EDTC300 Summary of Learning Spring 2022

Hello everyone! To document my summary of learning, I decided to continue what I have done throughout the semester and explore another new tool called VideoScribe that could potentially be used within the classroom! After using this site for the first time, I was a little disappointed with the free 7 day trial. For some reason the voice over wasn’t working and cut out at 5minutes. I was also unable to download my finished video. However, I was very happy with how the visuals turned out. To resolve my problems that were faced, I tried using googles “screencastify” to record the finished visuals. Unfortunately, the free version of screencastify only records 5min length videos. After searching different screencast tools, I decided to download “Screenrec” which was free of charge. I then screenrecorded my visuals and emailed the link of the video to myself. Once I had the video on my phone, I used InShot (tool that I learned in this course) to edit and add voice over to the video.

This was a huge process that took time and patience…I was very grateful that my learning project helped me learn to be more patient, as this was much needed.

I am very happy with how my finished project has turned out, and I am excited to share it with you through this platform. Thank you so much for following my learning journey!

Enjoy,

Danica

Script:

Hello everyone! My name is Danica Finlay. This past spring term I had the opportunity to participate within a class titled introduction to educational technology in media 300. Through this course I have learned many new skills and have obtained an abundance of knowledge that I am eager to implement within my future classroom. Over the past seven weeks I have found myself being mind blown on multiple occasions and in awe of the incredible technology that is accessible to individuals. Before taking this class I had very little experience with technology. However, through Dr. Katia Hildebrand‘s teaching, I can now confidently say that I love exploring new things that can be found online and through networking to become the best version of an educator that I can be for myself, and future students that I will have the opportunity to share my learnings with.

I believe a huge part of this class revolved around the understanding of Personal Learning Networks also known as PLNs. This is a way to effectively use technology in order to learn from others through questions, ideas, reflections, and references. Through networking, information can be shared fast! Not only was I able to learn about PLN‘s through this class, I was able to participate/receive first hand experience on how it works through the platform of Twitter, discord and blogs (edusites). My learnings on this topic evolved throughout the semester as I began to understand the value in learning through others. Prior to class I posted things online just because I felt like it . Now I feel I am posting with a purpose, to share with others and receive thoughts, ideas and feedback in return to help myself grow. 

Before this class I had almost no experience with twitter. Throughout this course I learned the importance of implementing hashtags within posts. Doing so allows tweets to gain a specific audience. For example, I used #edtech within my tweets so that individuals who are wanting info on that topic can find and read my valuable, informative post. Additionally, I found posts to retweet and share with our #edtc300 class by searching items such as #edtech and #onlinlearning to find relevant posts. edtc300 also introduced me to instant PLN through Live Twitter Chats, specifically the #SaskEdChat. Through this I was able to participate with fellow educators from all over Canada and the United States (this is what I noticed when people introduced themselves during the chats) where we shared ideas, answered questions as well as uplift/encourage/inspire others with their teachings. Tweet deck is a way to look at different things all at one time and was essential for participating in live twitter as I could see my notifications, what I was tweeting, and what others were tweeting. 

My learnings on twitter progressed grately the more I pushed myself out of my comfort level to use it. I started my account with 0 tweets and I am now up to 260! Ending this course I can confidentially say that I have learned a great deal and am now comfortable using this platform on a daily basis. 

I have learned that discord is an incredible tool that can be used as a way to communicate  with a small community of your choosing. This platform offers a safe place for students to discuss concerns, questions and comments which I think can be a valuable tool to use for online learning and in class (highschool years). 

Through blogs I was provided with the opportunity to share who I am as an educator as well as post reflections, resources and questions from in class learnings. I was grateful to implement this platform through weekly posts and my learning project to network with others by including pingbacks within posts as well as commenting/replying to posts, providing my input and listening to others ideas. I really enjoyed watching my site evolve throughout the semester  by organizing it through different menus and widgets which ensures that it is appealing and easily accessible to others. Hildebrandt has taught me the importance of digital identity and keeping in mind what I would like others to know about me through my online presence. To learn about this first hand, I was tasked with a cybersleuthing activity where I instantly realized just how easy it is to access information about individuals with a simple google search. Keeping what I have been taught in mind, I have ensured that my edusites page as well as other platforms is professional and includes information that I would love for my future employers to see about me.

Before taking this course, I honestly had no idea how to identify if something online was real or not. Dr.Katia Hildebrandt has taught me how to look for clues through digital literacy. I now know that when coming across something on the internet, I can do an internet search to see if any resources back up what I have found. I can also look for the 5cs that John Spencer has created to help identify authenticity: Context- finding out where the information has come from and when it was written , Credibility- is this a popular post? Are works cited?, construction- is this an opinion or fact?, corroboration- ensuring that the information can be found elsewhere, compare- what is this in relation to other news?. When teaching about authenticity of info to students, I will share and keep in mind the “7 types of mis and disinformation” created by Clare Wardle which includes satire of parody, misleading content, imposter content fabricated content, false connection, false context and manipulated content.

As I incorporate technology into the classroom, I can use the SAMR model that I have learned through edtc that was developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura to identify the tools I need for different specific reasons; ,Substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition. Through this my hope is to make the connection between teaching and learning a seamless experience for all that is involved. I believe that learning about internet safety is important, especially after learning the story of Amanda Todd. When teaching, I would like to share the two films that Hildebrandt has provided the class with students so that they understand the importance of learning safety with technology. I also need to ensure that students understand how to use the different tools, which can be taught by teaching digital citizenship. In class I have obtained an abundance of information on this topic, including Ribbles nine elements of digital citizenship and how to incorporate the different elements  into specific grade level/subjects using the Saskatchewan curriculum. Myself, choosing to look at health, careers, and English language arts for upper elementary and middle years.

This class has gone above and beyond my expectations and I am so thankful for this learning opportunity. I wish I had an hour to share my learnings with you, but I will leave you with this: Technology is truly incredible, and I cannot wait to share my learnings with others through in class teachings and my professional learning network.

Dr. Katia Hildebrandt and fellow EDTC 300 Classmates, thank you so much for providing encouragement, guidance, and assistance when needed and most importantly, helping me to become a better educator for future students that I will have the opportunity to teach. I am so grateful for the connections and learnings that have been made.

Contributions to learning…

Throughout the past seven weeks I have had the opportunity to engage with fellow education professionals and classmates to learn a variety of different skills, understandings and resources that can be implemented within my future teachings. Every evening during this spring term I have dedicated to EDTC300. One hour a night I spent going through twitter, reading the latest posts, commenting/answering questions to the best of my ability, and finding new resources to share with other educators. I ensured that I spent at least 40 hours on my learning project, which many of those hours were spent reviewing different learning platforms to share with others as well as to enhance my skill learning of origami. Every Saturday morning I spent reading other peoples blog posts from the week and making comments/sharing ideas. This class has taken time, but I am so grateful to have shared this experience and have had the opportunity to learn from such a diverse variety of individuals who have taught me so much. 

