Category Archives: EC&I 834: Coursework

Summary of Learning

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Welcome to my summary of learning! This course has provided valuable insights into the role of technology in education. We examined various aspects, including the benefits of blended learning, the use of learning management systems, and the importance of making education accessible to all students. It’s been an eye-opening journey into how digital tools can enhance teaching and learning in today’s classrooms. In this reflection, I’ll share some of the most eye-opening lessons I’ve encountered and their impact on me!

 

 

Course Prototype

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Welcome to my final course prototype! At the end of this post, you will find a video walking you through my course prototype.

Course Prototype Overview

This journey of designing and refining my final product has been rewarding and enlightening. From the outset, I wanted to develop something practical and meaningful in my teaching practice. My primary goal was to create a course that adopted a blended learning model, enabling students to engage with material in the classroom while providing them access to online resources and coursework. This guiding principle shaped the entire development process.

I chose to develop my course prototype using Canvas. While my school division currently operates within Microsoft Teams, I have found several limitations, particularly in course design and interactive content. Exploring Canvas allowed me to discover what else is available and experiment with a platform that could offer a more user-friendly experience for students.

In terms of content, I decided to focus on English Language Arts 20 (ELA 20), a course I am currently teaching but had not taught in five years. This made it the perfect subject for my prototype, allowing me to revisit and modernize my existing materials. Specifically, I focused on the first unit of the ELA 20 curriculum, titled “Starting Out: Beginning and Becoming.” This unit explores the journey of personal growth and self-discovery, emphasizing how childhood and youth lay the foundation for our future. Given this theme, I chose fairy tales as the central literary focus. Fairy tales provide rich, symbolic narratives and serve as an excellent medium for exploring key literary concepts such as satire, the hero’s journey, character archetypes, and allusions.book titled fairy tales

To facilitate student learning, I incorporated a variety of instructional strategies designed to maintain high engagement and accommodate diverse learning styles. My modules include PowerPoint lectures, knowledge checks using H5P, and review activities using Kahoot!. Additionally, assessments are varied to ensure students can demonstrate their understanding in multiple ways, whether through written responses, recorded reflections, discussion forums, or creative projects.
Ultimately, this course prototype represents a significant step forward in my teaching practice. It has allowed me to explore new digital tools, refine my instructional approach, and develop a resource I can confidently implement in my classroom.

For a more detailed breakdown of my course structure and methodology, please refer to my Course Profile, which can be found here.

Development Process

One of the aspects of my job as an educator that I love most is creating new learning materials, so this project was right up my alley. Although there was a slight learning curve with the Canvas platform, as it was entirely new to me, I found it relatively easy to navigate. This ease of use is one of the program’s most significant advantages. Educators already have a lot on their plates, and adopting new platforms can be overwhelming. However, Canvas’s intuitive design makes it a more accessible option for teachers who may be hesitant about integrating new technology into their classrooms.

question marks

The development of my first module went smoothly for the most part. However, I did encounter some challenges when working with H5P. While I am typically somewhat familiar with most educational tools and concepts, I had never heard of H5P before, which resulted in a significant learning curve. It took multiple attempts to understand how to use the program effectively, and even now, I would not consider myself an expert. Embedding the H5P content into my Canvas page was another challenge. Initially, I struggled to determine the correct method, but after a few Google searches, I resolved the issue. Despite these initial difficulties, I believe H5P is an excellent tool for student learning. It provides low-stakes assessments, allowing students to check their understanding in a way that reduces stress and encourages self-assessment.

After submitting my first module, I received valuable feedback, which I discuss in more detail in my blog post on this topic. Overall, the feedback was very positive. However, it encouraged me to explore ways to make my course more accessible. One key improvement I implemented was providing additional resources for students who may struggle with using a new platform like Canvas. From my own experience, I know that half the battle of completing a course is simply learning how to navigate the required technology. Trying to absorb new content while simultaneously figuring out how to use an unfamiliar system can be overwhelming. I believe this challenge is just as relevant for secondary students. To help mitigate this, I created a module at the beginning of the course that provides clear, easy-to-find resources to help students become comfortable with the platform. By removing potential barriers, students can focus on what truly matters: learning the course material.

