Amplifying teaching in faculties of education in Canada: How are critical literacies informing the open educational practices of teacher educators? 

Background: I am in the second year of the Joint PhD in Educational Studies at Lakehead University, supervised by Dr. Michael Hoechsmann. I am an experienced K-12 educator, currently teaching Critical Media and Digital Literacies in the Faculty of Education (FoE) at Lakehead University. 

Research Context and Rationale: My doctoral research will explore the Canadian teacher education landscape from an insider’s perspective. This research will examine the convergence between teacher education, critical media and digital literacies, and open educational practices (OEPr). I question how a teacher educator’s OEPr are impacted by an awareness and application of media and digital literacies? For the purpose of this research project, OEPr are defined, following Cronin (2017), as collaborative pedagogies utilizing digital technologies and authentic learning encounters for “interaction, peer-learning, knowledge creation, and empowerment of learners” (p. 18). In other words, teacher educators will individually or collaboratively select OEPr to support their ways of knowing, designing, planning, and assessing teaching and learning events (Cronin, 2016; Paskevicius, 2017). In this research, OEPr are framed by the standards of practice and ethical standards found in Canadian K-12 education (BC Teachers’ Federation, 2019; Ontario College of Teachers, 2019) and explored through teacher educators’ participatory, collaborative, networked, shared, and public educational practices (Cronin & MacLaren, 2018; Lohnes Watulak et al., 2018). Current research in the field of OEPr fails to clearly identify the critical role played by media and digital literacies (Bozkurt, Koseoglu, & Singh, 2019; Cronin, 2017) which prompts the question of how critical literacies impact teacher educators’ OEPr? 

I propose to undertake this research for four reasons. First, as societies change and the functions of education, culture, citizenship and work increasingly migrate into digital spaces and are even distorted by ‘fake’ media messages, there are growing calls worldwide for a digitally and media literate citizenry (Antoninis & Montoya, 2018; Hadzinistic, 2017; Montoya, 2018; UNESCO, 2017). Canadian FoE should be responding to calls for change (Bates, 2019). Second, since the 2012 UNESCO Paris OER Declaration, there are global initiatives to openly share information, particularly in education (OEConsortium, 2018; United Nations, 2018; UNESCO, 2012). The impact of these initiatives within Canadian FoE programs has yet to be studied. Third, there is a pressing global need for trained educators with proficiencies in 21st century global competencies (Graziano & Bryans-Bongey, 2018; ISTE, 2017; OECD, 2018) which Canadian FoE can provide, if programs are in place to respond to this need. Finally, locating and exploring media and digital literacy instruction within FoE programs across Canada can inform curriculum revision to address a perceived gap, as identified in Ontario FoE programs, where media and digital literacies have largely been ignored as a priority (Petrarca & Kitchen, 2017). 

My research questions are: 

• Where and how are FoE programs in Canada teaching critical media and digital literacies (Druick, 2016; Gee, 2015, 2017; Hadzinistic, 2017; Hoechsmann & DeWaard, 2015)? 
• How do teacher educators conceptualize OEPr and apply media and digital literacies, as reflected within their current teaching contexts? 
• How do teacher educators compare their OEPr to frameworks of media and digital literacies, and models for modern teaching practice? 

In the first stage of this doctoral research, I will inventory FoE programs across Canada in order to map the current landscape, to determine where media and digital literacies are directly taught, and OEPr, are evident. I will focus primarily on Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. This review follows up on my previous study on the landscape and terrain of digital literacy in the Canadian curriculum (Hoechsmann & DeWaard, 2015) and is modeled on recent research methods applied by Graziano & Bryans-Bongey (2018) and Stagg, Nguyen, Bossu, Partidge, Funk, & Judith (2018). Research Proposal: Helen J. DeWaard 2 

According to Connelly, Clandinin, and Ming (1997), “teacher’s knowledge is an essential component in improving educational practice”. Accordingly, the second stage of my doctoral work will involve interviewing teacher educators identified in phase one, who openly share evidence of applying media and digital literacies, and OEPr (Hegarty, 2015; Cronin, 2017; Watt, 2019), from diverse FoE sites based on geography and size of institution. Teacher educators will participate in interviews and document – or “story” - their OEPr, and their media and digital literacy landscapes (Clandinin, 2015). In the final stage of this doctoral research, guided reflections with the same teacher educators will further reveal teacher educators’ understanding and conceptualization of OEPr, as shaped and impacted by media and digital literacies. 

Objectives and Methodology: This research is situated within a socio-cultural theoretical framework (Archer, 2003; Gee, 2015). I will conduct and analyze interview data through a methodology known as phenomenography (Akerlind, 2008; Cibangu & Hepworth, 2016; Crossham, 2017; Green & Bowden, 2009; Marton, 1981; Nerantzi, 2017) to explore how teacher educators experience and understand digital and media literacies, and OEPr with and within current models and frameworks (Groenewald, 2014; Hine, 2015; Markham, 2016). Phenomenographic research methods are flexible, iterative and ongoing throughout the data collection phase (Crossham, 2017). The objective is to capture “variations in experience and collective meaning” (Crossham, 2017) of media and digital literacies, and OEPr, as revealed through the lived experiences of teacher educators. This will provide insights into collective conceptions, meanings, and categories of OEPr, and how media and digital literacies shape OEPr experiences (Brown, Shephard, Warren, Hesson, & Fleming, 2016; Forster, 2016). The results can influence future directions and curriculum design for OEPr, and digital and media literacies, with teacher educators in FoE in Canadian contexts. 

Methods: Methods for data collection will include web searches of FoE sites, online interviews, as well as participant generated reflective stories about their OEPr, in order to explore fluencies, collaborations, patterns and networks (Hine, 2015; Markham, 2016). A diverse sample of fifteen teacher educators will be purposefully selected. A demographic survey will precede a semi-structured interview, which will be video recorded. The questions will explore the lived experiences and stories relevant to the intersection between OEPr and digital and media literacies. A follow-up guided reflection will further explore OEPr by exploring frameworks for media and digital literacy (Hoechsmann & DeWaard, 2015; Stordy, 2015), and teaching (e.g. Anatomy of a 21st Century Educator framework (Bates, 2014). To increase trustworthiness (Guba & Lincoln, 2005), once transcripts and stories are thematically coded and analyzed, results will be returned to participants for member checking and validation. 

Qualifications and Significance: This research proposal benefits from eight years of teaching digital and media literacy courses in the FoE where I am both educator and student, as well as my extensive background as an elementary school educator. My engagement in global networks (Global OER Graduate Network; UNESCO Open Education for a Better World; Open/Education Technology, Society and Scholarship Association), cross-border collaborations (Virtually Connecting; International Society for Technology in Education) and open educational spaces (Ontario Extend, Creative Commons, Mozilla Open Leaders) will inform and shape this research. Dissemination of results will be pursued through peer reviewed Canadian and international journals, (e.g. the Canadian Journal of Education, Open Praxis), and conference presentations, (e.g. Canadian Network for Innovation in Education, Canadian Society for the Study of Education conferences) as well as through social media and web publications (blog posts, Faculty newsletters). This research will provide direction to Canadian FoE to respond to the growing demand for digitally and media literate educators, and global calls for OEPr (Bates, 2019; Montoya, 2018).