EDTC 300 was a spring class and in this class, I had to take up a learning project that required me to learn something new or something I have an interest in. Along with picking up a new skill, I also learned how to blog and where to look for online resources and what kinds of materials work best for me. During this learning project, I discovered that videos were the most helpful resources because they gave me the ability to not only listen but visually see what I am learning. I could also pause and repeat this process as often as I wanted.
This is the summary of my Learning project. For my learning project, I decided to learn Braille. It was not an easy journey at all, I have had challenges learning Braille, I have failed several levels on the Braille Academy app and challenges and despite all these, Yay! I have been able to learn and master all the alphabets, numbers, Capitalization, and punctuation. Though it is still a long journey to writing, reading, translating/ transcribing Braille but It was a fulfilling journey for me. During this journey, I have found so many great resources, videos, apps, games, and websites that I can continue to use to perfect my Braille lessons as I move past EDTC 300.
Journey to learning Braille
WEEK 1
The first week post was basically talking about what I will focus on during the 6 weeks spring class and I laid out reasons why I am motivated to learn Braille and why educators like me should be interested in learning Braille.
For the 2nd week, I talked about definition of Braille and also shared the video of me practicing the six key input. I used my laptop keyboard to practice the dots . Letters s ,d, f as 3, 2, 1 and j, k ,l as 4, 5, 6 .
This is the week I tried to familiarize myself with the basics of Braille. The alphabets, braille cells, and the raised dots and how the dots form each alphabet.
In week 4 , i thought I would be able to practice alphabets and numbers but unfortunately , it was a bit of a challenge mastering the alphabets so i couldnt get to the numbers. This week I was able to use various resources to learn and practice my alphabets. I used YouTube videos and i also discovered the The Braille App . its the best thing i have used to practice so far. I listen and watch videos but been able to practice on phone anywhere and everywhere i go is the best thing . I love the app.
WEEK 5
I focused on the alphabet K to T, and it was not an easy week as well because even though I practiced every day I still had difficulty mastering some of the alphabets.
I bought a braille mat that I can touch and feel the dots and this also helped me practice on my bed before I sleep instead of using my phone because I always try to avoid the screen at least 2 hours before bedtime.
This is one of the easiest learning weeks for me. I learned the alphabet U to Z and Braille numbers, punctuation, and capitalization. It seemed like a lot during this week, but I was able to learn quickly.
During this week I also tried translating from braille to words and it included everything I have learned from alphabets to numbers, punctuation and capital letters and I also passed my first exercise. Please find below the pictures of my exercise and a congratulations message on it.
I tried my best to contribute to most of my classmate’s learning experiences. I did this by either commenting on their blog post or responding on Discord.
Before this class, I had never used Discord, but it did not take long before I knew what I had to do. Once I get a notification on Discord, I immediately check and respond or give a thumbs up to my classmate who shared a useful resource or just say thank you. I also ask questions and answer questions on Discord.
For the blog comments, I tried my best to comment on two blog posts per week and I replied to everyone that commented on my blog post as well. I promised myself to read at least a blog from each classmate but somehow, I could not be due to reasons beyond my control, but I did try my best.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are transforming education by providing creative ways to improve the learning process. Artificial Intelligence is changing the face of education, from automated administrative tasks to personalized learning.
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, teachers are constantly seeking new ways to engage students, personalize learning, and enhance teaching. One powerful tool that has emerged in recent years is The Magic School AI. Just like a magical wand in a wizard’s hand, The Magic School AI has the potential to transform the classroom into a magical classroom where learning is more personalized, engaging, and effective. The Magic School AI benefits have the potential to revolutionize the way we teach and learn in the classroom. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, educators can enhance their teaching methods, provide personalized learning experiences, automate administrative tasks, and engage students in new and exciting ways. However, along with these benefits come ethical and practical challenges that must be carefully considered. In this blog post, we will explore how Magic School AI could be used in the classroom, the benefits it offers, and the challenges it presents. We will also discuss the future role of AI in education.
What is Magic School AI?
MagicSchool.ai is an easy-to-use tool made with educators in mind, making your job easier and enabling you to make a significant impact in the classroom. On Magic School, I counted more than 70 AI tools geared toward education! Teachers can be more productive with Magic School AI tools, which include Text leveler, Behavior intervention plan (BIP), Rubric Generator, IEP Generator, Lesson and unit plan generator, group work generator, multiple explanations, team builders/ ice breakers, and even SAT reading practice tests. Better assessments, on-the-spot lesson content creation, and differentiated instruction are all made possible by the dashboard.
I discovered Magic School AI to be an all-inclusive solution that addressed a variety of teaching-related issues and increased teacher productivity.
Criteria for Choosing Magic School AI:
I chose the Magic School AI based on things like ease of use, system compatibility, and support services offered when choosing an AI tool for the classroom.
