Reflective Post #2 EDU 780

Reflective Post #2

By: Deanna Mulay

Image Source: https://www.globalfocusmagazine.com/tag/technology/ 

1. Now that you have finished the course, what is your stance on your role as an educator of Digital and Media Literacy? Has this changed from the beginning of the course?

    Now that I have completed the course, I have learned what digital and media literacy is and why it is important to have in our classrooms. At first, I thought that digital and media literacy was just having students use tools, such as social media or use different sites to research topics. Now that I have learned more about digital and media literacy, I know that it is a way for students to use critical thinking skills, be more engaged in lessons, and allow all students to participate. Digital and media literacy is also a great way for enhancing lessons. Technology is not suppose to replace lessons, only enhance them. In terms of my role as an educator of Digital and Media Literacy, I take more of a stand on different technology platforms for students to use and for me to advocate to enhance lessons for every classroom by  using technology. Technology may seem like a distraction, but educators need to find ways of using the tools to make more lessons engaging for all students. 

2. How can you continue growing as an educator of Digital and Media Literacy?

    I can continue growing as an educator of Digital and Media Literacy by taking risks with technology tools and continue looking into different tools to add in my technology toolbox. I can also create and attend different professional developments to help discover new tools to use for teachers and students as well. During this course, we were asked to find a new tool and also create a professional development. By repeating those assignments, I will be able to continue to grow and develop my skills as an educator of Digital and Media Literacy.  

3. Overall, what will you take away from this course?

    I will take away many ideas from this course. However, the one point that sticks with me is that technology is NOT meant to replace lessons. I think many educators, including myself, thought adding a technology tool at the end of the lesson was a way to incorporate more technology. In reality, technology should be included in every part of a project that students are working on. This course has given me a different take on technology and how I view it in the classroom. It is NOT a distraction or add-on to a lesson, rather an enhancement to the lessons to support all students. 

4. Any other feedback regarding this course (suggestions, questions, feedback etc.)

    I really enjoyed taking this course because I learned so much. I really enjoyed the Cool Tools Show-and-Tell. I think it was a great activity to learn more about different tools. It was also great to read about other educators' tools that they chose. I would like to do a similar activity in the future. I have really enjoyed this course and have learned so much!

Image Source: https://www.chieflearningofficer.com/2021/03/15/reflection-in-action-a-case-for-case-studies-amid-covid-19/

Digital Mapping

When I first heard the term Digital Mapping, I am not going to lie, I was not sure how this was going to go. First I looked up some examples and videos about digital mapping. I also found that this video was very helpful when trying to design my own digital map. I also thought that “I don’t use technology that much”. WRONG! I used several apps throughout my day for personal usage and professional usage. When I was writing down all of the apps I was using and for what purpose over a few days, I could not believe the apps that I was clicking on for professional use and then personal use. 

Image Source: Deanna Mulay, https://mulaydtechnology.blogspot.com/2020/09/digital-mapping.html

Personal Use: 

Diving into my personal use, most of my apps that I use to watch videos, movies, or TV shows, such as Netflix and YouTube, I am a visitor because I do not post any videos. I am also a visitor when it comes to searching topics on Google and even buying products off of Amazon, and even using PayPal for other products that I buy off of the internet. As I was looking at my apps, I really was not surprised that I am a visitor or that I use these apps on weeknights or weekends. I am busier in the day and most of these apps do not relate to my professional life, so that is why they are not in the professional quadrant. 

I was also not surprised that my emails (Gmail and Yahoo), messaging apps, and Snapchat were in the resident quadrant. I am very active when using my emails. I do look at my emails, but oftentimes they need a response or I am the person sending out emails. This also holds true with text messages and Messenger. I respond and send messages to others. I use all of these apps daily. I also would consider Snapchat as a messaging tool for myself. I really only send out messages to a few friends. I use Snapchat less than all of the other apps on my phone, however I still use it about 4 times a week. 

The apps that I was in between a visitor and a resident were Facebook and Instagram. I post to Facebook and Instagram daily with photos of my dogs or my family. I also comment on other people’s posts and add likes to their photos. When I first started to do my digital map, I thought for sure I was a “full-time” resident, but I realized that some days I will just scroll on both apps and visit, while other times I am an active participant. When I visit, I am looking for a recipe or for new articles. I also found that I am more active on both Facebook and Instagram more on weeknights and weekends as well.  

Professional Use:

When I first started thinking about the apps for professional use, I thought to myself, “There’s going to be so many! It’s going to be hard to squeeze everything in the quadrants.” I quickly realized that I do not use as many apps professionally as I do personally. Again I began to think about visitor and resident for my professional apps. I was not too surprised at Google, the Google Docs, Slides, Spreadsheet, Forms, and Pinterest that I was a visitor on. For me, I use Google to research different lesson plans/ideas as well as using Pinterest. Google Docs, Slides, Spreadsheet, and Forms are used by the administrators to send out information to us, but I have never used it because I am a Long-Term Substitute (I forward those types of messages to the classroom teacher). 

I was actually surprised how much I use Twitter now because I recently downloaded it. I did not realize how quickly I became a resident. I really thought that I was more of a visitor on Twitter. I tend to focus on the teaching sources on Twitter than any other app on my phone. I retweet those articles and also make comments. It is rare that I go on Twitter just to read an article, I found that I go there to share and be active with different topics. I also now use Blogger more than I have ever used it before. Sharing my ideas with others has really helped open my eyes to the world of teaching, but I also look to help other teachers who would like to learn more about different topics. I have also been using SeeSaw, especially with Covid-19. I am a resident because I send the students an assignment and I am able to write directions, expectations, model for students, etc. When the students post their work, I am then able to respond to them using the text feature or sending a voice comment. 

One app that I have found that I use for work and personal use is YouTube. I look up videos to show students, but I also use it for my own enjoyment. Though the two ways that I use this app are very different, I find that this app allows me to search for answers for questions I may have and it also allows for fun and engaging videos for all ages. 

Lately, I have been using Zoom for meeting with the students, but also going to staff meetings as well. I also use Gmail professionally as well. Both of these apps I put in between visitor and resident. I am a visitor on Zoom and Gmail because I go to staff meetings for information and other staff members send me information through Gmail. I am a resident on Zoom because I am teaching the students and doing most of the talking rather than listening. I also respond to emails on Gmail, but I also send out emails to parents and other teachers to ask questions, give updates, etc. 

I loved mapping out my digital space in four quadrants. It gave me a new perspective on how I use the internet and how many times I use it as well. Overall, I thought I was balanced between the visitor and resident sections of my digital map. While I was looking at the apps that I use on my phone over a few days, I found that I was more active at night rather than the daytime, including weekends. I am not too surprised at my digital map. I am more surprised that I did not have more professional apps that I use. My digital map has helped me become aware of the apps I use and how often I use them. It has also helped me realize that I need to start paying attention to apps that will help me grow as a professional.