Communication and Collaboration

  • Introduction:
    • Name and a little about me
    • Course: EDCI 572 with Dr. Verena Roberts D
      • Development and Implementation of the Curriculum in Digital Learning Contexts
    • Overview: Communication and Collaboration
    • Outline:
      • What are some examples of digital tools that support communication and collaboration?
      • How can digital tools expand learning beyond classroom walls?
      • How does your project promote communication and collaboration between students in your class and with others outside your learning context?
      • Tech of the week
  • What are some examples of digital tools that support communication and collaboration?
    • Online digital tools can support quick access to knowledge, support collaboration, help people connect and communicate effectively.
    • Blogs – WordPress.com, Edublogs.org, Blogger.com, etc.
      • Customizable and relatively easy to use
      • Share work with others for them to comment on
    • Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, etc.
      • Share content with global audience and comment on others work
      • Network and build relationships
    • Wikis – Wikipedia
      • Online community made resources similar to an encyclopedia
    • Online office suite tools – Google docs, Google Slides, prezi, etc.
      • Shareable tools that can be edited by multiple users simultaneously for group work.
    • Online Synchronous Video Conferencing Tools – Zoom, Bluejeans, Skype, etc.
      • Allow groups to get together online
      • Conversations can often be recorded, and some programs offer extra tools like polling tools and group break outs.
    • How can digital tools expand learning beyond classroom walls?
      • Allow students to connect with each other, the teacher, and possibly even experts
      • Students can collaborate from home
      • Students can work on things at home that they could not have done in the past
      • Offers students the chance to share their work and get feedback from others
      • Allows students to connect with people and communities around the world to get a more personalized and real experience. 
    • How does your project promote communication and collaboration between students in your class and with others outside your learning context?
      • Kids can communicate online to share their thoughts and feelings with others’ groups about each other projects.
      • For braver teachers, it could offer students feedback from online friends, families, and strangers.
      • As students will be working in groups to make videos, it will force them to take on roles and carry them out to fruition. The will need to collaborate as a team to meet their final goal.
    • Tech of the Week:
      • ColdTurkey
        • Used to block yourself from popular sites, games, and more.
        • Helps keep a person on task and limit distraction for a time
      • Outro
        • Music: Canada by Picture of the Floating World

References & Readings:

Rothwell, D. (2017). Social Media in K-12 Schools. BOLT Multi-authored Blog. [Weblog]. Retrieved from http://bolt.athabascau.ca/index.php/2017/09/01/social-media-in-k-12-schools/

Couros, A., & Hildebrandt, K. (2016). Designing for open and social learning. In G. Veletsianos (Ed.), Emergence and innovation in digital learning: Foundations and applications. Edmonton, Canada: AU Press. Retrieved from: http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120258

Audio:

Musical Intro/outro is Canada by Picture of the Floating World found at freemusicarchive.org

Digital Citizenship: Developing & Designing for Safe Learning Spaces (#Reflection)

