Over this last semester I have taken in the opportunity to explore the nature all around me. Through encouragement of make blog posts like these, I have been able to see parts of the island that I never knew existed.
Below I have added a collage of photos taken throughout my hiking trips within the past three months. Although not all were taken on the island, I have gained even more love for this place I call another home!
I know that it was beneficial for me to go on these hikes for many different reasons. I aim glad I chose hiking as my inquiry project as it got me out of the house and physically active. it gave me a new view of Vancouver Island as a whole and I am very thankful for this opportunity.
Looking back on this course throughout this past semester, I have definitely learned a lot. This course has taught me many useful things and ideas that will help me along my teaching journey. A key takeaway from this course has been the idea of making sure that assignments and lessons can be adapted to those who need to use the adaptations wether that means audio to written work or transcripts of audio work. All of the things that I sketch noted above are things that I will try to incorporate in my future classroom.
For this weekâs hike I went to Goldstream Falls. I heard about this hike through a friend of mine that has done it before. I would say that the views of this were well worth it. In the photo below you are able to see all of the fish in the water. On All Trails this hike is rated as a moderate hike. I would agree with this rating with understanding that parts of this trail include lots of stairs as well as some fallen debris that may be more challenging for visitors to go through. In my star rating below, I rate the accessibility a 3/5 because I’m caught between two different views! This hikes accessibility could be seen as poor because of the challenges you face on the trial itself for example, the stairs. This trail could also be seen as quite accessible due to its clearly marked trails with supporting signage.
Overall this was an enjoyable trail that I would highly encourage others to adventure on!
This image is from our hands on time during class. I took some time looking into the brightness setting and moving my phone around, comparing the lighting at different angles and different spots of my room. I also found it neat that this app could create a record of how fast I was moving my phone each time.
This week we talked about Digital devices and compared whether they are “bicycles for the mind” or “distraction machines”. Personally, I believe that technology has created a great opportunity for students and teachers to use in a classroom setting. If used correctly, I think that devices can benefit any classroom in a variety of different age groups. These technologies can also be looked at through a negative lens and people may see devices as being disruptive, distractive and an opportunity that can impact students negatively. I do understand that they can become a distraction and that is why I emphasize the need for them to be used correctly and at the appropriate times.
Although these devices can create positives opportunities and engagements in the classroom, they could be seen as disruptive, distractive and a opportunity that impacts students negatively. Kids may think these devices can be used for the wrong reasons during class times like games or social media.
The link provided, science-journal is a website version of the hands-on work we did in class. I think that this app would definitely work better with older students. I am interested in teacher students in grades 2-3 where I donât see this resource to be a good fit. This resource would be too complex and I feel that it could potentially be a distraction to the concept of the lesson intended. Another drawback that we talked about was possible privacy or security issues. When students are new to using public websites/online media it is important that they keep their personal information aside to prevent any bigger issues.
During this weekâs class, Brittany Johnson was our quest speaker. She came to share with us her classroom management strategies that have worked for her. We talked about things like SEL check-ins, modeling, soft starts etc.Â
Routine is a very important aspect of classroom management. It sets the students up so that they know what to expect and they can become more comfortable in the classroom. Brittany talked to us about SEL check in which stands for social and emotional learning. An example of this is like the check ins that we do as a class or the Inside Out one that was shared by her. The idea of these check-ins is a simple way to connect with you students right from the beginning of each class.
Brittany also took time to explain something that she has found as a positive experience for her students. She expressed the use of âsoft starts.â This idea is what helps students get into the classroom and begin their day with an easy self-instructed activity. This activity can be something that also transitions into the dayâs activity or lesson. Brittany expressed that this routine could help students and the teacher to get everyone level and ready to learn.Â
The idea of self-check-ins and soft starts can be beneficial for a wide range of students. I believe that even as students get older it is appreciated when the teacher considers how they are feeling and having an opportunity to talk about things that may be going on or how the teacher can help the students. Soft starts can be a positive addition for a wide range of students as well, although I do think that as students get older that may give them an opportunity to arrive late, knowing that they aren’t missing any important information/ instruction.
Brittany is a K-12 French Immersion educator. She uses these classroom management strategies in a variety of age groups. After reflecting in the paragraph above about how it could be harder to engage older students in soft starts, I went an did some research of my own. I found this website Soft start for older students that has soft start ideas that are more inclined to work with the older aged groups of students.
During this week class we learned about the concept of incorporating games and coding into the classroom. We watched some videos and looked at some articles to help us better understand the benefits as well as the disadvantages of using games and coding in a classroom. We took some time to try out simple games ourselves and learned how specific instructions are/ need to be in order for the player to make progress or learn what is being portrayed.
I was unable to insert a screenshot of my coding due to problems with the website.
Throughout my school years, I can only ever remember my experience computer class as very simple and student lead. I remember in younger years we use a website to learn how to help us type with two hands. We learned where keys are and how to place your hands so that you wouldnât have to move them as much. When we would look at coding games it would generally be âCool Math Games for Kidsâ and nothing really lesson based that taught us a specific concept. As I got older, in middle school, we would have computer class, but it wasnât engaging and I didnât do things like coding or educational games it was more of lessons on how to use computer softwareâs like Word, Excel, etc.
During hands on activity time in class, I was reflecting on how the games I was playing could be useful in the classroom. I found that some of them required less thinking and it was more of a free time. To play around with the activity. On the other hand I also found some games that required more thinking and problem solving. Computation thinking is the concept of using decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithm while problem solving. Computation thinking can help learners become better problem solvers through repetition and time spent working through problems/ obstacles throughout a game.