Ease of Use
Magic School AI is a great place to start if you’re new to AI because it highlights features and tools that you might not have even known AI was capable of. Unlike ChatGPT, which requires you to type in a lengthy set of instructions, Magic School AI streamlines the process with an easy-to-use set of pre-made buttons, dropdown menus, and text fields. All you must do is simply key in important words or details and press the Generate button and all the magic happens. You do not have to worry about “prompt engineering” or employing chatbots. Our generative AI works seamlessly into your hectic schedule to deliver immediate value.
It is Free
This way, teacherscan experiment, explore, and use innovative technology in the classroom without worrying aboutupfront costs or any financial constraints.
Expertise in Education
The fact that Magic School AI was created with educators in mind gives it a significant advantage over other AI tools, such as ChatGPT. To help teachers save time and customize instruction in fresh and original ways, the interface is exceptionally user-friendly and features a wide range of generative tools.
With our tool, you can customize the materials to make them specifically for your students. You are the expert on your students; we offer tools to personalize results for your unique learning environment.
Effective Tools
We only provide the most effective tools, carefully chosen by educators and based on best practices supported by research. They will help with lesson planning, differentiation, creating IEPs, and daily class relevance.
Magic School AI offers educators a unique opportunity to elevate their instructional strategies by leveraging advanced data analytics. This innovative tool can dissect complex student data, uncovering patterns and preferences that remain obscure without technological assistance. With these insights, teachers can adapt their teaching styles, ensuring they cater to the varied needs of their students more effectively. The ability to quickly adjust instructional methods based on real-time feedback represents a significant leap forward in educational practices. Additionally, Magic School AI can introduce novel content delivery methods, making learning more dynamic and tailored to individual learning journeys. This utilization of AI not only enriches the educational experience but also empowers educators to be more responsive and impactful in their teaching. By integrating Magic School AI, teachers can make informed decisions that directly contribute to the academic and personal growth of their students, fostering an environment where every learner has the tools and support to thrive.
Personalized Learning through AI
Magic School AI harnesses the capability to tailor educational experiences to individual student profiles, surpassing traditional one-size-fits-all teaching models. Through detailed analysis of performance data, this AI tool identifies each student’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning pace, enabling the creation of personalized lesson plans and activities. Such customization ensures that learners are neither left behind nor unchallenged, promoting an optimal learning curve for everyone. The adaptability of Magic School AI supports diverse educational needs, offering varied instructional methods and resources to align with each learner’s preferred style of engagement. This approach not only elevates academic achievement but also enhances students’ engagement with the material, making education a more relevant and captivating experience. Through personalized learning pathways facilitated by AI, education becomes a more inclusive, effective, and motivating process for students, laying the groundwork for lifelong learning and success.
Automating Administrative Tasks to Focus on Teaching
One of the transformative Magic School AI benefits is its efficiency in managing the time-consuming, yet necessary, administrative chores that often detract from the quality teaching time. Through the automation of such tasks as grading, attendance tracking, and student data management, teachers can reclaim precious hours. This newfound time can be redirected towards enriching the classroom experience, fostering deeper interactions with students, and designing more engaging and impactful lesson plans. The relief from these administrative burdens allows educators to prioritize pedagogical innovation and student mentorship, aspects of teaching that significantly influence learning outcomes but are frequently overshadowed by paperwork and routine management tasks. By integrating Magic School AI for administrative automation, the educational environment shifts focus back to its core: teaching and personalized learning, enabling teachers to dedicate their expertise and energy where it truly matters.
Engaging Students in New Ways
Magic School AI introduces innovative strategies to captivate students’ interest and enhance their learning experience. Through AI-driven interactive elements such as virtual reality (VR) explorations, personalized learning avatars, and real-world problem-solving scenarios, this technology can significantly transform the classroom atmosphere. These immersive experiences not only make lessons more enjoyable but also deepen understanding by allowing students to experience concepts first-hand. Furthermore, AI can facilitate collaborative projects that mimic the dynamics of online multiplayer games, encouraging teamwork and communication among students. Such engagement tools are especially beneficial in catering to the digital natives of today’s classrooms, who seek fast-paced, interactive content. By leveraging the strengths of Magic School AI to introduce these novel educational activities, teachers can create a stimulating learning environment that motivates students to explore subjects with enthusiasm and curiosity.
Supporting Different Learning Styles
Magic School AI is adept at enhancing the inclusivity of the classroom by catering to the myriad ways in which students absorb and process information. This technological tool can dynamically adjust the presentation of subject matter to match the individual learning preferences of each student. For those who are visual learners, AI can generate engaging graphics, charts, and videos that make complex concepts more understandable. Auditory learners benefit from AI’s ability to provide lectures in podcast formats or offer interactive discussions that they can listen to at their own pace. Kinesthetic learners, who grasp information best through firsthand experiences, can be accommodated with virtual simulations and interactive scenarios that encourage active participation. Additionally, Magic School AI can integrate a mix of these multimedia resources in a seamless learning experience, ensuring that no student’s learning style is left unaddressed. Through its adaptability, Magic School AI ensures that learning materials are not just accessible but are also delivered in a way that resonates with the unique learning fingerprint of each student, thereby democratizing the educational landscape and ensuring that each student can succeed on their terms.
