Our class was transferred into a zoom class this past week, and we had a couple options of different things we could do. Out of these options, I chose to do a learning lab on canva (https://www.canva.com/). Canva is a design tool that can be used for so many different purposes, and has templates as well as the freedom of changing things to your liking. I have used canva a few times for projects in high school, and a little bit here and there in university, but nothing crazy. I was super curious about how canva could be utilized as a teacher to benefit classroom management and assist in teaching.
In the learning lab, it showcased different steps in creating posters, brochures, and more on canva. This allowed me to relearn some aspects I forgot canva had, as well as see some new things I hadn’t known before. After this, I got to watch a YouTube video that showed how to create your own ‘virtual classroom’. At first, I was intrigued to see what a virtual classroom could do to assist in a class. I decided to look at some other resources to explain why they use virtual classrooms, and I found some great websites. For example, one stated that these have “taken the education community by storm”, and how they can be used as learning hubs (https://www.edutopia.org/article/educators-turn-bitmoji-build-community-and-engagement/). Other websites also discuss how it can allow students to feel more connected when logging in from home, or can be used as a fun and engaging start to the morning in class. It is essentially a way to deliver information to students that is easy, and fun!
I got to work on my own version of a ‘virtual classroom’, after watching the tutorial in the YouTube video given to us. I tried to incorporate different areas for text, like the main chalk board as well as the side panels. This could eventually be used for presenting information, or links embedded to other pages. I also wanted it to reflect my values and myself in a way that I like! So, I tried to incorporate plants and things with outdoor elements. I didn’t fill all the shelves, for I couldn’t fully figure out what I wanted to do with them. So if anyone has anymore ideas, feel free to comment them down below!
My virtual classroom I created using Canva!
I think this is a super engaging tool, and can be changed and edited so easily on the fly during school. Overall, I believe students would love to have this as a start to the mornings, I know I would’ve as a kid!
I’m excited to see other ways that canva can be used for teachers, and potentially use it within my future classroom!
Tina O’Keefe zoomed into our educational technology class this past week, and discussed some aspects of gamification within the classroom. Following this, we played around with a website called ‘Hour of Code’. We were also able to discuss the implication of Indigenous pedagogy in the classroom, which was based around the question of “how do we embed authentically and with care?”. Through this blog, I will discuss both of these topics and what they mean to me, as well as how I think they could be useful in a future classroom and school.
Gamification
I think the idea of gamification within a classroom can be super beneficial in today’s society, technology type games are rising in homes, which means it is in turn rising in classrooms. I loved being able to understand the difference between gamification and gamified learning experiences. Here is what the article, Gamification and Game Based Learning, explains it: “In short, gamification applies game elements or a game framework to existing learning activities; game-based learning designs learning activities that are intrinsically game-like” (https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/educational-technologies/all/gamification-and-game-based-learning). Tina O’Keefe, who teaches high school, was able to show us how her google classrooms are set up, which were super interesting to see. She allows her students to essentially go through the class as they please, and all the classes are very accessible and include topics from all different forms of robotics to film. She also discussed and displayed some other resources she uses in her class, like google read and write, which I had never heard of before! Tina also explained about the increase of code in classrooms, and how she teaches it in her classes. She gave us some resources to use when teaching code and typing, like Nitro Type, Scratch, and Microbits.
I think both game-based learning and gamification can be used within certain contexts to create a more accessible and desired learning experience for students in all different grades. I also adored being able to learn about Minecraft within a class setting, since I used to play it as a kid with my siblings all the time! It allows for virtual trips, creation of their town or school, and so much more! I would the idea of allowing students to explore and design in a context like Minecraft in a way that encourages student engagement and also aligns very well with the new BC curriculum!
Hour of Code
We got some time to play around with the website called Hour of Code, and see how it would work for students in learning basic coding. I’ve linked the website here: https://hourofcode.com/ca/learn. We were asked to choose a game which we think would target a certain grade category we are interested in. I decided to look for something around grade 3 or 4. I found a game called ‘Code Club’, and I decided to discuss it here as I think it was engaging and could be super beneficial in classrooms. It essentially has you create a character (by coding), then your character goes through different areas to collect badges after doing different coding tasks for your character, like designing a shirt or making a movie using your character. The instructions are super clear, and the type of coding is simple enough, but also pushes the idea of the base of how coding works.
Here’s what the ‘worlds’ in the game look like, take notice of how it uses scratch and python!
And here’s an example of what the coding side of things look like (including my little avatar I created)!