  • Introduction:
    • Name and a little about me
    • Course: EDCI 572 with Dr. Verena Roberts D
      • Development and Implementation of the Curriculum in Digital Learning Contexts
    • Overview: Digital Citizenship: Developing & Designing for Safe Learning Spaces
  • Outline:
    • How does a safe learning space influence student learning?
    • How can educators ensure student privacy and safety is considered in digital environments?
    • How does your project consider individual student digital identity, safety and choice while encouraging individual cultures and perspectives?
    • Tech of the week
  • How does a safe learning space influence student learning?
    • Kral and Schwab note in Design Principles in Indigenous Learning Spaces that a library, or similar community center, offer indigenous folks a safe place to go for all ages. It offers a place for kids to go and play games and on computers, a place for students and adults to read and research, and place for child minders and mothers to bring kids to learn and play. Libraries also offer a weather-controlled atmosphere where there are set rules that everyone follows to keep the place clean and safe (2012). Furthermore, libraries and community centers offer technology that some indigenous communities may not have access to at home.
    • Online tech has made access to some technologies more readily available to indigenous communities where there use to be gatekeepers in the past, creating a level of empowerment. For example, movie editing equipment being used by indigenous youth to tell stories and music recording and editing tech to create music and express themselves through it
    • These resources offer indigenous people an opportunity to try things out that they could not in the past and “muck around” as Kral and Schwab refer to it (2012), effectively working through the design process to create something through trial and error and learning from their mistakes as they go.
    • Some indigenous community centers, as outlined by Kral and Schwab, have taken to allowing the users to make the rules. This has given them a greater ownership of the building and its contents and made it their space rather than a space they can be in (2012).
    • Having personalized digital methods of communications allows students a safe way to communicate with friends and peers in a new way using text, image, and video (Kral and Schwab, 2012). This allows for a quick way to share information with others in a personalized manner that is fun and engaging. Furthermore, the combination of text, image, and video offers a way for indigenous youth to share their culture and fight prejudices by making their own or riffing on materials/messages.
    • Indigenous youth are offered a place to work between old cultural knowledge and marrying it with current technologies to expand culture and address it in a new contemporary lens (Kral and Schwab, 2012). This affords them the opportunity to tell their story rather than have it told by others.
  • How can educators ensure student privacy and safety is considered in digital environments?
    • Privacy and limiting the acquirement of student data and information is extremely important in public education. It can potentially lead to many concerning ends, such as opening a student to racism, bigotry, and other forms of discrimination. Furthermore, it can potentially rob a student of their autonomy if the gathered information is used to guide an individual’s education as asserted by Regan and Jesse in Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: Twenty-first century student sorting and tracking (2019).
    • Use district approved edtech
    • Parents and students need to know what information is being taken by websites and programs.
    • Follow Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) Guidelines. FOIPPA governs how public bodies, such as schools, collect and use personal information and holds them accountable. This means that as educators we need to know where our students’ information is being stored and make sure it is not in danger of being collected by other, potentially harmful, entities (FOIPPA, 2020).
    • Projects can be shared in class, instead of online, in order to allow all students to participate with the community of the project, giving feedback and receiving critiques. Also, a teacher could provide students with multiple options for both public (Twitter) and private (closed Facebook group or FreshGrade) online interactions which will afford students the opportunity to become more comfortable with online interactions and allow them to practice online networking/interactions before sharing with a wider open audience (Couros and Hildebrandt, 2016).
  • How does your project consider individual student digital identity, safety and choice while encouraging individual cultures and perspectives?
    • Students are given the chance to record themselves as they see fit to document their progress in their project. This offers them an autonomy to talk about whatever they would like to and present it in a way that is relevant and personal to them.
    • Students will be provided with websites, apps / software, and other digital tools that have been cleared that meet FOIPPA standards and have been “okayed” with by parents and administration. Alternative methods would be provided for students who wish for them.
    • Lessons will be given discussing students’ online footprint and how a young student should share and behave online. Personal information should be shared with heavy limits and any online interactions with strangers should be kept to a minimum.
  • Tech of the Week:
    • Eraser
      • Security & Privacy Software
      • Completely removes sensitive data from your computer
      • Mainly Windows applicable
    • Outro
      • Music: Canada by Picture of the Floating World

References & Readings:

Couros, A., & Hildebrandt, K. (2016). Designing for open and social learning. In G. Veletsianos (Ed.), Emergence and innovation in digital learning: Foundations and applications. Edmonton, Canada: AU Press. Retrieved from: http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120258

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. (1996). Retrieved March 21, 2020, from http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96165_00

Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012). Chapter 4: Design Principles for Indigenous Learning Spaces. Safe Learning Spaces. Youth, Literacy and New Media in Remote Indigenous Australia. ANU Press.http://doi.org/10.22459/LS.08.2012  Retrieved from: https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/learning-spaces%EF%BB%BF

Regan, P., & Jesse, J. (2019). Ethical challenges of edtech, big data and personalized learning: Twenty-first century student sorting and tracking. Ethics and Information Technology, 21(3), 167-179. DOI: 10.1007/s10676-018-9492-2 Retrieved from: https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/10094/8152

Audio:

Musical Intro/outro is Canada by Picture of the Floating World found at freemusicarchive.org