Course Blog

Using the Course blog as a way to share ideas and contribute to others learning is something that I really valued and appreciated. Before starting this class, I had created an edusites account and used it for ECS 100.  Even though I had my website up and running, I had a limited idea on how to use it. I didn’t know that you could blog on edusites until I began this class! Learning the skill of blogging is something I have always wanted to do, so I am grateful that Dr. Katia Hildebrandt (class professor) took the time to show us step by step how to not only create posts, but make them visually appealing.

For each prompted class blog post, I took the time to research the topic and gain a deep understanding before beginning to share my thoughts and ideas via my site. When writing the blog post, I made sure to include external information as well as extra resources/links where readers could find more information on the topic:

I also provided many reviews on different resources for readers of my blog to check out:

Within my blog posts I shared other classmates ideas using a pingback and suggested that readers check out their work

As I have previously mentioned, I spent every Saturday morning this semester reading classmates’ weekly blog posts! During this time I left comments, feedback and questions on fellow students’ work to learn about others thoughts and ideas as well as engage in a network of professional learning. I have enjoyed following each person’s learning journey and have been inspired by many to pick up new skills such as trying out recipes and learning ASL over the summer months. The following images are screenshots of some of the interactions I had on others posts. If the photos are blurry/unreadable, please check out the following link here

Another thing that I would like to highlight is the interaction of others and my responses that have been written at the bottom of my blog posts. I appreciate all of the feedback and questions that I have received and value others ideas that go along with what I have been posting.

Discord

Discord is an excellent tool that we used as a class to communicate, ask questions and respond. I am grateful that this platform was available and that we had a safe space to interact. I work during the day so I often missed chats and read them after they had happened. However, I did try to help others when possible! And I asked a question when needed about twitter. This platform wasn’t used a whole lot, but I believe that I helped with others’ learning where applicable. 

Twitter

Wowza! If you would like to read my initial thoughts on twitter, please check it out! My view of twitter has definitely changed over the past 7 weeks, in many different ways. First, I was not a fan of twitter going into this course, and was slightly terrified as well as unsure how I was going to participate and help others learn. Now, after spending at least one hour every evening (7 days a week) on twitter, reading tweets, checking out shared resources, commenting on posts, and tweeting/retweeting valuable information that I believe would benefit #EDTC300, I can confidently say that I have become totally comfortable using this platform! At the start of this term I had 0 tweets… I now have a total of 250+ (posting more than 5 tweets a day on average) and 61 followers!.

I absolutely love this platform as a tool to network with others and share valuable information/resources that can be implemented within the classroom. Contributing to others learning is a passion of mine, and I am grateful that this platform gave me the opportunity to do so!

  1. Participating in live twitter chats: This term I participated in the #SaskEdChat on two separate occasions on May 12th and June 16th . The live chats are held on Thursday evenings which was during the time that our EDTC300 lecture was held, so unfortunately I didn’t take part in as many as I would have liked, but I look forward to participating in many more moving forward during my internship and throughout my career. I would also like to take part in other live chats that are beneficial for educators. I tweeted a couple of times asking for recommendations and pinned it to the top of my twitter page for viewers. I was fortunate to receive feedback from both @kellywchris (host of #SaskEdChat) and fellow classmate @VRIGrabowski. I look forward to checking out the list of chats that they have shared with me. By participating in live chats, I contribute to others learning through thoughts, opinions and ideas
  1. tweeting /sharing resources- contributing to others learning

One of my favourite parts about this class is having this incredible platform to share resources on. I enjoyed reading through different tweets and retweeting ones that I thought would benefit pre-service and in-service teachers. I also enjoyed doing my own research and using feedly to find additional resources. The following pictures are examples of some posts I have made:

  1. Responding to other tweets: Each day I read through each of the tweets that had been posted by classmates, and commented on ones where I shared thoughts, questions and ideas in response.

The above is just a snippet of the tweeting that I have done that contributes to the learning of myself and others. If you would like to check out my twitter page @danica_finlay for many educational resources and tips, I would highly recommend it as this is something that I have worked hard on and would love to share with others!

Folding the paper to a close <3

Wow! What a busy spring term this has been. I can’t believe that we are coming to an end already. After spending many weeks folding paper, experiencing some highs and lows, I am finally starting to feel like I am getting the hang of this skill of Origami. Each week I pushed myself by increasing levels of difficulty, and created some beautiful pieces using exclusively free online resources! I have a wonderful collection of various folded items, of which I am proud of. The skill of patience is hard to document, but let me tell you, this is a great skill that I have definitely improved on. Tutorials and videos have been posted to my blog each week that highlight my new folding abilities. I am so amazed with how far I have come in just seven short weeks! One thing I can definitely say is that using technology to learn new skills is definitely possible and convenient for individuals.

Throughout my journey I explored many different learning platforms and followed along tutorials that demonstrate various levels. Through these I was able to review, and find out which tools are best to use when learning Origami. I believe that my posts demonstrate the confidence and ability that I now have, thanks to this project, for seeking out information/resources, and implementing them to create something unique and visually appealing (through video tutorials as well as photo/video editing apps). 

Overview of the weeks

Week 1: Bring on the Folding… During this week I explored different activities that could be used for my learning project and decided to go with the skill of origami. This is a skill that I have always wanted to learn since grade three when my teacher read to us the story titled Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Within this post I outlined my tentative plans for the duration of this learning project which was to explore a different platform for learning each week. Different platforms included YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Various Apps, Websites and possibly Podcasts. My goals were set within the post which was the following:

  • To learn how to create art using paper and folding techniques
  • To improve the time it takes to create pieces
  • To increase level of difficulty each week
  • To be able to notice improvements!

Week 2: ORIGAMI AND…PODCASTS.. Week two I spent many hours driving the tractor helping my family with farming. During this time I took the opportunity to find a podcast  done by Stuff You Should Know titled “Origami: Folding Goodness”. Next I explored the website Paper Kawaii and followed tutorials to create a woven heart, paper crane, 8 petal flower, hearts, and mandarin birds as well as an unsuccessful attempt at the  lotus flower.

Tech resources used:

  • Spotify to listen to the podcast
  • Website: Kawaii w/ embedded YouTube videos
  • iMovie to create video of my creations
  • YouTube to upload video of myself

What I learned: 

  • There are many different kinds of origami
  • This skill is not as easy as one may think
  • Origami takes patience
  • It takes practice (many attempts!) to actually learn the skill

Week 3: INSTAGAMIThis week I chose to explore Instagram to find tutorials on origami creations. Using this I created the butterfly, rose, flower and an unsuccessful attempt at the  crab. I also decided to try creating the butterfly using newspaper to compare it with normal paper.

