Exploration 1: SOCIO TECHNO INTERFACES

 "the danger lies in assuming either an overly critical or overly celebratory stance regarding the educational potential of digital technologies.”

- Anderson & Balsamo, A Pedagogy for Original Synners

Technology scares me and excites me in the same breath. I am both overwhelmed and attracted to new forms of digital interaction. This balance that Anderson and Balsamo suggest be found is a great challenge for me as an educator and individual learner.

The “original synners” discussed in this article are many of my students. They are “just-in-time learners, confident that when they need to know something, they’ll know where to find it” (Anderson & Balsamo, 244) while being “increasingly comfortable occupying more than one physical or mental space at a time” (249). They are digital multi-taskers with unlimited amounts of information at their disposal. Consequently, many “do not consider their teachers the sole experts in knowledge certification and production” (Anderson & Balsamo, 245).  If they are not looking to me for knowledge, what role do I perform? Educational designer (248). As educational designer, my new responsibility becomes to “orchestrate the conditions of possibility within which individuals may participate more productively, and to develop methodologies that fluidly cross traditional institutional boundaries” (248). What does this look like in my virtual classroom? Using VoiceThread to develop visual essays on pieces of art. Employing sketchcasting to create spontaneous “blog-like” lectures for students. Encourage students to use a virtual graffiti site to create replicas or original artworks that reflect or expound upon how ancient and/or contemporary art relates to or illustrates social or political issues. By reimagining the collaborative tabletop interface as a software on an individual’s touch screen computer,  students could “sit in round table discussion” around a particular (virtual) piece of art, touching, highlighting, manipulating and interacting on screen as well as through voice and text with the art piece and classmates. Random round table discussions, spontaneous collaborative work, and extemporaneous  brainstorming (just to name a few) could effectively be facilitated using the social networking site, ChatRoulette, as a model. 

Connected // Self Portrait // 2010
Kasey McMahon

Interconnectivity is key in learning. Setting up a platform in which students can work collaboratively and be intentionally connected to one another is critical to helping students to engage, connect, and explore. As quoted in the article, this “community view” rather than “delivery view” (250) of interaction more effectively addresses the educational needs of students in this “born digital generation” (244). 

Resources: 

Anderson, S., & Balsamo, A. (2008). A pedagogy for original synners. In T. McPherson (Ed.), Digital youth, innovation, and the unexpected (pp. 241-259). The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.