Creativity and Innovation

  • Introduction:
    • Name and a little about me
    • Course: EDCI 572 with Dr. Verena Roberts D
      • Development and Implementation of the Curriculum in Digital Learning Contexts
    • Overview: Creativity and Innovation
  • Outline:
    • What kinds of digital tools encourage creativity and innovation?
    • How could makerspaces support creativity and innovation in your learning context and/or project?
    • Tech of the week
  • What kinds of digital tools encourage creativity and innovation?
    • Scratch and other programming tools – Allow students to create/design anything from their own video games to bringing robots to life, to almost anything else they can imagine.
    • Arduino – Can be used to make a near infinite variety of electronic devices, only limited by a person’s imagination (and sometimes pocketbook).
    • Video and audio recording tools can be used to record work and be utilized for digital journaling / documenting / reflection to encourage improvements and new iterations to a project.
    • Autodesk modelling tools can be used to create objects and even connect multiple objects and see if they will work together before you use materials to build them. Can be a great tool for creating project plans and testing out ideas.
  • How could makerspaces support creativity and innovation in your learning context and/or project?
    • The beauty of a well-stocked and supported makerspace is that once students understand what they are for and what they can do they have free reign to build, create, iterate, start over, & share projects they make.
    • I have seen some Makerspaces that rely on gimmicky software that should be avoided.
    • A Makerspace should be, much like Resnick describes, as a kindergarten class for older students (2007). It should be a place to explore and make mistakes and create.
    • As a shop teacher, which is kind of where makerspaces go in the high school setting, I try to have my students be creative as much as possible but find I get a lot of push back from students who just want to be given a project or feel they aren’t creative.
  • Tech of the Week:
    • AutoDesk
      • Offer tons of programs free for educational use
      • Modelling, CAD, & 3D Design software for many levels
    • Outro
      • Music by Canada by Picture of the Floating World

References & Readings:

Resnick, M. (2007). All I really need to know (about creative thinking) I learned (by studying how children learn) in kindergarten. In Proceedings of the 6th ACM SIGCHI conference on Creativity & Cognition (pp. 1–6). New York, NY, USA: ACM. http://dor.org/10.1145/1254960.1254961

Audio:

Musical Intro/outro is Canada by Picture of the Floating World found at freemusicarchive.org

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

  • Introduction:
    • Name and a little about me
    • Course: EDCI 572 with Dr. Verena Roberts D
      • Development and Implementation of the Curriculum in Digital Learning Contexts
    • Overview: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
  • Outline:
    • What kinds of digital tools promote and encourage critical thinking?
    • How does critical thinking influence narratives and perspectives?
    • Tech of the week
  • What kinds of digital tools promote and encourage critical thinking?
    • Technology Education focus’ heavily on design and the design process which requires heavy critical thinking
      • Students must to find problem, research, find solutions, plan, create, test / evaluate, and improve (as needed)
      • Good design requires a lot of considerations and critical thinking on the part of the designer
    • There are lots of digital tools out there that can be used to promote critical thinking. It is just a matter of using them creatively and effectively.
      • e. Digital Storytelling – Using video recording and similar technology to make how to videos to reinforce learning. These tools force students to really think about what they are doing and present it in a coherent manner for others.
      • Reflection activities – Google docs can be used to journal their work, reflect on their learning, show the progress they make, and document sources. This document can then be shared with the teacher or others for critique.
      • Discussion forums – Communication programs like Slack or hypothes.is can be used by students to discuss project ideas or other class related information.
      • Brainstorming – mindmeister, draw.io, etc. can be used to organize ideas and resources in a mind map or brainstorm format online in groups or individually.
    • How does critical thinking influence narratives and perspectives?
      • Buchanan demonstrates in Wicked Problems in Design Thinking how when a designer used critical thinking, they were able to solve the problem of shoppers getting lost in a large store by placing identifiable items in prominent locations rather than rely on large signage that shoppers tended to ignore (1992).
        • By approaching the stores problem with a more critical examination beyond using signage to direct shopper, the designer looked beyond the obvious and employed human psychology to better solve the stores lost shopper conundrum.
      • Teaching students to think critically and challenge everything can be difficult for parents and teachers who at times may not want their authority questioned, but it is important that students learn to think about things with curious minds and challenge what they don’t understand.
      • Critical thinking can also destroy poorly constructed “alternative facts” when employed properly in search for the truth online, ie news, science, research, politics, etc.
      • It can also be used to find truths by thinking through and assessing all the options at hand and following through on the best ones available. For example, Markhal Nolan demonstrates in his TED Talk, How to Separate Fact and Fiction Online, how he used the internet to find a person whose was attached to a video of a weather event that had been claimed to have recently happened. By using online phone registries and google maps he was able to find the original video poster and contact them for questioning (2012).
    • Tech of the Week:
      • io
        • Online app for flowcharts, diagrams, and more
        • Can save directly to Google Docs, OneDrive, or your hard drive
  • Outro
    • Music by Canada by Picture of the Floating World

