• EDTC 300 Blog

    The Rise of The Internet Culture & How It Has Changed The World

    Theres no faster way to spread the word than online. Closeup shot of a group of unrecognizable businesspeople using their cellphones in synchronicity.
    I access the internet at least 100 times a day. Whether it’s checking social media, checking my emails, doing homework, or googling something, the use of the internet is a staple for everything in my life. I grew up experience the technology boom, I went from landlines to iphones, desktop computers as big as my bedroom to my phone being stronger than my desktop. I remember YouTube in its beginning and the numa numa dance had my grade in a choke hold! The superman dance, HELLLOOO? the original tiktok dance haha. My generation started with T9 texting, I was so good at it I could text all day and never even look at what I was typing. Now? PFFF well I literally look at my screen and still spell things wrong, thank god for spellcheck, but also it’s ruining peoples spelling knowledge, even with it people cannot spell via text and it literally kills me inside.

    While the internet itself is amazing, I also think it is addicting and it is ruining the youth of our children. “Since 2014-15, there has been a 22 percentage point rise in the share of teens who report having access to a smartphone (95% now and 73% then).” (Atske & Atske, 2024) Having a cell phone infront of their face at all times can be extremely lonely. Kids cannot connect the way they used to, while they may be talking all day to someone online, I find that once they do not have their cellphone, they cannot for the life of them make decent conversation with eachother when they are bored. Sadly the adults in this world are no better, I am now at the point where I am fed up with social media and people aimlessly scrolling their phones, but it is truely ADDICTING!

    I grew up with access to texting and calling, as well as MSN and other online sites, but I could only access them on a desktop computer. The creation of social media APPS I think is what really changed us as a society. Sometimes for the better, were connecting to eachother all over the world. Learning amazing things from other cultures as well as news stories, and making friends. Look at the video of the numa numa guy, (Michael Wesch, 2008), he created a phenomenom of people connecting together and creating something fun and amazing, and it is like TIKTOK today, connecting and creating amazing things. Yet there is of course a HUGE dark side to these apps as well.

    I do not think social media is going away anytime soon, but I do think people are finally starting to realize how dangerously addicting it is and how it could be bad for our mental health. I did a trial month with 0 social media on my phone and I was shocked at how I felt. I felt relief? I did feel a little out of the loop, because those around me were still using social media, but honeslty it was really nice not seeing everyone of my kidless friends hanging out without me and feeling depressed because I am not there. Also I noticed how fricken annoying it was when your trying to make conversation with people because your not scrolling and everyone else is literally so immesered into their phones they are zombies. I get why my parents were so angry when I was younger about that, now tables are turned and I am mad at them for doing it haha.

    For my classroom, a healthy balance is necessary. I would love to be able introduce safe ways to access the internet while also allowing them to be genuine kids by building connections with other humans in person, not just through a screen. Showing students that technology can be used for so much for then just social media, will also be very important. Yes social media is useful for lots of things, but there are so many other cool things technology can do for us!! I also think the cellphone bans in school are a start to give kids a break from social media. 6 hours a day to connect to others without a screen will be benefical for literally anyone not just kids!

  • EDTC 300 Blog,  Learning To Wrap Presents Blog

    Week 3- Exploring Canva To Document My Learning

    This week I decided to explore Canva, I have heard wonderful things about it but have never really tried using it. I decided it was time to explore it. The app and website are free to use, unless you want the pro account then you have to pay, BUT as teachers once we have our degree, we get PRO for FREE!!! After exploring this website I plan on using it alot more. The website itself has a ton of different templates for creating anything you could want. I explored a bit and decided to search for infographics.

    Once I chose my template, I clicked on the customize button and it took me to an editing page.

    Once I was on here, I could easily edit text, upload my own photos, add different clip arts and add links to pictures.


    This website would be a great resource for myself as a teacher as well as for my students. I honestly think this site would be rated a 3 or 4 on the SAMR model. There are so many options for students to create something completely new! Ranging from tasks being made way easier to templates, all the way to the ability to start from blank templates! Kids can create their own websites on here, videos, posts, ads, business signatures, computer wallpaper and so much more. Honestly, I am impressed.

    I can’t get these pictures bigger to save my life, so here is a link!
    https://www.canva.com/design/DAGT3AD325w/0i3pL4JMwcgqoKRUuMi50A/view?utm_content=DAGT3AD325w&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

  • EDTC 300 Blog,  Learning To Wrap Presents Blog,  Uncategorized

    Week Two- A Sort of Success?

