Learning ASL- My Major Project

Learning ASL- My Major Project

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For our EC&I831 major learning project, I have decided to focus on learning American Sign Language (ASL). I feel as though this would be both a personal and professional skill to build as an educator. One of the main reasons I am choosing ASL for this learning project is because of an experience that I encountered in my very first year of teaching. I taught a student who used ASL and I wasn’t equipped with the skills to properly communicate or support him in the way I would have liked to. That experience has stayed with me and I am aware that building my own understanding of ASL could make me a better teacher for future students.

Another big reason for wanting to learn ASL is a personal reason that comes from home. My wife and I have an 8-month old daughter at home and we are wanting to work hard on learning and using ASL with her for early communication. Currently, I only know a small amount of basic signs such as “Mom”, “Dad”, and “more”. I would love to expand and learn many new signs so that I can actually use ASL in meaningful ways with her. One of my goals for this project is to create a video of everything that I have learned throughout the next upcoming few months so that my wife can play it for our daughter while I am away at work (similar to the very popular Ms. Rachel kid’s videos). I think this would not only help me practice, but also create a special resource to have with her for the rest of her childhood and life.

To achieve my goal of learning ASL and creating a video for my final project, I plan to use a variety of online platforms and resources, including several ASL and baby sign language apps, videos, and tutorials. My wife and baby are also attending weekly in-person Sing & Sign classes through the Stay ‘n’ Play Parenting Network Program that they will be sharing and teaching me as well. I plan to document my progress as I go and record all new signs that I learn each week, as well as reflect on what resources and learning platforms are most useful and effective, and what challenges I encounter.

I am looking forward to seeing how much I can learn over the next few months! Please feel free to give me any suggestions or feedback on how to best approach this learning journey!

Woman showing abbreviation ASL on white background. Sign language concept
American Sign Language (ASL)
Networked Learning Post- Relationship with Social Media

Networked Learning Post- Relationship with Social Media

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Businessman holding a cloud of social media network icon
The many components of Social Media.

“We expect more from technology and less from each other.”

This quote related to technology and social media today really stood out to me as I agree with this statement in saying that in today’s day and age, more and more people of all generations are starting to rely on technology more than ever, while starting to lose the connection and relationship with others in person.

Social media is something that I never had to “learn”, rather it has been something I grew up with. Being born in 1998 (the same year Google was invented), I have spent most of my life learning and consuming the new and upcoming social media platforms. Growing up in the early 2000’s, I became familiar with and used several social media apps such as MSN Messenger, Vine, Skype, Snapchat, Facebook, Vsco, Instagram, Twitter (now “X“), and so many more. It was almost a trend, that as soon as you and your friends got familiar with a certain social media app, a new one was released that you needed to get on and be using in order to be “cool” and “trendy”. Regardless, each of these apps gave me several moments of laughter, tears, connection with friends and family, and an overall sense of community and belonging.

As I begin to reflect on social media and technology today, I can’t help but wonder and worry about how consumed everyone is becoming, as well as start to think and look at the benefits, risks, and controversies. As a middle year’s teacher, in the recent years, I have noticed student’s attention spans becoming shorter and shorter, most likely from social media apps such as scrolling through the quick videos on Tik Tok. However, an application such as Tik Tok, can also be a positive platform with many benefits, such as entertaining content, connecting people and cultures from all around the world, as well as for educational purposes. Personally, I have used Tik Tok for travel advice and tips before planning trips, keeping up with news events around the world, coming up with creative ways to teach lessons, as well as trying new food recipes.

Additionally, I have also started to think about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in connection with social media and technology. AI has really started to play a prominent role in schools lately, with many of our back to school professional development sessions including conversations and seminars on how to navigate AI in our schools, how to use in our own classrooms and teaching practices, as well as student use. Similar to social media apps, AI is quickly becoming a part of everyone’s day to day life, whether we are ready for it or not. On one hand, AI has the potential to support learning and help teacher’s save time with planning purposes, however on the other hand, there are risks of people relying too much on AI and people to start not thinking for themselves.

Overall, social media has been a huge part of my life and teaching journey that brings several positives and drawbacks. Although it has given me creative ways to learn, share, and connect, it has also created new concerns for all users. As technology and AI continues to grow and develop, I think it is crucial to continue to keep reflecting on how these platforms and tools shape our personal and professional lives. I look forward to continuing this conversation on social media in our EC&I831 course this term!