Here is the digital story that will be intergrated in my Content module for an online Grade 7 English class. In this module students have an opportunity to inquire about, synthesize, and respond to the role websites play in their lives. In this digital story, they will learn how to differenciate facts and opinions. The activities in the module will help you to become more media literate around the online content with which they interact.
Reflexion on Content Module – Véronique Brunet
Introduction
When I first began thinking about this assignment, I couldn’t help it but reflect on the group discussion we had in week 3 regarding Benoit’s decision in using either Blackboard or Moodle. Part of the task was to estimate how much time Benoit would need to develop his online version of the course.
Although I had access to some course content from teaching this course myself, face-to-face and from the Educational resource bank of Ontario (Online resources for teachers provided and validated by the ministry of Education), this assignment helped me realize the effort and attention that is required in transitioning content from a face-to-face teaching to an online learning course. The initial design process was similar to what I am used to in the classroom, a backward design approach (Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J, 1998, 2011). After identifying learning goals for the module (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2008) I developed assessment strategies that would help me better assess student learning in order to provide valuable descriptive feedback. Then, when I began to develop content for the module, I realized that this step had to be far more rigorous than with face-to-face instruction since there is no teacher to adapt or make up for missing information in the course.
The Choice of LMS
Looking at Bates SECTIONS model, I chose Connect as an LMS for my content module. The first element I considered was time, as we had to do in week 3 of this course with Benoit’s decision. Since I am already familiar with connect and with this type of LMS (I work in D2L daily), it would be timesaving to opt for this platform for design. I also had in mind student demographics and ease of use. The platform is accessible to anywhere with Internet access and fairly easy to use if a course is well designed. It is also a secure environment for students to access.
Assessment
Since it is an online course, technology had to be an important part of the assessment strategies (ISTE, 2008). Many factors had to be taken into account when choosing which tools to use for assessment. I wanted to integrate technology seamlessly into the learning process in an authentic way to increase student engagement (Nel, C., Dreyer, C., & Carstens, W. A. M., 2010), therefore, my choice of tools were the discussion forum and the Wiki in Connect and My Site for blogging in O365. In order to support students that may not be familiar with those tools, I provided them with support documents and links placed where the tools (Discussion forum, Wiki, My Site) are used for the first time in the Module.
The discussion forum is used throughout the module and the course. It is meant for students to collaborate and share ideas on different topics related to what they read and learn in the course. It is meant to create a sense of community within students which can have a positive impact on student learning as literacy educator Frank Smith (1998) explains, children “ learn from the company they keep”. Wiki is also a tool that will be beneficial to allow students to co-create documents without having to go to an external tool.
Since it is a language course, students will be doing reading and writing and I wanted them to be able to do it in an authentic collaborative context. Almost 90% of 12 to 17-year-old teenagers use text messaging applications on their phone or post in social media (Lenhart et Al., 2008) and do not think of this type of communication as real writing. Therefore, I opted for the blog as a means for students in the course to publish their writing assignments, as well as for peer-to-peer assessment. With Bates (2004) model in mind, I opted for My Site in O365 for its ease of use for students but also because students will be able to keep everything they publish beyond the end of the course, as opposed to the blog in Connect. My Site will also allow students to share posts with external users. Our board provides all of our students and staff with the cloud-based suite O365 which includes My Site, therefore, Grade 7 students will be familiar with its applications and functionalities.
I found it challenging to create a course that could be used for a Grade 7 online course in Ontario and that corresponded to all criteria for this assignment. The assessment and evaluation process is very specific in Ontario (Ontario ministry of Education, 2008). There is no breakdown of grades (like it is in post-secondary institutions or primary and secondary schools in other provinces). In Ontario, teachers are expected to assess students’ learning through a wide range of methods (observations, conversations, productions). Teachers cannot calculate an average (like 30% for assignments 1 and 20% for assessment 2 etc.). The mode (so the most frequent grade) and teacher’s professional judgment are to be used to give students’ final grade. Students are evaluated with grade levels (1 to 4) as per the evaluation criteria (that are co-constructed with students and added to the evaluation rubric).
Content and Presentation
I developed this content module with a group of Grade 7 students in mind. These students are French speaking and are registered in an English course. In Ontario, students can follow the English second language curriculum from grade 4 to grade 6. When they get to grade 7, they have to follow the regular English language curriculum which can be challenging for students in most areas of our school board.
One of the things I found challenging when creating the content module was deciding what to include in terms of introductory information at the beginning of the module. Unlike a face-to-face class setting, where students are able to ask questions for clarification immediately, in an online setting one must anticipate what might be more difficult for the students. Therefore, it seemed necessary to decide which type of information may be required to provide students with sufficient background information prior to their independent or collaborative learning activities, such as readings, blogging and discussions. Bates (2014) states that it is important make relevant core information easily available to students when designing a course. For this reason, I included a brief introduction at the beginning of the module and of each activity. To differentiate for students that are still struggling with language, I included a written and a video introduction. This allowed me to give an overview of the important content and tasks students have to accomplish and present the different tools that will be used.
In his article, Bates (2014) discusses the importance of student learning preferences. I wanted to include instructional material using video, text, images, interactive learning activities and the digital story as a means to provide a “range of options for students learning” (Bates, 2014).
