Interactions can be difficult. When thinking about interacting in a general form for education, most would probably just assume group work or discussions. However, that can be really difficult if we take it to the digital world. Well, maybe it isn’t. We used to feel so detached from one another if we were separated. Technology has helped fill the gap and even hundreds of miles apart we can still interact with one another. It used to be just messages and phone calls, but now it can be so many different things. Video chats, games, comments, blogs, etc. There are almost too many different ways for people to interact together. We want our students to interact with more than just each other. We wan them to interact with the material too! We as teachers are used to making assignments where they have to apply their learnings, but what if we could differentiate it more? I feel where I could use the most improvement with this is during the formative assessment, and that is what I’m going to be attempting to do during my lesson.

For my module I’m using a blended approach. This means I’ll still be in person with the students, while utilizing technology to further our learnings. We can still complete things the old fashion way, but, in my experience, I have seen that students really like to use technology for this. One example is Padlet. I’ll be using Padlet for interaction and for a diagnostic assessment. Padlet can be used for students to post ideas, thoughts, images, pictures, video links, etc. to try and answer a question provided. It can be anonymous. Typically in teaching, especially with technology, I try to avoid the anonymous. *Insert students making inappropriate names on Kahoot. Thank goodness for the name generator. For Padlet, I’m actually okay with it being anonymous. I put a question up about a topic, in this case- what do you know about health policies or how are decision about health made in your province? The students can then respond in multiple different mediums. My students like nobody being able to see their names next to their answer in case they were wrong. It’s a place where we are just seeing if we know anything at all. This helps take the pressure of a student who is fearful they might get judged for saying something wrong. Of course we preach not judging anyone, but again, it helps take the edge off. For a diagnostic, I also sometimes don’t explicitly need to know who knows what and who doesn’t. This helps me get a sample of the class in a quick manner that let’s me plan accordingly.

I’m going to be using an interactive video after the Padlet to introduce new information to the students. This is where I’m struggling. I know I’m going to use some sort of h5p, but I don’t know exactly yet how I want to utilize it. There’s the basic format of including a video and then having it pause in particular places for students to be able to answer questions and engage with the material, or I’m wondering if there is a different format I could use. The pausing videos is fine because students can engage with the material in real time, compared to just answer after a video where they might have not been paying attention or forgotten already an answer as time has passed. I’ll probably use Lumi as it appears to be pretty user friendly. I might want to try Genially. With this app I’ve used resources, games, escapes, etc. made by other teachers and they’re really fun! Many of my students have really enjoyed them. The app allows you to integrate course work into different interactive activities. The escape room style was a fan favourite. It is certainly out of my comfort zone to make something like this, but I think I might take the risk.

As a back up after the interactive video, I’m still going to have them do response questions, but these will be less about regurgitating the info they just learned, but offer them questions where they can apply it to their own life and offering a space where they can elaborate or almost journal. I was planning on doing this by having the students use a google doc that is uploaded to classroom, but now I’m maybe wondering if I could also include a video option or audio file where they could verbally respond as well. I like the google doc option because I can monitor their process. This is harder to do with a video or audio file. You never know what they might be looking at while they speak!

When it comes to interaction I find that gamification or silliness works best in my classes. I primarily teach grade 9, they are high schoolers but they are still kids, so I can afford to be silly. When I teach older kids I think they secretly like the silliness, but they don’t humour me with laughter as much. I have noticed that across both age groups digital games seem to work well. It offers a a practical setting where they have to use what they just learned to succeed and get through to the end. There are a bunch of pre-made ones out there. When I teach financial literacy NGPF has a bunch of fun games I’ve utilized. I really want to take a crack at making my own. I have some experience with coding, but I certainly don’t have that much time during this course to be able to attempt something like this. Maybe for the future!

The culminating activity that I intend to use allows them to diversify and choose what ever medium that want, and I feel that is pretty interactive in itself. The ability to choose a preference for doing something brings kids in a little more, again at least in my experience. As mentioned, I’m trying to focus on the formative piece, or the the learning, that goes on in my classrooms. This is where I think I can improve the most with engagement, which will then in turn create better summative results.

