One of our culminating activities was to pose questions to George Velatsianos, an esteemed researcher. It was an enlightening experience to hear him expand on our thoughts and offer some sage advice.
Team 1’s question was about how to affect change at a policy level (Veletsianos, 2022a). This intrigued me, as I have aspirations one day of being in a position to make changes. Veletsianos (2022a) expanded on both the skills necessary to create change as well as the importance of collaboration and building solid relationships. It is sometimes easy to focus on the skill’s aspect of change, but Veletsianos’ comment regarding strong relationships was a good reminder of our human need to connect. In my own practice, I strive to build relationships and make connections; it builds trust, which in turn allows for honest and effective discourse.
Team 4’s question regarding innovation and ed tech provided much discussion from Velatsianos and gave room for some great thoughts regarding not simply the technologies being used but questions about our educational system as well (Veletsianos, 2022b). Veletsianos (2022b) brought up the fact that the technologies being used should raise questions about assessment, structure, and teaching practices. Two research articles I have read recently discuss online learning environments that have affected educational structures. Cartner & Hallas’ (2022) article brings up a perceived gap when it comes to effective and relevant assessment regarding online learning, and Pires et al.’s (2020) research illustrates YouTube’s potential as an informal learning tool amongst young adults. Both these research articles suggest adapting educational systems to allow for technology in education; Veletsianos’(2022b) response reflected these thoughts and questions around our systems. He brings up an idea that I’ve been pondering for some time as well and that also fits with team 1’s affecting policy change: if given the opportunity to develop a new system that reflect technology’s huge impact on our society, what could/should it look like?
Who knows? Maybe one day I can sit in the seat of change and opportunity and work with researchers like Dr. Veletsianos and explore the possibilities. I’ll end this post with a quote from Socrates that gives a glimpse into the journey that lies ahead.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” (Higgins, 2022).
References
Cartner, H., & Hallas, J. (2020). Aligning assessment, technology, and multi-literacies. E-Learning and Digital Media, 17 (2), 131-147. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753019899732
Higgins, S.(2022, March 14). 44 Inspirational quotes about change that will help you think differently. Hubspot. https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/quotes-about-change
Pires, F., Masanet, M.-J., Tomasena, J. M., & Scolari, C. A. (2022). Learning with YouTube: Beyond formal and informal through new actors, strategies and affordances. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 28 (3), 838-853. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565211020545
Veletsianos, G. (Executive Producer). (2022a). Team 1. [Audio Podcast]. https://www.dropbox.com/s/nixczg5texj1fba/team1.mp3?dl=0
Veletsianos, G. (Executive Producer). (2022b). Team 4. [Audio Podcast]. https://www.dropbox.com/s/n54h2hgtnmliezz/team4.mp3?dl=0
