Reflective Blog ECI

What is Transmedia?

Transmedia storytelling is telling a single story across multiple formats and platforms. For it to be transmedia storytelling it has to have more than one type of media being used. Popular examples of this would be Harry Potter, Marvel, and Star Wars. They take the story and make it more complex by using a wide range of platforms such as interactive web experiences, video games, social media, apps, theme parks, and augmented and virtual reality. This helps keep the audience of your story engaged and interested and allows them to interact with the story. Marvel, Star Wars, and Harry Potter have been relevant for so long because they keep coming out with new things.

Requirements of Transmedia Project:

For this assignment you will be creating a transmedia storytelling experience for kids based on the book of your group’s choice.  This is a group project where each individual will provide part of the whole.  You will need to work together to coordinate your story worlds, but each member will be accountable for their part. Step one: Groups select a book upon which to base the project. Step two: Groups begin a storyboard. Step three: Individuals add details to their own nodes, or beats,  on the storyboard, and develop individual elements to contribute to the whole. Step four: Share the project!

In-depth Rubric: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14sEwORVWBG-ey_a2mvHvwD_J3bbZFfm4WpA7ReATY0k/edit

Pre-Project Expectations:

Before doing the project I was extremely excited because we got to do it on a book that we have read. I love reading so this was a perfect project for me. There are a lot of books that have been adapted into TV shows and movies including: The Hunger Games, Divergent, Harry Potter, etc. This already expands your audience because people who don’t like to read might watch the movie or TV series. If people like the movie or TV show they might then also buy your book which increases your profit as well. I thought this was going to be the best assignment of the year going into it.

Why Divergent Was a Good Choice for Transmedia:

I chose Divergent as my book for the transmedia project because it already had a movie adaptation and I had consumed the book physically and had listened to it on audiobook. I liked experiencing the book both ways because it made each read different and I liked the narrator. I also think Divergent was a good choice because there were different factions which made making quizzes and other interactive things a lot easier. There was also a large fan base already out there and there were things like quizzes already made which gave a good foundation to help my group get started with ideas on what elements we wanted to do for the transmedia project. I also have gotten the chance to meet the author twice and talk to her for a bit and we discussed how perfect the narrator was for the audiobook.

Meeting Veronica Roth:

Post-Project Thoughts:

This was my favorite thing we did all semester! I loved that we got to pick who we were working with. I also was very appreciative of the fact that we got to choose a book instead of being assigned one to read. Every group members aspect of the project brought something to it to make it a true transmedia project. My favorite was Holly’s Buzzfeed quiz because I take those quizzes all the time for fun. I loved doing a horoscope for each faction because it took me out of my comfort zone. I have never been into astrology so it was fun to research it and use traits from certain astrological signs for certain factions.

Implementing Transmedia Into My Future Classroom:

I believe this is a great project that could be used across all age groups for elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. The project guidelines are broad and there is so many different directions that you go. I will definitely make it a point to teach my students transmedia and have them do a project similar to this one! Since my students will be younger since I will be teaching elementary school kids I will have them choose an age appropriate book they have read. I will have them make a quiz for their book and make them make some type of game. This could be done using technology or not using technology as long as they get the idea of it. This will allow my students to be creative and think outside of the box!

My groups Transmedia Project: 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14RAauISgmhyIgtXfft7IaV1TCxu9Qgr5Pe23Iz3IRXA/edit#slide=id.g730f80e812_0_49

What is Digital Citizenship?

Digital Citizenship refers to using technology responsibly by anyone who uses computers, the internet, and other digital devices to engage with people. A digital citizen a person who has skills and knowledge to effectively use the Internet and other forms technology responsibly. A digital citizen knows the difference between what is right and what is wrong behavior on the internet. Being a digital citizen includes: digital literacy, ethics, etiquette, online safety, norms, rights, and culture.

How to be a Good Digital Citizen:

Being a good digital citizen requires staying safe online, managing their digital footprint, respecting other people as well as themselves, standing up to cyber bullies, balancing the time they spend on and offline, protecting their private information, and respecting copyright and intellectual property. It is important to be a good digital citizen so it is a safer experience for everyone online.

Learn more about teaching digital resilience:

https://www.slideshare.net/MsCCostello/digital-citizenship-37029998

What is a Digital Footprint?

A digital footprint is the trail of data that you leave behind on the internet. The digital footprint includes the websites you visit, the emails that you send, and the information you provide to online services. A passive digital footprint is a data trail you unintentionally leave online and an active digital footprint is data that you purposefully submitted online. You can manage your digital footprint by taking precautions while online. You should be careful with what you share, where you share it, and who you share it with. You should also be mindful of the sites you visit, the emails you open, and the links that you click on. You should never share your password with anyone. You also shouldn’t share any personal information such as phone number, email, home address, your full name, or the school that you attend. You should also never share your location on the internet. Wait to post once you are home. You never want to allude to people that you are home alone or that your home is empty because you are posting while on vacation. Do not go to websites that you are not familiar with. Also, you never want to guess a websites URL and instead search for it using a search engine. Never open an attachment from an email that seems suspicious. Always check the person’s email address before opening the email to make sure it is someone that you know. Think twice before clicking on a link and make sure the web address is secure by starting with https. Google yourself to see what you can find from your digital footprint.

