I understand the digital learning environment (DLE) to be where and how learning takes place using technology and software platforms. The DLE for the school board I work for includes Google Apps for Education (GAFE). Students are able to collaborate using Google Docs and Slides. The student is assigned their lessons and submit their assessments through Google Classroom. Students communicate using the Stream on Google Classroom, Google Hangouts and meet synchronously when in Remote Learning through Google Meet.
The DLE also includes an accountability platform to monitor students’ digital activity. GoGuardian is a Chromebook management tool that allows educators to monitor where students visit, what work they do and control their device in real-time. Teachers can pull up a tab on students’ screens, close tabs, lock the device, block websites and manage students’ tabs. This supports educators teach digital citizenship. Without a platform such as this, students can be left to their own “devices” literally, without formal consequences. When students are learning remotely, taking away a student’s device is not an option.
The DLE for the school board also includes D2L Brightspace or Ontario’s VLE. The VLE holds curated resources for educators and students to learn from, digital games to interact and websites to serves as reference material for lessons, curriculum content, lessons and much more. Student’s digital portfolios are held within the SNCDSB Hub, the VLE. Students are loaded into classes through the student information system. This allows for seamless and secure access to upload artifacts of learning. Students are able to provide reflections, strengths and next steps for learning.
Support students being responsible digital citizens is not an easy task. I believe the biggest hurdle for educators is that digital citizenship not be a well-known concept. Students need to learn in a supportive environment that corrects behaviour but allows students the freedom to explore and engage in a way that provides them with an authentic learning experience. Students should not learn digital citizenship practices theoretically without the opportunity to apply the learning in a DLE.
A DLE can also include social media. I currently use Twitter to share my work in the classroom with the broader community. I also follow educators who inspire me, provide hands-on learning experiences through STEM, makerspaces, coding, robotics and 21st-century learning. I follow educators who will provide me with a spark, motivation, encouragement or inspiration. I learn from educators in the field. My next step in the social networking arena is to comment on others’ posts, rather than just retweeting or liking a post. However, my DLE does include social media.
A 15-minute video was created to explain how effective integration of technology into the elementary classroom can be achieved. Effective technology integration is evaluated through the lens of critical thinking. The15 minute video serves as the media project for the INF 537 capstone research project. The purpose of the project was framed by the teaching role Technology Enabled Learning Teacher Contact (TELTC). The Ministry of Education funds every school board within the province of Ontario with a TELTC position. The 2020-2021 Grants for Students Needs Ministry Publication outlines the four key outcomes that the TELTC is to fulfill. TELCS are expected to support educators and students in effectively using Ontario’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) along with ministry-provided digital tools and resources in both online learning and face-to-face classrooms, develop strong pedagogical knowledge and skills in online learning for teachers, collaborate with the ministry to build an understanding of local school board needs related to technology-enabled learning and teaching and supports building parent engagement through Ontario’s VLE.
Since the inception of the TELTC role, TELTC has been supporting educators to effectively integrate technology into the classroom. The current government has a focus to develop transferable skills in students. The framework for evaluation of effective technology integration into the elementary classroom was selected based on the Ontario Ministry of Education Document 21st Century Competencies: A Foundation Document for Discussion. The 6 Cs of 21st-century learning include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, character and citizenship. Critical thinking is a key skill identified across many Ontario curriculum documents and it is considered a transferable skill. The media project is a prototype that will commence a 6 video series. The project can be extended to develop a video that evaluates the effective integration of technology through the lens of the remaining 6 Cs.
Critical thinking is a prominent skill in the most recent curriculum documents. The Mathematics Curriculum of 2020, Health and Physical Education 2019, The Kindergarten Program 2016 and Social Studies Curriculum 2013 have critical thinking as a key basis for student learning. The Growing Success Document 2010 identifies critical thinking in the achievement charts for assessment. The Ontario achievement charts have four key components, knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication and application. The thinking criteria include the critical and creative thinking process, see Appendix A and Appendix B.
The rationale of the project is to support a renewed board focus of technology integration through a lens of critical thinking into Superior North Catholic District School Board schools. Ontario curriculum documents have outlined the critical thinking process. The critical thinking process is embedded by practicing digital literacy and responsible digital citizenship. The school board’s policies and procedures support the implementation of digital citizenship skills, however, there seems to be a disconnect between teacher instruction and rich pedagogical practices of technology integration. The lack of resources and directive has led to teachers not actively engaging in digital literacy activities. The intention of the media project video is to enlighten educators on the importance of critical thinking, digital literacy and digital citizenship skills to support student learning and achievement.
The video will serve as a tool for professional development to support educators to promote 21st-century learning in their classrooms. The video explains how technology redefines and transforms educational activities to impact student learning. The video contains photos and videos of student learning at SNCDSB that highlight critical thinking skills. Appendix A includes the FOI Media Parent/Guardian Consent Form. The form gives consent to use student’s images in videos and photos included in the media project. The video concludes by challenging educators to take the next step in their professional practice to integrate digital literacy and digital citizenship skills to foster students’ critical thinking skills.
