Author: cameronlynka (Page 2 of 2)

Listening to Jesse Miller’s thoughts about the use of technology in the classroom had me conflicted. On the one hand, having tech be a source of creativity and access to information can be valuable, especially for inquiry-based projects. The reality is that students will continue to use tech for most professions after finishing grade school, so gaining insight about the best ways to use the information on the internet and applying it is important. The strict cell phone use ban from bell to bell that the BC government announced seems like a step too far. However, I also believe that having no restrictions is perhaps even more detrimental to students’ learning.

When my partner, Sarah, went to observe Royal Bay High School during L2P, she was shocked by the amount of kids who were on their phones during class time. Not only that, some students had their airpods in and were listening to music DURING INSTRUCTION. As Jesse said, kids have always been able to distract themselves in class with things other than cell phones, but to me this is different. Doodling on a piece of paper has been shown to have some benefits when processing information. It does not provide the same level of distraction as content on the internet can provide. Being able to consume this content, which is often created to be addictive, is not tangential to learning. Instead, I believe it would be advantageous to allow to use of devices when applicable to the classroom activity. For example, if students need to research information about a topic for an inquiry project, they could use devices provided by the instructor or their cell phones. This would restrict their usage to the appropriate time and place. In the end, effective teacher instruction & interaction makes the difference:

It did seem to me that Jesse was approaching this topic mostly from a high school perspective. Considering our cohort will mostly be teaching elementary students, I think we should be even more careful with tech access. Too much screen time can cause more behavioural problems for younger children. There are so many fun, engaging ways to explore all of the subject areas that do not involve an emphasis on technology, especially for younger kids. I’m curious to know other’s thoughts on this…how much would you rely on technology in your classroom?

During class this week, we discussed copyright and the limited use teachers have on materials created for educational purposes. Fair use allows teachers permission to use copyrighted material without the need for permission from or payment to the copyright holder. However, there are limitations and considerations. The use must be for educational purposes, and it should be fair, reasonable, and not substitute for the original work. In conjunction with this conversation, we looked at some Open Educational Resources which are legally reusable and adaptable for educators. The flexibility of OER allows for the incorporation of diverse perspectives, promoting inclusivity in the classroom. Additionally, the collaborative nature of OER platforms facilitates knowledge-sharing among educators globally, fostering a supportive community that enhances professional development. With the ability to continuously update and improve content based on feedback and evolving educational standards, OER empowers teachers to create an engaging and relevant learning experience.

When researching types of OERs for elementary classrooms, I found Khan Academy Kids. I have used Khan Academy in the past for high school and university support, so I was excited to see that they have inclusive options for younger learners. It offers a range of activities that cover early literacy and math to engage critical thinking. Also, it is free! I downloaded the app on my phone and set up a teacher account quickly and easily. Here is a screencast of my experience using Screenpal, Edited in Canva, and made Interactive using H5P:

I can see that this type of interactive video could be quite useful for classroom activities, however, I did find using 3 different applications just to make one video to be quite cumbersome. I initially tried to use EdPuzzle and upload my Canva mp4 file, but it was not clear how this video would be interactive when uploading it into WordPress. The H5P extension in WordPress was much easier to use, but I can imagine those who are less tech-savvy to struggle with all of the reuploading and downloading from one piece of software to another.

On another note, I can see myself using LiveItEarth in my classroom. I love the simplicity of the user interface and the differing types of activities. The content is local, such as the Salmon Community Program, which is a great way to invite opportunities for field trips (to Goldstream) to extend the kids’ learning.

I found the “Most Likely to Succeed” documentary to be a well-constructed version of how guided inquiry can be successful in a classroom, even when students are not accustomed to this type of learning. The students were engaged and wanted to produce an output they were proud of. This ambition to perform at a high level was compounded since these projects were completed in groups – the members of each group were held accountable and when there appeared to be less collaboration, the project failed.

Inquiry-based approaches in high schools are not just beneficial for the present but are also crucial for preparing students for the challenges of the future. The emphasis on project-based learning and collaboration enhances students’ soft skills, which are foundational for success later in life. The ability to think critically and solve complex problems using inquiry-based learning encourages students to tackle real-world issues, fostering a mindset that values innovative problem-solving. This prepares them to navigate the uncertainties and complexities they will encounter in higher education and the professional world, making them adaptable contributors to an evolving society.

As an educator, I have imagined my future classroom to be one that promotes student-led learning and free thinking. In order to take that to the next level and have it primarily inquiry-based, there would need to be a substantial amount of planning and organizing for it to be successful. As we discussed in class, good inquiry opportunities (at all levels) also include a good foundation of knowledge and openness to learning. I think as a facilitator, I would need to be willing and able to set the students up for success by knowing their limitations, building this foundation, and giving them proper instruction for them to succeed. In a way, it seems like a risky way to set up a classroom environment, especially as a new teacher. A balanced approach that allows for project-based learning while also giving kids structure would be a good way to get buy-in from the learners, parents, and administration.

I greatly appreciated the time that the guest speaker, Ken Yew, took in Friday’s lecture to answer our questions about student privacy. As the conversation developed, I thought about how there are so many hurdles in public school classrooms that restrict new technologies in the classroom. Teachers need to get buy-in from the students, parents, administration, collegues as well as considering all of the privacy concerns in case there was a data breach.

While teaching at a STEM-based school in South Korea, technology was heavily relied upon. We used it for attendance, incorporating video lessons, coding, reading at home, recording video journals, and many other things. In some ways, I think it limited the amount of creativity that flowed in the classroom it was distracting away from critical thinking. I was also curious about how this amount of screen time could impact student behavior and attention span. Based on the findings from Xie et al., screen time can effect childrens emotional and phyiscal well-being. All that said…what would you do in your classroom, knowing that increasing digital techonologies could put your learners at risk?

Initially, setting up the blog was easy and stress-free. The guide found on the Ed Tech website was fairly straightforward. However, it took ~6 hours for the first activation link with my website address to be sent, and then another 24 hours for the website set-up to finalize so I could access the back end of my website. Since the guide stated it should only take a few minutes, I found this frustrating as my progress was halted and I could not enter a “flow” of getting this first blog post up.

Now that we are all finally here…welcome to my blog! The current plan for my blog in EDCI 336 is to research a different country from around the world each week, learn some of the language, and cook a dish inspired by the history of that country. Hopefully, I can find a YouTube guide created by someone from each country to learn directly from the source.

Thanks for reading, and until next week…Goodbye!