Well, classmates, this is it! An entire semester together is coming to an end. I have to admit, this group of people was so interesting, and each week I was looking forward to seeing everyone’s growth throughout the semester, and how their progress was coming along. Even though I was not able to see everyone every week! I tried my best to ensure I got caught up when I could!
There were so many amazing learning projects this semester, and I enjoyed the variety. I felt our class community was strong, and we did such a wonderful job helping each other out when needed! I am thankful for all the help I received throughout this class and bid everyone good luck on their future endeavors, and hope they continue to build on their learning projects.
How did I contribute to my classmates?
During lectures, I would ensure I participated and asked questions when needed. I would like to give some comic relief where it was needed. I was an active participant in class, and in break out rooms. Some of my favorite conversations or discussions that had taken place this semester were;
- discussing what technology takes up most of our time, and the polls we interacted in. It was cool to see that most people really spend a lot of time of social media mindlessly scrolling.
- The Amanda Todd story, and how the digital world had such a heavy influence on the real world.
- Exploring fun games and sites, such as the tree octopus , the coding games
There was many meaningful conversation throughout the class, and some very good questions and perspectives. Lectures were fun and interactive which I think helped everyone grow a good connection with each other. I would try and ensure I was engaging on meaningful conversation, and trying to build those relationships, even on an online platform.
Outside of Lectures, and Blog Posts
I wanted to try and ensure I commented many times throughout the week on my classmates projects and blog posts. I enjoyed seeing so many different skills and perspectives throughout this group, as the dynamic was awesome. I wanted to make sure I was encouraging, and made comments that related to the post to make sure they knew I was actually reading thier posts.
I had commented on many of my classmates different projects and wanted to provided my insight, and ensure I was encouraging. I found certain projects had me intrigued, and I wanted to encourage my classmates to keep learning, and that I appreciated the truthfulness that came with thier learning. It was not all linear learning, and some people did not always have success at first, but pushed through and found possible solutions to the problems!
I will admit there were some projects I did not follow as closely, I did try my best to stay on task, and get to most people’s blog posts within the week.
I had many opportunities within both communities, with the blog and the discord chat we had as a collective. Discord was very helpful as it was a quick response and very user friendly.
Discord
In our discord chat it was easy to ask for help and many people responded quickly. There were many people very active within the chat and eager to help when classmates needed it. I tried to help where I could, when asked questions in the chat I would suggest different ideas, and if someone else came in with a better idea I would agree with them. 
Throughout the semester I spent time reading, responding, and learning from my fellow classmates in many different aspects. I tried to return the favor by responding to posts, giving encouraging words, engage in conversations, and give advice where I felt I could. If one thing has been known is that I am not very technologically advanced, and I tried to help even with the little knowledge I started with. The amazing words of encouragement coming from this class was very inspiring, and had created a safe space for everyone to enjoy and learn together, and I hope we can continue to bring this to our future classrooms!
The semester is coming to a close, and it is time to wrap up my learning project with a bow on top because spring and summer are just around the corner! My learning project, which I decided to explore, was cooking, and throughout this semester at university has been an educational and personal growth experience. I have had the opportunity to develop skills and recognize where I need to work on things. Beyond my prior skills, I have gained some more confidence in the kitchen, and allowing myself to present those skills online has helped me learn to let go of my fears a little more. I have learned how to find resourceful websites, videos, and appreciate “old school ways” to assist me in my learning journey, and my video editing skills have climbed sharply from not even knowing how to post a video on YouTube, to being able to use different platforms, and placing them within my posts.
Photo by Mohamed_hassan on Pixabay
Learning Project Week 1 – Getting Started
Week 1, I wasn’t sure what to expect, being new to the blogging world and not knowing how to present myself, and not being completely confident in my skills I had already obtained. I used this week to get used to the blog posting, and learn how to use my own pictures and videos of my learning.
- I posted a video of ways to hide veggies in foods. I had big aspirations on how I wanted to better my palette along with my daughters, as she is a picky eater.
- This week I tried to understand what was expected of me for this project and try not to completely overthink it.
Learning Project Week 2 – Pot Roast and Potatoes
Week 2 was my first week of cooking an actual meal and discussing my process throughout the entire thing.
