Author: Curtis Meger (Page 1 of 4)

As the semester and EDTC 300 comes to a finish, the “Final Networked Learning Post” gives me an opportunity to share the many ways in which I have contributed to the learning of others throughout the semester. In the beginning, I was unsure of how I was going to impact the learning of others effectively. As the semester went on, I realized I had nothing to worry about, as long as I kept up in the weekly plans and contributed to breakout rooms during class 

I have learnt so much from my classmates along the way and I hope they can take something from me and everything I did during this course. 

I want to start by discussing some of my experiences with breakout rooms during class time. I truly believe this has grown to be one of my strongest areas in online classes. Since online classes have become much more normal since the pandemic, I have adjusted accordingly. It was a goal of mine to have my camera on for every class, because we all know talking to a black screen is not very much fun. I tried to start every breakout room by asking how everyone is doing, making small talk, give input on questions that were put forward, and ask critical questions to challenge group members to think outside the box. Not only do I feel super comfortable stepping up to lead discussions in breakout rooms, I would often volunteer to talk for my group back in front of the entire class. 

Being an aspiring teacher, my mindset is that, if I cannot communicate to my classmates on zoom, how am I supposed to communicate to my students in real life? It is something I have taken pride in over the years and continue to build confidence in speaking towards larger audiences. With this mindset, I hope people that were in my groups appreciated my willingness to be open and challenged themselves to be open as well. Being on zoom gives a great opportunity to work with others in a safe space. It enhances our ability to collaborate, share ideas, and work as a team from the comfort of our own homes. During every class, my main goal was to lead by example.

During my learning project, I feel I gave classmates many tips, tricks, links, and content on everything to do with juggling. I referred to a professional juggler many times throughout the process and tried to implement things from him. His video will truly teach you everything you need to know. 

Here are some examples that classmates could takeaway – 

I started out with 0 skill in regard to juggling, take a look

This is where we are now!

So, how did we get there?

• I went down to two balls, for anyone looking to learn to juggle, this is a great place to start

• Think about the phrase, throw throw catch catch with two balls and do it over and over

• If you have issues with throwing the ball away from your body, put yourself close to a wall! It forces you to learn where to throw the ball

Practice throwing 1 ball to eye level, key points:

• Only make eye contact when it gets eye level
• Use peripherals to catch
• Great rhythm practice
• Move around to increase difficulty

Once you have done some drills to develop your skills, back to trying ball juggling. For me, the 3rd ball was a problem for a long time, but it is about trusting the process and being consistent with throws.

Other drills that helped me along the way was to juggle two balls with only 1 hand, this is meant to increase handspeed and also increase your tracking skills. Another tip is to call out the balls as you throw them – 1,2,3 and repeat as you continue, this makes it easy to get in a good rhythm.

Just know that if you put your mind to something and practice, it is possible!

The 3rd way of contributing to the learning of others was through blog post replies. I was very consistent throughout the semester on replying to my peers and giving input on their content. While I had many replies, many of them were incouraging, looking back I think I could have done more critiqing rather than just having positive reinforcement. Here are some examples:

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Through the blog posting, I also had classmates engaged with me!

In this class, the blog posting was such a big component. In the beginning, I was not a confident blogger but I decided to roll with it as best as I could. Blogging is like having your own online diary where you can write about anything you like. In our case, we got to write about many different things and add our own twists to it. It’s a cool way to share your thoughts, stories, and even show off things you’re good at. When you write a blog regularly, you get better at writing and learn some other cool stuff like making things look good on the internet. I definitely feel that my writing improved over the semester.

While this course had many different aspects, I felt I did a solid job at contributing to the learning of others and took pride in being a valuable contributer to the course and everything it had to offer.

I think this level of coding is an important skill for students of all ages, including middle and younger years students. Coding encourages students to think critically and solve problems. Programming involves breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, which encourages logical thinking and analytical skills. It can also provide a creative aspect for students to express themselves. In today’s digital age, understanding how software and technology works is a fundamental aspect of digital literacy. Coding is also a valuable skill in many professions, including technology, engineering, science, and mathematics. Introducing coding at a young age helps students develop a foundation for potential future careers in these fields. In the teamwork aspect, coding projects often involve collaboration. Students would need to work together to brainstorm ideas, troubleshoot issues, and contribute to the completion of a project. This fosters teamwork and interpersonal skills. 

