Evolution Phase Summary:
As I reflect upon the Evolution Phase of the Design Thinking process which my team and I engaged in to answer the question how can we promote a culture of digital citizenship, I have learned a great deal. We followed the process through identifying a need, surveyed end users, created a prototype, and finally through the presentation of our prototype and feedback of by our audience we feel we have developed a strong plan for promoting digital citizenship. The process allowed for brainstorming with my peers. I found that the most valuable experience by far. As an educator, I experience professional development in the form of being told the latest and greatest solutions to address needs. In a Design Thinking process we brainstormed and designed. It was complete creative freedom, and I enjoyed it. Personally, I was able to contribute ideas as well as find professionals who provided insightful feedback to our prototype. My team was excited to receive the feedback and was committed to addressing the questions. We were all invested in the prototype and wanted to improve it. This matters because... As I consider how to incorporate a similar experience among my grade level team and in the classroom with my students, I know that providing the opportunity to be authentically creative will be most valuable. Allowing my team the freedom to create and to build the trust needed to brainstorm effectively will be key. With my students, I will provide opportunity to allow them to exercise their creative minds without fear of failure. Wagner explains that everyone must be a life long learner and have 7 survival skills. The skills include critical thinking, asking questions, adaptability, initiative / entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination. Providing authentic opportunities to be curious and to ask the right questions, and then participate in effective collaboration is intentional learning. When I was first presented with the idea of Design Thinking, I was a bit hesitant. I wanted a rubric, example, and guidelines to a clear end product. Being challenged to design the question to be answered was completely unfamiliar. I was guarded as were my group peers, but as we explored the process our excitement of determining our own solution grew. We easily collaborated by video chats and shared resources. The experience was definitely one that was authentic collaboration and will serve in a 21st century classroom learning experience. Allow students to be architects of their own learning.
Part 1- Ideation Summary:
Part 2 A. Based on the research and your experiences as an educator, would you support the integration of BYOD into your school? Please support with citations from this week's learning materials. I would definitely support the integration of BYOD into my school site. First of all, the cost benefits are obvious. By allowing students to bring their own device (BYOD) it removes the responsibility from the school to provide one for every student. Additionally, it also eliminates time spent on simply teaching how to use or navigate through an unfamiliar device. We all know that time is precious when it comes to instructional minutes, so students having access to a familiar device will save time. Furthermore, offering BYOD ensures that a device ratio of 1:1 is possible when a great number of students are using their own device. The savings the school will have by not having to purchase a device for each student will allow for the purchase of more broadband if needed to make internet access ubiquitous. As Jennifer Imazeki explains in her article Bring Your Own Device: Turning Cell Phones into Forces for Good, there are definitely pros and cons to implementing a BYOD system in schools. Although she explains they may serve as a distraction, they outweigh the benefits of using hand-held clickers greatly. One major pro over using a clicker is that students may respond to open-ended questions with a cell phone whereas a clicker only allows for multiple choice answer responses. Open-ended questions make for a better learning experience overall as they promote research and discussion. I feel that overall the benefits outweigh the potential risks or drawbacks of students using their own devices. I also feel that if we are being honest, our students already have the tools in their pocket, and they have research skills that will make such a transition easy. Cell phones are the greatest resource available to them, and we should recognize that and capitalize upon it! Who knows? We may even learn some skills from them which will be yet another form of student leadership. Design Thinking Interpretation Summary:
As I plan for my future year of teaching, I know I want to make learning relevant for my students. Although I teach 1st grade, their community is relevant to them at any age. Our school has just built a garden area, and next year will be our first year using it. I feel it will be a great place to start. They have already asked questions about it. Who will take care of it? What will we grow? What can we grow? What will we do with what we grow? Overall, I think the new school garden might be a place that first graders may begin to think about their community and what it means to be a part of one. The Design Thinking process can help us to organize and create a plan.
Design Thinking is broadened thinking of a problem. It is a diagnosis, analysis through a collection of qualitative data such as direct observations. The steps include empathize with the challenge, define the problem, ideate a possible solution, create a prototype of the idea, and finally test the idea for its effectiveness. As I worked with my group to identify a challenge we determined that as educators we strive to be 21st Century educator who recognize the value and need for technology as a staple in todays learning communities. With this acceptance comes the challenge of fostering and maintaining an expectation of good digital citizenship in a global learning community. The question that came to mind was: How do we foster good digital citizenship? My group collaborated to determine who the end users would be, as well as, listing what we assumed about them. Each group member contributed to the conversation from a perspective of their students' age group. I am a first grade teacher, Andrea is a middle school teacher, and Jon teaches high school through an online charter school. I can't wait to see the interview results as our interviews will stretch across the three levels of education from primary, intermediate, to high school. This is a relevant topic to today's students at any level.
As I reflect upon the P21 Framework for 21st Century Learning and the process of design thinking, I considered what my vision statement would include. My vision for today's learners includes working to create a learning space which promotes global learning through technology. Learners will be taught the skills to engage and share responsibly as a global digital citizen. Learners will have experiences in thinking critically, problem solving, and collaboration. Reaching that goal will include a school-wide commitment to: Providing equal access to technology with an emphasis in collaboration for all learners. Ensuring equity, student choice, and student voice in student learning and culture Exposing students to Common Core Standards to promote college and workforce readiness. Overall, my vision encompasses 21st century learning to meet the needs of 21st century learners in a world where technology is the tool to research, experience, analyze problems, and problem solve. Currently, my school site promotes the use of technology and 21st century blended learning. We have begun focusing on digital citizenship, as well as digital literacy and a focus on college readiness by including a relevant level of rigor and demand of academic language used in learning experiences. I would like to see a shift from traditional learning spaces to a space that is clearly a 21st century learning space that promotes personalized and project based learning that encompasses real world problems and design thinking attempts at reaching solutions. A focus on communicating their results to an authentic audience is also a necessary skill that will promote college and career readiness. All in all, I feel that my site is towards creating a learning environment that will promote these ideas. It may be at a slower pace than I would like to see, but moving forward at any pace is movement nonetheless. |