Playtesting Assignment 3: Creativity Tools

This blog is difficult to write because I could (do and will) spend hours playtesting new creativity tools for teaching. Forcing myself to stop exploring long enough to write and reflect is the real challenge. So, while my journey will certainly continue, here is my current reflection:

Microsoft Whiteboard is an open whitespace app where students can create their own groups (inviting each other) or you can assign specific students to a whiteboard. I like that students can simultaneously, from different screens, draw, type, insert images, use post-it notes, highlight, etc. to create their own brainstorming space for new projects or ideas! I dislike revision control or exportability. It seems like it would be easy for students to write over or erase each others contributions so that not all voices would be equally heard. I think some of this could be mitigated by closely monitoring the space, since both the teacher and students have access. However, beyond the brainstorming stage it's a little chaotic, and definitely too unstructured to be used for presentations or collaborating with larger groups.

Affordances: collaborative space, freeform / open format

Example 1: A brainstorming tool for my students to come up with research project ideas based on questions they have about a photo of an underwater ecosystem. 

SAMR: Replaces post-it notes in an Augmentation of the previous approach.

TPACK: T = Microsoft Whiteboard, P = collaborative brainstorming, C = how to generate and evaluate good scientific questions

Example 2: A tool for idea mapping, diagramming design prototypes, and gathering examples or resources at the beginning of their BioBottle projects to come up with a viable design and list the materials, supplies and construction methods for each chamber of their bottles.  

SAMR: Creates a shared design space in an Modification of the previous approach.

TPACK: T = Microsoft Whiteboard, P = collaborative design, C = iterative design, prototyping

Scratch is a versatile creativity tool. In it's simpler applications, the coding program can be used for storytelling by animating characters to move across the screen. In more advanced coding applications, students can automate processes and make their code more interactive or use it to simulate more complex systems. The think I like best about Scratch is that, once students create and share their programs, all the coding is visible and available for their classmates to see. Sharing, not just the final product, but the inner working of their coding, makes it easier for students to collaborate, help each other debug code or work through tougher problems, and gives them resources to refer to if they can't think of a coding solution on their own. What I dislike most about Scratch is its simplicity and limitation to block coding. By middle school, I would like to see my students tackling more advanced, text-based coding languages. I think Scratch is a good stairstep to more advanced coding, but I want to challenge my students to go further on their computer science journey.

Flip (formerly FlipGrid) is a great creativity tool for students to make and share videos, and also to comment and give feedback on each other's videos. It can be set up in closed classrooms to ensure privacy, and students have access to stickers, banners, special effects and some video editing tools to get creative in how their video is presented or what message they want to emphasize. The thing I like best is that the format encourages interaction (liking, commenting, giving feedback, etc.) 

Example 3: A tool for sharing videos of individually conducted egg drop experiments, and then offering design advice and voting on a best design to be tested from a high drop at school.  

SAMR: Creates forum for constructive feedback in an Redefinition of the previous approach.

TPACK: T = Flip, P = constructive feedback C = design evaluation, iterative design

 

Classcraft sounds like a really interesting educational technology. I love the idea of gamifying education. One of the advantages I see is that in games, one's status is always abundantly and obviously clear. You can locate your character on the map and the mini-map to see your broader progress and objectives. You have very clear health bars, hit points, power-ups, etc. to show how you are currently doing. You have visual badges to show what skill you have gained. You can see what resources are available. It seems like someone took this idea and ran with it when they created Classcraft. A disadvantage I see is that the free version doesn't include a lot of the assessment or "questing" capabilities. However, it could still be used for generic classroom management, and it looks like it's designed to allow parents access to see their child's status as well, which might make it a great communication tool in addition to a classroom management tool. 

Creativity tools are important for many reasons. Firstly, the power of students to express themselves with freedom, personality, style, etc. is empowering and gives them buy-in into what they are learning. By creating something they are excited about they embody what they are learning, making it part of who they are by creating something unique. This imprint of knowledge will last with them much longer and will also be a lot more fun. Secondly, from an evaluation perspective, open creativity shows a much more in depth view of how a student understands and can use content knowledge that simple rote responses to prompts or multiple choice questions can. With other tools, like Kahoot! quizzes, students are engaged, but we don't see how well they really understand the answers they are giving or whether they could apply them to other situations. It is important to use a variety of tools to accomplish this objective. 

For my personal use, I love organizing and collaborating with other teacher in Microsoft OneNote! I think this works great with students as well. While I allow my students to use PowerPoint occasionally, I like to vary the format because PowerPoint has its limitations and can get very boring and un-interesting after awhile. I rarely use it for my lessons. I understand that it is a useful tool to know how to use though, so I don't mind my students learning it. I just want to keep them challenged so that they can keep growing and learning new options for organizing and presenting their thoughts as well!