With these considerations in mind, I began developing my second module. Having already gone through the process once, I found the second module much easier to create. This time, I incorporated additional learning techniques, such as audio recording assignments and multiple H5P knowledge checks, to further enhance student engagement. Overall, I am proud of the content I have produced and see it as a valuable asset in my classroom. This project has not only allowed me to explore new digital tools but has also strengthened my ability to design engaging and accessible learning experiences for my students.

 

Looking Ahead

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Over the past few weeks, I have immersed myself in developing my online module, and I was pleased to see that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. This was reassuring given the effort I have put into developing this course. I aimed to incorporate best teaching practices by ensuring that students had access to clear rubrics for assignments, a variety of learning strategies (e.g., PowerPoint lectures, Kahoot!, discussion forums, audio responses), and opportunities for knowledge checks through quizzes created using Lumi.

girl at computer doing work

I was particularly pleased to see that the content warning I included before a TedEd video in the module was noted. As educators, we sometimes overlook the fact that students may feel overwhelmed by sensitive topics. It is essential to provide warnings, so students are not caught off guard by distressing content. This is especially important in an online learning environment. Educators can gauge students’ reactions in a physical classroom and provide immediate support. However, when students engage with material independently at home, they may not have access to the same support systems, making it even more crucial to ensure they are prepared for potentially distressing content.

One key concern highlighted in my feedback was the course’s accessibility for students who may be away for extended periods without reliable internet access. This is an important consideration when looking at overall accessibility. As noted in Teaching for a Digital Age, “no matter how powerful a particular medium or technology may be in educational terms, if students cannot access it in a convenient and affordable manner, they cannot learn from it.” Ensuring accessibility beyond the classroom is essential for any course integrating digital elements. For students with limited access to technology, maintaining flexibility is critical. While online platforms are invaluable in modern education, it is important to remember that, for some students, paper-based resources remain their only viable option. Providing printed materials when necessary can help ensure that external circumstances do not become barriers to learning. The same principle applies to students who lack access to technology outside of school; offering alternative resources helps create a more equitable learning environment.

Additionally, I believe educators should consistently revisit and refine their course materials and digital platforms throughout the semester, particularly during semester transitions. I admit that I have, at times, defaulted to simply reusing previously prepared materials without fully considering the evolving needs of my students. However, I have also encountered situations where I should have been more mindful of adapting content to support them better. Regularly reviewing and updating materials allows educators to ensure that instructional resources remain relevant and responsive to students’ needs.

One area not addressed in my feedback but something I have since reflected on is the potential benefit of including a dedicated section at the start of the course with easily accessible resources on navigating the learning management system (LMS), which in my case is Canvas. A significant challenge in any new course is familiarizing students with the required platforms. Guiding how to use the LMS could make the course more accessible. This small addition could improve students’ overall experience and reduce barriers to engagement.

Moving forward in my course development, I hope to integrate new strategies to enhance accessibility and create a module that incorporates all the elements of a high-quality digital platform. By continually refining my approach, I hope to build an engaging learning experience for all students.

Respond to the feedback you received, both during our week 7 class and from your reviewers. Describe how you plan to take this feedback up (or not) in the creation of your second module and in the revision of your existing prototypes. You should also reflect on tonight’s discussion of accessibility and equity in the context of your own course. How accessible is it? Are there any issues related to accessibility and equity that you need to address?

Designing Meaningful Interactions in Online Learning

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My course will employ a blended learning model. Students will be expected to attend synchronous face-to-face classes but use online learning materials to facilitate and promote learning. During face-to-face sessions, students will primarily engage in lectures designed to deepen their understanding of key course themes, such as how fairy tales influence our worldview as children, whether they are truly “safe” for young audiences, and how satire functions within literature. In the online component, students will apply their knowledge through various learning tasks designed to reinforce and expand their understanding of the course material.