Assessing Student Understanding with AI
The incorporation of Magic School AI into the classroom setting offers an innovative approach to evaluating student comprehension and mastery of subject matter. Through sophisticated AI algorithms, this technology can meticulously analyze responses from assignments and quizzes in real time, providing teachers with immediate insights into the learning progress of each student. This rapid feedback mechanism enables educators to pinpoint specific areas where a student might be struggling, allowing for timely intervention and personalized support.
Moreover, Magic School AI’s analytical capabilities extend to detecting patterns and trends in student performance across a variety of subjects, which can inform more strategic educational planning and curriculum adjustment. By identifying common misconceptions or learning hurdles, teachers can adapt their instructional approach to address these challenges head-on, fostering a more effective learning environment.
In addition to academic assessment, Magic School AI can gauge levels of engagement and interest, offering a more holistic view of a student’s learning experience. This allows educators to not only support academic growth but also to cultivate an environment that nurtures intellectual curiosity and resilience.
Through the precise and nuanced understanding of student performance provided by Magic School AI, educators can enhance their teaching methodologies, ensuring that each student receives the attention and resources they need to excel. This approach underscores the potential of AI to transform traditional assessment methods, making the evaluation process more dynamic, responsive, and aligned with the individual needs of students.
Encouraging Critical Thinking and Creativity
Magic School AI stands at the forefront of nurturing critical thinking and fostering creativity among students by introducing them to complex challenges and divergent thinking scenarios. This AI tool goes beyond rote learning, encouraging students to question, critique, and invent, thus preparing them for real-world problem-solving. Through interactive simulations and scenario-based learning, it pushes students out of their comfort zones and into a realm where they must apply logic, reason, and creativity to navigate and solve problems. The dynamic nature of AI-driven exercises ensures that students are not merely passive recipients of information but active participants in their learning journey. By integrating elements such as game-based learning and virtual laboratories, Magic School AI makes the process of learning both engaging and intellectually stimulating. These immersive experiences prompt students to employ a blend of critical analysis and imaginative thinking, skills that are invaluable in today’s innovation-driven society. Through its capacity to challenge and inspire, Magic School AI plays a pivotal role in equipping students with the cognitive tools necessary to navigate the complexities of the 21st century.
Ethical and Practical Challenges of AI in Education
Navigating the integration of Magic School AI into the classroom involves careful consideration of several ethical and practical hurdles. Concerns around the safeguarding of student data are paramount, as the reliance on digital tools increases the risk of breaches of privacy and security. Ensuring that sensitive information remains protected while utilizing AI for educational purposes is a complex challenge that demands robust security measures. Additionally, the potential for embedded biases within AI algorithms raises significant ethical questions. These biases could inadvertently reinforce stereotypes or unequal learning opportunities, making it crucial to scrutinize and rectify any prejudiced data sets AI might learn from. Another critical aspect is the maintenance of the invaluable human element in education. The fear that AI could diminish the unique teacher-student relationship is a concern for educators and parents alike. There is a delicate balance to be struck between leveraging AI’s capabilities to enhance education and preserving the personal interaction and guidance that teachers provide, which is essential for emotional and social development. Addressing these challenges requires a collaborative effort among educators, technologists, and policymakers to establish guidelines that prioritize ethical considerations, data protection, and the human touch in the deployment of AI educational tools.
Educational Chatbot: Raina
Sometimes, you need quick answers or guidance related to your work as a teacher. Raina an educational chatbot, is always ready to assist.
Example of tool I used on Magic School Ai ( (Email Family and translate to students languages )
Subject: Exciting June Activities in Our Classroom
Dear [Family Member’s Name],
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to share with you the exciting activities we have planned in our classroom for the month of June.
Firstly, we will be going on a field trip to [Location] on [Date]. The cost for the field trip will be $[Amount]. Please ensure the payment is sent in by [Deadline].
We will also be having a potluck on [Date]. It would be wonderful if you could contribute a dish to share with the class.
Lastly, we have a visit to the museum scheduled for [Date]. More details will follow closer to the date.
If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to reach out to me. Thank you for your continued support.
Best regards,
Mrs. Agbebi
Translation to Ukrainian:
Тема: Цікаві червневі заходи в нашому класі
Шановний [Ім’я члена сім’ї],
Я сподіваюсь, що це повідомлення знайде вас у гарному наст��ої. Я хотіла б поді��итися з ва��и захоплюючими заходами, які ми за��ланували в нашому ��ласі на місяць червень.
По-перше, ми вирушаємо на екскурсію до [Місце] [Дата]. Вартість екскурсії складатиме $[Сума]. Просимо надіслати оплату до [Кінцевий строк].
Ми також плануємо провести спільний обід [Дата]. Було б чудово, якщо ви могли б приготувати страву для спільного перекусу.