Overall, I think would be a great way to introduce some core concepts of coding, like what happens to ordered codes, and how each codes works off of each other, with still being fun and easy to understand. I think a grade three class would love this idea and way of learning! The website also links teacher notes to each game, which is also very beneficial.
Indigenous Pedagogy
Teaching and understanding of Indigenous knowledge was also brought up to further our understanding of how we can authentically teach it to our students. We were given the article, The Five R’s, which discusses how online learning can be a form of Indigenous learning. The article, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Five-R%E2%80%99s-for-Indigenizing-Online-Learning%3A-A-of-Tessaro-Restoule/c8a720b0be9d4384cd41151e32fe9246ae022304, is a great source to understand how we can implement these ideas into our classroom and it’s online learning. I was interested in reading about all of the ‘R’s’ stating and how they come into play within Indigenous Pedagogy, but I resonated with ‘Relevance’. I know how relevant Indigenous knowledge and studies are to our society and school, but I was curious to hear about how the article would discuss online learning in this. It mentioned that Indigenous studies must ‘go beyond books’ (137). It discussed how utilizing an online format (with hands on activities and other forms that touched on the oral traditions of the Indigenous peoples) is important to create a space that is relevant to everyday use of the principles, instead of just books and theory. Overall, the article had a great way of informing the idea of how online education shouldn’t be far from Indigenous Pedagogy, and how it can be implemented.
Innovation within classrooms and education has always been something interesting to me, and I loved being able to hear about a school which is putting some of these ideas into practice. Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII) was created by Jeff Hopkins to allow students to love learning without a ‘proper’ classroom. We also were able to discuss the ideas of blended, online, and multimedia education, which allowed us to see pros and cons to both sides.
PSII
Learning about PSII from the person who created it and knows it best, Jeff Hopkins, was a very cool experience. Jeff was passionate about what he does, and it showed through the way he discussed PSII. A school like PSII, that focuses on being unlike the mainstream school districts, is honestly what I see a lot of our future schools leaning towards. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think every school in the next five years are going to suddenly stop having blocks and structure, but I think aspects of schools like PSII will creep in. PSII utilizes many different ways of learning that can help students who work better in a non-mainstream class. For example, they have two main areas for work and collaboration. One area is set up in a way that students may converse, kind of similar to a coffee shop. The other is an area that is a quiet zone, in which you could hear a pin drop. Students aren’t forced or told to go to one room or the other, but simply given the freedom to go where they need in that moment. This model of schooling allows for learners to not only feel more in control of what they do, but also enables them to learn in a way that works for them. On PSII’s website, which I’ve linked here: https://learningstorm.org/who-is-psii-for/, it states that it isn’t “an alternative school or a “special ed” school, or a correspondence school, or a vocational school”, but that it aims to “serve learners of all kinds”. Even for a private school, PSII does not cost an arm and an leg, which leaves it open ended for learners of all backgrounds and income. This aspect of the school is so important in building a positive community of all kinds of learners. Learners in a school like this follow an inquiry project, which can range from writing a novel to animation and everything in between! This project guides them into different areas of learning.
Online Learning
After being able to hear from Jeff Hopkins about his experiences with the school, the class discussed our experiences with remote learning. Overall, a majority of my online learning experience was through COVID. My teachers, other staff, and us students were underprepared for this remote learning to start. Therefore, it wasn’t my favourite experience. I also felt as if I just simply didn’t learn as well online. I was constantly distracted, bored, or confused. Our assignments felt pointless and online classes felt even more pointless. However, once entering university, I took one online asynchronous class in my first semester, and more later on. This class was amazing! I learned so much, and was able to grasp content easily. I think having a class where I could take my time learning at my own pace was perfect with my increasingly busy life. So, taking both these experiences I learned a lot about blended and remote learning. First off, I learned how important having strategies to counteract the feelings of boredom, lostness, and more are when doing an online class. Also, how good a balance is with in person and online, personally. I loved having a good mix, I could work at my own pace alone, but I was also able to interact with others about my findings and thoughts, I think another main component to online classes is the course site used. It should be accessible, and easy to use. If it isn’t, there should be easy-to-access instructional videos in place for the use of the website or online classroom. This doesn’t only help the student, but also any parents who want to navigate the course site as well.
Learning is very dependent on the individual and how they find learning works best for them. This could be a traditional classroom, a school like PSII, online learning, blended, or asynchronous. Whatever it ends up being, it should be a space where the students feels welcomed and able to learn in a way that suits them.
