This semester has completely reshaped the way I view technology’s role in education. Coming into this course, I had a basic understanding of digital tools, but I hadn’t fully grasped how deeply technology impacts every aspect of our students’ lives. Technology shapes everything from how we connect and communicate, to how we learn and view the world. Throughout the semester, I explored key concepts like digital literacy, citizenship, identity, and the evolving culture of participation online. These topics opened my eyes to the responsibilities educators have in helping students become critical thinkers, responsible digital citizens, and ethical users of technology. Video and Transcript of Summary of Learning Transcript: The first…
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Final Networked Learning
This semester, one of the main ways I contributed to the learning of others was through engaging with my peers’ blog posts and sharing helpful resources I found online. Whenever someone mentioned a challenge they were facing or a topic they were exploring, I tried to offer support by linking articles, tutorials, or videos that I had come across during my own learning journey. It felt meaningful to be able to pass along tools that had helped me and see them spark ideas or offer guidance to others. Sharing resources became a way for me to participate in our learning community and support collaborative growth, even as we all explored…
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Final Reflections on my Crochet Learning Project
I can’t believe the semester is already over! It seems like just yesterday, I was trying to figure out where to begin this project. When I chose to learn crochet, I knew I wanted to challenge myself to learn something creative, hands-on, and completely new to me. What I didn’t expect was how much I would come to love the process of crocheting, and the sense of accomplishment I’d feel with each small finished piece. This project became more than just a newly acquired skill; it became a space for growth and patience! As I wrap up my learning project for the semester, I’m excited to reflect on where I…
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Exploring Magic School AI
From asking Siri for the weather to using Snapchat filters, AI is already a part of our everyday lives… So why not use it to enhance learning in the classroom too? It’s no doubt that AI has changed the ways we learn. By now, I think most educators are aware of ChatGPT, a form of generative AI that can do anything from entertainment to practical purposes. AI tools can save educators time and create more engaging, adaptive learning experiences. The Magic of AI To further explore how AI might be integrated into the classroom, I decided to check out Magic School AI; a free resource for teachers and students. I was…
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Teaching Coding with Minecraft!
This week we learned about the benefits of learning coding! Essentially, coding is how we communicate with computers to tell them what to do. More so, coding is something that can be seen in our everyday lives. As this article about coding points out, coding is used in everything from cellphones, to developing apps and streaming services like Netflix. Given what we know now about the prevalence of the digital world, it would make sense that we would introduce the world of coding to our students! Learning with Minecraft I decided to try my hand at coding using the Hour of Code website. Here, you can select various activities for…
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Learning to Read Crochet Diagrams on TikTok
After finally getting the hang of reading written crochet patterns, I decided to tackle something new; crochet diagrams! I’d seen them before, but I was always intimidated by the cluster of symbols that made no sense. So, I did some digging and found a really helpful guide on how to read a crochet diagram. This article breaks down how to read crochet charts step by step. Unlike written patterns, which spell everything out with abbreviations, diagrams use symbols to represent stitches. At first, it was a little overwhelming, but once I started to recognize the different symbols, it actually made a lot of sense! To help things click, I followed…
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Learning to Read Crochet Patterns
A few weeks back, I attempted to learn to crochet my bucket hat by reading this pattern I found online. I found it to be a little frustrating and confusing. However, I thought I would try it again since it will be useful for future projects. I realized that the abbreviations would be handy as I tried my second attempt at a cotton bucket hat. Since I was exploring with adjusting the size of my hat, I needed to write down what I was doing as I went along. My reasons being: I wanted to keep track of my rows and stitches. I might want to make this hat again…
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Yarn Tension and Crocheting
So, last learning project post I was attempting to use cotton yarn for the first time, and exploring adjusting the size of the hat. As I continued with my bucket hat, I quickly realized that my stitches were too tight, leading to a misshapen piece that was waaay too small for me or my partner’s head… oops! (see failed attempt on the right) Determined to improve, I delved into the world of yarn tension, a fundamental aspect of crocheting that I’m still learning to perfect. Yarn tension refers to how tightly or loosely you hold your yarn while working, directly impacting the size and appearance of your stitches. Achieving consistent…
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Connecting Digital Literacy to the Curriculum
In today’s digital world, information is more accessible than ever, but not everything we read online is true. Where do you get your news from these days? I’d probably guess you read about the news from online sources. What about when you’re doing research for a school project? Again, most people are likely scouring the internet for relevant information. With the rise of social media in our society, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. To help students distinguish between facts and misinformation, we need to improve how we teach digital literacy. More so, we need to help our students understand why fake news exists, and how it…
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Digital Identity: Should Our Digital Footprints Define Us?
This week in class we discussed topics such as digital identity, cyber-vigilantism, cyber-shaming, and digital footprints. We have seen examples of this type of public shaming throughout history. For instance, in this TED Talk, Monica Lewinsky discusses how the rise of the digital age made her one of the first high-profile victims of cyberbullying. In the video, Lewinsky goes on to explain how years of online shaming, humiliation, and harassment ruined her reputation and nearly took her life. Going Viral & Sharing Without Consent Today, our students face the reality of cyberbullying in digital landscapes. This can include harassment on social media or sharing images of classmates without consent. We…