One of the ways I intend to facilitate student/student-instructor interactions is through discussion forums. In Teaching for the Digital Age, these forums are highlighted as valuable tools for student learning because:

“when applied appropriately, online collaborative learning can lead to deep, academic learning, or transformative learning, as well as, if not better than, discussion in campus-based classrooms. The asynchronous and recorded ‘affordances’ of online learning more than compensate for the lack of physical cues and other aspects of face-to-face discussion.”

However, instructors must recognize that a successful discussion forum involves several key factors and is more than just allowing open conversation. The instructor’s role is just as crucial as that of the student. According to Teaching for the Digital Age, these factors include:

  • appropriate technology
  • clear guidelines on student online behaviour
  • student orientation and preparation
  • clear goals
  • setting an appropriate ‘tone’ or requirements for discussion
  • defining clearly learner roles and expectations
  • monitoring the participation of individual learners, and responding accordingly
  • regular, ongoing instructor ‘presence’
  • ensuring strong articulation between discussion topics and assessment

My course materials, including discussion forums, will be accessible online through Canvas, which provides a platform for engaging discussions.

The first modules of my course will focus on developing critical thinking skills and exploring literary elements like satire to enhance comprehension. This will be achieved through the analysis of fairy tales. The goal is to help students answer the following question: are fairy tales truly “safe” for children? The discussion forum will play a key role in this process. In the post-COVID years, I have found that students have become increasingly less comfortable speaking to the class to express their opinions. The goal is for the online discussions to help students build comfort with one another, gradually fostering a more confident classroom environment. This will set the stage for a face-to-face debate and panel presentation towards the end of the term. In the short term, however, I hope that these forums will encourage students to think critically about the questions they encounter and the world around them while also developing the skills to disagree respectfully, offer constructive feedback, and challenge their own perspectives.

With that being said, there are several guidelines/assessment practices that I intend to implement to make discussion forum interactions more meaningful. These include:

  • Establishing a welcoming classroom community at the start of the term to ensure all students feel comfortable participating in online discussion forums.
  • Recognizing cultural backgrounds and making accommodations or adaptations as needed.
  • Before participation begins, provide a lesson on digital citizenship and appropriate interaction in discussion forums.
  • Setting clear, easy-to-follow guidelines and expectations for students during discussion forums.
  • Incorporating follow-up activities that allow students to demonstrate their learning and formulate a final reflection.

I believe discussion forums will foster engaging discourse in my classroom, and I’m excited to see how they contribute to shaping the learning environment in my space.

What forms of student/student-instructor interactions do you plan to implement in your course prototype (e.g. LMS forums, Flipgrid, blog comments/pingbacks, hashtags, video chats, etc.)? What justification can you provide for choosing these forms of student interaction? What guidelines or assessment practices will you adopt to ensure that interactions are meaningful, supportive, engaging, and relevant?

Course Profile

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Welcome to my course profile! Here, you’ll find all the details about the course, along with my ADDIE template outlining its design and structure.

Satire, Hero’s Journey, and Character Archetypes in Children’s Literature in English Language Arts 20

ADDIE Template

EC&I 834 ADDIE Template – ELA 20

Course Overview

This course is designed to fit within the English Language Arts 20 curriculum in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is not the entire course but modules within one of the two themes that comprise the English Language Arts 20 curriculum.

Target Audience

This course is designed for an English Language Arts 20 classroom with students aged 15 to 17.

Course Delivery

Students will complete this course using a blended learning model that combines face-to-face instruction with digital resources to enhance the learning experience. Modules will include in-person lessons supported by various classroom aids to supplement and reinforce key concepts. All coursework will be delivered synchronously to ensure students engage with the material and each other in real time. However, all learning materials and resources will be accessible online, allowing students to review content and complete activities outside of the classroom when needed.

Course Toolset

Platform: For the online portions of the course, students will synchronously utilize Canvas.

Instructional: Course will be pre-dominantly completed synchronously:

  • Students will participate in several lectures during face-to-face learning. Lectures will be available to students via Canvas.
  • Assignments (formative and summative) will be completed synchronously during face-to-face class time online via Canvas.

Communication: Students will have several communication tools, including announcements via Canvas and email.