While everything I just discussed is great for students and their learning, one of the most important aspects of this coding experience is that it is an element of play and experimentation into learning. Interactive platforms and tools make coding enjoyable, turning education into an engaging and exciting experience for students.

Incorporating coding into the curriculum for middle and younger years students could provide them with a well-rounded skill set that goes beyond traditional subjects, preparing them for a technology-driven future and instilling a love for learning.

Here is some screenshots and descriptions of my coding experience.

• Started the coding journey with a Minecraft Voyage

• Had a great introduction video that was engaging

• Began the coding with simple tasks in the dark grey box near the top of the screen

• Started to get interesing with the use of “repeat until goal” tabs

• Really liked the congratulations messages coming up even if I didnt complete the puzzle with the minimum amount of lines

• The use of different terrain in the pictures was engaging

• The “repeat until goal” got interesting with different colours of corals

• Even though there was lots of lines, the repeat (x) amount of times was a cool tool

• The last level was a creative one and could play around with different things, thought this was a great wat to finish.

• A certificate at the end is a great visual reward for students

What is SlidesAI?

SlidesAI is an AI-based presentation extension made for Google Slides.

If you’re already a Google Slides user, SlidesAI could be a potential option for you. If you are not familiar with Google Slides, it may be difficult to use. SlidesAI is simple and focuses on generating image + bullet-point slides. Most people use AI-generated presentations as a starting point, which makes this structure more than enough in most cases. SlidesAI is easy to try due to the free tier and low-cost paid options that are offered.

There are a couple of ways to install the extension.

1. Go to Google Slides and start a new deck.
2. Press the “Extensions” drop-down, select “Add-ons” and click “Get add-ons”. This will trigger the Google Workspace Marketplace pop-up.
3. Search “SlidesAI” at the top, select the add-on and install it

Tell SlidesAI what kind of presentation you want

This is where you provide SlidesAI with a prompt,  the AI will then create your slides. You can provide a short brief, but SlidesAI works best with longer text input, and recommends at least 500 characters for the best results. This window has two sessions:

1. Text: This is where you input the prompt, and select the number of slides and type of presentation. You may be tempted to write the prompt in the same way as you would for ChatGPT but SlidesAI works best if you just paste text that you want to turn into slides.
2. Themes: Here you can customize the look and feel of your presentation in the same way that you can pick themes in Google Slides. You can also choose your bulletpoint style for additional customization.

Using SlidesAI, here are some ways teachers could leverage this tool in their respective classrooms:

1. Time Efficiency:

• Teachers can save time on creating visually appealing slides by using SlidesAI’s AI-powered generation. This is particularly beneficial for educators who need to prepare presentations regularly.

2. Visual Engagement:

• The tool can help in creating visually engaging slides with images and bullet points for someone who may not be creative. This visual appeal is aimed to capture students’ attention.

3. Content Starting Point:

• AI-generated presentations can act as a starting point for teachers. Educators can use the slides as a foundation and then customize them according to the specific needs of their lessons.

4. Consistent Formatting:

• SlidesAI can help maintain a consistent and professional formatting style across all presentations. This is especially useful for teachers who want a consistent look for their teaching materials.

5. Ease of Use:

• Since SlidesAI is a plugin for Google Slides, teachers who are already familiar with Google’s presentation tools will find it easy to integrate into their existing workflows. If educators are not familiar with Google Slides, their the SlidesAI demo videos are really clear and easy to follow.

6. Free and Low-Cost Options:

• The availability of a free tier and low-cost paid options makes it accessible to educators with varying budget constraints. This affordability can be especially advantageous for teachers in resource-limited settings.

While AI tools like SlidesAI can be powerful aids, it’s crucial for educators to review and customize the generated content to ensure accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness for their specific educational context. Additionally, maintaining a balance between automated tools and personalized teaching is key to effective education.

It is important to always consider the educational goals, the needs of the students, and the pedagogical approach when incorporating AI tools into teaching practices.

Personal Stance

I believe AI has the potential to personalize learning experiences by adapting to individual students’ needs and learning styles. This could lead to more effective and tailored educational experiences for all students. Adaptive learning paths, engaging learning environments, real-time feedback and assessment are a few things that have been popular topics when researching how AI is being used in the classroom.

While the potential positives are significant, it’s important to continually address challenges such as data privacy and the ethical use of AI.  Additionally, educators play a crucial role in interpreting AI-generated insights and collaborating with AI systems to provide a complete and well-rounded education.