A Creative Tool for Modern Classrooms, Canva AI

For this week, I decided to try a new AI tool on Canva. A tool I was familiar with for the basic designs, but I didn’t really explore the AI possibilities. The AI features like Magic Write, auto generated layouts, and smart layout recommendations caught my eye, and I was super curious on how they might support both teaching and learning.

Adding to Student Engagment

  Canva AI could be a super assistant for teachers. It can help robotize extreme tasks such as designing presentations and creating assignments. Rather than the teachers spending hours on arrangement, teachers can easily generate appealing grade level content that captures the students’ attention.

 

For students, it provides new ways to engage with content. Instead of a regular written assignment, a student can use the AI on Canva to design so much, such as an infographic, a timeline, or even a mock Instagram post of an important person. These creative alternatives make room for various learning styles and encourage students to have deeper engagement with the material.

Supporting Different Learners and Critical Thinking

One of Canva’s AI’s capabilities is the ability to support different types of learners. Like, visual learners can organize ideas graphically, while other learners can use AI-powered text suggestions to brainstorm or clarify their thought process. Also, group work would be easier with collaborative editing features, letting students co-create group projects in real time.

It also inspires creativity, and elaboration. Students need to explain content, make design choices, and think of how to communicate their ideas clearly through visual and text.

Practical and Ethical Considerations

Needless to say, there are going to be challenges. It’s important to lead the students in using AI without letting them do all the thinking. There’s a huge difference between adding to creativity and replacing efforts. Approaching the subject about using Canva AI can also be an issue, not all of the students could have the same technology or have the premium stuff that Canva offers.

 

My Take on AI in the Classroom

For myself, I see a real possibility in tools such as Canva AI when it’s being used intentionally. They can save time, spark creativity, and support more individualized learning. But like any other tool, it really does come down to how we use it. AI should be supporting learning, not replacing it.

Looking forward, I really do think AI will become regular in classrooms, like how calculators and search engines became regular in classrooms. The crucial part will be teaching students  how to use such tools responsibly, creatively and with motive.

 

For this activity, I chose to accomplish the Hour of Code coding activities. I went with NASA’s Space Jam. At the beginning I wasn’t sure on what to expect, I’ve never really seen myself as someone who could or would be into coding, but I figured I would have to give it a shot! 

The Hour Of Code activity guided me through some of the beginner ideas using simple, drag and drop blocks. It was fascinating to see how simple the instructions would be to control the actions on the screen. Once I got the hang of it, I started to understand the basics of coding and how coding really is just giving such clear steps for a computer to follow. It’s somewhat like solving a puzzle, you think about what comes first, what happens in the next step, and how everything is connected.

What I Learned

Even though Hour of Code was super easy to use, I had to still stop and reflect about what I was doing. This took me by surprise, because I thought it would be just dragging and dropping and then I’d be done, but it did require a lot for me to focus and problem solve. If I didn’t do something the right way and it didn’t work the way I wanted it to the first time, I had to go back and read the instructions and figure out why it didn’t work. This part was super frustrating and oddly satisfying, and when it eventually worked, I felt like I completed something! 

I also took in that coding isn’t always about numbers or typing lines of codes like they show in the movies. It’s about logic, creativity and trying to figure things out step by step. The picture side of it, particularly the activity I did made it feel more like a game than it did homework, which was a nice perspective on this.

Is Coding Important

I’m still not really sure if I would want to go into a career that involves coding, but I do see it being a valuable skill. If anybody is interested in technology, video games, software, etc learning to code would give them a head start. It’s the kind of thing that teaches useful thinking skills, such as how to break big problems down into smaller ones, or how to troubleshoot something when it isn’t working.

Being said, I don’t think everyone has become a coder. Not every career will use it. But trying it once, helps you understand how the technology around us works, and that’s definitely worth something.

Final Thoughts

This coding activity made me think a bit different about what it actually means to code. It’s not just for “technology people” , it’s something someone can try once, and who knows, they might even enjoy it. I’m happy that I tried it, and now I know what coding really is, instead of assuming it isn’t for.

 

 

 

Teaching Digital Literacy to Combat Fake News

In today’s digital universe, disinformation quickly spreads, making digital skills a basic skill for students. Teaching kids how to acutely assess, showing bias, and confirming information helps students become more responsible users and developers of media. In my area and grade level that I want to teach, I would include digital skills by combining fact-checking exercises, content analysis activities, and talking about bias into my lessons. 