- Forgot to take pictures of my meal.
- I discussed in this week the stress I had with cooking, and how I do not like to fail when I do it.
- I tried to incorporate the “hidden veggies” for my daughter this week in the scallop potatoes I had made.
Learning Week 3 –French Toast Casserole
In week 3, I decided to do my first YouTube video post about my learning project that week. I decided to make a French toast casserole and share my experience with it.
- I was so incredibly nervous to see myself in a video I posted on YouTube.
- I used a French Toast Casserole recipe I had found on the internet as I wanted to venture into the breakfast prep world, for more options in the morning.
- I did discuss that it had more sugar than I wanted to admit (which becomes ironic almost further down my journey of this project)
- Admitted that I am very technologically behind.
Learning Project Week 4 – Loaded Gnocchi Soup
This week of my project, I wanted to try a soup, as I am a big soup lover. So, what better time to try and learn? I did have my first “whoopsie” this week, and crazy enough, it was a terrible mistake.
- I had made my first TikTok video, which is not as easy as people make it sound.
- I had accidentally bought skillet gnocchi instead of boil gnocchi. It did not wreck my soup, even though it gave me some anxiety. I lived to tell the tale.
- I realized that the recipe made a very large amount of food, and I could possibly modify it to make less, or less waste.
Learning Project Week 5 – Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
In Week 5, I decided to try a recipe out of a family recipe book with my daughter. I had made a little YouTube video of her helping me, and I appreciate having a physical family recipe book to refer to.
- Discussed my appreciation for a physical recipe book
- I love to spend time teaching my daughter this skill I am also continuing to learn about.
- I discuss my sensory issues I have with certain foods, and my struggle to overcome that by problem-solving, and allowing my daughter to help out with measuring.
- During this week, I had to learn how to let go of my OCD and allow for a mess to take place, and that it is not a big deal to clean up a mess.
Learning Project Week 6 – Being Sick, and Food Restrictions
Week 6 was a huge challenge, as I was only living off of soup and hope this week. I had fallen ill and did not have a lot of energy or an appetite.
- I was diagnosed with insulin resistance this week as well, which required me to now have to look at my diet and make some changes.
- I had to begin my research into what I was restricted to eating.
- I voiced that I was feeling a little overwhelmed as I had been ill and then getting a diagnosis that would affect my lifestyle.
Learning Project Week 7 – Lifestyle Changes
During week 7, I discussed my research into insulin resistance. I had explained what insulin resistance was and the expectations given to me.
- I discussed my signs and symptoms I was having before my medical findings.
- I had discussed my goals I was setting for myself to ensure I was doing the best I could with the information I had.
- I mention this week, giving myself some grace and not allowing my thoughts and anxiety about my changes to get the best of me.
Learning Project Week 8 – Taco Rice Stuffed Peppers
Week 8’s learning project was my week. I was trying to incorporate some of my restrictions while also enjoying a flavourful filling meal.
- Mentioned that I had ordered a recipe book from Amazon to help with my insulin
- I realized I did not discuss much learning this week, just my process in making the peppers.
- I relished in the enjoyment I had with this week’s project outcome. I learned that it was not as intimidating as I anticipated it to be.
Learning Project Week 9 – Layering a Lasagna
Week 9 was focused on learning different proper techniques in cooking, and what better way to learn than making a lasagna. I discuss my process in wanting to ensure I layer it properly.
- I had discussed my desire to know how to properly layer a lasagna, which seems silly, maybe, but I always wondered if noodles or sauce go first.
- Incorporated some “hidden veggies” with spinach, and reflected that it was a goal I had for myself in the beginning.
Learning Project Week 10 – Way Too Much Garlic Butter Chicken Orzo
I challenged myself this week to try something I have never cooked before, orzo pasta. This week was a little intimidating because I, of course, was overthinking the process, and I had never heard of orzo pasta before, and did not want it to be a possible waste of food. But I tried it.
- I started my process by ensuring I had all the ingredients to make this dish.
- Measured out the garlic with my heart, and measured way too much. But still edible.
- Learned that butter sticks have helpful measurements on the wrappers
- Found a conversion chart to help ensure I have the right amount of liquids.