How you can manage your digital footprint:

https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/what-is-digital-footprint/

Keeping a Good Digital Footprint as a Teacher:

It is important to keep a good image online for the teaching profession. You never know what student, teacher, parent, or faculty member is searching your name or coming across something of yours on the internet. Teachers have lost their jobs over things that they have posted on the internet. You are representing a school when you teach for them and if you are making yourself look bad on the internet, then you are also making that school look bad as well. You need to keep things professional online. If you want to post things that are personal but appropriate then it should be posted on a separate account than any professional account or page that you may have. I have learned how to keep my professional and personal life separate by having a Twitter account that is solely for ECI and all things teaching-related. You want to set the example for your students of how to be a good digital citizen.

Taking care of your digital footprint as a teacher:

https://www.teachhub.com/teachers-digital-identity

Online Child Safety Laws:

As a teacher or parent, you need to be aware of the laws that are in place to protect your child or student. Keeping your student safe is the number one priority. Knowing these laws will help protect your students identity and their privacy.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)- This law was put into place in 2000 and required websites to have parental permission until they are 13 years old to collect data or personal information from these children. The problem with this law is that children can put a different birthday to appear older and have access to certain sites. Children 14-17 are not protected under this law even though they are still minors. There is also no way to get verified parental consent over the internet.

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)- This law went into place in 2000 and it requires schools to have blocking or filtering technology on school computers/devices for student users. This also allows for teachers or parents to be able to block content so students aren’t able to view graphic or sexually explicit content. The problem with this law is that students can find ways to unblock content that they are trying to view.

Importance of Teaching Students Safety Online:

As a future teacher, learning about digital citizenship has been extremely beneficial to me. Some of the things that are considered dangerous to do online never occurred to me. There are so many aspects of being a good digital citizen. It is important to teach your students how to be good digital citizens to be able to keep them safe online. This is especially important if you are incorporating technology into the classroom such as internet use, using tablets/computers, or even using phones. You are responsible for your students when they are at school and that includes what they are browsing on the internet in the computer lab at school, what video they are watching on their tablet, etc. Digital citizenship is also important to teach them because there is so much cyber bullying that goes on currently. You should teach your students to respect their peers online the same way that they are expected to treat them at school and in the classroom.

Lesson Plans for Internet Safety:

http://https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/23-great-lesson-plans-for-internet-safety

Internet Safety Interactive Websites:

https://www.philasd.org/educationaltechnology/teaching-and-learning/internet-safety/internet-safety-for-students/

Additional Resources for Online Safety:

https://www.pandasecurity.com/mediacenter/family-safety/internet-safety-for-kids/

What is Sphero?

Sphero is a robot ball that includes several features that are controlled through mobile apps. One of Sphero’s features is rolling where the robot can roll at a given speed and for any given amount of time. Sphero can also light up any color. Sphero also has bluetooth technology and can connect to devices such as iPads, iPhones, and Android phones and tablets. The bluetooth capabilities allows the Sphero to be controlled by a number of apps. There are four education related apps that control Sphero. Sphero is the main app which is used for firmware updates and general driving. Draw and Drive allows you to draw a shape with multiple colors and have Sphero roll in that shape and color. MacroLab creates simple programs that are a series of instructions for the Sphero through an easy-to-use graphical user interface. OrbBasi creates more complex programs using a text-based programming language.

Learn more about Sphero: https://www.wintergreen.ca/img/Circles.pdf

How to Code Using Sphero:

My Expectations of Sphero Before Using It:

I was extremely excited to use Sphero. I had taken a lot of computer classes in high school. We were taught coding in both AP Computer Science and Multimedia and Design so I had some experience using it. I also believe that having to do the hour of coding for homework built up my confidence because it gave me a refresher on coding. I was a bit nervous though since it was a robot it just seemed a bit intimidaating. Having to code it to go on a path perfectly seemed extremely daunting. I did feel better that I was assigned a group to do it with though which relieved some of the stress I felt about using Sphero.

My Thoughts After Using Sphero:

Sphero ended up being a bit more challenging then I thought it was going to be. You have to get the timing, speed, and stops exactly right for it to make a pathway around our fake campus map. There was a lot of trial and error involved. You have to keep letting Sphero attempt the route to see what you need to change with your coding whether it is fixing the amount of seconds it is suppose to go for on a certain part, the time frame that it needed to stop for, etc. It was definitely something that needed to be done with a group. Each member had a different task such as holding down the paper, accessing what was going wrong during the test run and saying what needed to be fixed, or using the Ipad to enter the code. Using Sphero gave me a newfound confidence with coding. I am glad that I got to be challenged in that way and do something that was a bit intimidating and out of my comfort zone.

Benefits of Using Sphero In the Classroom:

I believe Sphero could be extremely beneficial to be used in the classroom. I would recommend it to middle school and high school teachers. This is not something I would recommend to elementary school students. It would be very complex for them to do at such a young age. If you want to introduce coding into elementary schools I would try doing the hour of coding such as the Moana one I did myself. It would keep them more engaged and they would think it was similar to a game. It would be a great start for younger children. For older students I think it is great and would be perfect for technology-based courses in middle and high school. I had to do a lot of coding for AP computer science and it would have been nice for sphero to have been incorporated since it is so interactive. I would not personally use it since I am teaching elementary school sudents but I would definitely tell teachers in middle school and high school about it.

Link to Moana Hour of Coding: https://partners.disney.com/hour-of-code/wayfinding-with-code

Link to purchase Sphero: https://www.sphero.com/products