By India’s first Wakelet Student Ambassador – Simar Mohanty
Hello! My name is Simar Mohanty and I’m a 14 year old student from Bangalore, India. Wakelet is an amazing app which has helped me to curate my important online content like research work, tips and personal development content in one place – from websites to graphics to videos to podcasts. Wakelet has it all! One of the best features of Wakelet is that you can not only put these resources in one place, but can also organize the content with extra annotations, some headings and hyperlinks in the text to make your content visually-engaging for you and the viewers.
My best learning of Wakelet was from the Wakelet Student Ambassador Program. I learnt so much about the 6Cs & the 21st Century Skills. Here’s my journey –
TASK 1: CURATION
The first task of Curation was based on making a collection about yourself. I thought, why not include everything about me – Like a journal? So I went ahead and added everything – my basic information, my favorite things, my hobbies, my achievements and the places which I would like to visit.
MY LEARNINGS:
- I learnt how to represent my content in an organized manner.
- I learnt that adding Digital Media into your collection can be really impactful as “pictures speak a thousand words!”
- I learnt that curation can be more powerful if it has a personal connection with the student/user – making a collection with your content in it makes you creative and gives you more ideas!
TASK 2: CRITICAL THINKING
The second task of Critical Thinking was based on making a collection about perspectives. We had to display 2 sides of a topic/argument. When I reached this task, there were projects to be submitted in my school for assessment. One of the topics we had to research on for school was OVERPOPULATION & POPULATION EXPLOSION. So, I thought that why not make a Wakelet – which contains all my research+information. Thus, I curated many websites showing the causes, effects, solutions & the 2 sides of the argument.
MY LEARNINGS:
- I learnt many facts about the growing population – causes, effects & solutions.
- I learnt about respecting perspectives – how both sides can be correct at the same time.
- I learnt how to add creative elements into Collections – it need not only be graphics from the Internet, you can even curate your drawings to make explaining facts easier.
AHA! (OUTCOME) MOMENTS: I shared the collection with my classmate and she had an idea – to create a comic based on the facts to add a dash of creativity to our project. So, I started to doodle the facts & LO! The comic was ready! Immediately I took a picture & added it to my Wakelet Collection.
TASK 3: CREATIVITY
The third task was my FAVOURITE! It was based on the 3rd C of Creativity. We had to design a Flag for the Wakelet Student Ambassador Community using the app of our choice. I was super excited as I love to doodle, design, and explore illustration.
First, I read about the objective of the flag – a reflection of diversity, communication, and sense of community. So, I grabbed a notepad & a pencil and started to draw. Then, once I had the final “blueprint” ready, I opened an app and started to design the Flag – digitally. Once I finished, I put it in my Wakelet Collection & recorded a Flipgrid video sharing the meaning of my Flag & the Big Challenge I faced.
MY LEARNING:
Practice makes perfect! It took me 3 drafts to get my design approved by my lead educator – my 4th draft was a huge success!
AHA! (OUTCOME) MOMENTS: My flag was appreciated by the Wakelet Team & also by various educators across the Globe – I was over the moon!
TASK 4: COLLABORATION
Task 4 was based on Collaboration where we had to create a team song playlist with our classmates using Wakelet. We had a test coming up, so me and my friends decided to compile educational songs from Flocabulary. As students, whenever we’re studying a theoretical subject, we often refer to multimedia resources to make learning more effective and easier.
It has been shown that Educational Music helps students to master content and standards, build vocabulary & develop 21st-century skills. Hence, keeping these points in mind, we compiled the songs in the form of Wakelet.
MY LEARNING:
During the course of the completion of this task, I was able to collaborate efficiently. Listening to each other & planning during the recess was an experience I will never forget!
TASK 5: COMMUNICATION
Task 5 was based on communication i.e. creating a presentation on a topic of your choice. Since our assessment was going on, I thought that I should make a Presentation for that and link it to this task. So, I went ahead and selected the topic of ECO/SMART Cities. I researched (just like I did in task 2) and curated all the information & examples I required.
I learnt that rapid urbanization is leading to smarter cities that improve the lives of citizens through technology & Eco-cities are a mix of technology as well as Nature. After going through all the research, I made a presentation on eco-cities, and put it in my Wakelet Collection.
MY LEARNINGS:
- I learnt about the need of eco-cities in today’s World.
- I learnt how to convey my point to the audience while presenting my Wakelet & PPT!
AHA! (OUTCOME) MOMENTS: I was super excited when I gave the presentation to my classmates. People found my examples to be “realistic” and said that it can actually be implemented in cities today.
TASK 6: DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Having mastered the skills, the last task was a culmination of my learnings through self-reflection! It was based on journaling the whole journey of the Ambassador Program & making a portfolio.
MY LEARNINGS:
- I learnt about the content which should be included in a Resume & on your LinkedIn Profile.
- I learnt the importance of recording the journey for Professional Development of students.
AHA! (OUTCOME) MOMENTS: I was actually not maintaining a proper virtual record of what I had achieved – All my physical achievements like medals, trophies & certificates were either pasted on the Wall Of Fame in my house or were kept in a big file.
My virtual achievements weren’t organized. So, when I did this task, it had actually reminded me of my journey – from giving small school tests to becoming a 9th grader. It was fantastic to see all of it in one place after the curation of my personal dossier!
CONCLUSION
Riding the #WakeletWave was always a fun experience and has made me much more aware every time I surf. In all, I can conclude and say that now I’m a:
1. Lifelong Learner – just like my Educator
2. Better Curator
3. Better Thinker
4. Better Creator
5. Better Collaborator
6. Better Communicator
7. Better Global Citizen
And last, but not the least – A Wakelet Student Ambassador who wants to “Be The Change that she wishes to see in the World!”…
