Throughout the duration of this course, I have learned so much valuable information. Spanning from how AI can be beneficial in an educational setting, all the way to digital boundaries and safety. After taking this course I feel more comfortable bringing technology into my future classroom. I really enjoyed talking about gamification and how many different ways it could implemented into the classroom. Whether that be through purely educational games, like those seen on Education Games, or through games like Minecraft. I also enjoyed seeing and learning about different adaptive technologies, especially the cool spy glasses that were brought to class. This knowledge really got me thinking about not only the cool pre-existing technology, but also thinking about how we as teachers can adapt things to better fit student needs.

My entire school career I have been told never to use AI. That AI is cheating, which is not entirely false, but there are so many other things AI can be used for besides cheating on an assignment. AI can be used as an idea generator, a writing editor, or just a fun thing to play around on. My biggest takeaway is that AI should be used as a tool and not as a replacement.

Overall, this course has given me such a leg up when it comes to digital literacy. I greatly enjoyed all the topics covered in the course and I can’t wait to implement my learnings into my future classroom!

The use of phones in classrooms can certainly be beneficial, but there are a lot of drawbacks. For myself I want to teach Kindergarten, which usually doesn’t rely to heavily on the use of phones. I think for the higher grades there is definitely more of a need for technology. For kindergarten technology just becomes frustrating as some students wont be able to conceptualize or use it. A lot of the learning in kindergarten is done through manipulatives and through physical work. So, technology can’t substitute those things. Another big part of kindergarten is learning to be social, learning to share, play together, and interact with one another. Being stuck behind a screen can not only stop social progress but also may give kids anxiety when they do have to interact socially. Overall, technology and phones are great and very useful for older students and prep work, but not so much when it comes to teaching little ones.

Due to certain circumstances I was not able to attend Ms. Johnsons lessons. That being said I went over her slides and discussed with classmates. Ms. Johnson talked about her classroom management techniques and tools she uses. Brittany talked about starting the year with empty classroom walls, saving space for her students future work. This allows students to feel apart of the space and feel like they contributed to the classroom. I really enjoyed Brittany’s point of letting students give you feedback on seating arrangements. I can recall so many times I’d get seated in a place that was not ideal for my learning, and I’d be stuck there due to the teacher not asking for feedback. The key point I took away from overall classroom design is that, collaboration is so important in creating a safe and welcoming space.

Routines are incredibly important for students, especially young or students who may be on the Autism Spectrum. Not only a consistent routine, but a visual one as well. Visibility is important for students who may struggle with things like auditory processing, memory, language. Pictures are universal, and also let students have a form of independence. Alleviating students having to ask you what the schedule is for the day. Just as it’s important for students to have a routine, it’s just as important that you as the teacher set realistic expectations. A routine tends to only work if you’re consistent, and that comes from both sides.

The last thing I’ll touch on is the idea of a digital portfolio for your students. I really like this idea, as it can give great data on educational growth. A digital portfolio can also allow parents to check in with their students learning, more than just at parent teacher conferences. Digital portfolios can also alleviate the risk of losing work. Overall I am very sad I missed Ms. Johnsons lecture, but I hope to learn more in the future.

I believe coding has many opportunities for learning outside of math related content. Coding is an interesting way to teach that language extends past English, French, Spanish etc. That being said even within coding there are different languages. This idea could also be related to the idea of music as a language to make the concept easier to grasp, as most students have had exposure to music. Coding and computational thinking can be seen through activities like robotics. I remember when I was in grade 5, we built Lego Mindstorms. Which are robots which you build and program to do certain tasks. In my certain activity we were instructed to code our robots to do things like, go straight for 5 seconds, then turn 90° to the right, then continue straight for 5 more seconds. This made us as students use a computational thinking method, breaking down how we needed to program robots. Coding has many educational purposes outside of math and should be explored!

Effective Features of Gaming!

One of the most effective features of using games for education, is the fact that they are fun. They distract from the fact you’re learning, if done well. That distraction from learning can increase attention span and productive worktime. On the flip side if to many games are used students may come to resent normal work and want everything to be a game. Games and technology are also exciting especially to younger students, this may grab students interest on topics they weren’t initially keen on. Games may also make topics easier to understand, as they often take a multimedia approach. Using visuals and sounds, quizzes, and check ins to make sure students are following along and understanding. Overall gaming can be super beneficial in the classroom and should be used as a tool.

The word sketchnoting is new to me, but the action is all to familiar. Through this weeks learning, I found that I use sketchnoting every time I’m taking notes. I find I always include small images and arrows, different text, and shorthand that I’ve made up. This tool can definitely the age I want to teach. Grade 5 aged children are getting ready to make the switch to Middle school, which tends to be where note taking really takes off. So, giving your students the skills to quickly sketch something down can save them a lot of time. It also will give students the opportunity to just listen to the lessons, instead of worrying about writing everything down. I wish I had been taught the idea of sketchnoting way earlier.

