Month: April 2024

Summary of Learning

- Megan Howatt Leave a comment

Check out the recorded slides of my Summary of Learning from the course EDTC 300. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and getting to learn about so many tech tools that I can implement into my practice and my teaching. The topics of this course have given me time to reflect and ponder how I can use tech and teach about the digital world, digital citizenship, digital identity, and digital literacy to my students in my classroom.

Text version of my video below:

  • Technology in my life
    • To begin a class all about technology and how we use tech in education, what better way than to take a look in how we use tech in our own lives? When I took a look at how I use tech in my daily life I found that I use my phone way more than I thought I did. My overall daily average seems to lie somewhere around 4.5 hours. I spend lots of time messaging, taking pictures, and using social media platforms like instagram, Facebook and tiktok. I currently teach primary students but if I taught students in middle years or high school, it would be interesting to see what screen time looks like for kids of those ages in comparison to me. 
  • Digital world
    • As we live in a digital world, teachers need to be embedding tech into our lessons. Not only does it spark the interest of our students, but tech is something that is ever changing and never disappearing. Our students are going to be better at using tech than we will ever be, since they are truly growing up in a world where everything we need to know is at our finger tips. Even refrigerators have screens now! In my blog post, I posed the question of how we as teachers can stay on top of teaching with tech when there are limited resources with a large amount of students in our classrooms? I think as our world changes and one day paper may become obsolete, there needs to be enough tech for all students to interact with. It is important for students to learn that the digital world is massive, and you can reach audiences from all over the globe at the press of the button. Later we will dive into what it means to be a good citizen online and how to be aware, critical and safe in our ever growing digital world. 
  • SAMR model
    • Our instructor Katia introduced us to the SAMR model which is all about how we use tech to enhance our lessons in the classroom. S stands for Subsitution, A for Augmentation, M for Modification, and R for Redefinition. After exploring the SAMR model, I learned that it is a way for us as educators to think of how we can challenge our students to use higher order thinking when it comes to technology. Instead of using tech for only simple things like having a computer replace a paper copy of a text book, how can we make our lessons interactive with the use of tech in the classroom? Following the SAMR model, teachers can allow students to use creativity when it comes to expressing what they know using a variety of tech tools. An example I used in my blog post was having students create a tiktok to share what they learned regarding an assignment. With the endless amount of templates and popular trends on tiktok, students can share their knowledge through poems, dancing, acting, video layering and more. Using the SAMR model gives meaning to the way we embed tech into our lessons. 
  • Digital Citizenship
    • Digital citizenship is a new term for me. Knowing that tech is becoming so embedded into our everyday lives, it makes sense that we are citizens to a digital world that is ever changing. In the past I have always learned that we have a digital footprint with everything that we post online. Even though something may be “deleted”, it is never truly gone. For young kids, digital citizenship needs to be learned and understood. Just as we are to be good and responsible citizens within our community, this also includes the digital community. In my blog post, I shared about the 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship. These concepts include digital access, digital commerce, digital communication and collaboration, digital etiquette, digital fluency, digital health and welfare, digital law, digital rights and responsibility, and digital security and privacy. These elements combined show students how to good digital citizens that have awareness, are critical to the content they are receiving, and are respectful. It would be a great guideline for educators to follow when teaching about digital citizenship. 
  • Cyber safety
    • Within Digital citizenship, teachers need to be addressing cyber safety and what it means to stay safe online and being aware of concepts like catfishing and scams. To have the means to be critical about what we read and how we interact online allows us to understand what it means to be safe when using tech online. Not everyone uses the digital world for good things. The “not so good people” are smart with ways to gain information and content that they want from others. It is up to the rest of us to have the skills to detect when something is not right and the online interactions we are having are no longer safe. There were many examples of cyber safety shared in class and within the readings. Are our students able to decipher what is real and what is fake? Are our students aware of privacy settings on social media accounts and how to keep information about our identities hidden? These are important questions to ask ourselves.
  • Cyber bullying
    • The topic of cyber safety flows into the topic of cyber bullying. Knowing that we all have a digital footprint whenever we post or interact online means that we can easily fall victim to bullying or contribute to bullying. Online, many of us post our beliefs, political standpoints, interests, and information about ourselves. It can also be just as easy to comment and shame other people, as well as share content. There are countless stories on the news about cyber bullying and I am sure we can all think of an instance in our lives regarding cyber bullying. When I was a student I remember hearing the stories such as the effects of cyber bullying on Amanda Todd. As a teacher, it is important to teach students about how cyber bullying is easy to contribute to, but it is just as easy to stand up to or let adults be aware of the situation. Having students know that teachers can be someone who can help if a student is getting bullied online can be a good resource for students. 
  • Digital literacy 
    • We then discussed what it means to be digitally literate— having the skills and the critical eye to understand what we see online can be filled with false information, biases, political agendas, and more. The algorithm of what we view on our own news feed on social media platforms is all calculated. Our students are growing up in a world where having strong digital literacy is a required skillset. Since I teach grades one and two, I read through the Saskatchewan curriculum documents to find ELA outcomes that pertained to digital literacy. I suggested that as a class, we could conduct research about a topic using websites online to learn about how to be critical when finding information and always searching more than one source. We could use tools such as google image search or sweet search to assist us in finding quality resources when inquiring about topics. 
  • Digital identity 
    • When it comes to digital identity, this is something we need to protect, very much like our actual identities. The neat thing about having a digital identity is that is can be whoever we choose to be. It is not uncommon for one individual to have multiple accounts, sharing different content on each account given the audience that they wish to interact with. Because of the digital world being so large and easily accessible globally, it is very simple to shame or slander people who post what we don’t like to see. This can easily affect the true identity of someone where it impacts their social circles and even their jobs. Again, your digital identity should be protected and you as the sole owner of your digital identity are the person to do so. 
  • AI 
    • Speaking of an ever-changing digital world, we now are subjects to a new aspect of technology, artificial intelligence. The use of AI is changing the way we will operate in the classroom. Teachers are able to use AI to develop lesson plans, differentiate texts for varying grade levels, and to assist with potentially grading assignments. Students are able to use AI tools as well. AI can help with research. AI can summarize readings for students, pulling out the main ideas and highlight supporting details. It can even write an essay for you. Students are able to have AI tools check for grammar in written assignments. Although it is important to note that AI cannot solely be relied on, as it doesn’t credit it sources and it can make mistakes. Currently school systems are trying to decipher how to accept AI without having students cheat by using solely AI to complete assignments. Teachers will have to educate students on how to properly use AI as a tool to assist with assignments. It will be interesting in the next few years to see how AI plays out in the education system. 

