Category: Weekly Reflections

Throughout my technology class this year I have learned so much about ways to incorporate technology into the classroom as a tool. Here are some of my takeaways from the semester!

https://blogsbyjaime.opened.ca/2024/09/14/weekly-reflection-sept-13/

Most Likely to Succeed

This class taught me about changes we need to make to the education system in order to prepare students for future jobs. It is important to have students learning the material rather than memorizing it because they are stressed about getting an A.

Flipped Classroom

https://blogsbyjaime.opened.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=160&action=edit

This class taught me about how we can have equity in classrooms. Rich discussed having pre work before the class that students can do if they do not feel confident in the material. I did the pre work throughout the semster because I did not feel confident in with the material and it helped me feel less anxious and more prepared for classes.

Generative Ai

https://blogsbyjaime.opened.ca/2024/09/28/reflection-gen-ai/

I used to be so scared of using chat gpt in my university classes however I have learned that it can be a very helpful tool if you are using it correctly. I know use it for help with lesson plans and many other things that can save time.

3D Printing

https://blogsbyjaime.opened.ca/2024/10/04/reflection-oct-4/

This class was a little out of my comfort zone because I have never done 3D printing before. Although I found it a little difficult it was really fun and I think having more practice would be good.

Assistive Technology

https://blogsbyjaime.opened.ca/2024/10/17/reflection-oct-14/

Assistive technology is important for many students to have. It can be a great tool for students for example using text to speech can help students who have troubles with reading. Overall, this helps with equity for students.

Sketchnote

https://blogsbyjaime.opened.ca/2024/10/18/reflection-oct-18/

I am not an artistic person so I have never thought out sketch noting before. Rich explained the studies that show how drawing sketches can help students remember more than typing which I thought was really interesting. This is something I will try to do in the future when studying for exams.

Smart phones and tablets are not helpful for students in grades K-3. According to Canadian guidelines kids 5-17 should not receive more than 2 hours a day of screentime. As teachers we have no idea how much screentime these students are receiving at home which is why using these devices in school can be very damaging to young students. Phones have also been banned in schools depending on the district in Canada. Phones can be distracting in classrooms and used in inappropriate ways. 

Cellphone Ban

How will it affect students?

When using the science journal app, I believe it can be extremely useful. However, I think I would make modifications to ensure the students get the best learning experience. When working with elementary level students I would be worried about students either being on their phones and having it be a distraction or not having enough resources to have chrome books in the classroom. I also think some of these would be too difficult for them to do on their own or in groups. The activity I found discusses motion, and I think the best way to do this experiment is as a class because we will stay on task and hit all the main learning objectives. 

This week we were very lucky to have Brittany Johnson a K-12 french teacher teach us about classroom management techniques.

I love how she talked about routine and how this really helps younger kids. I think for any age group routine and expectations are a very important part of classroom management. She discussed how her students know what to do when they come in in the morning and after lunch because she has established this routine. It can bring down stress levels of students, allow for less unnecessary explanation and have students know what is expected of them.

I also loved her point about classroom decoration. She talked about how her classroom walls are empty when students come in and she has the students work fill the walls. She explained how must kids will not care unless they contributed to it which I thought was really cool.

Overall, I think everyone will find their own unique ways of teaching and routine but as a new teacher I love to learn new ways to help students learning and growth.

Additional Classroom Management Skills

This week in class we learned about coding and computational learning. Computational learning can help students break down and understand complex problems. Many people use computational learning in their daily lives such as finances like budgeting, problem solving and cooking. It is important that students learn this so they can be successful in the future. 

There are many non-math related coding and computational learning opportunities for children. For example, you can use coding in a literature subject by having students work with interactive stories that allow them to change the plot. There is a game called episode that allows children to do this. 

