September 2025 – Cultures of Learning

Learning Through Problem Solving, Pivoting, Exploring and Experimentation

Despite connecting with several people on Facebook, I soon discovered that their SCOBYs weren’t quite ready to share. Turns out, growing and brewing Kombucha is a bit of a waiting game. So on to Plan B, problem solve. A photo of an open box from Amazon with a black bag package from Fermentaholics with text that reads Classic SCOBY Kombucha Starter Culture. Last Sunday, I ordered a starter kit from a Canadian company, Hoochy Booch in Vancouver, thank you, Instagram algorithm. But by Saturday, even though I swore I’d paid for express shipping, there was nothing in sight. Pivot. Amazon, stage right, with a SCOBY that promised to arrive Sunday.

In preparation, I subscribed to Revolution Fermentation’s newsletter with new recipes and guides and watched the initial video from an online course on making Kombucha.

Similar to Sonia, my daughter was just as eager to dive in. She had listened to the video from the online course with me and joined me in shopping earlier in the week for black tea, cane sugar, cheese cloth, and a jar that would hold our Kombucha. A photograph of 6 bags of black tea steeping in a measuring cup alongside a kettle and package of black tea.

We scanned the QR code on the back of the package, which unfortunately, did not take us to the expected directions. My mom soon joined the conversation, with her weekly call, adding in her perspective as I read the directions while boiling water, steeping tea, and measuring sugar.

After removing the tea bags, stirring in the sugar to dissolve, transferring the concentrated tea mixture to a large jar, and measuring in 14 cups of room temperature, filtered water it was time to add in the SCOBY.

A top down image looking into a jar of sweetened black tea with a kombucha SCOBY floating on top. I wonder if 14 cups was a little much to add to my jar as there was not much room to add in the SCOBY. I also wonder if the top of the jar is too large for this size of SCOBY. I covered the top with several layers of cheese cloth and secured it with an elastic band. After reviewing the online course video again my daughter and I thought we might change out the cheese cloth to a thicker cloth to prevent any fruit flies from finding our Kombucha.

After making the initial batch of Kombucha I recalled seeing a short on YouTube showing how you could make your own SCOBY from purchased Organic Kombucha so I thought I would experiment with that too as I had a bottle of Synergy in the fridge. As I did not add as much water into the mason jar it took much longer to come to room temperature.

In the meantime, while I waited for the tea mixture to come to room temperature I thought I would explore Dishant’s comment on my last post looking into the Chemistry behind Kombucha. I found a video explaining the Chemistry behind Kombucha, and while I think I will have to watch it more than once to fully understand the chemical reaction, I did have some take aways.

It was interesting to learn from this video that the bacteria in Kombucha produces acetic acid as compared to other forms of fermentation where the bacteria produces lactic acid. Acetic acid bacteria needs oxygen whereas other forms of fermentation do not need oxygen. A take away from this is that Kombucha cannot just be covered over with a lid but needs a cloth that allows it to breathe. A second take away was that as it sits more acetic acid is being produced and the more acidic it becomes. I think it will be interesting to purchase some pH strips to test the different pH levels and perhaps start to understand how this contributes to flavor. A photograph of two freshly prepared jars of Kombucha on the counter.

For now, my two experiments are sitting on my counter. I am looking forward to next week as a friend messaged me while I was writing this post that she has a Kombucha SCOBY ready for me and invited me by to see how she makes Kombucha.

Digital Responsibility

A Policy Designed to Refocus Learning

At the start of last school year a policy was introduced by the Saskatchewan government, restricting cell phone use in K-12 classrooms. Mick Panko, a principal with Regina Public Schools, in a text exchange, reflects on the policies intended purpose, and its positive impact on school culture. The policy was framed as a balanced and effective solution to managing device use in schools while still providing for exceptions.

The provincial PED policy, as it is applied at Sheldon Williams Collegiate, offers a clear and structured approach to minimizing classroom disruptions while respecting student needs. The progressive discipline model ensures fairness and accountability, with thoughtful provisions for medical and instructional exceptions. Overall, the policy promotes a focused learning environment and encourages responsible device use through constant enforcement and family engagement.

From this perspective, the policy not only reduces classroom disruptions but also supports a learning environment where students can stay focused and engage more meaningfully with their work. Yet while the policy’s benefits for maintaining focus and minimizing disruptions are clear, it also prompts deeper questions about what students may lose when opportunities to guide their digital decision making are removed.

Preparing Students- and Teachers – for a Digital Future

In reflecting back on this move I thought initially of how cell phones impacted my classroom prior to the implemented policy. As I teach grade 5, I find this is a cusp year where students were starting to acquire cell phones. David Chorney, an Education researcher at the University of Alberta, found 54 per cent of grade 5 students have cell phones with many anticipating acquiring a cell phone within the next year. In this survey Chorney surveyed their top reasons for having a cell phone.

And while the ostensible reason for having a cell phone was keeping in contact with their parents, using the phone to take and make calls was not among the top reasons students gave for having a cell phone, which centred on playing games and participating in social media.

