Category: Weekly Reflections (Page 1 of 2)

I cannot believe we have reached the last week of EDCI 336! I have learned so much throughout this course and it has been a great opportunity to discuss and explore many topics related to EdTech.

One of my favorite topics was AI, because it is a topic I have been interested in but have also been apprehensive to explore. Through our discussion, I was able to explore different types of AI and realized the many benefits of generative AI. I believe resources such as Craiyon and Chat GPT could be very useful in my future teaching career. Craiyon is a great tool for creating AI images, which is an easy and accessible way to create our own content. Similarly, Chat GPT is a great tool to generate written content. However, as we discussed in class, it is important to be critical of what Chat GPT comes up with. Here is a video I found on how to incorporate Chat GPT into your teaching.

I found the most challenging part of the course was practicing screencasting. It took quite a bit of time to figure out and I found it rather tedious. However, I understand the importance of teachers having these different skills. I also think it is very important for teachers to always be learning new things and to not avoid certain tools or topics because they are not confident with using them.

I plan to incorporate tech into my teaching in many ways. I would like to start using Chat GPT to help with my lessons planning (this has been allowed by our practicum leaders), incorporating technology to make classrooms more accessible and engaging for students such as using speech to text or games in the classroom, and using inquiry in classrooms to allow students to explore topics they are interested in and showcase their learning in many ways. I’d love to hear how others plan on incorporating tech into their teaching?

This week’s topic was on gamification and coding in classrooms. I think that the gamification of the curriculum is an amazing way to motivate and engage students. Additionally, using games such as Minecraft or Roblox in the classroom is a good way to connect with your students (as long as you know the right lingo!). I think people underestimate the learning that can happen with games, although they do need to be effective games. A danger with using games can be that you don’t actually focus on leveraging the curriculum and instead just choose fun and cheerful games. While those can be a good way to get kids engaged and excited, it is really important to choose games that are effective and educational.

Here is a video I found about the use of games in the classroom, and although it contains a paid partnership it still has some good reasons to use games and some examples. I would love to hear others thoughts on using games in the class.

I think I would want to bring in games early on into my classroom. I’m hoping to one day teach K-3 and I think that is such a great age to use games. I wonder what others think about using games in the classroom? Let me know in the comments!

Bringing in coding is another really great way to engage students. Additionally, I think having at least a passable knowledge of coding is practically essential in today’s society. Many jobs nowadays are in technology sectors and even jobs in other sectors often include some sort of technology aspect whether it is website designing, social media promotion or something more complex.

Micro:bit is a very useful resource that I was introduced to a little earlier this semester when Science Venture came into our Science Pedagogy class. I love how it is such a straightforward interface that even with no coding knowledge you can start working with it. This means that not only is it easy for students to use, it is also simple for teachers to incorporate in their classrooms. It would not take too much learning for a teaching to have a proficient understanding of the technology. Technology is often a very scary thing for teachers to bring into classrooms, usually because they are not confident with it. Therefore, having easy to use resources can make these topics more accessible which I believe is a huge benefit to students.

This week we engaged in an EdCamp Unconference, with various groups discussing topics that were of interest to us. Going through the process of coming up with topics, organizing them, combining them, and then scheduling them was a very interesting look into how these conferences actually work. I liked that we were able to pick the topics we were interested in not have to pick from predetermined topics. There was a lot of choice in this, which felt empowering and engaging. I really enjoyed being able to discuss these topics with my peers because we don’t often get a chance to actually discuss these topics and everyone brings something different to the table.

I chose to discuss how to manage difficult behaviour and bringing community involvement into classrooms. I found the conversation about managing difficult and disruptive behaviours most interesting. Our group had lots of good ideas about this topic, and it is a very salient topic for us especially going into practicum.

Some of our ideas included:

• Creating meaningful relationships with students – if they trust you they are more likely to talk through their problems with you.
• Realize they likely have something deeper going on – separate bad behaviour from the idea that they are a bad kid.
• Discuss with parents – they likely have insight into what may be going on with their child.
• Make sure to set clear expectations – have honest and authentic conversations with students about what you expect from them.
• Have lots of supports and resources in your class when you can – things like fidgets, a sensory room, a stationary bike, etc. can be very helpful to manage behaviours.

After EdCamp, I did some more research and found this infographic from Brooke’s Publishing that included a lot of the same points we had made.

What other ideas do people have for managing difficult behaviour? Leave them in the comments!

