Design Challenges: Creating Class Community

Design Challenges: Creating Class Community

Posted in 4-7, 8-12, Active Learning, AppliedDesignSkillsTechnologies, engSTEAM, Learning Design & Planning, Post Secondary, Resource, Secondary | Tagged with ,

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Providing students with opportunities to work together, to set and achieve goals and problem solve through the process can help foster community building. Having students participate in a design challenge (developed by the teacher) is one way to facilitate purposeful, interdisciplinary engagement, in your classroom. As students become more familiar with the design thinking process, they can progress to designing their own challenges.

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While obviously not a new concept to educators, the principle of learning-by-doing has been applied in one particular framework, credited to UCLA professor Doreen Nelson, called Design-Based Learning (DBL). Also sometimes called Project- or Problem-Based Learning (PBL), DBL / PBL encourages students to think about how to address a problem in its context, specifically by thinking with the end in mind. As a formal methodology in contemporary education, DBL / PBL gained wider recognition during the 1990s, particularly as the oncoming millennium posed the perceived need for students to learn what popularly became known as 21st century skills.

Design-based learning (and project-based learning) methods encourage experiential learning as a way to overcome student disengagement (Kim, Suh, & Song, 2015; Washor & Mojkowski, 2014), such as increasing the enrolment of women in the field of Information Technology (Jessup & Sumner, 2005). DBL / PBL enables students and their teachers to make use of prior learning to address authentic experiences and so-called real-world problem-solving (Wang, Derry, & Ge, 2017) as compared to the more sheltered lessons and linear hypotheticals of the traditional classroom.

You will find a variety of design challenges freely available online. It is important to consider your own teaching context and learning objectives in selecting or crafting a challenge to meet your/your students and your curricular needs. Design challenges typically offer a well-crafted ‘challenge statement’, design constraints and may include accommodations or may be varied based on the needs/differences in the class.

An Example:

One of my favourite design challenges for upper intermediate, secondary and post-secondary groups is the ‘Newspaper Structures Challenge’:newspaper structures cube shaped example

Materials: large pile of newspaper (broadsheet works better than tabloid style), masking tape, 1-2 m length of dowling or a straw (optional to assist with rolling the newspaper into tubes – starting at a corner of a flattened sheet of newspaper, use the dowel to role a tube, then remove the dowel and tape up the tube)

  • The Challenge: Design and build a free standing structure that your whole team can fit inside.
  • Design constraints: Use only the available materials,  (the dowel is to be used as a tool not a part of the structure); use only a ‘set amount’ of tape; time limit…
  • Process: You might provide students with a  live demo or video example of how they can create rolled newspaper ‘rods/dowels’ (rolled sheets of paper using a straw or wood dowel) to utilize as building material and have the prep multiple dowels before providing the challenge. Alternatively, you might provide the challenge and have students work together to ‘discover’ the best way for them to use the newspaper to create a structure… (time available and your students resilience, experience problem solving and working as a group are among considerations)
  • Variations: the structure may be fastened at certain points to a chair, wall, floor; only X number of people need to fit within the structure; the structure is built to house a stuffy or other object instead of people…

DiscoverE  has a PDF resource entitled “Strong Paper Structures” that is an example of an adaptation of the above activity (to make smaller structures and including a bit more leading instructions on designing ‘strong’ structures than I typically provide to older or adult learners if my purpose is community building. If my purpose is more curricular (engineering, science and structures), this project could either be a summative activity or it could be incorporated at the outset of a unit of study as an open-ended way to assess prior knowledge (with little prior instruction provided) and then used as a ‘performance task’ to assess learning at a later point in a unit of study.

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A key consideration will be the ability of your learners to work together within a group. Regardless of age of learning, the teacher is an important facilitator of learning during this activity (and not simply a by-stander!). Activities like this will provide opportunities to introduce or reinforce and allow students to self-assess their progression in the personal, social and communication ‘Core Competencies’.