I hope the mental health of the blender is okay, and if you need someone to talk to, please consider some of these resources.

Welp, that’s a bit of a wild intro into creating a Blended Lesson for my Health 9, but transitions have never really been my specialty. Skip to 4:30 in this video for reference. Yes, that’s my toilet.

My ADDIE Template can be found here. It is better described in detail below!

I will be creating a blended lesson/module that I will be able to utilize with Saskatchewan’s Health 9 curriculum. Specifically, I will be addressing the outcome surrounding Food Policy. This outcome, and Health 9 as a whole, is a passion area of mine. If I am able to create something to my liking, I am for sure going to attempt to use it in my everyday classes. With my current crop of Health 9 kids we should get to this topic in a few weeks. Holding my breath this is done before then!

Let’s break this down with a good ol’ who, what, when, where, why, and how. Albeit in maybe a different order that makes a little more sense chronologically.

What:

I will utilizing the technological powers that I have access to at my school (Chromebooks, projectors, cellphones, tablets, etc.) to create a blended lesson for my Health 9 students. I will be utilizing Google Classroom as my Learning Management System (LMS) of  choice.

Why:

Because this is the assignment? Jokes aside, the reason I am selecting Health 9, a blended approach, and google classroom are because of the practicality to my job it offers. I am a classroom teacher. I once fantasized at the idea of teaching fully online, but I genuinely like being in school. A blended approach, specifically one where we are using technology to help us further our in-person discussions, is a method that I use quite a bit. By creating something for my peers to see and review, I feel it will only help me improve my skills and pedagogy surrounding technology to be able to provide something even more proficient and creative.

Google Classroom is being utilized because I’m familiar with it and so are my students. The school division I work for provides google accounts for the students. I personally like to just use EDSBY, but feel classroom can be a little more user friendly. As well, when it comes to assessment practices I am dealing with Grade 9s (who will be described more below) in the age of Chatgpt and other AI machines. A behaviorist approach isn’t my go to, but google classroom allows for instant feedback for the students in some regards. It also allows for me to create google docs for the students to utilize and it lets me track their progress. They can still cheat in a variety of different ways, but this helps make it a little harder for them. At this age our school is really trying to hammer in academic integrity and when to use AI appropriately.

Who:

The demographic I will be teaching to are Grade 9’s (ages 13-15 depending on the semester and birthdates). The students come from a variety of different backgrounds. We have differences in cultures, languages, genders, orientations, religious beliefs, etc. Public school is beautiful this way, but it can also present challenges when trying to have everybody feel represented. I’m doing my best though! Some students have access to technology at home, while others don’t. Some have phones while they’re at school, while again, others don’t. With this blended approach I hope to mitigate this technological disparity. I can provide the technology for the students, via laptop carts, so they don’t have to feel othered or like they can’t participate because they don’t have technology or data for internet access. Our current setup has us altogether anyways, so this will create some equity for those without the potential at home. Well, maybe it’s not enough equity because a student can’t take a laptop home to work on something, while another could just use a laptop at home if they need to do it for homework. I feel I could get passes this by using a survey to find out who has what access, if they’re willing share, and provide different due dates for individuals to hopefully keep working towards that equity piece.

Where:

As I am going for the blended option, the learning will take place in person in the classroom. Technology, will be available to the students in the class. Material will be on Google classroom, as mentioned. If a student needs help this offers them the ability to have me in person there. They are also free to message me through EDSBY or via email to set up a time for additional help.

When:

Now I guess! This outline is due tomorrow so… In reality I will use this as we enter our Food Policy unit in a few weeks. The method of delivery will be synchronous, as we complete activities in the class together, but if students are away or sick, they will still be able to complete the tasks asynchronously to stay up to date and informed. They will have access to the full material for the day, they may just miss out on the relational piece of working with their peers in person.

How: The all important question.