Scope of research
The scope of the research included a comprehensive review of the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum, publications and references found within the Ontario Ministry of Education documents, that support technology integration. The Ontario Ministry of Education guides and directs educators in teaching and learning in Ontario. For this reason, research was limited to the Ministry of Education publications. The Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum documents is the foundation of education within the province of Ontario. It is worth noting that much of the key ideas discovered and discussed in the media project are contained within the front matter of the curriculum and not the overall or specific expectations. The front matter of subject-specific curriculum highlights the transferable skill of critical thinking as it will support students, as they create their pathway to success both through anecdotal recommendations for teaching and learning as well as the achievement charts.
The process involved in completing the media project
The media project evolved throughout the 10 weeks of the INF 537 Digital Futures Colloquium course. The initial proposal identified the research topic, the audience, the purpose and the tool selected to create the media project. The first capstone proposal drafted did not have a clear research question. The scope of research was not resolved, and it did not discuss how effective integration of technology would be evaluated. After consultation with the course instructor, the second draft of the media project proposal included sufficient details to begin research. The research question, the scope of the research, the framework of the 6 Cs of 21st Century learning critical thinking competency and the deliverable product of a professional development video for Superior North Catholic District School Board educators were determined.
The research question selected was “What does it look like to effectively integrate technology into the elementary classroom?” The question was evaluated through the lens of critical thinking. The scope of the research included foundational Ontario Ministry of Education Documents and publications ranging from 2006 to present as well as policies and procedures for the Superior North Catholic District School Board. Although not all Ontario Ministry of Education publications and curriculum documents were reviewed through the research process, foundational documents that highlighted critical thinking and technology integration were included. The following documents were included in the research:
Throughout the document review process, common themes, big ideas and key components of the research question were observed and noted. A Google doc was created to record the findings of critical thinking in the Ontario Ministry of Education documents. It was through reviewing the research notes that the analysis and synthesis of the research occurred by collating common themes and ideas. A document was created that organised the main concepts of critical thinking and technology integration found in the Ontario Ministry of Education publications.
Through the identification of curriculum connections to critical thinking and technology integration in the classroom, it was determined that digital literacy and digital citizenship were key concepts connected to critical thinking, see Appendix B. Now understanding that critical thinking skills encompass digital literacy and digital citizenship skills, it was identified that these skills are highlighted in the Superior North Catholic District School Board Governance Policies and Procedures, see Appendix A for details.
The creation of the media project began with writing the narration that is the basis of the professional development video. Once the narrative was finalised, it was recorded using the online video editor WeVideo. It took many iterations to finalize the video narration. The next step was to add in visuals to support the voice over. The visuals included text, photos, videos, graphics, charts and images that illustrate and bring deeper meaning to the narration. The sources were input to substantiate and give credit to the visual resources used in the video. The reference list was created and added to the end of the media project.
The final step of the media project was to have it peer-reviewed. Two elementary educators watched the video and provided feedback to improve the viewing experience and maximize the impact of the media project as a professional development tool. The media project was edited to reflect the recommendations and posted on Web 2.0.
A Critical Evaluation of the Media Project
Critical thinking is a foundational and transferable skill that is foundational to the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum. The critical and creative thinking process is found in the front matter of all subject-specific curriculum. It highlights the importance of students learning how to solve problems by acquiring, processing, analyzing and interpreting information to make informed judgments to inform decisions and actions (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2017). The critical and creative thinking process supports student learning to understand media messages, identify the author’s intentions and missing voices from a publication. Students will demonstrate critical thinking by identifying biases, look for implied meaning and develop a personal stance and opinion on gathered information (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013).
Critical thinking is embedded in the achievement charts within the front matter of the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum documents see Appendix C and Appendix D. Additional Ontario Ministry of Education published documents connected critical thinking, a 21st-century learning competency, to digital literacy skills and digital citizenship skills see Appendix B and Appendix E. This is how the effective integration of technology can be evaluated through the lens of critical thinking. Students are expected to think critically when interacting and engaging with technology-based tools and digital resources.
The research by Fullen and Langworthy highlighted in the 21st Century Competencies Foundational Document for Discussionexplains that digital tools and resources can support the process of critical thinking when used to create authentic and relevant learning experiences. When students have the opportunity to engage in digital learning through the SAMR model, students will naturally practice the critical thinking process. Through the use of digital tools, students are able to demonstrate their learning in ways that were previously not possible without technology. Students are able to create products and demonstrate their learning, using hardware tools such as a webcam, microphone and Chromebook, and create using digital software tools.
21st Century Teaching and Learning Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy What Research Tells Us document states, “to prepare students for the current globalized world and technology-driven society, students must have digital literacy and digital citizenship skills to be successful. Students must have digital literacy skills to develop responsible digital citizenship skills” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016). Digital literacy skills should be embedded in all curriculum areas. To support educators to develop digital literacy skills in order to foster student learning, professional development is needed for elementary teachers. It is important to communicate clear expectations for responsible use of technology and create a school culture that embeds digital literacy and digital citizenship (Research and Resources, January 2017).