A few supportive Resources:

Design a Design Challenge Google Slide Deck:

The slide deck resource below was co-developed with UBC Engineering’s Geering Up program for teacher candidates in the UBC BEd science methodology course. This presentation deck includes the ‘cat in a tree’ design challenge using found objects (lesson plan on their website). It is accompanied by a ‘design your own challenge template’ that teachers/students can use as they plan their own activities. The Geering Up team share many different challenges on their teacher resource site (filter by ‘Challenges’) . They also offer professional development workshops, classroom workshops and will even schedule Zoom consults with teachers wishing to incorporate STEM learning in the classroom.

Another favourite activity:

Cross the river (move from Point A to Point B given different materials or constraints):

  • The ‘small’ table top version:
    • use a table and paper as a model of land bisected by a water body and provide the challenge: How can you move your lego figure/pom pom/etc from the mainland to the island without touching the water. Provide craft sticks, string, elastic bands, wooden spoons, other materials from around the house/recycling box etc. Consider how you might address environmental impact in your constraints (i.e. amount of material used or that all built structures need to be able to be dismantled and recycled – aka – no glue and limit use of tape)
  • The ‘large body’ PHE version:
    • Students, in small groups, each have two matts and are challenged to move from one end of the gym to another. Get from point A to point B without anyone in your group ever touching the floor (the floor is lava!). If any member of the team falls out or touches the ground, the group restarts… they need to replan/strategize/discuss…
    • A variation: River Crossing – a popular group activity in PHE classes.
  • Exploratorium offers educational resources including design challenges.
  • Science World has a repository of free resources including design challenges for teachers.
  • A few of my favourite challenges:

References

Jessup, E. & Sumner, T. (2005). Design-based learning and the participation of women in IT. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 26(1), 141-147.

Kim, P., Suh, E., & Song, D. (2015). Development of a design-based learning curriculum through design-based research for a technology-enabled science classroom. Educational Technology Research and Development, 63(4), 575–602.

Wang, M., Derry, S., & Ge, X. (2017). Fostering deep learning in problem-solving contexts with the support of technology. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 20(4), 162–165.

Washor, E. & Mojkowski, C. (2014). Student disengagement: It’s deeper than you think. The Phi Delta Kappan, 95(8), 8–10.

A brief history… Timelines

Posted in 4-7, 8-12, English, K-3, Paid, Resource | Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Global logistics concept with industry icons

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I came across TimeToast awhile ago and was just reminded of it this morning as a tool for creating interactive digital timelines. There are many digital tools available for timeline creation – I’ve listed several in the ‘how to get started’ section below including a few open educational resources. There are also, many ways to create timelines as ‘no or low tech’ projects in a classroom using sticky notes, cards and string.

For Timetoast, a free account allows photos to be uploaded, annotations and live links. I love the ‘timespan’ option, allowing a span of time to be highlighted and annotated. This adds some depth and interest to the typical timeline.

Public timelines can be viewed and shared ‘as is’; your own Timelines can be saved and made private or public. When public, you can share via Facebook, Twitter or by grabbing embed code. Teachers can easily upload the timeline to the class website or blog for home viewing.

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As I messed about with it again, I considered a variety of uses; both personal and professional. As a teaching tool, timelines have so many possibilities. Here are a few that come to mind:

  • A classroom calendar embedded on the class blog or website – the initial timeline can house calendared events over the year and can also be added to over time either by student request due to personal milestones (lost tooth chart anyone?!) or as the class wishes to share learning events and activities with the world.
  • Social Studies units could be greatly enhanced by students creating their own timelines of historic events, life and times of… or the class can co-create a timeline as they explore a specific person, place or time.
  • Tracking growth and change in a Science experiment using both photos and text is a unique way to share.
  • A unique way to create an  ‘About Me‘ or ‘About my Family‘ or ‘History of my Community‘. A recent teacher candidate created a beaded timeline with her students to help students learn more about the Indigenous presence in her school community!
  • Create a digital story – fiction or non-fiction
  • A way of sharing Inquiry learning; a timeline might help highlight the ‘process’

Timelines can be valuable in a second language classroom such as French Immersion, Core French, etc; allowing  students to creatively engage in language learning.