 

Course Community

- Megan Howatt 1 Comment

Throughout the semester I was able to interact with my classmates online and have meaningful conversations in discussion groups on zoom and through our blog posts.

In class discussion, I don’t necessarily love speaking out in front of the large group unless I am truly passionate about a topic. However in the small group discussions I am always an active participant. I found that I had something to offer to my classmates as I have been a practicing teacher for five years, while many are still in their undergraduate studies at the U of R. A conversation that was memorable to me was when we were discussing ways to use technology in the classroom. Although many of the ideas brought up in our small group were great, I was able to share through my experience of the reality of how to implement technology with limited resources. Ideas a great in theory, but how are you able to adapt your lesson when there are 8 iPads for 29 kids? Another conversation that stands out in my mind are the discussions around digital identity and what we posted online as teens versus us being professional adults in the workforce. This was a bit of controversial topic as we had a deep discussion over the idea of if we have the right to have elements of our digital footprint forgotten or if we can be possibly “cancelled” over something we posted in our past (either recent or long term). As teachers we are held to a different standard and always have to be smart about what we share online.

Blogging was something completely new and out of my comfort zone. I don’t often like to post about what my inner thoughts on any social media platforms, especially when you have to be careful as an educator as to what you are sharing. So having to share my thoughts about topics and allow my classmates to comment was a little uneasy. Luckily, we were in a group of supportive students who are willing to give positive and uplifting feedback. I tried to reciprocate the positive comments I was given on my blog onto the posts of my classmates on their blogs. Click here to view some of the evidence of my interactions on my classmates’ blogs.

 

Namaste

- Megan Howatt 2 Comments
woman practicing yoga and meditating in lotus position
woman practicing yoga

I am grateful for being assigned this learning project because it gave me the push I’ve always needed into trying yoga. It has been something I have always wanted to do and I am so glad that it is the journey I chose to embark upon.

When I first began in January, I had never experienced yoga before. I have a dance background and enjoy barre fitness classes who use some yoga poses in their stretching. I created a goal of doing 2-3 yoga sessions per week that I was hoping to stick to.

screenshot of my yoga app

I explored a variety of different online resources including websites, YouTube and iPhone apps. Some of my favourites were the Yoga Down Dog app, Yoga with Adriene videos on YouTube, and Yoga for Beginners | Mind+Body app, as well as a favourite classroom resource, Cosmic Kids Yoga.