 

References & Readings:

Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked Problems in Design Thinking Design Issues: MIT Press, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Spring, 1992), pp. 5-21

Galileo (2019). Designing Learning. Retrieved from https://galileo.org/designing-learning/

Nolan, M. (2012). Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/markham_nolan_how_to_separate_fact_and_fiction_online

Audio:

Musical Intro/outro is Canada by Picture of the Floating World found at freemusicarchive.org

Stories and Perspectives (#Reflection)

  • Introduction:
    • Name and a little about me
    • Course: EDCI 572 with Dr. Verena Roberts D
      • Development and Implementation of the Curriculum in Digital Learning Contexts
    • Overview: Stories and Perspectives: How to Search for and Find Different Stories and Perspectives.
  • Outline:
    • How can our digital bubble as educators filter the stories we hear and believe?
    • What kinds of digital tools expand filter bubbles in your learning context?
    • What types of filter bubbles are influencing your digital project?
    • What are you doing to ensure students are using a wide variety of digital resources?
    • Tech of the week
  • How can our digital bubble as educators filter the stories we hear and believe?
    • Website algorithm
      • Sites, like Google and Facebook, note links you click on and then edit what you see based on those choices. This in turn creates a filter bubble that only shows you things you have proven interested in and pushes all other things out, including differing opinions (Pariser, 2011).
      • Eli Pariser suggests we find things that are not only relevant to us but also uncomfortable and challenging to help burst the filter bubble (2011).
    • Feedback loop – same information repeated, exaggerated, etc.
      • Rheingold suggest we find people whose intelligence and honesty we respect but disagree with on things (2020).
    • Search engines and other websites may endorse paying advertises over other options and information.
      • Avoid paid advertisements at top of search
      • Search passed the first page of results
    • Find out who is the author and then research their reliability and their sources (Rheingold, 2012).
  • What kinds of digital tools expand filter bubbles in your learning context?
    • Demonstrate research and information literacy as outlined in the BC digital literacy framework (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2016)
      • find, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and use information ethically from a variety of sources and media
    • Using multiple search engines
    • Fact checking websites: Snopes.com, factcheck.org, politifact.com, etc
    • Use Rheingold’s (2012) suggestion to “triangulate” sources and information.
      • Markhal Nolan demonstrates in his TED Talk, How to Separate Fact and Fiction Online, how he used human sources and the internet (using google maps) to find that a video that was posted online of bodies being dumped off a bridge in Hama was not accurate and took place in a different location, possibly at a different time (2012).
  • What types of filter bubbles are influencing your digital project?
    • The apps and tech suggested by classmates
    • The readings provided my prof (one side of the story?)
    • My own biases and beliefs
    • Website algorithms
  • What are you doing to ensure students are using a wide variety of digital resources?
    • Provide places to start their search:
      • Instructables website and Other woodworking related websites
      • Multiple search engines
      • Rheingold (2012) talks to Googles “search anthropologist” Dan Russell who suggests Wikipedia as a place to start your search.
    • Students need to provide multiple sources and cite them properly
    • Have students find counter narratives and compare and contrast
  • Tech of the Week:
    • freesound.org
      • Collection of sound effects
      • Creative Commons
  • Outro Music
    • Music by Canada by Picture of the Floating World

References:

British Columbia. Ministry of Education. (2016). BC’s digital literacy framework. Victoria, B.C.: Ministry of Education.

Nolan, M. (2012). Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/markham_nolan_how_to_separate_fact_and_fiction_online

Pariser, E. (2011). Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles

Rheingold, H. (2012). Chapter 2 Crap Detection 101: How to Find What you Need to Know, and Decide if It’s True. In Net Smart: How to Thrive Online. (pp. 77-111). Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press.