This past week, we had the opportunity to listen to Tracy Humphreys speak about the opportunities that BCEdAccess gives to students. It was very informational being able to hear the different aspects of creating an inclusive space for students of all needs. At the beginning of the presentation, Tracy handed out different coloured sticky notes to each of us. She then proceeded to ask the students with certain coloured sticky notes to leave the class, since she wouldn’t have the resources or ability to present to all of us. She used this as an example of what happens in real world classrooms where some teachers either aren’t able to, or don’t have to resources to teach students with IEP’s. During the presentation, and the class afterwards, there were three main things I thought of or learned.
First off, Tracy gave a great explanation about what BCEdAccess can do for students, teachers, and families supporting someone with disabilities or complex learning all throughout British Columbia. The group’s goal is to be able to support people in order to allow students with complex needs and learning to succeed and reach their full potential in the BC school system. They have resources for many people, and also do presentations and conferences all over the province. Another thing they work towards to being in communication with many different politics in order to implement better regulations for the community regarding complex learners. I was looking at the BCEdAccess page, and it has a lot of letters of advocacy linked for viewing, so if you would like to take a lot at it I have linked it here: https://bcedaccess.com/letters-of-advocacy/
Secondly, I learned about how important having and using IEP’s are, and other resources to identify how to assist students in the best way possible for them. IEP’s are Individualized Education Plans, which are essentially files that indicate certain needs or information for a few students within a class. This can be a range of things from use of manipulatives, to relationships with other students, and more. Every one of our teachers have said that use of IEP’s are super important within a classroom, and in order to get the best experience of learnings for our learners. However, they also have stated how sometimes an IEP can have very minimal information for a variety of reasons. Another key way of understanding how you can assist a student in their learning is by simply asking them. A key phrase I think I love is “How can I help you have success in today’s learning?”, I think this allows an open space for students to explain their thoughts and best practices. Overall, it is key to give the student options in how they learn, and how they can have success in a classroom.
Finally, we discussed how important little things to us, like adding alternate text in our blogs, can make a huge difference in someone else’s life. People who are visually impaired can use devices and tools in order to get websites read to them, which can be very beneficially in their lives. However, without proper image alternate text, they are usually unable to know what images on a screen are indicating. It takes less than two minutes for us to be able to write up text on an image that’ll portray it correctly, but it could make our blogs and websites much more accessible to those who are visually unable to understand the image.
The community of BCEdAccess is such important in regulating the needs of students with disabilities, complex learners, and their families. This group is a huge support for people all over BC, and I am so blessed to be able to hear about all the good they are doing.
When I entered class this past week, I had completely no idea about the concept of EdCamps, I don’t even think I had ever heard that terminology before! However, by the end of class I was super intrigued by the thought of how EdCamp’s can change so many things within the classroom.
I think the main component to EdCamps and their success is being by teachers for teachers. It’s created by the people in the room, and it makes everyone feel like they have something to contribute to the whole team. By creating the schedule that day and allowing each teacher to implement what they want, it allows for so much more energy and growth in the room. I also think the informality this brings to the day allows for teachers to feel comfortable, and able to have conversations.
I think the possibly biggest part of EdCamp is community though. It’s a room filled of teachers who are there solely to learn, grow, and be together. I think with an atmosphere like that, where everyone has a desire to learn, there is so much more room for connections. Also, by allowing each other to have coffee and snacks before starting, it’s a great way to get community going. Each teacher can feel supported by each other in a way they may not be able to anywhere else.
I decided to look into more information about EdCamps, and I found a super good website which had descriptions, opportunities, and more! In their tab under “What to Expect”, they showcase three key ideas of the day: energy, enthusiasm, and collaboration. This is SO important within a teaching context. They also say that the camps allow for a “fun, laid-back opportunity to network with other educators”. It also said that some educators are eligible for credit if they attend an EdCamp, which could be super cool!
Overall, EdCamp seems like a great opportunity for teachers and educators to explore new topics, make new connections, and so much more.
This week, we had a guest speaker come into our class and help lead us in a workshop around utilizing technology like screencastify and video editing. The guest speaker, Rich McCue, explained the importance of video editing within classrooms and learning environments. During the presentation, he showed us how to create our own screen recorded tutorial on a game or website of our choice. I decided to look at some old games I used to play as a kid, and remembered the game ‘Penguin Diner’, so I used that! Linked below is the video I created! However, it wouldn’t let me link the version with interactive questions that I made 🙁 It didn’t take long at all, but I would definitely do more tries and perfect it if it was being shown within a classroom.
