In this week’s class we did a “Choose Your Own Adventure”. We were given options about what we wanted to learn more about. I decided to learn about how to use a website called Canva. It can be used for many different purposes. I can make a poster, a graphic organizer, a slide show, a brochure, an interactive backdrop and many other visual forms.
I thought it was super useful to learn about Canva because it helped me for my EDCI 250 class. For my inquiry, I had to create a learning tool, and I decided to make graphic organizers and worksheets.
First off, I found a template, then I edited it to my personal liking and added text. After, you can download the file and use it as you see fit. Additionally, I like that Canva allows you to have interactive slideshows. This can be so helpful in the future presenting a lesson to the class. I believe the class would be more engaged by a more interactive, colourful and graphic slideshow.
Overall, I will definitely be using Canva in my future practices as a teacher.
Before Tina’s presentation, I never thought of using gaming or coding in the classroom. There are two terms that I learned: gamification and game-based learning. According to the University of Waterloo, “gamification applies game elements or a game framework to existing learning activities; game-based learning designs learning activities that are intrinsically game-like” (Gamification and game-based learning). Tina has implemented gamification in her classroom and her students seem to have positively responded to this type of learning. Additionally, “Most games feature elements such as rules, goals, interaction, feedback, problem solving, competition, story, and fun (see Vandercruysse, Vandewaetere, & Clarebout, 2012). Though not all of the elements are needed to successfully gamify a learning activity, carefully selecting those elements that help meet the learning objectives of the course can be useful” (Gamification and game-based learning). In other words, including one game feature can be positive for course material and can be a fun way to reinforce learning. One gamification feature that my high school teachers used was Kahoot. You have to answer multiple-choice questions and there is a leaderboard for who can get the correct answer the quickest. My high school teachers used it as review and our class loved them because they were fun.
To continue, a gaming site that was suggested was Hour Code. I found a cute game called Code Monkey. You have to click arrows that are given on your screen to move the monkey to a banana or a treasure chest. The arrows you click have to be exact or else your monkey will not get to the banana or treasure chest. I thought this game would be a great introduction to gaming for kindergarten. Kindergarteners struggle with direction and obviously do not know anything about gaming. This game would be great for getting kindergarteners use to specific directions and basic gaming.
Another option is to use a no-technology game. Students can direct one student with arrows on the floor. The one student can only move with specific arrow directions, students can lead that one person to a place in a classroom and work together.
Jeff Hopkins was our guest speaker during our class. He is the founder and principal of Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry.
What really resonated with me was his school’s framework. It seems to be very independent and free where each child can select what they want to work on and for how long. Jeff mentioned that one student was working on a novel and they decided to spend three hours of that school day working on it. Additionally, he mentioned that if a student needs help with math, they can pop in just for ten minutes to work with a teacher.
I find that this free-flowing structure is very interesting. I am personally one of those people who needs structure. I like being told what I have to do and having allocated time to do it, like a normal high school. I do not know how much I would personally like Jeff’s school as it is “unstructured.” However, what I really like is that children and teachers work together and help students with their personal interests. I believe schools should focus more on projects and work on student interest.
I think if students have a passion for something that they are working on, they will work harder on it and truly enjoy what they are learning. I am wondering how more student-based projects can be incorporated into the curriculum.
Jeff also mentioned that a lot of the students that attend his school have learning disabitlies. They seem to thrive in the school environment. I am wondering how aspects of Jeff’s schools can be added into the school curriculum to help those who have learning disabilities.
I personally really resonated to today’s class. Tracey brought up some great points that I related to. I could relate to my personal experience and for my parents personal experience.
I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was in third grade. My third grade teacher talked to my parents about my struggles in class and she suggested to them that I get tested for a learning disabiluty. My teacher was very supportive and kind talking to my parents. My parents gave me the support I needed. I understand this is not the case for some teachers and parents as Tracey mentioned. If the teacher starts off with what their child is struggling with or doing wrong, then the parents will not react well. Addiotanlly in some cases, some parents are not as supportive or belive there is nothing wrong with their child. The result is the child not getting as much support they need.
In my personal experience, when my parents got my test results back, they were scared. They did not know how my future shool career would look like. I am very fortunate to have supportive parents and teachers to help me.
Additoally, technology has been a huge help for my learning. However, I had had lash back from my peers stating that “I do not deserve to have a computer because [I am] not disabled enough,” as they did not et to have one. Tracey brought this up too and it is very harmful and hurtful for students with learning disabilities, it invalidates their struggles.
I hope to use my personal experience to help advocate for my future students learning needs.
I personally have never heard of Ed Camp ever before. I have heard of Pro-D days where teachers attend workshops so they can learn new things regarding teaching from guest speakers and workshops. However, when I heard the word “camp,” I was a little confused by it, maybe because I thought that it would be like a sleepaway camp for teachers. I was completely wrong.
When it was explained to me, I really liked that Ed Camp was free, unlike Pro-D day where you have to pay for workshops. That means anyone can attend and learn new things without any additional costs, as I believe Pro-D workshops and organizing them are expensive. I also really love how everything that is learned is through discussing and communicating with fellow teachers, it is an open conversation. Additionally, I like how participants can come and go as they please and go to a new session if they like.