Digital literacy instruction and assessment naturally embed critical thinking skills. Digital literacy skills require students to think critically about what information is reliable and evaluate the source. Students using Web 2.0 to learn and conduct research must know how to use a search engine, input keywords and phrases to obtain the information they are looking for. Digitally literate learners in the 21st century need to be critical thinkers, as they analyze information from multiple media sources that can be instantly found through Google (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2015). Students must also know how to organize and curate information to access and archive it for future use. For example, Superior North Catholic District School Board is a Google board. Digitally literate students will know how to name a doc, move the doc to a folder that is named to maintain an organized Google Drive. If all of a student’s work were titled “Untitled Document”, it would be very difficult to retrieve. An organized Google Drive demonstrates a student’s ability as a digitally literate learner.
Educators will access digital tools to support pedagogy. Students will learn what digital tools best support different assessment tasks. As educators learn about and use digital tools, the pedagogical opportunities for effective technology integration will be evident. Digital resources, software and programs are tools. It is important for educators to know the functionality of the tool to identify how it can transform student learning. Educators must also become knowledgeable about how technology can support the learning needs of their students. Assistive technology creates equity and access to knowledge through universal design for instruction (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2015). It is also necessary for students to take ownership of their learning and develop their ability to select from the plethora of digital resources and tools available through the SNCDSB Hub, see Appendix G. The digital structure of the SNCDSB Hub supports students’ critical thinking skills as they identify and select an appropriate tool to demonstrate their learning (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2015).
Students as creators foster student motivation and engagement (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014). When students create for an authentic audience or to solve a real-world problem, they practice critical thinking skills. Digital storytelling through the use of digital tools such as WeVideo or Book Creator allows students to collaboratively create using rich digital tools. The professional product can be shared with parents, the local community and on Web 2.0. When students create and share their learning online, they are contributing digital citizens that are developing their digital identity. The contributions to Web 2.0 allow students to participate as productive, positive and responsible digital citizens (21st Century Learning and Teaching, 2016).
Through cross-cultural connections, students will practice critical thinking skills as they learn and communicate with others with various perspectives and different viewpoints. Students and educators must take advantage of technology tools that enable them to connect with people and knowledge beyond their classroom walls. With Web 2.0, students are able to communicate and respond to other students from across the globe. Educators can ask themselves who they can connect with their students to enhance their learning experience.
Students and teachers who interact and participate in critical thinking learning skills using Web 2.0, need to practice responsible digital citizenship. According to 21st Century Competencies digital citizenship requires students to know to determine if a source is credible, respect copyright laws, practice responsible use of technology and monitor their own digital footprint. To best support students, educators need to be practitioners of responsible digital citizenship. Educators must be engaged digital citizens, connecting to educators through social media platforms such as Twitter or join a Facebook group. Communities of practice is also an action for educators to foster critical thinking. Communities of practice promote teachers learning as a student, engaging with fellow educators through collaborative inquiry to improve pedagogical practice (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2015). Educators can actively practice digital citizenship through the development of digital identity and reflect on their personal and professional digital footprint. Educators must be aware of the ethical responsibility of the Ontario College of Teachers as the governing body for teachers who hold an Ontario Teaching Certificate as well as board policy and procedures and the school boards policies and procedures, see Appendix A. Educators have the opportunity to contribute knowledge and reflect on their teaching practise by creating a blog. Blogging is a great tool to make one professional practice visible to other educators. Educators who blog connect and share their learning with their peers. Professional practice can be refined and new ideas implemented with the support and inspiration shared by fellow educators.
It is important to note that the scope of the research did not identify barriers to implementing technology into the classroom or to the critical thinking process. This information was not included in the Ontario ministry documents. The ministry documents highlight the requirement and benefits for teaching and learning critical thinking skills. The implication is that it is the responsibility of the educator to teach the critical thinking process and integrate technology into their practice as outlined in the curriculum and learn through the process of implementation and reflection.
The media project titled “Effective integration of technology into the elementary classroom through the lens of critical thinking” will enlighten educators to the fact that critical thinking is a foundational skill outlined in the Ontario curriculum. Critical thinking is more prominent in curriculum documents than one would have considered prior to conducting a comprehensive review of the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum and supporting publications. The transferable skill critical thinking supports student learning and achievement as they develop digital literacy and digital citizenship skills that will support them in their future. Moreover, critical thinking is beyond content knowledge but rather a skill used in everyday life. Ontario students and educators must renew their focus to include critical thinking into the classroom through effective technology integration.