    During this week’s attempt at wrapping gifts, I thought I was prepared! I had bought some new wrapping paper, some good tape, and some ribbons, but I was not prepared. I went into this week excited because well who can’t wrap a book right? RIGHT? I started off strong with everything laid out as so:
    wrapping paper, scissors, book, tape

    I started to follow the instructions on this video, it looked fairly simple.

    Well, APPARENTLY, I should of looked at the dimensions of the wrapping paper I bought, because it did not want to work for her directions, that OR I just messed up. Oh hey, It’s me! I’m the problem it’s me!

    At this point I was starting to get frustrated because the paper was obviously too small to wrap around nicely, as you can see in my face here.

    First I started looking online to find other examples just like the video to wrap but I had a really hard time finding anything exactly the same. I decided it would be easier just to switch to something smaller. So out went the book and in came a PS4 game case.

    This worked a lot better size wise for my size paper and I thought that I would have this wrapping style in the bag but, I was sorely mistaken. Who would of thunk that the paper had to be an exact square! Haha, apparently, I need a ruler or something to help me. I have zero patience for things that frustrate me, Hello ADHD, so it started to get a little ugly.

    I took a breather and ended up chopping off the extra length and VOILA! I got it, sort of!?

    This package is definitely business in the front, disaster in the back but whatever! I’ll try again next week, but with the correct size of paper! I honeslty was really frustrated this time and kind of regretted choosing wrapping gifts! Hopefully it will get easier!!! Wish me luck!

  • EDTC 300 Blog,  Learning To Wrap Presents Blog

    Week One

    This week I decided to try and wrap a present the way I normally do, because the present I had to wrap was waaaaay too big for the fancy ways I wanted to wrap, plus the front side is open because it’s a toy. Anyway, here are some pictures of how that turned out. present

    I couldn’t wrap it the fancy way I wanted so I decided that MAYBE just MAYBE I could accomplish a bow. I decided to watch this video, and attempt the first bow.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZiaMR1yUDs

    I watched this video a couple of times, and I could not follow along with her speed, so I slowed the video down, probably too slow as it was kind of comical, but I was kind of successful?
    Who am I kidding, it was horendus. The kid getting this present probably won’t care about the bow at all but atleast it is the first step for me in trying to make prettier presents.

    I am sure somewhere in my brain there is a memory of learning how to wrap ribbons, and I think with a smaller, less long rectangle box I might of been slightly more successful. Who knows maybe after this I will become a gift wrapping, bow tying master. I still need to get myself some more wrapping paper, and some double-sided tape. Using scotch tape is fine, but I always, ALWAYS run out of tape and end up using packing tape or duct tape!embarressed face

  • EDTC 300 Blog

    My Relationship With Technology

    My relationship with technology has been an ongoing one that has changed throughout my life. I grew up having no internet at all, to having dial up, cd players to mp3 players, flip phones to smart phones, and etc. It was never something that I felt particullary addicted to even when facebook came around. We all went on for our alloted hour in the evening and then we were off, texting our friends and hanging out. Now, well I have just started myself on a social media detox.

    I use technology for almost everything, school, family calender, work, TV, communication, promoting my business (well trying) as well as everything else we use it for. When I was working full time I relied on my cell for communication within the school as well as staying organized with google calender. Google calender has honeslty saved my sanity, it keeps myself and my husband on the same page and there is no more of, I definitely told you my parents were coming tomorrow, when he definitely didn’t. (Also spellcheck with google, as I sit here trying to spell definitely). I use my laptop everyday for school and editing photos, and sometimes house stuff because it’s just easier on a bigger screen.

    Overall though, this past year on maternity leave I have found myself doom scrolling social media non stop, and all it does it makes me depressed, seeing friends hanging out, wondering why I wasn’t invited. I am the only one of my friend group with kids and it makes really hard. I got so sick of it the one night, sitting there depressed and wondering why the heck I do this to myself. I started looking at phones that are “dummy” phones that only have texting and calling, but I realized that would not work for me. So I decided to just delete facebook/ insta/ tik tok off of my home screen. They are there incase I need to go on them to see a message, or access markpetplace, but I don’t open my phone and instantly start scrolling social media. Its honestly been very refreshing, and hard but only because everyone around me dooms scrools, so I am sitting here bored and wanting to talk but everyone is nose deep into their phones.

    I honestly think social media has ruined our kids childhoods, and I have no intentions of giving my kids a cellphone until like 16 or maybe older. We’ll see how that goes haha. I just can see the kids at schools have no ability to communicate and enjoy being kids when they have no phones, they don’t know how to just experience life without the lense of a camera. I think we need to get back to basics when it comes to technology and remove the addictive aspects and apps. Woman hands using mobile smartphone in the street with icon social media and social network.