-Students will meet in class (in person)
-They will grab laptops from the cart provided

-Activities will include:

-As a diagnostic assessment I will utilize Padlet to offer the students a few thought-provoking questions to see what they know about Food policy. Students can respond in either word, pictures, GIFs [pronounced as spelled ;)] anonymously. Links to the Padlet will be posted on our Google Classroom. Those away will have access to the link and can contribute as well or view the answers for reference. This will be projected onto the whiteboard via a data projector. (3-4mins)

– Class discussions, referencing the Padlet will be had (5mins)

– Informative video will be shown with subtitles. Will be posted to Google Classroom for those away. (7mins). The video will utilize an H5p system, I’m just not sure how I want to do it yet. It will probably follow the style of pausing with questions, but I want to see what else I can do with it an explore. This is very much still a work in progress.

-Students will respond to the video with guiding questions. Questions will be around what was spoken about in the video and relating to ourselves by comparing our school food program to the video’s. This is less about repeating info, which will be covered by the Hp5, and more about attempting to utilize it. This will be done by google docs and submitted through google classroom (Formative assessment). (10mins)

-After video will move into the topic of how Food policies have changed over the years by comparing and contrasting the old Food Guide and the current Canada Food Guide. Posted on Classroom for those away. (8mins)

-Students will partner up and Use Canva to create a Venn Diagram to compare the food guides. (7-8mins)

-To wrap up class we will brainstorm foods we notice in our school cafeteria and how that lines up with the guides. (To the bell)

Wrap-Up

In my head, and from past experience, these types of activities have gone pretty well. In reality, we’ll see when I try it out in person. I fully intend to utilize this. The blended approach allows for student creativity in a variety of mediums and can help give a voice to those who feel too shy or insecure to talk in a larger group. Many of the activities have the opportunity for discussion after, but students will still be able to participate and gain all the info from the various activities if they don’t contribute to the conversation. I post all my stuff digitally and this will benefit those that want to go back and look at stuff or who miss class. This saves me time because I don’t have to prepare worksheets or print them off for students. I’m hoping this experience will allow me to further my own horizons when it comes to all the different forms of technology I could be using to help further my students education. In the past I’ve kept mediums completely open for activities. I’ve said here’s what I want answered or examined: make it however you want it. This might be a little broad for this assignment, but it just shows the power of a blended approach.

Every time I dust this blog off for a new class I usually get the opportunity to flex that I’m younger than everyone, but as this program drags on (in a good way) this is starting to be less of the case. However, I can safely say I am one of the newer teachers, only being in my 4th year of teaching. I graduated with my undergrad in 2021 and have been teaching since. As a result, I have been teaching entirely in the technology age. I went to school in the technology age, albeit a little more, dare I say, dated than what it was before.

(what my home monitor looked like in 2001)

I teach in the high school setting and, based on the definitions, I would definitely fall under the category of a teacher that uses blended learning. In my courses we are very regularly using different forms of technologies to aid and enhance our learnings. At my current school we have laptops that we can book out. When we do inquiry projects the students use them for resources and to make different multimedia projects to showcases what they have learned. I use visual aids to reinforce what we are learning, as well as different videos to help further our ideas or to provide practical examples.

(what my students use on the regular)

Just do do my own jobs behind the scenes I have to utilize technology to get things done. I have to track attendance in my EDSBY. I have to utilize EDSBY as platform where I post key information, resources, students missed, assignments, etc for students to be able to access at anytime and from anywhere, as long as they have an electronic device with WIFI. We mainly communicate as a staff via email too. Lastly, we don’t really have many in-print resources anymore. I typically have to make mine digitally or find them digitally. I then print them off from one of our fancy printers. Without technology, many of the different facets of my job become extremely difficult and painful.

(Edsby has grown on me)

This example has probably been used a lot during recent classes, but I sometimes find it more difficult to do my job the “old-fashioned way”. When Regina public schools experienced a hack 3 years ago many of us had to move away from technology and figure out how to do things the old school way. I was certainly uncomfortable with this because all I had ever known was technology. It lead me to think of what is really more creative- using technology or not? I had to come up with ideas for things that I never would have considered before. Both of course have their pros and cons, but the selfishness in me wants me to stay in my comfortable technology bubble. Of course knowing how to navigate without technology is vital for all of life and my VAP (Vocational Academic Program) kids I teach get mad at me when I make them do all our math without a calculator. I definitely feel that same way without technology, so maybe I need to start looking at my own practicality.