Tech resources used:

  • Instagram to find tutorials
  • Imovie to create videos of my creations (See week 3 post to view)
  • YouTube to upload videos of myself

What I learned:

  • Instagram has lots of content on origami, but is not necessarily useful for learning the skill
  • Newspaper is fragile but thin so it makes good folds
  • Instagram is not my preferred way of learning origami
  • Origami takes time and patience

Week 4: TikTok, It’s Origami Time!… This week I used TikTok as a source to find tutorials and make different shapes such as paper dinosaurs, Swans, and Sea turtles. To add to my new learning skills I first followed the tutorials using large pieces of paper. Then I created the same shapes using a significantly smaller size to compare. Within my blog post I included different images as well as a tutorial that I created using a tool called InShot. Near the end of the week I felt the need to return to the attempt at the lotus flower. I tried the flower two times, using different sized paper.

Tech resources used:

What I learned:

  • Using a smaller piece of paper can sometimes be easier and can create stronger shapes
  • TikTok has some good origami resources, but you may have to search and sort through videos to find ones you want
  • InShot is a great tool to use to edit videos
  • Using a larger piece of paper did not help make the lotus flower any easier to create
  • For many of the origami figures, the same folds are used at the beginning (fold diagonally both ways, then fold in half one way and the other way). Because of this I could tell  that I was getting faster at the beginning steps!

Week #5: Hopping along with this project…This week I explored YouTube. By using this tool I learned how to make two different kinds of elephants (Elephant #1 & #2), and two different kinds of frogs (Frog #1 & #2). Lastly I followed a YouTube tutorial to attempt making a Kangaroo. This Kangaroo was unfortunately too difficult for me for where I was at in my learnings.

Tech resources used:

What I learned:

  • There are multiple ways of making things
  • It takes time to ensure folds are made correctly
  • More difficult tutorials does not always mean it appears more detailed
  • Creating the kangaroo was beyond my skill level

Week #6: Practice Makes Perfect!…For my latest post I decided to create an “under the sea” theme. First I downloaded various apps (see a review of 5 different ones within the post) and made a dolphin with my mom using a picture tutorial from the app titled “HowToMakeOrigami”. Then I took to pinterest to follow and complete a fish, sharkseahorse and another dolphin (to compare to the one made using the app). Lastly I went back to instagram to follow the  crab tutorial from week three that I was unsuccessful at to see if my practice has paid off and if I would be able to follow the tutorial… and I did!

Tools Used this week:

  • Pinterest– to find tutorials, see above for information
  • Apps – to find tutorials, see above for information on each one
  • Instagram– see week 3 for a review on this platform
  • Iphone- to take pictures and screen record
  • YouTube– to upload screen recordings and crab results, see week 5 for a review on this platform
  • PhotoBooth– to record my own tutorials that did not end up saving to my computer ?

What I learned

  • practice makes perfect!
  • Apps for Origami are not the best
  • Pinterest provides awesome tutorials for Origami
  • Technology does not always work perfectly
  • Things that seem difficult get easier over time
  • I have become much faster at creating different animals, due to many hours of practice!
  • I can create WAY more difficult things (such as the crab) than when I had started
Chart Summary of What I learned
Review of Technology I used to learn the skill of origami

Review on the website titled Paper Kawaii (used in week 2): The website has many different categories to help you create something of interest to you. I also really appreciated the fact that the website is broken down into levels of difficulty. The tutorials inform the viewer what sizes of paper is appropriate to use, and the size that is being used in the actual video. This is a resource that I could see myself using in the classroom. As a teacher, I would display the videos using a projector or smartboard and have students follow along together.

Review of Instagram (Used in week 3) : Instagram has a lot of content, but I found it difficult to find whole tutorials that show how to create something from start to finish. In other words, instagram is more catered towards showcasing finished products as opposed to an educational tool. I found it more difficult to follow the tutorials as most of them were timelapses which was too fast for me as a beginner. During my search I had to filter out a lot of videos that would not work in order to find the ones that I used. Most of the videos I used from instagram were straight forward, but I definitely preferred the website titled “paper kawaii”. I would not use instagram as a learning resource on origami within the classroom as I feel that students would perhaps face confusion, like I did when trying to follow videos that are too fast. 

Review on TikTok (Used in week 4): TikTok is an okay tool to use to find information on how to do things. I found the videos for origami were very simple, so if you are wanting to utilize this app, I would recommend using it for a beginner level. I did find myself having to sort through many videos to find ones that I would like to create, or that didn’t just show how to create boxes/containers. Because of this, I would rate TikTok a 6/10 as a resource for learning the skill of origami. I also do not think that this resource is great for tutorials as many of the videos are quite short, meaning that they are fast paced. I would still recommend “paper kawaii” as the tool to use when teaching students as it requires less time to sort through tutorials to find what you would like to create.

Review on YouTube; Website(Used in week 5): YouTube is a phenomenal resource to use when learning new skills. When I used the search function at the top of the page, I was immediately provided with hundreds of results making things easy to find and very helpful. I really love the fact that you can slow down video by changing the playback speed which can be found on the bottom right hand corner of any given clip. I would definitely recommend using this as a tool to learn the skill of origami, and definitely see myself using YouTube as a learning tool in the classroom with future students!

Review on Pinterest (Used in week 6): Pinterest is an amazing tool for finding ideas! When searching “origami” I found hundreds of posts. I would definitely recommend using this tool when learning origami, and would say that this is just as great of a tool as YouTube! I like that you can easily pin things that you like and save for later, as well as make specific categories to save items under!

Review on using Apps: Apps can be a great tool for learning. Unfortunately many of the apps that I came across came with a price…literally. I wasn’t interested in spending money during this project (besides purchasing the necessary paper) to demonstrate that a 6 week learning project can be done at an affordable price making it more of an inclusive skill for students to learn in the classroom. Other difficulties I found when using the apps is that they didn’t include video tutorials, just photos instructions. This made it significantly more difficult to follow along as opposed to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram etc. 

Tools used to demonstrate learning

Review on InShot (Used week 4&5): This is an excellent app found on the apple app store that I used to edit videos and create collages that added creative/appealing visuals to my blog post content. The app is simple to use and appropriate for most ages (grade 5 and up). I love that you can easily save creations and upload onto different platforms such as YouTube and Twitter straight from the app.

Review on PhotoBooth (Used week 6): This tool I used to record myself creating various Origami sea creatures. At first I found it simple to use, so  I shot over an hour worth of video! When I was done recording I hit the “end” button and the footage did not save. I am not sure why, but I would not recommend using this tool that is freely available for Apple Mac products. Especially if you are wanting to record longer length videos, as the length of my footage may have been the issue to it not saving.