Rheingold, H. (Producer). (2020). Interview about Chapter 2 Crap Detection 101 [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RkfP8XeIxKaRmBMmLzkevv3DMSH1zqyR

Audio:

Musical Intro/outro is Canada by Picture of the Floating World found at freemusicarchive.org

Doppler Horn sounds effect by Mullumbimby found at freesound.org

Conceptualizing BC’s Digital Literacies into Context

  • Introduction:
    • Name and a little about me
    • Course: EDCI 572 with Dr. Verena Roberts
      • Development and Implementation of the Curriculum in Digital Learning Contexts
    • Overview: Conceptualizing BC’s Digital Literacies into Context

 

  • Outline:
    • What is the story behind the BC Digital Literacy Framework?
      • What research theory, literature, frameworks, and models have guided the BC Literacy Framework?
      • What is missing from the current Framework?
      • What other frameworks, theories and models could be considered to expand upon and extend the current BC Digital Literacy Framework?
    • Contextualizing Your Project
      • I will choose a curriculum area that I want to explore further. Brainstorm a student project that I wish to redesign or design and discuss how does the BC Digital Literacy Framework integrates into my project?
    • Tech of the week:
      • org
    • What is the story behind the BC Digital Literacy Framework?
      • What research theory, literature, frameworks and models – have guided the BC Literacy Framework?
        • Based on International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) NETS-S standards which sets out to:
          • Empowered Learners
          • Create Digital citizens
          • have students create digital artifacts
          • create innovative designers
          • develop computational thinking skills
          • create creative communicators
          • endorse global collaboration.
        • a belief that students must have regular opportunities to use technology to develop skills that encourage personal productivity, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration in the classroom and in daily life.
      • What is missing from the current BC Digital literacy Framework?
        • Integration of Indigenous ways of knowing
        • Self-care and unplugging from the internet at times. (counter-intuitive to goal but important for some students who may be addicted to online life).
      • What other frameworks, theories and models could be considered to expand upon and extend the current BC Digital Literacy Framework?
        • Why is coding considered a part of digital literacies? I don’t see it as a fundamental of digital literacy.
        • Heavy focus on social media use and understanding privacy.
      • Contextualizing Your Project
        • Choose a curriculum area that you want to explore further. Brainstorm a student project that you wish to redesign or design. How does the BC Digital Literacy Framework integrate into your project?
          • Robotics Online Journaling (Video, visual, Blog, Vlog, etc.)
            • Coding: Students are required to code their robots, utilizing advanced skills
            • Online Communication: Students will need to comment on other groups projects, demonstrating their skills of interacting online in a civil and productive manner, fostering a positive community.
            • Employ online methods to communicate with their group.
            • Privacy: Share only pertinent information and withhold personal details about themselves and protect their privacy online.
            • Credit & Copyright: Respect copyright laws and employ creative commons resources when necessary and appropriate (ie pictures and music).
            • Sharing Work: Share work with online robotics community for other to share and comment on.
            • Citations: Properly cite any online works, sites, pictures, or information used.
          • Tech of the week:
            • org
            • Website offers free creative commons licensed music
            • Many genres and styles
            • Theme: Canada by Picture of the Floating World

 

Readings and Guest Speakers:

BC Digital Literacy Framework

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy-framework.pdf

Guest Speaker: Tim Winklemans – Graduation Lead for Graduation, Skills and Distance Learning (BC Government). He was a part of the committee who designed the BC Digital Literacy Framework.

