Category Archives: EC & 831

Summary of Learning

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I was fortunate to be able to experience this course with a colleague. While the online community developed within the course was amazing, I found it valuable to have someone to be able to discuss things with “face-to-face”. Both Joe and I are in our 5th course in the MEd program, and we both started teaching in the same year. Because of our similar backgrounds, we found that we had similar experiences in EC & I 831, and we chose to work together on our Summary of Learning. After kicking around a few ideas, we elected to create a Jeopardy game that demonstrated our main learning objectives from the course. We had fun in the creation of the game, as it was a good chance to go back and reflect on what we had learned in the course. We played around a lot with the presentation aspect of the game. We wanted to personalize it by showing ourselves in the presentation, so we chose to use Screencast-O-matic and a web cam. Enjoy!

 

Open Education

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Open education… sounds simple enough, but how can it easily be defined? There are a few key ideas that stand out to me with regards to open education:

– broadening access to learning and training

– the elimination of barriers that may exist in more traditional educational systems (these barriers may be financial, physical, or otherwise)

– the creation and adoption of open content such as Creative Commons, Wikipedia, and open educational resources

A big part of defining open education is defining knowledge, and the assumption that people (or institutions) can “own” knowledge. In a traditional business model, teachers own the knowledge, and students are the consumers.

We are living in a highly connected and information rich world, and yet many people do not take advantage of the networking opportunities that exist. Knowledgeable, supportive digital communities exist no matter where we live. Most of us have moved past the stage of learning how to network, and we need to network to learn. Networked learning assumes that most people are open and free with their knowledge. As the infographic below suggests, connected learning is production centred, has a shared purpose, and is openly networked.

Connected Learning

 

Networks are able to provide both affordances (communication, collaboration, and cooperation) and inspiration to educators. There is an onus upon educators to share in an open education, networked learning model. Robert Fulghum, in his classic All I really needed to know I learned in Kindergarten said it best. We all would be better off if we just remembered  to share everything and play fair!

Dr. Tony Wagner said that “today knowledge is free”. Would you agree with this statement?

Understanding Digital Citizenship

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Should digital citizenship be a stand alone term, or is it just plain citizenship? Has our digital identity become so ingrained within our everyday lives that digital citizenship should be considered one with citizenship? These are a few of the many questions posed by Dr. Alec Couros at a recent EC&I 831 class. Teach Thought defines digital citizenship as “the self-monitored habits that sustain and improve the digital communities you enjoy or depend on.” What I like about this definition is that it focuses on the self-monitoring of behavior. This implies that we give students control of their actions, and force them to be responsible for the choices they make. This doesn’t mean that we throw them out the wolves per say, but rather that we educate them to smart decisions about their involvement in the digital world.

One of the elements of digital citizenship that gets the most attention are issues of Cyber-safety. As educators, we need to stop scaring kids from the internet and instead educate them about doing it safely. The internet is not a passing fad, and it is not useful for anyone involved to simply try and scare kids into not using it. The public service announcement below is a good example of how scare tactics are often used to discourage people from posting information online.

“Don’t talk to strangers in real life or online”. In reality, it may be ok to talk to people who are strangers. I think of all the strangers I have met when taking EC&I 831. In fact, all but one of the people in my extended PLN were what I would consider strangers at the beginning of this course. These same people have been tremendous resources in my learning and professional development over the last 3 months.

However, there are dangers that lurk on the internet. There are sites that exist that inappropriate and non-educational. Shock sites, for example, attract visitors by the fact that are gross, weird, violent, or offensive. The reasons that people are attracted to them are the same reasons we need our students to be aware of their dangers.

The Reflective Educator, David Wees tweeted “I’m in favor of Internet filters. I just want to move them from the router to my students’ heads” ( Nov 17, 2012). Even though it was originally tweeted out nearly a year ago, this tweet still appears on my Twitter feed occasionally, and I think it is because his message is so poignant- physical barriers can only do some much. We need to teach our kids how to think for themselves and act appropriately.

How can we teach students to self-monitor their behavior to make our digital world a better place? 

 

Connected Learning

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EC & I 831 is course through the University of Regina that focuses on Social Media & Open Education. While I take the class for credit towards my MEd, the class is open to the world! Using Blackboard Collaborate, we “meet” each Tuesday night from 7:00-8:30. Last night we were fortunate to have Dr. Alec Couros spend the entire 90 minutes with us discussing “Networked and Connected Learning”.

