One of the most valuable aspects of this online course has been the opportunity to not only learn from the content but also from each other. Learning in a digital space requires more than just logging in; it requires active engagement, thoughtful sharing, and mutual support. As I reflect on my journey through this course, I recognize that my growth has been shaped by others, just as I’ve had the chance to contribute to their learning in meaningful ways.

Image form wikihow.com/Learn-from-Others

Throughout the course, I’ve made it a priority to engage in ways that foster collective learning. From participating in live discussions and breakout room sessions to offering feedback and encouragement in forum posts, I have aimed to create a collaborative environment where ideas can be exchanged openly and respectfully. Even when I have taken a quieter approach, especially in our Discord group, I have stayed actively involved by reading, reflecting, and affirming the insights shared by classmates. Here is a slide presentation on my learning contribution. 

Nevertheless, below are some of the posts that have contributed to the learning of other colleagues during this course.

• Update on my learning project – Comments
• Remixing education an approach to teaching and learning in digital age
• Perception note on open educational resources
• Social media and online extortion: The role of Digital citizenship
• Week 4 update on my SmartPLS application
• Participatory culture through social media: Impact on Education

And here I am in the last post for this course. It has indeed been an awesome learning experience with everyone. Below is my summary of learning, and I must acknowledge that I used the text-to-speech feature on ElevenLabs AI for the voice narration in my video.

Social media activism involves the use of digital platforms to promote social causes, amplify marginalized voices, mobilize support, shift national conversations on legal and social issues, and engage in collective action. It has emerged as a significant tool for raising awareness, driving legal and social reform, and fostering community engagement, particularly in movements like #MeToo and various local initiatives. According to Greijdanus et al. (2020), online social media activism also involves how people use platforms to document experiences, build communities, and mobilize for offline protests. It can be meaningful and worthwhile, as evidence suggests a positive relationship between online and offline activism, enhancing collective action and visibility.

Social media activism – voice of Frisco

The question of whether online activism is meaningful and worthwhile actually got me thinking about a lot of issues that we face around the world. How do people across the globe get to know or hear about social issues like the #FeesMustFall movement in South Africa, the #Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria, and many others happening around the world? Gone are those days where progressive movements are done in isolation or restricted to just a country. According to Hutchinson (2023), the “presence of social media and the Web 2.0 platforms like Twitter and Facebook have provided activists with tools that previously only traditional media platforms had access to,” thus making it possible for people to share and even live stream their activism activities.

Social media activism – Anthony McCosker

Reflecting on the question of whether online social media activism can be meaningful and worthwhile would depend on several factors. For instance, a post by the University of Sussex indicates that while social media might be a useful platform for social justice, evidence suggests that these platforms are not accessible to a large number of people around the world. More importantly is the acknowledgement that such platforms can be weaponized for political use. Nevertheless, I think online social activism can be worthwhile because it creates opportunity for empowerment and identity formation. There are some people who find it difficult to share personal narratives or even express their identities. However, such platforms give them the opportunity to do so due to the collective consciousness of awareness being raised among people of the same identity or characteristics. This could possibly foster a sense of community and shared experience for such people. I have also witnessed a situation where online activism involved the sharing of an online bill in relation to a community issue. This successfully led to the mobilization of people within the affected community coming together for community engagement rallies on the respective issue. The online information that was shared through the bill actually informed and enhanced how the community members exercised their civic rights, engagement, and responsibilities.

Engaging in productive conversations about social justice online might be possible, even though it presents unique challenges and opportunities. I think there could sometimes be an issue of potential miscommunication through manipulation of posts causing a kind of passive interaction and backlash when using these digital spaces as indicated by the University of Sussex.