На завершення, у нас запланований візит до музею на [Дата]. Додаткові подробиці будуть надіслані наближеніше до дати.
Якщо у вас виникнуть питання або вам знадобиться додаткова інформація, будь ласка, не соромтеся звертатися до мене. Дякую за вашу по��тійну підтримку.
З повагою,
Місіс Агбебі
Conclusion
Magic School AI is a valuable set of AI tools for teachers. By using these AI-powered tools you can smoothen your teaching tasks, create high-quality content, enhance communication, and provide meaningful support to your students.
Teaching is challenging, and we understand the dedication it requires. You can use Magic School AI making your life easier and your teaching more effective. So, go ahead and explore the Magic School AI tools.
Walkthrough video of how to use Magic School Ai can be found below:
I am not sneaky neither am I bad friend but it was an assignment in class . In the EDTC 300 class this week we discuss Cyber shaming, cyber vigilantism, and Digital footprint. Our lecturer told us to pick a partner (or group of 3) and cyber sleuth each other; then write a post about the experience. I was wondering who I work with because it is an online class, but I immediately remembered Sandra. Sandra and I have talked on the phone and sometimes chat on Zoom during class, so I decided to send an email to Sandra to ask if it is ok to partner with her. She replied and said yes so, I partnered with Sandra, and although we do not know one another very well, the internet and digital identities will let us discover more about one another. I will outline the things I was able to find out about her below.
I began by searching for Sandra Vincent and I realized there are thousands of people with her name so I decided to add Regina and so I searched Sandra Vincent Regina and now I found her, but all the info is from Edusites. Immediately, I knew I needed to go onto social media platforms. I went on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
The first thing I noticed on her Facebook page was Today’s her birthday. I immediately sent her a birthday message and she immediately responded. It is lovely that you are doing cyber sleuthing on her and the first thing I saw was is her birthday is today.
Details on Facebook tell me she works and lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
She has worked with YMCA Saskatoon from 2022 – till date.
She rarely posts on Facebook. Her last post was February 2023 which was the only post for 2023. Five posts in 2022, 1 in 2021,1 in 2019 ,2 in 2017 and 1 in 2016.
She has lots of friends on Facebook and that is all about it on Facebook.
I do not think that her Facebook page is private, because I can see her posts and I can send her a message on Facebook. She rarely posts but when she does it is just pictures or videos of herself and her husband. I honestly did not see anything inappropriate on her page.
I moved on to Instagram and searched for her name I found so many people with her name, so I had to ask for her name on Instagram. She gave me her Instagram name and I checked and below are the things I noted.
She joined Instagram in January 2014 and has seen her presence on Instagram since 2014. She does not post stuff but just her pictures and pictures of her family. Her last post was in December 2023, and she has an AI reel for her birthday today. Lest I forget she has more pictures on Instagram than on Facebook.
From Instagram, I can read she lived in Toronto, Ontario from 2016 till about 2020.
I was able to guess her educational background on Instagram, though she did not mention it but putting two and two together I concluded she once lived and schooled in the United Kingdom. She attended the University of Bedfordshire and from her pictures, she graduated in 2016. She also has Cranfield school of management / Cranfield University which is also in the UK.
Going through the pictures on Instagram I saw so many pictures of when she was younger and a picture of her participating in NYSC. NYSC stands for National Youth Service Corps and is a year of National Service compulsory for every Nigerian graduate. I am familiar with this information because we have the same background and are originally from the same country.
Based on her digital footprint I trust this person because it looks like she has a passion for her goal and the career she is headed into. She is hitting the sweet spot for sharing things on social media.
I do not have any advice really for @evaglittering other than to keep doing what she has been doing and using digital resources to further your knowledge in all aspects of your career.
Finally, I moved to LinkedIn to be more professional, and career-related. I found more information on her education, career, skills, and work experiences. She is the support supervisor at her workplace and all her past work experience has been in education. Her undergraduate and master’s degrees are in Education and has licenses and certifications in education as well.
My conclusion is Sandra’s social media pages may be public, but she is still private in a way because she is careful of what she posts, and it is the only people that matter in her life that she shares her platform with.
My overall impression about Sandra’s digital footprint is that she has a positive digital footprint. quiet on social matters and she only follows people that are families or with which she is familiar. She also does not post or share rude posts on social media. I can say we are the same on social media except that her social media pages are public and mine is always private. Sandra’s digital platform is clean and clear of any cyber bullying or cyber shaming or people that do that and based on her digital footprint, I am happy to say I can trust Sandra as a friend and I can recommend Sandra to any Organization that wants to hire her or even be her reference.
All I can say is that Sandra can make herself private a bit on social media. Making yourself available online may increase one’s vulnerability to attack. For harmless purposes, such as customized advertisements, targets may gather data about you that, in the event of a breach, could leave you open to cyberattacks. Cybercriminals can help plan an attack by using anything they find out about you. If they know your birthday, the names of your family members, friends, and pets, as well as their birthdays, they may also attempt to guess your passwords for sensitive accounts. Inadvertently leaving too much of a digital trail can make it easier for identity thieves to steal your identity . Below is the link I followed to make my Facebook, Instagram private.