According to Chow et al. (2012), high school students tend to scan online material when seeking information. Therefore, I paid close attention to how much text I included in each of the topics’ overview, making sure that only relevant material was being presented in order to avoid overwhelming students with too much information.
Reflection: A Digital Story
Creating a digital story was an interesting assignment. What I liked most about it was how it focused on creativity and allowed me to experiment with a variety of technologies. The effectiveness of a digital story depends on the actual story is to be told and how its author wants to present it (Boase, n.d.) trying to tell and how you present it.
I found it difficult to find a topic for my digital story in a language course. I absolutely wanted to avoid creating something that would be strictly descriptive or instructional, the story had to mean something and have a purpose in the module. Once I decided on my storyline, I then had to choose the proper tool to create it.
My goal was to create a story that would be interesting and appropriate for the students’ age group and that would have them reflect on the importance of differentiating facts and opinions in their everyday life and in what they read and see on the Internet.
Why was this the right tool for you to use to tell your story, from a pedagogical perspective? How did you purposefully select this for your storytelling tool, in pedagogical terms?
Deciding which tool to use to create my story was a learning experience on its own because it forced me to try various software and programs in searching for the right one. Using Bates’ SECTIONS (2014) proved to extremely useful once again in helping me to organize my ideas and rationalize my choice to use GoAnimate for Schools for the most part of this project. Here is a rational of my analysis using Bates model:
- Student: When considering the audience, I wanted to find a tool that would enable me to create something that was appropriate and engaging for a young teenager. I wanted my digital story to be told from a teenager’s perspective, so, it also needed to incorporate either cartoons or animation. Furthermore, students will have to create a digital story themselves in another module, so, GoAnimate for Schools was easy to use enough for students to use it in their own digital story later.
- Ease of use: In order to tell my story, I needed a program that would allow me to animate cartoons easily, without too much animation experience, add voices, create a setting and add sound effects and music. This was easily achieved in GoAnimate as sounds could be quickly uploaded and a good variety of images for cartoons and settings were provided with GoAnimate. Adding items was as easy as a simple click and drag to where I wanted them in the timeline. I was also able to edit the duration of each scene. One downside to GoAnimate is that the automated voices, Voxal Voice Changer. Using the free version of this software, I was able to record my own voice and modify it to adapt to the characters in my story. Then I could import the recordings in GoAnimate. GoAnimate is pretty straight forward to use. I had created one animation with it before and never had to consult any tutorials.Overall, when considering the ease of use, Go Animate was intuitive and did not require a lot of time to learn how to use it.
- Cost: GoAnimate For Schools is a Web-based program. A 14-day trial period is available. A single teacher can purchase a yearly subscription for 59$. Class subscriptions are also available so students can create and share their animated videos. My school already had a subscription to GoAnimate for schools, which made it a very affordable option for this assignment.
How would this story work within a course that you teach (or would like to teach) based on pedagogical arguments?
I think this story would work within the course for various reasons. Students are bombarded with information on the web, on social networks, on television. It is essential that they develop the ability to think critically about the information in front of them. In this first module, students are learning about Internet and media literacy. It is important that they are able to discern fact from an opinion in order to understand an author or a person’s perspective on a subject so they are able to think about it critically. The digital story will provide students with a different learning opportunity that would enable them to visually create meaning (Dreon et al., 2011) and engage with the content early on in the course. I believe this video could be useful in facilitating the learning process by providing students with visual aids with which they can create links between what they see and what they’ve read in a text.
By using this story, it would provide students with a different approach to learn some of the material and in turn, could help accommodate the varying learning styles or preferences (Bates, 2014). Furthermore, using media that engage more senses can help students make meaning from the experience and can facilitate the construction of new knowledge, making the lesson more memorable.
Conclusion
Overall, I found this assignment to be extremely useful in applying some of the knowledge acquired in this course. The assignment’s criteria (like the digital story) not a guided me in the project and encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and experiment with new technologies. I enjoyed the creativity this assignment allowed me while still being a valuable learning experience.
References
Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in a Digital Age (Chapter 8 on SECTIONS framework). Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage
Boase, C. (n.d.). Digital storytelling for reflection and engagement: a study of the uses and potential of digital storytelling [PDF Document]. Retrieved from https://gjamissen.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/boase_assessment.pdf
Chow, A. S., Smith, K. M., & Sun, K. (2012). Youth as Design Partners: Age-Appropriate Websites for Middle and High School Students. Educational Technology & Society, 35(3), 402-422.
Dreon, O., Kerper, R. M., & Landis, J. (2011). Digital Storytelling: A Tool for Teaching and Learning in the YouTube Generation. Middle School Journal, 42(5). Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ934075.pdf
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-teachers
Lenhart, A., Arafeh, S., Smith, A., & Macgill, A. R. (2008). Writing, technology and teens. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Nel, C., Dreyer, C., & Carstens, W. A. M. (2010).Educational technologies: A classification and evaluation. Tydskrif vir letterkunde, 35(4), 238-258. Retrieved from http://www.ajol.info/index.php/tvl/article/download/53794/42346
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008). Growing success: Assessment, evaluation and reporting: Improving student learning. Toronto.
Smith, F. (1998). The book of learning and forgetting. New York: Teachers College Press.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2011). Understanding by design guide to creating high quality units. Alexandria, VA: Association for supervision and curriculum development.