The responsibilities of educators in modelling active citizenship online will basically involve shaping students understanding of the digital space and their engagement within it. Since technology has dramatically changed how things are done around the world, it is important that educators take the responsibility of developing students digital citizenship skills, which can help promote a culture of engagement and collaboration in online spaces. This will involve guiding students in understanding online ethics, self-identity, and responsible online behavior (Kim & Choi, 2018). According to the authors, the S.A.F.E. model identifies how key components such as Self-identity, Activity, fluency, and ethics, which educators can use to structure their teaching. I think educators can also create an active learning environment where students are equipped to navigate the complexities of online interactions as they meaningfully engage in discussions around civic issues and responsibilities.

We live in a world where media have become highly significant, and its importance in education cannot be overstated. As teachers, it becomes very important for us to maximize all forms of technology to make learning interesting, fun, and active. According to the American Society for the Positive Care of Children (American SPCC), digital media not only encourages creative expression but also plays a vital role in building children’s social competencies. Through online platforms, they learn to collaborate, share perspectives, and offer helpful critiques, which promotes empathy and teamwork. Over the past few years, I’ve explored tools like Animoto, Clipchamp, Canva, and Screencastify, among others, for documenting/delivering educational content.

In this post, I will be exploring another commonly used tool by students, which is the CapCut media. CapCut is a video editing tool that can be used on desktops (Windows), mobile, or online browsers. While primarily known for film editing, CapCut offers a user-friendly platform for creating digital animations suitable for online education. This app appears to be commonly used by younger people, and it simplifies video editing with its intuitive features, making it accessible to new app users without prior experience.

CapCut has the option of opening a previous project or starting a new project. The web version has several features, including magic tools like text-to-speech, a voice changer, video aspect ratio for resizing, AI video maker, script to video, clips to video, smart vlog, custom voice, video translator, teleprompter, voice recording option, background removal, text to image, avatars, and one-click video creation.

• It has a term of policy that users need to consent to before using the app.
• The user interface is friendly and accessible with intuitive designs that allow users to navigate the app easily. The app also has several templates that can be modified for personal use.
• One can drag and drop videos and images concurrently and even set timelines to control the duration of how the logo or video appears.You can also create watermarks using the CapCut app.
• The app also has several video, body, and photo effects that can be applied, ranging from transitions, adjustments, animations, and filters to help enhance the visual quality of the video.
• In terms of the aspect ratio, one can crop and resize videos or images to fit YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram. One also has the option to create with a custom canvas size depending on the device used.
• In the adjustment, one can control the resolution, brightness, contrast, saturation, or even playback speed of the video. It also has the preview and export button
• It also has auto-captioning, which automatically generates subtitles either from video, spoken language, or using AI.
• Another feature that caught my attention is the audio integration, which allows users to add music and sound effects either by recording, AI-generated music, text-to-audio, or even extracting music from another platform to enhance the storytelling aspect of videos.

In the post How to Use CapCut in the Classroom, the author asserts that the utilization of CapCut as a tool to engage students within the educational setting can significantly enhance creativity and collaboration while simultaneously advancing digital literacy. Furthermore, the implementation of CapCut also renders the learning experience more captivating, thereby facilitating the effective comprehension of the instructional materials presented by educators. While CapCut is a free access tool, it is important to note that some advance features on the app might require a subscription. 

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization describes “Open Educational Resources (OER) as “learning, teaching, and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under the copyright that has been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation, and redistribution by others” (UNESCO, 2019:5).

Image copied from https://libguides.federation.edu.au/oer

The OER movement seeks to enhance educational quality and democratize knowledge, to make resources accessible to all learners, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (SDG 4). OER are not limited to learning content but also include digital tools and other intellectual property that can be used in any context. One key feature of OER is the flexible nature of the materials created, which makes them adaptable to specific needs or contexts.

Image copied from https://libguides.federation.edu.au/oer

As an educator and emerging researcher, I have been privileged to utilize several OERs for my personal development. These resources basically help to increase access to learning and are sometimes used to address issues of cost of textbooks, quality/up-to-date information, and equity, especially for people living in economically disadvantaged communities or those with lower socioeconomic status. A typical example of an OER that I have always used is the PhET interactive simulations, which are provided under the Creative Commons Attribution (CCA). The PhET simulations can be used for teaching science and mathematics across all age groups. One of the reasons I love using PhET interactive simulations is that it bridges issues around lack of laboratory equipment, which tend to hinder students from engaging in experimental activities. More importantly is the fact that the PhET platform is easily accessible online at no cost. It also helps to promote student engagement and enhance teacher’s pedagogy.