The SAMR theory I had a bit of trouble understanding, but I from what I grasped I could use the theory to evaluate the technologies I use in my classroom, finding ways to bring more skill development into activities. Not only more educational development, but also just real life practical skills. Such as, resume formatting, how to use technology safely, how to use Excel, etc. The SAMR theory is not meant to replace old technology, but to make the old technology have more substance. The basics are still needed in order to build off of them. I would like to look more into the SAMR theory, so I can maintain a better understanding.

Image with Alt text!

Updated Video with accessible interactions

REFLECTION

I think a major reason accessibility practices aren’t more common is purely due to the fact that people tend to take their able bodies for granted. Another reason I think and it’s a sad reason, but it just takes more effort to make thing accessible. This isn’t always the case as things like colour design can be thought of before. Things like captioning videos and adding alt text take time and unfortunately some people don’t want to give that time to make things accessible by all, which is truly unfair. There needs to be more accessibility within accessible technology.

I know one thing I don’t often think about is colour blindness, or other kinds of eye conditions other than total blindness. While doing the activities for this week, I found that my website colours may not be super visible to all. I’m currently trying to brainstorm a better colour scheme for my website in order to make it accessible. Looking at my favourite website, using WAVE. It did amazing, with only minor issues like broken links, but contrast was perfect! Check out Indigo for quite the accessible website.

3D modelling and printing allows for creative cross-circular activities. An example I can think of is to get your students to design simple math games involving manipulatives. Then allow your students to design and print their needed pieces. This not only shows students a practical use for 3D printing, but also provides a math activity. Another idea is to get students to draw physical name tags, then get your students to recreate their designs in a 3D modelling program. This activity would be a great introduction for how to move letters, change object colours, and really just the basics for 3D modelling. I think TinderCad is great for beginners, I found it very user friendly and I think it’d be alright for teaching grade 5-12 aged students.

3D printing allows for students to be creative and see their visions come to life. 3D modelling also allows students to learn a new skill or possible find a new hobby. Not only does 3D printing allow creativity, but it also can be used for practicality. Whether it’s making a mug or hooks, so many thing can be created with 3D modelling. A downside is that it’s quite expensive, not only the printers themselves but the filament used to actually print your designs. If you had a large class the cost may make 3D printing unaccessible. That being said if you have access to 3D printing its an amazing resource for education!

Generative AI is a double edged sword. Most people use Gen AI on a daily basis, whether it’s google helping you complete a search, or your smartphone finishing a word before you even start typing it. Generative AI can be greatly beneficial in an educational environment, but also quite destructive. I know for myself there have been times where I spend hours writing a paper, only to get to the editing stage, where I then have to read back everything I just wrote. I end up only skimming my work, instead of thoroughly reading it through. That being said a program like Grammarly tends to help me slow down and actually read my work. This is because I know to have some distrust with AI and its chance of hallucinations. So, instead of rushing through my work and handing in something that isn’t polished, AI helps me to slow down and really benefits my education. On the flip side there is the temptation to let something like ChatGPT write an entire essay for you. I know there have been times where I have been so overwhelmed with school work and life, it just seems easier to let AI do a project for me to save all the hours of work. This is where I believe AI becomes an issue, when it is no longer used as a tool, but is used as a replacement for your brain. AI can be great for education, but only if its not replacing the work and learning, but rather enhancing it.

Generative AI has quite the major limitation. As AI cannot create new things, rather it pulls from a database of pre-existing information. This means there is a lot of room for error and plagiarism, and without proper education on the subjects you are using AI for you may be using false information without realizing. This is why AI needs to used as a tool rather than a replacement. AI also uses a lot of power, which in a world where the environment isn’t doing too hot, isn’t super beneficial. This especially has an impact on places that don’t use clean energy, which only worsens our climate crisis.

AI LINKS: https://www.grammarly.com https://openai.com/chatgpt/

As useful as H5P is for older students, I think it is much to confusing for primary aged children. As an adult I struggled figuring out how to use it, so I cannot imagine someone with no technology skills, trying to use it. I believe a software like IMovie is much easier to teach younger kids. When it comes to introducing topics like screen capturing and video editing, I find it’s important to not overwhelm students. With confusion from complex programs comes bad experiences, which only pushes the student further away from wanting to do those activities in the future.

Photo by Bas Peperzak on Unsplashed

I hope to teach primary aged students, K-3. With those slightly older kids starting off teaching things like stop motion. First giving the students the assignment of writing a short story, giving them a base to start their videos with. Then give options of items like Lego figures, glass beads, or Play-Dough. Get your students to re-create their stories using stop motion. Let your students take all the pictures, maybe giving a lesson on basic camera angels first. Then do a guided lesson using screen capturing, showing them a step by step on how to import, and move images around in an editing software like IMovie. Letting the students bring their stories to life, brings a level of engagement, a more structured assignment might not have.

LINKS: https://www.webkinz.com Music: Monkeys Spinning Monkeys · Kevin MacLeod · Kevin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdgPZ0u3zQ