I really enjoyed getting to know my classmates through the online platform of EDTC 300.

During the COVID-19 Outbreak, we have all become more socially isolated. The opportunity to connect to classmates, even though it is over a computer, is a gift, and I have been grateful for these opportunities.

I made this video to summarize my learning experiences in the course.

Contributions to Course Community

Twitter

Joining Twitter was a learning curve for me! I felt hesitant at first. As a Yukon University YNTEP Student, I was aware that Twitter is a resource used by some of the Education Students. I felt intimidated, but ready to give it a try. I created a Twitter handle and bio. I discovered and followed classmates and people and pages of interest on Twitter. I discovered that there is a wealth of Education resources available on Twitter – this was a new discovery! I interacted with classmates, asking them questions, commenting on their posts, and responding to their questions on mine.

One of the things I could offer my classmates, is positive, encouraging and inspirational posts. I also tended to share news articles about the north, LBGTQ2S+, and general education topics, especially lists!

Blog Posts – Others

I really liked reading the blog posts of my classmates. It was a great way to learn about people in the class and to feel connected with others.

I liked offering encouragement and support. 

Some of my favourite bloggers to follow were:

• Linnette’s walking

• Rosalie’s beading

• Andrew’s cooking

What I appreciated and valued about each of their projects were:

Linnette’s dedication and determination: despite some challenges and setbacks, she kept challenging herself to keep walking. She was not afraid to admit her shortcomings or difficulties. I also related to her, as a Mom, and knowing how much more challenging that can make things feel sometimes – you just have less time to fit everything in – self care and schoolwork included – because little people always come first. In the end, she was successful in accomplishing her goal of 10,000 steps!

Rosalie has been working really hard on her beading skills. She is really good at it! She has persisted in her learning, despite the challenges of needing to get instructed from her sister over the internet. Beading seems to be something that is much easier to learn when you have direct, in person support. Rosalie did not have that, as she is living in Yukon, and her sister is in their hometown of Paulatuk. Despite this, Rosalie persisted, and she was able to make beautiful earrings, experimenting with different types of patterns.

I could tell that Andrew was really set on improving his cooking skills – and I think he did really well! Not only did he learn to cook himself, he provided detailed instructions and insights that would help any beginning cook to get started and feel more confident in the kitchen. It was neat to watch how Andrew explored various elements of cooking, such as tool organization, list-making, and how to use a dishwasher. He also highlighted the benefits of family mealtime, which I thought was awesome!

Here are some of my comments:

As well as commenting on these student’s blogs, I also had a chance to visit the blogs of other classmates and share regular comments throughout the course.

Some of my interactions on other student’s blogs:

Blog Posts – My Blog

It felt meaningful to me to have other classmates take the time to read and comment on my blog. I appreciated hearing their comments and insights.

One of the conversations that felt the most important to me is about student mental health. Mental health affects everyone. Despite growing awareness, I believe there is still a lot of stigma. We need to keep having the important conversations. We need to keep normalizing mental health difficulties. Every conversation matters. I am glad I could contribute to this a little bit.

Interactions on my blog:

Discord

Students used Discord to ask questions, problem solve, and help each other.

I found it useful to download the App onto my phone so it was easily available.

Connections with other students

I did my best to keep up with other students’ posts and comments on twitter, although I must admit – with being a busy mom, and working three jobs – some days it felt like a challenge! 

Students in EDTC300 shared some amazing resources on Twitter and I liked reading some of the posts they made! I replied to comments, and made comments on other student’s posts. When I found a resource that I found helpful, I would retweet it and thank the other student for sharing.

I like to connect by offering thanks to others, and offering them messages of support and encouragement.

I observed how incredibly helpful and supportive everyone was of each other on Discord! Students were quick to jump on and answer each other’s questions, offering in-depth support and solutions whenever other’s needed. I felt that if I ever needed to ask a question, my classmates would be there for me to help.

Yoga Meditation for Education Students

As part of my learning, I became curious about the process of video editing. In practice for the longer work of editing videos of doing yoga with my kids, I decided to take on a more simple challenge of making a meditation video. I wanted to create a meditation that would be helpful for education students during times of stress or overwhelm. For me, this was another meaningful way of contributing to the class community.

Thank you for reading and for sharing the journey!

Until next time!

-Dani

I have heard the term – coding – so many times. Mostly it seems to be used by kids and younger adults. So what is it?

According to Robo Wonderkind, coding is:

“Code is the language of the 21st century. It’s what tells our computers, apps, websites, software, and products what to do and how to do it. It’s giving a computer a set of instructions and functions, so it does what we want it to do. These instructions are also commonly known as ‘computer programming’, ‘software programming’, or ‘coding’.”

Source: https://www.robowunderkind.com/pages/coding-for-kids

Some of the benefits of coding for kids:

• Problem solving skills
• Critical thinking
• Creativity
• Memory work
• Development of computational thinking skills

I tried out Hour of Code

I chose a coding activity aimed at the grades 6+ level called “Plastic Pollution PSA”

Here is the finished product!

Every time you hit the button, the garbage moves over to a new location. This is possible because of the code I entered into the setup.

My reflections:

It was harder than I thought! I had to stay focused and remind myself to follow each step. Concentration is necessary for coding! It is also important to be able to follow directions clearly.

