Category: Uncategorized (page 2 of 2)

Reflection Week v

Sketch Notes

I enjoyed today’s class immensely as I loved participating in the creative components. I appreciate the resources we learned about such as sketch notes, which I can see myself using in my future teaching and learning. Below I have given a photo of the sketch note I created:

The topic I chose was camping vocabulary in Spanish. This was a topic that interested me as I would like to travel and camp in Costa Rica in the future. Sketchnoting is a fun and engaging way to become immersed in a topic.

Infographics

Another resource we used this week is using Canva to make infographics. I think infographics are an excellent way to convey ideas in a simple and engaging image. When I was in tenth grade, I was first introduced to infographics and I remember having a breakdown the night before it was due because I found the medium so challenging. As I have had more practice, infographics are one of my favourite ways to present topics. Personally, I enjoy making something visually appealing now but I believe it is important to remember it can be challenging for students when they are starting out. Here is my infographic I created which relates to this week’s personal blog post:

SAMR Technique

In this week’s class we learned about the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) theory of technology adoption can be used to evaluate the impact of technologies in the classroom and determine their level of adoption. The theory categorizes the use of technology into four levels, each offering increasing levels of creativity and transformational impact:

  1. Substitution: At this level, technology is used to simply replace traditional tools and materials, but does not fundamentally change the task being performed. For example, using a word processing program instead of a typewriter.
  2. Augmentation: At this level, technology is used to enhance and improve traditional tasks, adding new features and capabilities. For example, using a multimedia presentation to augment a lecture.
  3. Modification: At this level, technology is used to transform the task itself, changing the way it is performed, but still retaining its original purpose. For example, using a collaborative online platform for group projects.
  4. Redefinition: At this level, technology is used to create entirely new forms of expression and communication, leading to fundamentally new ways of thinking and working. For example, using a virtual reality platform to simulate real-world experiences.

When evaluating technologies for use in the classroom, it is important to consider the level of technology adoption and the potential impact on student learning and engagement. Ideally, the technology should allow for tasks to be redefined, providing new opportunities for creativity and critical thinking. The SAMR theory can also help us, as future teachers, determine if the technology is simply a substitute or if it truly offers new opportunities for learning and growth.

Schetch Note Benefits & Application

As of right now, I hope to teach older middle school, perhaps grade six or seven. I believe sketch noting can greatly benefit learners in grade seven. Sketch noting can be especially beneficial for grade seven learners because it allows them to use their creativity and visual-spatial skills to understand and retain information in a unique and engaging way. Additionally, by using images and symbols, learners can make connections between abstract concepts and concrete examples, leading to deeper understanding and retention. Sketchnoting can also be used as an active learning tool, encouraging students to be more engaged and participatory in their learning. I think in older elementary, learners who do not excel in academics often are disengaged in activities but sketch noting could assist with that. Overall, the benefits of sketch noting can greatly enhance learning outcomes for grade seven learners.

That’s all for this week folk! Thanks for reading!

My Movie List

Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog! This week I will be discussing the results of my survey. Additionally, I will be breaking down the list of the movies I will be watching each week based on peer suggestions, personal sourcing, and my survey results. Hope you all enjoy this weeks post!

First, Let’s break down the results of the survey I released last week:

Overall, I had 23 survey responses from friends, family, and classmates. I even shared the survey on my Instagram to get more participation. When presenting surveyors with 5 movie options, the most chosen options were “He’s Just Not That Into You” (47%) and “Sleepless in Seattle” (31.5%).

When asking people to leave me suggestions of their personal favourite romantic comedy, the results varied much more than other question Is presented. The two most recommend movies were “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” with twenty percent and “The Proposal” with ten percept. Amongst these two movies were 45 different suggestions. So, I have compiled a list of the movies that we’re suggested that have not seen to date.

