This link provides some of my class contributions:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y08EtjEi3Kt5eoc_QfwyJ7HfsLvjd1s-U4xUOg-wVKo/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you

• Assigned blog post: Choose an AI tool and try it out. Reflect on how it could be used in the classroom by the teacher or the students. In your post, consider some of the following: 

• • How could this tool be used to enhance teaching? Could it aid in personalized learning, automate administrative tasks, or provide new ways of engaging students?
  • How might this tool support different learning styles, assess student understanding, or encourage critical thinking and creativity?
  • What are some of the ethical or practical challenges of using this tool?
• You should also share your personal perspective on integrating AI in education and speculate on its future role in the classroom.

The AI tool I will be using to talk about this blog is Chatgpt. This is a tool which is extremely famous and it has caused much controversy. Nevertheless, I can see the need to integrate this tool in the classrooms. The biggest reason is due to the fact that AI is the future as mentioned in this resource. The resource mentions how AI is making huge progress in business automation, manufacturing, innovation, research, among others. The advances of this tool and mass adoption is essential to accept.

As a teacher, if I know the world is going into a certain direction, and I fail to prepare my students into that direction, then what kind of teacher would I be? This is a question that I must ask myself and recognize in order to be genuine. Hence, I believe that it should be added into the classroom.

The video above speaks about how one teacher is revolutionizing the classroom. The teacher is using AI as a tool for not only himself as a teacher but also for students. For students, AI would be used as a personal assistant where it would give instant feedback on writing errors and suggestions for students to reflect upon. For the teacher, It would help with processing time in marking and grading assessments. In this scenario, this teacher found a way to make it productive for both students and teacher.

However, I think it is important to know one drawback from using Chatgpt. Students can potentially abuse the resource and fail to come up with genuine assignments.

Another interesting drawback from the use of AI in the classroom is in the following video:

Here, the video provides an example of AI taking over the teaching profession. As a pre-service teacher entering the industry, this video is concerning to say the least. Of course, I never thought of this to be a possibility however with remote courses already so widespread, it is not so far fetched. Nevertheless, I have to accept that there are drawbacks from the use of AI in the classroom but it is the new reality.

Increasing our collective digital literacy seems like the best way to combat fake news and the dangers that accompany it. What might it look like to teach about digital literacy in your subject area/grade range? What general ties can you make to the curriculum? How might you incorporate the goals of the NCTE framework? Please be sure to reference at least three of the articles/resources listed above.

In the world of fake news and misinformation, the idea of coding information has reading between the lines is the bare minimum. This resource from the course resources gives a really interesting point on the matter of news agencies and their attempt of misinformation. It mentions how news agencies are many time bought out by government are provide biased information. It further mentions how the internet has allowed for multiple perspectives to form and people are able to see the truth. This has resulted in a benefit to the mass public as they were able to get access to more than one viewpoint.

In instilling the coding techniques and critical analysis to students in the classroom, I found the KQED resource to be really helpful. In essence, the resource mentions a lesson plan to have students breakdown fake news. An online image would be provided for students to then find reasons and research its authenticity. I believe this to be a great exercise in instilling coding skills for my students and critical thinking. This resource provided by course materials also stresses the use of critical thinking in this issue.

Finally, I feel the issue of artificial intellegence to be of immense concerns. In recent time, AI has been able to recreate images and data which almost feels true. The video below provides more insight:

Here, a deep fake is provided to demonstrate the difficult reality to differentiate truth from false. This is a new issue which lacks solutions and has major implications to students in the classroom. Essentially, with new technology come new challenges and as a preserver teacher, it is my responsibility to continue educating myself.

Option 2: Continue to reflect on the topics that we considered in class (including cyber-vigilantism/cyber-shaming, digital footprints, the right to have elements of our digital footprint be forgotten, etc.). Go where your interests and thoughts lead you!

For this weeks blog, I decided to continue on the topic of cyber-vigilantism and cyber-shaming. I found this topic to be extremely significant in today’s classroom. I find this issue being a major concern for students where black-mailing and shaming occurs.

The Toronto police website provide many definitions of what bullying is and among them cyber-bullying makes the list. They mention how sending mean messages, spreading rumors and providing embarrassing pictures are considered cyber-bullying. Of course in the real world, many students are effected by this. This news report provided an report about the presence of cyber bullying in Toronto’s schools. It mentions how about 8% of students say they have experienced some kind of cyber bullying. What this proves is that there needs to be some power in tackling the issue.

The image below provides the bullying type Saskatchewan students face:

It mentions an alarming rate of 2 in 3 students experiencing bullying with 29% being cyber bullying.

One major way to tackle this issue is through providing educational programs. Having students think twice about the apps they use and what can happen is necessary in today’s day in age. In order to provide such programs, funding is required to help promote this issue. Thankfully, there are some examples of such instances taking place. The video below provides information about a financial grant to tackle the issue of bullying and cyber bullying.

https://www.instagram.com/jilldunlop/reel/DCzpoGjNQIQ/

Essentially, this is a major problem in many schools and is causing much hindrance in students progression. Student mental health has risen due to this issue and the need for preventative strategies is essential.

In my future classroom I would ensure respect is at the forefront of the students digital footprint. Communicating the impacts and potential consequences are of disrespectful digital behavior is essential in fostering a holistic environment for students. I think the antidote is education on the matter as this can be a concept overlooked by many. In fostering an educational environment of such a crucial topic, I believe students will be able to recognize the harsh reality of the digitized world. Moreover, as utilized in this class, I recall Dr. Katia covering some of the terms of certain social media apps. I thought this information to be extremely vital as a student as it was an eye-opener for me. The revisions of certain terms of service for specific apps made me realize that there is so much that I was unaware. This goes back to what was mentioned in the policy guide on page 18. It suggests that educators should also stay aware of digital policies to help set boundaries and create awareness.