It was cool to be able to see the behind the scenes of software like this, and how it can be used within the classroom. Students can gain so many benefits from software like this. I think a tool like this can help students grasp the concept of a website without the teacher having to individually help each student. Students can also use the videos at home, and even use the software to create their own videos to show their learning progress. Video editing is also a interesting way to allow students to showcase their learning. By having multiple ways to present learning (PowerPoint, video editing, presentation, play, etc) it can engage students so much more as they get choice in how they show their understanding. It is also a skill that can benefit them in the long run as they enter the workforce and businesses.
It can benefit us as educators as well as it can allow us to create resources for students in an engaging and interesting way. It also allows for resources that can be shared and used at home as well. On top of this, being able to navigate video editing can help create multiple ways that teachers can teach their students and present information to them.
Multimedia within the classroom allows for change in pace, enhances learning, and gives creativity to both the teacher and their students. I think it’s a great idea to integrate it within the classroom!
This Thanksgiving was full of old and new traditions! Thanksgiving has always been a big weekend for my extended family and I, mostly because of two things: the soccer tournament and the thankful list. We also started some new traditions in our new house on the island as well.
Every Thanksgiving and Easter, my cousins, siblings, and I play an intense soccer tournament. Since this tradition started about 5 years ago, we have the same teams, same backyard, and same pumpkin pie after as a reward every single year. About 5 years ago, during Thanksgiving dinner, we planned the most intense soccer tournament and partnered each other up based on skill level and balance. Then, my cousins made a elaborate plan on which team would play which at which time, and the rest is history. I love the soccer games for many reasons, but mostly because it is something that brings all my family together. We all live in different areas of B.C, studying different degrees, starting our own lives. However, we still come together to play the soccer tournament like we have for years, every single year.
Secondly, the thanksgiving list. My Oma has been getting us to this tradition since we could talk. A classic Thanksgiving tactic, we all go around the table and state one thing we are thankful for. It always turns into all of us laughing at each other and reminiscing on past Thanksgivings together. My Oma hates that we all take it not very seriously, and every year complains, so we start again. After we all say something serious, my Oma and Opa talk about how thankful they are for us. It’s so sweet every single year, and makes my aunts cry. It reminds my cousins and I how blessed we are to be raised in such a connected family. Personally, I think we have some of the most amazing people in the world right inside my family.
After heading home from the mainland, my roommates and I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for our close friends. We moved in this past September, so it was one of the first holidays in our new place. Creating this new tradition was so much fun, and made me so thankful for our friends and life we’ve created on the island. We played made dinner, played cards, and were able to enjoy each other company.
Overall, my weekend was full of reminiscing about how amazing it is to be blessed to gather as a family. They made me who I am and are so my biggest supporters!
This past Monday, our class was getting ready to discuss the implications of social media influences, phone privileges, and more, when we were asked to place our phones in a cell phone jail. Honestly, it took me completely off guard at first. I placed my phone in the jail, and headed back to my seat.
I thought the class would be a little more reluctant in handing over their phones – which we have on us 24/7, but we weren’t. No one questioned. However, you could feel the huge shift of power in the classroom. As this situation continued, I identified three major issues of a ‘cell phone jail’. Over this blog, I will cover these issues and the impacts they have on students and teachers.
Power Control
Many teachers believe that their students are not just students, but people they care for, believe in, and want to encourage. It isn’t a friendship, but more of a community. The classroom, which includes teachers, students, janitors, admin, and more, is a community of learners. By this standard, the power of the classroom should be less of a hierarchy and more of a functioning team (the teacher, however, still has authority). By withholding student’s property, this places too much power into the hands of the teacher and causes the students to witness this power shift. This can impact students in many ways. First off, they could lose a huge amount of trust they have with their teacher. Second off, this can create an unbalanced learning environment which in turn creates less learning and support.
Responsibility
There are two sub-reasons I thought of when thinking about cell phone jail and responsibility. First, responsibility of the teacher. If a teacher confiscates 30 cell phones, each purchased by a student or their guardian. If a teacher loses or damages a student’s phone, it could have intense consequences for the school. This is not a fair responsibility to throw onto already hard-working teachers. Secondly, it doesn’t allow students to show or learn responsibility for their own phones. A student may not even touch their phone during class time, so they should have the opportunity to demonstrate this to their teacher.
Overall, I don’t think the idea of a cell phone jail is fair to either teachers, or their students. I believe there are many other ways to manage the use of cell phones within the walls of a classroom that don’t involve damaging relationships and responsibility.