I will also suggest we should regularly check our digital footprint to be sure cyber criminals are not using any of our personal details against us or for fraud online .
I had thought coding was so difficult and boring even before I tried it and I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it because my son who just graduated from University took a coding class at 200 level and he complained throughout the class that coding is difficult and boring.
I guess it depends on who your professor was and materials/resources given to learn coding. I bet I enjoyed every second of my coding class during EDTC 300 and an hour of coding on Hour of Code | Code.org . Dr Katia Hildebrandt was the professor who taught us this class and she gave us so many options to practice Coding. I started with Scratch and I did some stuffs there then I decided to check Code.org and immediately i started I knew I was not going back to Scratch.
I tried the Dance Party AI Edition and I used every block available , changed the music several times, changed the animals and made them do Body roll, Gangnam , floss, clap high etc , generated different effects and backgrounds, changed positions of animals, random size and so on and when I finished the hour of code I continued to part 2.
After I got my certificate and was confident in what I was doing with the Dance Party AI edition, i asked my son to come see something and he joined me and we both continued on Hour of code for some minutes and then he took over and he said if this is how he was taught , then he would have enjoyed Coding as well. Now my son likes coding and he said its not boring.
After taking the hour of code, the next day I went to work and there was an EYES workshop in the classroom where I work, students were taught coding and I said is this a coincidence. I was able to help the kids and they enjoyed the coding workshop and never regretted they did not go outside for recess. Students did not want to put away their laptops at the end of it. They kept saying this is so cool.
I am definitely going to be integrating coding into so many subjects . Ienjoyed coding , my son enjoyed coding , students i work with in grade 4 enjoyed coding so why wont I give the students i teach in future to have the opportunity to learn about coding and it will also add to digital literacy in the classroom.
Before I teach coding , I will play this video for students and we understand what coding is before they start using the computer to practice.
I have shared benefits of teaching coding to kids and also what coding teaches kids.
Digital technologies are becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives. Yet, a lot of people do not have access to or understanding of the essential digital skills needed to use online platforms. The Ministry of Education and Schools needs to think about developing a digital literacy curriculum so that everyone can use the Internet.
Students can benefit from digital literacy in schools. An individual’s chances of success in life are higher the earlier they start to feel at ease with digital tools.
In my future classroom, I will plan to use digital literacy to further students’ knowledge in Social studies, science, English Language arts and so on. In this post I will focus on Health Education.
Here, I will describe how teaching digital literacy can be incorporated into the Health Education curriculum for middle school students while still adhering to the NCTE framework’s objectives. Health Education may need to incorporate digital literacy more than any other subject because technology plays such a major role in the lives of young people. The images of themselves and their peers that young people choose, edit, and sometimes even carefully manipulate have a significant impact on how they see themselves. Beyond body image, certain characteristics of digital media, such as shareability and persistence, which make it difficult to log off and give rise to the eerie feeling of “fear of missing out”—the notion that your friends are enjoying themselves online while you’re not—can also have an impact on the health of young people.
Lastly, it’s important for students to comprehend some of the relationship-damaging effects that digital media can have, how to handle them, and how concepts like consent and respect translate online.
The term “digital literacy” describes the capacity to locate, assess, utilize, and share online information using information and communication technologies (ICTs). Children can develop their critical thinking abilities and lay a solid foundation for future endeavors by becoming digitally proficient.
Why is Digital Literacy Important for students?
Digital literacy is becoming more and more important for daily living, work, and education. In fact, a statement on the significance of digital intelligence was released in 2017 by the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. The report, which also advocated for digital literacy to be the fourth educational pillar in addition to arithmetic, reading, and writing, emphasized the significance of digital skills in the twenty-first century.
However, a lot of people—especially kids—lack the skills and understanding necessary to use the internet safely. 1.3 billion children between the ages of three and seventeen do not have access to the internet at home, according to UNICEF. This equates to two thirds of all school-age children worldwide.
The complexity and advancement of ICT devices, including the internet, will cause children who lack digital literacy to lag behind. Digital literacy is essential to children’s skill development in elementary school, according to UNICEF. The degree to which kids comprehend the digital world will determine their educational prospects, employment prospects in the future, and general well-being.
The Importance of Teaching Digital Safety in the Classroom
Online bullying, false information, criminal activity, and predation are just a few of the significant risks and challenges that children must deal with. Social media platforms in particular can exacerbate mental health and body image problems in young people. It’s possible for kids to feel inadequate, alienated, and alone.
Early digital literacy is crucial for protecting children from harm. Teachers can assist and mentor their elementary school students as they interact with the internet by putting in place a digital safety curriculum.
Young students should be aware of some important internet safety guidelines. Students should never, for instance, disclose private or sensitive information online, either in public or in private conversations. Students should report any dangerous activity they come across online, including cyberbullying, to a responsible adult right away. If a student sees someone asking for personal information online or if the student feels uncomfortable in any other way, they should also ask for assistance.
Digital Literacy Curriculum For Students
Developing a long-term, successful digital literacy curriculum is essential to assisting students in navigating the digital world of today. Nonetheless, a lot of teachers struggle with developing curricula, getting money, or getting support for their use.
Digital learning is both a team effort and an ongoing process. In order to close the digital divide, educators, administrators, parents, and students must support important digital literacy initiatives.
Key Components of a Digital Literacy Curriculum
In addition to teaching fundamental computer skills, a curriculum for digital literacy should concentrate on three important learning units. Instructors can delve deeper into different subjects to help students grow as their digital literacy skill set advances.
These elements will assist school pupils in developing the fundamental abilities required to use the internet.
Teachers ought to instruct students in the use of internet search engines for information retrieval, including the creation of shortcuts to access official and educational websites. In addition, critical thinking abilities and the ability to spot telltale clues of skewed language, excessive advertising, and grammar or spelling errors should be taught to students.
-Distinguish real from “fake news”: Teaching students how to distinguish real from fake news is very important so that when they are online inside or outside the class they wont be fooled by headlines or titles of videos. In the YouTube video by John spencer, he mentioned the five C’s to teach our students in digital literacy.
–Using the internet safely: Students should be aware of the fundamentals of online safety, including how to respect others online, protect accounts with strong passwords and how to keep private personal information. Teachers have the option to delve deeper and instruct students on topics like managing their digital footprint, online bullying, and scams.
It has been quite an interesting journey learning Braille. I started about 5/6 weeks ago and am already learning and practicing the last six alphabets. In 5 weeks I have learned so much and I am glad to say you can learn Braille in 5 weeks depending on you and time available to study. I will advise you need to practice daily so you don’t forget all you have learned.
This week I had so many things to read and practice but I was so happy it is just six more alphabets left to learn so I was super eager to quickly learn and practice the letters so I can move on to the punctuation, capital letters, and numbers this week as well. Once I have completed learning and practicing the alphabet, braille punctuation, capital letters, and numbers, I am on my way to reading full sentences next week and writing words and sentences.
So, I started off by refreshing letters A to T and it went smoothly. I used the Braille Academy app on my iPhone to practice and I passed the challenges. Unfortunately, I thought I took a picture of my congratulatory message that I passed the challenge, but I just could not find the picture in my photos. I also took the test your knowledge with our braille alphabet fun quiz! on How the braille alphabet works – Perkins School for the Blind and i scored 23/26. I don’t think its too bad for a beginner like me.
Lets quickly dive into the last 6 letters. Its going to be easier to learn because its just 6 instead of 10.
Braille letters u – z
The Braille letters from U to Z, with the exception of ‘W’, follow a logical progression similar to the previous sets, but with an added twist.
Method 1: In this group, each letter is formed by adding dots 3 and 6 to the configurations of the first five letters, A to E.
W: Dots 2, 4, 5, and 6 (not following the above logic)
A w has dot 2 on the left side, and dots 4, 5, and 6 on the right side.
This continuity in design demonstrates the systematic and efficient nature of the Braille language.
However, there’s a unique historical note about the letter ‘W’. When Louis Braille, the creator of the Braille system, designed this code in 1824, the letter ‘W’ was not part of the French alphabet, his native language. As a result, ‘W’ deviates from this pattern.
Here are the Braille codes for the Braille letters U to Z:
U: Dots 1, 3, and 6
V: Dots 1, 2, 3, and 6
W: Dots 2, 4, 5, and 6
X: Dots 1, 3, 4, and 6
Y: Dots 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Z: Dots 1, 3, 5, and 6
Method 2 : Adding dot 6 to form u, v, x, y, and z. For the remaining letters (except w), take the k through o and add dot 6. Leave the letter w out completely, as it doesn’t fit the pattern all the other letters do.
The letter u has dot 1 and 3 from letter k, plus dot 6. The letter v has dots 1, 2, and 3 from letter l, plus dot 6.
Since you’re skipping w for now, the next letter is x, which has dots 1, 3, and 4 from letter m, plus dot 6. The letter y has dots 1, 3, 4, and 5 from letter n, plus dot 6. The letter z has dots 1, 3, and 5 from letter o, plus dot 6.
Learning letters U to Z was pretty fast because I was only adding dots 3 and 6 to the first 5 alphabet A TO E.
Lets move on to punctuations now. Why do we need to learn punctuations in Braille? Braille contains the same punctuation marks as is found in print. People who are not visually impaired often have trouble learning how to correctly use commas, colons, and semicolons so likewise people who are visually impaired /blind will also struggle while writing or reading if there is no punctuation marks.