Moreover, along with awareness of digital policies, I would ensure students are educated regarding the legal aspects of social media. Although I recognize that such scenarios of legal disputes arising from social media is rare, nevertheless the scenario does occur and create a massive impact on a students life. This is especially important when it comes to the use of school-owned property. As mentioned on page 19, the school must consider how to deal with violations of digital policy on their property.

With all this being said, I want to recognize the importance of using digital devices in the classroom. Digital devices are the result of the new digital world where information technology is at the forefront of the world. It is possible that students would like to use in technologies from home in order to foster a higher learning environment. This is a contested issue and my opinion on the matter is undecided. However, oxford learning states many benefits of devices such as enhancement in time management, organization, and others. They also mention cons and one of them is the issue of being a distraction in learning due to potential phone addictions. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Education recently shifted their policies and made an ban on personal devices. These are the two varying approaches on the matter and is something which I think will be an everlasting issue.

In terms of reflecting on our changed world and new realities of the digital landscape, I think that there is a much needed shift in how we approach our classrooms. The traditional way of teaching where a teacher is required to be in person with students are slowly fading away. As a matter of fact this class is a clear manifestation of that. In Welsh’s video, we see the phenomenon of “Numa Numa” where we see a normal individual expressing himself and becoming an icon. This really sheds light onto the dynamics of where inspiration and veneration comes into play. The digital platform to give such power and influence is the new reality in today’s world which students are engaging with on a day to day basis. TikTok is a major platform which has become a giant in engaging the youth. This resource describes the TikTok usage numbers across the world. The results are quite eye-opening and begs to question our current model of teaching. If we know that our students are using such apps to have “fun”, why can’t we bring such apps into the classroom and develop playful learning. What I mean by playful learning is to have students create and learn meaningful education via these apps. I believe that the time have changed and the need to accept such resources are required. This is how I see the classroom changing and the future of education.

For this blog, I am required to speak about how I use technology in my day to day life. I realized that technology UNFORTUNATELY takes up most of my day. I tend to have alot of free time nowadays due to less course load this semester. As a result, my desire to go on social media takes over. I spend alot of my time on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. I would say that I spent 0% of productive time on TikTok. What I mean my productive time is time allocated to academic pursuits or financial pursuits. All my time on TikTok goes to leisure and mindless scrolling. Furthermore, Instagram is a source I mostly spend on leisure however perhaps 20% of my time goes into productivity. Sometimes I would follow pages which would help me academically such as essay writing techniques and/or math equations. Instagram reels play an important role in this regard.  When it comes to YouTube, I would say that I spend the least amount of time on YouTube. The interesting fact is that I spend 80% of my time on YouTube in productivity. I would watch “how to” videos when dealing with academic concepts. I would watch financial advice videos to help me become more of a responsible adult. Essentially, all of these apps cause me to mostly spend in leisure time rather than productivity.

In terms of websites, I would have to say that Google is the website I use on a regular basis. I use google 100% for productivity. I can not even recall of a time where I used google for leisure. That being said, there are many apps linked to google which enables me to be organized and productive. I utilized Gmail as my main source of email communication and Google calendar to plan events/coursework. I find that using Google calendar is a great way to manage my time as it keeps on giving me reminders. As a forgetful person, this is crucial for me as it keeps popping up on my phone notifications.

As mentioned earlier, TikTok and Instagram are apps that I use the most and tend to take away my productivity. There aren’t many strategies I have been able to produce as I lack alot of self-discipline and self control. It is even possible that I have a phone addiction and so I am really hurting in this regard. In the rarity, when I do get some inspiration to  refrain from social media, I try to get more hobbies in my life. Currently, I am focusing on exercising regularly. Time spend exercising means less time on social media.

Finally, the way where I am most able to strike a balance from productive screen time and unproductive screen time is through the use of a laptop. When I use my phone, I loose control and waste time. When I use my laptop, it is always used for productive pursuits. Hence, the tools for using technology serves best for me in this regard.

Hello,

My name is Hanzalah and I am from Toronto. I was born and raised in Toronto in a small Borough known as York, Toronto. I am currently in my final Year of the BEd Middle Years program. Teaching has always been my passion and a sense of purpose throughout my life. During my high school years, I found myself serving as an educational assistant for cooperative education credits. I worked alongside teachers to support deaf and hard of hearing students by engaging in playful learning to meet curricular outcomes. After this experience, I began my university journey and occupied myself in coursework to fulfill my BEd degree. In January 2024, I was given the opportunity to take part in the teaching internship (Co-op) as part of my BEd degree requirements. In this instance, I got my first taste of what it is like to be a teacher. I developed lesson plans, utilized various instructional strategies and forms of student assessment. Classroom management played an integral role in ensuring structure in my classroom. In summer 2024 I landed a substitute teaching position for a summer camp program where I was able to further amplify my teaching skills. 

As far as my experience with educational technology goes, it is in the beginning stages. I think I have never found myself working in educational technology and I believe this is the first time I am taking a course relating to this.

Blogging is something I have never done in my life as well and this will be the first time I will be regularly blogging. As a result, I will most likely be a shy blogger and hesitant in sharing. I look forward to this course as it will really open up a lot of things about me and my identity.

(Masjid-El-Noor, where I worked as a substitute teacher)