This past Monday, we got the opportunity to have a guest speaker zoom into our class and chat about his viewpoints on social media and technology within the classroom. Jesse Miller, the guest speaker, works in the social media industry around making sure people are posting images and videos as they should be. He had many great points in which helped me think deeper about how we use social media, and how we should perceive it.
One main point brought up was the idea of professional boundaries, and how they should and shouldn’t be crossed. He questioned us to think about how we will use social media in the future, as well as how we are using it right now. He was right in stating that our personal lives are for us and those we want to see, however, we are still going to be professionals working with youth. I agree that the main way to allow this freedom of personal life, while still being professional, is having a private social media, or two separate accounts. Almost everyone uses social media, and teachers should be allowed to have a social media. I believe having a private and separate social media page is a great way to build your network while being mindful of your career and the outcomes of that. Schools will also have policies and procedures which are important to be aware of when posting on social medias. Everything on the internet is there forever and can be accessed and shared by many people, which is a good thing we should all keep in mind when posting – even today.
Another point that stayed on my mind after Jesse Miller spoke, was the fact that so many young children are using social media younger and younger, without knowledge of how to use it morally. As well as, they don’t understand the short term or long term affects. I liked how Jesse Miller pointed out not only the negatives in the social media world, but mostly how the positives can be achieved. It was also interesting to hear, as a teacher candidate, how engaging in extra curricular activities lessen the amount of screen time intake a child gets. Comparison was also mentioned as a negative of screen time and social media, as it is a huge factor in today’s youth. Knowing things like this can be insanely important when we are in the future trying to support our students.
Overall, it was a great experience being able to hear information from Jesse Miller, and I learned a lot about the ways social media influences our personal and professional lives.
In this next blog, I hope to cover some reflection on the past week’s documentary watched, as well as some quick thoughts on copyright within the classroom.
I watched the documentary titled “Most Likely to Succeed” this past week, and learned so much about the structure of our modern schools. I honestly didn’t think about how structured and rigid our current school system is, with school bells dictating class times, to blocks allocated to just one subject at a time. Hi-Tech High school is a school focusing on creativity, projects, and social skills. I do think the concept is very cool, and the projects created showcase amazing talent and understanding of the world around them. However, there are some flaws that were mentioned in the movie that are critical to knowing the pros and cons. For example, the academic portion of school could be completely missed when teaching as Hi-Tech High does. Certain calculations or academic concepts in Hi-Tech High are not held as highly as they are in other schools. This is fine in the aspects of the real world, however, when trying to take SAT’s, ACT’s, or other high risk tests this could pose a problem. If these standardized tests didn’t exist, then the concept of this school would seemingly work out much better in my opinion. The students were able to grasp important pieces of knowledge, while being able to display this in a creative way to family and friends. This helps reinforce, or introduce, many critical skills to students like communication, collaboration, presentation skills, and more. However, there is no way the world will know if this schooling concept works for years. Students need to fully go through the Hi-Tech High system, graduate, attend university, and then see how it turned out. As of now, it is simply too early to tell whether this idea of a school should be enforced within other school districts across the world. On top of all of this, students and teachers within the school also seemed to be able to create a better bond and relationship. Teachers cared strongly about what and how their students learned, as well as students were able to have less structured discussions with their teachers. All of this allowed for students and teachers to work together to learn, collaborate, and create connections and networks for each other.
While in high school, my school decided to switch over to a closer model of ‘project-based learning’, which was referred to as PBL. This was simply a step away from standardized schooling, and a step closer to a concept like Hi-Tech High. Our school’s principle, mentor teachers, and other staff even went to Hi-Tech High’s campus in San Diego to explore this idea more. My dad attended this trip, as he was a teacher at my school, and he said the concept was very intriguing. However, he also agreed with the flaws stated in the above paragraph. After attending three of their campuses, my dad observed very interesting projects created by students just like us. These students were simply given more creative liberty, and a less structured schooling.
On another note, learning about copyright within educational institutions is so important when pursuing a education degree. Copyright is important when it comes to everything from photocopying notes, to utilizing music within the classroom. When reading the Fair Dealing Guidelines, as well as articles based around fair copyright, it was evident how every piece of media utilized needs to be an open resource, sourced, or granted permission for the use of. Teachers can use other people’s work to help their class learn, but this does not mean stealing work to benefit yourself or your students. There are many free to use resources within the local area, which benefits teachers and also benefits those who cared the resource. Not only this, but also it is important to share this knowledge with your older students. For example, when making presentations, students can learn how to cite images in order to not steal someone else’s work.