  • EDTC 300 Blog,  Learning To Wrap Presents Blog

    My Learning Journey Begins

    For my EDTC Learning Assignment, I decided I should give wrapping presents a try. I hate wrapping presents, I mean HATE HATE HATE, Double Hate, LOAAATTTHEEEEEE ENTIRELY! Thats the type of hate I feel when it comes to wrapping presents. I would much rather use a gift bag, it is so much easier. I can kind of wrap presents, I mean I have the basics, but it is not pretty at all. Sometimes I get lucky and it looks great other times….. well lets just say my husband laughs at me hahaha.

    So for my learning jounrey, I decided to first research how to wrap presents! I watched a ton of videos, some were very easy, and some were extreeeeemmmely hard. Like there is no way I would ever have the patience for that! So I’ve watched about thirty videos and I have narrowed it down to four types of wrapping that I would love to give a try! I think it will take me a bit to get each wrapping perfect like they have in the videos. I’ll post the wrapping paper styles that I’ll try further down.

    So I think I need to get some better wrapping paper, some double sided tape, and some nice ribbon. I know I have some stuff around the house that I will have to hunt down, but I know my dollar store wrapping paper probably isn’t going to be thick enough to do some of these wrap jobs. I’ll have to go to Costco or maybe Micheals!

    Anyway, I am going to try these wrap jobs, I’ll post them to what I think will be easiest to hardest. I’ll start with the “easiest” one and post my attempt next week!

    1.

    2.

    3.

    4.

  • EDTC 300 Blog

    My Experience With Educational Technology

    Hello everyone! My name is Kacey, and I am in the Pre-K-5 Elementary Ed Degree Program! I currently live in Regina, Saskatchewan with my family. I am married and have three sons. I also have a cat named Skye and a golden retriever named Sport. I am technically employed with Regina Public Schools as an Educational Assistant, but I am currently on maternity leave. I have slowly been working towards my Ed degree for the last couple of years online, and my class preference is online. I have my first in person class this semester and I am enjoying it a lot!

    My experience with educational technology is limited. I have used some programs while working with in the school division since as google classroom, Padlet, iPad, google read and write, google docs and Microsoft office programs like PowerPoint. Other than that, I have not played around with a lot of technology. I have just started myself on a social media purge as it was becoming addictive, I think social media is ruining our kids, though it has its benefits for sure. Overall I am excited to see how technology can be in the classroom and learning how to use some of these new skills will help me teach them to my students. Woman hands using mobile smartphone in the street with icon social media and social network.

    Blogging for me is a new experience, unless you count the old age of MySpace, I have not done online blogging. Blogging takes a lot of work and the people who keep up with it are amazing. I, however, do not have the patience. I really like pictures though and I think a picture blog would be more up my alley. Blogging during this course will be a bit of a challenge for me I think, so we will see how it goes! business women looking city scape and social network connection technology. network connection concept

  • Recent Events

    STF Vote Update

    Saskatchewan

    Sask. teachers narrowly reject province’s latest contract offer

    STF says 88% of members voted, 55% of them voted no

    A blue plastic cup, filled with coloured pencils, sits on a desk in a classroom. In the background, there are empty chairs at a desk, and books in cubby holes.
    The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation confirmed the result Thursday evening after two days of voting for its member teachers. (David Donnelly/CBC)

    The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) says its members have voted to reject the latest collective agreement offer from the province.

    The STF confirmed the result Thursday evening, saying 88 per cent of its member teachers voted, with 55 per cent of those voters rejecting the contract.

    “We take our direction from the membership, and members have spoken,” STF president Samantha Becotte said in a news release Thursday evening.

    “The result of this vote is a message to government and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) that teachers need to see real changes to classroom complexity and compensation. In feedback from members, we heard clearly that their priorities haven’t been adequately addressed.”

    The STF said the teachers’ bargaining committee has verbally invited the government back to the bargaining table and will send a formal written invitation Friday.

    “If the government and the SSBA decline this invitation, or talks break down, 48 hours’ notice will be given prior to the resumption of job action,” the STF’s release said.

    The STF has scheduled a news conference for 10:30 a.m. CST Friday.

    Saskatchewan Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill released a statement shortly after the result of the vote was released.

    “I am disappointed by the result of the vote that will reject not only a fair agreement negotiated between government, school divisions and the STF, but one that was endorsed and recommended by the STF executive senior leadership,” Cockrill said.

    “We will have more to say about next steps very soon.”

    Saskatchewan’s 13,500 teachers have been without a contract since August 2023 and voted in favour of job action in October. Months of job action followed, including rotating strikes, work-to-rule action and withdrawal from extracurricular activities and voluntary duties.