Review on YouTube; App (Used throughout): YouTube was a fun and easy way for me to showcase my learnings. I would recommend using YouTube as a tool to anyone wanting to highlight/demonstrate thoughts and understandings. I personally used the app on my phone.  When opening the app I saw a “+” button at the bottom middle of the screen. From here I chose the video I wanted to upload, and then created a title for the video! I love how straightforward and simple this is to do!

iMovie: iMovie was an excellent tool that I used to edit videos throughout my learning journey. Typically I used this to combine different clips and to add sound to videos to make it more engaging for viewers. Before using this app I had little to no experience with editing videos. Because of this tool my confidence has gained significantly. I would highly recommend this tool to anyone looking to edit videos! 

Bitmoji Chrome Extension:  To make my posts more visually appealing to the audience and assist with showing my thoughts, I downloaded the Bitmoji Chrome Extension! When I wanted to add a bit of pop to a post, I would search something on the Bitmoji, and copy and paste it into my writing. Students in school would love this tool as it is very fun to implement.

Closing Comments 

What an incredible journey this has been. Thank you everyone who has followed my posts, offering guidance, tips and support along the way. Please know that your words were valued and deeply appreciated. Dr. Katia Hildebrandt, thank you so much for this opportunity that will never be forgotten. Going into this project, I was terrified. I saw examples of posts and thought to myself “there is no way I can do that”. Thank you for showing me that I am more capable than I had thought, and that many things are possible if you set your mind to it.

Take care,

Danica

Practice Makes Perfect!

Bitmoji Image

I am feeling very accomplished with this learning project update! After learning the new skill of origami, and slowly increasing my level of difficulty each week, I decided to end off my learning project by creating an origami theme! For this theme I chose to do “under the sea”. Throughout this project I found myself really enjoying making little animals, so this week I took to pinterest and different apps to find tutorials on living things that are found within the ocean. I also chose this so that I could demonstrate my improvement (hopefully) by creating the crab that I attempted on week three but was not able to finish due to the level of difficulty.

Similar to other posts I have made, I really enjoyed this week’s learnings, but it took a lot of time and patience. Like think a lot, and then think more! Learning the skill of patience throughout this learning project has also benefited me greatly, as this is something that I do not always demonstrate within my everyday life. Therefore, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work on this each week!

Apps:

To begin my week, I began by searching the app store. To my surprise, after typing in “Origami”, I found many different apps! I chose to download five different ones to see if I could find tutorials that would help me with my theme. 

App #1: Origame.

Origame is a super cool app, but was something that I was absolutely not looking for. Watch the video below to find out why! 

App #2: Origami.

This app had a section titled “sea”, so I was very excited to explore different tutorials. I was sad to find out that even though the app was free to download, in order to access the tutorials, I had to pay money. Therefore, I did not end up using this app either. 

App #3: (korean writing?) This app had a ton of tutorials! I was so excited to try it out. When I finally chose a fish to create, I was unable to follow along as I ended up very confused with what I was supposed to do… The tutorials are pictures only and include no written description.

App #4: Origami. Similar to app #3, Pictures were used for instructions. One thing that was better than app #3 is that the pictures moved to show which direction to fold! I really like this app because of this, and also because it has the level of difficulty shown in the preview of the tutorial which I think is a great feature. Unfortunately, this app does not have any sea creature tutorials, so I chose to not use it this week.

App #5: HowToMakeOrigami

Finally I came across an app that was free of charge and had many different tutorials (including sea creatures!). I was excited to try out this app, so I invited my mom to make a dolphin with me! Together we followed the app step by step and the following is our results.

Back side

My mom and I both agreed that we would prefer to watch an actual person show how to make something. We also both agreed that videos are way easier to follow than photos. This app shows animated photos and has written descriptions to go along with it. At times my mom and I faced confusion and wished that we were able to slow down  the animated fold to figure out what we were doing. Although I used this for my learning project, I would not recommend this app to be used in the classroom as students would find themselves confused, just like I did. Because of my confusion, I was unable to complete the back side of my dolphin.

Pinterest:

Next, I took to pinterest to see what I could find. First I found a cute fish tutorial. After viewing, I decided to create! This tutorial was very fun to follow and my fish turned out great! I was surprised when I was finished because I thought that the fish would sit flat, but instead it was more 3D like which made this piece even better. I would highly recommend this video to anyone wanting to learn the skill of origami. One thing I would like to have done a little bit better on is ensuring that the folds are done in the correct place so that white paper is not showing. I will definitely be making this again!

After completing the fish, I found a tutorial on how to make a shark. I didn’t like the size of the dolphin I created with my mom, so I decided to use a smaller piece of paper for this. This was another excellent tutorial and I really enjoyed creating something of a smaller scale. However, I am not too sure if this looks like a shark…maybe because I made it small. I think it kind of looks like a baby fish. What do you think?

Right after completing the shark… I came across another dolphin, one that looked more realistic than the one I made using the app. So I attempted to create it. This was a challenging tutorial that I would say is for an intermediate level. I found that it took a lot of time to create, but it was well worth it in the end.

For my last pinterest creation, I decided to create a seahorse! This was very time consuming. In total I took about 1.5 hours to create this little guy. I was unable to make the head exactly like the tutorial, but I am still happy with the way it turned out. I would like to continue practising using this tutorial, and hopefully one day I will have it 100% mastered

Grand Finale:

This week I made it my mission to sit down and finally complete the crab tutorial from week three that I found on Instagram. WOWZA. Let me tell you, this was such a hard creation for me. But… I was finally able to complete it! After about 5 attempts and many frustrated hours, this week I was able to sit down and complete the tutorial from start to finish. I am so proud of myself! And I am proud of the fact that my origami practice is starting to show!

All one paper, with many many folds!

Review on Pinterest: Pinterest is an amazing tool for finding ideas! When searching “origami” I found hundereds of posts. I would definitely recommend using this tool when learning origami, and would say that this is just as great of a tool as YouTube! I like that you can easily pin things that you like and save for later, as well as make specific categories to save items under!

Video of an origami tutorial Created by myself:

This week I discovered that technology doesn’t always work out. I decided to take 1hour worth of videos using the tool “PhotoBooth” on my computer. This is a tool that is new to me, so I did a couple test runs to ensure that the video feature worked. The test runs included a recording of me just starring at the screen LOL! But I found the tool easy and straight forward to use, so I then began recording a tutorial that I wanted to post this week. During the folding process I checked on the tool to make sure that it was still recording. I clicked the “end recording” function when I was done.. then went to watch the video, only to realize that no footage was not actually taken… 🙁 I was so upset and frustrated!

I have taken this as a learning experience that using technology does not always go as planned. I am proud of myself for trying something new, and happy that my phone was still able to capture photos and videos of my creations that are included within this post.

Question: Have you ever used PhotoBooth to record videos? Have you run into this issue?