I understand that Ed Camp is different than Pro-D however, I do think Ed Camp is more accessible and inclusive by including open dialogue. When we tried Ed Camp in class, we proposed new things that we wanted to learn or facilitate. Then we voted on which ones we wanted to participate in. Then we went to each session as we pleased and a timer went off after 20 minutes for an actual proper switch. I think the 20 minutes gave us enough time for all of us to have a meaningful conversation. Everyone was very keen, open, and respectful to comments and questions. I got to hear about my peer’s experiences, which I never usually get to. I think we all learned a new perspective, strategies, questions, and more. I think it is really beneficial for future teachers and current teachers to participate in these meaningful conversations. I hope to do Ed Camp again in the future.
In this week’s class, we learned how to create an interactive video. I found the first initial steps to be easy but when it got to converting my video onto WordPress, I found it confusing. I sometimes find WordPress confusing as there are a lot of options on the side bar. With a little bit of trial and error, I figured it out.
I think this class was very useful because I can bring this skill into my teaching. There were many benefits mentioned regarding the use of interactive videos for teaching. Examples include being able to replay a part that you want to, more student participation and engagement, and fast and flexible delivery.
I did an interactive video about how to create a Pinterest board because I love Pinterest. Here is the link for it.
I think the best way to use video and audio at the grade two level would be to keep the text/word portion very simple and short, while making the visuals attention grabbing and meaningful.
I think H5P could be helpful for grade two as long as it is short and the questions are mostly reasonable to answer. I could do the videos for different topics for grade two like science, French, math, and more. It would also be useful if a student is sick and needs to catch up on work.
I went back home to Vancouver for Thanksgiving however, I was pretty sick with a cold. I thankfully had my mom take care of me. I had lots of soup and sat in my bed for the majority of the weekend. One thing that my mom always did when I was little was to put Vicks on my feet and put socks on when I got to bed. It helps with stuffy noses and coughs, and it works like charm.
It was nice to see my family as I haven’t seen them in a month. I was able to catch up with them and see my dog too. My parents made an excellent Thanksgiving dinner which included turkey, corn, potatoes, carrots, stuffing, and apple pie. Even though I could not really taste it, I knew it was really good.
Since I was sick, now I am catching up on a lot of assignments that I couldn’t do over the weekend. I am pretty happy to be back at school with my peers though. I am also very happy to see my roommates.
Devices are becoming more and more a part of our daily lives. This also includes devices in the classroom, but when should there be a limit?
Some teachers have resorted to “phone jails” for students who “misuse” their phone during class. Is this appropriate?
I believe cell phone jails and or taking away students phones during class is over-exercising teacher authority over students. This includes taking away a single student’s phone when it is against class rules, or to take every students phones away before class.
There are many reasons why I think this is wrong. One of the biggest reasons is that it is taking away someone’s personal property. I believe this is not an appropriate way to approach a child who may be using their phone during class. Instead, the teacher could tell the student to put it back in their bag or have a chat with them after class.
I believe some teachers may forget/diminish why students use their phones in class. I think most teachers are under the assumption that students are bored in class and do not want to learn in class so that is why they go on their phones. However, students may actually have a legitimate reason to go on their phone during class. It may be due to a family circumstance, for example, regarding who may be picking them up after school, and more. This is not a reason for punishment.
Additionally, taking away students phones ruins the trust between students and educators because students are not deemed responsible enough to have their phones during class. It is a conflict when teachers have their phones out when they tell students they can not have them out.
Instead, I believe teachers should build trust with their students. I think if teachers tell students to keep their phones in their bag or on their desk flipped over where they can see them is more appropriate. If a student needs to make a text or phone call, they can leave the classroom to do so.
Hopefully, teachers will build trust with their students and create an adaptive environment for phones and other devices in the classroom. It is clear that handheld devices are not going anywhere in the near future, so we need to learn to adapt our learning environments to include them in appropriate ways.
I really liked Jesse’s presentation on Monday. I think it was very insightful and interesting. He was quite engaging and brought up some amazing points. One point that stood out to me was “what does it mean to cross professional boundaries?” As I am becoming a teacher and going into practicum, I think it is vastly important to reflect on my social media and what is appropriate. I know I cannot post photos of my students online, which I completely understand. However, I also think about my social media as for EVERYONE to see, any information I post about myself can be found. I obviously need to look professional and make a good impression as employers, school districts, students and more can see my posts.
Another point that stood out to me was how teachers need to educate and regulate students on social media. I think children see the world as a safe place, when in reality it can be absolutely terrifying. I think educating and reminding students about social media use, lying about your age on social media, sharing personal information and more is very dangerous. When Jesse told the story about how a teacher saw a student on Grindr, I was thinking “what would I do if I saw a student on a dating platform?” I think the teacher made the right decision and told to the school about the situation because it could have turned dangerous very fast.
After his presentation, social media kinda scares me now. However, looking forward, we as future teachers need to think about our own social media use and our students social media use.
Even though we did not have class this week due to the Queen’s funeral, I am a little stressed. I am still new to technology and I do not consider myself a “techy person.” I still have a lot to learn about setting up my blog and making it look aesthetically pleasing. I also need to get comfortable with other platforms used for this class. I am concerned I will not post something properly or will mess up something along the way. I know my friends will help me throughout the semester and I know my teacher will help too.
Combined with figuring out technology for this class, using different platforms for my other classes is very confusing for me. I feel like there are a billion different things I have to upload to different classes. However, I think I will be able to figure it out. 🙂