    The STF executive endorsed this latest proposal, encouraging teachers to accept it in the lead-up to the vote, the first time it had done so for an offer from the province since negotiations began last May.

    The offer had some new measures, not in the previously proposed agreement that was resoundingly rejected by teachers earlier this month, including some additional funding to address classroom complexity.

    According to an internal document sent to teachers before the vote and obtained by CBC News, the proposal included promises of a task force on classroom complexity, to be co-chaired by the STF, the Ministry of Education and Saskatchewan School Board Association, and include teachers, students and parents.

    There was no mention of class size, a central issue in the teachers’ messaging during the ongoing contract dispute, in the internal document provided to teachers. STF president Samantha Becotte told CBC in an interview last week that she considers class size a part of class complexity, but conceded there was nothing concrete about size in the proposed agreement.

    “Classroom complexity isn’t going to be solved within one collective agreement or one budgeting cycle,” she said.

    The proposed contract covered a three-year term from Sept. 1, 2023, to Aug. 31, 2026.

    According to a news release from the STF, the offer included salary increases of three per cent in the first two years and two per cent in the final year.

    The document sent to teachers also highlighted a “one per cent [of the base salary costs] market adjustment that will be equally distributed across all [teacher] increment grids and calculated after the three per cent raise, retroactive to September 1, 2023. This is in addition to the salary increase of eight per cent over the three years of the agreement.”

    It also referenced a letter of understanding with the province regarding “violence-free classrooms,” including a reporting mechanism for incidents.

     

     

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/teacher-contract-vote-result-1.7219686

  • Recent Events

    Rising costs a concern for Sask. school divisions

    School boards in Saskatchewan said they are being forced to make difficult decisions that could ultimately lead to unwanted cuts, as expenses continue to rise.

    The Saskatchewan NDP said the province’s education budget does not keep up with inflationary costs and many school divisions will not be able to maintain the status quo.

    “There’s nothing left to cut, school divisions do everything they can to make sure these bad education budgets don’t impact the classroom, but at some point, they will impact the classroom,” NDP MLA Matt Love said.

    One of the current concerns is rising fuel costs and the effects on transportation.

    RELATED STORIES

    Education Minister Dustin Duncan said transportation costs range between two per cent and 13 per cent within a school boards’ budget.

    “It is a relatively small portion of the budget, depending on the school division you’re talking about, but six months from now, what the price of oil and the cost of gasoline will be is really hard to predict,” Duncan said.

    The 2022-23 education budget included a $29.4 million increase (from 2021-22) in operational funding for school divisions, with a spending total of $1.99 billion.

    Both Saskatoon Catholic and Public school divisions have penned letters to the province to express their concerns with possible shortfalls, saying the increase to the 2022-23 education budget is not enough.

    Duncan said he has not spoken to the school divisions in Saskatoon since before the budget was presented.

    The minister said there are ways that cost savings can be found, including relying on the turnover numbers of teachers, which he said includes long-serving higher-paid teachers retiring every year, with new teachers coming in who ultimately are making less money.

    “We know that every year there is retiring teachers who are at the top of the [pay] grid, who are replaced by teachers that are new and they would be at the lower end of the grid,” he said.

    Duncan also said reserves are another option, both open and restricted.

    “This is not equally spread but school divisions just on unrestricted reserves alone are sitting on about $140 million between the 27 school divisions and on top of that there is restricted reserves as well that bring that number much higher,” Duncan said.

    He added ultimately, when school divisions look at how they’ll be managing their budgets that “may or may not include drawing on some reserves this year.”

    “I think that is really disappointing to hear from the minister of education,” Love said, when asked about Duncan’s comments on reserve funds.

    “They already have looked at their reserves. When school divisions challenge this budget they do that with full knowledge of what’s in their reserves.”

    Love said from what he’s heard, school divisions have already had to dip into reserves in years past.

    https://regina.ctvnews.ca/rising-costs-a-concern-for-sask-school-divisions-despite-record-education-funding-1.5852799

  • Recent Events

    The Pope Apologizes!

    Pope on Canada’s residential schools: ‘I am very sorry’ | CTV News

    Pope Francis has apologized and asked for forgiveness for the Catholic Church’s role in the Canadian residential school system, and vowed to visit Canada to deliver the apology in person to survivors.

    After private meetings between Pope Francis and First Nations, Inuit and Metis delegates this week, all parties met the Pope at the Vatican on Friday.

    Speaking in Italian, the pontiff asked for God’s forgiveness for the “deplorable conduct” of members of the Catholic Church, recognizing the wrongs done to Indigenous people in residential schools.