Assessment Tools: Students will utilize a variety of assessment tools, including quizzes, written assessments, discussion forums, and projects completed via Canva.

Course Content and Learning Objectives

This course will focus on the ELA 20 curricular theme: Starting Out – Beginning and Becoming. The ELA 20 curriculum (p. 10) describes this theme as follows:

As we journey on the road of life, we learn about ourselves, others, and the natural and constructed worlds. Childhood and youth lay the foundation for life, for learning and experiencing, for developing personal volition, for shaping identity and sense of self, and for health and well-being. The paths of childhood and youth are not the same for all, however. For some children and youth, it is a time of wonder, imagination, inquiry, discovery, play, experimentation, and innocence; for others, it is a time of neglect, abandonment, abuse, disillusionment, pain, exploitation, and innocence destroyed. Through relationships with the social, natural, and spiritual worlds, children and youth establish their identities among family members, caregivers, friends, peers, and others. Every culture celebrates or recognizes significant developments or rites of passage in children and adolescents; these milestones may be acknowledged formally or informally. Although the roles of, and attitudes about, children and youth have developed over time and varied across cultures, by examining the complex nature of childhood and youth, we can understand how childhood and youth contribute to who we are and who we would like to be.

The ELA 20 curriculum also offers several guiding questions to foster a deeper understanding. These questions will serve as a foundation for this course:

  1. How do the experiences of youth and childhood provide a foundation for life?
  2. How do the experiences of childhood and youth affect our development – mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually?
  3. What and how do play, a sense of wonder, imagination, and discovery contribute to the development of healthy children and youth? What are the benefits of developing imagination and a sense of wonder? How can a sense of wonder and imagination be fostered?
  4. How do relationships with others (e.g., parents, Elders, siblings, grandparents, role models, mentors) affect the identity, values, and beliefs of children and adolescents?
  5. What ways of knowing, thinking, doing, and being have you developed as a result of your relationships in childhood and adolescence?

Building on this understanding, the course will delve into children’s literature through the lens of three key ELA concepts: satire, archetypes, and the hero’s journey. Activities and assessments will be carefully designed to align with the following outcomes:

  • CR 20.4: Read and demonstrate comprehension and appreciation of grade-appropriate informational (including instructions and procedural texts) and literary (including fiction, nonfiction, script, poetry, and essays) First Nations, Métis, Saskatchewan, Canadian, and international texts.
  • CC 20.4: Create a variety of written informational (including an essay of explanation of a process, an application letter and résumé, and an argumentative or a persuasive essay) and literary (including a reflective or personal essay and an analysis of a literary text) communications.

Assessment

Students will complete both summative and formative assessments. Formative assessments will predominantly consist of knowledge checks through exit slips, knowledge check quizzes, and discussion forums. Summative assessment will consist of:

  • Graded comprehension and reflection questions tailored to grade-specific literature
  • Discussion forums based on grade-specific literature
  • Film study connected to specific literature techniques
  • Visual essay of explanation completed via Canva

Considerations

Adaptations:

  • Materials can be adapted to meet the diverse needs of learners based on students Record of Adaptations (ROA)
    • Some potential adaptations may include extended time of tests, translation tools, and paper copies.

Attendance:

  • Students who cannot attend will be able to access all materials, including face-to-face lectures, via Canvas, allowing for maximum flexibility and adaptability.

Devices/Wifi:

  • Students will have access to 1:1 technology during synchronous face-to-face class time to complete work with reliable and stable internet connectivity.

Rationale

This course aligns with the Saskatchewan ELA 20 curriculum, focusing on the theme Starting Out – Beginning and Becoming. It explores how children’s literature reflects the complexities of childhood and adolescence by addressing key questions about identity, relationships, and personal growth. Through the lenses of satire, archetypes, and the hero’s journey, students will analyze how stories shape and reflect human experience, meeting curricular outcomes (CR 20.4 and CC 20.4). The course uses a blended learning model, combining face-to-face instruction with digital resources to create a flexible learning environment. Synchronous delivery ensures face-to-face interactions, while asynchronous access to materials via Canvas allows students to learn at their own pace. Assessments include formative tools like quizzes and discussion forums and summative tasks such as film studies and visual essays created on Canva. Ultimately, this course aims to inspire students to see literature as a mirror to human experiences to help them better understand themselves and the world.

