As an educator and an individual, I have always considered myself a techno-constructivist. I am open to learning new technology and usually can do so fairly quickly. This was extremely helpful during my most recent Digital Media Literacy class. In this class we had to complete a project in which we came up with a new idea/plan for our classroom in the upcoming year. The techno-constructivist approach I took was very beneficial in this course as I was able to imagine how to use each of these new technologies within my class and I explored some of the technologies we learned; virtual escape rooms, podcasts, and digital newsletters.
I grew up the youngest of two children to a school teacher and a computer programmer. I have always considered myself adequately versed in technology, though I do admit I can always learn new things. I grew up learning about the power of voice. In high school I participated in debate, the school newspaper, swing dance, chorus, cheerleading, and so much more to help me find my individual voice and speak out within my class. I continued finding my voice when I went to the University of South Carolina; working in the journalism field and reporting current events and press conferences. I continued to find my voice when I ended up at the Community College of Rhode Island, participating in the school’s theater group and participating in human services class. I ended up at Rhode Island College pursuing my elementary and middle level education certification. It was here that one of my professors, Jennifer Cook, taught me about the power of student voice. Professor Cook introduced me to graphic novels; accessible reading for all students. She also taught me how to reach students as writers, and how to get them to use their inner voice to produce well thought out and detailed work.
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As a parent I have always stressed the importance of voice and standing up for what you believe in to my own four children. As an educator, I have taught my students the importance of finding your voice through writing; often encouraging them to tackle topics that challenge them and that they can be passionate about. Before this class, I had often wondered how I could get students to use their physical voice to speak out on topics; especially since some of my more shy students hate talking in front of groups.
In my fourth year of teaching I was emergency certified for teaching emergent bilinguals, which ultimately led me to the Digital Media Literacy class (as part of my masters in TESOL). We started off the class talking about Prensky’s ideology that young people are digital natives while those who grew up in a different tech time are digital immigrants. Many did not like the terms he used nor did they agree with the ideals, especially Danah Boyd. Boyd stated, “Empowering youth requires much more than calling them native participants.” Boyd believed that students still need to be taught the proper ways in which to use technology; they may be able to work social media, but that doesn’t qualify them as a native.
As our project for Digital Media Literacy was introduced I wasn’t quite sure what new technology I could introduce. I also wasn’t sure exactly what to use as my why. I knew in essence why I was teaching and why I wanted students to learn but my direction was still unclear. I continued to listen to the Ted Talks and read the excerpts assigned and they continued to talk to me. Sir Ken Robinson stated, “What great teachers also do is mentor, stimulate, provoke, engage.” This had me thinking about what I do to mentor, stimulate, provoke, and engage my own students. I knew that I pushed my students with writing to new limits but it had me beginning to question what else I could do.
In a Ted Talk about learning from his son baby George, Mike Wesch stated, “real learning is about the questions that you take out of the class that inspire you and force you to take chances.” Wesch’s speech had me really thinking about my own lessons and how inspiring they were. How could I step them up a level and inspire even more. Then, I was reading from the Rethinking Popular Culture and Media book. I read a chapter called Storytelling as Resistance by Jerica Coffey. In this chapter, Coffey states, “The stories we hear and tell shape and define the way we relate to one another.” That is when my inspiration struck. I knew what my beliefs were, but I still wasn’t sure of the project.
When Brittany Richer Ahnrud came to the class to speak about Podcasting, I was intrigued as I had never even thought about Podcasting before. I had heard of it but never had really been interested in it. The evening before, we listened to a Podcast to prepare for her arrival and I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. It brought the narrator's ideas to life, almost in story form. When Brittany spoke to us about using Podcasting with her students, that is when the light bulb went off!
Between the readings and Brittany’s lessons, I finally knew my beliefs and what I wanted to do for my project! I believe that students learn best when lessons engage, provoke, and inspire them. I believe that all students have a voice capable of changing the world for the better. I believe that through student voice (whether it be physical, through writing, or art) students can communicate, educate, and advocate. Students have an important voice in the world that often goes unheard.
For my project, I decided to use that student voice. Using a Podcasting site called Soundtrap, I am restructuring some of my writing assignments to give students the option to Podcast. This upcoming year, I will spend time teaching all students the basics and having them learn this new tool. What is great about Podcasting is that even my shy students can do it; it is not in front of a live audience and it can be redone as often as needed before being submitted. My emergent bilinguals will also benefit from Podcasting as it will help with speaking and listening skills. While most of our Podcasts will only be listened to by other students I would love to get to a point where we can share the powerful ones with the community.
While I am still learning all the major ins and outs of Podcasting, I would like to have my students use the Soundtrap site for our first major writing assignment, the Nonfiction Narrative. I think this would be a great entry point for students into the Podcasting world, as it is their own story and requires descriptive details. I would like to eventually work them up to arguing for or against a topic of their choosing.
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This class to me was very beneficial. I learned who I am as an educator and my “why”. I learned several new and exciting technological tools that I can bring into my classroom. I also was given access to several amazing resources on the powers of technology in the classroom. My techno-constructivist self has surely grown; just as I know I will continue to grow as I explore all that I learned from Digital Media Literacy.
Self-Reflection
References Boyd, D. (2015). It's complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press. (n.d.). Sir Ken Robinson: How to escape education's death valley | TED Talk. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley?language=en. Noon, S. (n.d.). Are you a techno-constructivist? Are You a Techno-Constructivist? | Education World. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech005.shtml Wesch, Mike. (n.d.). Learning From Baby George | TED Talk. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP7dbl0rJS0 Marshall, Elizabeth, and Sensoy Özlem. Rethinking Popular Culture and Media. Rethinking Schools, 2016. Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816
I am going to list my project action plan here:
ReplyDelete-I am continuing to learn how to Podcast. Educating myself on the platform.
-I am currently going through my curriculum to see where I can fit in Podcasting. Currently I am going to introduce it at the beginning of the year and have students use it for Podcasting.
-I will add Podcasting as an additional option throughout the year.
-As students begin to get more comfortable with the platform, I will give them the option to share with parents/other educators.
-I would like to introduce Podcasting to my colleagues and other students throughout the school.