The use of open educational resources where teachers are able to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute materials has opened up more possibilities for teachers’ collaboration on innovative educational practices, resulting in what is referred to as OER-enabled pedagogy (OEP). OEP has been shown to increase how teachers network and collaborate and stimulate reflection on their teaching practices while also creating opportunities to access high-quality, digital teaching materials (Arispe et al., 2023; Wiley & Hilton, 2018). Using OERs becomes valuable, particularly in contexts where resources are lacking or outdated and curricula/course materials are dependent upon decisions imposed by school districts or states. The value of OERs for students with access to them lies in their ability to help students prepare for a topic or lesson in advance, thereby facilitating the learning process, saving instructional time, promoting personalized learning, and potentially improving grades.

Based on the internationally agreed documents led by multilateral organizations like UNESCO and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), many countries now support the development of OER as a way to provide high-quality learning materials to students and provide primary and secondary education for all while making higher education more affordable (Kanwar, 2015). One particular thing I have noticed is that most of the available OERs seem to be generated more from industrialized/developed countries as compared to developing countries. However, there are claims that a lack of funding opportunities, understanding of copyright, and open licensing could be a potential roadblock to OER development. Another challenge to the adoption of OER could be associated with the fact that many teachers don’t know how to find, use, or create OER effectively, which limits their ability to integrate these resources into their teaching practices. There are schools that lack access to technological resources like internet facilities and IT experts, which can discourage teachers from adopting  OER in their classrooms. I could remember visiting a school that had projectors and computers in the science laboratory but did not have access to the internet or data connectivity. Unfortunately, the school management indicated insufficient funding as a hinderance to teachers use of those resources. Inasmuch as OERs are beneficial, I know that not all students can access these resources, and this can further widen the issue of the digital divide causing educational inequalities. During the class discussion, colleagues mentioned how some teachers are always hesitant to share their materials, and this can also frustrate teachers from adopting OERs.

Reflecting on how OERs can be improved, I think this could include promoting teachers and students to work together in creating OERs, as well as encouraging a collaborative practice among teachers where they are able to share their resources with one another. I also think creating awareness on the benefits of sharing resources within a community of practice could be instrumental in how the use of OERs can be improved.

• I remember colleagues talking about teachers making money by selling their resources online. How do you think this can be used in improving the development and adoption of OERs?
• I would also love to know how you are using OER in your classroom as an educator.
• What role do you think educational stakeholders play in the development and adoption of open educational resources?

References

Arispe, K., Hoye, A., & Palmer, K. (2023). The impact of open educational resource professional development for teachers in secondary education. Open Praxis, 15(4), 303-313.

Kanwar, A. (2015). Open Education Resources: What, why, how? Available at Commonwealth of Learning Newsletter

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2019). Recommendation on Open Educational Resources. Available at Legal Affairs/OER

Wiley, D., & Hilton Iii, J. L. (2018). Defining OER-enabled pedagogy. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 19(4).

‘Remixing is tasty’ (Gideon Burton, https://www.flickr.com/ photos/ wakingtiger/ 3156791341, CC BY SA 2.0)

Remixing is the art of copying, adapting, transforming, reorganizing, and/or remaking existing materials to produce something new (Katz, 2024). The process of remixing empowers one to be creative and enhance how they reuse existing materials.

In education, teachers and students depend on several instructional materials to help improve the teaching and learning process. The principle of remixing in education emphasizes the adaptation and integration of existing ideas to enhance curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment. This allows teachers to modify existing curriculum by engaging in borrowing, adapting, and merging concepts and /or ideas from various sources, including technology, to meet diverse student needs, create innovative learning experiences, and enhance learning outcomes (Meidi Meidi, 2011).  This implies that teachers gather information from multiple resources and adopt or adapt it to their classroom context.

