I thought, and thought, and thought about this assignment 100 times over before I actually got started. I wanted to make a story that wasn’t a lesson but of course had some kind of hidden lesson in it that I could teach my students, kids or anyone really. I originally was going to talk about my family and having twins and life with kids but I didn’t see how relevant that would be to share in the classroom especially since I do like some privacy. It is nice to connect my students with my home life but not too much. It is a balance.
From there, the next biggest part of my life is Pitching. I am a softball pitcher and instructor and do this 3 nights a week as well as play. So as you can imagine this is a big part of my current life. I started to reflect on this journey of mine and realized that it has taken me on so many paths and all of those paths connect back to teaching in some shape or form. I teach softball in my gym with my grade 3 students as I am so passionate about it that it really gets my students fired and eager. I also share my softball story with my students, simply because they admire it. They love it, seeing pictures of me pitching makes them so excited and often times they look up to me more or can connect with me better knowing this side of my life and the path I chose. I earn their respect and they suddenly realize that hard work can actually take them places. Maybe becoming a professional in the NHL or NFL is less realialistic, doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. Every little grade 3 student dreams of being a professional athlete so this really helps them realize that they can achieve this.
Also, my first teaching job I went through my interview and my VP asked why I put my softball career information on my resume. I explained that by playing a high level of sport and by being a pitcher I have leadership skills, drive, determination and by being a team player I understand collaboration and the importance of communication. I got the job, and he still reminds me that this is why. Me being an athlete got me my first teaching job. So you see it is all connected in one way or another.
I decided to follow the ‘process’ as laid out by Siemens as my guideline. He explained process in sections as followed
Process
The following are the steps involved in selecting media type to achieve learning outcomes:
- Determine the outcome. What will the student be required to do/demonstrate/produce at the conclusion of the lesson/module/unit
- Rate the outcome according to Bloom’s Taxonomy (or similar taxonomy detailing levels of understanding)
- Determine media characteristics (see below)
- Select media based on availability, expense, time, expertise, and general considerations (bandwidth, technology (i.e. do learners have video/sound cards))
I took his framework to heart where putting together this assignment. In particular, he states “Each media type and format has it’s own strengths and weaknesses. The plethora of options available presents a challenge and an opportunity. Instructors have an incredible wealth of resources to use in order to improve the learner experience. Yet, using the wrong media to achieve outcomes (try learning how to prepare an omelet through only text…or learning critical thinking through an audio resource that doesn’t allow time for reflection) is a frustrating experience for the learner and the instructor. Proper integration of media formats presents students with rich, varied learning…and minimizes the weaknesses of each format.” This was important for me as I wanted something clean lined and to the point. I wanted to be able to use music, pictures and text but also something that was visually appealing. I was disappointed by the watermark as well as the cost to sign up for this platform as it is far too expensive to pay for unless you plan on using it far more frequently than I intended. But overall, Siemens framework and explanation helped guide me to select the best media to use to get my story across.
It was fun to be able to go back and remember these days, tell my story and give people a glimpse into my softball life. I thought long and hard about a platform and settled on Animoto after reading reviews. Overall, it works I could easily use it with my class as it is very basic. I didn’t like that it only allowed me to write 40 characters per slide and that the watermark is across the pages. BUT the simplicity and the animation really spoke to me as I like that it seems like you are flipping through an old scrapbook.
I really enjoyed this presentation, the reflection this assignment has encouraged me to do and exploring a new platform that I can easily use with my grade 3 classroom.
Please enjoy my Softball Digital Story below :
All images are my own except for Softball Canada’s. I have permission to use this image as I am a CANpitch certified Instructor with the program.
Siemens, G. (2003). Evaluating media characteristics: Using multimedia to achieve learning outcomes. Elearnspace. Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/mediacharacteristics.htm