What uses come to your mind? Comment or Tweet to share!

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There are several free timeline programs (and plenty of ways to create timelines using other programs – PPT or Padlet or a mindmap come to mind). Here are a few programs with specific timeline features:

Here is a video tutorial for using timetoast:

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Generative AI: Possibilities and Challenges for Educators

Posted in Assistive Technology, Blog Posts, Digital & Media Literacy, Elementary & Middle Years, Inclusive Practices, Learning Design & Planning, Not Subject Specific, Open Educational Resources, Post Secondary, Resource, Secondary | Tagged with , , ,

“Cyborg writing must not be about the Fall, the imagination of a once-upon-a-time wholeness before language, before writing, before Man. Cyborg writing is about the power to survive, not on the basis of original innocence, but on the basis of seizing the tools to mark the world that marked them as other.”
~ Donna Haraway

Donna Haraway’s “A Cyborg Manifesto” challenges traditional notions of identity and boundaries between humans and machines. It invites us to view ourselves as “cyborgs” – entities that merge human and machine elements. In the context of generative AI in education, Haraway’s perspective might encourage us to explore the symbiotic relationship between humans and AI technologies. Rather than fearing AI as a replacement for teachers, we can envision a future where educational cyborgs, consisting of humans and AI working together, empower learners to thrive in an interconnected world.

While this may seem an overly optimistic viewpoint, it is clear that generative AI presents numerous opportunities and, at risk of sounding cliche, might even help to transform education. Generative AI has the potential to support personalized learning, assist with content creation, provide language support, and, even foster creativity and critical thinking.

Of course, if we are to harness the full potential of generative AI in education, it is essential to address the challenges of ethical use, data privacy, teacher-student relationships, and assist educators in developing essential AI competencies so they can effectively utilize AI, design assessments and assignments and guide their students.

Perhaps, by embracing generative AI responsibly and ethically, we can help to create a future where education is more inclusive, engaging, and tailored to the needs of every learner.

I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a panel discussion on this topic at UBC. Below you will find resources, including a recording and links shared by presenters as they responded to our prompt:

What is the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge you’ve found with respect to Generative AI’s, such as Chat GPT, in your context?

  1. Reid Patterson, BA Cognitive Systems: Professional Development Educator, UBC Geering Up
  2. Emma Gray, Product Manager, Microsoft Education
  3. Wendy Traas, Education Research Librarian, UBC Library
  4. Danny Leeming, UBC WKTEP Instructor, Classroom Teacher, Nelson, BC

A concise resource describing ‘what is AI’ and what are some potential implications on education, shared by Reid, Geering Up

A few links shared by presenters:

Some Tools mentioned:

Further Reading:

A Resource Collection

You might consider adding! (NB: this is an external resource – curated by two profs at University of Kansas)

 

Made with Padlet

 

Please continue to watch this blog for future posts about Artificial Intelligence as I work with colleagues across campus and in K12 to learn more about this emerging edtech issue.

My first post on this topic Winter 2022: Preliminary Thoughts & Resources

NOTE:

I have recently begun some research into the environmental impacts we need to consider (and address) as part of an essential global response to climate change (more on this in another post!). A starting point is this article in Scientific American, A Computer Scientist Breaks down Generative AIs Hefty Carbon Footprint. 

 

Reference:

Haraway, D. (1991) A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Femi- nism in the Late Twentieth Century. Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature, Routledge, New York, 149-181.

Digital Storytelling

Posted in 4-7, 8-12, English, K-3, Resource | Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Digital Storytelling: a new spin on an old tale. Creating their own stories or telling stories using digital means challenges students to move beyond being the consumer and instead become creators by adding multi-media to their narratives. That same story also becomes accessible to a broader audience by adding videos, graphics, and audio, through web-based platforms or other applications.

