note: there is a little ruckus in the audio during the first few seconds, I think it was my earring hitting my mic…classic me & apologies.
Category: EDCI 336 (Page 1 of 2)
This is a category for the EdTech course. Please add this category in addition to the relevant edtech assignment category(ies).
J. Riddell Matte (2020). Sad Poem. [mixed media]
Dear Reader,
The first thing I want to do is address the fact that, during my free inquiry, I never illustrated ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’. This felt like a failure for a hot minute, as though because I had not done what I set out to do my entire inquiry was a bust. A write off. A head-in-the-palm-of-your-hand type moment.
But I’ve thought about it a lot over the past couple of weeks, as the term comes to an end….and this is what I have realized;
I may not have illustrated the story that I had planned on illustrating but I did illustrate, narrate and make a video of ‘Porridge, Porridge’ by The Brothers Grimm. I took two illustration classes through the online education platform ‘Domestika’. I experimented with materials and I made art. I learned about the Public Domain and read many, many Brother’s Grimm stories through an online archive. I discovered that children’s books generally have 32 pages. I discovered new illustrator and looked at their incredible art and I practiced storyboarding. I participated in a zine workshop through the Vancouver Art Gallery with Cole Pauls and a drawing webinar, of the Southern Mountain Caribou, offered by the Sierra Club. I grew my personal learning network. I learned how to make screen recordings and voice over (this might be my tech super-power). I read children’s books. I blogged. I played Minecraft. I tried two on-line graphic novel programs, and I made a couple of short comic strips and a few graphic organizers with them. I learned from our guest speakers about privacy, inquiry based learning, accessibility and assessment.
Time during the pandemic has had the tendency to drag on (it’s not just me) and I’ve heard the saying ‘time is an illusion’ more, over these past three months, than at any other point in my life. But, for me, time has passed quickly in the mess of my free inquiry + the term. So, I guess I ran out of time and I didn’t get around to my big project, but those people who say ‘time is an illusion’ also say, ‘it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey’ and although they say this in reference to Life, I have come to believe that it also applies to inquiry based learning.
One after noon, back in January, as I tried to figure out my free-inquiry and while waiting for middle-school to let out, my youngest son & I re-imagined ‘Goldilocks & the Three Bears”. I think that our story is kinda magic, and I am very much looking forward to illustrating it sometime in the near future.
Thank-you for being here.
Warmly,
Jen
J. Riddell Matte (2021) It only took me all term…[photograph of a mess on my kitchen table]
It only took me all term to blog about my Personal Learning Network (PLN).
On Wednesday, I left the EdTech Camp ‘Assessment’ breakout room full of hope and inspiration at all that the other participants in the breakout room have accomplished, what they are still working towards and as I head into my first practicum – what is possible in terms of assessment. Then, I picked up my kids from school, made snacks, immediately joined a recommended facebook group and realized that I had been thinking that I needed to feel as though I was ‘connected’ to some greater network-machine, like a fancy pre-covid cocktail party full of small talk with my peers, teachers and other education professionals. But, before I made dinner and did more homework that evening, I also realized that for me, a PLN, is about curating support in ways that are convenient right now. I know that joining one facebook group is not enough, but I like that there are facebook groups, and although Twitter and longterm blogging are not for me, Instagram is. Instagram is easy to engage with, practical and informative. I like the image driven platform, the story options and I truly appreciate all of the educational professionals who are willing to share their pedagogy and practice.
I believe that my personal learning network will expand, as the reality of the pandemic shifts and as my professional practice evolves, but for now, I’m working on it.
First, I would like to say that I wholeheartedly agree that Minecraft is an incredible learning tool. I have witnessed it in action with my own kids, both in an educational context and free play (which is arguably educational as well) and I am continually impressed with the real world knowledge they glean from the game and the incredible structures that they are able to effortlessly build.
But….
I have SO many questions!!