My Biggest Lessons from my Project;
- Even though I have known how to cook for many years, there is always something new to learn, and do not be afraid to fail, as that is where we learn the best. Venture out with different recipes and look for things on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, blogs, etc.
- Being online presents is not as scary as it seems. It is something to get use to if you don’t do it often, and allow yourself to get used to the language and different communities out there. Learning new platforms may be intimidating, but if you have any questions or concerns, just be sure to ask.
- Do not be scared to fail, my learning project has taught me that things get messy, your recipes do not always work out, being an avid YouTuber is not for everyone, TikTok’s are not as easy as they seem to make, etc. I found myself reflecting many times within my posts about what I was taking away that week, something new I was learning, or reflecting on things I needed to work on.
- Finally, be sure to have fun. I found myself often having to remind myself that it is not that “deep.” I would think I had to make big elaborate meals, to the point that I would get discouraged sometimes. I would criticize myself so often that I forgot to have fun just learning new and simple things about cooking. When I failed, I would panic, but take a step back and realize that it wasn’t as big of a deal as I was making it. I am a perfectionist in many cases, and I tried my hardest to ensure that I placed that trait aside and just live in the moment with it.
My learning experience in EDTC300 was one I will take with me for a lifetime. I have learned to step back when needed, to understand I need to challenge myself with learning new things online as much as I can, along with many other things. We learned many different things throughout this class, and I now have many tools and skills I can only build on from here.
Thank you to my fellow classmates and Katia for such a fun and great semester! Good luck to everyone on their education journeys!
So – I decided that I was going to check out Gemini – Google’s generative AI tool. I was a little shocked to find it is very similar to ChatGPT. In comparison, the layout is very similar between the two, and the answers given are also very similar. I found ChatGPT is a very generic answering AI tool, and Gemini was more in depth, and specific, given the same information.
I wanted to see if I asked this tool to design something for me how it would look. To give a little back story, I currently run a women’s boxing class once a week while also, attending a regular co-ed class. Each week I am needing to ensure I challenge my students, and I wanted to see what Gemini would give me if I asked it to design a beginners women’s boxing class workout.
It laid out everything so neatly, and it was almost exactly what I did for my first women’s class.
It gave me some other helpful tips, such as the equipment needed, the target audience it was built for (which is for women of all ages, looking for a challenge, etc.) It gave advice on the type of equipment needed, from glove sizes to hand wraps, and water bottles. It also broke down the times for warm ups, and working on the different fundamentals of the sport. This AI tool was surprisingly helpful, for a first class workout. I have been doing boxing long enough to know that the regular participants generally needs a healthy mix of workout and technique work, while also providing a variety of elements. Which is did not provide, it provided only a 60 minute workout. Therefore if wanting to challenge participants, it would not a good tool to use as it does not provide much after one class. At the end of the workout, it gave me the option to transfer it into a word document to be able to print it. 
I found this feature quite interesting, I have not seen another AI tool be able to provide this option. Although it is very neat, it could be very terrible for those who would want to use it for wicked reasons, such as writing essays, answering questions, etc. It was so easy to do, and required next to no effort on my part.
The things I enjoyed about this tool;
- It was very easy to use
- Liked it gave me the option to move to document
- Provided many different and specific elements that are needed for a class
Things I felt indifferent about this tool;
- Only a 60 hour workout was provided
- Very generic
- very similar to ChatGPT layout
AI in the Classroom!
In the classroom, this tool can be used to help find information about certain topics. High school students could ask this AI tool where to find information on things they are needing to research and ask for a reliable source. Example being finding reliable information about the French Revolution, that you (student) need to write an essay on. While possibly providing the reference and information, students need to remember to also be sure to authentically do the work themselves instead of having AI tools do the work. It is very easy to spot when AI tools have done the work for someone, as AI uses very scholarly wording, and it can differ from one topic to the other.
I think that encouraging students to use AI tool correctly, is what is needed. The reality of it is that students will use AI tools whether we want them to or not, but providing the tools, and allowing them to exercise self control while using AI tools I think will help break the barrier of students feeling the need to completely rely on it to do thier work. Almost like a reverse psychology approach, with the hopes that they do not take complete advantage. I do also think it could help elevate some of the tasks of a teacher. It could provide tools or provide possible fun games to help engage students. Teachers could search engaging ideas for specific topics for thier grade level. It is a fast way to get an answer (if needed at the time) as opposed to searching endlessly for an answer or help, and possibly wasting class time.