We can also recognize that incorporating storytelling in learning environments helps to support the First People’s Principles of Learning and has been shown to support the preservation of cultural knowledge and tradition in some cases.

A digital story is the use of technology to tell a story (Robin, 2015). It is a process of weaving together oral story, images, sound, and music to create a short film (Lambert, 2010). Within the process, traditional aspects of storytelling are integrated with multiple layers. Digital storytelling is increasingly being used for educational purposes (Robin, 2015), leaving legacy (Hausknecht et al., 2019) and as an approach to preserving cultural knowledge (Cunsolo Willox et al., 2013; Iseke & Moore, 2011).

From: Hausknecht, S. (07/2021). Sharing indigenous knowledge through intergenerational digital storytelling: Design of a workshop engaging elders and youth Taylor & Francis. doi:10.1080/03601277.2021.1927484

 

Digital storytelling is not limited to personal narratives and the range of topics varies from historical timelines, personal reflections on local or global events, and even exploring the community and sharing one or many perspectives. Choosing to create a digital story allows the creator to choose and expand their audience and increases accessibility and interactivity for the ‘readers’ or ‘viewers’. A story can go beyond the page as readers engage with the visual and auditory elements that a digital story provides.

  1. The first step is recognizing what type of story your students are expected to share. You can follow Samantha Morra’s Process Model or get inspired by her post. Remember, the options for content are virtually limitless. You can expand this topic to include recounting mathematical discoveries, retellings of famous fairytales, or provide explanations of scientific theories. Here are a few slides co-created with a colleague, Sharon, that helps to outline ‘one process’ for this… Once you have an idea of your story and how you want to share it, then you might start thinking about the medium (digital or otherwise)
  2. Choose the tool(s) you want students to use to edit and share their work (or allow students to select a tool with which they are familiar). It is helpful for students to have the opportunity to play with the tool and become more adept and familiar with the program before fusing this with their story. We’ve listed some tools below to help you get started.
  3. Plan! Make sure students have a clear goal they are researching or writing about. This could include scripts, storyboards, comic strips, sequences, or even timeframes. You may also want to scaffold students by having them create a storyboard and then a paperslide video depending on their experience.
  4. Teach about copyright so that your students know where to find and how to cite/attribute appropriate images, sounds, or videos. Access Creative Commons media or record and use your own. For professional images that don’t require attribution visit Unsplash, Pixabay , Pexels. or elementary students might find pics4learning easy to use (with copy/paste attribution). Depending on the device, students can also use Garageband or Audacity to create their own music.
  5. Create the digital story and select the appropriate audience. If it’s going public, remember to get the appropriate permission forms signed that may be district dependent. Be aware of student ages and also where the website or application is based because they will follow different privacy laws.
  6. Provide feedback through peer evaluations, self-evaluations, and even a rubric that students can use throughout the creation process. Visit this link to Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything for some sample rubrics and additional resources.

Watch this video to preview a variety of tools being used to create digital stories.

Video: Hans Tullman (2015). Digital Storytelling by Hans Tullman. 

Or this interactive Genially presentation by Tamara, Peer Mentor 2023, highlighting several different multimedia tools (with examples and hyperlinks).

Multimedia Creation: consider the tool for the task

Posted in 4-7, 8-12, Blog Posts, Digital & Media Literacy, Elementary & Middle Years, English, K-3, multimedia creation, Not Subject Specific, Secondary | Tagged with , , , , , ,

Creating a multimedia presentation for your coursework at UBC is a great way to learn a new digital technology that you might then bring to your practicum class. Rather than relying on an ‘old standard’, consider this as an opportunity to take a risk and/or select a digital technology that might be of interest to your future students! Be sure, as discussed, to think about your objectives before selecting the appropriate digital technology and, remember, technology for creation in the hands of your students is a very powerful thing!

This interactive genially presentation, created by Tamara, Peer Mentor, 2023, models some effective presentation elements while showcasing multiple tools you might use to create your own presentations. Embedded links and examples included!