My use of technology does change depending on the subject matter I teach. I normally teach Physical Education. When I’m in the gymnasium setting I might use music, but besides that there really isn’t many forms of technology for the students to interact with, minus more primitive technology like implements. When we went online for a bit a did have to teach Phys Ed remotely and that was certainly not as fun for me or the students. I had to design workout plans/trackers for the students to fill out and submit. I provided videos for students to see skills and then they had to try and emulate them on their own. Some sent me videos back so I could see how they were progressing. Some didn’t have basic equipment, like a ball, so many things became about learning to move and control their own bodies.  Like I said, it wasn’t the most fun of times, but this version of blended learning did allow for my students to have some form of physical education in a locked down world.

Lastly, during my university years I took full advantage of technology and so did my professors. From the various online classes to using URcourses. As mentioned earlier, I pretty much grew up entirely with technology and experienced school with technology. This makes me very comfortable with utilizing it in my current role, but I can’t help but wonder what the future of technology will look like as I get older. How many different things am I not going to understand and what things will I be too stubborn to give up?

Can’t believe the class is over already! It’s been a whirlwind and I have greatly enjoyed listening to everybody’s debates and perspectives. The more we can think about and analyze these topics at a deeper level, the more we can begin to understand the ramifications of using technology in the classroom. This includes how it affects our student’s learnings, but it also includes how technology affects the world as a whole. Below is my Summary of Learning. Go easy on me.

Sorry for the informality of it, but I had a lot of fun making this. I was giggling like a child the whole time. If you don’t have the same sense of humour that is okay. A lot of what I discussed was elaborated in great detail by all of you and I wouldn’t have been able to make it (well at least the more thoughtful parts) without all of your hard work throughout this semester! Thanks!

Hetterley

You’ll only get the title if you see the name of my blog and if you’re a fan of the GOAT Bill Nye. The last debate was a doozy as we looked addressed how technology potential makes the world more equitable, not just the classroom. When we encompass everything it is hard to only talk about the good, we must address the bad, which has been a common theme throughout this course. Unfortunately, not everything is all sunshine and rainbows and I think being more aware of how technology is used, its pros, and even its negatives, will help us make more informed, ethical choices.

So when it comes to the world, there are scenarios where it can be better. I mentioned it in a comment during the debate, but the internet has created the ability for people in countries with “poorer” economies to find employment digitally and be able to bring in money from a different country. As a “nerd” one of the stories that I find sad/funny/weird is the story of Venezuelan RuneScape gold farmers. Essentially, those living in Venezuela collect a bunch of in game currency and then sell it for real world money, bringing in thousands of US dollars into their bank accounts. So on one hand that helps, but how did they get in that situation to begin with? I’m not an economist, but I feel like the disparity in technology probably had to do something with why there is so much inequity in the world. Well that and colonialism, but I feel like technology also has a relation to that as well.

Another topic we touched on was how maybe equal access could make things more equitable. A lot of us did agree that having equal access would help things trend in a better direction, but it might not necessarily change the equity piece, in terms of the student’s experience at least. Imagine two classes both have the same access to technology, but the teachers utilizing the technology with their classes have very different skill levels with the technology and the ability to teach different things. This Kappan article labelled Digital Equality Requires more than Access discusses this topic and how even our experiences with technology can differ, even if we all have it. The media and options presented to you are different, there might be access to certain programs a school division can’t gain access to while others can, etc. Access to technology does have a sense of equality, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to more equity.

This is also something I didn’t consider. It is really making me look at things at a more in depth level. Just because we have it, doesn’t mean we can use it the same, and I think that is something to consider with a lot of other things that are a part of our lives and society. My summary of learning will be more of a wrap up of things, but I can’t help but start doing some of that now.

