Cell Phone BannedWagon
My perspective on this debate: The cell phone ban does not affect my professional life; however, I do have children in the K-12 system, so this cell phone ban bandwagon is of interest to me personally.
Cell phone “bannedwagon”.
Cell phone bans in schools are trending at the moment. Seven provinces implemented a cell phone policy in 2024, with Manitoba strengthening its existing policy. Most of the policies have a form of educational purposes as an exception, but from what I am hearing from teachers in these classrooms, this exception is not yet being used. The common rationale from the provinces for the ban is to decrease distraction and increase focus in the classroom. From what I can source, other support for these bans comes from the idea that cell phones in schools affect academic performance, are linked to mental health issues, increase disruptive classroom behaviours, and increase the digital divide. Empirical evidence from cell phone bans in France and the UK points to improved classroom behaviour, academic outcomes, and greater social interaction in schools.
These arguments appear to make sense and the results seem promising. If simply removing the offender from the situation improves all of the above, how easy it is to simply remove it from the equation? Let’s call this Side A.
Textbook for Crochet?
As detailed in my previous post, I am comfortable that I have all the supplies required to learn to crochet. Well, perhaps not the coordination, but we will see how that goes. As much as I want to jump in and start making those cute little critters just waiting to be created, I know I need to approach this learning project with intention and patience.
I decided to start with a very simple crochet project – a dishcloth.
Social Media Reflections from a Gen X’er
I have a fascination with generations, what shapes them, and how they interact with each other. Reflecting on social media illustrates these well.
As a solid Gen X’er, I grew up in a digital-free world, unless you count my digital watch. It was the early days of mainstream use of computers. My memories include the Tandy TRS80 my dad bought for the family (fun fact TRS stands for Tandy Radio Shack). This computer used the Tandy CCR (Computer Cassette Recorder) to store the digital data and I have memories of storing Frogger over top of my Prince mixed tape. If you are interested, I found a video showing my family’s exact setup. I also remember that the typing classroom in high school used MacIntosh computers. Full disclosure I graduated from High School in 1990. I did not take typing as I was going to be a scientist and didn’t think it was a skill I would need. (I’ve never claimed to have great foresight).
Learning Project – Amigurumi
I never imagined that my graduate studies would lead me to learn crochet.
As someone who has always loved crafts of all kinds, I’ve explored a wide variety over the years. Years ago, I tried knitting, and my early attempts were far from perfect. The scarf I made for my then-boyfriend was so tightly knit that it could double as a neck brace, and the blanket I completed was crooked with various-sized holes. However, I like to think these “imperfections” add a handmade charm that reflects the love and effort behind them.
Final Blog Post for EC&I 834
I had no idea what to expect when I signed up for this class. I knew I enjoyed online learning, and I was excited to learn “how to do it right”. I am so happy with all the content we learning this term and I am excited to bring it into action.
My course prototype at the moment is on my wish list for the School of Radiation Therapy. I chose this topic because I believe it is something that should be incorporated into the current curriculum. I used the Canvas LMS, as it is simple, straightforward, and fairly similar to Brightspace which I have experience with. I kept the course design simple. Each week of the course covers one module. Each module has three sections: Didactic material, Extra resources, and Assessments. I am hopeful that this will be incorporated into the RT curriculum. Now that I have the first two modules done, it will be easier to get some buy-in from those who need to be convinced that this is a good thing to do. I am proud of my final course prototype, I feel it is conducive to adult learning while keeping the students engaged.
And well, if it doesn’t become a reality, I still have a new toolbox of skills to bring to my current class that I teach.
A-eyes Open
Until now, my experience with AI has primarily involved experimenting with ChatGPT by asking questions alongside a traditional internet search. I was able to see how AI synthesizes information compared to manually sifting through search engine results. I knew it was being used to complete complex tasks, but I had not looked into this as I did not realize it could influence my classroom, beyond figuring out if students are using it to cheat.
My interactions with ChatGPT only consisted of asking for information; it never occurred to me to ask it to do a job for me.
Educate.AI: A New Era in Learning
*Title created by ChatGPT.
When AI first came to public awareness, there was a general fear amongst educators that student assessment might be compromised. It was immediately recognized that students would be able to use it to complete assignments, or at least make a large contribution to the content. What was not immediately known was how AI could help on the side of instruction. While these are separate topics, both require a great deal of attention.
My readings have revealed that Educators and Universities should embrace AI as it can assist with tutoring, task automation, course creation, etc. These discussions revolve around how to leverage this technology for course improvement and/or time savings. The larger discussion revolves around the use of AI by the students, particularly around assessments.
Feedback and Equity
“Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions”
– Ken Blanchard
This quote jumped out at me as I related to and agreed with the message, and thought it was appropriate for projects such as the one we are working on. As I was inserting the quote into this blog post, I thought that I should find a definition of “Breakfast of Champions” to share to put it into context. This turned out to be a lot harder than I thought! People use this expression in many ways, not surprisingly mostly with sarcasm, and some were unexpected!
I finally found a definition that matched most closely to how I define this phrase, it came from definitions.net which cited ChatGPT:
breakfast of champions
Breakfast of champions is a phrase used to refer to a meal or food that is considered nourishing, substantial, or of high quality. It can also be used metaphorically to describe something that is regarded as the best or most important, particularly in the context of personal success, achievement, or excellence.
This is the context of the phrase in my mind when I related to Ken Blanchard’s quote above.
Module Introduction through Lumi
I am designing a blended learning course for adult learners to refresh and strengthen their knowledge of CT anatomy (also called cross-sectional anatomy). This means finding anatomical structures on images that were acquired with a CT scanner. Looking at images this way is quite different than what we think of as regular X-rays.
I am using the LMS Canvas which has impressed me with its clean, simple, intuitive design and has many of the features of robust LMS. I organized the course content into modules, and embedded H5P content created in Lumi. The first couple of modules of this course focus on refreshing the learner’s knowledge of CT images and 2D radiographs. Being comfortable with orientating oneself to the various views available and understanding anatomical directional terms that are used to describe locations provides a strong foundation for learning cross-sectional anatomy.