References
21st Century Teaching and Learning. (2016). Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy What Research Tells Us… Retrieved from http://edugains.ca/resources21CL/WhatsNew/WhatResearchTellsUs-DigitalCitizenship.pdf
Capacity Building K – 12. (2015, September). Literacy for a Connected World. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/CBS_LiteracyConnected.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). Language The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 – 8. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language18currb.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2007). Science and Technology The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 – 8. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/scientec18currb.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008). Reach Every Student Energizing Ontario Education. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from https://michaelfullan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/13396078200.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010). Growing Success Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growsuccess.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). Social Studies The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 – 6, History and Geography Grades 7 – 8. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/sshg18curr2013.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education & Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2013). Supporting Bias-Free Progressive Discipline in Schools. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/SupportResGuide.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2014). Achieving Excellence A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/drive/search?q=Achieving%20Excellence
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2016). 21st Century Competencies: Foundation Document for Discussion. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/About21stCentury/21CL_21stCenturyCompetencies.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education (2016). Framework of Global Competencies. Retrieved from http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/21stCen turyLearning/FrameworkofGlobalCompetencies_AODA.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2017). The Kindergarten Program. Queen’s Printer for Ontario.Retrieved from https://www.ontario.ca/document/kindergarten-program-2016?_ga=2.33429566.1210672548.1601299585-327187033.1599783717
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2019). Health and Physical Education The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 – 8. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/2019-health-physical-education-grades-1to8.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2020). Mathematics The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 – 8. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/elementary-mathematics
Research and Resources. (2017, January). Digital Citizenship. Retrieved from http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/WhatsNew/ResearchandResources_Digital%20Citizenship2017.pdf
What Works? Research into Practice. (2017, April). Think About It!. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/ww_Think_about_it.pdf
What Works? Research into Practice. (2013, June). Promoting Critical Literacy across the Curriculum and Fostering Safer Learning Environments. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_PromotingCriticalLiteracy.pdf
Appendix A The Categories of Knowledge and Skills
Growing Success Categories of Knowledge and Skills page 17 Retrieved from http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/21stCenturyLearning/FrameworkofGlobalCompetencies_AODA.pdf
Appendix B The Achievement Chart – Science and Technology, Grades 1 – 8
Reflection as a practice to deepen and consolidate learning is a fascinating process to me. I am always amazed at how the learning objectives set out at the beginning of the course are the big ideas that are then gleaned throughout the course. Through my graduate study experience, I have experienced that identifying one’s own learning goals is an important piece of the learning cycle. As a lifelong learner, establishing my own learning goals gives me ownership and understanding about where my learning journey will take me. One of the learning goals I posed as a question in my first blog post was “What and how should technology and digital tools be embedded into a teacher’s program?” This question is essentially what my research question was, “What does it look like to effectively integrate technology into the elementary classroom?”
Through the iterative planning process for my capstone project, it was discovered that I needed to select a framework to evaluate what is effective technology integration into the classroom. Since the Ontario Ministry of Education has a 21st Century Competencies Foundation Document for Discussion the 6 C’s was the framework chosen. There are six competencies that could have been selected, however, critical thinking seemed to fit well with technology and the current provincial government has highlighted critical thinking as a focus transferable skill in recent publications.
When I opened up my reflection blogs from the INF 537 course to begin thinking about my thinking over the last 13 weeks, I chuckled when I read the first sentence of my first blog post. “Critical thinking is the cornerstone of teaching and learning in the 21st century”. I found this fitting as having just finalized my capstone project; the final sentence of mycapstone project is “Ontario students and educators must renew their focus to include critical thinking into the classroom through effective technology integration.” When I started the course I did not consider that where I started is where I would end, learning how critical thinking supports student learning and educator practice. The idea of critical thinking in my first blog post was inspired by engaging in the course materials. Critical thinking as an area of study for the conclusion of my study was based on my interest and insight from reading the Ontario Ministry of Education documents. Although my engagement with the curriculum was much less rigorous prior to the commencement of research, I did have an understanding of critical thinking was as a foundational concept in the most recent curriculum documentswas recognized.
My blog post for module 1, the information environment, included discussion about Web 2.0 as a learning tool and the idea of students practicing digital citizenship. Ideas such as participatory learning, being a networked learner, engaging in the critical thinking process and making my learning visible were all ideas that I studied about through course material and revisited through my research to understand what the effective integration of technology looks like in the elementary classroom. The knowledge I encountered through module 1 course readings were substantiated through my research of the Ontario Ministry of Education documents. Without documenting my thinking using my blog, I would not have realized the strong connection between my capstone research project and course content.
Module 2 digital futures, digital scholarship highlighted the impact of technology on learning and teaching. Again through my capstone research project, I understand that digital literacy skills are developed through the effective integration of technology. The critical thinking process is required when utilizing digital tools and resources. The SAMR model is a foundational concept for educators to review to reflect upon their own understanding of how technology impacts their classroom instruction. My module 2 blog past states “To prepare students for the future, students need learning opportunities that foster collaboration, active learning through participation, developing their online identity through networking, social media and digital citizenship.” Again this idea was reflected in my capstone project. It is our role as educators in Ontario to prepare students for their future. We may not fully understand what that may look like, but we can be certain that it will involve technology. The way in which students learn is different in the 21st century. Prior to Web 2.0, society needed to memorize, recall or know where to find information, now students and educators can find information in seconds using the internet. Students can now focus on transferable skills development such as critical thinking.
Engaging in the research of the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum and publications has positively impacted my knowledge as an Ontario educator. I understand the importance of critical thinking and how to navigate the effective integration of technology into the classroom. Prior to the research capstone project, effectiveness was measured on student motivation and engagement. Evaluating technology integration through a framework has supported my ability to continue exploring this question through the lens of the remaining five competencies of the 6 C’s of 21st-century learning.
The Superior North Digital Race (SNDR) game mimics Amazing Race Canada. Each team will be created by students based on their individual strengths and be comprised of two students. Students will create a team name that accurately depicts them as a team. This planning will support problem-solving and decision making throughout the game.
