One thing that really stood out to me this semester is just how important it is to build a strong classroom community… (yes even as a university student close to finishing my degree). During my internship, I had a group of students who seemed really divided. I remember giving them a little speech about how much time we spend at school and how we might as well treat our classroom like a second home and our classmates like family. That…
Hey everyone…one last hello (I know, I’m sad too). Here’s a short video to wrap up and share some key things I’ve learned this semester. Thank you for being the best learning community, whether you left kind comments or just stopped by along the way, I truly appreciate you. I know you’ll all go on to do amazing things. Signing off for now… – Alea Lehne
ASL: My Rookie Season Recap Can you believe EDTC is coming to an end already? I know, I know, I am just as sad as you are fellow readers. Below, I wanted to highlight some of the learning that took place for me (so we can reminisce together one last time). Let’s do this in the most “hockey way” possible- if you remember, I am an Oilers fan after all. Without further adieu, let’s get on with … A play-by-play….
Mamma Mia, Here We Go Week 10! I seriously can’t believe it’s already Week 10… it feels like this learning journey has gone by so fast! This week, I decided to take a bit of a crazy approach (not really though, I have used similar apps, lol..) and explore Facebook as my learning project app of choice. Facebook? Really? Yeah… I asked myself that exact question. But then I remembered… I’ve already experimented with other “doom scroll” apps like TikTok…
Exploring SUNO: A Unique AI Tool for Music Creation in Education As a future educator, I’m always curious about new ways to engage students with technology (check my other post on exploring Scratch to see other things I have experimented with). Recently, I found an AI tool called SUNO, and I decided to give it a try. Instead of basic AI tools focused on text or image generation, SUNO is for music creation. Since this wasn’t a “typical” form of…
Exploring Scratch: Coding for Future Classrooms As a future educator, I am always looking for new and creative ways to excite my students in their learning. With technology playing a huge role in our daily lives (shocking, I know!!) , it makes sense to introduce students to basic coding concepts early on. Coding can be a fun way to push problem solving, creativity, and critical thinking. That’s why I decided to explore Scratch, a (beginner friendly…thankfully…) coding program, to see…
Exploring the Sign ASL App: A Pocket Dictionary This week, I explored another app called Sign ASL. The app described itself as a “pocket dictionary” for use while on the go, and I was excited to give it a try. As I get closer to completing my education degree, I’ve become more interested in learning how to sign various “school subjects.” My goal is to be able to use sign language in the classroom to help with transitions and communication….
Digital Literacy: Fight Fake News in Our Classrooms In today’s world, fake news is more of a problem than ever. While it’s not a new issue, as Alec Couros and Katia Hildebrandt (2019) note, “Thus, while fake news is certainly not new, and there have long been mechanisms for creating deceptive and misleading artifacts, we are now entering a brave new world where the truth is more and more difficult to uncover..” New tools make it easier to change and…
Cyber-Vigilantism Isn’t the Answer The internet can be a great tool, but it also has a negative dark side to it. People post harmful, and cruel things online every day. I understand wanting to call someone out for being in the wrong… Buuuuuut is cyber-vigilantism, publicly shaming, or “canceling” someone, the right way to handle it? I don’t think so. While it might feel good in the moment to tell someone to stop being hateful, cyber-vigilantism isn’t helpful, it’s just…
Instagram for ASL?!? Hello again, EDTC! I’m back with another blog post and app review. As some of you might know, I’ve experimented with using TikTok to learn ASL. Since TikTok is usually my go-to for mindless scrolling, I challenged myself to turn it into a learning tool. While I succeeded, I definitely still felt the temptation to get distracted (but hey, I’m only human). So this week, I decided to take it a step further. I picked another app…