In discussion with my pod I have been reassured that the game is really not that complicated and advised that a mouse would be better for navigating than the Mac tracking pad that I’m currently using…..but I am not even sure that I want to invest the play-time required solve some of my Minecraft mysteries, especially when we are already spending so much time online.
Ms. James presented a very engaged perspective, one where she was just as passionate about the program as her students, but what if you’re not? What if, as a teacher, you want to engage your students and enhance their learning opportunities and enable them to experience this tech, enjoying all the benefits that come along with that, but don’t love gaming yourself? How far down the gaming path do we need to go, to properly/successfully implement these programs in the classroom?
Update:: Since writing this post, I have played Minecraft with the fantastically supportive and patient members of my tech pod. I am happy to report that my kid built me a crafting table, I learned how to pick flowers, gather seeds, collect chicken eggs, cut down trees and I even built a fence with a friend (which we then lured a flock of chickens into!)…and it was actually kinda ok!?
Knock, knock…Who’s there? Diamond….Diamond who? You’re diamond me crazy!
As part of my inquiry project, which I am starting to worry I will never be able to wrap up …I participated in the Vancouver Art Galleries “Space Comics” workshop with Cole Pauls.
During the 1 hour on-line workshop Pauls talked about his creative process, shared how his Tahltan heritage influences his work and what has surprised him most about being an author/illustrator, all while showing participants how to build and illustrate a Zine!!
J. Riddell Matte. ‘Porridge Porridge’ Zine. 2021
The zine was done on a single piece of paper, divided into 6 illustrated pages, plus the cover and end pages. It was incredibly satisfying attempting to tell a story within such narrow parameters, and I think that this design could also be applied to a more free-form art making process.
This would be a great activity for older students (grade 3 +) and could be applied to themes across the curriculum. I wonder if there is a way to construct one, with the same template but using a digital platform? Or upload for further editing/enhancement using a digital program? Something to think about….
Resources::
Vancouver Art Gallery:: Art At Home project – a fantastic complication of comprehensive art lessons!
Authentic vs Artificial Self is something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now, both as a grown-up human person and professionally. The closer I am to having the privilege of engaging small humans in learning, the more important it feels that I gain a better grasp of this in order to be the kind of teacher I hope to be!
One of the things I appreciate most during this interview was Maxwell’s perspective on ‘value’ as it relates to how we see and engage with our students, the enjoyment that we take from our job as teachers and how these contribute towards creating a greater sense of community that supports authentic learning. He also suggests that in order to foster authenticity we must provide opportunities for young people to experience true accountability, both as a learning tool and community building, similar to the summative exhibition held at High Tech High.
I found this next video to be extremely valuable in perspective building and expanding on the understandings of authenticity, and value, as they occur beyond the self and out into the wider world.
Although Jodi-Ann Burey is speaking about authenticity in the workplace, her message is an important one to consider, as it truly applies to classroom communities and all places where people are. IF we are to be our authentic selves and teach from a pedagogy of authenticity, then we must hold space for our students (and fellow humans) to be their authentic selves as well. As teachers, I believe that this applies to the personalities, learning preferences and interests held by each of our students. If we are not willing to accept our students as whole people, just as they are, everyday, then we are not leading from a place of authenticity, our students will likely not feel the safety/acceptance to be their authentic selves and their learning opportunities lessened.
I know, that as pre-service teachers, we have all heard all of this before but in the crunch of the day and the beautiful mess that is life, I think that it is worth repeating, remembering and intentionally practicing personal authenticity every chance we get .
As a final note:
If you google ‘Authentic Leadership characteristics’ you will find lists of traits which those individuals deemed successful in this practice hold; integrity, purpose, fostering relationships, leading with heart, long-term goals (teaching with the end in mind) and consistency, just to name a few, but in this last offering Christopher Emdin proposes that we, as teachers, add “create magic” to the list.