Throughout this class we have tried to expose ourselves to a variety of different ways of thinking and knowing. This challenges our own beliefs and as mentioned by myself a few times in my blogs, makes us more considerate of our decisions when it comes to technology. I hope moving forward that I take the chance to do more than make assumptions about technology and the way I’m using it. I’m genuinely curious as to how it affects the world. Obviously I’m very partial to the classroom and the way it impacts it positively, but after this debate, I’m so curious to dive more into how technology can divide us. I’m not excited that it does this.. but ah… you get it.

Well, at least that is what we argued for. It is hard for the other team in the debate because that side stands for none at all then, when there are so many things that it can make easier. On the other side, you bet I understand that they can be a nuisance and distraction to getting things done. We mentioned it multiple times in our debate, but I genuinely believe proper classroom management is key to making it work. Is it going to be 100% perfect and you will never have a problem? Of course not. Kids aren’t supposed to hit each other and they still do sometimes. I’m not saying it solves the problem, but it certainly helps. In my experience, many teachers let things slide as the year goes. If you’re going to start something, start it at the beginning of the year and make a point of following it. Will it be easy? Maybe not initially for sure, but things take time.

Ontario’s ban on cellphones certainly shows that the government, ministry of education, and teachers have come to a breaking point. Other provinces have taken a similar route. I’m just wondering how it is going to look. However, the government has given schools the ability to let schools choose whether or not the students can use their phones for educational purposes. So, again, like mentioned in the debate, even the higher ups see the benefit.

My school division has a policy and sometimes it also depends on circumstances on school. Here is an example of a policy for Lakeview Elementary. They recognize that the students can carry them, and it goes on to list when uses are appropriate and when not. We know that students aren’t always going to follow this, even if we go over it at the beginning of the year. We need to keep to really enforce the rules and do more to make it work, in my opinion, but I’ve talked at length in the debate about management.

In my personal experience having phones has been a big help. My school has technology to use, but not enough to meet the demand placed upon it. Sometimes I can only get a handful of laptops. The majority of students I taught this semester had phones though. I would reserve the laptops for anyone that didn’t have access to the internet, (this is also how I phrased it to people so they didn’t feel bad about maybe not having a phone) and then those that had phones worked. To avoid them goofing off, I typically made work due very quickly, which then forced kids to work and hand things in or face getting a a zero. The first time this happened, kids were surprised I put the zero in gradebook. We have a week policy in my division which always them to hand late items in up to a week after the due date, that doesn’t mean I can’t put a zero in until I get it. The zero normally sparks panic because their parents/guardians can see them. I’m not into causing stress, but deadlines are a part of life and learning the responsibility to do things in a timely manner is important.

Overall, I think phones have so many positives, but I have definitely had the struggle that so many of you are facing. I don’t think they should be banned, but there should definitely be more strict guidelines. There are already pretty clear guidelines, but the buy in from the teacher to enforce is huge.

My experience with AI isn’t limited, but I also don’t think it is what it could be. I think when utilized correctly, as Ilda and Ayodele discussed, there are so many advantages that can be had with it. However, as we are still very early days in it, there has also been a lot of abuse with it.

In 2022 I was teaching Social Studies 30. We had an ongoing dialectic essay throughout the semester. We had certain criteria that needed to be met, like hand-written jot notes, a rough draft with edits, a good copy, and a resource list. The paper discussed modern issues in Canadian society where a student would have to argue the positions of both sides of their issue (3 topics for each side), and then offer their perspective and a possible solution. A well-done one totaled about 6-7 pages on average. I thought something of this nature would avoid the AI craze. There was so much personalization and a clear process to follow that it would be blatantly obvious if a student did use AI. To my pleasure, but to also my dismay, I wasn’t wrong.

One student handed in a singular paragraph about how AI was going to take over the education system. I don’t know if he was trying to be meta or what with this topic. There were zero spelling errors, non-cited information, and it didn’t argue both sides. I failed them. I had grounds to stand on of course because it didn’t align with our rubric, but I also was uncomfortable with the fact that the student tried to cheat by using AI. How could I prove it though? I threw it through a couple different AI checkers, but I don’t have as stable ground to stand on when it came to these. These weren’t regulated in any manner. I took it to my vice-principal and we discussed it together.

