• For this week’s post I decided to check out chat gpt. Chat Gpt is something I haven’t really used but I have heard my friends talk about it. To be honest I’m scared of chat gpt because everytime i think about using it, I think I might get caught for plagiarism. Which is a weird thought because I don’t even have to use chat gpt for school and I know what plagiarism is. Though i think chat gpt is a useful tool that can be used . . . sometimes. 
• I think chat gpt can be used in personalized learning when students are having a hard time coming up with ideas for their work. When I was EA in a classroom I was working with a student, who had trouble thinking of ideas for his creative writing assignment. I had to push him to come up with ideas and now that I’m thinking about how to use chat gpt in a classroom setting, it might actually help some students. I’m NOT saying that they should copy and paste their whole assignment but look at the ideas chat gpt gives them. This student’s assignment was to create a story about something they liked, this student chose baseball. 
• I just looked up – what is baseball and chat gpt gave me a list of information about what baseball is. I think this student could read this information and get ideas for the assignment. 
• When using AI in a classroom setting and letting students explore some of the site I think it is important to express the dangers and what plagiarism is. Being taught how to use AI is something that I think needs to be taught because of how many different AI tools there are right now and might be in the future. When used thoughtfully, AI can be a powerful tool in creating a more inclusive, efficient, and dynamic learning environment. AI can be used with new English learners or even can be used for personalized learning.

• As EDTC 300 is coming to the end, there were a few ways I contributed to the learning of others. In the beginning of the year I didn’t really know how to comment on other students’ posts. Before this class I hated commenting on other peoples posts or even on social media. I learnt throughout the semester that commenting and helping others out is ok or could be encouraged. By other people commenting on my post, I felt like they helped me and encouraged me to continue throughout the semester. I liked reading my classmates’ posts because it helped to learn their struggles and I found out that some of their struggles were the same as mine. 
• I often noticed I was going back to some people’s posts to see their progress. I often checked the other people’s posts that were crocheting or knitting because they were the most like mine. I also liked to check out the cooking or baking posts because they gave me ideas on what I should make for lunch or dinner! Last year I actually started baking with a sourdough starter so I actually knew what that person was making. I have commented once or twice because I know how tricky making anything from a sourdough starter is.
• When looking for comments on my post on Edusites I realized I could see comments on my posts. I liked seeing all of the comments and what others had to say about what I posted. I knew I took all their comments into consideration and I hope they did the same when I commented on their posts.
• I didn’t really comment much on discord because I found it hard to keep open there source and keep checking on the conversation with all my other classes going on too. I did go and read the conversations and sometimes that helped me. 
• I also liked reading some people’s posts to get inspiration for some of my posts for my learning posts or the assigned posts. Some helped me when I wasn’t sure what one question was asking or if I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go in for my learning post. I owe a lot of thanks to my classmates for helping me throughout the semester. 

• I decided to learn about the website Hour of Code and do one of the activities on the site.  I chose to do the flappy bird one because it was popular when I was a kid and I was intrigued by it. My friends and I used to play it all the time and we used to play together. I remember on the flappy bird app I had a really high score and used to compare my high score to my friends. I also chose it because it said it was for grade 2 and that the age groups I would like to teach.

  

• When I clicked on the game I was a little confused. I will admit to myself and to my readers that I’m not the best with technology. There was a video to help which I liked. The instructions on the top of the page also helped me. At one point in the game or code I was a little lost and asked for a hint. It gave me clear instructions on what to do.

  

• For the most part it taught me how to “flap” when I clicked and how to code the end of the game. I have never thought that every step of the game may need a certain instruction like how the game ends. It even has a code for gravity, which I thought was cool because it made the game a little harder.  This is how it mimics the real world, where things don’t just float unless something is keeping them up. They learn important aspects of the real world with this game too. 
• At the end of the activity I even got to create my own game and explore different options. I used a different character and changed the setting to a different time of the day. I chose to make the setting underwater and have the character to be a submarine. I liked being able to create my own game. If I wanted I could have even changed the point system to be different.