Why Every Child Should Learn to Code

Cool off-screen activity, that introduces coding:

Teach Your Kids to Code with a Deck of Cards

Here is a free google course for adults:

Understanding the Basics of Coding

Fake news is real. Fake news can be dangerous. Fake news can be elusive. Fake news is a threat. 

Our class worked together to look at various websites to examine the credibility of the sources. Some questions we asked were:

• How neutral is this information provider?
• Is the information provided accurate or biased?
• Where does the funding for this site come from?
• Where does income generated from this site go?
• What could be some of the underlying motivators of this site?

As teachers, we must find age-appropriate ways to educate our students. Increasing our students' digital literacy is a top priority.

The three main takeaways from the video below are:

• Read it 
• Check it
• Wait

Kids benefit from simple and easy to understand steps directions, especially at younger grade levels!

Fake NEWS: How to Equip Your Kids to Tell Fact from Fiction

Protecting Children From Fake News

Protecting children from fake news

NTCE Framework

I was touched and moved by this video. I appreciated the candidness of Monica’s sharing. 

She said It had taken her many years to become ready to share her story. She said that she shares it in the hopes that it will help others. And she does it so she can be strong in her own truths.

She said she was deeply affected by her online takedown, which occurred synonymously with the rise of social media. She suffered from the rumours, the gossip, the destruction of reputation and character. “Don’t most 22-year olds make a few mistakes that they regret in their life?,” she asks. I have to agree that she is right.

Why do we people think it is okay to be so mean, so cruel, so judgemental, so dehumanizing to others? Why does the anonymity of the internet bring out the worst in people?

Whether it is from the effects of cyberbullying, in person bullying, or other psycho-social conditions, our students are at risk. We must always remember this.

Our students are always at risk of experiencing deep levels of hurt. 

We are in a place to help them. We can change lives. We can save a life.

The truth is these deeply interwoven aspects and layers of mental health extend beyond just one realm of online or offline – some kids will be prone to emotional challenges no matter what their level of online safety practices and digital literacy. And some yet will be more likely to engage in risky online behaviour despite every heed and warning we could ever give. Still, it is our job to educate them. And further still, we must always be ready for potentially rising mental health crises in children and adolescents.

Mental health crises' can sneak up upon them - and us - so quickly.

We can make a choice to speak up. We can try to help.

We can make a difference. Do not ever forget it.

We can do an incredible service for our kids by truly familiarizing ourselves with the online platforms of which they become so well-acquainted to themselves. We can help to educate them to protect themselves. And we can support them along the way – connecting with the kids themselves – as well as with parents and the community.

Reaching out to colleagues, friends and counsellors is necessary to keep ourselves healthy. We must take the time to debrief. To seek all of the support that we need. Holding space for other’s suffering – witnessing their difficulties, and intervening in the ways that we may – can be difficult, painful, and cause our own suffering.

Some of these kids may have already had many struggles before we met them. There are limits to the ways we can support them. Coming to terms with these limits is challenging work. I believe we must always try – to be present, to offer our best selves- caring, supportive, empathetic. 

And ultimately, our job as teachers is to help guide them to become the best humans they can be – kind, caring, empathetic. Holding space for them matters. And just being there for them teaches them all of these values.

We can teach them that the world of communication and the ensuing responsibilities of this, falls not in one place – online or offline – but rather along the whole spectrum – in the realm of these mixed and complicated spaces.

Kids Help Line

Get Support

Bell Let’s Talk

Crisis Services Canada – Suicide Prevention – Support

Crisis Services Canada

For the class exercise, I snooped on my friend Rosalie. After this was complete, I gave her some feedback about her digital identity. 

One of things that stood out to me was Rosalie was surprised  about some of the information that was available about her online. She simply was not aware that certain information was out there. 

 It’s just nice to know what is publicly available or not. But all too often, we do not take the time to figure this out. For this reason, I feel grateful for this course, and the learning experiences that have been offered to us.

For example, neither of us realized that YouTube shares your personal playlists publicly. Rosalie seemed surprised by this and I was as well. For this reason, I’m going to check my own settings, and make sure I’m not sharing my YouTube lists with others. For me, I prefer to be more private with what I share with others. 

My friend and classmate Janet snooped on me. I felt fairly content with the feedback that she gave to me. Mainly, that most of my personal details, such as my birthday and address are hidden. I feel that’s important in protecting ourselves from threats like identity theft. Also, because I work in some higher-risk settings, I like to keep my home life safe and private. It was nice to hear the feedback from her that my online presence comes across as professional. This is what I aim for in the work I do through my business. 

Reflections

After completing our class learning, my view has shifted. I now feel strongly that every person should be making themselves aware of what information is available about themselves online. It is so easy to live in an imaginary bubble where you do not think to ask yourself what kind of information about your life may be public, but it is a question everyone should be asking.

I plan to educate my family and friends about the importance of this. One of the aspects that I love about being a University Student, is the exposure to new ideas and concepts and the openness that comes along with it. I feel that it is easier to explore new ways of knowing and doing as a student. It is also easier to try to convince some of the hard-minded adults in my life to learn to think a little bit differently, when I can share knowledge from a classroom perspective.

Here are some articles I will share with my friends and family:

Manage Your Online Reputation

17 Things to Know Before Googling Yourself

17 Things to Know Before Googling Yourself

10 Tips to Improve Your Online Privacy

Here are some resources for Working with Kids

What Can You Do To Protect Your Online Rep? (Video for Kids)

Educating Kids About Digital Privacy

Resources for Teachers – Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada