This final assignment of the course allows me to reflect on my personal and professional growth throughout the semester and share a creative telling of my educational technology philosophy through a digital story.
For this project, I made a short video about the development of my educational technology philosophy.
The following are different assignment components that help explain the storytelling and video creation process and provides a look at the final submission.
Key Project Components
- Project Planning Documents
- Identification and explanation of plot and genre
- Concept Map / Storyboard
- Outline / Script
- Digital Story
- Reflection
Project Planning Documents
Digital Story
Reflection
To start working on this project, I went through the planning documents and followed the process step by step. I jotted down notes of anything that came to mind, ran every idea through my storytelling generator mind while applying one of Booker’s seven story telling plots to each. I considered making a newspaper-like book, a timelapse video, a comic strip. Nothing felt right. There were too many ideas, information overload!
The last 16 weeks have been full of so many different articles, websites, videos, books, discussion forums, etc. To summarize the views of so many experts in the field of educational technology in one final project felt like an insurmountable task.
Similarly, taking into consideration TPACK and SAMR models, ISTE standards, student-centered learning, project based learning, etc to develop every lesson feels like an insurmountable task.
Sometimes I forget that I am experiencing the same feelings how as student would feel in a classroom given creative freedom to express themselves about some big idea. Experiencing courses about education as both teacher and student is an interesting experience and definitely helps provide perspective.
As I made that realization, the project details came more clearly into view. I settled in on a few possible plot lines, had a vision for some of the shots, and knew the overall feeling I intended to express. Once I started writing out the script and looking into stock video clip options, I got to work!
As a student in the course, an employee and team member in my job, an aspiring educator, and a human in society in general, I view it has my responsibility and privilege to seek information, consider different perspectives, and shape my views. But it does not stop there! I should continue that process over and over. While this digital story might be my thoughts on an educational technology philosophy now, I expect my views to change. In every role I play in life, I hope to always be in a process of continual improvement: learning, considering, adapting, and repeating. This project is my creative depiction of the realization that this is all part of the lifelong learning process.
Through the creation of this project, I was finally able to develop my philosophy on educational technology, using ISTE standards as a guide. Good educators continually learn and adapt in order to provide students with a variety of good learning opportunities to develop skills to be lifelong learners themselves. How full circle!?
One final point worth mentioning in this reflection is that I was able to adapt the K-12 focused course teachings and apply them to my experiences in adult learning environments, as that is my line of work. Most concepts and tools are usable, regardless of age or subject. I was able to find additional resources to support my work. ISTE is a main focus in this course, and for good reason. They have an initiative called Skillrise that helps organizations empower adult learning with educational technology. I look forward to using many of the resources and skills acquired in this course and putting them to good use in my current role.
ISTE Standards for Educators
- 2.5.b Design Authentic Learning Activities: Educators design authentic learning activities that align with educational standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize learning.
- 2.6.a Foster Student Ownership of Learning: Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.
- 2.6.d Model and Nurture Creativity: Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections.
- 2.7.b Use Tech to Create Assessments: Use technology to design and implement a variety of formative and summative assessments that accommodate learner needs, provide timely feedback to students and inform instruction.
ISTE Standards for Students
- 1.4.a Design Process: Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
- 1.4.b Design Constraints: Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.
- 1.4.d Open-Ended Problems: Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
- 1.6.a Choose Platforms or Tools: Students choose the appropriate platforms and digital tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
- 1.6.b Original and Remixed Works: Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
- 1.6.c Communicate Complex Ideas: Students use digital tools to visually communicate complex ideas to others.
References and Resources
- Adobe Express
- Hoopla “Ed Tech” materials (every library will have different results)
- ISTE
- PAN Communications. (n.d.). The seven basic types of stories: Which one is your brand telling? PAN Communications. Retrieved December 9, 2024, from https://www.pancommunications.com/insights/seven-basic-types-of-stories/
- Skillrise