  

• This website would be good for students because it teaches them how every little move in the game is part of a code. You need code to flap and to end the game. It will help them work on their computer skills and deeper thinking skills. A game like that can be a fun and engaging way for students to learn coding concepts.  it could help them develop problem-solving skills as they figure out how to make the game behave the way they want through code.
• In a grade 2 classroom, I’m not sure if this would be the first activity that I would introduce to the class. I think I would do an easier activity together to help the class warm up to coding. I found this activity that I think would be fun to do altogether as a class. This is basically trying to the finish line with a certain amount of steps. You press one simple button to move the cat.

  

• Learning code in schools is increasingly important for several reasons, and it can offer many benefits to students. Coding allows students to express their creativity and bring their ideas to life like with the flappy bird game. Coding is a great way to practice collaboration and teamwork in a modern context.  I realize now that coding is not just a career skill,  it’s a way to enhance the way students think and interact with the world around them. The world is depending more and more on technology. 

• The grades I would like to teach are anywhere from grades 1 to 5. It might be hard to teach the younger grades about being safe when using technology but in today’s world the age of children using the internet is getting younger. It is important to educate and teach them the dangers of the internet like fake news and cyberbullying. I believe by teaching students the basics like what bullying is and how bad it can be, this can lead to cyberbullying.  By learning how to protect their privacy, recognize misinformation, and practice healthy tech habits, students can navigate the online world responsibly. This education empowers them to make informed decisions, avoid potential dangers, and maintain their mental and emotional health in a digital age. I think it’s also a good idea to have posters highlighting the dangers of fake news or even just the internet. 
• There is a poster example of this site

What is fake news?

• Fake news is false or misleading information.It can come in many forms, such as fabricated stories, manipulated images, or misleading headlines, often designed to promote a particular agenda, generate clicks, or provoke strong emotions. Fake news is typically spread through social media, websites, and sometimes traditional media outlets.
• It’s also important to teach students about why they may fall for fake news and this site can tell you all about it. Some of the reasons include lower attention spans and how fake news stories can appeal to our emotions

What might it look like to teach about digital literacy in your subject area/grade range?

• • In grade 4, in the health unit there are some indicators and outcomes about cyber safety. Instead of scaring students, I think educating them about the internet is much more effective. Warning them about the dangers of social media and the internet can be made to be fun but serious. In the  Lesson Plan: Fighting Fake News By Rachel Roberson there is a writing prompt “What are potential consequences when fake news goes viral? Do you think you could spot fake news or would you be fooled? Why or why not?” which is a great way to make students think about fake news. 

When looking my name up on google I was shocked to see that you could see some of my social media accounts like Instagram and Pinterest. I also saw some old sports results from my high school years and surprisingly my name was mentioned in a local newspaper that I didn’t even know about. When I found my Pinterest account I was reminded that something does stay on the interest for a long time. That account I would have made when I was around eleven or twelve, I don’t even remember making it. When looking me up I was reminded that anyone could find my instagram account or even probably my facebook too. I have never looked up myself before but I can see the digital footprint I have online. 

Cyber-shaming is a heavy topic because of how unforgiving the internet is. I can see both sides when it comes to cyber-shaming because of certain reasons. If an account has posted many racist posts and has not learned my some comments should be made to try to educate people behind the screen. I believe that two wrongs don’t make a right. I think more people should try to educate the public instead of immediately accusing. 

By educating young people about the effects of cyber-shaming or cyber bullying it can help people realize how their words on the internet might be hurtful. “The ugly thing about cyber-bullying is the emergence of  the internet and social media coupled with mobility through smartphones. The more we progress with technology, the more we have easy access to information.” This quote from The “good”, the bad and the ugly is an example on how we need to educate students to protect their privacy and how saying bad things on the internet is bullying.