Category: EDTC 300

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The Balance Between Productive & Unproductive Tech Use…

In my daily life, I use many different social platforms through majority of the day. My main social platform apps that I use are the usual like Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram & YouTube. For study purposes, I use the Notes app on my iPhone quite frequently, Microsoft Word & Microsoft PowerPoint. Finding the balance between the two is hard, as social media is addictive & takes up most of my time.

Woman viewing social media content on mobile phone

I am mostly distracted during the day with Snapchat & TikTok. I use Snapchat as my main form of communication with people. It is easy to get distracted on Snapchat with stories; you can click on and on with them and they seem to go on forever! With TikTok, it is the same story, you can scroll on and on and on and sometimes can get stuck down a “rabbit hole.” To help with being distracted during study time, I put my phone somewhere where I can’t see it and turn on “Do not disturb” mode and that seems to help as my phone notifications will come through my laptop as well.

Relating to tech and study, I favour my Notes app on my iPhone. I make a weekly study schedule on my phone that states what I have to do for the week. I also create rough drafts of my assignments on my Notes app, as I always have my phone on me, so It is always convenient if I have an idea, then I can write it down right away. I can also copy & paste from my Notes app on my phone right to my computer which is the most handy dandy thing ever, then I don’t have to re-type anything!

Young woman working and taking notes at home

To complete assignments, I use mainly Microsoft Word & Microsoft Powerpoint. I like them, as I have used them for years, but I don’t like the fact that Microsoft Office has a yearly fee.  I like the layout of both platforms and they are both easy to navigate. I will continue to use Microsoft Word & Microsoft Powerpoint for lesson plans, lessons and anything else my future teaching endeavours entail me to use with these forms of technology.

To find a balance between productive tech use and unproductive tech use, I set up study times on my Notes app and set aside those times for study. I am pretty disciplined with this, as I want to do a good job with my work. But, sometimes, it is easy to pick up the phone and become distracted on numerous apps. Let me know if anyone has anything they do to help with unproductive tech use distraction!

Look forward to hearing from you,

Amie

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Duolingo…Good or Bad?

This week, I used Duolingo to practice learning French. I initially started my learning at the second section because I have a small background in French but I found that too difficult. I didn’t know how to translate the phrases that were being given, so I started at section 1. Section 2 was too advanced for my level I found.

There are five different time frames that you can choose to practice throughout the day. This includes anywhere from 2-20 minutes. I decided to go with 20 minutes as I want to be committed to learning as much French as possible in the upcoming weeks. Along with the twenty minutes each day, I would do extra practice sections to ensure my comprehension in what I had just practiced.

I found Duolingo to be quite fun because the app is like a game. With each section, you earn XP which then “levels you up” to the next module. You can also earn a streak which motivates you to keep practicing each day. If you don’t practice each day, you will lose your streak.

The only downfall about Duolingo is if you want to practice extra, then you have to have enough “hearts” to continue on. If you make a mistake, you lose a “heart.”  To gain more “hearts,” you have to wait an hour or longer or pay for Duolingo Pro which is $119/year which is out of a lot of people’s budgets.

All in all, I enjoyed Duolingo to practice learning French. It’s very motivating and fun with how you can “level up” to different modules and have an on-going streak. But, I don’t like that you have to pay for Duolingo Pro to get extra “hearts” if I want to practice extra.

Week 1 Practicing French

 

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Learning Project: Future Pro in Francais

For my learning project, it was between journaling, cooking and learning French. At the end of it all, I decided to learn French. I ultimately decided on French because the only language I know fluently is English and although I may not be fluent in French by the end of this, I want to be able to speak and write a little more in the French language.

learning French concept

I do have a bit of background in French from being in French classes in elementary school and from taking French 100 at the university (but that was a long time ago). So, I want to refresh my mind on what I already know and to learn how to be able to have a conversation with someone in French. My background knowledge in French includes:

  • the months of the year
  • the days of the week
  • the colours
  • the seasons
  • some numbers
  • basic sayings such as “My name is…”

I will eventually be teaching French to my students potentially, so I want to know a bit of how to converse in French and be confident that I know it off hand instead of having to look it up. One  of the resources that I plan on using is Duolingo.

Another resource that I plan on using is different YouTube channels to help me walk through speaking and writing in French. I am very excited but also nervous to begin because learning a new language takes A LOT of motivation & practice. But, I am looking forward to being able to speak and write a bit in French by the end of this! I wish everyone good luck on their learning projects going forward!

Sincerely,

Amie

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Introduction to Excitement about Educational Technology

Hello everyone, my name is Amie Sutton and I am in my fourth year of the elementary education program. Some things about me are:

-I have a Boston terrier named Daisy

-I love 80’s music

-I love the colour pink

-I love tacos & burgers

-I work part time as a care provider for individuals with disabilities

EDTC 300 is one of my elective classes that I am to take and I chose it because I am interested and eager in learning more about educational technology. I know that phones are a common technology item to use every day and that students use in classrooms. But, they are currently being banned from the classroom with mixed opinions being attached to the ban.

 

Cropped shot of an african-american young woman using smart phone at home. Smiling african american woman using smartphone at home, messaging or browsing social networks while relaxing on couch

I have experience with blogging using edusites in other classes. It has taken some time to get used to, but the set up with the categories this time seems pretty straight forward! I enjoy blogging to get my thoughts out and to learn more from other people. I look forward to learning in EDTD 300!

Sincerely,

Amie