Category: EDCI 569/572: Theory and Discourse of Distributed and Open Learning

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As we continue to work towards the first step of our final Master of Education project, I have continued to workshop and rework my current topic, problem, statement, and question. 

Although I am interested in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and use it quite a bit to support my job as a K-12 educator, I’m beginning to shift more towards designing a course primarily on digital literacy and having only a small aspect of the course focus on AI. This is because my work as a Sessional Instructor at UVic focuses more on digital literacy aspects (such as licensing, ethics, privacy, etc.). Still, there seems to be more research and understanding of digital literacy than AI. 

Here is an updated outline of what I am brainstorming for a final project idea

• Title: Designing a Digital Literacy Course for Higher Education

• Research Topic: Exploring Digital Literacy Implementation in Post-Secondary Education

• Research Problem: Although there have been rapid technological advances in education (and beyond), there is a gap in students’ knowledge, application, and practical understanding of digital literacy. This includes ethical use, privacy concerns, and AI integration. This problem is prominent due to the rapid advancements in educational technology and a lack of curricular approaches and teaching practices that effectively incorporate digital literacy. 

• Purpose Statement: This project explores the gaps in post-secondary students’ digital literacy and approaches to implementing digital literacy education for learners in British Columbia. It will focus on developing a course-based curriculum that includes AI literacy, digital tools, privacy, licensing, and ethical considerations. 

• Research Questions: 
  • How can a course-based digital literacy curriculum in post-secondary education effectively address gaps in students’ understanding and application of digital tools, privacy, licensing, and ethical considerations in British Columbia?   What are the current perceptions of digital literacy amongst post-secondary students in BC? 
  • What teaching practices and approaches are most effective in addressing the gaps in digital literacy education? 

My next tasks

• Review the EDCI 569 and 572 lecture slides, readings, and information to gather important information and key concepts. 

• Investigate the BC Digital Learning Strategy, BC Digital Literacy, Alberta ICT Curriculum, and ISTE.org

• Write a rough draft of the research problem and question section. 

• Search for 5-10 key articles and studies on digital literacy, course design, and privacy/ethics in education (read + summarize)

• Sketch Resource Plan Outline 

Feature Photo by Polina Kuzovkova on Unsplash

A particular thing that I enjoy about educational technology (EdTech) is that there are so many angles, perspectives, and roads that can be explored in EdTech, such as supportive technology, student learning, and individual/collective digital understanding. This has made working toward deciding on a capstone project exciting and motivating, but also ever-changing.  

In my last post, I brainstormed the possibility of creating a university-level open course about artificial intelligence (AI) for educators. This topic is a passion of mine because of my experience running AI workshops and my love of teaching.  However, through my conversation with my supervisor, I like expanding the topic from artificial intelligence to digital literacy and the demographic from educators to post-secondary individuals of all ages.

The reasoning for expanding the course topic is that artificial intelligence falls within digital literacy. From my experience, many post-secondary students do not have proper education in digital literacy skills, such as finding, evaluating, navigating, communicating, and creating information on digital media platforms. This would make the course more inclusive to those looking for further education on digital literacy, and the broader demographic of students would ensure that more people have access to the course content and activities. 

Here is an updated outline of what I am brainstorming for a final project idea

Title: Designing a Digital Literacy Course for Higher Education

Research Topic: Developing an open-access, authentic, and valuable course for university students focusing on the ethical, practical, and effective development and integration of digital literacy in academic and personal settings. 

Research Problem: Despite the growing relevance of technology and artificial intelligence in our communities, there is a lack of accessible, inclusive, and open resources and courses to help community members build their digital literacy in meaningful, valuable, and authentic ways. There is also a learning gap in skills that students and educators have that limits their abilities, understandings, and applications of educational technology in their personal and professional lives. The absence of clear guidelines, resources, strategies, and consideration limits the successful integration of digital literacy skills into teaching and learning. 

Purpose: This project aims to develop an open-access course that supports students in developing digital literacy skills, knowledge, and ethical frameworks. The course will focus on the development, opportunities, challenges, and ethical implications of digital literacy in the 21^st century. 

Research Question(s): 

• What are the current research trends in post-secondary students’ digital literacy skills? 
• What are the key components of digital literacy that are essential in the 21^st century?
• How can digital literacy support post-secondary students in their post-university lives? 
• What challenges do students and educators face when developing digital literacy skills, particularly regarding AI and emerging technologies?
• How can courses on digital literacy be structured to support students’ authentic development of digital literacy skills and knowledge? 

As I have found out through the past month in our course, this is going to be an ongoing journey to iron out what this project can look like and how it can be a project that can be applied and integrated to support students and educators in their understanding and development of digital literacy.

Feature Photo by Ryan Parker on Unsplash

For the past year of our program, I have been interested in and have latched onto various educational technology (EdTech) topics. From my experience as a student and educator in the local public school district, I have recognized that many aspects of technology need to be rethought regarding what meaningful integration of technology is, looks, and feels like. Two topics that I have been interested in have been digital literacy and artificial intelligence (AI). 

Digital literacy is the ability for anyone to effectively use digital technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information. It ranges from basic internet navigation to safely managing online interactions and using technologies to complete/solve online tasks/problems. As seen through my experiences as an educator, students and educators lack meaningful, safe, and relevant digital literacy. With the recent (massive) advancements in digital technologies, there needs to be accessible, inclusive, and open resources for students, educators, and community members to build on their digital literacy. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, is a particular tool that many educators have limited digital literacy. Given how teachers are overworked, different AI tools have shown that they can benefit educators when implemented authentically, ethically, and meaningfully. I have completed a couple of projects in my Master of Education program regarding how teachers can implement AI tools into their practices, and it is a topic I would like to integrate into my final project.

Here are my current ideas for a prospective research topic, problem, purpose, and question for my final project

My current context is that I am an educator in the GVSD and a University of Victoria sessional instructor. I’m really enjoying my work in the EDCI (Department of Curriculum and Instruction). I think it would be relevant, applicable, and meaningful to integrate my student work as a Master of Education student with my educator work at the University/GVSD. I recognize a need for the further development of educational tools/practices for integrating Artificial Intelligence in education settings, whether it be ethical awareness, literature analysis, or practical ideas/education about how these can be used in educational settings for students/teachers/administrators. 

I’m interested in creating an open course at the university level for integrating artificial intelligence into education that focuses on the curriculum, students, and educators. 

Here is an outline of what I am brainstorming for a final project idea

Title: Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Education: A Course for Educators 

Research Topic: Integrating AI into educational settings that focus on enhancing curriculum, student learning outcomes, and teaching practices. 

Research problem: While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has shown its ability to support educators in completing tasks, there needs to be more resources, information, and guidance for educators on how to effectively, ethically, and authentically integrate AI into their teaching practices. These gaps include general knowledge, digital literacy, and applications of AI, which prevent the meaningful implementation of AI tools into educational practices.

Purpose: This project aims to develop an open course for educators at the university level that addresses the benefits, challenges, and practical strategies for integrating AI into education. The course will explore where AI can be incorporated into the curriculum to benefit teacher practices and student learning outcomes. 

Research Question(s):

• What are the benefits of AI in enhancing teaching and learning outcomes? 
• What are the challenges educators face when integrating AI into their teaching practices? 
• How can AI support meaningful curriculum implementation in different subjects/grade levels? 
• What ethical, safety, and privacy considerations must be addressed when integrating AI in education?