Students in grade 5 are forming their identities in relation to their peers and what is socially acceptable. As Grade 5 is a pivotal year, I wonder if restricting use is teaching digital responsibility? A question that has been raised is, are we banning cell phones because we are not willing to equip teachers? Professor Antero Garcia in the podcast below says the reason we are moving towards banning cell phones is because we have not thought about preparing the teaching profession around cell phones and not engaging in these conversations is short-sighted.

Students I found in the classroom who had cell phones often used them to share videos or simple games they had made in coding classes. I could see the value in having cell phones for students to capture their learning and post to their online portfolios. I recall seeing in the classes ahead of mine students create and present multi-media presentations, access QR codes for linked resources, and participate in gamified real-time quizzes, surveys, and discussions. Curtis Norman, a former junior high teacher at our school, and now administrator spoke to the usage of cell phones in schools in an interview from 2017 about the importance of developing responsible digital citizens. In a text exchange Jesse Bradley, Vice Principal at Harbour Landing School, shared, “It has limited, the flexibility of teachers to be able to access the technology. From my perspective, I’d prefer to teach students how to use their devices appropriately rather than banning their use.” Without opportunities to test and practice media literacy and responsible usage in a guided environment, students may miss the opportunity to develop critical thinking and responsible habits needed to navigate an increasingly digital world.

A graphic image of hexagons linking icons, with graphics displaying social media apps, the internet, multimedia, and online communication — Photo by geralt on Pixabay

Investing in Our Youth

Despite being a tool for digital literacy I would be remiss to not also acknowledge that many students struggle with appropriate usage. In a WHO study surveying 280, 000 youth ages 11, 13, and 15 from 44 countries, including Canada, an increase was found in problematic social media use. Implications included lower mental and social well being and increases in substance abuse. I often saw that students who were at risk may also have been those who struggled with appropriate use within the classroom. The studies recommendations were not to ban use, but to help young people develop digital literacy skills, promote healthy online behaviour, and provide support to those at risk.

Children and young people are an essential target group for health promotion because health behaviour learned early creates the basis for behaviour that supports well-being as an adult. The benefits of developing social media and digital gaming habits that are healthy, safe and responsible and that support one’s own and others’ well-being should therefore be emphasized to young people.

Calls to action included investing in education and mental health.

Where to Next, Looking Ahead to a Future Shaped by AI

A photo of four youth, holding hands, jumping into the air. They are facing away from the camera. The sky is blue suggesting a sunny fall day. Their shadows reflect onto the playground. — Photo by manseok_Kim on Pixabay

While I feel that it is important to develop digital literacy in our youth within the classrooms, as a parent, I can also see when my daughter, who is 9, has had too much screen time. Her ability to make positive choices decreases. As a parent I think it is important to encourage play, being creative, reading a book, and dialoguing. As a teacher, I see students playing more and socializing with their peers on recess breaks.

In thinking about this topic, I came across a session AI and The Future of Education at the conference SXSW EDU. Sinead Bovell advocates for redesigning education for AI. Surprisingly Sinead Bovell also advocates for cell phone bans in schools. Technology for technology sake is not the answer.

Critical thinking is absolutely vital in the age of advanced technologies. Kids need to read more, read for the sake of reading, and read in a way that they come back to school or with their parents and discuss those ideas and have those ideas challenged. Kids need to play more in the age of advanced technologies. The future Steve Jobs are not going to come from the corporate cubicle. They are going to come from people who have imagination, that can play freely, experiment and work collaboratively.

I don’t have all the answers. Somedays I think the key is guiding responsible cellphone use, and promoting healthy online behaviour, but voices like Sinead Bovell remind me that fostering creativity, play, and curiosity might matter just as much. Perhaps preparing students for a digital future isn’t the devices at all, but nurturing the imagination and critical thinking they’ll need to shape whatever comes next.

From Curiosity to Culture: Starting a Personal Learning Project

How often do we go where our curiosity invites us?

A close up image of fermentation in a jar of kombucha — Photo by Nennieinszweidrei on Pixabay

I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner and yet sometimes I stall when it comes to taking the initiative, choosing what to explore, engaging with what I am really curious about. Self-directed learning or SDL involves choice, personal relevance, flexibility, motivation, problem-solving and reflection. In the article, Self-Directed Learning and Student-Centred Learning: A Conceptual Comparison Morris, Bremner and Sakata reference SDL as the fundamental competence for a lifelong learner.

More recently, perhaps in accordance with rapidly changing conditions, driven in part by digitisation, COVID-19, and times of conflict, SDL has been highlighted as a fundamental meta-competence for living and working in our increasingly complex and unpredictable world: because it empowers a person to upskill – and be therefore adaptable to change

Why procrastinate then? Perhaps it is because we wonder if taking that initiative is worthwhile. For instance, I am mildly obsessed with Kombucha. Is it worthwhile for me to learn how to make Kombucha when I can purchase Kombucha at the grocery store near my house? Oh! you will save so much money making it yourself. I thought this myself when I taught myself how to sew. I thought if I make my own clothes I will save so much money. In reality I spent a great deal of money purchasing equipment, tools, supplies, and for every item that was wearable I made many other versions that were not. And yet, while others may have done it before or your first attempts might be a disaster, following curiosity is worthwhile.