Braille Capital letters
Braille doesn’t have a separate alphabet of capital letters like standard print. These are all of the lower case braille letters in the English alphabet. There’s a “code” that tells the reader the next letter is capitalized. That “code” is a dot-6. To form a capital letter, you must place a dot 6 before the letter. And, if you want to capitalize an entire word, you put 2 dot-6’s in front of the word.
Braille Punctuation
Braille incorporates a variety of punctuation marks, each represented by unique combinations of raised dots. These punctuation marks are essential for understanding the context and meaning of written Braille texts. Here are some of the main punctuation marks in Braille:
Period: Dots 2, 5, and 6
Comma: Dot 2
Question Mark: Dots 2, 3, 5, and 6
Exclamation Mark: Dots 2, 3, and 5
Colon: Dots 2, 5
Semicolon: Dots 2, 3, and 6
Quotation Marks (Opening and Closing): Dots 2, 3, 5 (used at both the beginning and end of a quotation)
Apostrophe: Dot 3
Hyphen: Dots 3 and 6
The Braille code for the first 10 letters of the alphabet is also used to create the most common punctuation marks you’ll find in literary writing. The same code is simply dropped down to the lower part of the cell.[5]
A Braille comma has dot 2. You can also think of this as a letter a dropped down one line.
A Braille semicolon has dots 2 and 3. This is the letter b dropped down one line. A Braille colon has dots 2 and 5.
A Braille period has dots 2, 5, and 6. The Braille period is also used as a decimal point. If there are 3 Braille periods together, they represent an ellipsis.
An exclamation mark has dots 2,3, and 5, while a question mark has dots 2, 3, and 6.
Quotation marks have 2 cells. The first represents whether they are single or double, and the second whether they are opening or closing. For single quotation marks, the first cell has dot 6. For double quotation marks, the first cell has dots 3 and 4. Opening quotation marks have dots 2, 3, and 6 (note that this is identical to a question mark). Closing quotation marks have dots 3, 5, and 6.
The Braille numbers
Braille Numbers
As we transition from the Braille alphabet to Braille numbers, you’ll find the learning curve pleasantly gentle. The numbers 0 through 9 in Braille are ingeniously mapped to the same configurations as the letters A through J.
The key to distinguishing numbers from letters in Braille is the use of a special “Braille number sign.” This sign, which might vary slightly depending on the language, is placed before the Braille characters for A to J to indicate that these characters are to be read as numbers.
The Braille number sign is typically represented by the combination of dots 3, 4, 5, and 6. When this sign precedes any of the first ten letters of the Braille alphabet, it transforms them into numbers. For example, the Braille symbol for the letter A (dot 1) becomes the number 1 when it is preceded by the number sign.
Here’s how each number is represented in Braille:
1: Number sign followed by dot 1 (A)
2: Number sign followed by dots 1 and 2 (B)
3: Number sign followed by dots 1 and 4 (C)
4: Number sign followed by dots 1, 4, and 5 (D)
5: Number sign followed by dots 1 and 5 (E)
6: Number sign followed by dots 1, 2, and 4 (F)
7: Number sign followed by dots 1, 2, 4, and 5 (G)
My focus for this week’s learning project was alphabets k to t.
These set of alphabets follow the pattern of adding a dot 3 to each character in the first set of braille alphabets a- j.
I bought the mat below to use to feel the raised dots of the alphabet while learning the alphabet. It is an incredibly good mat that I can take anywhere with me and continue my practice. Even at bedtime instead of using my phone to practice, I just touch it and repeat my alphabets before I sleep. to practice.
K – T
The letters K through T in Braille represent an ingenious extension of the first ten letters, A to J. Each letter from K to T is formed by adding the raised dot 3 to the corresponding letter from A to J.
This efficient design means that once you are familiar with the first ten letters, you already possess the knowledge to identify these additional letters with ease.
For instance, the Braille letter K is formed by adding dot 3 to the configuration of the letter A.
This pattern is consistent throughout this group of letters, simplifying the learning process significantly. Here are the Braille codes for the Braille letters K to T:
K: Dots 1 and 3
L: Dots 1, 2, and 3
M: Dots 1, 3, and 4
N: Dots 1, 3, 4, and 5
O: Dots 1, 3, and 5
P: Dots 1, 2, 3, and 4
Q: Dots 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
R: Dots 1, 2, 3, and 5
S: Dots 2, 3, and 4
T: Dots 2, 3, 4, and 5
I also used the Braille Academy app to do some practice and will be taking the challenges for these sets of alphabets next week. Also , for next week I will focus on learning alphabet U TO Z ,punctuations and uncontracted and contracted Braille.
Thanks for reading my post and hope to update you on my progress next week .
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that According to research, teaching students about online safety in the classroom is essential to assist them in growing up to be responsible and safe technology users. This is especially true if the students are taught how to manage risks rather than avoid them. Although several educational institutions prioritize imparting children with functional digital skills and one-way messages about online safety, there is potential to support a more dynamic and interactive pedagogy.
