I chose some photos in my phone that I have taken some time ago, and edited them to make them look better. I used cropping, filtering, and some color scheme and they came out really different!
Here are two before editing:
Before editing.Before editing.
Two photos above but after editing:
After editing.After editing.
They look so different! I sent them to a few friends and they all liked them. I found the photo editing so helpful and fun because the process is another creation of an art piece and I really enjoy the process of making my photos more beautiful.
I find the SMAR model very interesting and looked up more about it. Here’s one definition of SMAR: a framework for identifying the interaction of technology and pedagogy. Here’s the original video for your interest:
The video also shared some great tools and resources that could be used to apply the SMAR model on.
I find SMAR model interesting because it evaluates teaching in the four levels that also shows one’s own understanding of the technology in relation to pedagogy. When learning about SMAR model, I feel like I am also learning what technology has brought us and what we could make of technology and adapt it into learning.
I grew up with the change of technology, but more and more people are growing up having the kind of technology already in a “mature” stage with all the convenient sharing functions. Videos and photos can be taken and shared very easily. Learning to evaluate and apply SMAR model into teaching and content designing, is like learning how to adapt to the world of technology and accepting it as part of life, rather than something that needs to be kept out of class. So when we could share our moments of life with other people using cool functions on our cellphones, why can’t we do the same to share learning contents?
Image from Canva
Getting the learners to use, create and share videos of learning contents that they found or created could be a good way of learning under the SMAR model. In this way, the learners are both learning using the technology and sharing their learning process and results which maximizes the learning.
One way I could think of that would get the learners to use, create and share their own videos in learning, is to have a forum that allows for discussion and sharing. On the forum learners would be given a topic and post learning resources they could find. Learners would be asked to comment on each other’s resources so as to learn from each other. Then they would be asked to make their own learning contents in forms of videos, blogs, etc. Then the learners would be asked to comment on each other’s post again to share feelings and reflect on their learning and designing of learning contents.
This week’s topic on inclusion and integration really had me understand a lot more about being inclusive in learning and content design, as well as being inclusive in general. The video below that I took from this week’s learning material demonstrates inclusion versus integration really well.
I remember watching a movie of a genius who is talented in mathematics. He cannot hear anything, so he has to read people’s lips to know what they say. When he went to college and attended mathematics classes, the school was very considerate and appointed someone who could interpret the class content into sign language for this student when the teacher turns around to write down things on the black board while speaking. Although the problem is there was little sign language that could be used to interpret the mathematical content, and this student found it extremely difficult to understand the class content.
This story made me think deeply about being integrative and being inclusive. When including, and even welcoming people from certain groups or social backgrounds into a larger group, adaptations need to be thought of, not only through the eyes of the “normal” people but also the perspective of the minorities. We would find it easy to listen to the teacher and read all the contents presented to us in a normal classroom setting, but think about people who cannot hear or see, or someone who has reading problems. The would be a completely different experience to them.
The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a very good way to start when designing learning contents considering the topic of inclusion. I highly recommend the Know-Understand-Do and I think it is also a good way for anyone to learn new things. By applying this to a learning content design, we as designers could evaluate our own work using this principle. When testing the learners on their learning results, using the Know-Understand-Do process could help the designer of the content to better understand the needs of the target learners.
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/
Furthermore, I would like to say that even as students now, we should also pay close attention to the topic of being inclusive and openminded. This helps us think ahead and prepare ourselves for the situations that we may walk into in the future. An openminded mindset also makes us see the possible perspectives that we may otherwise fail to see.
Earth Day theme posterAdvertising for separate collection of municipal wastes
I created two cute posters using Canva. I really like the convenience and artsy application that could help me create posters as well as infographics in no time.
Helps With Fast Strategic Thinking & Problem-Solving. …
Develops Hand-Eye Coordination. …
Beneficial Specifically For Children With Attention Disorders. …
Skill-Building (e.g. map reading)
Here’s a video that talks about gamification in education.
One example of game based learning I have experienced was when the teacher was teaching a reading class. Reading classes are usually boring because the students would be required to read through chunk texts and somtimes some students would get distracted. During that class, instead of asking the students to read the texts in a given time, the teacher asked one student to read the text out loud to the class while the rest listen. The teacher to as the student to pause any time and pick a random student to start where the last student had paused. If the next student wasn’t paying attention and didn’t know where to start, he/she would have to start from the beginning.
I found this simple game very helpful in getting all the students to focus on the reading because it is likely for anyone to get picked and it is a little embarrassing to admit one is not paying attention. It also brings a little excitement to the class making a normal reading class a bit challenging and fun.
However, such learning could sometimes lead to the students’ focusing to much on the game itself rather than the contents of the learning materials. I noticed in this experience mentioned above that some students paid attention to the reading and were able to pick up where the last student had read, but when asked what the content their read was about, they said that they didn’t really know or understand. So from this experience I think it is also important that games in game based learning design could involve the understanding of the learning contents.
Reference:
Staff, T. T., & About The Author TeachThought Staff TeachThought is an organization dedicated to innovation in education through the growth of outstanding teachers. (2022, January 9). 6 basic benefits of game-based learning. TeachThought. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.teachthought.com/technology/6-basic-benefits-of-game-based-learning/
According to Cognitive Load Theory, teachers and educational devices can play important roles when it comes to effectiveness. Teachers can use digital devices like digital whiteboards to increase the interaction with students. This will give educators the opportunity to break down important concepts from learning materials and give students a hands-on opportunity to engage with these unfamiliar materials, making educators easy to manage intrinsic load.
Augmented reality (AR)
I think of AR as another powerful teaching/learning technology. It provides information that users need. In the video example, the mechanic explained several advantages of using AR during his work. It shows synchronous information on-screen to help the mechanic work efficiently. It is also safer to operate machines since both hands are free when using the glasses.
How does AR relate to Mayer’s assumption?
The active-processing assumption asserts that humans don’t learn by just passively absorbing information. Instead, they need to engage in active cognitive processes, namely identifying and selecting relevant material, organizing it into visual and/or verbal models, and integrating those new models with prior knowledge (p. 70).
Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press
With AR devices like AR glasses, we can easily interact real world with digital information. We can have AR-created images to help us transfer plain information into meaningful visual or verbal content. This can speed up the cognitive processes so that users will learn fast and solidly.
References
MAYER, R. E. (2009). MULTIMEDIA LEARNING (2ND ED.). CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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