We compared it to his old writing and it didn’t line up, but the only real way we could get to the bottom of it was through interrogating the student. The student was going to fail either way, and this would decide whether or not they were going to be allowed the chance to credit complete or not. The VP pulled him into his office and the student admitted to using chatgpt. The only real way, based on our current policies, to “get” the student was through an admission of guilt. The student said that everything they read showed that they couldn’t get caught and he had no idea how we knew. We had to explain the process of how we figured it out and it became more obvious to them.

I feel we are potentially going to a better place now, but this has been my experience for the last two years. Students using it improperly and not understanding how what what the program generated was not adequate to be handed in. I am a firm believer that AI can be a great tool to use in the classroom, but I don’t think we have necessarily done a great job, as a whole, to educate students on how to use it. Some teachers do a fantastic job of it, while others avoid it like the plague.

If we want to use it for a good in the future, we certainly need to be addressing it to avoid situations like this. I think there will always be students who try to take an easy way out and will abuse it, but I always end up with at least 1 kid who tries to take the easy way out in other classes without AI. If we can mitigate the overall numbers and teach the majority of students to use it properly, I think we can lower instances like my example above. I still believe that there will always be someone to abuse it though. I don’t know if that can be avoided.

One topic I liked from the debate was that some teachers are worried about chatgpt and other AI’s because it wrecks their only way of assessment or teaching that they have ever known. Too many teachers are heavily reliant on essays or a formal piece of writing. I do think this issue of those misusing AI is a good thing, because it forces some of those teachers to take a look inward at their own practices. Maybe there are other ways of doing things? Maybe we should have been doing those things all along?

This one was a lot more personal with my example above. I feel like I went on a rant, but I wanted to showcase my own personal experience.

Hetterley

Is social media ruining childhood? This is a very difficult topic because it is approached from all sorts of different angles, depending on who is talking about it. For some they argue that of course social media is ruining childhood. The common argument stems from the point of view that, “When I was a kid I was always outside or doing something. Now kids are only on their phones!” So of course that is a blanket statement and cannot be cast over the entirety of children. Also, just because someone’s childhood (or my childhood for instance) is different than yours, does not necessarily mean it is bad. Looking at the history of the world each generation’s childhood has been drastically different than those before and we’ve historically always been afraid of technology. The world evolves and things change. Maybe something to consider now that our current students are cringing at and making fun of the music that we think is awesome (Side note: If you’re in Regina, I can’t stand what has happened to the radio station 92.1. If I have to listen to another late 90’s or early 2000s song I’m going to snap).

Social Media is designed to help people stay connected. It certainly does that. Some misuse it and use it to hurt people or “cyberbully”. Yes that is an issue. What if we just took away social media from the people that want to do that? That would automatically fix the problem, right? I argue it might not be as affective. That person that was the one bullying could just find a different avenue to do it. Why don’t we try and help that insecure individual who feels that they have to hurt someone to feel better about themselves?

I used an analogy last post, so here’s another: If a child hits another child with a stick, take the stick away, right? Why don’t we just do a better job of teaching the child not to hit people and deal with things in a better way? (Please do not relate this to the issue of gun control. Sticks are just sticks. Guns are designed to kill. That is their use). Or the analogy of if there are are babies floating down a river, how do we help? Make a dam to catch the babies? Pick out each baby one by one? Or we could just go find out why there are babies floating down the river and stop that? Shout out Dr. Michael Cappello for that latter analogy. I relate this idea to that of cyberbullying. People that don’t know how to deal with their emotions and issues will find a different way to let it out or “bully”. Bullying was a thing before social media and will continue to be a thing if it somehow ever does.

Here’s an example of the double edged sword that is social media. Who remembers the unfortunate story of Amanda Todd ? A teenager who was bullied and extorted online. She committed suicide in 2012. I was in the 10th grade when it happened. The power of social media led to her death. She tried to reach out, via social media, and the video she created absolutely blew up. This caused discussions around the world of the power of social media, how to use it appropriately, and where the issues are. Is the sacrifice of a child worth everyone realizing how messed up things can get? I don’t know and I don’t know if I’ll ever know.