Teams begin with a clue; players decode and solve the problem to navigate to their next clue. Teams cannot progress to the next stage of the game without resolving each obstacle. If unable to complete a challenge, a 10-minute penalty is added and they continue their game. A hint from their teacher or another team adds a 5-minute penalty. Players continue the process until the first team wins by reaching the final pitstop. Penalties are added to the team’s final time.
Teams encounter obstacles in the form of roadblocks and detours. At a roadblock, only one team player can complete the challenge- players will need to decide who will best conquer the roadblock. Detours allow teams to choose which challenge they would like to complete based on the description. As noted, students can request a hint from the teacher.
Benefits of Digital Game-Based Learning
Game-based learning is an application of game design principles into the classroom to engage students (Adams, 2009). Students enjoy learning through immersive digital platforms, collaboratively with their peers and learn through trial and error (Liu, Cheng, & Huang, 2011). Digital games engage students with short attention spans by quickly moving from one challenge to the next (Latham & Hollister, 2013). Active learning methods increase student overall engagement and retention of information (Meegen & Limpens, 2010).
Game-based learning promotes students’ ability to think and act creatively while acquiring knowledge in a motivational learning environment (Adams, 2009)(Lacovides, McAndrew, Scanlon, & Aczel, 2014). Students are both extrinsically and intrinsically motivated through educational games (Liu, Cheng, & Huang, 2011). They apply logic, memory, visualization and problem-solving skills while completing an authentic task that is both collaborative and competitive (Meegen & Limpens, 2010). Students will have meaningful discussions and discourse exploring digital resources to solve problems to complete the race (Lacovides, McAndrew, Scanlon, & Aczel, 2014).
Constructivism learning theory highlights the importance of students learning through play and doing. Students construct knowledge as they actively engage in hands-on authentic learning tasks (Lacovides, McAndrew, Scanlon, & Aczel, 2014). Players who engage in games have an environment to make connections from their current knowledge and create new knowledge through collaboration with teammates and skillfully scaffolded questions and challenges (St-Pierre, 2011). The key to game design is to facilitate learning within the player’s zone of proximal development.
The goal of SNDR is to provide a learning medium that engages students in a flow learning experience. Research suggests that student learning, persistence, and strategy development are improved through flow experience (Liu, Cheng, & Huang, 2011). Students play in an immersive and interactive learning environment that captures and holds their attention with an urgency to be the first to complete the race (St-Pierre, 2011) (Veach, 2019). This race allows teams to find the best way to balance the challenges and clues to student’s skills and abilities.
Desired Learning Outcome
SNDR targets elementary students in Grade 4 to 6 and supports the development of students’ spatial skills and spatial literacy. The Ontario Social Studies Curriculum 2013, outlines the importance of students’ “spatial skills as they underpin spatial literacy enabling students to develop and communicate a sense of place” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013, p.24). This concept naturally embeds literacy, mathematical literacy and technology. Students will extract information and analyse data from maps and graph and hone information literacy skills as they engage in real-world problem solving by completing the roadblock and detour challenges.
Students will develop 21st-century learning competencies, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, character and creativity, solve problems, communicate their thinking and work as a team to achieve optimal results (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016). SNDR uses digital tools such as Google Maps, Slides, Forms, Read and Write, Kahoot and GeoGuessr. These applications are readily accessible to students.
Through gameplay, players will practice media literacy, engage in information-seeking through exploring and extracting information from maps, graphs and various digital resources to deduce answers to solve clues (St-Pierre, 2011)(Latham & Hollister, 2013). Information literacy skills will be refined as the game demands students to select relevant information quickly and apply the information to the context of clues and challenges (Robinson & Robinson, 2013).
Classroom Implementation
Each team will require a device such as an iPad or Chromebook to navigate the game. The game will take 60 minutes to complete and each team must have time to complete the entire game. Students who may require accommodations to fully engage in the game will benefit from a peer buddy and assistive technology. Working as a team to access digital tools and assist with reading clues and inputting answers into the Google Form (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013). Additional support is accessed through the Google Read and Write a program that engages students’ senses by reading and tagging the text in the clues (Veach, 2019) (St-Pierre, 2011).
Assessment
SNDR can be used as a diagnostic assessment or a minds-on task. The assessment data gathered through observations and assessing the challenge responses will support educators’ understanding of students’ spatial and literacy skills (Menezes, & De Bortolli, 2016). The game also serves as a template for students to develop their own Amazing Race Canada type game as a final assessment task (O’Brien, 2011).
The role of the classroom teacher during the game will be to observe and record anecdotal assessment comments. A rubric is included as a template. Teachers will also serve as a coach for all teams, supporting students by questioning or troubleshooting technical questions. As a coach, teachers can ask students to open-ended questions to help guide problem-solving. The teacher will also be the game’s commentator and announce the winning team.
Google Forms is the program that students will use to input their responses to successfully obtain their next clue or challenge. Incorrect answers immediately cause students to revisit the clue and submit a new answer. Trial and error will direct student exploration and discovery through instant feedback (O’Brien, 2011). Additional assessment data will be gathered through the answer input into the Google Form. Kahoot responses are collected instantaneously for further review. By the end of the SNDR teachers will have the Google Form responses, the Kahoot results and data from students engaging in Geoguessr which can be utilized to direct student’s next steps (Menezes, & De Bortolli, 2016).
