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….
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…
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…
Approaching Digital Citizenship in the Classroom (By Standards) Our world is changing, and education must do the same for the our students. One quote on my blog that reminds me of this states “Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time”. –Rabindranath Tagore. Digital citizenship is not just about using technology, it’s about using it responsibly. The Saskatchewan government outlines nine key areas of digital citizenship, each can be taught in age-appropriate ways…
Transforming Teaching: Technology and media have changed the way the world operates, changing how we access information, share knowledge, and communicate with others (which I am sure is not news to you). These changes have also had an impact on education, changing the ways we teach and learn in the classroom. Take our EDTC class, for example; everything is done online. From weekly learning projects to talking through blogs, Discord, and Zoom, technology is at the very front of our…
ASL Learning Journey Welcome to my second week of learning ASL! I’m excited to share everything I’ve learned. This week, I not only expanded my ASL knowledge but also explored a new way to create interactive videos. (I am not going to lie this was a little bit scary!!) Using the InterSign App In the YouTube video linked below, you’ll see the ASL learning app I used this week: InterSign. I found it easy to use and great for…