On another note many have claimed that Social media leads to depression. An article title The Kids are Alright argues that this is not the case and most studies done have not had the appropriate evidence to conclude this. As stated in the article,

“They studied nearly 600 adolescents and more than 1,000 young adults over two and six years, respectively, and found that social media use did not predict depressive symptoms but that depressive symptoms predicted more frequent social media use among adolescent girls…We know that problematic smartphone use may as likely be a
result of mental health problems as a cause, and that calls for a different set of solutions.”

This adds to some of my earlier analogies? What is the root of the children’s issues and how do we address those, so that maybe they don’t know rely on social media so much? Did I do this study? No. Do we know if this will be the same case in 20 years? No. It does offer a different perspective at looking at social media as the issue though.

Be kind to each other.

Hetterley

I believe I heard Katia say this during the winter semester when it came to talking about technology as a crutch. There was also a lot of talk about how technology “supports” learning, but it doesn’t ‘enhance’ it. I’ll be honest, that doesn’t make sense to me. If something is supporting you or aiding you to be able to do/learn something, does that not enhance it? I’m getting very literal with the statement, but hey, that’s how debates are sometimes. The topics given are intentionally polarizing so that we can reflect on both sides. Luckily, in the real world we don’t have to be so black and white with things. I firmly believe that at times, you bet it enhances learning. At other times, yeah we probably don’t need to go this route. Finding that healthy balance is something that I think many of us are reaching for.

Alright so with the crutch analogy, I get it. Some people are too heavily reliant on certain technologies/others to accomplish things. That is an issue. Where does that issue stem from though? Was the the child taught how to use a device properly? Has there been an attempt at rules/regulations/even classroom management techniques (in certain circumstances) to try and deal with these issues? Is there actual practice time set in place to aid these weaknesses? I’m not throwing anyone under the bus when it comes to this, but I feel like there are also a lot of external factors, besides the child, that lead to this. Sometimes it is just easier to give a kid technology than meeting them where they are. I get it. We’re busy and we have a timeline, so a quick fix is sometimes more economical when it comes down to it. Kind of like just giving a screaming child an iPad because it’s just easier than entertaining that child ourselves. Hope I didn’t offend anyone with that one. Topic for a different time!

In my experience, I have seen students take advantage of certain resources, like tech, scribes, etc because they were allowed to. There have been multiple cases where a student is provided a scribe (usually an EA) who is supposed to take notes/write for the student in specific situations. Things were not made clear and the student would pressure the EA into writing everything down for them or just assume that the EA would do that for them. Avoidance is not going to help a child improve their weaker areas, so again, by all means I understand where many people come from when they say students are too reliant on things.

On the other side for the kids taking advantage of tech and supports, there are students who actually do use the supports given to them appropriately and it does enhance their learning. The last school I was at was almost 50% EAL. Huge respect to those that are getting an education in a language that they are not fluent in, yet. I can’t imagine how different my own schooling experience would have been if I was in a similar situation. Not saying mine would have been bad, but it just would have been very different and I could have seen my own confidence levels affected. Continuing on, I had a lot of students rely on technology when it came to doing homework. From translating words, to using a thesaurus and dictionary (that was made more easily accessible because of technology) the students were able to have some equity in their learning.

In order do use technology effectively I think we actually do have to use it like a crutch sometimes (see what I did there?). Crutches are designed to help people who need help walking. Some people, no matter what, will always need that help to walk. While others are fortunate enough to be able to heal and walk on their own. I think when technology is used in a similar way, used to aid and then can be maybe phased out, is a starting point for individuals who desperately do need that support for where they are in their educational journey.

Side note about Outdoor experiences being better than using technology, which was used in the debate: how are you getting to where you want to go? Bus? Are you doing something like trapping or using maps? Are you writing things down? You walking around barefoot or wearing shoes? That last one is a little petty, but even when we’re outside, we’re still using a lot of technology to get things done. Maybe not in the sense of computers and phones but a hammer, heck even the way you use a stick, is still technology. In honour of Dr. Nick Forsberg, I have to say that just being outside or having class outside and not utilizing the land and learning from it is not outdoor education. This does require us to look at the land scientifically and use it to complete goals or aims, which is a form of tech.