For this week’s learning project. I wanted to venture out and try cooking a meat I have not had experience with before. After searching the web for a bit, I came across a meal of garlic butter chicken orzo. I had taken a look at the ingredients, which called for chicken thighs, and I had most of the ingredients at home already, just needed orzo and thighs. So off to the store I went. I purchased my ingredients needed and went back home to prep.
Once home, I gathered all the ingredients I needed, and reading the instructions, I realized that I had no idea what 32 ounces of liquid is equal to. So, back to the web, I searched and found a conversion chart. It was super easy to use and
helped me know that it is 4 cups of liquid are needed. I began by prepping my chicken. I refuse to eat fat on meat, and I cut the chicken fat off and made sure it was ready to be lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.
Once the chicken was done, I was moving on to prepping it to fry in the skillet. The recipe wanted 3 tbsps. of butter melted and conveniently on the butter it showed the measurements for 1 tbsp. So that was super helpful. I let that melt in the pan, and I pat dried my chicken and then seasoned it with salt and pepper. At this point in the recipe I started to get anxious, as I did not know how to know when the thighs are done. But I powered through my doubts and kept on moving. 
Next I placed the seasoned bird pieces in the skillet and let them cook while I had cleaned up some of the mess, I let them cook roughly 5 minutes of each side. I then had to remove the pieces and moved them onto a plate. The next step called for putting the orzo into the pan with the chicken grease and butter reminisce, until golden brown, and add the garlic in. In this step I definitely measured with my heart at what I thought would be 4 cloves of garlic, and let me tell you it was way too much. It was edible, but the garlic smell lingers off those who eat this dish for a bit. It was a little odd to me that I had to place the pasta in a skillet without liquid at first. But after reading a little more, it is so the orzo can adopt the flavors from the chicken and butter. I had let this cook for a bit and the smell was so yummy, I couldn’t wait to eat it. The aroma of garlic and butter cooking together definitely gets the salvation glands working.
I mixed in the final ingredients, the chicken stock and placed the chicken back in the skillet and turned my heat down. While cooking I had cleaned up and prep for the leftovers I would have, as this recipe made quite a bit. My final result was very delicious, but I have to admit that I did do too much garlic, and it made it hard to go back for seconds. But the parmesan cheese was a delicious touch, and it helped die down some of the garlic.
My Takeaways
Some take aways I have from this experience is;
- Chicken breasts are not the only chicken I can cook
- There is such thing as too much garlic
- Meals even though sound complicated, most times are not
- Cleaning up while cooking, helps not feel so overwhelming and discouraging
I’m a little behind in my learning project posts, so apologies. This week, I decided to make a lasagna because I was craving some pasta, as I was entirely restricted from eating it for the past little while. At the beginning of this process, I will have to admit I was wondering how to properly layer a lasagna. I have made this dish before, but I have always wondered, do the noodles go first, or the sauce? I mean, I am sure it all tastes the same in the end, but I literally searched on YouTube “how to layer lasagna.” So, after getting the confirmation, I needed to know on how to prepare this dish correctly. I then gathered my ingredients.
What I did not include in this is the ground beef cooking on the stove. But I got the Prego brand of sauce, seeing that they do not make the brand I usually use anymore, so this was new. I honestly do not mind it, but I find that many sauces taste so different. Nonetheless, this one was okay. I cooked the ground beef and added the sauce in, let that simmer and then I got my lasagna noodles ready to be cooked. I cooked those to “al dente” and then I looked up my trusty layering video one more time just to make sure I was going to do it correctly. I layered my lasagna with meat sauce first, some cheese, and spinach and then noodles, and repeated the steps three more times, until my sauce had ran out! 
I also was unsure how the spinach was going to go over, as I have not used it in my lasagna before, but hey we are all about trying new things right? Anyhow I let that cook in the oven for about an hour at 250 degrees. Once it was all done the cheese was stretchy and very delicious. I wanted to try the Italiano cheese due to my grandma using it before and it has a different flavor, rather than just old plain cheddar. I would love to experiment a little more with lasagna, and maybe add some ricotta cheese, or cottage cheese, but we will just do baby steps for right now.