One of the major components of EC&I831 is a personal learning project that is process based. I find this process based approach fascinating as a learning and teaching strategy and hope to learn more about this learning and teaching strategy through experiencing it. AI for instance, has entered the scene, even in my grade 5 classroom. And where students who just learned how to login to a computer in September, by October can generate and turn in products that exceed the model. In my own teaching practice I am trying to incorporate more triangulation of assessment as traditionally the end product was what we entered into grade book. Process based learning involves goal setting, making connections, planning, research, inquiry, experimentation, risk-taking, problem-solving, adapting, reflecting or metacognition, and documenting the journey.

I included the video linked above because I liked the idea of setting a fixed study time of perhaps 25 minutes a day where you focus on the material. The reasoning the video shared was not that you meet your goal of finishing rather the very act of being interrupted in process keeps interest and motivation.

Initially I struggled with what to choose for my learning project. I wondered if making kombucha would be complex enough. Would it be as simple as brewing a sweet tea, adding in a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), and letting it ferment 1-2 weeks? In my initial searches I realized learning anything can be as simple or complex depending on how in depth or detailed you want to go. For instance, Revolution Fermentation offers a number of topics to learn about kombucha on their site. Digging deeper, I followed a link on their website to a kombucha masterclass and realized my initial concerns of whether kombucha was complex enough could be put to rest.

Where to start? My first initial impulse was to order a SCOBY off of Amazon, and just get started, however after in the spirit of EC&I831 being a course on Social Media & Open Education I put a call out on Facebook to see if any of my friends also make kombucha and may be willing to share a SCOBY, apparently SCOBYS have babies (more on that later)!

I thought of how I could incorporate Social Media into learning about Kombucha. Some of the ideas I had included online tutorials and watching topical videos on Youtube. Further I could read blogs. I could follow links on Pinterest to save recipes and brewing guides. I could perhaps join online communities such as Facebook groups or Reddit communities where enthusiasts share their advice, successes and failures. I could listen to Podcasts where fermentation experts share their research and insights.

What I think will actually be complex will be the process of using social media to inform, to make connections, and to share this process.

Embarking on this personal learning project, this video is inspiring, Danny Gevirtz encourages making what you want to make and sharing your work. At one point in the video he says, “if I listened to my dumb brain, and didn’t share what I wanted to share, we wouldn’t be right here right now.” Learning to make kombucha, sew, knit, edit videos, or play the guitar is worthwhile because the process of doing it, connecting with others, and basically getting out of our heads is worthwhile.

Social Media Starter: From Offline Roots to Online Networks

A graphic of a computer screen with a play button in progress. Speech text bubbles extend from the screen along with graphics of email, the World Wide Web, a communication @ symbol and dollar bill referencing digital marketing, social media and digital communication. — Photo by Ron_Hoekstra on Pixabay

Social media, has expanded over the last few decades, fermenting slowly at first, then growing and evolving into a global network impacting how we share, learn, and connect.

Growing up, my great uncle gifted us a computer. At the risk of aging myself, I will say that to operate this computer you needed to enter simple code. While it was initially exciting, I easily lost interest watching my eldest brother enter DOS com mands. Later, we would have dial up internet and between navigating when one could use the computer and the slow connection I rarely used a computer until university. As friendships developed, I experimented with Messenger, but often found online communication challenging. Even to this day, with the ease of apps like WhatsApp,TikTok and Snapchat to message I sometimes find it challenging to keep in touch with friends and family online, and probably have faded into obscurity. Initially, social media was not woven into my daily life, a computer or cell phone was useful, but not necessary, and most of my life and connections were still built offline.

Eventually as social media grew, my consumption also grew. Over time many of the platforms I accessed increasingly became monetized, driven by influencers and often saturated with divisive and polarized viewpoints. I often feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and anxious after accessing social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), AppleNews Top Stories as a distraction or without intention. I recognize that much of the time when I do access social media it is also when I am already taxed from day-to-day interactions. Doomscrolling, highlight reels, algorithms that amplify, notifications, likes, followers, and toxic comments can lead to information and emotional overload.

I’ve had phases of purposeful social media use that by contrast remind me that it is empowering to create, share and connect. When I worked in arts and culture, I was expected to use Twitter and LinkedIn to build identity and community. I contributed content and connected with others professionally online in my role at the arts and heritage centre. I was actively involved in a national network of art gallery educators that shared strategies, exchanged ideas, and collaborated online.

In my teaching career by contrast, I’ve rarely stepped into professional conversations online, partly because I’ve always felt cautious about what should or shouldn’t be shared about teaching in public spaces. I am excited about this course and diving into social medias place in education. I want to approach using social media with intention to cultivate meaningful connections. I would like to grow my ability to use social media as a tool for learning, teaching and networking.