Emerging Trends
SNDR provides an immersive learning environment for students to roleplay their favourite team from Amazing Race Canada or take on the persona of their team name (Adams, 2009). The competitive and strategic gameplay with the moment by moment quest to complete clues and challenges first tactically and strategically immerses players (Adams, 2004). Clues will provide students with answers they can quickly answer within seconds and seek and plan what challenges, detours and roadblocks the team will best be able to complete quickly (Veach, 2019).
The game is interactive, providing students with choice throughout the game. Universal design for learning and differentiated instruction are achieved through game mechanics. Players have options while participating in roadblocks and detours which allows for differentiated content, process and product (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013). Students as players have the opportunity to affect their learning environment by choosing their teammate (Mena, 2012). Player persistence positively correlates with agency (Veach, 2019) (Extra Credits: Gamifying Education, 2012, May 13). SNDR provides students with a choice from the beginning to end, allowing players to strategically select options that suit the team’s strengths (Adams, 2004)(Meegen & Limpens, 2010).
Information literacy is the ability to find, process and analyze and evaluate information. Information literacy is an essential skill in the 21st century, it’s a soft skill students need to develop to become productive members of society (Christe, Mathur, Lee, Mazur, Badurek, Bhatt & Morton, 2016). Schools today don’t have an effective resource or tool to teach students information literacy skills. Informaiton literacy is not apart of the Ontario curriculum, therefore there is no priority to explicitly instruct students. Informaiton literacy is more than identifying the need for information and locating it but rather requires critical thinking to determine if the information is relevant and creditable.
How does game-based learning support student’s acquisition of information literacy? When students play educational games, students learn by actively participating, they learn by doing. Students are intrinsically motivated through a relevant teaching tool – video games. Information is power, is a common phrase in North America. It rings true in this module as I explored how information is a form of currency (Latham & Hollister, 2013).
Human behaviour is affected by how individuals seek and use information – there are many theories that explain the phases of human behaviour that begin informaiton seeking to finally verify informaiton. According to Robson & Robinson (2013), there are factors that affect informaiton behaviour – context, demographics, expertise, psychological, needs and wants. Within the context of a video, players gather information and process it based on their experiences and perspectives. Players will perceive a game and its meanings differently based on these factors. How a player reacts and responds to the information in a game will also be affected by these factors.
There are many factors that game developers use to motivate players to continue to interact and engage through the digital game medium. Various types of immersion, narratives, interactions, events, sensory stimulus, rewards and challenges. There is an opportunity for educational games to support student learning through game development with curriculum content. When students engage in digital gameplay they are immersed in the narrative and mechanics of the game. The medium lends itself to students gathering information through gameplay and critically thinking about it before responding to the game. Students not only learn the specific learning outcome of curriculum content but foster information literacy skills.
Latham, D., & Hollister, J. M. (2013). The games people play: Information and media literacies in the Hunger Games trilogy. Children’s Literature in Education, 45(1), 33–46. doi:10.1007/s10583-013-9200-0
Robson, A. & Robinson, L. (2013). Building on models of information behaviour: linking information seeking and communication. Journal of Documentation, 69(2), 169–193. doi:10.1108/00220411311300039
Video games are so much more complex than I gave them credit for. I understood graphics and good gameplay were important features but didn’t notice how video games are an art form. Within video game design, rich meaning and parrels to literature and events occur. The player of the video game sees what they want to see from their prior knowledge and experiences – similar to an art piece. The game’s meaning and the player’s decisions are directed by the player’s view and connections to the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S1SVkysIRw
Implementing gamification in the classroom can support students’ achievement and motivation. Changing the way grading is done, can provide students with an attitude of continuous improvement. Rather than starting with an A+ and losing points, if teachers started all students at 0 and gave them points for what they did achieve, it changes students’ work ethic. Providing students with agency in the class teaches students that they have control over their own learning journey. In games, there is a choice and result cycle, implement this cycle into the classroom provides students with immediate feedback and a safe environment to make mistakes and try again. To foster student engagement, teachers can implement games or challenges that will reward students with bonus opportunities for higher achievement. The extra credit challenges will provide students with the opportunity to complete self-directed learning outside of the school day. Challenges or problems will promote curiosity and contextual information to expand exposure to experiences and topic areas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuDLw1zIc94&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5BIUqSDPmfBuKjTN2QBv9wI
Teachers can take game-based learning to the next level by challenging students to be digital game creators. Creating a game is a much more robust activity, than playing a game. Students will need to determine what the goals of their game are while they consider the player’s experience through the game mechanics. The students will need to illustrate the game environment and develop characters. These skills are rooted in literacy and utilize digital tools. Students will have the opportunity through game development to learn coding languages, persistently debug their game Additionally, students will be refining 21st-century learning skills- creativity, collaboration, communication and problem-solving skills. Using games to explore social justice issues is a deep and inviting way for students to learn.
I have learned through this module that games are a rich, robust medium to engage and motivate students in their education. Student learn by doing and participating. Any teacher can implement games into their classroom – board games to coding. I love the question posed in Mindshift guide to digital games “what if engagement was an absolute critical condition for learning?”