Big Finale!
The final product was nothing short of delicious, even with spinach. Which in all honesty did not have a ton of taste, but added the iron we needed. I had more than half of the dish be leftovers, but this dish is very good even the day after!
“Coding?” When am I ever going to use this again? Well, all I have to say is it was a humbling and slightly frustrating experience, but also intriguing once I got into it. This process has shown me how out of tune I am with technology, and how easily I want to give up when it challenges me a little bit. I decided to do a
one-hour coding class with Ana and Elsa, solely based on my daughter’s ambition to want to help me. Let’s just say that was a complete flop, and I was left to fend for myself. Moving on, the first thing was that it had started with a little tutorial video, which I did watch, just in case it had important information I needed. It basically explained the reasonings for coding and what it is, and then towards the end of the video they introduced the Frozen coding game, and gave the basic instruction of what to expect for the first level.
At first the instructions were very basic and I had to use very little critical thinking. I was a little intimidated once I got onto the coding activities to see that it had 20 levels to do! I thought you myself “oh goodness, cancel my afternoon” But it was honestly not that bad! I had some helpful tips in the top of the page that provided some clear instructions on which degree’s to turn, how to move Elsa, and Ana to the right and left. I did have to start over a few times as I ended up completely confusing myself and could not back track my thoughts.
Level 6 was a tough one for me, I followed the instructions, and I still was not able to figure it out. I moved onto the next level and I was able to get that one. I liked that every different difficulty level was presented with a small video that explained what was coming next and how to properly code it. I was overthinking on some of the levels and I had to make sure I ran the sequence a couple of times in order to know what I was required to do next. The instructions on the top of the page, were a huge help in this aspect.
I thoroughly enjoyed doing this coding, surprisingly enough. Admittingly I am not one to jump at the computer teachings. I have very basic knowledge, and it has carried me this far. I was not able to finished all of the levels, as I was growing a little frustrated. But 17/20 levels I consider a huge win, being I had absolutely zero prior knowledge about this kind of thing. I do however recognize the importance of having these skills, as we are heading into a world that is moving towards having technology as a base for almost all learning. The end of the coding I was given the opportunity to just make my own coding sequence and I decided to do a snowflake, because it seemed the most appropriate to go along with the Frozen kind of theme. Honestly speaking at this time of the process I was kind of over it and did the simplest sequence I could think of. It turned out very cute, I will say. But this whole experience taught me personally how much I overthink, and need to brush up on some computer skills. 
In today’s digital age, fake news is more of a problem than ever. It seems as if the truth is becoming more and more difficult to uncover. There are many new AI tools and other things to manipulate and disperse false information. There are many reasons one would believe false information. In the article Why do people fall for fake news the article mentions that people easily fall for many reasons, some being;
- a growing decline in trust in the media and government.
- lower attention spans
- fake news appealing to our emotions
- implicit biases
Those are just some of the things, among others, that make fake news hard to differentiate.
Digital Literacy within our Classrooms
Digital literacy is often mistaken for just knowing how to use and read the internet. That is not the case, it includes the ability to critically think while on the internet. There are some fun “games” such as “Spot the Troll” these games are interactive and allow students to use their critical thinking skills to spot the fake profiles. This will come in handy when they begin to explore social media platforms. There are many predators who are good at disguising themselves on the internet, and these types if teachings will ensure students are using there knowledge to possibly spot fakes.
Critical Thinking is Crucial
Critical thinking is obviously a crucial part of practicing good digital literacy, and the sooner students know how to use this avid tool, it will become easier to spot fake news, internet trolls, and the other dangers of the online world. As mentioned above some of the reasons people fall for fake news. There are also tools out there to help practice ways to ensure that; one resource that can be used is this fact checker for students within this resource it gives advice on how to productively fact check, some examples are “checking your emotions” this advice gives examples of strong emotional facts and how to essentially “check yourself” before allowing your feelings to get int he way of decisions. Along with many other strategies.