I believe that teaching is an art. And when you accept this artistic assignment, don’t let anyone take it away from you. Be that unique teacher you were born to be, and share your experience and passion with your students. Try out those great ideas that are percolating, and watch the magic happen in your classroom. Persevere in spite of any fears that your activity might not be the best one. It’s OK! Through choosing authenticity, you will be able to grow as an educator and, through that work, create meaningful experiences with your students. – Lisa Dabbs for Edutopia
“We don’t know what we don’t know” was something that Chantelle Morvay-Adams said during her recent presentation and this is ringing very true for me this week…
Up until last week’s class I had been enjoying the process of Inquiry, learning about planning and illustrating children’s books. The assignment provided me with an excuse to make art (during a term when I desperately need it) and research something that I am interested in. I expanded my teaching tool box; exploring fairytales, experimenting with illustration techniques and materials, playing with writing, and investigating different graphic novel apps/platforms- all providing me with a greater understanding of how inquiry based learning might Feel for students. But, “we don’t know what we don’t know” and now that I am better informed, having had the opportunity to listen to Morvay-Adams and look over the BCEdAccess webpage (specifically the inclusions tracker), my inquiry feels a little frivolous/uncomfortable…
As a result, I am trying to focus on “we don’t know what we don’t know” as a reminder, that as teachers (and humans) will never know everything, nor will we ever reach a place where we feel like we’ve ‘made it’ within our profession (and life?), but rather that we can “do better when we know better” and to always keep learning. Always.
I am sharing Shelly Moore’s TedTalk, “Under the Table -The Importance of Assuming Competence”, because she is fantastic + a great source of information around these important issues of integration/inclusion & listening to her talk made me feel a little less overwhelmed…
::Storyboard That:: I had a lot of ‘fun’ (who knew I used that word so much?!) making this little comic strip, and although I had some initial reservations about the program – it is definitely growing on me!
I am really appreciating all of the graphics; edit options, backgrounds, characters and categories, that are available within this program, making creating projects fun & easy! I also noticed that there is an ‘upload’ option and although I have not tried this yet, it’s definitely worth noting.
::Comic Life :: Looking around, this platform offers a fantastic selection of templates, they are both stylized & exiting, giving students the opportunity to create story pages that look exactly like what one would want from a graphic novel making program!!
The interface is easy to use and I’ve really enjoyed playing around with the formatting; trying different templates, looking through & testing out font combinations, text bubbles and layout…I also like the squeaky balloon-stretching sound that the program makes when you re-sizing the image boxes!! There are, however, no pre-set graphics available. In terms of practical classroom use, this means that students would need to create, photograph and upload their own illustrations, use a drawing tablet or curate appropriate/topical graphics from the internet, in order to place images into their chosen template. This should not be a deterrent in using the program, only something to consider when unit/lesson planning.
In my opinion, the ‘Comic Life’ platform is great for students who are interested in making and using their own art/illustrations, for projects that benefit from the use of photographs or other images sourced from the web, and for larger cross-curricular units. The ‘Storyboard That’ platform can be used similarly, although the templates are not as dynamic, the wide selection of pre-made graphics make up for this and would allow for students to begin projects with less preparation time required.
I think that each of these programs offer unique and potentially engaging opportunities for students to create and show their learning, and I am looking forward to incorporating them into my teaching practice!
(Project Zero :: Thinking Routines (2014) from Sue Borchardt on Vimeo)
Two of my notes from Trevor Mackenzie’s talk on Inquiry & what it means to be a Constructivist Educator, read; “Thinking Routines, such as ‘Notice (observations), Wonder (share a Provocation such as an artifact or question) and Know’, promote equity as they allow all students to engage and develop critical thinking & question asking (the ungoogleable question!!) skills,” and “The smallest things can have a huge impact”. As a pre-service teacher, I recognize that I will need a hot minute to figure out what guiding a classroom full of students is going to look, feel & Be like, but I believe that these two ideas are central to a successful Inquiry based practice. As I look forward to my first practicum, fostering the development of Thinking Routines and modelling a culture of kindness in the classroom, seem like a great place to start and a solid foundation on which to build my practice.
