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Tech Talk
Digital Collage: a motivational tool for learners
Lucius Von Joo Kanda University of International Studies, Japan Lucius Von Joo currently teaches for Kanda University of International Studies, Japan. He holds an Ed.M. in Comparative and International Education and has teaching experience in deaf education, elementary education and EFL/ESL in California, Japan and New York. His research interests include computer assisted learning, film and documentary content-‐based learning, student educational backgrounds and learning approaches, video-‐cued multi-‐vocal ethnography, and family and communities as educators. E-‐mail: lucius-‐v@kanda.kuis.ac.jp
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everal language learners that I have spoken with over the years have stated that they want to be generally better, but often don’t know how to make a measurable plan to do so. Goal setting can be a very difficult component of learning. As language learning is a lifetime endeavor this can be very challenging. One way to approach this is to envision your future self and then work backwards on how you get to be that future self. Visualizing your future L2 self to help with learning motivation has recently become a hot topic and is a good place to start with learners in general. Athletes are often trained to visualize the finish of a competition in order to enhance their performance. They visualize winning the medal and work backwards to determine how they can make that accomplishment happen. Learning languages may not have such distinct milestones, however making a picture of what your future L2 self will be doing with the language may help. The clearer the picture the learner can create, the easier it will be to make a plan to get to that desired place. In this Tech Talk I will focus on the creation of future-‐self collages. These collages can serve as the first step in creating a language learning plan or as a reassessment tool for a plan that has been set into motion. These future-‐self collages are often made by gathering images that represent what you would like to become. This can be done with physical images clipped from magazines. However, it may be difficult to acquire magazines and the limit to the number
and range of images offered by magazines may be confining to the author’s visualization. This is where digital collages can be very helpful. A magazine may have one image of what the author had in mind in comparison to the plethora of images to choose from when searching digitally. Digital collages can be made with smart phones, tablets or PC’s and will also help with digital literacy. This Tech Talk will be separated into three sections: 1) Creating a digital collage; 2) Sharing collages with others; and 3) Using an app called ThrowBack to be reminded of the collage in the future.
1) Creating a collage There are many photo collage applications that could be used for this project that offer similar features. One of the most popular collage applications, with good reason,
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is PicCollage. This intuitive application is very versatile and simple for students to work with. The application is on IOS, Android and PC. As with any collage, there are varying degrees of how many photos and how personalized you want the finished product to be. I have spent anywhere from 10 minutes to an entire class on these collages depending on the class need. When explaining this application to classes I have tried a range of methods from showing an example, using a worksheet or just assigning students to download and navigate the application on their own. All three methods have worked as PicCollage is very easy to use, however the more you know, the more you can control in your collage design. There are two versions of PicCollage, one that is designed for general users and another that is targeted for school safety. The basic differences are premium purchases and social network connectivity. Below is a chart of the key differences between the two versions. PicCollage
When first opened, PicCollage gives three options for layout; Grids, Templates and Freestyle. ‘Grids’ give you a preset 3 to 5 panel layout and ‘Templates’ have preset backgrounds and a color setting often themed for special occasions such as Birthdays. Both these options have their place, however, I always use Freestyle with students. The Freestyle option is a blank easel, which gives students more control over their future-‐self collage.
PicCollage Kids
Creating an account (optional) Social Network sharing features Web Search images are set to safest image results Setting can be turned on and off Premium Backgrounds and Sticker packs can be purchased Rated for 12 and older
No accounts required No Social Network settings Web Search images are set to safest image results No premium Sticker or Background purchases possible No adds Rated for 4 and older
In this Tech Talk the tutorial is made from the original PicCollage, however the two versions of the application are very similar so what is in the tutorial can apply to both. In my classes I use the original PicCollage to encourage digital responsibility practice. Also, due to the social networking features I feel students may be more inclined to use the original version of the application for other personal uses in the future. Any time I introduce a digital education tool I hope students will continue to learn from it outside of class. 1. First download the application from Google Play, Amazon or the Apple store. PicCollage is a large application (around 100mb). Depending on connection speeds I have students download it before class or at the beginning of class before doing another activity. There is no registration required, though it is optional for easier shareability. You can open it and start designing
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immediately. There are in-‐app purchases that can be made, such as premium backgrounds and templates, so it’s important to give a word of warning to students that if the application requests them to make any purchases they do not need to do so.
Below is a basic image of all the controls you have in designing a collage.
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Once you have selected the freestyle option, you will be brought to the designing page. To add visual elements, select the ‘plus’ symbol. You can then add images from the device’s personal camera roll, search the web for images, add text, preset sticker symbols, backgrounds, and draw freehand.
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In my classes I have students avoid using personal images if they are sharing collages digitally. Doing a web search for an image is very simple. You type in a word and then select the image or images that you would like to use. PicCollage’s web search is set to the safest search setting by default. This sets the application at the 12 years and over rating. However, if you are concerned about what images appear in a search or work with younger students you may want to use the PicCollage Kids version. In addition, because these collages are for personal use you should not have to worry about usage rights.
The stickers and backgrounds are also both very easy to use, however, this is one part of the application that has premium options to buy. There are only a few free backgrounds but you are given the option to search the web for backgrounds, which has extensive options.
