Here is my first time creating a whiteboard animation style video using Video Scribe! It was a little frustrating as I ran into a few problems but I still had fun creating it, check it out!
I used the free trial so don’t mind the watermark on the background… I wish it told me that before I finished making my video lol.
Here’s my script is anyone is interested:
Hi, I’m Alex. Welcome to my Summary of Learning in EdTech 300. When I signed up for this course, I did not realize Katia would blow my mind. I learned about the use of technology and media in teaching and learning and the transformative effects that emerging digital tools/networks have on school and society.
One of the many ways this class blew my mind was through the exploration of edtech tools, like the one I am using right now. One tool that allowed me and my classmates to learn, share resources, and connect with each other and with other educators was Twitter. I had Twitter before, but I didn’t really use it because I didn’t know its purpose. This class taught me that Twitter is a great professional development tool that allows me to connect with others building my professional learning network, find and share resources, and provide other educators with support and encouragement. The live Twitter chats like #Saskedchat showed me how Twitter is a great way to find and connect with people worldwide who share similar interests to collaborate with and create a supportive community. This class has completely changed my mind about Twitter as it has proven to be a great professional development tool that I plan on utilizing for the rest of my life as an educator.
Another tool that allowed me and my classmates to connect, collaborate, and share our ideas was through our blogs. When I found out that I had to blog for this class, I panicked. With help from Katia and my peers, I got the hang of it in no time. I enjoyed the blogging portion of the class because I felt I could form deeper understandings of the concepts covered in the course as I read through my classmate’s perspectives that helped me develop an enhanced view. At the same time, I offered my peers my viewpoints and opinions to improve their learning as they did mine.
One concept that struck me was digital identities. Through the cyber sleuthing activity, I saw how much of our information is readily available and that what we share online stays online for anyone to see. This activity helped me realize the importance of being aware of what we post as it impacts how others see us, including potential employers, coworkers, students, and our students’ parents. This put in perspective how we must help our students gain awareness of their own digital identities. In doing so, it is essential to teach our students, even the early elementary students, digital citizenship to develop appropriate, responsible and empowered technology use. As educators, it is crucial to encourage technology use positively and empower our students rather than using the scare tactic. When students practice digital citizenship, they should also begin to develop digital literacy. With the internet multiplying the amount of information and viewpoints we have access to comes greater responsibility as consumers to ensure we are not being fooled by fake news and its dangers. John Spencer stated that in a Stanford study, only 25% of high school students were able to identify an accurate news story compared to a fake news story. Students also had a hard time distinguishing between real and fake photos and authentic and staged videos.This made me realize how important it is to provide students with critical thinking skills to become critical online consumers. I plan to do this by providing my future students with John Spencer’s 5 C’s of critical consuming.
Overall, I learned about and explored new and emerging technology tools while learning how to thoughtfully and appropriately integrate technology and media in PK-12 learning environments. I have gained a new perspective on the importance of technology integration in the classroom as it enhances learning, empowers students, develops critical thinking, and provides access and equal opportunities. I am thankful for what EDTC 300 has taught me as I plan to commit to being a lifelong learner with technology to benefit myself and my future students as technology is always evolving.