Integrating Digital Literacy into the Curriculum

One way to set digital skills in my classroom is through fact-checking exercises encouraged by Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers by Mike Caulfield. His route acknowledges plans like fact-checking across sources, where students connect multiple sources to confirm claims. For instance, I could show students trending social media posts or news stories and have them look into their reliability using fact-checking sites like Politifact or SweetSearch.

Another core strategy is educating students to judge bias in news outlets. Using the Media Bias Chart, students can search how different outlets have the same story and talk about how framing influences public representation. The exercise will be put to use that connects to critical thinking and researching skills highlighting in our lessons.

To have students’ understanding grow, I would combine lessons from the NewseumED unit on media literacy, which gives interesting activities on recognizing misinformation. One activity might have students take the “Can You Spot the Fake News Headline?” quiz and thinking about why misinformation headlines are successful. This would connect into my lessons on effective writing and power of speech.

Aligning with the NCTE Framework

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) framework inspires students to be knowledgeable, thoughtful, and honest communicators on the web. By joining these digital literacy activities, I would be acknowledging severy key NCTE principles, including:

• Active Inquiry and Critical Thinking: Inspiring students to ask where the sources came from and think about media critically. 

 

• Multimodal Literacy: Teaching students to point and explain different media formats.

 

• Social Responsibility in Digital Spaces: Talking about the ethical issues of sharing misinformation and the importance of responsible online behaviour.

 

Teaching digital skills is important in providing students with the skills to explore today’s information landscape. By combining fact-checking strategies, bias analysis and media skills lessons, I can help my students by developing critical thinking skills that they need to tell apart credible information from misinformation. 

Digital Footprint Analysis of Adair Johnson

Name: Adair Johnson

Professional (Job-Related): She work as an Educational Assistant and Office Manager

Biographical (Age, Birthday, Location, Appearance, etc.):

I couldn’t find a lot about Adair on this one, but I know her birthday is October 1 and she is living in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Personal (Relationships, Family, Hobbies, Activities, Likes/Dislikes, etc.):

For this, I know her personally so I know she has a boyfriend, lives with her parents, and has a brother. She also has a dog and 2 cats. I couldn’t find much about her online for this. 

Where is she on the web? (Social Networks, Job Profiles, etc.)

I found her Facebook page, and edusites she has for school. No other sites or social media pages popped up. 

Analysis

Overall Impressions Based on Her Digital Footprint:

I was overly surprised that I could barely find anything about Adair online, and that she keeps a low profile, which makes her value a lot of privacy. 

Do I Trust This Person? Would I Hire Them? Would I Be Their Friend? Why or Why Not?

Yes, I do trust her, she doesn’t have anything suspicious online. I would also hire her, as she is responsible and is always professional at work. I would be friends with Adair, if I didn’t already know her. I think she seems like someone I would be friends with based on her lack of negative social media content. 

What Are This Person’s Beliefs? Political Views? How Do You Know?

I couldn’t find anything about Adair’s beliefs or political views as she doesn’t have enough information online for this, so it seems like she doesn’t post about politics or controversial topics and since she keeps her online to a minimum, she may prefer to keep her online stuff private. 

What Advice Would You Give Her?

The advice I would give her is, if she wants to stay private, she’s already doing a wonderful job by not giving access to her Facebook page, just who she adds can see her profile. Other than that, I think her online presence is very limited and she doesn’t have much online about her.

The world is changing with digital technology. The way people connect, communicate and       spend on information has grown a lot, and education has no choice but to develop with it.     

The video that we watched in class really captured this transformation in Michael Wesch’s “An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube.” In the video Wesch, an ethological anthropologist, views how YouTube, and by development, all other social media, has changed how we see ourselves, relate to each other, and express who we are. His message is clear, we’re non-engaged consumers. We’re contributors in shaping the technology world.

This change doesn’t only affect how we entertain ourselves. It’s entirely changing how students learn, interact and think, and that’s something schools can’t just ignore.

In my future classroom, online etiquette won’t be a selection box or one lesson during Digital Citizenship Week, it will be a part of our learning everyday. My future students will be already living in a technology driven world. I want to provide for them not just to use technology, but to engage with technology.

