Category: Weekly Reflections

EDCI 339

What’s next for Ed-Tech?

In the article What’s next for Ed Tech? (2019) by Selwyn et al., the idea of educational technologies is explored, more specifically, how these technologies are shaping the future of learning; this article takes a deep dive into the hope for a more inclusive aspect to learning and highlights some potential concerns about ed techs inclusivity including concerns around inequities in access, and language as well as the overall increasing of automation of learning, taking away from traditional education, along with the datafication and surveillance of students. 

This article prompted me to think more critically about how, often in society, we assume that more technological advances and tools are equivalent and lead to better learning. Still, in reality, there is a more complex way to discuss and analyze this. Some of these platforms, where learning is moved to, can feel unmotivating for students, and they may feel as if their learning is being digitized and constantly tracked without being fully supported in their learning process of the material. As a society and users of new technology, we must confront the inequalities and ecological instability. We also tend to view digital education as “clean” when, in reality, Ed-tech comes with a significant environmental footprint. 

After analyzing the content this week, let’s consider alternatives that better impact students, reduce the ecological footprint of edtech, and contribute to mitigating climate change. We need to make it a priority to consider the costs and innovate ways that create more sustainable and ecological upgrades rather than focusing solely on speed. I have attended many online schools and universities, and now, more than ever, I have entirely transitioned to online learning. Yet, we students aren’t aware of the ecological costs of the technologies we use every day, and it seems the institutions aren’t either. There must be a way to implement digital technology in a manner that minimizes its ecological impact while also raising awareness about the effects of technology on climate change.

References 

Ferreira, G. (2024, November 28). Learning, media and technology what’s next for Ed-Tech? critical hopes and concerns for the 2020s. Learning, Media and Technology. https://www.academia.edu/41047564/Learning_Media_and_Technology_Whats_next_for_Ed_Tech_Critical_hopes_and_concerns_for_the_2020s 

Week 2: EDCI 339

After exploring the concepts of open and distance learning, specifically the benefits and challenges of both Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP) through the readings, and how these aspects can contribute to open and distance learning in ways that benefit students’ learning while also posing challenges, OER aims to provide educational content that is available and easily accessible to students, as well as reusable content. OEP, on the other hand, aims to go beyond the content and directly focus on the openness to pedagogy, which aims to allow the learners to go beyond the content and provide students with the opportunity to foster their agency, creativity and openness in understanding how the learning happens using open approaches. 

Open Educational Resources and Open Educational Practices Introduction 

Open Educational Resources 

Open Educational Practices

Wiley, D (5 R’s) 

Koseoglu Response to Wiley 

These articles made me question and rethink what open education is and what it means for something to be “open.” Looking into the differences between OERs and OEPs, I am interested in uncovering if these OERs are considered open due to the implication of who gets to contribute to the knowledge students learn through these resources. What information is it? And who is producing the information? After looking into OEP, as a future educator, I am interested in the active participation part of the students learning and, as a teacher, how I can, rather than deliver content using notes and textbooks, how I can better provide an open learning space where students can have a level of agency regarding what they are learning and how they are learning it. When I am a teacher, I want to incorporate OEPs. Due to the demand for specific learning requirements and curriculum in education, entire classes would be challenging to implement entirely OEP. Still, there are many opportunities to incorporate OEP into classrooms where students can express their voices and work through open learning. Doing so, especially in the elementary classroom where I specifically want to teach, can teach students at a younger age to express their voices and learn that they have agency in their education. This can spark curiosity and creativity in students at a young age, as well as how I can implement the 5 Rs in open learning. 

Week 1: EDCI 339

After understanding and reviewing the readings this week, it made me think more about online learning and online pedagogy. I then began to relate to my personal experience within online learning, specifically the time we were all forced into online learning during Covid.

Covid forced online learning and it was imposed on students, they were forced to adapt to the changes, there were no strategies for learning that were taught, or time management skills with this adjustment. In the reading (Marr, L 2018) it is highlighted how students need to be equipped with the pedagogical strategies in order to succeed and for the online learning to be effective. My personal experience with the online learning in the pandemic was a rather successful one, but it was a learning curve that a lot of people close to me unfortunately never learned, because students weren’t given the tools for them to succeed, and likewise the teachers were also forced into a realm of teaching that for a lot was foreign to them, but they had to learn to adapt to these teaching changes and learning opportunities for their students. 

I struggled with online learning at the beginning of the rapid switch to online that the pandemic caused, I struggled with being immersed into the technological adaptations of zoom calls, discussion boards, etc. 

And I wasn’t the only one…

The article “Effects of Self-Efficacy and Online Learning Mind States on Learning Ineffectiveness during the COVID-19 Lockdown” highlights a study that was done discussing the importance of enhancing students’ self-efficacy when it comes to the use of technology in learning content on online platforms and the relation this has on cognitive fatigue and overall focus in online learning. The study focuses on improvements that can be made to have a lasting impact on the effectiveness of online learning. 

This relates to how in my experience school going online was a stressful and mentally demanding time, it was a very hard adjustment because there was so much stress and uncertainty of what we were to expect in the online learning platforms. This left students feeling disconnected due to the lack of resources and understanding that was given to students at this time. 

References

Hong, J.-C., Liu, X., Cao, W., Tai, K.-H., & Zhao, L. (2022). Effects of Self-Efficacy and Online Learning Mind States on Learning Ineffectiveness during the COVID-19 Lockdown. Educational Technology & Society, 25(1), 142–154. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48647036

Marr, L. (2018). “Chapter 1: The transformation of distance learning at Open
University: the need for a new pedagogy for online learning?”. In Higher Education in the Digital Age. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing