My flight path for this course can be summarized into the following points:
- To explore different platforms and modalities of delivering content in an online setting
- Create a more engaging and exciting tool which will help me in my own practices
- Negotiate the delicate business of following the First Peoples Principle of Learning recognizing “that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations” (FNESC, 2015)
- Grow in my ability to “[u]se technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.” (ISTE, 2017)
- Discover a wider variety of tools and options to increase the efficacy of my teaching as well as the delivery of my content.
- Investigate social media as this has had quite the roller-coaster ride in terms of reputation and impact on mental health both for students and teachers.
My overall course experience has been a positive and challenging one as I engaged with many of the points of my flight path.
I found it interesting to explore the different scenarios put to the class through the weekly discussions be it the midwives in the South Pacific, institutional limitations for Jennie, teaching in a refugee camp, or teaching in Northern Canada. I found these discussions really highlighted the need for flexibility in teaching styles as well as a departure from the traditional norms of a hegemonic classroom environment. As Benade quotes “[t]his move, and spatial practice, replicates the new dynamic of a remote and mobile workplace, staffed by part-time and ‘flexible’ contract workers, thus perpetuating the ideology of global capital” (2017) although as Benade concludes, “Flexible learning spaces do not stand outside of their historical development and definitely not their own socio-spatial development—thus to render the classroom as obsolete is premature.”
Another standout moment was developing and receiving feedback for my Filmmaking course in the Google Classroom LMS. I have realized that I need to continue refining its design with clear communication. My goal is to have technology-literate students and I must ensure that I am communicating goals, expectations, and instructions clearly so I end up with students who “know what the technology is capable of, they are able to use the technology proficiently, and they make intelligent decisions about which technology to use and when to use it.” (Davies, 2011) I currently am only helping students reach the most basic level of technology literacy where “learners need to be exposed to the technology. Moving through this level they become aware of the educational technologies available to them and the basic purposes and functions involved.” (Davies, 2011).
I was able to examine the use of social media as well in this course and how it can be used with a Connected Learning lens where students can, provided a safe and secure platform to do so, crystalize their knowledge to be shared out. I feel this is in line with Brown et al.’s statement where “[t]he core properties of a CL experience is that it is production-centred, there is a shared purpose and it is openly networked.” (2016) I believe this is also an important step to further developing students’ technology literacy by developing their abilities to critically analyze the social media they in turn consume. As they grow in their ability to produce their own content, this process “aims to position learners as active in making meaning within particular relational networks as they challenge existing power relations through new or re-worked texts.” (Burnett and Merchant, 2011)
I have always held the stance of a lifelong learner; I will never reach a state of all-knowing in any area of my life. My profession of teaching constantly provides me with opportunities to teach new subjects, attempt new projects and units, and to continually refine my own teaching practices as I work to meet the ever-shifting needs of my students each year. Moving forward in my own practice I hope to find tools and methods that will help increase my student engagement as well as to accommodate the different learning styles of my students. A guiding principle I gained from this course was how “[r]espectful relationships and interaction – both virtual and personal – are shown to improve student engagement. Students today are intensely social and interactive learners.” (Parsons and Taylor, 2011) This is a principle that I had hammered home while teaching in the Northwest Territories where a respectful relationship with the students was by far the largest factor in student attendance and engagement. Our school had multiple initiatives, prizes, events, etc to increase student attendance but my wife and I both observed how many of our ‘poor attendees’ became our most engaged once they had developed a relationship with the two of us. I particularly resonated when Parsons and Taylor (2011) quoted
“When students have opportunities to connect with adults who approach these relationships with a spirit of caring, empathy, generosity, respect, reciprocity and a genuine desire to know students personally, they can make a unique contribution to young peoples’ emerging adaptive capacity, self-sufficiency, resiliency, confidence, and knowledge of themselves as learners”
I believe it is important to aid the students in developing the ability to autonomously explore areas of interest and passion which has led to a never-ending quest to find various multimedia sources of information. I have found great success in teaching digital media art courses when I abandon a rote presentation of information to be repeated and instead allow students to go find their own projects to complete that meet clearly defined criteria. An opportunity was provided so “students might incorporate technology into autonomous learning activities while ensuring time is devoted to information literacy and higher-order, critical thinking skills.” (Parsons and Taylor, 2011) This allowed students to adventure out and find an intrinsically motivating project which they could then share out with their peers. It is important to temper this autonomy with ensuring that students have an opportunity to also develop their interpersonal skills while collaborating with peers as Chapman et al. found that “teachers found that students did not possess innate competencies to work collaboratively and often needed to be taught explicitly how to work in groups” (2014) when working independently or in a non-traditional learning environment. I will need to work on my own practices to ensure that I can monitor “student conduct within the open-space classroom, whilst simultaneously trying to address what was seen as a broader range of student learning needs.” (Chapman et al., 2014)
I know that I have a lifetime ahead of me filled with challenges and triumphs and I am looking forward to modelling continual growth and learning for my students!
References
Brown, C., Czerniewicz, L., & Biajesm T. (2016). Online content creation: looking at students’ social media practices through a Connected Learning lens. Learning, Media and Technology, 41(1), 140-159. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439884.2015.1107097
Burnett, C., & Merchant, G. (2011). Is There a Space for Critical Literacy in the Context of Social Media?. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 10(1), 41-57.
Chapman, A., Randell-Moon, H., Campbell, M., & Drew, C. (2014). Students in Space: Student Practices in Non-Traditional Classrooms. Global Studies of Childhood, 4(1), 39–48. https://doi.org/10.2304/gsch.2014.4.1.39
Davies, R.S. Understanding Technology Literacy: A Framework for Evaluating Educational Technology Integration. TECHTRENDS TECH TRENDS 55, 45 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-011-0527-3
FNESC (2015). The First Peoples principles of learning. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/aboriginal-education/principles_of_learning.pdf
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2017). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators
Leon Benade (2017) Is the classroom obsolete in the twenty-first century?, Educational Philosophy and Theory, 49:8, 796-807, DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2016.1269631
Taylor, L., & Parsons, J. (2011). Improving Student Engagement. Current Issues in Education, 14(1), 1–32.