Coding games for grade fours

Overall, coding can be a great interactive way for students to be involved and learn computational learning skills 

References:

Photo by Robo Wunderkind on Unsplash

Sketch Note

In todays class we learned about sketch note and did our own. I thought that sketch note is a great way to make notes and retain information. There is a lot of research that proves this which I thought was cool to learn. One thing that I found difficult about sketch noting is that I am not very artistic and found it difficult to not make my sketches perfect. Overall, I think this is a great tool for students.

SAMR

Using SAMR can be very helpful in the classroom. It is important to focus on whether the technology will merely replace existing methods or enhance learning experiences for students. Overall, it is important to use this as a tool to maximize learning for students.

Assistive Technology & Equality in the Classroom

In this week’s class we learned about assistive technology and equality in the classroom. Technology can be very helpful in the classroom and assist students who need help with reading or writing. It allows them to feel engaged and a part of the learning as well as be independent with their learning. For example, using text-to-speech instead of struggling with the reading portion. Overall, this gives all students accessibility to have the same opportunities to grow. 

Digital Accessibility

I really enjoyed learning about digital accessibility because I have never thought about making sure websites and other digital platforms are accessible to people who may have loss of site or hearing. I think this is important to know so information is accessible to everyone. 

Accessible Video About Solitare

References:

Photo by Daniel Ali on Unsplash

This week’s class we discussed generative ai: how to incorporate it into classrooms and use it efficiently.  

Ai is a great tool and can be used in many ways in school settings. However, there are some limitations when using it. Generative AI can have many biases such as race, gender and geographical. This can make it difficult for students when using it. It also can give you the wrong answers or make things up. To avoid having these issues we should teach students to check AI facts and understand the biases. For example, when researching the Vietnam war AI has a bias towards the United States over other countries. Asking more direct questions could help avoid these issues.  

I have found Generative Ai to be extremely useful in other ways for school. Students can use it to help them narrow down big topics to generate ideas. As well as using AI to check their final copy of their writing. In addition, students can use AI to make study guides for their classes to save time and have more time to spend on learning the material. 

A helpful video for teaching AI to students

Overall, AI has disadvantages but knowing how to use it can help make it more of a beneficial tool! 

References:

https://unsplash.com/photos/a-close-up-of-a-pink-wall-with-glitter-sprinkles-mEawZ3YloK4

For this week’s reflection I really liked the flipped classroom model. This model is used by giving students pre class work to prepare for the lesson. Students are welcome to do this if they are feeling like they do not have a good grasp of the subject to feel more comfortable. In addition, students who feel they understand the concepts do not have to do the pre-class work. This is a wonderful way to help all students feel prepared and equal in the classroom. I think the strengths of this are giving students independence in their own learning and allowing them to feel prepared for lessons which can help students feel less anxious. A weakness could be students feeling overwhelmed with having to get the pre work done before class. This strategy is great however, it is not suitable for all age groups. I think this would be beneficial for grade sixes and above considering they are more mature and would be able to understand this concept. 

After watching the multimedia video, it is an amazing strategy and tool to add into classrooms.

https://youtu.be/g-sknUVq1mk?si=bXvGUfpXHC77tAWL

I remember my grade 11 bio class we would go through power points that would have photos and a paragraph of text and I would have to look at one or the other and try to type notes as fast as possible. I usually would not retain any of this because we were not able to look back and digest any of the knowledge. With the multimedia learning strategy, he discusses having photos that only relate to what the learners need to know, having photos and speaking about them rather than having texts, or allowing students access to the power points to go back. Overall, I would use the multimedia strategy in future teaching. 

Having video editing, screen recording and voiceover skills can be extremely helpful when teaching. These skills can help when you are away sick or if your class must be online. This can be used for any grade level, but the most effective grade levels would be grade 3-8. To make these videos engaging it would help to add more photos rather than text and add in questions throughout the video to keep your students engaged. 

My voice over and game!

References:

https://unsplash.com/photos/a-laptop-computer-sitting-on-top-of-a-white-desk-gNb1-SYL5G0?utm_content=creditShareLink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash