As EDTC comes to a close, Heidi and I took some time to explore out learning and pick out our main key takeaways we have gained from this course. It has been an amazing journey learning about all the aspects of technology and I am so great full I had the opportunity to take this course as well as have an amazing group of educators along side me.
Payton and Heidi’s Summary of Learning
As this semester has come and gone, I would like to take some time and reflect on how I have contributed to the learning of others throughout this EDTC course. Starting this course was scary as I knew very little about technology and having to share my own experiences and learning online with others was very intimidating and frightening. I was unsure of what to expect and how this whole process was going to go. Sharing my own learning was a difficult process to get into but with the support of others it made it easier and made me more excited and confident to share my learning as well with my peers. I hope that I have helped others as much as they have helped me throughout this semester.
Throughout the seven weeks we have been in this course together, I would say I have contributed to the learning of others in numerous ways.
Blogging
The main way I have contributed greatly to is blogging. I consistently commented on at least three peer blog posts a week and I tried to comment on different peers blogs every week as much as I could. The comments ranged from giving encouragement, asking questions, and giving my feedback or personal experiences I have had with the certain topic they have blogged about. I tried my best to write comments on other’s posts but also tried to answer questions to any comments that were left on my own blog posts as well. My peers comments helped me greatly and I hoped that I left meaningful comments for them as well.
Course Community (Discord)
The course community was a place were I lacked in my communication. I would get to locked in on blogging I would forget about this portion of the course and when I remembered and had time, any questions that were asked were already answered very well. When I went on to Discord, I did get a chance to ask a few questions in areas I was struggling in and my fellow peers did a great job on answering my questions and I received were very insightful and helpful replies. By also looking through others questions and answers I did get find some very helpful points there as well.
Video Slideshow of all my comments on others posts, on my own posts and Discord.
Google Document of all my comments on others posts and course community (Discord)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19t1bNrjRLWUHEPeJ4sx3KqfCU8mcIyOD_fzuN5iFGjQ/edit?usp=sharing
Throughout this course I have began to gain a very positive attitude towards professional network and gain the understanding of why it is so important to know and to have. The amazing group of educators I got to work alongside truly made this experience more powerful and gave me knowledge that I will hold onto for a lifetime.
This semester has come to an end so now it is time to explore what all I have learned throughout this learning journey but to also reveal the final product of my baby blanket! Learning how to crochet was a fun experience with many ups and downs. There were many struggles along the way but I never gave up and kept pushing myself through. The beginning of learning how to crochet was the hardest stage as it takes time and practice to get the hang of things. Learning something new can be difficult and crocheting was something I never thought I would be doing. Throughout this project my confidence has grown greatly. At the beginning my confidence was really low, and I just could not get the hang of crocheting one granny square. It took a lot of patience, time, and break for me to keep going to successfully complete my baby blanket. After about two weeks my confidence grew and I started feeling more confident in my ability to crochet and started to really enjoy it. Learning how to crochet sure has been an experience, and I am glad I had the chance to explore and experience something new within this course.
Learning Project Week 1: The Beginning
I was feeling a bit timid and was not sure what to expect with the whole blogging process as I have never experienced it before plus learning something new. I took this week to explore all the possibilities of crocheting and to give myself some ideas of what to expect and what it was that I wanted to create.
The Beginning | Payton’s ePortfolio
Learning Project Week 2: The Struggle of Crocheting
Week two was the start of my crocheting process. I followed a step by step YouTube video to help me get started. Even with the video, the whole process was very difficult for me to grasp and I started to regret my choice of crocheting for this project. My biggest struggle was I kept losing track of what stitch I was on and then had to restart and focus on what I was doing. I learned to stick with the process and take breaks when needed to refresh.
The Struggle of Crocheting | Payton’s ePortfolio
Learning Project Week 3: Crocheting and its Frustration
This week my frustration with crocheting was still there but by following a new website I did learn new techniques, what hook and size of yarn is best to work with for whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.
Crocheting and it’s Frustration! | Payton’s ePortfolio
Learning Project Week 4: Unique Stitches
This week I learned how to use multiple colors in a granny square. I was super excited for this as I wanted to recreate a similar version of a granny square as the picture I included in week one. My crocheting has improved greatly just in the past four weeks. I am still a bit timid and nervous to try a different technique as it took me a while to get the hang of the first one. By striking with the same technique but incorporating multiple colors, I feel I have grown deeper into the process of crocheting.
Unique Stitches | Payton’s ePortfolio
Learning Project Week 5: Hooked on Crocheting
This week I took a minute and looked back at all the progress I have made and was so proud of myself for making it this far. I focused on continuing with the same pattern and technique to get enough squares to stitch together.
Hooked on Crocheting | Payton’s ePortfolio
Learning Project Week 6: Near the End
It was time to now stitch my squares together. I researched and followed many videos, and different sites to get this process completed. During this process, I did learn different stitches and how to weave in all the extra little pieces from each square.
Near the End! | Payton’s ePortfolio
Learning Project Week 7: That’s a Wrap!
Throughout my learning journey, I gave myself multiple challenges that may have taken a couple try’s but I kept pushing myself through all the struggles. I was determined to learn all the aspects of crocheting and to have a finished product by the end of the semester.
To finish my baby blanket I did a border around the edge with all three colors. I followed a YouTube video to help me along this process. The stitch I used to complete my border was called a ‘Spider Stitch’.
Here is my finished baby blanket!
Top 3 Take Aways:
Throughout this project:
Final Thoughts:
Throughout this learning journey, my biggest challenge was moving past my frustration. My frustration stopped my process many times but taking a break and coming back to my project is what got me to the finish line. As I started moving throughout my learning their were times I wanted to just give up and quit but I had to keep telling myself it was just a small set back that I can overcome and keeping succeeding with my project.
I learned that online resources are a great asset when learning something new. It offered me many benefits throughout my journey and if I struggled to follow along with one source, I could research around and dig deeper to find a more consistent, steady, and beneficial resource that can help get a deeper understanding.
I am not familiar with many AI tools and have only heard of Snapchat AI and ChatGPT. Learning about all these other AI tools that are out in the world and all the possibilities they offer are endless. From teachers in high school and some professors in University all I ever heard was how bad the use of AI can be, but I have learned now from other professors and friends that it can be a trusted and useful asset to you if it is used responsibly and properly. There are some tricks and tips you need to learn and understand about AI to know how to use it as an advantage and not a disadvantage to you.
I chose to try out the AI tool ‘Magic School AI’. I chose this tool as I found it had an interesting name to it so I wanted to check it out further and see what it is all about. The first thing I noticed when viewing this tool was that it is designed for the use of teachers and students. It offers solutions and resources for all teachers, educators and students.
When exploring through the resources for educators, I noticed they had a little area showing what individuals had rated this app and for what reason. Noticing how 88% of the users say this AI tool serves diverse learners is something that is truly important as a future teacher. If this AI tool is successfully helping out a student in their daily learning and impacting a student positively then it is an AI tool I want to look more into. This was the first thing I saw, and made me even more intrigued to dig in and find out what this tool has to offer.
Below this, I also found categories of what this AI tool specifically offers for educators.
I then decided to explore and play around with some of the AI tools:
Math Spiral Review:
I used the Grade 1 math curriculum and chose an outcome to see what it could come up with. It designed me a worksheet that students could follow along with and learn to pick out the number of objects there are in a picture and it also gave me tips on how to make a math review more exciting and engaging for students. I tried using different outcomes to see what it all could come up with. It does help you get the baseline of a lesson plan and how to go about teaching it and that is a very useful tool to have. I think of this as a draft, as you can go in and change it up to make it more the way you personally teach but this tool does offer great insight and is a great way to get you started when you are out of ideas.
Jeopardy Review Game:
Again for this one, I chose an outcome in the Grade 3 Science curriculum to design the jeopardy game. If I was more familiar with ways of teaching this app would be easier to use but by just using the curriculum for now and adding a few helpful tips in there, this AI tool has been coming up with some pretty good ideas.
Here is the Jeopardy game that AI designed:
Forces in Action Jeopardy
Contact Forces Non-Contact Forces Characteristics $100 $200 $300 $400 $500 Questions:
Contact Forces
- $100: What is the force that pulls objects toward each other?
- Answer: What is gravity?
- $200: What do we call the force that pushes or pulls on an object by touching it?
- Answer: What is contact force?
- $300: When you rub your hands together, what force are you experiencing?
- Answer: What is friction?
- $400: What happens to a ball when you kick it?
- Answer: What is it moves because of a push?
- $500: How does friction help us when we walk?
- Answer: What is it prevents us from slipping?
Non-Contact Forces
- $100: What is the force that can attract or repel magnets?
- Answer: What is magnetic force?
- $200: What force can make your hair stand up when you rub a balloon on it?
- Answer: What is static electricity?
- $300: Which force acts at a distance without touching the object?
- Answer: What is a non-contact force?
- $400: What type of force is responsible for keeping planets in orbit?
- Answer: What is gravity?
- $500: How can you tell if a force is non-contact?
- Answer: What is it acts without direct touch?
Characteristics
- $100: What do we call the push or pull on an object?
- Answer: What is force?
- $200: What is the effect of friction on moving objects?
- Answer: What is it slows them down?
- $300: What can we measure to understand the strength of a force?
- Answer: What is the amount of motion it causes?
- $400: How can friction be both helpful and harmful?
- Answer: What is it helps us grip but can cause wear?
- $500: What is the main difference between contact and non-contact forces?
- Answer: What is contact forces require touch, while non-contact forces do not?
After going through and examining this AI tool, I did realize all the resources it does have and it is an amazing asset that can be used by educators to help them successfully teach their students but I personally don’t think it is something that should be used all the time. I did find it a bit difficult to navigate but the more I familiarize myself with this AI tool the more I will benefit from it. I do see myself potentially using this tool in the future on the days I am a bit burnt out and even when I need an extra push to get my ideas flowing and a template or draft layed out.
https://app.magicschool.ai/tools/jeopardy?slug=jeopardy&thread=95713280
I never have had knowledge or experience of coding until now. I truly never even heard of it before! Coding is defined as “the method of communicating with a computer” (Bonfligo, 2022). I did find coding a bit difficult to get the hang of and understand what it was that I am doing but it does and will have great benefits by learning the process of coding. In Bonfligo’s article she explains how coding has many benefits from academic to life skills and then eventually into the workforce.
I chose to do the Minecraft hour of code. Well starting my hour of code, there were instructions on how to code and videos you could watch. I found this very helpful as I am very new to this. I did have a few struggles where I kept getting it wrong and unsure what I was doing wrong. But once I started to re-read and analyze it deeper, I soon found my solution.
Throughout the Minecraft hour of code, I learned how to navigate obstacles to get to the goal point. Each stage did get more difficult or complicated and some did take more thinking than others. By following the instructions and steps it was pretty easy to navigate and find your way through the code. It did make me realize how coding is very important. It gives you the ability to problem-solve quickly and determine the solution.
I would 100% offer my students an opportunity to explore coding in my classroom. I has many benefits and can positively affect the students. This website offers coding in different ways such as Minecraft, Frozen or Flappy Bird which many students already play these games or watch the movies so that is another way it may spike the students attention and interest.
Resources:
Chontelle Bonfligo (2022, December 8). Why Coding is Important
As a future teacher, digital literacy is a topic I find that is very important to be taught in the classroom. In the world today, there is so much fake news being shared and how will we ever know what is true and what is not true. Giving your students the opportunity to learn about digital literacy and all the things it entails is a very important factor you should address. Although it may be hard to teach it to younger students, there is always a way but it will look different and help the younger students understand better and easier. The grade range I hope to be teaching is anywhere from Kindergarten to Grade 3 so that is what I will focus on when discussing digital literacy.
I chose to look at the Grade 1 English Language Arts curriculum. By looking through the outcomes, I found that digital literacy could be integrated into all four outcomes. Students can google their communities and look through pictures tryna find if they have seen these images somewhere around their community. We can also do read alouds, stopping to discuss each part and what it means. For the CR1.4 outcome, well reading or looking at pictures we can discuss who is in it, what it is, when it took place, where it happened and why. We can use the curriculum as a guide on how we can integrate digital literacy into our classroom.
In Couros and Hildebrant’s article they discussed some ways as teachers we can help our students navigate their way around fake news. Here are some points they explained:
These four points are very helpful tips to help you teach digital literacy in your classroom.
In the article, “It’s Easier To Call A Fact A Fact When It’s One You Like”, Domonske explains how one is to believe a statement more when it aligns with their beliefs. When teaching about digital literacy we as teachers need to make sure we are teaching the facts and have evidence to back up what we are saying. Everyone will have their own opinions and may considerate a fact if they believe in it. In Couros and Hildebrant’s article they discuss how people are more drawn to their own beliefs and opinions than they are factual truths. This is something that we do need to state to students, the difference between a fact and an opinion. Their parents may have an opinion on something but the facts may state something else.
“Ultimately, in a world where it is increasingly dangerous to simply trust what we read and see, it is critical that students are taught to approach the world around them with a healthy sense of skepticism to avoid being misled, duped, or scammed.” by Couros and Hildebrandt, 2018
By incorporating the goals of the NCTE framework we are keeping the networked world alive and available in the classroom. To do this I will have the students be engaged in the online world and explore the advantages/disadvantages and positives/negatives. Giving them the chance to recognize themselves and also guiding them along the way is one of my goals in a way to meet the NCTE framework goals.
I found a great website called “MediaSmarts”. It is an online resource for teachers or parents to use when trying to find a way to navigate through teaching digital literacy to younger students as well as older students. It offers Kindergarten to Grade 12 resources and lessons. I found it pretty neat! Here’s the link to check it out: Digital Media Literacy Framework – Grades K-3 | MediaSmarts
References:
Dr. Alec Couros and Katia Hildebrandt (2018, September 6). How Do We Teach Students To Identify Fake News
How do we teach students to identify fake news? | EdCan Network
Camila Domonoske (2018, June 19). It’s Easier to Call a fact a Fact When it’s One You Like
It’s Easier To Call A Fact A Fact When It’s One You Like, Study Finds : NPR
National Council of Teachers of English. NCTE. (2019, November 7). Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age
Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age – National Council of Teachers of English
For my sixth learning project post, I have completed all my granny squares and stitched them together! I am pretty proud of all the struggles I have overcome to get to this point. I never thought I would get anywhere close to finishing this blanket but here we are!
This week I did use YouTube again as it is the easiest online source I have found that I learn best from. I can slow the video down and replay it if needed. I used the ‘join as you go method’ when stitching my granny squares together. I started by stitching the first four squares together horizontally then would individually add squares vertically. It took me a while to get the hang of this new stitch, but it was a bit similar to the stitch I was using to make the granny squares so I caught on quite fast! There were a few times I had to undo some of the progress I had made because I would look too closely and notice a mistake I had made a few stitches back. I did find stitching all the squares together was way easier to learn and took less time then stitching each individual square itself. This technique I chose to stitch them together was easier to get the hang of. After I had all my squares stitched together, I did a double stitch all the way around the border of my blanket to hold them together more securely. The part that I absolutely hated was having to weave in all the ends. It wasn’t hard but it did take a lot of time and more patience than usual!
The video I followed along with to stitch my squares together:
The video I followed along with to weave my ends in (this video is under “Finishing Your Project” on the Yarnspiration website.
Here’s a few pictures of when I was joining my squares together and then the final product of them all stitched together.
Although I did mainly follow along with a YouTube video to do the stitching together process of my blanket, I did also find a pretty neat site called ‘Yarnspiration’. This online site offers patterns, resources and the ability to buy a yarn kit with everything you will need to create the pattern of your choice. In these kits, they list all the materials that are needed and included in the kit, abbreviations for crocheting phrases, and they offer step by step instructions on how to crochet the design/pattern you have chosen. The step by step instructions in these kits are very detailed and they start from the first round of your stitches all the way to your last. This site is definitely something I will look at using in the future to create my next project!
I am almost done creating my baby blanket and just need to add an extra border around it. I am hoping to possibly use Yarnspirations to help me along with this process or another website that I can find. Are there any sites that you can suggest to help me with my final stage?
Here’s the website to ‘Yarnspiration’
https://www.yarnspirations.com/en-ca/pages/how-to-crochet
Digital identity is your identity that is out there floating around on the internet. It is created and usually infiltrated from digital technology such as social media and internet based activities. Well reading the “Split Image” article I read a sentence that really stuck with me, “Everyone presents an edited version of life on social media. People share moments that reflect an ideal life, an ideal self”. In this article they discussed Madison Holleran’s life and how it looked ideal. But in reality her life was not ideal. Social media hid the reality of her life and only showed her happy moments and accomplishments. This story brings the realization how everyone truly does or can just show an ‘edited version of life’.
“Her most pressing thought: If she quit, wasn’t she just a failure?” Kate Fagan. (2015, May 7)
In the TedTalk “How One Tweet Can Ruin Your Life”, Ronson states “Voiceless people realized they had a voice”. He talks about how people were posting and shaming themselves and others would comment on how they have done the same. This is using social media negatively. This information about you is now out there forever and it may come back to bite you in the future.
