Category: EDTC 300 (Page 2 of 2)

Tickling the ivories…

February 13, 2020 / Byron / 4 Comments

Week 4 has come and gone as I continue my journey towards becoming a master pianist. While I can not say I am “there” yet, I think I am starting to see some progress. However, practicing has grown to be increasingly difficult as every time I press a key its like a dog whistle to my son as he comes running over to try mash away on the keys, so most of my practice time involves me defending the keys with on hand from this piano crazed toddler while playing sweet rhythms with the other.

This week I utilized a video from Youtube that highlights the top 5 piano exercises for beginners which I found to be very helpful. I have come to notice that my left hand is much more coordinated than my right, even though I am right handed! Also, my right hand tends to cramp up much faster too, I will have to look at my form as that must have something to do with it. Well, if I hope to improve at piano I must quit spending time typing on here and “type on the keyboard”, til next time…

Tweet Tweet…

February 12, 2020 / Byron / 2 Comments

Over the past 15 years Twitter has become a staple of social media as it provides people with a source to find information or a platform to express their thoughts, which could be seen as a good thing or a bad thing. Twitter can be personalized to provide the user whatever they are looking for. Based off who you choose to follow you can create a timeline full of political takes, sports updates or even educational resources. I have found Twitter to be beneficial in growing my professional network and in implementing reflective practice as I learn new ideas, see what has and has not worked in the classroom from other educators and strengthened my knowledge base.

During my time in using Twitter I have come across some great educational resources that have already provided me with resources I plan to use for years to come, from Edutopia to Ted Talks there are so many possibilities that I have found very beneficial for an inspiring educator.

This past week I took part in the Sask Ed Chat with my fellow classmates and also other educators from Canada and even a few from the USA. This was my first time in participating in a twitter chat to this magnitude and found it to be a very fast paced, enjoyable experience. It was great to hear from others who are currently working in the classroom as they were able to give real life examples as opposed to the theoretical discussions that normally dominate University classes.

Last but certainly not least, maybe the greatest thing about Twitter would be the Gifs and memes it provides that seem to swallow up hours of time that would otherwise be used being productive!

Piano man? Close but not yet…

February 10, 2020 / Byron / 3 Comments

Week 3 of learning to play the piano has definitely been the most progress I have seen to date. I focused on quarter, half and whole notes this week, while also trying to get a better grasp on finger placement on the keys. I am happy to report that I was able to play “Merry Had a Little Lamb” and while that is not going to get my invited on the stage at the next duelling pianos performance, it certainly strikes a tune with my kids as they have been singing along to me keying away. While in reality I am keying one slow note at a time, in my mind I can’t help by feel like I am blazing a trail of notes as I shred the piano.

I have found many useful videos on Youtube to teach me along as I try new things on the piano, unfortunately I have yet to find a very good App that can guide me along as they all look great off the start but then quickly upon filling out a profile are asked for your credit card information. I am going to keep looking for something that can guide me a little bit better than my self paced approach I am currently taking. Well, I must get back to practicing as I continue on my journey to becoming a piano SUPERSTAR!

Youtube… yay or nay?

February 5, 2020 / Byron / 1 Comment

The digital world is forever changing and growing at a rate we have never seen before and in watching the lecture by Michael Wesch, even if it resulted in me going down a rabbit whole and watching the Numa Numa and other videos for longer than I care to admit, created a nostalgic feeling for me as I was being taken back to my childhood as we were just being introduced to things such as Youtube. As mentioned in the video, the most difficult thing I have found in utilizing things such as Youtube, or even this blog, you must perform/write as if everybody is watching and yet nobody is there. It brings with it a feeling of great vulnerability as you throw your thoughts and ideas out to the web to be interpreted in who knows which way. With that said, it makes me think about how we can utilize the digital work in the classroom while also providing students with a safe and beneficial experience. Wesch refers to the digital space as possibly the most public space on the planet and while that brings with it the possibilities to connect and learn with different cultures or explore unknown phenomenons, it does bring with it that sense of uncertainty that we must ensure remains guarded.

