Major Project Update
First let me begin by saying: The February Blues are real!
In the second week of February, I met with a colleague over zoom to get some ideas for my major project. She is a former student in ECI832 – Amanda Brace. We met over zoom where she showed me some of the work she had done in previous EdTech classes (wow -she is talented!). She first walked me through the Common Sense Education website to give me some ideas of the age appropriate activities there. I told her that I was going to create a document for primary grade students. Amanda suggested taking a look at the lessons in the grade K – 2 tab to get an understanding of the format and what was included in those lessons. She then helped me to plan the template for the lessons in my digital citizenship resource on Google Docs. She really encouraged me to start with the basics and add to the lessons after the initial lessons were developed. She added that I could find some “ready made” videos or handouts but encouraged me to try to make some of my own. (I’ll keep you posted on those original pieces – lol).
I felt really inspired by Amanda’s tutorial and set out to use the February break to make some real progress on this resource. Well, let’s just say – THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. Back to that notion of the “February Blues”. The weather turned cold. Social media seemed to be flooded with people on tropical vacations (and I was not one of them). My daughter had a (minor) car accident because road conditions were brutal. And I made the mistake of watching the news – so much negativity! So I turned to Netflix for some positivity and escape from reality. And you all know what happens when you start watching Netflix…
Well, I digress. Back to the MAJOR PROJECT UPDATE!
At the end of the break, I managed to get myself back into the mode of homework. I began looking through the lessons on Common Sense Education. I narrowed down the particular grade I wanted to focus on (Grade 2). I looked through the Saskatchewan Curriculum Guide for Grade 2 to make connections to the outcomes with Ribble’s Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship. I located the key understanding from Saskatchewan’s Digital Citizenship Continuum. As I filled in the template with these fundamentals, I was able to formulate the general outline of my resource.
When we returned to school, I decided to jump right into using some of the lessons from Common Sense Education to see the reaction the students had. Here are a few things I learned:
- What engaged the students (and what didn’t).
- How to improve the lessons
- There is a real need to start with our primary grade students in digital citizenship and media literacy!
Most importantly, I have learned that my lessons need to include the students’ own knowledge and promote the idea of “digital leadership” to empower the students to fulfill the expectations of becoming responsible digital citizens.
Thanks, Brenda! I enjoyed seeing your project in class this week! I have found in other ECI83_ classes that using the tools practically in the classroom has the best results. I like that we can use tech in practice and not just in theory! Seeing how students react to the content will only make your work stronger as you know what will really resonate with them and how to create a successful document! I also know how you feel about the Feb break and the blues… I tried so hard to stay on top of assignments but definitely could have invested more time rather than slacking off. But alas, we all need a break! Looking forward to seeing how your project continues to develop! -Dalton
I love the “digital leadership” component! I think that is often what makes students buy into the process and the learning, rather than just going through the motions. And I 100% agree that the February blues are real… but for me they extended into March! I’m just finally getting back on track with homework now!
I am with you in having a slow start with the Major Project. For whatever reason, I just didn’t have the gumption to get going until after the Feb break. I also had plans to work on it over the break, but that didn’t happen. We need to recognize what our bodies (and minds) our telling us and give ourselves a break! I think we have just had more time to percolate on ideas and it will all come together!
I am glad that you were able to connect with Amanda. She is a great person, and so talented! She has such a wealth of knowledge in educational technology and media and is such a great person to receive help from. I too like the idea of digital leadership. I think that we need to have more of these active roles in our buildings to help mentor people learning how to use technology or that are not comfortable using it yet.