Taking into consideration movies which were suggested to me, as well as my own personal interest, I have created a list of movies I will watch each week for the 8 remaining blog posts. Without a further ado… drum roll please…

  1. He’s Just Not That Into You
  2. Second Act
  3. The Switch
  4. Hit & Run
  5. Failure to Launch
  6. Sleepless in Seattle
  7. About Time
  8. Crazy, Stupid, Love

I am super excited to get started watching, reviewing, and discussing each movie!Through curating this list I was enlightened to how broad of a genre “Romantic Comedies” are. On this list there is such a vide variety of themes, actors, and plot points. Through my survey I have recognized common themes of Rom Com’s that I usually pick. I also gained insight into what others look for in a romantic comedy which will help me form the criteria I will be critiquing these movies with. Next week I will kick the first review with “He’s Just Not That Into You” and discuss my movie reviewing techniques! Until then, enjoy the trailer for next week’s film!

“He’s Just Not That Into You” Trailer – Rotten Tomatoes Trailers

Weekly Reflection iv

Hey everyone! This week was the the topic I have been most engaged in thus far in the course. I think accessibility is super important in all realms of education. Through elementary and high school I had many friends with diverse needs and abilities and I often wished our classes were more catered to their needs. Through creating subtitles for a YouTube video I discovered the time and care it takes to make media accessible but it is always worth the extra effort!

This photo is of a wheelchair symbol on a sign. This sign is in front of what looks like a wooded areas with lots of greenery. The sign is black and white.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Accessibility for All

Although many educators are now making effort to accommodate those who need accessibility, many means of accessibility are not being reached for all. For example, I have come to know over the years that I am not a strong reader. Often I have tried to copy and paste textbooks into a program that will read it to me however, because of the page formatting it will not allow me to copy the text which is very frustrating. I think accessibility has much to improve on in regards to mental health accessibility such as having lectures recorded so those who need a mental health day or differing circumstances can stay on top of their work. In my opinion, accessibility in post-secondary education has a long way to go yet I am encouraged by the studies it is already taking.

YouTube Subtitle Thoughts

Prior to this class, I had never made, edited, or added subtitles to a YouTube video before. Boy, it was much harder than I had initially perceived. About 3 months ago I had started making a YouTube video of funny moments that happened within the staff at the camp I worked at last summer. Very quickly, I got stuck, frustrated, and eventually fully gave up. When being asked to make a video more accessible, I took it as the perfect excuse to finish it. Although it took me 90 mins to create a 1.5 min video it was so worth it in the end! The computer-generated subtitles through YouTube did not work for me by any means unfortunately, I think it was because I had background music playing in the video. None the less, I added the subtitles by hand and was very happy how the video turned out for my first try! I would like to work on improving my video editing skills in the future and consider how I can further use them in classroom instruction.

“Camp 2022 Highlights” video I created

This Week’s Take Aways:

  • Accessibility has a long ways to go so that everyone is accommodated
  • Adding subtitles takes a LONG time, but I will improve overtime
  • I love video editing! It is so fulfilling when I get a good finished product
  • I should always Struve to make my blog and media as accessible as possible

Until next week!

Reflection week iii

This week was a challenge for me! H5P was very difficult for me to get the hang of and I felt like my mom trying to use her iPhone. Every few minutes I had to ask my peers “How do I do that?” I think H5P is an awesome resource however, based on where my personal abilities stand, I cannot see myself using this in my classroom. I feel as though it would take me too long to set up although maybe my opinion will change over time. If COVID and online learning were to happen again, I think this would be a wonderful way to engage students.

I hope to teach middle school and I think that if I were to assign a creative assignment where students need to make a video I could ask them to make a quiz at the end (using H5P) for their own peer feedback. This would be an excellent method of implementing technology into students learning. As I plan lessons in the future, I will keep H5P in mind as a means of integrating tech into the assessment of other subjects in middle school. I do however think that H5P is quite advanced so I would have it as a minimal aspect of the project but encourage students to be creative and to emerge their peers in their project.

Photo by Patrick Amoy on Unsplash

Although this class was challenging I am encouraged to know that I can always improve. H5P is something I will have to practice and improve on before I would implement it in my future classroom. My lesson from this week is: challenge brings growth!

Free Inquiry II

Hey, y’all! Welcome to my first official inquiry post. For my inquiry project, I will be reviewing a new romantic comedy each week. I am passionate about this project as two of my favourite things are watching movies and analyzing and discussing content. I love being able to recommend things I love to my friends and family. I also believe this project and taking the time to watch a movie each week will be a form of self-care in the midst of the busy school season.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

The first step of this project is getting inspiration for what movies I want to watch. Additionally, I will be researching and exploring by what means I can review and critique each movie. I am interested to explore what criteria I will discover works best to determine how I feel about the given movie. I have already been brainstorming what are some of the best movies to watch and getting some inspiration. Below I have made a short video taking about a Vanity Fair article about the top 33 rom com movies.