My Perspectives & Experiences with Digital Storytelling

 

  • Introduction:
    • Name and a little about me
    • Course: EDCI 572 with Dr. Verena Roberts D
      • Development and Implementation of the Curriculum in Digital Learning Contexts
    • Overview: Creating a Digital Storytelling Response in an Individual Blog about my perspectives and experiences of digital storytelling
  • Outline:
    • My perspectives with digital story telling
      • Woodwork & Robotics
    • My experiences with digital story telling
      • The apps and programs I have used in my classroom
      • The apps and programs I would like to try in my classroom
    • Tech of the week:
      • Audacity
  • My Perspectives with Digital Storytelling:
    • Woodwork
      • Can slow down the actual woodwork
      • Document processes used via step by step video instruction of project
      • Visual demonstration of processes
      • Give students a method of reflecting on learning and sharing it with others
    • Robotics
      • Allow for better group journaling of robot build
        • Visual documentation (video / vlog)
        • Open group journal (Google Docs)
      • Give students a method of reflecting on learning and sharing it with others
    • My Experiences with Digital Storytelling:
      • The apps and programs I have used in my class
        • Eagle (https://www.autodesk.ca/en)
        • Fusion 360 (https://www.autodesk.ca/en)
        • Easel (https://www.inventables.com/technologies/easel)
        • TinkerCad (https://www.tinkercad.com/)
        • Google Docs (https://www.Google.ca)
  • Tech of the Week:
    • Audacity
      • used to record this audio blog
        • Open Source
        • Multitrack recording and editing
        • Relatively simple interface

Google Education

Many teachers and schools district have been using Google for Education which offers apps for educational use in and out of the classroom. It can be used to take education online and better serve a changing world that is becoming more and more online focused. These apps are offered for “free” (we’ll talk about “free” later) and allow students, teachers, and educators from around the world to meet and learn all from a computer. There are many positive things that these apps can bring to a classroom but not all parents are on board. This can create a problem for teachers and school districts who struggle to find an alternative for students to use that is of equal value.

The Positives

I personally do not use google apps in my classroom, but they do remind me of another company’s programs I use, Autodesk. Autodesk offers programs like AutoCad, Fusion360, and, Eagle which can be used to design and create virtual objects. Normally these programs cost hundreds of dollars but for educational use it is free. I believe google has come to the same conclusion as Autodesk that it is best to get students use to your programs when they are learning and then they will be familiar with, and more likely to use, your programs in the future. It’s good marketing and it really does help out educational institutions that regularly do not have budgets to otherwise purchase their programs.

Googles educational apps allow students and teachers connect with guest speakers from around the world that may have a deeper insight into their current topic of study. It allows for collaboration opportunities with others, possibly a great distance away, and provide students with a, authentic world experience they might not otherwise get by reading a textbook. The universality of the apps and easy access makes it very popular with most people.

The Negatives

During the CBC radio podcast Spark, episode 401: As Google for Education tools enter classrooms across Canada, some parents are asking to opt-out, Nora Young interviews multiple people discussing the pros and cons of a google classroom. One of the biggest concerns parents have is that the information that Google collects to make the apps work is stored on foreign (US) servers which could, in theory, be collected by the US government under the Patriot Act. In BC we have the Freedom of Information Protection Act (FOIPA) which sets out one of its goals to preventing the unauthorized collection, use or disclosure of personal information by public bodies. This means that schools should not be using programs that stores user’s information in a place out of its control.

According to the podcast there is not much schools can really do about the current system and it appears that teachers, administrations, and districts sometimes just ignore the problem or send home permission forms to allow the use anyway.

Are there any solutions? Well, Google claims that it has no nefarious intent and, in fact, offers parents and others a simplified, plain English, outline of what their terms and agreement are (found at: www.google.com/edu/trust). Some people feel that google needs to try, like Microsoft has, to create servers in Canada for Canadian student/user information. I think this would be a step in the right direction and would require little from a company such as Google.

When it comes down to it parents are the ones who need to make the call. If they decide to not use Google products and services in large numbers, that may make Google take action to solve the problem. But really, as long as teachers and students are not putting personal information into the system do, they really have anything to lose? Even if the US did get the information, does Big Brother care what little Jimmy did in his online English course essay on 1984? Probably not. And unless your teenager is secretly an international spy or terrorist, they really have no interest in that information to begin with.

Online services, such as Google’s online educational apps, are only gaining in popularity as we explore the what 21st century learning truly means. It is important to be cautious and skeptical but also to try new things and make them work as best we can for everyone.