In my classroom, I will be using the Common Sense Education Digital Citizenship Curriculum, which breaks up strengths by age group and topic. From media balance to online privacy, and bullying online, it’s a resource that I’ll turn to throughout the year, not just during technology lessons.

We’ll also look at case studies, create peer-led discussions using Flip, and reflect through tools such as Padlet. This lets students have their voices heard, engage with each other, and build a community around the norms and responsibilities of being a digital citizen.

To create attentive digital learners, I’ll be utilizing Mike Ribble’s 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship as a starting point, not just for technology use, but for student’s online behaviour and decision making across all subjects.

Here’s how each element might show up in my classroom:

Element	In The Classroom
Digital Access	Talking about equity and inclusion when using classroom technology. Students might look up internet access from various communities.
Digital Commerce	Looking over advertising strategies in social media. We will look at in-app purchases, influencer culture, and scams, using the content from Common Sense Education
Digital Communication	Using platforms like Padlet and Google Classroom to model good digital behaviour.
Digital Literacy	Using The News Literacy Project to teach gatekeeping bias, fact-checking, and assessing sources. This would be great to integrate into English or Social Studies
Digital Online Behaviour	Reenacting online scenes to look over kind and safe digital behaviour. Students could design posters or videos with Canva or any other platform to promote positive digital behaviour
Digital Law	Teach students about copyright, plagiarism, and creative commons through problem-based learning, such as remixing songs or creating artwork
Digital Rights & Responsibilities	Lead classroom talks on freedom of expressions vs digital responsibility particularly when posting or commenting online
Digital Health & Wellness	Talk about screen time and digital burnout.  I will include journaling or short videos using clips from The Social Dilemma to spark conversations
Digital Security	Teach about password safety and data protection through virtual experiences, suing lessons from Common Sense and current stories on the news

This route creates a space where students will have to think deeply, engage respectfully and honestly, and learn to respect digital citizenship and each other.

Let’s be for real, technology isn’t always good vibes. While it does open fascinating possibilities, it also presents some big problems:

• Distraction: Apps are designed to have kids keep scrolling for hours
• Misinformation: Not everything you see online is true, and kids needs tools to figure out what is true and what isn’t true
• Privacy: Students don’t often realize how much of their personal data is being shared, sold or tracked online

  

To resolve these issues, I will be leading my students through critical thinking exercises using the Common Sense Curriculum, integrating video-based talks with Flip, and using Padlet to safely explore ethical conflict in technology.

Wesch’s message is clear, schools should prepare students to live, not just retain information. It should reflect how they already interact with the world. This mean embracing an engagement culture where student don’t consume, they create, come together and review

In the classroom, I’ll urge my students to: 

• Ask better questions
• Make digital content with great intentions
• Think beyond just the screen
• Think about their role as both learners and citizens of the digital world

I’ll do something different, by teaching the students how to carefully navigate the information they live in, by not shutting out technology, but accepting it with awareness

As a future teacher, I need to meet students where they are, and they will be already living in a digital world. My job in the future will be to help them do more than just scroll, view, or click,  we need to help the students, question, create and lead.

Digital citizenship is no longer free. It’s the starting point of responsible learning, communicating, and engaging. If we can teach students to be mindful, ethical and be critical thinkers online, we’re not only teaching them, but teaching life. 

 

Hi, I’m Breann and welcome to my website! I was born and raised in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, but I’ve been living in Regina, Saskatchewan for the last 10 years. I’m  currently in my second year of the Bachelor of Education program, focusing on Pre-K – Grade 5. In my free time,  you’ll find me reading, hiking, hanging with family and friends, traveling, or on Sunday’s you’ll see me watching the Formula 1 races!

To be fair, I’ve never blogged in my life, and I’m feeling a bit nervous about it. But, at the same time, I’m super excited to try something that I’ve never done before, especially around educational techonology, which is something I’m really interested in.

I have to admit, I’m a little hesistant on putting my thoughts out there. I do feel like that blogging will be a great way to track my learning, even if it will feel weird at first. I’m eager to see how blogging can help me connect me with others and explore other tools I can eventually use in the classroom one day.

I’m not too sure what I’m going to expect from this, but I’m looking forward to see how my thougts and skills improve during this. By the end of this course, I hope to be more confident in blogging and more comfortable using technology in my teaching.