Renee Hobbs offers a workshop to educators at the the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA) Winter Training Institute in Muscat, Oman

1. Create to Learn
Using Digital Media for
Inquiry-Based Instruction
Renee Hobbs
University of Rhode Island
Media Education Lab
Twitter: @reneehobbs
January 23-24, 2020
NESA Winter Institute
Muscat, Oman

3. We share meaning through symbols
that come in many forms

4. As you watch, consider:
How does this video
depict the the way people
learn by creating media?

6. Messy Engagement
Remix Creativity
Messy Engagement

7. REMIX CREATIVITY IS
COMBINATORIAL

8. USERS
HAVE RIGHTS

9. Perfectionism
Kills Creativitity

10. Use rapid
prototyping and
“fail fast”
strategies to
build digital
problem-solving
skills, tenacity
and confidence

11. Creating with digital tools involves
a process of messy engagement
Risk of Failure
Chaos

13. Project-based learning is more "messy" than other
forms of learning because of the high levels of
student engagement. How do you manage the
mess?

15. Teachers Structure Learning Experiences
using a Balance of
Creative Freedom & Creative Control

16. FORMAT
CONTENT
DISTRIBUTION
PROCESS
Message
Medium – Genre
Steps to Complete
Audience

18. FORMAT
CONTENT
DISTRIBUTION
PROCESS
Teachers Structure Learning Experiences
using a Balance of Creative Freedom &
Creative Control

19. As you watch, consider:
What inferences can you
make about how the
teacher structured the
learning experience?

20. How to Take Care of Your Pet
Grade 1 Students at Russell Byers Charter School, Philadelphia

21. Dialogue. Shares ideas and listens to
others in brainstorming ideas.
Creativity. Generates novel ideas for
depicting “how to” processes.
Collaboration. Participates actively in a
production role in front or behind the
scenes.
Citizenship. Aware of the value of
sharing knowledge with a target
audience in order to benefit both animals
and people.

22. DIGITAL
MEDIA
LITERACY
ANALYZE
ACCESS
ACT
REFLECT
CREATE
Inquiry
Reading
Search
Curation
Credibility
Analysis
Creativity
Multimodal
Writing
Digital
Skills
Dialogue
Collaboration
Emotional Response
Ethical Reasoning
Knowledge of Cultural,
Political, Economic
& Social Context
Citizenship
Activism

23. “How do I get started?”
“What is our topic?”
“When is it due?”
“How long should it be?”
“Do have to work with a
partner?”
“How do I get an A?”

24. Coiro, J., Castek, J., & Quinn, D. (2016). Personal inquiry and online research: Connecting learners in ways that
matter. The Reading Teacher, 69(5), 483-492.

25. Global Student Voice
www.studentvoice.org
Open to children ages 5 – 18 from
anywhere in the world.
Theme: “In Another’s Shoes”

27. Developing Research Skills
through Multimedia Production

28. DIGITAL
MEDIA
LITERACY
ANALYZE
ACCESS
ACT
REFLECT
CREATE
Inquiry
Reading
Search
Curation
Credibility
Analysis
Creativity
Multimodal
Writing
Digital
Skills
Dialogue
Collaboration
Emotional Response
Ethical Reasoning
Knowledge of Cultural,
Political, Economic
& Social Context
Citizenship
Activism

29. CHOICE
MATTERS
Hobbs, R. (2017). Create to Learn. NY: Wiley.
BLOG
S
VIDEO
PODCAST ANIMATION
INFOGRAPHI
C
VLOGS &
SCREENCAS
T

31. Assessment
Digital Inquiry
Messy Engagement

32. “The art of posing a
question must be held of
higher value than
solving it.”
- Georg Cantor, creator of Set Theory
(1867)

33. Assignment: Generate a meaningful
question. Gather information from 3 or
more different types of sources as you
answer your question.
Aim to develop an informed position
on the topic.
Then create a short video to share
what you learned with a public
audience.
DIGITAL INQUIRY
Search, Research
and Create Media

34. Question: Why do the shoes I was looking at
on Zappos follow me from one website to
another?
Question: Why do some FB friends
never show up on my News Feed?
Question: Why go Google search results seem
so different when I use my Grandma’s
computer?

36. Why did the
National Rifle
Association
buy Facebook ads
warning people about
fake news?
Screencast
Your Search

39. How are students “creating to
learn” in your classroom?
What current
activities could be
modified so that
students experience
the power of digital
authorship?
What potential value
and impact might
such activities have
for learners?

40. Renee Hobbs
Director, Media Education Lab
Co-Director, Graduate Certificate Program in Digital Literacy
Harrington School of Communication & Media
University of Rhode Island
Email: hobbs@uri.edu
Twitter: @reneehobbs
LEARN MORE
Web: www.mediaeducationlab.com