 

Podcast

Spark from CBC Radio. Episode 401: As Google for Education tools enter classrooms across Canada, some parents are asking to opt-out. 2018

https://podtail.com/podcast/spark-from-cbc-radio/401-as-google-for-education-tools-enter-classrooms/

Current Trends and Applying Online Learning

Current Trends of K-12 Online Learning in Canada

With the accessibility of the internet ever growing and technologies being developed and changed daily, it has been shown that there has been a national increase in high school student participation in online courses (Blomgren, 2017). In my observations as a high school teacher, distance education has really helped students who want to achieve more learning outside of the school’s physical framework and complete more courses. It has also been a great help to students who cannot or will not attend for varying reasons attend high school during regular class hours. Online courses have allowed these students opportunities that were not a possibility in the past.

With any new growing system there is opportunity for great advancement and great misuse and online education is no exception. With funding for BC online students being a $1000 less than that of regular face to face students and no class caps for online courses it could be very tempting for a government to abuse these holes for the wrong reasons. Up until this point, in some ways, online education in BC has been left in a wild west state where there are little to no rules and there is no indication as to who will be stepping up to state rules when inevitably that time comes. The idea of an online course with no student cap is preposterous to me and would present a teacher with a near impossible task when assessing and grading. Unless education becomes automated, there are limitations to what a teacher can do and giving them obscene amounts of students to interact with is not ideal for anyone.

To add to this, Blomgren (2017) asserts that the system is perhaps in need of reassessment having stayed the same for a long time and yet the education system and governments do not fully understand or effectively support inline education. This reminds me a lot of a problem we have in Technology Education. The government announces all the time that the province needs skilled trade workers and then at the same time refuses to act by funding schooling to train trades people, even taking away funding at times. It appears this may be the same for Education Technology and online learning. We want to encourage growth for getting kids online but then we don’t put any funding towards it or change anything that we are doing.

Another consideration is that not every student has an internet connection or even cell reception in many areas of the province (i.e. rural). Even in my district (Sooke), I work with students who do not have internet or use dial-up connections which would not support much online interactivity. Furthermore, teachers need to keep in mind that not all students are computer savvy and need to be taught the basics. Another point to consider is that many students are computer savvy but lack the discipline to properly participate in an online setting. All too tempting is social media or online games that can distract from the task at hand. I have seen this in my classroom where I have had to endlessly battle students to stay off computer games until they are done their internet-based work. It is frustrating for me and they often do not seem to care that they will fail the course or project if they continue, which adds another level of frustration.

Applying Online Learning Methods

I often have projects that I want students to do that (I would like to think) are well structured yet flexible. Really if students can show me that they are meeting my outcomes and can complete what they are hoping to do in a similar amount of time, I really don’t mind if projects are altered to suit interests. Honestly, I usually get better work when this happens. If I were to teach an online course I would try and make it my goal to continue this approach with my students in a similar way to how Crosslin describes.

But not all the ways I currently teach would translate as easily to online learning. As I consider how I would need to change my courses to meet an online context I occasionally find myself overwhelmed with the potential time commitment that it could take to communicate effectively. Off the cuff remarks about a student’s progress in class time may never happen online or it would actually require the student to thoroughly document what they are doing so that I can comment on it. While I do see some educational merit to this it would also create a whole additional load of work for the student that they would not have to do in a classroom setting.

As a shop teacher, most work done in my classes is project based and most assessment happens at the end of the project. Having students keep a regular online journal or blog could remedy the assessments needs between the big gaps in assessment during the project. It would help the student reflect on their process and learning and afford the instructor a way to respond to the student’s growth. Further, having synchronous online meeting times (via Skype, Zoom, Etc.) would greatly impact classroom connectivity with other students and allow students to talk directly with their instructor for any need they may have.

One Crosslin’s (2018) suggestions to optimizing online learning is to be loose with your due dates, allow room for students to complete assignments in their own time, and being open to giving early feedback on projects and assignments. I have a love hate relationship with this idea. I love the idea of a teacher being open to giving early feedback and looking over an assignment before it’s due. I feel every teacher should be open to it, even though it does add to the work load. Honestly, it is a fair expectation that later in life you will be able to bounce ideas off your peers and bosses to make sure your work is headed in the right direction. I hate no due dates. I understand that life outside of school happens and that sometimes a due date just can’t be met. I make room and extend due dates to the students I know learn slower. My concern is that students are entering the work force or even just university and have no understanding that outside school due dates generally mean something. In industry, missing a finish date is now costing you money. You cannot miss a date in court without repercussions. If you miss paying that bill on time too many times and you’ll have no power. I honestly believe that some students need to understand that better.