I learned that yoga originated in Ancient India for people to “still the mind” and that the word yoga in the language Sanskrit means “union”. It is all about uniting the physical, mental and spiritual (or mind, body, spirit) practice with a large focus on breathing. I tried to work on all aspects of yoga as I continued through my journey.

I found that the timing of my yoga practice was what kept me consistent and sticking to my weekly goals of 2-3 sessions per week. I enjoyed yoga nidra and dedicating evenings to connecting with my mind and body before going to sleep.

screenshot of my TikTok video

Throughout these months I was able to work on my stamina, consistency, and mindfulness. Yoga allowed me to reconnect with my body postpartum.

As for the future… I hope to try in person classes including hot yoga. I have enjoyed my at home sessions, but I am ready to try out a yoga studio for the full experience.

To my readers, thank you for following along my yoga journey. I have appreciated your positive comments and feedback throughout the course. I wish you all the best with your future endeavours in your learning journeys and as educators.

Namaste.

AI: Endless Opportunities or Endless Problems?

- Megan Howatt 2 Comments

AI is new to the digital world and is changing education. I haven’t tried any AI tools until we were assigned with this task and I am so glad that I did. I am eager to use AI when I return to my classroom in the fall.

Chat Bot Chat with AI or Artificial Intelligence technology. Woman using a laptop computer chatting with an intelligent artificial intelligence asks for the answers he wants. ChatGPT,
computer screen with AI

How can AI engage students in learning?

  • AI can personalize learning to an individual’s learning needs by altering assigned work appropriately
  • Assist with EAL students as they learn English
  • Be a tool for writing assistance such as brainstorming, grammar help, prompts, etc.
  • Act as a tutor and help with step-by-step problems

How can AI support the use of critical thinking and creativity in the classroom?

  • Help students explore topics of interest through inquiry based learning
  • Prompt discussions and provide scenarios for students to engage with
  • Allow students opportunity to justify their reasoning and consider other points of view
  • Provide feedback and reflection upon student work

AI can assess student understanding through various methods, such as:

  • essay evaluation
  • multiple choice quizzes
  • interactive problem solving
  • question and answer

What are some ethical and practical challenges with using AI?

  • With the use of AI comes ethical challenges like bias, discrimination, autonomy, and moral responsibility. In class, we discussed how when we ask AI to generate images of different people it produces images of stereotypes. AI can come up with inconclusive and/or misguided evidence when it is uncertain of its knowledge, but still provides you with an answer. For users it is important to note that AI cannot be credited for everything it gives you as correct or accurate.

What is my perspective of AI in Education?

  • I think AI can be utilized and it will be utilized lots in the world of education. If it is a tool that we have at our fingertips, why not learn how to use it correctly and to our advantage? If we educate students on the proper use of AI and how it can assist us in learning then we can teach them to not only be smart with AI but they can be aware of the ethical and practical challenges it has.
  • I know that teachers and professors around the globe have been trying to figure out how to get around plagiarism and AI. As we continue on life with AI being a part of our digital world, I am intrigued as to how schools are planning to assess students who have potentially used AI to assist with their assignments (or do their assignments completely for them). There are ethical challenges in users who have had AI assist them work that will be evaluated, but how can it be caught?

There are so many questions arise as the use of AI becomes more popular. Check out this article about AI and plagiarism at the University of Manitoba is increasing as more students are turning to AI for support. The video below explains what the student union of U of M is saying about the use of AI at the university. If AI becomes heavily relied on to complete assignments, will there be any actual learning happening? Will you be able to survive in your field of work after schooling? I guess we will see it all play out very soon.

Time to Get Back on Track

- Megan Howatt 2 Comments

I’m not going to lie, it has been a tough week in my household battling illness so I did not get to practice any yoga. Since my family is just starting to get back into a normal routine, and I am almost done playing catchup around the house, I am ready to start getting back on track with my weekly goals and continue my evening yoga sessions.

For those of you who maybe haven’t followed along on my yoga journey, a few weeks ago I decided to try practicing yoga in the evenings before bed because I found it was when I had the most time with the least amount of interruptions.

I am hoping to keep this routine of practicing yoga in the evenings (minimum 3 times per week) after the course ends. I have been enjoying taking some time for myself when being a new mom can be so challenging some days. Yoga practice has been great for my mental and physical health. I have found that it has helped settle my mind and body before a restful sleep.

As for this evening, here is what I am going to try before I go to sleep.