Help me with my research! I want your input about what movies I should watch! Feel free to scan the QR code and complete the survey to share your favourites with me!

Free Inquiry

Hello everyone! The free inquiry topic I am considering is reviewing romantic comedies. I have recently had a peaked interested in movies and for a few years, I have kept records of a few movies I have seen and my ratings of them (see picture below).

My previously rated movies

Through this inquiry project I am excited to develop my informal writing abilities. Additionally, I am looking forward to creating a reviewing scheme and determining what the best romantic comedy is at the end of this semester. I hope to review one movie each week. The movies will be rated out of 50. 10 points will be given to plot, 10 points for comedy value, 10 points for acting, 10 points for entertainment value, and 10 points for overall vibes. The next steps for this inquiry project sis to have my meeting to confirm my topic as well as compile 10 movies I will watch throughout the semester. I am planning to determine what movies I should watch based on reccomendations from peers as well as my personal interest. I am excited to have some pracrtice creating a blog and being creative with these reveiws!!!

Reflection week II

Today we talked about the topics including the documentary “Most Likely to Succeed” and AI generator Chat GPT.

The documentary I viewed made me consider my perspective and opinion on the education system as a whole. I think that the education system needs to be reimagined if we as a society are in true pursuit of students being well equipped for the future. I often feel trapped in the “game” of getting good grades to that I can progress to the next step of education (ex: university, career, personal academic accomplishments). However, this comes at the sacrifice of my actual learning. In my experience as a student, I do not feel that high school prepared me for the challenge of university and I struggled significantly in my first year. The documentary highlights that as students, we are conditioned to memorize material and forget it soon after assessment. I believe this is not the most valuable way to learn. I hope that in the future of education the focus will shift to meaningful assessment such as project based learning. Through methods such as project-based learning, students will be able to find deeper understanding in specific area of materials which, in my opinion, is more valuable than a broad understanding in a multitude of areas.

I also think, with the emergence of sites such as ChatGPT, which will inevitably alter the future of education, that there must me a shift in what we ask students to do. To explain what ChatGTP is, I will allow the function define itself: “ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI. It uses deep learning techniques to generate natural-sounding human-like text. It can be fine-tuned for a variety of language tasks such as question answering, language translation, and text summarization. It is trained on a massive dataset of internet text, allowing it to generate a wide range of responses and continue conversations based on the context provided (Chat GPT, 2022).” As I reflect on the diverse abilities of this site, I am faced with a few concerns. The first being the privacy concerns that were discussed in class. The fact that this technology is new and it is unclear of the personal information it uses and what it does with it, I would not be comfortable using this in a classroom setting. The second is a concern as a future educator, this function virtually erases the possibility to ask students to write original essays on topics or reflections. This will reduce the amount of thinking and thus, learning that is done in school classrooms. Which presents the future question – if students can use ChatGTP for all of their work, why are we teaching them skills such as essay writing? In a certain sense, I think tis resource will make educators be substantially more creative with the work they assign students. I believe that in future years we will see in increase in project based learning and personal application of information. Perhaps ChatGPT is the push the education needed to move away from traditional assessment of learning.

Here is a picture taken by a very talented photographer, Rich McCue.

Photo by Rich McCue on Unsplash

howdy

Welcome to my blog!! This is my first blog post. Setting up this site was challenging, but I am excited to expand and explore how I can use this site well! I second guess myself when it comes to technology and question if I have followed the proper steps. I learned today to trust the process and don’t be afraid to ask for help!

I had some initial difficulty setting up the site as I found the information load overwhelming. I enjoy the creative part of designing and writing the blog but as far as waiting for emails… I didn’t enjoy it that much. I think in my role as a future teacher blogging can be useful in communicating homework and announcements to a class in a cyber-safe way. I can imagine that blogging would be useful to curate subject matter for students at a young age to engage in research without giving them access to the whole internet. Overall, blogging can be immensely useful and used in a multitude of areas.