Throughout the readings, in this module, common threads and ideas were highlighted regarding the benefits of literature.
Provides the reader with access to learning
Creates an experience for the reader
Can be a cure for loneliness and show us other points of view
Prepares us for failure as we read about others who make mistakes
Humans are natural storytellers. We have an inclination to share our experiences with others orally to create relationships. Oral storytelling has been used for generations to share knowledge. Now literature, both traditional and digital is a means of learning and knowledge sharing. Stories are beyond facts, but rather an art of sharing experiences and perspectives with others. The listener or reader must be engaged through details, information, illustrations and Karisma. There is a purpose and meaning behind the story and the author has something important to share.
In the 21sr century, digital tools support students in learning. There are skills required to effectively and efficiently navigate and utilize technology. These skills are necessary for the workforce. Beyond the use of technology, skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication will support student success in their academic and career path.
Library’s priority is to spark the public’s interest in learning, reading and research. Libraries today struggle to balance their collection and the variation of readers’ needs. Digital literature, e-books, classics and archives are all important to meet the needs of their members. The internet has changed the way libraries engage readers and the public. The internet provides all those with access to literature that is not static and is ever-changing. There are skills that are required to effectively use the internet – locating, synthesizing, communication, evaluating and evaluating the reliability of the information.
The role of educators is to ensure students learn how to use the internet, Web 2.0 effectively and efficiently. Students develop a love of learning, reading and knowledge. Educators need to equip students with skills to use technology, navigate the internet and obtain knowledge through the endless resources available online. The constant for schools is that technology is constantly evolving and we all need to develop a mindset that fosters and embraces technology and change.
Introduction St. Joseph School is the first school in the school board to fully transition traditional learning spaces into 21st-century flexible classrooms. The physical space students learn in affects how students learn. 21st-century classrooms are designed to be flexible and foster collaboration (Ministry of Education, 2016). The school board initiated and directed the project, engaging educators and students that learn and work in the building throughout the process. The digital story includes photos and interviews that illustrate the impact on the learning environment. The story includes discussion of physical and pedagogical transformations and the impact on student learning and behaviour.
Context for the digital story St. Joseph School’s Transition to Flexible Seating is a journalistic feature article that tells the story of the staff and student’s experience through the transformation of their learning space. The school principal, teachers and students share their perspective through personal interviews. The interviews provide the audience with a primary source of information to develop the artifact of the digital story (Fuhler, 2010). The interviews capture the voice of those directly impacted and illustrate their feeling, challenges and recommendations for future school transitions to a 21st-century learning space with flexible seating (Ministry of Education, 2016).
The School Board Administration Team initiated the project at St. Joseph School.The video article will tell the story of the transition by providing administration with valuable feedback to inform future projects. It is vital that the school’s educators and students voice their thoughts, feelings, challenges, impact and recommendations to the school board to conclude the project. The digital story is the project consolidation, by reporting back to the decision-makers for the school board.
Digital story tool selection Digital storytelling is using multimedia tools to share stories in a powerful, emotional and engaging way (Matthews, 2014).The medium for the digital story St. Joseph School’s Transition to Flexible Seating was video, using the program WeVideo. WeVideo was selected over iMovie as WeVideo is the software licensed by the school board; students in Grade 3 to Grade 8 access WeVideo on their Chromebooks. Constructionist learning tasks, such as this, provides the creator with a rich, authentic experience to engage in a platform that is being used in the classroom (Kearney, 2011). It is advantageous to engage in a program that will be used by students. A video clearly and transparently shares the authentic and genuine feelings of students, teachers and the school principal.
Primary interviews as the digital story storyboard The goal of the video to create an artifact to illustrate how the new spaces have influence student learning and behaviour and document educators learning journey as they adapt their instructional practices to maximize the new learning space. Educators and students responded to the same questions; these questions formed the storyboard for the digital story. The story will uncover their thoughts and feelings about the project. The concept of flexible learning spaces is to encourage collaboration, enable the creation and student self-awareness (Ministry of Education, 2016). The board will learn how their investment in the school has stimulated students.
The interviews capture teacher and student excitement and apprehension. Students provide honest feedback, outlining how their new learning space supports learning and their involvement in the project. Teachers explain how a 21st-century learning space has changed their practice and their observations of student behaviour in the flexible learning environment. It was important to include all the voices from the school to create a digital artifact that tells the story from all users perspectives. The digital story communicates the school’s ideas to school board decision-makers.
Principal Questions
●What were your initial thoughts and feelings when you learned about the flexible seating transition at your school?
●What have you noticed about teaching practice as a result of the transition of the physical classroom space?
●What have you noticed regarding student behaviour since the transition to the physical learning environment?
●What have you noticed about student learning since the transition?
●What were the challenges you encountered during the transition and what would have improved these challenges?
●What needs to be done to support students and educators to fully benefit from the flexible seating in the school?
●Please share any final thoughts or ideas you may have regarding flexible seating transitions in schools.
Teacher Questions
●What were your initial thoughts and feelings when you learned about the flexible seating transition at your school?
●How has the classroom transition affected your teaching practice?
●What have you noticed regarding student behaviour since the transition to the physical learning environment?
