Earth in Focus

For this week, we started class with a guest speaker from the technology department of SD61. She shared the current standards for technology and AI use in SD61, and what some of the best resources teachers in the district are using currently. She also went in to detail about how teachers and students can access these resources for free, and how student-teachers are able to access it when they are at a school placement. I found this presentation very helpful as a future teacher, especially since it was connected to one of the local districts that I may be doing my practicum in or potentially having a full time job there in the future.

After the presentation, the other education cohort joined our class for Mike’s lesson that went further into detail about different teaching resources online. I found this super interesting and helpful. I especially liked hearing about the website Live It as all of the articles and videos on this website can be provided in English or French. I am considering going into French Immersion teaching, so learning about a reliable resource that I could use in any future class, French or English was very helpful. I found the content given in the website’s articles and videos informational and an appropriate level for elementary students to understand. I found it amazing that the articles could also provide more or less detailed information based on the general level of the reader. I feel this is a great universal resource for students and teachers!

On the tour at Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry, I learned a lot about this unique model of learning. First, we had a brief presentation from the principal, Jeff, where he told us about how he founded the school and and the purpose behind creating PSII. Accompanying Jeff and our class for the tour, we had a grade 12 student from PSII walk with us to share her experience and answer questions. I thought it was very interesting to hear about both perspectives of learning at PSII, a teacher’s view and student’s. We learned about the general formatting of the school, looking at a few examples of what a schedule could look like, as well as seeing the amenities offered there. I found it inspiring how the teachers were willing to support students in any subject that they wanted, giving them the space and the resources to succeed. I really appreciated the close relationships the teachers and students had, this can truly help students with their learning and goals in life.

I was a bit skeptical about some aspects of the setup of PSII that differed from a public high school system. If students mainly focused on their personal inquiry, I feel they would lack some fundamental skills learned in different areas of study. Jeff did mention that they try to balance learning to ensure each student touched on each aspect of the curriculum, but it seems like students would still lack the more in-depth understanding for the broad range of knowledge. I also believe that there are valuable lessons in learning areas that may not interest you, I feel it builds perseverance. One of the things Jeff mentioned is how he hopes this format of learning expands to public schools, but I think that would take away from the close student-teacher relationships that allow this format to thrive. Expanding would also allow students with all different types of learning needs experience this format, which I don’t feel would work as well as people hope. Many students strive with a firm schedule and others would try to do as minimal work as possible. I’m not certain how this system would work for a student who is resisting learning and doing work, right now it only seems there are students that want to be there attending PSII, so I’m not sure how a flexible schedule and school requirements do with a different type of learner.

In week 3 of EDCI 336, we discussed the uses of AI in schools. At the beginning of the class, we had the guest speaker, Darcy Mcnee, present the topic of how technology fits into the elementary education curriculum and provided current resource examples that are being used. Darcy emphasized the importance of incorporating privacy strategies to protect the teacher and students when using technology. It is frightening to realize the access people have to information through the internet, so it is important to implement protective barriers to prevent personal information or pictures of yourself and students being used. As a teacher, a good way to ensure privacy when communicating and sharing photos with parents that Darcy shared was making a class Brightspace channel. Using this resource, teachers can update parents on class plans and details, share assignment details and deadlines, share links and photos, current grades can be seen for specific assignments and overall grades, and parents can reach out to ask questions. I feel this resource would be extremely useful for a class, as the information shared on Brightspace is restricted to the users on the channel, which is determined by invite only. Another idea Darcy shared for using technology in the classroom is using a green screen. This creative idea allows students to be more immersed in their learning. The green screen can help students visualize what they are learning about by putting themselves into the specific scenarios. I found Darcy’s presentation and ideas very interesting, and it brought up new ideas for classroom resources that I have never considered before.

After the presentation, Mike discussed the uses and implications of AI in the classroom. I feel AI can be a dangerous tool for learners when given the opportunity to use it freely. There are certainly helpful uses that AI can provide, but there is a fine line before the use of AI overpowers learning. AI is a resource that does not seem like it will be going anywhere, therefore it is essential that students are taught how to use it properly, to keep users safe and ensure it isn’t taking away from students’ opportunities to think critically and problem solve.

Week 1- Introduction to technology for teachers

In the first class, I found it very helpful to discuss a variety of ways to use technology in the classroom. Many of the tools discussed were new to me. Learning about the reasons behind using technology and what to use for depending on the purpose was insightful for my future in teaching. It was especially useful when we discussed online safety, providing different strategies to prevent getting hacked and having information stolen. It was eye-opening to hear about the simple ways for people to access personal details. This is a highly relevant issue in today’s world, so teaching students how to protect their digital footprint is essential. Teaching and technology are certainly interrelated, so it is very informative as a future teacher to learn about different communication methods, new learning strategies, and safe-use.

Week 2- Exploration of the Open Inquiry and setting up our blogs

Creating my blog and exploring different options for my blog focus was fascinating. Making a proper website and using OpenETC WordPress was a new experience for me, setting up my site and figuring out all the tools was a process. Once I figured out the basic functions, I found it was fairly straightforward. Choosing my focus was fun, I had so many ideas for possible pathways. I chose photography in the end because it aligns with a variety of my interests. This exploration will allow me to adventure local areas and learn more about the fundamentals of photography. I have always enjoyed taking pictures, but have never learned about the proper strategies to take aesthetically pleasing photos. I find that there is also so much overlap with photography and technology that can connect to this class and help me in my future classroom.