Tools Used this week:

  • Pinterest– to find tutorials, see above for information
  • Apps – to find tutorials, see above for information on each one
  • Instagram– see week 3 for a review on this platform
  • Iphone- to take pictures and screen record
  • YouTube– to upload screen recordings and crab results, see week 5 for a review on this platform
  • PhotoBooth– to record my own tutorials that did not end up saving to my computer 🙁

What I learned

  • practice makes perfect!
  • Apps for Origami are not the best
  • Pinterest provides awesome tutorials for Origami
  • Technology does not always work perfectly
  • Things that seem difficult get easier over time

Whats Real?

Within this blog post, I am going to be discussing Digital Literacy. Some readers might be thinking, well… what exactly is digital literacy? According to the Ministry of Education (British Columbia), digital literacy is “The interest, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others”. Basically, it is the ability to analyze and use technology in an appropriate way. 

Have you ever seen something on the internet and thought, wow this is cool…I have never heard of this.. I should let others know. Damon Brown states that it is important that one completes a google search on something that seems outrageous before actually sharing things, as you could possibly be sharing something that is commonly known as FAKE NEWS. By completing a google search, you can look for other resources that support what you have learned. If other resources back up what you found, the more credible the thing may be. If you are unable to find other resources that look credible to back it up, chances are, what you have come across is in fact not real. 

Clare Wardle agrees with what Brown states and adds that our ecosystem is polluted. By accepting information that we read, without further investigation/insight, individuals are only “…adding to the noise and confusion”. The spread of Fake News makes it become more believable… which is frustrating and difficult to put an end to. 

To help individuals identify fake news, John Spencer has created the term “The five C’s of critical consumption”. His video is insightful for those confused on how to identify fake news… I know I was until watching his video. Please note that this list does not include everything, and is not perfect, but it’s an excellent place to start!

The 5 Cs:

  1. Context: look at the context… When was it written where does it come from?
  2. Credibility: are the sources cited? Is this a popular post?
  3. Construction: What are the biases, is there any propaganda? Is what’s stated opinions or facts?
  4. Corroboration: corroborate with other credible news sources. Ensure that the news can be found elsewhere.
  5. Compare: with other news. Gain a bigger picture on what is really happening.

News being online can definitely have its pros and cons. Technology allows all individuals to share news which in turn leaves us no longer under the gatekeeper of news (news was at one point only shared through 4 stations). But individuals need to take responsibility with their freedom. This can be done by ensuring that “…the flow of news does not become a flood. Leaving us less informed than when we took the plunge.”

The following is an excellent resource highlighting the 7 types of mis- and disinformation:

Fake News. Its complicated By Clare Wardle

According to the National Council of Teachers of English, ​​Active, successful participants in a global society must be able to:

  • Participate effectively and critically in a networked world;
  • Explore and engage critically, thoughtfully, and across a wide variety of inclusive texts and tools/modalities;
  • Consume, curate, and create actively across contexts;
  • Advocate for equitable access to and accessibility of texts, tools, and information;
  • Build and sustain intentional global and cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so as to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought;
  • Promote culturally sustaining communication and recognize the bias and privilege present in the interactions;
  • Examine the rights, responsibilities, and ethical implications of the use and creation of information;
  • Determine how and to what extent texts and tools amplify one’s own and others’ narratives as well as counter unproductive narratives;
  • Recognize and honor the multilingual literacy identities and culture experiences individuals bring to learning environments, and provide opportunities to promote, amplify, and encourage these differing variations of language (e.g., dialect, jargon, register).

So my question is, how can the above points be taught to students within the classroom? 

Taking a look at the English Language Arts Saskatchewan curriculum is a great place to start. When thinking about my own teachings, I would personally begin by implementing the section “Comprehend and Respond” for middle-highschool years. Within this, I would have students read different information using technology. They would then analyze the info, looking for credibility; how it was written, what type of language is used, who wrote the piece and what resources back up what is being said. I would then push students to think more critically, and discuss the rights, responsibilities, and ethical implications of the use and creation of information. 
Note: This is just an idea/starting point to teaching digital literacy using the Saskatchewan curriculum.

EDTC and…Detective work?

It has taken me some time to finally sit down and write this post. A couple of days ago I opened my computer and read the story of Madison Holleran. I was immediately engulfed with emotion as I read about the success of a track and soccer player, and then seeing it suddenly take a turn. Madison Holleran took her life on January 17, 2014 at the age of 19. My heart goes out to Madison’s family and friends who are hurting. And to each and every person who is struggling with mental health. 

When reading about Holleran and her life, I came to the realization that it is typical for people to just post the highlights of life on instagram. When thinking about myself, I post what I want others to see. Therefore my digital identity comes across as an always happy person. But I am Human. We are all human. I have sad days, but I have never posted about those days. I know I wouldn’t be a burden, but it’s hard because all one sees on social media (instagram) are the happy moments that people have. 

“Checking Instagram is like opening a magazine to see a fashion advertisement. Except an ad is branded as what it is: a staged image on glossy paper.”

Split image

It breaks my heart that Madison Holleran felt the need to  portray such a happy and successful individual to the world and social media, even though she felt broken and lost on the inside. 

This article has brought awareness to me as a reader that we can create who we want to be on social media, but it may not be who we actually are. The people with “perfect lives” may not be living so perfectly. In the end, we need to remind ourselves that everyone is human, no life is filtered… only on social media.

“Even people you think are perfect are going through something difficult.”

Quote that Madison Holleran posted on instagram

To read the full article please click the following link: Split Image

To find The Madison Holleran Foundation On Facebook, please click here: Madison Holleran Memorial

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After reading about Madison Holleran, I then watched a video of a TED talk by Monica Lewinsky that talked about cyberbullying and online harassment. With the online internet, things that seem private can instantly blow up with a flick of a switch and turn a persons life upside down. Within the talk, Monica talks about her own personal experiences as well as how cyberbullying leads to victims feeling more suicidal, than in person bullying.

Online news can be seen as  a great thing as news can travel quickly, but we must also be aware of the fact that any information can be spread worldwide about us in minutes. Digital identity is important for all individuals to think about. What do we want others seeing about us online?

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Bitmoji Image

This week I was tasked with cybersleuthing my Classmate Vincent Grabowski. For those of you wondering what cybersleuthing is, it is the activity of searching the web for information on a specific individual.  

To begin my close examination on Vincents digital identity, I took to google and typed in “Vincent Grabowski”. I was shocked with the results, as nothing on him came up! I was expecting to see his social media platforms such as facebook, instagram, twitter, and his edusites blog, because this is what comes up when you search my name. So my next thought was… Does he not use social media?

I went to instagram and searched for his name. I ended up finding his page! But it was made private, therefore I was unable to see his photos. His Bio provided basic information as it states that he identifies as he/him and that he attends the University of Regina.

Instagram Account

Next, I looked up “Vincent Grabowski” on twitter and found his twitter account (this was easy to do as I have commented on his posts in the past). Through his twitter account I found out that he is living in Regina, and is a middle years education student.