Gameplay in the classroom can be used as a tool to make traditionally less popular topics more engaging for some learners! Some concepts or topics taught in the classroom can be very hard for students to engage with. This goes for all subjects depending on the learner as well as how it is being taught. Gameplay gives another opportunity for students to engage with a lesson in a less formal and instructional way and it gives them time to try and find some âfunâ within the topic they are needing to learn. Although this is the case for some students, it is not beneficial for all types of learners!
For this weeks hike I drove to Qualicum with a friend. Qualicum is a very familiar place for me, I have been going on family trips there during the summer since I was 5 years old! I went on a hike to, âEnglishman River Fallsâ which is just over two hours away from UVic campus. I found this hike on All Trails as well as through conversation with my mom who has done it before!
Englishman River Falls is a very short trail loop that includes upper and lower falls. Although it is short, it has some amazing views and some nice spots for swimming in the summer! This trail is well maintained and easy to navigate.
My star rating would be:
Difficulty: 1/5 Stars
Views: 5/5 Stars
Accessibility: 5/5 Stars
Although this hike was short and easy, I liked the adventure of travelling outside of Victoria to explore a new part of the island. The place itself wasnât new to me but the hike was. I am in hopes that I will be able to see some more views of different hikes along the island for my last couple inquiry posts. Maybe I will head in the direction of Sooke next time!
This weeks inquiry post is going to look a little different. I didn’t make it out of the house over the weekend due to the Atmospheric River we endured as well as the fact that I am battling the flu! For this week I decided to look into how technology has enhanced hiking.
Technology has created expertise on a variety of things that can help prepare hikers before they go into the outdoors. The websites I’ve been using and linking in my recent inquiry posts are dependent on where I am trying to go on my hike. The websites that I have used while looking for hikes in my area are Victoria or Vancouver. While using this technology, it is very helpful to find hikes in my area or a certain level of a hike that I want to go on, etc. These websites tend to include, the maps to the trail/s in the mountain, a map to get there, safety tips, and expertise on the hike itself.
I have seen that the hiking apps some people use while hiking can give you all different information like where the elevations in the hike are, along with distance and time you have left to go. Something I found pretty neat is that if you allow the app to track your steps it can also help you if you get lost off the main trail! I think that this is a great thing about technology and it is very helpful.
I have found this technology to be very helpful when I’m trying to decide which hike to go on. I make sure to pay attention to things like, the difficulty rating along with the duration of the hike. While planning hikes in the past I have always looked at a Trail app or website before going on the hike and I compare the results when I am done. I have always found these to be very accurate.
Something I also think is very important is, not only getting the internets results but also being able to see how other people have experienced it. With the specific websites that I have used in the past, I haven’t found any way to comment on the hike or read anyone else’s comments. Although I know that there are other hiking websites that do have this option.
Below I have included an example of what the hiking apps show.
This week we learned the benefits and disadvantages of sketch-noting and infographics. Sketchnotes are a way to take quick and understandable notes while listening to something like a lecture. This way of note taking is ‘dual coding’ which means you are taking in information through writing and making small sketch drawings along side your notes.
Below, I have included a photo of the sketches that I made during this weeks class. We used this website, Skill Building Workshop to learn quick ways to scetch drawings.
In class, I chose to make a sketch note for ESL students to learn English. I made sketch notes of different symbols of Canada like a Canadian goose. I also included a drawing of a notepad including the names of 3 places in Canada. Below is a photo of the sketchnoting that I did in this weeks class.
The SAMR theory of technology adoption can help teachers evaluate technologies that could be considered to use in a classroom. The SAMR stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. Without diving into each aspect of the SAMR Theory, each word stands for a different way that technology can change or enhance the learning of students with given tasks. The top two on the scale can enhance the learners learning without changing the way the information is given or received. whereas the bottom two give technology the ability to change tasks with redesign or make them completely new. Teachers can use this theory to help evaluate technologies they want to use by seeing where it aligns with the picture below.
Sketchnoting can be beneficial but it can also have its drawbacks. In the future I’m hoping to teach a lower elementary grade like grade 2-3. Learners in these grades are less likely to benefit from something like sketchnoting because it won’t be used in the classroom setting. The idea of sketch noting and Infograph’s would be more beneficial in classrooms with older students where they will be taking their own notes.
This week we learned about Assistive Technology and equity. It is very important that we make education more equitable for learners with a wide range of learning needs. While using technology to enhance aspects of the classroom there can be several benefits along with some drawbacks. During this class we also talked about how we can make our own websites more accessible. We can make it accessible by either using automated closed captioning tool or H5P to add text to boxes or labels through the video to convey the message you are communicating in text form.
Accessible photos allow the observer to see a visual representation of what is being read and/ or spoken about. Photos help teach lessons to a wide range of learners. The photo I included is a picture of my ukulele, this photo could help its observers understand what it looks like and its relative size. This is a good example of how accessible photos could be used in a music class/ lesson!
Accessible videos is another technology tool that can be used to help widen the range of learners that can benefit from the content. I have provided a video from YouTube that teaches people the parts of the Ukulele. The accessibility benefit with this video is the creator is talking along with physically showing the parts of the ukulele. He also enabled closed captions so that people can read along with him or refer back to written text.
A digital accessibility practice that I often see missed is alternative text for images or the enabled closed captioning on many videos! This is a drawback for learners that need the extra support/ learning aspect. While looking into different means of learning, a digital accessibility that surprised me is the lack of closed captions available in videos.
