Chemene's 337 Site

Backward design was something I have thought about prior to this course, however, I had not yet considered constructive alignment. But after learning about constructive alignment I can see how the two concepts are connected and should be considered together. In approaching lesson design in this way it allows for a dynamic lesson that both engages and meets the needs of the learners. This is not an easy thing to do though in reality, and it does involve pre-planning and thought from the educator. This is because although students do need to be active in their learning process, they also need to have some scaffolding in order to be able to truly successful. As well, it can be challenging for an educator to know which tools to use or which resources to present to students when the ‘box is too broad’, what I mean by this is although I do believe in encouraging students to learn about what they are passionate about, I also believe they need to be taught how to ethically source their information and also how to communicate their findings. Nevertheless, constructive alignment and active learning is certainly something that I aim to do as an educator, and realizing there are many tools available to create active learning opportunities for students is encouraging.

This week looking though h5p was really both overwhelming and kind of fun. As someone who finds technology very overwhelming at times, I initially found trying to navigate this platform to be a lot. It felt like there were endless places for me to look for different activities, and I didnt even really understand what a learning object meant (thank you to both a google search and chatgpt I realized I did in fact know what learning objects where, just not their name). However, after looking through the site I did find some useful objects, and was able to make a couple of little quizzes. I found it to be someone easy to use after the initial shock of the site, but figuring out how to ’embed it’ well that was a whole other story… I only ever figured out how to move my learning objects if I made them public.

Reflections

In the past I have tried text to speech tools and I have not personally found them useful, this is because I have found the voice to just be off-putting. However, after trying it with different voices… I am still not really a fan. Nevertheless, I do see the benefits this technology can have with learners, especially ones who have different needs or abilities than me. It is important to know though that this type of technology will not be for everyone, and even with its possible benefits many learners many not like it, and some may find it useful. I will need to monitor for my own bias though, as just because I feel this way does not mean that other educators or learners do not find this to be incredibly useful.

I did not find the wave report to be helpful, I could not get it to read my blog accurately and could not get the plug in to work.  

Canva on the other hand I found very useful and fun to use. I really like exploring this site, and I will definitely be using it a lot in the future of my teaching practice. I used Canva to create an infographic about photosynthesis as I will be going over this with a class I am teaching in the near future. It was nice to find an application that was really user friendly, especially to someone who is not technology saavy.

This week was a very fun and interesting one. I have personally always been nervous to use AI, and I have also been somewhat displeased with its impacts on the art world. However, this week I gained some insight into the benefits of AI, especially within the academic and learning setting.

Not only was I able to quickly create resources I was able to use with my current students, I was also able to play around and have quite a bit of fun with different AI resources. I especially enjoyed using ChatGPT and was able to create a number of math questions (and answer keys) for my students to practice certain skills that we have been working on in class.

When I plugged in the prompt for this weeks blog post into ChatGPT it was interesting to read the different ways I could get it to explain the SAMR and TPACK models. I was able to ask it to write it for me in an elaborate way, a concise way, and even for it to put the information for me into a flow chat. I found its responses to be accurate, and I found it interesting to read the answers after the AI was prompted in different ways. I found asking for the information to be placed into a flow chart to be the most simple way for ChatGPT to explain those two models, I think this is because this was the most concise response.

Overall I really enjoyed not only learning more about AI but also getting the opportunity to explore various uses for different formats of AI that currently exist. And as an educator I am really grateful for having been introduced more to this, as there are truly so many ways that this is beneficial. I am really excited to explore the use of AI in teaching, learning, and creating resources.

And here is the full answer that I was given by Chat GPT from the prompt. I found it to be accurate and helpful the way the information was broken down.

Can you explain the TPACK and SAMR models to me in a easy to understand and concise manner?
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Sure! Here’s a simple breakdown of both models:

1. TPACK Model (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge)
   TPACK is a framework for integrating technology into teaching. It highlights the need for teachers to blend three types of knowledge:
   Content Knowledge (CK): Understanding the subject matter.
   Pedagogical Knowledge (PK): Knowing how to teach effectively.
   Technological Knowledge (TK): Understanding how to use technology.
   The model suggests that effective teaching happens when teachers can integrate all three areas—using technology in ways that support both the content being taught and the best methods for teaching it.
2. SAMR Model (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition)
   SAMR is a model that helps teachers assess how they are using technology in the classroom. It has four levels, from basic to transformative:
   Substitution: Technology acts as a direct replacement for traditional tools, with no change in teaching (e.g., using a word processor instead of writing by hand).
   Augmentation: Technology still replaces traditional tools, but it adds some functional improvements (e.g., using a spell checker in a word processor).
   Modification: Technology allows for significant redesign of tasks and activities (e.g., students collaborate on a shared document online).
   Redefinition: Technology enables entirely new tasks that were previously unimaginable (e.g., students creating a global project with peers from other countries).

1st screencast- forms

This week I created a screencast of myself exploring through using forms on microsoft. I have honestly never use microsoft for anything other than word really, so this was a cool experience for me to realize the multitude of benefits that exist merely at my fingertips simply within microsoft.

I also realized the benefits of being able to do something as simple as screencast. In a day such as today where the expectations are huge on not only teachers, but also students, it is imperative to be able to streamline learning and make it not only engaging but also coherent for all students. By being able to prepare lessons with screen casting it allows for educators to place a personal touch on their lessons, which can be a helpful factor in terms of increasing student engagement. As well, it is also important to be aware of students various levels of cognitive load, and in creating learning environments where multimedia is used it allows for different parts of the brain to be activated and used. Which helps prevent an overload of a particular input of information for students. In more simple terms: when you present information to learners in a variety of ways it not only helps them better understand the concept, but it also will not overload their brain by only looking at a bunch of symbols. This is because maybe they will look at 1-2 symbols, and then see the same idea represented as a picture, then in words, then maybe the students will be asked to create their own connection. This is an important tool in not only learning, but also is imperative for instructional designers to consider.

There are many examples of where multimedia learning principles were not followed by me in the past. However, it is largely due to the fact that I am not completely comfortable with many aspects of technology and due to certain limitations of technology (such as accessibility) that exist. Nevertheless, I do see the benefits of having technology boost a lesson, and I also think that this course is pushing me to see the very many benefits that exist with using technology to learning. And as is explained by the TPACK model which was introduced in 2006 by Mishra et.al of Michigan State University it is important for educators to be balanced in terms of their content knowledge, pedagogy and technology use.

Now I will continue to push myself to look a little beyond my comfort zone in term of technology assisting me in the classroom. I am hopeful that this will not only benefit my students, but that it will also help me to streamline the work I need to do in class. Which in turn will allow me to be more present with my students are the classroom learning, as opposed to always needing to be present in terms of what is required next.