Resources
The Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero’s Thinking Routines Toolbox, describes Thinking Routines as “the patterns by which teachers and students operate and go about the job of learning and working together in a classroom environment” and the site has sooooo many great articles and resources that support establishing Thinking Routines in our daily interactions with students, as well as our overall pedagogy & professional practice — I would suggest taking a look!
Barefoot TEFL Teacher’s article, “What are Thinking Routines?” references Project Zero, and also provides a list and explanation of 5 quick Thinking Routines that can be woven into your practice immediately.
Make & Do; Thoughts on Education, Technology, Creativity, productivity, and Balance, a blog by Tracy Ann Clark, provides a great summary around the importance of Visible Thinking, as well as a Visible Thinking: Prompt Picker ‘fortune teller’ template. The template prompts students to consider, but could be adapted for practical use, the different Thinking Routines.
A storyboard is used to organise the text across the number of available pages of the book, to iron out any problems. Illustrations are usually sketched on the ‘pages’ of the storyboard, so the author, illustrator, editor and designer can each see the author’s concept of the book. Storyboarding helps the author to nut out any issues, and detect any dead spots or sequence dilemmas.
With this in mind, I have begun storyboarding for my bigger piece and tech project, first using paper & pencil (image directly below) and then experimenting with the online program Storyboard That –to test out my ideas, and the process of using an online/digital format.
J. Riddell Matte (2021) Storyboard WIP
J. Riddell Matte (2021) Storyboard WIP #2
My thoughts….
I think that the ‘Storyboard That’ product looks very professional. The interface was intuitive and I loved that there was a wide variety of images to choose from. I appreciated that it offered different positions for the animals to be in, that you could shift the direction of images and mess around with the colours. I enjoyed adding text, the options provided for the text bubbles were fun and I liked the creative process of considering the story to allow for the images to carry some of its detail.
I also found the process to be a bit tedious. It was often tricky to maneuver the images, to the point where the whole background would shift when I tried to select and edit smaller components. As you can see above, despite having saved my work many (many!) times, there is missing/dropped text from the final image, which is frustrating. I am unsure as to how user friendly this platform would be for students, but that being said, this is my first time trying it and I am using the free format. I think that this would be a great platform for classroom use on smaller projects, as it allows for creativity without the risk of having your artwork judged, as well as story-telling or information sharing, but would require a larger chunk of time be made available for students to really play and enjoy the process.
J Riddell Matte (2012) Cut-out Bear
One of the suggestions that has come up multiple times throughout my inquiry, is that successful illustration requires a personal creative style. This style may vary from project to project, but should be consistent over the course of an individual story.
In an effort to work on my style, I have been playing with various art techniques, materials and attempting to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I recently started a new course on Domestika – Story Illustration with Paper by Estrellita Caracol, which has been wonderful so far and the image of the bear, to the left, is a product of this course.
This week I will continue working on my storyboard layout, creating images and experimenting with the ComicLife program. I have also taken out a number of graphic novels from the local library, to look at how they have been designed re: the layouts, colors and story.
Graphic Novels
Sugar Falls; A Residential School Story by David Alexander Robertson & Scott B. Henderson
Drowned City; Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans by Don Brown
Lucy Dreaming by Max Bemis & Michael Dialynas
Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
Additional Resources
Core Ipad Apps for SD61 – is a great resources to check-out the apps that are regularly in use/available on SD61 tablets.
ComicLife is the graphic novel program used by SD61 ( I am excited to try it next!)
A Brief History of Children’s Picture Books and the Art of Visual Storytelling by Maria Popova @ brain pickings.com
Claire Lordon Design: Made with A Smile has loads of interesting information and suggestions around planning, writing and illustrating children’s books.
Christine Sharp: 12-part Guide to Writing and Publishing Children’s Books