Bottom line for me, yes it does enhance learning. This depends on so many factors though. We didn’t even get into when accessibility is a huge issue and some of the other socio-economic areas. Some areas it takes away, but I think overall it has done so much good and made things better.

Hetterley

Ahh the joys of being a younger teacher (soon I won’t be able to say this so I’ll take advantage of it). Students are always asking me what video games I play, if I want to play with them, and if I’m any good. I usually just default to the, “it wouldn’t be fair if I played you. I’m too good”. This is my attempt to get them to drop it. Then they say something like “Skibidi Ohio” and then I’m left confused and feeling like I can no longer call myself a younger teacher.

One of my previous posts for a former class was about how I grew up with technology. I was born in 1997, so it has always been very present in my life. From video games, media, and learning tools like the internet, PowerPoint, and the google suite. Learning PowerPoint was wild because in the 4th grade they pulled 5 students from our class of 25 to learn PowerPoint on their own with the teacher-librarian and then present to us. We all thought it was the craziest thing. Fast forward 2 years and I got to use PowerPoint for the very first time myself. It was for science class and you wouldn’t believe how proud I was of my first slideshow about Uranus. Yes, I was that kid. To be honest, I’m still that kid.

In the more modern times of my current job as a high school teacher I’m constantly using technology and it is a real pain in the Uranus when it doesn’t work. EDSBY, Outlook, and Google Suites, are all used on a daily basis. My school division operates with these systems, and if you’re a teacher in Saskatchewan, I can imagine you have experience with these as well. I’m not a big Google Classroom person anymore as I found it was too much of a pain in the (insert same lame butt/planet joke here) to have things posted on EDSBY and in classroom. I much prefer having things in one central location, so I default to EDSBY now.

The last two years I’ve been a Phys Ed teacher/Social/Math teacher. In the gymnasium we use more basic technologies like physical equipment (i.e a ball, racket, volleyball net etc.) These are more primitive in nature than a cellphone, but they are still developed forms of technology. I might as well address the elephant in the room with what I just said, but yes I even *gasp* use cellphones for somethings too. This will be a hot topic come my debate on the 17th, so stay tuned for that. In the classroom we have used slide show programs, Padlet (learned about this last semester from some peers. Super fun for getting some engagement from the students). Students have made mock social media accounts for philosophers using Canva or real social media apps like Instagram and Facebook. Nothing makes you chuckle more like seeing Descartes spam posting like a 13 year old. My favourite format we use is videos. Not like in the sense that I show a lot of movies, but I love having students create their own movies. I have not laughed harder at anything in my life that student made films. They are funny, informative, and just let students shine in a different way.

Outside of my job I’m taking the TLL program through the University of Regina. I’m not in the online cohort, but so far, all my classes have been digital. In the fall I take my 5th class and it will be the first one in my program where I will actually have to go to the University. What is even the point now that Henderson’s is closed? Urcourses, while not my favourite tool, has been instrumental in my undergrad and now master’s studies. Also shoutout zoom. You made university a little lame but also a little practical in my busy life.

When it comes to communication, I was 16 when Snapchat came out and that is still how I contact some of my friends, 11 years later. I don’t even bother texting them. That only works for my old friends of course, so besides that it’s texting, other social medias, and *sigh* having to call someone. That is how I know I’m part of the technology age when my principal said, “you should give that students a CALL home.” I looked at him like he was crazy. Disclaimer: I can talk on the phone fine-unless ordering a pizza).

When it comes to communicating with students, we use email, EDSBY messenger, and the gradebook on EDSBY. I can leave comments on things in there, and on google/microsoft projects they hand in. Sometimes when I’m feeling crazy I even given them feedback on a literal piece of paper along with their rubric.

Thanks for reading this far! I’m very excited for this class and for these debates to kickoff!

Hetterley