I’m an Experimenter!
Reflection of Experimenter Module
- Which three experimenter activities did you choose to complete and why?
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- H5P – I wanted to use this activity as it’s talked about a lot at Fanshawe College and I know a number of professors using this often in their online courses. I have had some experience with H5P before but the knowledge did not “stick” in my brain so I thought a refresher was in order. I did not like this tool. I found it not very intuitive, bulky (as in I had to save often (which took an extremely long time), and lost my work at one point) and really wasn’t very graphically appealing. I’m glad though I got hands on with it to understand its uses which might work for some else though I will likely not return to use it. Link: https://h5pstudio.ecampusontario.ca/content/21316
- GIF – I use GIFs when texting friends (copy and paste from online) but have never used one as part of teaching nor ever created. I thought this tool was super easy, fun to use, intuitive though I likely won’t use a lot as I’m more a fan of static images that do not take up as much data and seem to work in all settings (I had some issues with sizing the GIF). That said, I can see myself going back to it on occasion and creating GIFs in the future. I’m still a little unsure of how to have them “active” in all settings (i.e. in PowerPoint vs. in D2L). Link: https://bank.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Animated-GIF-original.mp4
- Padlet – I’ve gotten to use Padlet as part of this Ontario Extend module and really liked it. When I used it the tool was really intuitive, saved as I went, easy to use, and I could see using it in multiple different teaching environments. The one thing I’m still working on is “embedding” it more clearly in our D2L platform. Link:https://padlet.com/j_harren/krnw99qelb2ei3bp
- Identify and explain three overall lessons learned from experimenting with these three activities. How might you use these activities going forward in your teaching practice?
- One lesson I learned is to take some time and “explore” the site of the tool first and see if I can view some completed work from an education standpoint first before jumping in to complete the activity. For example, I’ve used and viewed many GIFs but not in a teaching setting so it would be helpful for me to spend 5-10 minutes to view the GIFs of fellow learners before launching into my own. This would also be helpful to “borrow” from others on public sites to avoid “reinventing the wheel”.
- A second lesson I learned was to potentially pack it in and try another activity/tool if one is not giving me the results I am looking for. This was true for H5P where it might have served my time and efforts better to stop using it when I was frustrated and step away to another activity which might yield better results.
- A third and final lesson I learned was to keep it simple. I don’t need to go for all the bells and whistles (at least not right away) and do one or two things with one activity/tool vs. an entire lesson/class which might be overwhelming and cause frustration and myself and/or higher expectations on the outcomes and more disappointment if engagement is not increased with students and/or myself.
- You were asked to complete at least one experimenter activity on a tablet or a smartphone. Identify the activity completed and on what type of mobile device? Then, identify and explain the advantages and challenges of using this technology tool on a mobile device. Comment on how you might plan for an upcoming assignment to be completed on a tablet or a smartphone. Explain the steps you might take in making access to these devices available to all students.
- I completed the GIF and part of the Padlet on my iphone. Both of these activities were easy enough to use on the phone though the GIF was easier.
- Some advantages include: I can complete activities on the go. I.e. waiting at a doctor’s office, while a passenger in the car, perhaps while on vacation more easily. It also helps me see if the activity works well for students viewing on a phone screen vs. a laptop/desktop and adapt if it is not as easy for them to view/use.
- Some challenges include: not having the same abilities to have multiple websites/applications open, harder to cut and paste, sometimes not as many functions available on my phone. I don’t use my phone very often to set up learning activities so it will take longer and likely be more frustrating.
- I could get students to add their reflections/responses to the Discussion board I put up on my Padlet using a video created on their phone/tablet. This would be easy enough for them (likely they have created videos more often with these devices than a laptop) and can easily post so they can do the activity from anywhere, at any time.
- To make this activity more accessible to students using phones or tablets I would also give them the option of using their laptop and possibly creating an animoji (animated cartoon of themselves creating a video) if they don’t feel comfortable using video for themselves. Essentially, giving options.
Example for "I’m an Experimenter!":
https://padlet.com/sroch/e8hs1y59rfx0ktpg
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