• EDTC 300

    Connecting With My Classmates: Final Networked Post

    December 4, 2022

    I wanted to share my interactions with classmates on where I was least succesful to most succesful to end on a high note. To begin with Discord, then Twitter, then my blog.

    Discord

    I am very new to all the platforms we used this term so I didn’t feel confident in answering many questions. I found most questions everyone else was asking I was wondering as well.

    I was able to help my partner out for the cybersleuthing project and explain the assignment a little.

    Explaining an assignment.

    I asked a fair share of questions this term since I am not tech savy and everyone was very very helpful. My classmates made it a very safe space with zero judgement for the questions I was asking. I always ensured I acknowledged the help they offered.

    Acknowledging the help I recieved.

    I did struggle with a tech aspect of discord that challenged me a little. I try to disconnect from my laptop as much as possible on weekends to have a good school balance. The problem is I could not get Discord on my phone due to tech issues. Then when I would log on to discord on Monday many questions were always answered already.

    Twitter

    My Favourite Tweets

    I created my Twitter account in September for this year. I have never used Twitter before so this was very new. At first I was lost about what to tweet about but slowly through seeing my classmates tweets and talking with some I found what to look for. I am a math major and could talk about math all day so evidently most of my tweets were about math techniques, activities, and statements.

    Example of math tweet that I really enjoyed.

    I really enjoyed focusing on math tweets because It was relevant to me. As well, often math is a very disliked subject by most students because it can be very challenging. I found many tweets that focused on positive words that were encouraging.

    In the photo to the left it shows a high school class learning the unit circle outside. I really liked this because I want to teach high school calculus one day. When I was in calculus in high school every day was sitting in a desk for an hour taking notes the whole time. High school students are often forgotten about when it comes to fun ways to learn.

     

    Following Classmates Journey

    The main focus of the posts I was searching for was math posts. But, I also used my Twitter to follow along with classmates in their learning project and those who are teachers already in there classroom.

    Replying to a classmates tweets about her classroom.

     

    I really enjoyed replying to my classmates who are teachers already about there tweets that include what they did in the classroom. It was cool to see what they were doing and look forward to what I will hopefully get to do in the future.

     

    My response to a classmates tweet that I really liked.

     

     

    Reply to a classmates tweet about learning project.

     

    Many of us in the class this term used our Twitter accounts to promote our blogs. I took this as an opportunity to 1. Do this myself and 2. Interact with my classmates about their projects.

     

     

     

    Replying to classmates tweet about learning project.

     

     

     

    I liked to comment on my classmates comments about there learning project on Twitter as well on there blog posts itself because on Twitter it felt more like a conversation than an assigned blog post.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Me promoting my blog post.

     

     

    I used my Twitter account to promote my blog posts because I was hoping to reach people that are not in the class. I would give a little snippet of the blog post and link it in the Tweet. I don’t think I ever did reach other people but I still think it was good to do this. I enjoyed when other people promoted their blogs because if I was scrolling on my Twitter I would come across it and could read their posts all the time rather then when I sat down to intentionally read some blogs and make comments.

     

    Twitter Chats

     

    When I tweeted that I would attend the #SaskEdChat.

    I planned to participate in the #SaskEdChat from week one but I had a small thing in the way. The #SaskEdChat takes place every Thursday at 8 pm and unfortunately I work every Thursday evening. In week one I had tweeted that I was going to participate hoping I would get off work early enough. I didn’t get off and missed the whole thing. Someone tweeted to me to “speak up and don’t be shy.” This terrified me!

     

     

    My replies to the questions after the live chat.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    My plan was to attend and watch but I learned that wasn’t much of an option. I got very scared from this! Since I could not attend the chat live I would read the questions and replies every week. However, I got very discouraged week one to tweet because it was clear people read these chats and paid close attention to what is being tweeted in the chat. It was not until late in the term that I got the courage to answer some questions after the #SaskEdChat had already happened.

     

    Interactive Tweets

    I tried to post tweets that gave my classmates a chance to interact with. I posed questions or statements that may generate a discussion. Some of them definitely did!

    A question I asked that created a discussion in the comments.

     

     

    When I did get responses to my posts like these I tried to respond as a thank you to those who commented in the first place.

    A statement I made to see if anyone else has “I Believe..” statements.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    These are all the ways I tried to make the most out of my Twitter account this term.

    Blog Posts

    I think I did a really good job this term when it came to interacting with classmates on our blogs. I made sure to comment every week on multiple blogs. At the beginning of the term I would schedule time to do this as I do with all my homework but as the term went on I found myself reading blogs while I was waiting for my classes to begin because I enjoyed it. I found that in peoples blog posts there was so much content that there were perfect opportunities to ask questions or asking questions.

     

    I tried to help Jozelle with her coding project.

     

     

    During the week of coding I was able to offer some advice/ answer a question a classmate was asking in there post.

    I connected with Jordan about learning a language because he has learned from the same sources as me in the past.
    Finding something in common with Amy!
    Sharing that I learned something from their blog post!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    These are some of the comments and interactions I had over the blog platform this term! I commented on multiple blogs every week. I probably made around 50 comments on blogs since September!

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  • ECS 101,  Resources

    Inclusive Education

    November 27, 2022

    Some really great resoucres were shared with me in my ECS 101  class this week that I want to familarize myself with and I think will be very helpful in the future!

    All of these documents are hyperlinked in the title or you can find them on Saskatchewan’s page with many other resources as well.

    Inclusive Education

    This document was created by the Saskatchewan ministry of education in 2017 and outlines the benefits, practices, and importance of inclusive education.

    Sneak Peak:

    Cover page by Saskatchewan Ministry of Education

    – “An inclusive attitude, belief and approach are embedded in the document, Actualizing a
    Needs-based Model (2015), which outlines the following inclusionary philosophy and
    beliefs:

    • Focusing on the strengths, needs and interests of the student;
    • Emphasizing the supports that the student requires and the elimination of
      barriers;
    • Nurturing independence and interdependence by providing opportunities
      that promote the development of personal empowerment and selfdetermination;
    • Maintaining a view that the student is an active participant within the
      immediate community and wider society;
    • Embracing the belief that students are parts of an evolving society that
      believes all individuals belong in and are valued members of a diverse
      society; and,
    • Fostering an attitude of respect, appreciation and acceptance of diversity.”

    I look forward to using this in my future classroom.

    Using Words With Dignity

    Poster by Saskatchewan Ministry of Education

    This document is about awareness of terms, guidelines, and gives “instead of” suggestions. I think this is important for everyone to see in all career paths.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Actualizing a Needs-Based Model

    This document tells you how to support all learners, delivery models, and actualizing a needs-based model.

    Sneak Peak:

    • “The year has not been without its difficulties but the staff always met with us and rather than focusing on the issues and deficits, we focused on solutions and unlearned skills/unmet needs. My husband and I have learned a lot and while we considered ourselves fairly well versed in inclusion before we started this journey, the school has shown us what inclusion really means. The fact that our child has real friends and has learned many academic skills…”

    – Parent of a student with intensive needs

    This quote by a satisfied parent makes me excited to read this and share it with you guys too!

     

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  • ECS 101,  Educational Quotes

    November 26, 2022

    Some Educational Quotes:

     

    • “Education is for improving the lives of others” – Marian Wright Edelman

     

    • “Education is all a matter of building bridges” – Ralph Ellison

     

    • “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere” – Unknown

     

    • “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to the change the world” – Nelson Mandela

     

    • “Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way” – George Evans

     

    • “Education is the movement from darkness to light” – Allan Bloom

     

    • “Education is teaching our children to desire the right things” – Plato

     

     

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  • ECS 101,  I Believe...

    In a Classroom I Believe…

    November 26, 2022
    • Everyone in the classroom deserves to feel like they are safe and welcome.

     

    • Group work and building relationships is important to create a community.

     

    • My teaching preference should come second to my students learning preference.

     

    • It is my job to provide tools, support, and encouragment to my students in the classroom.

     

    • Every student has a say in the decorations to make the space welcoming.

     

    • There should be no power dynamic between teacher and student.

     

    • There should be mutual respect between everyone in a school.
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  • EDTC 300,  Learning Project

    The End of a Learning Project

    November 26, 2022

    In my EDTC 300 class we were tasked with an assignment to pick a skill to learn all term and blog about our progress! You may have been following along and know how it went or you might be new and therefore I will recap it.

    So when I needed to pick a skill I was trying to come up with something with meaning and that interested me. I landed on learning Ukrainian. This was important to me because my family is ukrainian but almost none of us know any ukrainian words. My grandma can understand some words but not speak it. I felt like I wanted something to be more connected to my grandma and the culture.

    Week by Week Recap

    Week One – Connecting To My Grandma: Learning Ukrainian

    In week one I outlined my plan for the term and decided on some resources I wanted to use. I explained why my project was important to me and why I chose this skill to learn.