This week we discussed the complexities of online learning and how it influences accessibility. After experiencing online learning myself throughout lockdown a lot of the pros and cons were familiar to me. While I definitely found benefits from online classes (class in bed!), I also realized that my personal learning and connection within the class were negatively affected. I think a lot of the options provided in class that blend face to face and online learning are the most effective way to optimize accessible learning. While I prefer being in class, having the option to zoom into classes especially when sick is such an important option for me to ensure I stay caught up with class work. I think it would be great to extend this option into the K-12 realm.

I also really enjoyed learning about the 5 R’s of decolonizing and indigenizing online learning. The 5 R’s are respect, reciprocity, relevance, responsibility, and relationships. Bringing in decolonization and indigeneity is such an important part of teaching but it can be so difficult to know how to do it, especially as a white settler. Having the resources to integrate these concepts and weave them throughout our teaching is so helpful.

Many parts of Meghan’s discussion really resonated with me including her thoughts on inclusion. One thing she mentioned that most of my classmates were really excited about were Shelly Moore’s seed packets as a way to let kids explain the support they need and who they are as learners. I plan to implement these in my classroom as they are a great way to get to know your students and provide the most effective support to them. They are also a cute way to do it and can be hung on the wall if the students give consent.

Another really important part of inclusion from Meghan’s discussion is allowing students to present in different ways. I really like the idea of allowing students to have their presentation presented by the teacher, presenting just to the teacher, or do the presentation to the whole class. As someone who struggled with social anxiety, if I had been given the option to just present to the teacher I would have felt a lot less anxiety around presentations. However, I also believe that because I was required to do this presentations throughout my school career, I have become quite adept and confident with public speaking. Would I have gained the skills even without having to do presentations throughout school? I do not know the answer but I am curious what others think/ or other peoples experiences. Let me know in the comments!

This week we discussed topics of inclusion and accessibility and how we can use technology to help reduce barriers and make a more inclusive class. Simone’s discussion was very insightful and helpful in regard to inclusive education. Having a more inquiry based model allows a much more inclusive learning experience because it does not require students to be confined in the traditional classroom environment.

I think using technology to reduce barriers and improve accessibility is a great way for teachers who are working in traditional classrooms to approach these issues. Because a lot of the accessibility benefits that Simone mentioned involve having more time to speak with teachers either one-on-one or in larger discussions, and unfortunately that might just not be possible in traditional classrooms. However, if classrooms were better equipped with technology such as speech-to-text and closed captioning would take some of the pressure off the teacher while still supporting the students.

Additionally, I think certain changes such as having different types of seating, having fidgets available, and having a “cozy corner” are relatively easy changes, that I plan to implement, that can have a big effect on students feeling supported and included in the classroom. Along with that I think it is important that all students have access to these resources so that no one child feels singled out and because I believe all students regardless of designation can benefit from supports. In another class we discussed how to address inclusivity and diversity and were introduced to the Rick Hansen Foundation, which has lots of resources available to help create a more inclusive classroom especially in regard to disabilities. I plan to integrate some of these lessons and activities into my classroom some day. After talking with a classmate, we realized we both really appreciated this resource and planed to use it in the future.

The most important thing to me that I believe fosters inclusive education is creating a welcoming and supportive classroom community. Focusing on building relationships also allows you to get to know what will help the students succeed and create a feeling of trust from the students to ask for what they need, knowing they will be listened to and heard.

Our discussion on AI was very interesting this week. The first two videos that were shown were crazy, although I did guess that both videos were AI, it still blew my mind that they could be created with a single line of text. The use of AI has always been a complicated topic for me because while I see the benefits, I am also wary of the drawbacks that come with AI use as well. One issue that I find quite important is the inherent bias that exists in AI. I think we have to be really careful to be aware and make accommodations for this bias when AI is trained using only white faces or western culture.

I never really thought about how things like Google Maps uses predictive AI. I had always thought of myself as someone who didn’t really use AI but I never considered all the forms of predictive AI with which I had interacted. This, along with our discussion about how AI actually works including trying out the Google Doodle AI training, makes me more open and interested in trying out AI. While I consider myself pretty “tech-forward”, AI has been the one thing I have definitely avoided.

I really enjoyed trying to recreate the one picture of a flower using computer-assisted art programs (Canva) and AI art programs (Craiyon). It was interesting to me that many people found the AI quicker while I felt like it was easier to use Canva as I could directly choose what I wanted instead of trying to input the right line of text. However, I have quite a bit of practice with Canva, as well as an account already, so that helped make it a quicker process for me.