Twitter Account

via twitter I found Vincent’s edusite, where he has posted a “Who Am I” page. Here I was able to find out that he is from the town of Hamiota Manitoba. He has a mom, dad, two older brothers and a younger sister. His sister has Down syndrome and  is a huge part of Vincents life. I also read that he moved to Regina in 2016 and received a degree in Electronic Systems Engineering from the University of Regina. While in engineering, he was a part of the coop program. In 2021 he convocated and enrolled into the Education After Degree Program (still at the University of Regina). 

Overall, I think that Vincent’s Digital Identity shows that het is a private person who is passionate about education and loved ones. If an employer was to search him online they would find educational resources that he has shared via twitter, as well as self reflections, and a thoughtful teaching philosophy + biography on edusites. I am curious though, how does his social media not show up on google, even though his user handles include his whole name “Vincent Grabowski”? Is there a way for my social media to not be found when googling? 

question mark

Digital Citizenship + The Saskatchewan Curriculum

Digital Citizenship is currently defined as “the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use”. 

– Digital Citizenship: Using Technology Appropriately

I believe that this definition is excellent as it recognizes the continuous evolvement of tech. 

According to Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship, we are to demonstrate the following:

  • Lead and assist others in building positive digital experiences
  • Recognize that our actions have consequences to others 
  • Participate in a manner of common good

As time progresses, so does the world of technology, and I believe that it is our job as teachers to prepare/ guide students to access this valuable resource in a safe and positive way. Students should not be made to feel afraid of the “what ifs”, instead they should be aware of how to handle different situations that may arise, and how to use technology in the most effective way!

The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship Explained
laptop teaching

Now I am going to take a look at the Saskatchewan curriculum and identify ways in which we as teachers can include the teachings of Ribble’s nine themes of digital citizenship to meet outcomes and indicators. 

First, I want to make note that I have not found an outcome or indicator that is explicitly for teaching digital citizenship (this is definitely true in elementary years). Before taking this class, I did not realize just how important it is to teach young individuals about this… But now I am left wondering, why is this not an outcome/indicator to be taught? I believe that students of all grade levels should be receiving education on this topic as technology plays such a huge role in our everyday lives!

I did however find different possibilities for connecting it to grade levels, subjects and outcomes/indicators. The following are a few examples from grades that am interested in teaching within the future:

Grade: 4

Subject: Health

Outcome: USC4.3 Examine healthy interpersonal skills and determine strategies to effectively develop new relationships and/or negotiate disagreements in relationships.

Indicator: 

(b) Describe and recommend healthy behaviours, including positive communication skills for getting along with others in play and competitive situations (e.g., an appreciation of silence as an opportunity to reflect and refrain from “jumping in”, analyzing and criticizing ideas and not the people offering them).

Connection: 

  • Digital Etiquette

When implementing Digital etiquette with indicator b), educators can teach the importance of being aware of others, as well as using positive communication to get along with individuals. It’s important to be kind and understand how others’ feelings may be affected within the digital world and the classroom when interacting. Teachers can show how to communicate online and be considerate of individuals (other classmates) who are online with them in an educational game (play and competitive situations).

Indicator:

(c) Recognize how various factors, including peer pressure, communication strategies, and assumptions affect relationships.

Connection: 

  • Digital communication and collaboration

Students can learn how to communicate through digital technology in a way that ensures others understand what they are trying to convey. Educators can provide a platform as well as guide students to communicate and share ideas. Using this as a tool will teach students effective communication strategies to create relationships with classmates. The teacher can show examples of how miscommunication can occur which can then affect relationships.

  • Rights and Responsibility

Within this indicator, students can learn the responsibility of informing adults when there is a potential problem such as peer pressure that occurs online. It is important to avoid negative situations and this can be done by being diligent in helping others. Educators can discuss different situations that can happen online and how it can affect others, students can then brainstorm ideas on what to tell an adult when something happens.

Grade: 5

Subject: Health 

Outcome: USC5.4 Analyze the connections between personal identity and personal well-being, and establish strategies to develop and support a positive self-image.

Indicator: (b) Discuss criteria that can be used to determine if a health source is reliable.

Connection: 

  • Digital Fluency

Educators can teach students how to identify if  health sources found online are credible/reliable. This can be done by examining different websites as a class and pointing out things that look like fake news. Teachers can discuss with students that believing everything that is shared online is not appropriate as anyone can post anything. After whole class learning, students can then work in groups to investigate different health websites and report back to the class on if they believe the source is credible and their reasons that support their conclusion.

Grade: 6

Subject: Career Education

Outcome: LW6.1 Examine effective practices such as responsible decision making, cooperation, and accepting diversity and predict their continued importance in one’s own career.

Indicator: (b)Evaluate the impact of personal decisions on self and others

Connection:

  • Digital Rights and Responsibilities & Digital Health and Welfare

Educators can use this outcome/indicator as an opportunity to teach students the responsibilities of technology use and how upholding their responsibilities can help students in their future careers. It is also important that students understand the importance of protecting themselves and others both in person and online. Additionally, students can learn about the responsibility of taking care of their own personal health within the world of technology, as technology is typically used within careers and everyday life.

Grade: 6

Subject: English Language Arts

Outcome: CR6.1 View, listen to, read, comprehend, and respond to a variety of texts that address identity (e.g., Growing Up), social responsibility (e.g., Going the Distance), and efficacy (e.g., Making Our Community More Peaceful).

Indicator: (a) View, listen to, read, and respond to a variety of visual, multimedia (including digital), oral, and print texts that address the grade-level themes and issues related to identity, social responsibility, and efficacy including those that reflect diverse personal identities, worldviews, and backgrounds (e.g., appearance, culture, socio-economic status, ability, age, gender, sexual orientation, language, career pathway).

Connection:

  • Digital Law

Digital law can definitely be taught to students when they are practising responses to different texts. Educators can discuss the term plagiarism and have students practise citing resources that they are using within their work.

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Conclusion: Within this blog post, I chose to look at different subjects and grades to demonstrate that the nine elements can be integrated into many different areas of learning. As a teacher I would like to educate students on digital citizenship as much as possible by implementing the nine elements within different lessons and assignments. Possible ideas include having students create posters on the nine elements to define what they mean, having students complete their own research to gain a better understanding of the tech world, and demonstrating effective use. Technology is such a huge part of life, and without the proper knowledge on how it can be used in a positive way, students may be faced with certain hardships that could have been avoided. 

Resources on this topic to check out:

Extra: Our classmate, Karlee Scott is an online teacher, and has a beautiful blogging platform. Karlee uploaded a post that highlights her favourite online tools. I would suggest checking this page out for awesome resources that can be implemented within your teaching!