    Week Two – Learning My ABC’S

    I started the learning process with the basics of the alphabet. I learned 17 out of 33 letters this week and focused on learning the order and look of the letters. I printed a sheet and followed a video on YouTube to learn. I tried to practice each night to try remember but the memorization part came later in the term.

    Week Three – Learning Project Inside A Learning Project

    We were challenged this week to use a new medium to share our progress. I learned the entire alphabet this week, how to write the letters, the order, and the pronunciation. This was the first time I was ready to share my progress in a video. The medium I chose was iMovie and YouTube. I have used iMovie before but I tried some really cool editing features. I have never posted on YouTube before so that was also new.

    Week Four – Duolingo не безкоштовний? (Duolingo isn’t free?)

    I was humbled by Duolingo this week. I learned an assortment of new words with not much of a category to them. I came out of this week knowing random words like cat, home, and mother in Ukrainian. I was humbled because you need “hearts” to keep learning and I was quickly running out of them.

    Week Five – It Was A Грубий (Rough) Week!

    For my learning this week I dug out a Ukrainian/English/French childrens picture book dictionary. It was the week after thanksgiving and the only thing on my mind was the food I ate. Truly though, I really struggled this week with sickness and felt like I took a step back in my learning after the long weekend. I used this book to learn some common Ukrainian foods.

    Week Six – Добрий день (Hello!)

    I found my new favourite medium this week to learn with! It was a total twist from the week before and I learned some helpful phrases/words if I ever travelled to Ukraine. I put all my work together from the week in a video using the skills I learned in week three.

    Week Seven – Ukrainian Lessons on Spotify!

    I utilized my time well this week by listening to a podcast on Spotify during my commute to and from school on the bus. I tried and kind of succeeded at learning the numbers. This podcast was not ideal for learning but I still learned numbers one through nine and could use that to learn the rest just like english.

    Week Eight – Hopping On The TikTok Trend

    By before and after using Canva

    This week was inspired by other classmates blogs and I am glad I tried it. I found a creator that I loved to learn from because she had so many videos. The learning this week of specific words was limited but I feel like I learned about the possibilities on TikTok as well as some random information that the creator was sharing.

    Week Nine – Ukrainian Colours and a Little History

    I felt the pressure of the end of the term this week and wanted to make sure I learned the colours and some history. I regret not learning the history earlier but better late than never. I went back to the website that I used previously in week six since I liked it so much. The video linked in the blog is really awesome to give some history to the country.

     

    When I review what I learned all term I am really proud of myself! I struggled some weeks more than others but still learned so much. I can now say I know the Ukrainian alphabet, colours, common phrases, and so much more! I can’t wait to share the videos I made with my grandma!

    My Top Three Resources

    YouTube:

    My number one online resource to learn from is YouTube. There is millions of creators to learn from and endless things to learn. I learned from How To Read The Ukrainian Alphabet by Speak Ukrainian. I loved this resource becasue there is a visual and audio aspect. I struggled when I didn’t have both of these things to learn from. There is never a lack of content and if you don’t like one creator there will be another one.

    TikTok:

    I enjoyed learning from TikTok for three reasons.

    • The convenience of it being on my phone and being able to learn anywhere.
    • So many creators and lots of content.
    • Audio and visual aspects.

    TikTok is a great place to learn for the reasons listed above. I learned information I didn’t even know I was wondering because I found  @Ukrainian.with.ira TikTok page. I would just keep scrolling and scrolling until I learned so much information that I never would have thought to Google.

    iMovie:

    I am not a tech savy person and have never done video editing before but iMovie was so easy to use and has cool features. I used YouTube to learn how to use it and made a video showing how to add images on top of the video in week two. I’m not sure about the compatability on andorids or other devices but it works great on apple products.

    I really enjoyed this project because I learned so much about time management, technology, and ukrainian!

     

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  • EDTC 300

    Cybersleuthing 101

    November 23, 2022

    I thought I was pretty savy when it comes to cybersleuthing people so I was excited for the task this week to cybersleuth a partner. However, Taylor Derbowka is sneaky on the internet.

    Typically when I am searching for people online I do the following:

    • Search name on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, etc.
    • Check for mutual friends with the person to find info on friends accounts.
    • Read comments and captions on some of the simplest photos.
    • Search through accounts I think they might follow to locate socials.

    I tried all of these things but didn’t come out with much information. I found Taylor’s current and old blog from a google search. Plus some photos that had been on the blog under google images. I could not find a facebook or Instagram by searching “Taylor Derbowka” but I did find a facebook page and TikTok account when I searched for the discord username that was available to me. The pages are kept private very well with selective information shared.

    After searching and searching for information and didn’t find much I thought I would reflect on what Taylor has done well to have a professional online identity.

    • Uses different last name for social platforms.
    • Private accounts.
    • Appropriate profile pictures that are public.
    • Building a professional online blog.

    I’m going to adopt some of these things to create a better digital identity for myself.

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  • Field Experience

    Focus Question #4

    November 18, 2022

    Changing Landscape: Inclusive Education-Diversity & Difference

    Core Questions: You will focus on the diversity, difference & inclusiveness in the school and classrooms.In what ways do the teachers and educational assistants honour inclusive education practices? How are the needs of EAL learners being met in the classroom? In what ways do teachers, administrators and students honour diversity, equity, and human rights for gender and sexual diverse students in their classrooms and within their schools and communities?

    This week at McVeety school I gave attention to the inclusivity of the school. This school is very diverse, and they seem to have a great EAL program. Nearly every week when I am in a classroom, I have noticed groups of students being pulled out of class for EAL. This school gets new students every week like crazy. They had 11 new students last week and many don’t speak English when they arrive. The teachers work really closely with the students to teach them and help them learn English.

    The classrooms all have diverse seating options and I noticed that there are accommodations made for any students that need. There is flexible seating and quiet places. I was surprised that they had a quiet space to be used as a prayer room because often schools are scratching for space but it is nice that they set a space aside completely for the students. I think this is awesome and that all schools should do it. They have a teacher supervisor everyday just like recess and lunch time. I saw so many kids ask to use it to pray during lunch and I think this is great to have a safe space like this. McVeety school has lots of reminders that it is an inclusive school and welcoming to everyone. I am not sure if they have a gay-straight alliance club, but it really feels like a welcoming school. All the teachers took it upon themselves to have pride decorations and make it comfortable for students.

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  • EDTC 300,  Learning Project

    Ukrainian Colours and a Little History

    November 16, 2022

    This week I wanted to learn the colours but while I was searching for a video to learn from I came across a video by Olly Richards titled “The Ukrainian Language: The Heroic Story of a Language That Just Won’t Quit. The video did a deep dive about the Ukrainian language and also talked about some basic facts. I wish I watched this video at the beginning to have had a better understanding of the language but now is better than never. It is a long video but worth the watch.

    Photo by Ukrainian Lessons

    After the video I found what I was originally looking for. Names of Colours in Ukrainian by Ukrainian Lessons. I have used this site before but I really like it because there is pictures, pronunciations, the option to be read slower, and overall just super great for learning.

     

    Screenshot from UkrainianLessons

    I really struggled this week with my learning. I have been beyond sick for two weeks now. I’m not sure if my brain is cloudy from the sickness or if this is a sign I should be practicing more. I am going to review all the old stuff I learned and go over the alphabet again to help spark my thinking for next week.

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  • EDTC 300,  Resources

    Digital Literacy in a High School

    November 16, 2022

    Digital Literacy is becoming more and more important every day. As technology and widgets get fancier so do fake news and bot accounts. Digital Literacy is the understanding of digital technology. In order to keep up with fake news we need to constantly be teaching about the internet to stay on top of it.

    In the future I hope to teach high school students and I think this is a critical age to teach about digital literacy. Teenagers can be influenced by people while they are looking for answers to questions they have.

    Specifically, during covid there was a rise in talk about statistics and the word statistics is associated with numbers, facts, and hard truths. This video is a great resource to debunk this and give a proper way to look at statistics to ensure you are getting the whole truth. I think this would be a great resource to add into a statistics curriculum especially since I want to teach math in high school.

     

    A resource released by TRU Libraries seems to be extremely helpful. It has resources about bias, fake news, how to spot fake news, etc. I like that there are fun memes, videos, and honest information. I think this would be great for teaching youth.

    In our EDTC 300 class on Wednesday night last week we did a quiz to spot fake news. I was bad at this even though I thought I was doing well. I was looking for the obvious signs of fake news like no followers, date the account was created, and scam links everywhere. But, on Wednesday I quickly realized that bot accounts can be way fancier and sneakier. I think this quiz is a great resource for teens to show them how sneaky accounts can be.

     

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