Teaching students how to interact with others, follow rules, stay safe, learn, and so much more is a major responsibility of being an educator. Nonetheless, educators now need to instruct students on how to participate in both the real and virtual worlds. That being said, whether we like it or not, technology is a part of everyone’s life and only gets bigger every day, so it is crucial to teach our students how to be responsible digital citizens and keep themselves safe. Since most of our students already use every social media platform known to man, it is essential that we teach them how to be responsible digital citizens. After all, when they leave the classroom, no one will be keeping an eye on them to keep them safe—they will have to learn how to do this on their own.
9 Digital Citizenship Elements by Mike Ribble include:
1.Digital Access: Acknowledging that not all communities may have equitable access to technology and online services.
2.Digital commerce is concerned with the security measures taken when conducting business online.
3.Electronic information exchange is a component of digital communication and collaboration. For some students, technology gives them a voice in society.
4.Digital etiquette refers to the practice of considering other people when utilizing the internet.
5.Digital fluency is the ability to understand and use technology. separating reliable online information from unreliable information.
6.Digital health and welfare refers to the mental and physical health of interacting with the digital world.
7.Digital law refers to laws and regulations pertaining to the internet.
8.Digital Rights and Responsibilities: Online conditions and liberties are met.
9. Digital security and privacy are the electronic safety measures we implement.
As stated in Mike Ribble’s article Nine Elements, there are nine components to digital citizenship (see above). It is our online personas and the ways in which we decide to responsibly represent ourselves. We must keep in mind that in today’s world, technology has become indispensable to lifelong learning.
Since my degree would be in elementary education, I checked the Saskatchewan Curriculum and its relationship to digital citizenship. Respect for oneself and others, as well as understanding and respecting the community around us, are topics of much discussion in many subject areas. Take, for instance, kindergarten health outcome USCK.1 or grade 2 social studies outcome IN2.1.While it is possible to apply and teach these concepts in both the physical and digital worlds, most connections in lower grades are focused on the former.
Health education is one of the subjects that offers the greatest opportunities for connections to digital citizenship. The health education outcomes for grade six, USC6.1, USC6.2, USC6.5, and USC6.6, are all related to how people can cultivate a positive sense of self and others in a variety of settings. Digital fluency, digital etiquette, digital communication and collaboration, and rights and responsibilities can all be linked to that alone. There is a connection between digital communication and collaboration and how students use technology to have appropriate conversations with one another. Giving students the chance to learn more in the classroom and expand their knowledge on subjects they are interested in will help them develop digital fluency and equip them to use and critically think about the information they are given and receive. The appropriateness of one’s interactions with others in an online setting is referred to as digital etiquette. When using technology as a tool, there are expectations and understandings of what can and cannot be done with it. These relate to rights and responsibilities. Since the health curriculum is designed to safeguard users’ integrity and wellbeing on all kinds of websites and programs, it also has connections to digital health and welfare.
In my future classroom, I will start teaching and talking to students about digital citizenship from the beginning of the school year so that they know what is expected of them and how to navigate the tech world. I will also give rules that students has to follow in class while using technology and also work together with the educational assistant in the classroom( if there is one) to ensure students are on task always and not browsing sites like Youtube instead of reading or playing educational games as assigned .
I also want to be able to begin teaching digital citizenship to my students at an early age. They can use technology to enhance their learning in a safe and efficient manner in this way. Educating students on basic skills like making secure passwords, distinguishing between authentic and fraudulent content, identifying potential scams, and resisting the allure of attention-grabbing content are just a few examples. Every student can benefit from and enjoy a plethora of online learning resources! But we are not preparing them for the future if we do not teach them how to use them appropriately and how to “be” in the digital world.
This week has been challenging and I could not post early because of the challenges I encountered. First, the tennis balls I bought from Amazon to practice my alphabet at home were not delivered, and I had difficulty mastering and remembering the alphabet I learned.
Learning Braille this week has been challenging. I wasn’t getting anywhere with my practice and I failed all the activities after each lesson I kept trying and trying and still getting a “Try again message ” and I almost gave up on Thursday but I remembered I knew this learning project wouldn’t be easy and I am someone who doesn’t give up easily, so I decided to abandon my practice and return to it after a day or 2. It was the best decision for my learning project because I was able to relax and think of ways I could learn visually instead of just listening to the audio class. Since the tennis balls were not delivered, I used just the YouTube videos to practice
Using YouTube videos to learn has been the smartest decision for my learning project because its visual and seeing how it’s done, I can also pause the video, practice, and pause/play as many times as possible.
After several days of watching YouTube videos and practicing, I took the challenge and some level activities on the Braille Academy App. I got to level 5 and have mastered the alphabets a, b, c, d, f, l, k, m, n, u, x, and v. It feels so good knowing I can identify the alphabet when I see them so the next blog post will be me using it in words.
I have added pictures of my levels to this post, and I have also added links to the YouTube videos I used to learn my alphabet. If you want to learn basic Braille alphabets the videos are so good.