Importance of an online identity. It is more important than ever to ensure to “declare yourself online”. Dave Cormier discusses the idea of an online presence in his educational blog. Once your online identity has been established, it is important to expand your PLN . Personal Learning Networks are valuable in every profession, but I would argue that they are exceptionally important in education. Recently, I have heard many teachers state that Twitter is the most valuable professional development tool that they have! On a more personal level, things such as a Photo-a-Day and the 365 project are fun ways to develop an online identity, while also documenting important family and life events. These types of tools can not only help with the development of a digital identity, but also with the creation of a digital legacy.

Change in technology. It was interesting to brainstorm the changes in technology that we have seen over time. I see myself as being on the border of being “old school” and “new school”, and I must confess that there were technologies mentioned that I had never heard of! In addition to discussing some of the many ways that technology has changed education (Creative Commons, MOOCs, Tube Chop, You Tube Education , Ted Ed), we also discussed the importance of educators making their learning visible. Through the completion of this course and the creation of these blogs, participants in this course are taking a step towards making their learning visible. As the title of my blog suggests, I am a firm believer in the importance of lifelong learning, and benefits in “Learning something new everyday”.

How are you making your learning visible?

 

 

Community

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What is your most memorable meal?

There I was at my kitchen table- tea in one hand, Twitter in the other, Blackboard Collaborate open, earphones in, all ready for another exciting EC & I 831 class.

Did he really just ask what my most memorable meal was?? Am I in the right class? Why are we talking about meals? I thought this class was all about technology, open education, and social media? Why the heck are we talking about eating??

So who was this guy, and where was he going with this seemingly ambiguous question? He was Rick Schwier a professor in Educational Technology and Design out of the University of Saskatchewan, and I soon discovered that his question about a memorable meal was not about the meal at all, but rather about the community that was involved.

I have never doubted the importance of community, and I am a firm believer in the necessity of having people who love and support you around. What is new to me however, is the idea of these vast, authentic, online communities that exist. Prior to this school year, my online community consisted of my Facebook page and a few friends who followed me on Twitter. My online community has now expanded to include educators from around the world, and I am able to connect and collaborate with people from all over with the click of a button. I am no longer using Twitter as a way to find out which talk show Snooki will be on, but rather to meaningfully connect with others.

There is no substitute for a hug from a child or a coffee break with a colleague, but online communities have their place in education as well.

Are your online communities more important than other communities in your life?

As a society, are we becoming too reliant on our place in online communities?

community

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EC&I 831

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Technology

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May we always keep our common sense…

It is hard to believe it has been a week since EC&I 831 made its debut in my life. I must admit that at about 9:00 p.m. on that very night I was afraid my brain may explode from the sheer amount of information I had taken in! I was definitely feeling overwhelmed, yet somehow comforted by many of my classmates shared concerns (hey, misery loves company right??). In fact, I felt like I maybe a leg up on some, as I was already fairly proficient with Twitter and had just started up a blog. But as I started to thinking about all the things I wanted and needed to learn, the panic set in again. Where does a week go?? Now here I sit on Tuesday afternoon (thank goodness for preps!), thinking about how to make my digital presence, and how to introduce myself to the rest of you.

Who am I?

As my tagline suggests, my 4 most important roles in life are as a teacher, student, mother, and wife (in no particular order). I have a BSc from the U of S and a BEd (MEAD program) from the U of R. I have been teaching in rural SK since 2005, and I have taught everything from Grade 2-12. I can’t wait until I get to teach Kindergarten (someone really needs to develop a sarcasm font). In a perfect world I would teach high school Science, but as any of my rural colleagues know, you have to be very flexible in small schools. I started my MEd (Educational Administration) in January 2012, and this is my 5th class.

I am married (Danny) and have 2 children (Karlee, 4 and Jaxon, 2). We live on a farm with some sheep, 3 dogs, and a horse. When I am not at school, I like going to Rider games, running, gardening, and playing with my kids.

What do I want to learn?

I want to learn to use technology in a meaningful, productive way. To move beyond computers as a word processor/research device. To teach students how important it is to collaborate and share and be good digital citizens. We have the ability to connect with people around the world within seconds, and I want to bring that experience to my students (as soon as I learn how :)).

I am always ready, willing, and able to try new things, but I am guilty of getting caught up in the busyness of everyday life and sticking with the tried and true. This course is a good opportunity to network with other like minded individuals and keep each other motivated to “Learn something new everyday”.

We should all be more like children- forgiving, carefree, and full of questions.

The two most important people in my life.

The two most important people in my life.