Hopping along with this project…

We are on the home stretch with these learning projects, and I can honestly say that I am having a lot of fun! I will admit, I have faced moments of extreme frustration, but I have not let this hold me back. Once I recover from these moments… I usually end up having a few giggles…

Let me guess, you are thinking hmmmm Danica, what is this?? 

Well, you will be very surprised to know that this is my attempt at a kangaroo…Although I’m thinking I should tell people that I was trying to accomplish a lizard, because to me, that’s what this kind of looks like

hehehe

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This week I chose to explore the wonderful platform of YouTube. Let me tell you, this was like a breath of fresh air. YouTube has it all! Anything I wanted to create, I just used the search function at the top of the page, and BOOM, I have multiple video tutorials! When watching the tutorials, I often slowed down the videos by changing the playback speed, which can be found on the bottom right hand corner of the clip. 

As I have previously mentioned, the end of my learning project journey is slowly creeping up, so I decided to try and up my folding game! This week I looked for videos that looked interesting, but more complicated then what I have attempted in the past. 

First, I decided to attempt creating an elephant, as this is an animal that I have always really liked. When I used the search bar, I was happy to find that many different looking elephants can be made. Because of this, I followed two different tutorials so that I could compare.

YouTube Search Results

The first tutorial was posted by the YouTube channel “First art & craft” and the video was titled “Origami Elephant:Amazing Paper Elephant Making Step-by-Step|Origami Elephant Craft Ideas”. As I read through the comments on this video, I found one that said “Honestly, this was a very hard tutorial to follow, especially for beginners. I’ve been doing origami since I was a child, but this was made harder than it looks”. Because of this comment, I decided to take the challenge and test out me new learned skills. To my surprise, I was able to follow along! This goes to show that the hours of practice I have put in to folding is finally paying off!

One thing I did not like about the elephant is that the back half didn’t seem realistic to me. I tried adjusting the tail so that it folded down more, but to me it just seemed kind of “off”. In total this took me about 40 minutes to make from start to finish. This may seem like a long time, considering the tutorial video is 7min 40sec. But I always take a long time to make sure that my folds are done correctly. This tutorial I would recommend to an intermediate level origami creator as it was tricky to follow along, but it is definitely doable

First Elephant

Next, I used a tutorial posted by “easy origami” titled “How To Make A Paper Origami Easy Elephant”. I chose this one, as it seemed to look more realistic. I found this tutorial to be easier than the first elephant and took less time to make, which surprised me because of how detailed it appeared. This goes to show that more difficulty does not always look better! I was happy with the tutorial as it was straight forward and easy to watch all of the steps. One thing that I would have liked to have done better is to have more of a flat line at the top of the head, as well as a longer tail. The tutorial shows a longer tail, so I am not sure where I went wrong. When I went into the comments to see if others had this problem, I saw someone had mentioned that they didn’t end up with a tail at all! So this must be a common mistake that folders make.

Second Elephant

Overall I definitely like my second elephant the best. What do you think?

Next, I wanted to create something that functioned, as this is something I had yet to try. What better to make than a hopping frog? For this creation I decided to follow a tutorial titled “Origami Jumping Frog Instructions: www.origami-Fun.com”  completed by the account “origamifun”. This tutorial was super fun to follow and one that I will definitely use again in the future. Once I was done following the steps, I pressed on the back of the frog and watched it jump! 

After creating a simple frog, I decided to create another one, but increase the level of difficulty. For this I decided to follow a tutorial titled “ORIGAMI JUMPING FROG (Traditional model)” as this frog looked more realistic. The content creator “Origami with Jo Nakashima” did an excellent job showing a step by step walkthrough of how to make this frog. I did find the creation took more time to make than the first time as more folds were required. I really like the final piece, but was disappointed that the frog barely jumped when attempted. I think that the frog had a difficult time getting air because of the additional folds compared to the first one. The folds made the frog hard to compress together before releasing. 

Overall there are definitely things to both frogs that I enjoy. I like the simplicity of the first frog, that I can create it easily and that it jumps high! I also like the detail and challenge of the second one! Which one do you like better?

Lastly was my attempt at the kangaroo following a the tutorial “Origami Kangaroo (Jo Nakashima)” by “Origami with Jo Nakashima”. The thing that made me laugh the most, is I really thought that I was doing a great job… until I paused and took a closer look to compare with what the tutorial was showing… 

Kangaroo

This was very hard to make and I was unable to finish due to the fact that my folds were not looking that spectacular! Oh well, I know that learning this skill takes time, and my hope is to one day be able to accomplish this 🙂 I think that the tutorial was created in a way that is excellent for people to follow, it was just too advanced for me right now.

Its interesting how each week I have great success and then a couple of fall backs… kind of like the saying “one step forward and two steps back”. But I do feel like I am learning lots, and this is something worth celebrating.

Review of YouTube: I will keep this part short, as I have mentioned above how I really enjoyed this platform for following tutorials. The videos were easy to find and very helpful. I would rate this resource a 10/10, this is my new favourite tool to use to help me learn the skill of origami and would definitely see myself using this in the classroom with students. 

Tech resources used:

What I learned:

  • There are multiple ways of making things
  • It takes time to ensure folds are made correctly
  • More difficult tutorials does not always mean it appears more detailed

Goal for next week:

  • Reattempt making a crab (from week 3)
  • Explore more intricate creations using pinterest and apps 
  • Follow an “under the sea” theme
  • Demonstrate the skills I have learned over the course of the semester!

TikTok, It’s Origami Time!

TikTok is commonly known for its popular dances and random videos posted by social media influencers. One side of TikTok that I really enjoy is the educational videos. I often find teachers on TikTok discussing classroom layouts, lesson ideas and class management strategies.

This week I decided to explore the social media platform of TikTok to find origami tutorials! I was hopeful because TikTok only allows videos to be posted, so I figured that this would be a great way to expand my folding skills as opposed to simply reading instructions. 

Screenshot of my search

First I began the search. I typed in “Origami tutorials” within the search bar and hit enter. The following photo is what I came across.

After I started scrolling through, I found myself feeling a little bit disappointed. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was hoping to begin creating more animals. Many of the videos that  I found were showing how to create boxes, envelopes, or shapes I have already made before. Eventually I did end up finding a few tutorials that I was excited to try:

  1. The paper dinosaurs: This tutorial posted by Origammaray, was very fun to follow. My first attempt I felt was going okay until I had my finished product. My folds looked a little bit rough around the edges, and for some reason the legs stuck out to the side too much. Therefore, the dinosaur I created was not able to stand firmly like the one in the tutorial appeared to be doing. 
Dinosaur

After looking at my creation, I decided to attempt the dino one more time. This time I used a small (sticky note size) piece of paper. To my surprise, I think I found using a smaller piece of paper to be easier to work with! My second attempt turned out better and stronger than the first, plus the dino was able to stand strong on its two back legs! One thing I would like to improve on is making the two front little arms more defiant as they are barely noticeable in my opinion. 

