Author: Dayna Coffey (Page 1 of 3)

My Summary of Learning for EDTC 300. I created my summary using Canva and then uploaded it to YouTube.

As EDTC 300 comes to a close, I need to reflect on how I’ve contributed to others’ learning, and boy, am I happy I listened to Katia’s advice to screenshot/document each time I commented on Discord or a classmate’s blog post.

Discord Chat Interactions

With such a quick class (6 weeks as opposed to 4 months) and many students, I found that many questions were already answered before I had the time to answer them myself.

Blog Post Comments

I aimed to comment on five blog posts per week. I found it interesting to see what other students were doing and learn different concepts I hadn’t researched.

I did have a few times on Discord when I asked a question, and there was no response. I don’t know if anyone knew the answer to my question regarding Screencastify, which is why no one answered. The other question I asked was if someone wanted to be cybersleuth partners.  I’m going to go with everyone was scared of my sleuthing abilities.

Since I have used ChatGPT for research in other classes, I decided to try a different AI search engine. This time, I tried Google’s Gemini.

I found it quite similar to ChatGPT3.5 (free version). I was very interested in Alec’s AI prompts in the video. How could I use the AI forum to inspire ideas and assessments with the Saskatchewan curriculum?

Since I had just completed a lesson plan for Grade 3 Science Outcome PL3.1, I decided to stick with the knowledge I already had. Could Gemini create a better project than I did?  What would Gemini have for assessment ideas?

My first input into Gemini was that I am a grade 3 teacher and must create an assignment based on the PL3.1 Saskatchewan Grade 3 Science curriculum. What project could I do? How can I assess my students’ knowledge?

Gemini’s first output could have been better.

So, I was slightly disappointed when Gemini didn’t even have the correct outcome for PL3.1.

I then proceeded to tell Gemini that was not the correct outcome and what the proper outcome for PL3.1 was.

After I corrected Gemini, the projects seemed great; they had three different ideas.

I then wanted to know how Gemini AI could assist in planning ideas for children with diverse needs, so I added another prompt.

I like these ideas; how could I alter the project to be inclusive for students with ADHD, nonverbal, and visual impairments?

Gemini AI generated these answers:

These are great ideas for assisting diverse students. I then wanted to see what Gemini could do for translation. When I was a substitute EA this year, one of the students had just moved in from Mexico. I prompted Gemini: I have a student from Mexico. Can you translate Project 1 into Spanish?

Fantastic!!! What a great way to incorporate and communicate when both parties need help understanding each other’s language.

I enjoy that generative AI can assist in creating lesson plans and ideas. We definitely need to ensure that the information is correct since I saw firsthand that AI is not always correct. AI is not going anywhere, so we need to teach students how to use AI to benefit their education and how AI can be an asset instead of using it to hand in AI-generated papers.

The internet can create so many welcoming connections.  Technological advances allow us to access information and connect with people worldwide.  There are so many benefits to having information at our fingertips.  However, when unfavourable information is leaked online, that technological advancement that everyone loves for connecting can affect the person being victimized quickly and exceptionally publicly.

Watching Monica Lewinsky’s TED Talk, The Price of Shame, made me feel remorseful for her. When her incident became public in 1998, I was 12 years old. As a kid, I didn’t understand what was happening or why the public scrutinized this woman. I remember shopping with my mom; every tabloid magazine we saw had her name and picture plastered on the front.  The tabloids created her to be a monster and for President Clinton to be the victim. I also remember thinking she’s a celebrity; that’s what they get for being famous and never second-guessing the information or how it would affect a person’s life.

While writing this post, I googled the 1998 Monica Lewinsky tabloids, and my eyes opened.  Seeing the tabloid headlines now as a 38-year-old instead of a12-year-old opened my eyes.  The tabloid cover to the left is from August 12, 2013, which means that 16 years after the first public shaming, Monica Lewinsky was still being harassed. She was still being publicly shamed for an indiscretion she had when she was 22 years old. Did I make mistakes at 22 years old? You bet I did; some were very similar to Monica Lewinsky’s. However, mine were not aired on the internet or with someone famous, so after a while, the harassment stopped and was forgotten.

Why is Monica Lewinsky still being held accountable for the actions she took when she was 22 years old? It has been  26 years since the information was released. That means more years have passed than Monica had lived when her mistake ruined her life.

I am Proud of Monica. She’s standing up for herself and people facing the same public shaming—people feeling worthless and publicly humiliated online. She credits being alive to her mother. Monica speaks of her mother making her shower with the door open and being worried that Monica would be humiliated to death. As a mother, I couldn’t fathom my child going through that. So when is enough? Should people still be able to dig up information on you from 10, 20, 30, or even 100 years after it happened?

If you haven’t watched Monica Lewinsky’s TED Talk, I encourage you to. It’s eye-opening and makes you wonder why our society feeds off other people’s scandals and negative emotions. Why does society feed off other people’s pain? This woman is fantastic and should be looked up to. She is spreading awareness and standing up for those without a voice—those living in fear of tomorrow.

I decided I wanted to defeat the Kakamora in Disney’s Moana Hour of Code. All the options that Hour of Code had for people to pick were terrific. I searched the website until I found one I was interested in.  Coding seemed way more fun when I was interested in the game that it programmed.

It was neat when the actress who played Moana in the movie (Auli ‘ i Carvalho) appeared to help explain how the coding game would work. Disney has created a way to keep children entertained while learning a great tool for life.

Coding intimidated me previously. I had no idea how it worked or how to use it. Having the Hour of Code game walk me through easy-to-manage steps took a lot of pressure off of me. I was mind-blown to think how easy the first steps were compared to the 18th.

The pictures are from level two of the Moana Learn to Code. They show the initial fundamental steps for moving the boat to the circle.

The video linked shows that I needed help placing the moves correctly in Level 10. If you’re like me and need help figuring out the correct code, the program will help you succeed. That greatly benefited me, so I didn’t get frustrated and quit. I was struggling with my left and right moves since I was sending Maui and Moana to my direction of the computer instead of theirs on the screen.

At the end of the Hour of Code I created a dance for the Kakamora.  This was a nice, cheerful ending that students would love.  Take everything you learned in the last hour and create a fun dance.

After completing my Hour of Code I received my certificate!!

Fake News and misrepresentation of information are growing trends in online sources. So, we must educate students on how to spot fake news. Students must be equipped to read a news article or website laterally rather than vertically. This means that students look further than the webpage. What are the sources? Who is funding the webpage?  By having everyone(not just students) dig deeper into a post/webpage, we should be able to determine whether the information is accurate.

I enjoyed the websites Spot the Troll and Break the Fake. These websites were able to trip up university students during class, which shows how convincing some fake profiles and websites can be. When teaching middle school and high school students, these websites would be a great resource. They show different ways trolls try to infiltrate your algorithm to show/spread fake news.

Understanding the implications of personal search history is crucial. Websites like Media Bias Chart can reveal the political leanings of a website.  This tool can show students the persuasive direction of a website or post. It’s also important to consider the role of algorithms, as each person’s Google searches, Facebook feeds, or TikTok reels are unique. Your past search results will influence the information that is showcased to you, making it essential to be aware and cautious.