2) Sharing a collage Once you have finished with a collage, you can tap the ‘done’ option and you will be given multiple options to share your collage. The sharing settings represent the biggest difference between the original PicCollage app and PicCollage Kids. PicCollage
PicCollage Kids
After the images are selected you can resize them easily or double tap on any image to edit it in multiple ways as seen in the image below.
You can see in the image above that PicCollage has many sharing features. Depending on what kind of feedback and class digital forums you have you may use PicCollage’s forum or some of the other social networking platforms. In my classes I have the students share their collages in face-‐to-‐face presentations with classmates and simply email me a copy. Students can easily email from inside the PicCollage app, however it may email from their personal account linked to the device they are using. An easy way around this is to have students save the collage to their picture roll on their device. From the picture roll the student can then choose what email account they would like to send the collage from.
3) Using Throwback
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Adding text, and free drawing onto the image is very intuitive. You can change the font or resize the text and image by tapping on it.
One of the drawbacks of using a digital platform versus a physical one, is that students may not see this future-‐self collage on a daily basis. Regularly seeing the collage may help motivation. This can be addressed in two ways: you can have students print out the collages if the resources are available or have the students send a reminder of the collage to be received some time in the future. I will explain one method of doing the latter option.
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ThrowBack is a simple application on both IOS and Android that allows you to email a photo to your future self. If you read the previous Tech Talk about video time capsules this is a similar concept, though this app exclusively focuses on sending delayed photos and is very simple to use. After you have finished your future-‐self collage and saved it to your photo role you can use ThrowBack to send the digital collage to yourself sometime in the future. This delayed email can come as a surprise and give a chance for further reflection and self assessment in personal language learning goals. You could start the semester with this collage project and then set a delayed email to arrive at the end of the term. Here is a short walk through on how to do this with the saved digital collage.
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Download ThrowBack and make an account. You can verify your email any time in the future, it will not stop you from sending your first image. Next you will want to choose “Grab the Past.” This will bring you to your camera roll where you have saved your finished PicCollage.
After you have selected the collage, you then get to choose when you will get the picture in the future. You can pick the exact date, open time range, or have ThrowBack surprise you with the image at some random time in the future. As I mentioned before, I would have students send the collage to themselves on the last day of class to reflect on. Even if the Throwback is deleted from your device you will still get the email in the scheduled time.
Summing up Here are a few of the benefits and limitations of making digital collages. Overall benefits of digital collages 1. Visual imagery can often be much more accessible for any level of language learner. PicCollage’s interface will most likely be the same as the user’s device language. This makes creating images very accessible for all levels. If you would like students to use the application in their target language they can set their device to do so. 2. Digital collages are very fast to make and offer many accessible resources in one place. This can save time and inspire the collage authors. Seeing images of what the learner would like to do with their language is a great starting place. 3. Organizing a visual collage is a very good exercise in communication. Finding the right images and way to present those images helps language learners see the multiple ways in which they can express and communicate an idea. 4. Having digital collages as a visual aide can also help for presentations. In my class I have students share their future-‐ self collages with peers. I have seen that the simplicity of the one-‐page collage also helps the presenter focus on key information without overloading themselves with text that they may otherwise read aloud in a face-‐to-‐face presentation.
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Possible Limitations of Digital Collage 1. Making future-‐self collages can be inspiring. However following through on how to become the desired future self represented in the collage may be another issue. For example, I could make a collage of myself being completely fluent, yet without making a step by step plan it may only remain a dream. As mentioned in the introduction of this Tech Talk these collages are to serve as a first step to goal setting. 2. Anything digital and connected to online searches can be distracting and time-‐consuming. When there are so many images to choose from students can be overwhelmed and spend too long searching for the perfect image. One way I have dealt with this is to have students pick the first image they see that they feel matches what they are looking for. They can then use that image as a place holder and change it to something more specific if time permits. 3. As I have mentioned in other Tech Talks, it is important to be sensitive to student’s digital footprint. I mentioned that in my classes I use the original PicCollage version to expose students to an app they may use in other settings. However, there is the risk that students publish to a broader audience than they mean to. If you would like to avoid this completely, PicCollage Kids is an easy alternative. Final Remarks Every time I do this assignment with students I am struck by how profound it can be to envision where you would like to progress towards as a learner. This is a major step in learner autonomy and it is always a pleasure to see students attempt this process. Depending on the language learner’s exposure to their target language this activity may vary greatly. Seeing and finding purpose for a skill that you are learning will differ significantly depending on learner circumstances. However, goal-‐setting and questioning learning strategies are universal skills. As mentioned earlier, the goal-‐setting and steps to achieve said goal or goals are crucial to the level of influence these future-‐self collages can produce. This simple collage is a first step in harnessing the locus of control for learners. The
assignment helps learners find the organization and vocabulary to express what they would like to achieve. Dear Readers,
If you have any requests for future Tech Talks please feel free to contact me. Any request is greatly appreciated and can range from a specific program you want explained to a general lesson that you want to incorporate technology into.
Thank you, lucius-‐v@kanda.kuis.ac.jp
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