping.
4. Lessons – Moodle’s “Lessons” have the feature to release them at a specific date. There are also options to release them based on prior performance on a previous lesson. This is likely the easiest option.
The second version of my Story was produced using Tikatok. I found this tool to be extremely intuitive in its design and there were no issues with connectivity lag. The idea behind Tikatok is to create a digital book, with pages that can be turned in either direction and words or pictures on either side. They design captivates simplicity, reminiscent of a large picture book and this feature that is very inviting. This simplicity really attracted me to this medium because the intended audience for my story are my nephews who are between the ages of 6 and 10. I feel that they would really connect with the book feeling and it would be something I would feel comfortable reading with them before bedtime (as opposed to a high energy video).
Dave
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The Internet Never Forgets…
The generation growing up is the first to have their entire lives digitized and cataloged in a lossless form. The ease at which information is recorded, documented, and searchable will only increase – we may be held accountable for all our actions, all of the time, for eternity.
We will not solve this problem by blocking content or pretending that it is private. Emails seem private but can be blasted into the public realm so easily. Classroom conversations seem private until a participant recites the discussion (or a manipulated version of it) to their parents or media.
I believe we are going to solve this issue through a change in our society. We will move to a place of greater understanding and empathy and realize that people can change their views. We will become less reactive and judgmental to what someone said in the past and understand that they can grow and change. (if there was a video of all the dumb things I have said or done…)
As we move in this direction, we need to educate our students of the need for thoughtfulness and caution as they spill themselves into the digital and non-digital world. We can do this best through leveraging the public realm in a semi-controlled, facilitated environment of a classroom.
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The Practice of Collaboration
This experience with Wikis was really valuable for me. I have always been drawn to the thought of collaborative creation and the idea that people want to share their expertise with others. One could make a logical argument that asking people to contribute to a document that had no ownership, without financial incentive, and modifiable by everyone would be foolish and the quality of work that would result would be poor. Today we are fortunate to find that collaborative creations such as Wikis are flourishing.
The Wiki project with the class was a nice change from the traditional multi-threaded forums. Having a shared single page for the discussion became crowded at first glance, but eventually rules and conventions developed that brought order to the madness. Some advanced members of the group shared wisdom and links regarding wiki etiquette and the scaffolding helped to develop skills in the rest of us.
There was an issue that hindered the ability of the document to truly function like a Wiki should. Some authors attached their names to their contributions in the actual wiki document. The practice is understandable, as participants would like credit for their work, and may be indicative of a generation of schooling where names needed to be attached to be rewarded with credit. This practice is detrimental to a wiki, which should be able to grow, adapt and develop with users, as it creates a situation where other users are hesitant to modify the signed work of someone else.
For a Wiki to harness its true power, authors must acknowledge that their work become part of the collective project and resist from personalizing it or attaching names for credit.
“It is amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares about who gets the credit.”
– Robert Yates
5 key Strategies to engaging students using social media
| # | Theme | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Teach Responsibility | Instead of banning devices, leverage an authoritarian style to teach digital responsibility and appropriate use of technology. |
| 2. | Participation | Focus on creating a learner centered environment in which each student has a voice. Make personal contact with each student and encourage participation. Allow students to realize they are not just consumers of information, they are a part of creating it. |
| 3. | Expand Learning | Provide opportunities for students to meet and become experts in their area of study to encourage authentic learning and extend learning beyond classroom walls. Use social media to foster innovation. |
| 4. | Collaboration | Encourage collaboration by providing opportunities for students to work together to arrive at solutions to open ended questions. |
| 5. | Lifelong Learning | Extend learning beyond school hours by inviting students to plan and organize synchronous meeting times for information sharing, problem solving, and progressing with project completion. |
5 key Challenges to engaging students using social media
| # | Theme | Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Privacy | There are risks of privacy violations. |
| 2. | Preexisting Culture | Teachers need to learn how to step back and allow the social media to be learning driven. |
| 3. | New Methods of Old Behaviors | Social media can be used to facilitate undesirable behaviors such as cyber-bullying and personal attacks. |
| 4. | Distraction | Students may be distracted by affordances of technology which may detract from the learning objective and disrupt the class. |
| 5. | Equitable Access | Access to the tools and training required for participation in technology related activities may be inequitable. |
In my classroom, the most impactful ‘sighting’ of Social media is in the form of Wikipedia. This resource is constantly referenced to fact check, by both myself and my students, to inquire into topics that are beyond the textbook or collective knowledge of the classroom. Although as a class we do not often contribute to the actual wikipedia pages, there is a general understanding that these projects are collaborative and have been created by a wide collection of people around the world. I feel this helps give credibility to the concept of constructivism and the understanding that knowledge is created through the efforts of many.
Opportunities
– Individuals can contribute to the collective knowledge
Challenges
– There can be a hesitation to use social media due to the persistent idea that it lacks credibility due to its collectivist roots.
The Moodle quiz and the reflection can be found on the Assessment page. I have allowed for guest access into the Moodle site, please use the quiz to self-assess your understanding of the Arduino System Introduction.