Although I wrote most of this myself, I did want to try out the challenge posed to us to use AI in the creation of our blog post so I asked Chat GPT to “write a paragraph on the pros and cons of using AI in schools” (which might I say felt very meta). Exact prompts are in quotation marks.

Here is what it gave me initially:
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in schools presents both advantages and challenges. On the positive side, AI technologies can enhance personalized learning experiences, tailoring educational content to individual student needs and pace. Automated grading systems can alleviate the burden on teachers, allowing them to focus more on interactive and creative aspects of education. AI-driven tools can also identify learning gaps, providing timely interventions to support struggling students. Moreover, AI can facilitate the development of critical skills such as problem-solving and collaboration through interactive simulations and educational games. However, the use of AI in schools raises concerns about data privacy, as these systems collect and analyze vast amounts of student information. Additionally, there is a risk of over-reliance on technology, potentially diminishing the role of human educators and the personal touch they bring to the learning environment. Striking a balance between harnessing the benefits of AI and maintaining the human element in education remains a crucial consideration for the successful implementation of these technologies in schools.

I then asked it to “condense to 3-5 sentences” and got this:
The use of AI in schools offers personalized learning and efficient grading systems, fostering critical skills. However, concerns include data privacy issues and the risk of diminishing the role of human educators. Balancing the benefits of AI with the preservation of the human touch in education is crucial for successful implementation.

Overall, I am quite impressed with generative AI, and am looking forward to exploring it more, but will likely keep writing most of my own blog posts etc. (I also made sure to use “please” and “thank you”…. because you never know right).

Separate from AI, I thought Miro was an interesting resource that I could use in a classroom. In my Link2Practice I was exposed to Jamboard and was disappointed when I learned it was being discontinued. I think giving the students the ability to write in real time on a digital whiteboard is a useful way to increase participation especially for students who might not feel comfortable speaking up in class.

This week we chatted about teachers as content curators and the importance of effective curation of resources. Curation not only helps you learn about the content itself, but also helps you teach curation to students. We also discussed many other reasons for content curation including using resources more effectively, ensuring good quality content, and preserving instructional time (from Week 5 slide deck). I thought our discussion about the three steps of content curation including reading the resource, organizing and refining information from the resource, and then sharing the information was interesting because I had never really thought about the specific steps of curation. The most novel information for me was the sharing component, even though I unconsciously knew that curation inherently includes sharing the content out again, I never really considered that it was a distinct and required step.

Since each step in the content curation process has different tech you can use, I ended up trying a lot of new tech this week. I was already very familiar with Pinterest as a way to find content, but I tried Notion as a way to organize content and Padlet as a way to share content. These were both new to me so involved some exploring and practice to figure them out.

I think notion is a very interesting resource especially since it has so many templates you can use. I started using it to keep track of my assignments and while I still don’t have a complete grasp on how to use it, I have been finding it helpful. Since you can create many different pages and categories I think it will a very useful tool to keep lots of information organized while also keeping it in one place. I have always been a “list person” so it is just another place I can make and keep lists (although I am never giving up my paper and pen lists!).

I also developed a Padlet for my learning pod to keep track of our inquiry projects and work on our presentation. I wanted to try Padlet as I have never heard of it and I thought that making one for our learning pod would be a good way to try it (plus I heard other groups did it during class). Because we have very busy schedules it can be hard to meet in person every week, so our pod discussed using digital tools to keep up with each other in addition to meeting in person when we can.

I have felt a little more inspired compared to last week and have made some video content which seems to be performing better. It can be really demotivating when you put a lot of work to create a video and have it tank in performance. I try to separate quality from performance because I know in the long run it is more important to make quality content than push out a lot of lower quality content that might get higher views but not provide any real value. Through this process, I have learned that reels definitely are more effective at converting viewers to followers.

I spoke to one of my content creators friends who along with her own fashion Instagram, also works for a travel and tourism account for Victoria (NearMe Victoria) about the best content to create. She told me that video content is most important and to keep clips very short to maintain attention and retain viewers until the end of the video. We have discussed whether more aesthetic videos with music or talking videos perform better but it seems like it is always changing. Although she does have lots of success, especially on her work account, we both struggle with understanding and predicting what the algorithm will favour. It is so helpful to have people in my community that I can discuss social media and collaborate with. It is a bit like our PLN that we have discussed in class, but for a different aspect of my life.