people sitting down near table with assorted laptop computers
Photo by: Marvin Meyer

This week we focused on what creating resources and graphics look like. In class, I learned about the importance of creating and curating graphics and how it will be a permanent part of my practice as an educator. One of the first things discussed this week was modality in education. Modality refers to how one communicates in terms of timing and location. Reflecting on these past two years, my eyes have been opened to many different types of modalities. From graduating in a semi-online format to completing my first year of university both synchronously and asynchronously from home, and now being back in person in a face-to-face synchronous lecture format, I feel like I have experienced many forms of communication! Education is constantly changing and modality is a big portion of this! One example we discussed in class was the flipped method of education is a perfect example of new ways of integrating technology into our classrooms. 

girl in purple and black long sleeve shirt holding black pen writing on white paper
Photo by: Carl Jorgensen

The other topic discussed this week was addressing the question: who is the learner? In class we watched the youtube video “meet generation alpha” to answer the question who is it that we are teaching and who are our learners? This is such an interesting topic to think about because it’s crazy to think that the workforce these students are going into doesn’t even exist yet! Looking at the year 2038, for example, and realizing that that’s the year kids born in 2016 will graduate is insane. The world we are living in right now in 2022 will be entirely different in just over a decade which has made me realize the importance of looking into what these jobs students might lead in. Our cohort recently completed a project called an “Identity map” in our EDCI 306 class. The purpose of this project was to get us to realize the biases and communities we, as future teachers, bring into our classrooms. This project directly parallels what we learned today in terms of asking the question ‘why are we teaching this way’ in our practices. Moreover, going back to the demographic of generation alpha, we discussed how they were raised with technology in their hands (for the most part). Looking at this statement alone, there are so many factors to consider about their education and the world they are being raised in. Looking back on our growth from the 1880s (when the 20th-century school system was created) to today’s day and age, it’s easy to see the astronomical differences between these periods. Simply looking at the question “who did it serve then and who does it serve now” is so interesting, especially as a future educator. Canada’s formalized western education school system is a topic I will never get tired of discussing. 

Above is an example using graphic design 

Sources:

Photo 1: Marvin Meyer Unsplash)

Photo 2: Carl Jorgensen (Unsplash)