Online education is slowly growing and changing as most things do in the education system. In time it will become stronger and likely take on a new look as technologies changes and as it becomes more readily accepted and available as an educational method of learning.

Readings

Blomgren, C. (2017). Current Trends and Perspectives in the K-12 Canadian Blended and Online Classroom. In N. Ostashewski, J. Howell, & M. Cleveland-Innes (Eds.), Optimizing K-12 Education through Online and Blended Learning. Information Science Reference. 10.4018/978-1-5225-0507-5 http://ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/login?url=https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/chapter/full-text-html/159551

Crosslin, M. (2018). Effective Practices. In M. Crosslin (Ed.),Creating Online Learning Experiences. Mavs Open Press. https://uta.pressbooks.pub/onlinelearning/chapter/chapter-5-effective-practices/

The Future of Distributed and Open Learning

The future in online education looks exciting. It has the potential to open information and knowledge to people in a way unprecedented historically. It offers learners the power to learn when they want and learn how they want. Online access learning offers educators and learners a new realm to explore that may bring great achievements but runs many risks. Open online education will need to address and meet the realities of the K-12 student if it hopes to succeed. It will need to address at what level corporate interests can and should take part in the knowledge that is delivered.

Corporations & Education

Corporations getting involved in education could have some terrible ramifications and should be closely watched. There very easily could become a multi-tiered education system based on wealth and access. Furthermore, if not regulated, corporations could endorse beliefs that help them but not necessarily their students and have a hard bias. This needs to be watched closely to make sure that ethics requirements are being met and people are not being duped into bad or misleading education.

Current and Likely Future K-12 Educational Realities

Open online learning sounds great for the post secondary level but I’m not sure it meets the reality of the K-12 education system or the abilities of most students. Non-traditional learning methods, such as flipped classrooms, require students to be disciplined enough to do learning outside the classroom. I have not seen that discipline in most of my students. I have experimented with self paced learning with high school students as well and have discovered the, again, most students cannot regulate their time if there is not a strict deadline and will perpetually procrastinate if they think they can, much to my frustration. Perhaps with practice this habit could be broken but it would take a lot of work.

A concern of flipped classrooms and similar methods of education is that students need the time outside of school to socialize, work, and participate in other activities that are not school related. This is a personal belief, but I do not feel students should be getting a lot of homework from their classes. If a student receives 20-30 minutes of homework from 4 classes that is 1.5-2 hours of homework a night. This is time that should be spent developing social skills and trying activities outside school. If I tried to “flip” my classroom and have them watch a 5-minute video at home to be better prepared for the next day, I can almost guarantee that we as a class would have to watch that video together as many students would not take the time to do it. And what can I do? Not play the video for them?

Future of Online Learning

The applications listed in Future Technology Infrastructure for Learning by Siemens, Gasevic, & Dawson (2015) and the technology described by Downes (2019) in A Look at the Future of Open Educational Resources, show an exciting push to open education to learners of all types and backgrounds. ProSolo sounds like a promising educational system out of the many listed. It appears to address my concerns of giving students all the information they need to be successful. As these new technologies and methods are refined and find greater acceptance it may very well change the face of some educational forms as we see them. There are some limitations that I think should be noted. Learning a subject, such as woodwork, cannot be done well and realistically by students using a strictly online setting. A centralized location would likely still need to be used to offer all students the same tools and equipment.

Reading:

Siemens, G., Gašević, D., & Dawson, S. (2015). Preparing for the Digital University: A Review of the History and Current State of Distance, Blended, and Online Learning. Retrieved from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation website: http://linkresearchlab.org/PreparingDigitalUniversity.pdf   * Please read pages 199-230, Future Technology Infrastructures for Learning

Downes, S. (2019). A Look at the Future of Open Educational Resources. International Journal of Open Educational Resources, 1(2). Retrieved from https://www.ijoer.org/a-lookat-the-future-of-open-educational-resources/

Virtually Connecting. Accessed October 17, 2019. http://virtuallyconnecting.org/virtually-connecting-manifesto/