I chose Heidi Spetz to cybersleuth. I first started by searching her name on google and nothing came up for her so then I added where she’s from then more things started to pop up. I learned that she used to play soccer throughout her elementary and high school years. I also learned through google that she was in the Swift Current Regional heritage fair and was one of the finalists in 2017. I found her Edusite and all her posts she had made for this class. I found this interesting as I thought Edusite was more private and not something that would show up from a simple name search. Heidi’s social media accounts also popped up on my google search. I found her Facebook, Instagram, and Vsco. On Facebook I found her birthday, where she is from, where she lives now, and what University she attends. Her Instagram was private so I was unable to find anything on there. After cybersleuthing someone else, I am now realizing that EVERYTHING is truly out there for everyone to see.
Now thinking about how you can be so easily found on the internet is kind of scary. I am already very cautious of the things I post, share, or comment on but now after cybersleuthing someone else, I am now going to be more cautious than ever when it comes to using social media.
This week, I chose to continue to keep using the same technique, pattern and colors I have previously used to make the rest of my squares. I made eight more squares for this week and have got it down to making one square per hour. I am so proud of the progress I have made throughout my learning journey and so thankful for the encouragement and support I have been given to help get me to this point. At the beginning of my learning project, it was a struggle to even start a square and it took me over a week, almost two weeks to get the hang of the technique and make one square. I never thought I would ever catch on and get just one square done. Now I made eight squares in just one week! This felt like a huge accomplishment for me and am am so happy in how they all have turned out. I continued to watch the same TikTok and YouTube video from last week as I was continuing on with the same technique.
The amount of times I gave up, walked away and came back a few hours later or another day is to many to count! My dedication and determination to learn how to crochet through all the ups and downs and the support from my peers is what truly got me to this point and I am so incredibly proud of myself for not giving up on this learning journey. I learned something new and now am actually really enjoying it!
As I wasn’t changing anything up, I thought it would be difficult to start learning from a different source as I already have got a hang of what I have been doing. Although I did come across a TikTok that I found pretty neat so I have left a link to it below. I am hoping to try out some of the different stitches she uses throughout her TikTok’s and maybe make cute little yarn objects like she has in her videos after I am done making my blanket with the granny squares!
Here’s the TikTok creator and the video I watched: hook&fibermade
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMSBh7PN1/
After I finished these squares, I did start researching how to stitch them together and all the different ways that are possible. I am so excited to get started on the next step of my blanket and learn another way or technique of crocheting. I may have to make a few more granny squares but depending on which stitch I choose to stitch them together I may or may not need more for the baby blanket. I am just going to start on stitching them together and depending how thick the borders are, that is what will determine if more squares are needed or not.
Here’s a glance of what I am hoping to conquer for next week!
Joining granny squares together and some methods on how to do it from websites and Pinterest
Do you guys have any tips and tricks or great sources you have found about crocheting that I could take a look at?
As a future teacher, I find it very important to approach digital citizenship in a positive and encouraging manner. Technology is something that can be scary and intimidating so as a teacher I find it our duty to teach our students how to navigate technology responsibly and wisely. As I grow older, I have really realized how technology has greatly advanced since I was a child. Throughout my childhood, watching TV was the most techy thing it got for me. We weren’t surrounded by technology growing up and in school when it was needed, we struggled to navigate all the challenges it had. In my future classroom I plan to have technology available to my students so that they will have an opportunity to learn what it is, how we use it, and the advantages and disadvantages it may have. In doing this, I want my students to all know and understand when technology should and shouldn’t be used and how to use it both appropriately and wisely. I find it our responsibility to help students on their way to learning how to become confident and capable digital citizens.
As Jason Ohler said “School is an excellent place to help kids become capable digital citizens who use technology not only effectively and creatively, but also responsibly and wisely”.
When it comes to the 9 elements of digital citizenship there are a few ways I could go at approaching them. First would be starting with the three guiding principles; safe, savvy, and social. These three principles will be the stepping stones to teaching your students about being capable digital citizens and start them off on the importance of being responsible. After going over these principles I would slowly integrate each element into the curriculum and give the students a chance to go over and understand the importance of each concept, what it means, and what they can do to follow alongside it. I would help guide students along the way making sure they are understanding and communicating respectfully online to myself, other students, or other individuals.
I find there are so many benefits and helping students approach digital citizenship and the benefit of the student for years to come. As teachers, when we help students how to appropriately and respectfully navigate their way around the internet, we are creating a better environment for them and for everyone they connect and interact with.