BEd Teacher Candidates (TCs) will have opportunities to flex their digital technology muscles by creating presentations for course assignments and by planning ways to engage their own students on practicum in using digital (and other) technologies.

For example, elementary and middle years TCs in many sections of LLED 350 Classroom Discourses  may create a multi-media presentation in response to their “Literacy Autobiography Assignment” and LLED 360 secondary TCs will likely be asked to consider multi-literacies and multimedia as part of their summer coursework. These assignments, and others, afford TCs opportunities to develop digital and technological literacy while also considering ways in which multimedia and multimodal teaching and learning tools and approaches might benefit their students.

Bloom's Taxonomy cc image from Wikimedia Commons

By Xristina la [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

It is my hope that TCs see this as not simply an opportunity to learn to develop their own skills as students but will see the potential for incorporating this kind of assignment into their own teaching practices to provide their own students with opportunities to CREATE (rather than simply consuming) as a way to achieve higher order thinking (Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy pictured here)

As part of our professional learning, we need to discuss the importance of building digital and media literacy.  Assignments like the one noted above, provide opportunities to do so. Students will likely see a valuable connection between the BC Digital Literacy Framework and the Core Competencies!

Some Considerations

Copyright and media

The use of Creative Commons images by teachers for their presentations models appropriate copyright and digital citizenship for our students. Unsplash and Pixabay are two of my favourite sources of CC images (no attribution required – though they don’t mind if you buy them a coffee once in awhile!)

Tools Choice

In addition to the genially presentation shared at the top of this post, some tools to support multimedia creation are highlighted in the blog post, Digital Storytelling, by a former peer mentor, Janis. As you begin to plan the story you want to tell, you’ll likely consider the affordances of the technologies available to you and how they will enhance your story…

Knitting Literacy by Shania (a clean, simple video slide show with text overlay introducing us to key vocabulary) provides an example of  a video that can be created with pretty well any video editing software or app (iMovie, MovieMaker, Camtasia, Animoto or others)

The Google Slide Deck below offers a few tool suggestions and considerations for choosing the ‘tool for the task and context’ to help you ‘get started’ creating multimedia stories.


 

A pedagogical note

When working with your own students, you might consider introducing ‘new’ digital technologies to students in an experiential and playful way. Rather than ‘teaching’ whole class ‘how to’ use a particular technology (and risk losing many of your students to boredom or going over their heads), I have always provided my students (of ALL ages from K through secondary) opportunities to play with a given app or tool for a period of time prior to there being an expectation of actually using it for a given purpose. I find this helps lessen anxiety and affords students the opportunity to learn from and teach one another.My ‘general’ process for this:

  1. Show the students a very brief example of the technology ‘in action’
  2. Provide time for the students to play with the technology in  pairs or small groups (with the instruction that they may only ask the teacher to help with tech issues – can’t open, won’t boot, etc – for the first 5 to 15 min depending on the complexity of the tech).
  3. Teacher circulates and invites students to share (or ‘satellite’) their knowledge with others.
    • Once students have had exposure to different ways of representing their learning, I strongly recommend providing them with some choice and agency. Providing the choice of medium, from digital to analogue, helps meet the needs of varied learners and supports a Universal Design for Learning approach to planning and teaching.

In my experience, students can and will teach themselves and each other even more complex applications. I followed the above process with a group of grade 1/2 students using Garage Band to learn to create PodCasts. Within about 1/2 hour, all of the students were able to create a file, add loops, add audio and images. After their initial exploration, students storyboarded and created some very informative podcasts about the salmon in our classroom were ready to share with the school!

As a long time elementary teacher, I always try to provide my students with time to ‘play out’ and experiment with any technology – from math manipulative to science equipment to art supplies to digital technologies. Philosophically, I love being able to incorporate the above approach into my co-teaching in the BEd program and hope TCs are reminded to give their own students such opportunities in order to allow them time to co-construct their knowledge and skills! YD

 

 

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