Remixing materials can provide teachers and students with opportunities to access resources without limitations while expanding their applicability, trying to align their teaching with the needs of students and promoting inclusivity (Swancutt et al., 2020). The principles of remixing in an educational context can also help improve students’ ability to navigate, modify, and ethically use digital resources. In addition, it can challenge students to find innovative solutions by remixing and iterating on ideas. In terms of pedagogy, teachers can use their pedagogical content knowledge to critique and possibly adapt their instructional strategies to ensure that the lessons or content they intend to teach are contextually relevant for their students. When teaching, teachers can adapt various techniques and resources they came across from other sources to scaffold teaching and learning activities in their classroom context. Through the use of various scaffolding techniques, teachers can better understand how their instructional modifications and adaptations influence learning, which can, in turn, lead to a more unified approach between how the curriculum is planned and its final implementation in the classroom.

Purple Illustrative: How to Boost Engagement on Social Media Poster by ayodele emehinola

Conversely, while adaptation is essential for meeting diverse needs, it can also lead to inconsistencies in curriculum delivery if not aligned with overarching educational standards. This highlights the need for ongoing professional development and support for teachers in their adaptation efforts.

Remixing assessment practices could involve adjusting assessment policies, documents, contents, and components to align with current real-world educational tools and practices. This could include how teachers repurpose the use of technology to assess how students tell stories, carry out scientific investigations, and develop new artifacts based on existing ideas. It could also include using digital platforms to give students the same worksheets that would have been done traditionally. Doing this will not only assess the students’ subject matter knowledge but also how they navigate the online platform, share ideas or resources online, and all that. However, I believe that how teachers remix educational materials might depend on factors like educational policies, personal beliefs, and possible collaborative frameworks that support teacher adaptation.

The practice of remixing in education is increasingly relevant with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), which offers tools for educators to reproduce instructional materials and content effectively. Studies have shown how the use of AI teachers can remix established curriculum by incorporating AI tools to support diverse learning needs, particularly in special education contexts (McMahon & Firestone, 2024). Using AI tools to remix learning content has actually promoted the creation of adaptive learning systems that help teachers tailor educational content to individual student needs (Sumartono et al., 2025). Using AI tools has also encouraged collaboration to refine assessment methods, contents, and learning outcomes among teachers.

Benefits of adaptive learning (Image from Anand Choudhary)

To reiterate an argument from the video “Remix is the art of copying”, however, the act of copying has always been stigmatized in education and often associated with negative connotations like plagiarism. However, the use of advanced learning technologies like AI, simulations, coding, and robotics platforms seems to promote more of the process of copying, debugging, and re-creating ideas. Thus, copying can serve as a valuable learning tool, particularly in programming and design contexts.

I think the issue of copying can be right and wrong depending on the context in which it been practiced. In a programming context, it can be used as a constructive tool to help students understand complex concepts. In design thinking, it could enhance creativity and innovation if properly modified to create something new. Nevertheless, I think there is a need for more education or guidelines on the various ways copying can be done correctly and constructively in the form of remixing and incorrectly in forms that can be connoted as wrong intent or academic dishonesty. Remixing can be seen as a legitimate form of creativity and innovation, fostering collaboration rather than discouraging it.

References

Lin, H. & Fishman, B. (2009). Scaffolding teacher adaptation by making design intent explicit. In Dimitracopoulou, A., O’Malley, C., Suthers, D., & Reimann, P. (Eds.), Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Practices: CSCL2009 Community Events Proceedings (pp. 159-161). Rhodes, Greece: International Society of the Learning Sciences.

Meidl, T., & Meidl, C. (2011). Curriculum integration and adaptation: Individualizing pedagogy for linguistically and culturally diverse students. Current Issues in Education, 14(1).

Swancutt, L., Medhurst, M., Poed, S., & Walker, P. (2020). Making adjustments to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. In Inclusive education for the 21st century (pp. 208-243). Routledge.