As I reflect back on the INF537 journey, and in turn my journey through my masters of education (knowledge networks and digital innovation) I wonder where the time has gone.
At the beginning of this subject we were asked to engage with many varied forms of communication including twitter, padlet, flipgrid, thinkspace blogging and the more traditional discussion forum. As I engaged in these means of communication, I grappled with key aspects which had been presented throughout the course and indeed finally within this subject.
My final research piece highlights the role of digital wellbeing for our students and the work the of PERMA model and OECD Better Life in framing wellbeing. We have been asked to broaden our own digital footprint as students within this cohort for the greater good of our peers. Throughout this time, I reflected on aspects of my own screen time and ability to switch off when a notification came through from the INF537 feed. I felt compelled by the plight of my students, whose parents often come to me worried about late night messages on devices.
Through our guest colloquium series I posted a number of blogs; Rocket Shoes, Dr Lyn Hay, and Julie Lindsay amongst others which you can read by visiting my INF537 tag. These blogs formed a collection of thoughts which developed over the course of the subject. In the blog after Julie Lindsay’s guest colloquium we were posed the question “Why do we as educational professionals find it hard to collaborate?”
My collaboration within this subject has ebbed and flowed, at times when I have felt my load was too heavy I have pulled back from discussion with other peers. However, as I reflect on this question now I see more than my original thoughts around Twitter as a platform. As an educator, at times, I lack confidence within my ideas to share them with a wider audience. Similar to that of a teenage, I often lack clear judgement as to whether my ideas would be valued in the digital space.
My research project allowed me to explore a topic which I am passionate about, whether we are teaching our students to be ‘digital wellbeing’s?’ At times throughout the process I felt I lacked clarity with undertaking a large research project, however as I came to put my thoughts on paper and read and reread the process became clearer. While I’m still not entirely sure a path in research is for me, it allowed me to identify key areas of need within our current schooling system. Through my first subject in this course I was asked to begin blogging. I included elements in the blog about my context and what I already knew about the digital age. I also include the term ‘Digital Natives’ from Prensky (2001) which seems pertinent as I included the term again in my final report with a vastly different view.
In the same blog, I outlined my aims for the course. I gained a clear link about how to create personalised learning journeys however what I have walked away with is far greater. I have a greater understanding of teachers and educators as digital connected citizens and the part we play in preparing students for the future. I can discuss key references in the field of digital citizenship, game based learning and digital repositories. The most important aspect gained, is a rich understanding of how digital innovation and knowledge networks are rapidly changing and for the benefit of our students we need to be lifelong learners.
I am now not sure where my learning journey is headed, by I am sure the bright path ahead will lead the way.
Angela
Photo by Patrick Fore from Unsplash
References:
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the horizon, 9 (5), 1-6.
Seligman, M. (2018). PERMA and the building blocks of well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(4), 333-335.
OECD. (2019). Favourable well-being scores. OECD Economic Surveys: Australia 2018. doi: https://doi.org/10.1787/eco_surveys-aus-2018-
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