Swan
  1. Swan: I created a paper swan using a tutorial form an account called kimigami. This was a good tutorial, but did not require many folds and I found it was more simple than I was hoping for. This would have been a great video to watch and follow during my first week of the learning project! This being said, I was happy to follow along and I think that the finished product turned out just like the tutorial.
Turtle
  1. Sea turtles: I found a really cute tutorial while searching origami on how to make a turtle. This was a video I couldn’t pass by without trying! The TikTok was created by kimigami, the same creator that I used for the swan, and it was a very straightforward tutorial. The shell for some reason was uneven, so I had to fold in different amounts on each side. Im thinking that this mistake was due to an uneven fold. I found the finished product to be really cute and I enjoyed making this creation. I found the turtle to be simple to make and would work great for anyone at the beginner level, or young students within the classroom. 
Cute baby turtle

Because I found using a smaller piece of paper easier for making the dinosaur, I decided to use the small paper once again to create a baby turtle. One thing that was a little bit tricky was folding the head of the creature as I didn’t have a lot of paper to work with. Overall I am happy with the results.

This week I explored a new (to me) video editing tool called InShot. Using this tool/app, I created a video that demonstrates my Origami skills and provides a tutorial for viewers to follow along with the turtle making process.

NOTE: please see my blog post titled “Exploring New Tools” for a review on the editing tool that I used. 

Review on TikTok:

TikTok is an okay tool to use to find information on how to do things. I found the videos for origami were very simple, so if you are wanting to utilize this app, I would recommend using it for a beginner level. I did find myself having to sort through many videos to find ones that I would like to create, or that didn’t just show how to create boxes/containers. Because of this, I would rate TikTok a 6/10 as a resource for learning the skill of origami. I also do not think that this resource is great for tutorials as many of the videos are quite short, meaning that they are fast paced. Similar to what I said last week, I would still recommend “paper kawaii” as the tool to use when teaching students as it requires less time to sort through tutorials to find what you would like to create.

Extra:

This week’s TikTok exploration went well, but I was looking for more of a challenge. I decided to revisit the paper kawaii website from week one and attempt the lotus flower once again. I used the same paper as I did in week one and had the same results (ripped paper, not able to make the folds). I personally think that the paper rips because there are too many folds in one area. I thought that perhaps by using a larger piece of paper (30cmx30cm instead of 15×15) it might fix my problem because then I would have a larger piece to work with. 

After attempting with a larger piece of paper, I found it to be difficult getting the first folds started, and I ran into the same problem with my paper ripping when trying to make the petals. This paper lotus is a challenge for me and my goal is to be able to create this by the end of the learning project.

Question: I am thinking that a different type of paper might be better for this creation. Do you have any ideas on what kind of paper I can use that can be folded many times without ripping?  

Tech resources used:

What I learned:

  • Using a smaller piece of paper can sometimes be easier and can create stronger shapes
  • TikTok has some good origami resources, but you may have to search and sort through videos to find ones you want
  • InShot is a great tool to use to edit videos
  • Using a larger piece of paper did not help make the lotus flower any easier to create
  • I have realized that for many of the origami figures, the same folds are used at the beginning (fold diagonally both ways, then fold in half one way and the other way). Because of this I think that I am getting faster at the beginning steps! I can notice my improvements each week and I look forward to moving onto more interesting shapes that require more folds (as well as eventually master the lotus flower)

Exploring New Tools

This week the EDTC class was tasked with finding a tool that can be used to document progress for our learning projects. I took a look at Animoto, shotcut and InShot. InShot is the tool that I ended up going with, and below I created an in depth review of how to use it!

Animoto seemed to be a great resource, until I began using it. For some reason I was unable to drag photos or videos into the area it said to (i’m thinking that this was a glitch on my end). Another thing I wanted to include was a voice over, but the free version did not allow for this. Lastly, Using the free version, I was unable to create a video over 30 seconds in length. 

Note: Voice over is only available if you pay $16 a month

Next, I chose to explore Shotcut. WOW was this overwhelming. I think that this would be an excellent tool for an individual who has more experience with video editing. For me, I was completely lost and didn’t even know how to add more than one clip! Shotcut is extremely advanced and was way outside of my comfort level.

Here is a screenshot. Apparently I had a voiceover, but it wouldn’t play. I was so confused!

Lastly, I decided to download an app on my Iphone called “InShot”. This app was free and incredible to use! I would highly recommend this to anyone who is wanting to edit a video in a simple way, looking to edit a photo, or wants to make a collage, as the app is very straightforward to use. I also love how one can speed up and slow down videos, as well as include voice over, music, sound effects, pictures, stickers and gifs. You can also make different edits such as cuts, filters and crops. 

How to use:

  1. Download the app
  2. Open the app. Three different options will appear “video” “photo” or “collage”
  3. When entering it asks if you want to allow access to photos and videos. Click “allow”
  4. Once you allow photos and videos to be accessed, you can then choose which items you would like to upload. When the items of your choice are uploaded, you can begin editing! (see the uploaded video below on how to complete the process).

Note: If you click the “video” option when entering the app a green square will appear that says “new”. Click on the green square and then choose which videos/ photos you would like to use.

Once the video, photo or collage is to your liking, you can save it to your device. Save by selecting the square with an arrow located at the top right corner of the screen. The app also provides an option to upload onto different platforms such as twitter, instagram, facebook and YouTube. If I were to rate this app, I would give it a 9/10 for meeting basic editing needs for an individual who is exploring video edits for the first time. I took one mark off due to the fact that ads do pop up within the app.

The following is a screen recording taken on my iphone on how to use the InShot app to edit a video:

The following video is a  brief overview on how to edit a photo and create a collage:

I then edited and created a tutorial on how to make an origami turtle! The turtle is a creation that I learned this week using the platform of TikTok for my learning project. 

Note: Please see my learning project update this week for more details!

Classroom use: As a teacher I would definitely use this as a resource in the classroom. I can create tutorials to show students how to complete things such as assignment expectations, and possibly different art projects (just an idea). I would also recommend this app to students as it is free to download on google play, as well as the apple app store. Students can use this editing tool to complete projects as it is straightforward and requires little instruction! This app allows you to easily save the edited materials to devices which makes using this tool even better! By being able to record audio right on the app, as well as search gifs and stickers, it will save students time as they will not have to continuously upload different attachments. One thing that teachers have to keep in mind is that ads do appear within the app when using.

Question: Is there a way to ensure ads don’t appear when using an app?

Where this app/tool fits in the SAMR model:

When looking at the SAMR model, I believe that the implementation of InShot within the classroom would fall under the category of substitution. I say this, because it is a video editing tool that can be used as a way to present information to the class. Instead of reading about how to do something, students can watch a video that the teacher created demonstrating how it is done.