Navigating the Digital Classroom

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As a student and an educator, I have always been drawn to online and blended learning models. These approaches offer students and educators flexibility and accessibility, as well as opportunities for meaningful technology integration and the development of 21st-century skills.

According to the University of Calgary – Taylor Institution of Teaching and Learning:

  • Blended learning is the thoughtful integration of face-to-face and online learning experiences (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008). The wide range of blended learning includes technology-enriched teaching, online preparation before class, flipped learning and restructured class time.
  • Online learning is a form of distance education that allows students to study without coming to campus at all. It provides learners with the accessibility and flexibility of learning at their own paces, and it allows instructors to teach from any place with an internet connection.”

As a student, I have experienced firsthand the many benefits of online learning. These positive experiences have greatly influenced my own teaching philosophy.

Online & Blended Learning as a Student

As a student, I have always been drawn to online/blended courses because of their flexibility. These courses have, without a doubt, allowed me to continue my education by making it possible to balance academics with other aspects of my daily life. During my undergraduate studies, online/blended courses allowed me to work while completing my degrees, which helped me graduate with minimal debt. Without the ability to work during my undergraduate studies, I likely would not have been able to complete two undergraduate degrees. Now, in my graduate studies, I can continue my studies while working full-time as a teacher. The ability to engage with coursework during my free time was, and continues to be, an invaluable aspect of online/blended learning that has allowed me to continue my journey as a lifelong learner.

Moreover, large group lectures have never worked well for my learning style. After long days of errands or work, sitting through a lecture often left me zoning out. However, asynchronous online courses allowed me to fully engage with content on my schedule and revisit materials if necessary. Similarly, the asynchronous online learning model made adapting learning to my needs on any given day much easier. As we all know, life can be unpredictable and online learning has provided me with the ability to pause, adapt, and break learning into manageable chucks during times of unpredictability.

As a student, the benefits of online learning have always outweighed the negatives. The flexibility to create an environment that aligns with my needs has been invaluable to my educational journey.

Online & Blended Learning as an Educator

One of the most significant shifts I have made in my teaching practice as an educator is embracing blended learning. As noted, this model blends face-to-face teaching with online/technology-based learning experiences. This shift has drastically changed how I interact with my students and has greatly enhanced the learning environment of my classroom.

In Teaching in the Digital Age, blended learning is described as a thoughtful integration of online and classroom learning experiences. It includes various approaches, such as using technology-enhanced learning (like PowerPoint slides) during lectures and utilizing programs to store learning materials or submit assignments. This is exactly how I structure my classroom.

I am fortunate to have access to 1:1 devices for my students, which means technology is always at our fingertips. This access has allowed me to integrate technology to support different learning styles and needs.

Having 1:1 access has shown me that technology is not just a tool for engagement but also a bridge to critical thinking, independent work, and digital literacy.

My classroom uses platforms like Microsoft Teams and Edsby to create an online learning environment. These tools give students easy access to assignments, grades, and other important course information. However, we do not solely rely on technology. I still utilize more “traditional” teaching methods, such as lecturing and hands-on work, to meet various learning styles.

Blending technology and in-person learning has enriched my students’ educational experience. Still, it would be remiss not to acknowledge the challenges of using technology as a learning tool. One major challenge is the digital divide, which can hinder students from completing assignments or engaging with materials outside of the classroom.

Consequently, educators must acknowledge this divide and ensure that technology integration does not negatively impact students’ learning experiences.

While there are challenges, I believe blended learning is not just a passing trend but rather an essential part of the educational landscape in the 21st century. By thoughtfully combining face-to-face instruction with the flexibility of online tools, blended learning allows students to engage more deeply with course content, personalize their learning, and thrive in the digital world.

What are your experiences and perceptions related to your own use of blended learning and/or technology integration in your professional context? What challenges and opportunities have you experienced?