In conclusion incorporating digital literacy within our classrooms is inevitable. Teaching students how to critically evaluate the digital information given to us and how to process it with critical thinking skills, is going to be knowledge they take with them when they are adults and have many more complexities added. With this type of knowledge we will ensure to build a lies skeptical world, and strive to have less fake news be present.
So this week I have decided to delve into the food I am going to venture around with. I ordered a cookbook from Amazon, but unfortunately, I have not received it So I improvised and decided to try taco rice, put some pizazz on it, and stuff it into some red and yellow peppers. I love anything stuffed into peppers, so I was excited to see how they would turn out!
To start I got all my ingredients out. 1 pound of ground beef (was going to use ground turkey, but our store did not have any left) beef broth, onion, garlic, taco seasoning, salsa, taco sauce, peppers, cheddar cheese, etc. I began by cooking the ground beef in a large skillet, and following that, I put in the garlic and onion, and let that cook
with the beef. I then added the broth and taco seasoning, mixing it all. I let that all simmer together for about 3-4 minutes. My next step was to add the long grain rice, and once I mixed that in along with 1/2 cup of salsa and taco sauce I measured with my heart. I covered it and allowed it to simmer while I moved on to my next step.
My next step was to prep the peppers to be stuffed. I washed them and cut them in half, placing them on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil. While I had some time to spare, I grated a cup of cheddar cheese which will be sprinkled on top once the peppers were ready to be placed in the oven. I preheated the oven to 350 degree’s and cleaned up some of the dishes in the meantime, so I was not so overwhelmed at the end. The taco rice concoction was ready to be stuffed into the peppers. So I stuffed the peppers and sprinkled the cheese on top. 
The cheese looked a little overwhelming at first as I though maybe I had added too much, but I decided I couldn’t go back so we were going to roll with it.
The Final Product!
The final product was absolutely delicious. The cheese was not too overwhelming. It was just right once it melted. I will willingly admit I ate 3/4 peppers I had made, and my daughter ate only the taco rice mix out of the 4th, as she does not like cooked veggies, which I am aware of, I just wanted to introduce it and see how she felt. She did try it a little but did not like it, which I was not surprised to hear. I will most definitely make this meal again, and I have plenty leftover, which I can eat with some corn chips, or just on its own heated up. It did not take much time to prep, and the clean up was not too terrible, even though I will always hate that part no matter what! Ha!
Reflecting on the class discussions about who we are on the Internet. I wanted to reflect on what the internet shows me in this spotlight. When I search my name, it gives my blog, Instagram, and Facebook profiles, and my award granted from the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. Honestly, I became very aware of how “disconnected” I am from other people. I was interested in what showed up about me, so (with permission) I decided to search up my dad, and my mom. I was surprised about my dad because if I think I am disconnected. I’m surprised he still doesn’t own a flip phone, the guy could care less to evolve with the rest of the world. (insert sarcasm) but honestly, he is way behind haha
My dad’s search (Jeremy Belliveau) came up as his Facebook profile, and his work contact information, and scroll
ing down I found out there are also many other people with that name. It brought me to a wedding website, for a couple, and some other things regarding people with the same name.
My mother on the other hand (Brenda Belliveau), I was completely shocked to see that nothing had come up about her until I clicked to the next two pages. I did not realize how common her name is. I think I was more shocked at the fact, my mom is often on the internet, doing advertising for our Metis local here and she scrolls Facebook mindlessly for hours on end (she will admit to this). It scrambled my brain a little bit as to why I had to search a little more in detail to find her, but my dad, who I mentioned before is not with the technological times, was so easy to search up and find information about.
The digital footprint we leave on the internet, can be such a complex thing. I do know technology has its way of helping people find out information so quick, and often times can be very unforgiving. But I think it is important to understand what you essentially are allowing the world to have access to. It does not need to be projected as a scary notion, it just need to be a conscious and self -awareness concept. Even as adults we are needing to be aware what we are projecting out to the world, as it can potentially affect our jobs, reputations, future plans, etc. The internet is a forever place, and like mentioned can be very unforgiving, and unforgiving people have access to things we think may be private. Educating and understanding what out digital footprints can do both good and bad, is essential in a forever changing and technologically growing world.