●What have you noticed about student learning in the flexible seating classroom?
●What were the challenges you encountered during the transition and what would have improved these challenges?
●What needs to be done to support students and you as the educator to fully benefit from the flexible seating in the school.
●What is your goal or dream for your physical classroom?
●Please share your final thoughts and ideas regarding the flexible seating transitions at school.
Student Questions
●Were you excited when you learned you were getting new furniture in your classroom? Why or why not?
●Did you have an opportunity to share what furniture you wanted in your classroom?
●Do you like your new learning space? Why or why not?
●How has new furniture helped you learn?
●What are your final thoughts or opinions about the flexible seating in your classroom/school?
The Purpose and Audience of the Digital Story The purpose of the digital story is to provide the Senior Administration Team and Trustees for the school board with a report of their investment. The video article will be shared at the October board meeting. According to Alexander (2011), a story is the telling of an event using media that interests and engages the audience. Creating a video artifact to illustrate St. Joseph’s School story is essential.Seeing the faces of students and educators and hearing their voices as they share their authentic and transparent perspective will emotionally move the school board decision-makers.
The story will be shared with schools within the board who will be undertaking a similar project. The video will serve to engage educators and students prior to the change in their school’s learning environment. The video will support the implementation of improvements to future schools transitioning from traditional learning environments to flexible learning spaces. All stakeholders can benefit from learning from the experience captured in the digital story.
Reference List
Alexander, B. (2011). Storytelling: A tale of two generations, Chapter 1. In The new digital storytelling: Creating narratives with new media. ABC-CLIO. Retrieved from http://www.eblib.com
Fuhler, C. J. (2010). Using primary-source documents and digital storytelling as a catalyst for writing historical fiction in the fourth grade (Ch. 11). In B. Moss, & D. Lapp (Eds.), Teaching new literacies in grades 4-6: Resources for 21st-century classrooms (pp. 136-150). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Kearney, M. (2011). A learning design for student-generated digital storytelling. Learning, Media and Technology, 36(2), 169-188, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2011.553623
The learning I have participated in through the concepts and practices for a digital age course has broadened my perspective to connected learning and consideration of future educational capabilities and environment. My prior knowledge entering the course was limited to a knowing and practicing the 21st-century learning competencies – citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity, character and critical thinking; however, I didn’t understand how and why they benefited student learning. I observed how collaboration and hands-on learning opportunities for engaged students, but I didn’t know why.
Through engaging with course material and the discussion forums, I have explored and evaluated concepts to build a deeper understanding of student learning. I set a learning goal for myself to learn how to mentor teachers and support their understanding of students learning needs, how technology supports student achievement, develop an understanding of how to foster digital citizenship and digital literacy in the classroom. The digital essay assessment task I completed titled was, “Supporting Elementary Students development of Digital Literacy Skills” and provided me with the opportunity to achieve my learning goal for the course. My digital essay is an artifact that will support my work with classroom teachers integrating digital literacy into their practice.
Prior to reading INF 530 course materials, I understood that students benefited from actively practicing 21st-century competencies in the classroom. Through analyzing course materials and current classroom practice, I made connects on why and how to achieve authentic learning through digital literacy skill development. The purpose of embedding digital technologies is to foster critical thinking skills, knowledge creation and connected learning. Digital literacy is a critical skill to prepare students for their future. I analyzed and evaluated how 21st-century learning skills are directly connected to digital literacy. Linking the depth of how students learn and apply their learning through different tools available. I am equipped to connect digital tools and information behaviour to Bloom’s Taxonomy and learning theory to advocate for digital literacy practices in the classroom.
Applying connected learning skills through the course has demonstrated to me how social learning builds knowledge. I was able to connect and build knowledge from course participants all over the world. Learning from such a broad audience of students provided me with an opportunity to learn from a global perspective, as opposed to learning with my teaching colleagues in Ontario. My education was not limited by geographical barriers, but rather I actively participated in the Twitter feed #INF530, online discussions and corresponded with my peers using online tools and platforms. Students in our classrooms today can access the same learning benefits if we as educators facilitate expanding their learning environment beyond the classroom walls.
Understanding student needs and how they have changed advances pedagogy to engage learners in our classrooms, digital natives. Knowing the needs of digital natives and how to engage them will support future learning environments and problem-based learning opportunities. This new understanding has enlightened me to consider why student engagement in schools is suffering. The current education system in Ontario is not meeting the needs of students, the school board I work for has a huge issue with student absenteeism. I wonder if there is a correlation between student engagement and absenteeism.
Working through module 3, knowledge flow and information environment, a big idea I developed as that “without these literacy skills students won’t be able to navigate the online learning environment.” Web 2.0 is democratizing education, information and knowledge. If students are not learning how to effectively and efficiently use Web 2.0, their future education and employment opportunities will be limited. Digital literacy skills include how to engage responsibly online, find and share information as well as navigate the constant change of the digital environment, these skills are as important as learning reading, writing and arithmetic.
I thoroughly enjoyed the learning I was able to access through the concepts and practices for a digital age course and I know it will support me in my role. My ideas and philosophies of education and student learning have broadened. I have a new excitement of 21st-century learning and a deeper understanding to continue my work in schools.