The possibilities offered in the massive digital world offer so many positive, interactive activities that could be used in the classroom and with proper proactive work done we can help alleviate the possibilities of negative experiences. As show in Wesch’s lecture on Youtube, the different “masks” or identities people are able to come up with are alarming and do bring with it an uneasy feeling when utilizing such a tool such as Youtube. I feel that if we as educators are wishing to utilize Youtube as a tool we simply must do our “homework” and do background checks to ensure we provide a safe environment.

One thing is forsure, when writing a blog about Youtube be sure to give yourself a few extra hours of time to complete it as you will undoubtedly waste an amazing amount of time watching videos. And one things we know is ain’t nobody got time for dat!

Nostalgia

January 29, 2020 / Byron / 3 Comments

We are well into the semester of EDTC300, my twitter feed is alive and doing well as I read others posts, share my own, and grow my online persona. I always thought I knew how to use twitter “good enough” however, I was shown some new thing in last weeks class that have enriched my experience, who can see tagged posts, different people to follow, and how to properly utilize hashtags has been beneficial. As things continue to evolve and technology is further used in the classroom I feel its my obligation to evolve and find new innovative ways to incorporate technology into my future classroom. We are long past the days of TV’s and VCR’s on a wheelie cart following by a couple desktop computers along the side of the classroom (if you should be so lucky). For those of you who don’t know what a VCR is, check it out, its pretty cool!

The symbol that today was going to be a good day

Keep practicing…

January 29, 2020 / Byron / 1 Comment

So week two is in the bag and I am absolutely thrilled with the progress I am seeing…from my daughter! Her grasp on remembering finger placements has been awesome. Me on the other hand, I need to keep practicing! I utilized an online resource this week to help me along with my learnings. This video was great, however, while it said that it was basic and beginner lesson #1, I still found it to be a lot of information to take in.

I have always thought I knew the alphabet and would never need to “brush up” on my alphabetical skills. That was until the instructor would move up and down the alphabet I found my fingers bumbling along the keys as I kept thinking “ok, what comes before G? A,B,C,D,E,F, thats it, F”. With that said, I feel as thought this lesson went well and I have learnt a lot that I just need to practice. I can now find all the keys on the piano and can “somewhat” put them together to make notes.

Well, time to get back to practicing if I want to one day be referred to as the piano man!

Piano? Sounds Easy…

January 16, 2020 / Byron / 7 Comments

For my Learning Project I will be attempting to learn to play the piano. This is something I have always wished I would have done when I was a child, so my options were to find a time machine and go back to my childhood and enrol in piano lessons OR crack my knuckles and get to work. The timing is perfect as my daughter has also begun taking piano lessons and I figure, why not join her on the journey of becoming a pianist. I will be using the same workbook as my daughter and tracking my progress on this blog. She doesn’t know it yet, but lets the games begin!

I will be contributing 40 hours over the next 12 weeks into learning the piano and documenting my progression. While I have ZERO experience with the piano and besides a cup of coffee playing guitar as a child, my experience with music is very elementary to say the least. Still, I must temper my expectations as reality is this will likely be a long process. But still! How I see myself playing the piano versus how I actually sound playing the piano I am sure will be completely different things. However, let the journey begin!

Book I will be using for the piano lessons

Meet the blogger

January 16, 2020 / Byron / 0 Comments

My name is Byron and I am in my second year of my Middle Years Education degree. I live in Regina with my wife and two children, I am sure you will see them popping in and out of the screen during our online sessions on Wednesday evenings. My experiences with Education technology are somewhat limited, while I have been an active twitter user for years and like to use it for resource gathering and information sharing, my expertise with it are limited. This will be my first time blogging and I look forward to sharing my experiences in the class and my learning project progress. I have also created a professional twitter account, check it out.

EDTC 300