Journal #1
Hello everyone, my name is Ella and I'm from Hawkesbury, Ontario. I'm in my second year of the secondary education program.
I definitely resonated more with the first video. What particularly resonated with me was when the students calculated the hours they spent doing things and it came out to be more than 24 hours. I think doing my practicum has only added to this problem for me. There is not enough time in the day to do all the things that I need or want to do. Since taking on the extra load of lesson planning and creating content for my classes, I find that I'm tired all the time, which makes it difficult to focus and learn. In addition, I'm also guilty of buying textbooks I will never read. I also attend my classes but, I typically surf the net; usually, I check out rates for flights to various other countries. In many ways the system does feel outdated. What worked in the past is not enough to keep me engaged in the material anymore.
Our group agreed on most things. We discussed the Zombie article most in depth. We felt the the zombie article had some "hot takes," on certain matters in education. I and the rest of the group found that it was hard to believe that large class sizes are better than smaller ones. I took the stance that small class sizes are important to help the teacher. I don't think teachers should be punished/ made out to be a bad teacher, if they cannot manage a large class. I think with all the tools students have these days to misbehave with, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to manage a class. If reducing class sizes makes it easier for the teacher, then it should be done. The provinces are already struggling with teacher shortages and most qualified teachers do not make it more than a few years in the profession because of burnout, so we should be doing everything to try and solve those problems. If teachers are saying that they need smaller class sizes, we should trust them.
Journal #2
Hello everyone!
Last week we talked a lot about the Tech with Heart book. We talked a lot about a "flipped classroom". One of my group members suggested that a flipped classroom would not work so well for elementary/middle school students. I think it would be difficult to establish a flipped classroom with younger students because they don't have the foundation that older students have. It's difficult to have discussions and complete work when you don't have a great understanding of the tools available to you. For example, a student in grade 3, will not know how to properly synthesize information available to them on the internet or in textbook materials. A flipped classroom might work in an English class, but in history, science, or math course it would not function well at the elementary level. However, in a high school, a flipped classroom I (and the rest of my group) thought that it could work exceptionally well if established correctly. At this point, students should have the foundation and knowledge of the resources they can use so, a flipped classroom would make sense.
I thought it was interesting to read how the flipped classroom was established in the author's math class. When I first read that a flipped classroom was established in her math class, I thought "I don't think that it will work very well," but after reading what she accomplished, I think "flipped classrooms" could really make a difference in students' lives. The ability to stop, pause, and speed up the lecture video is something that I would have benefitted from when I was in high school. It takes away the stress from students. They no longer feel like they must understand a concept or equation in 45 min. Instead, they can take as much time as they want. Returning to the classroom to discuss, rather than listen to, a lecture is also something I know I would have benefitted from. I often felt that if I had someone to just discuss topics with, I would have understood a lot more. Of course, a flipped classroom may not work for every student or class. However, it is something I will be exploring more with my future classes and deciding what works and what does not.
We also talked a little bit about the "hitchhiker" and "couch potato". I think we've all encountered these people in our academics, but what I didn't really understand or agree with, was that we should communicate with our professors as soon as we see signs of these behaviours. I agree to a certain extent, but I feel like profs are not always the most approachable given these situations. The outcome is always the same for me- you always end up doing somebody's job. It happened to me for one assignment and the prof just said the "hitchhiker" will do the project on his own, and the rest of the group can finish the project. It punished everyone, not just the hitchhiker. At the same time, we are conditioned to ignore the signs and behaviour. If we don't see the reward of calling out a hitchhiker, we never will.
My group didn’t discuss as much about the two videos we watched. I think it’s a complex issue. I liked the Dove video, but I understand that Dove has contributed to a lot of issues that they are not attempting to solve. Overall, it’s important to understand a company and its values entirely.
Hopefully, everyone has a wonderful week.
Journal #3
Our group discussion went very well. It was interesting this time to have someone from our group ask us questions. It was very refreshing and honestly more reflective of what our group would normally talk about. Everybody in our group had a different opinion on matters, especially when asked if we would use digital communication with our students. I had very mixed feelings about using digital communications with my class. I can see myself using a google classroom or something similar, but not necessarily a backroom or something. Having various digital communications for the class could become confusing for students. So, I only see myself using one digital platform to communicate with students. Overall, our group had a good discussion.
I personally never really thought of myself as a blogger. I just don’t enjoy it. The Malloy text really emphasized the importance of teachers having a blog and various other types of online communications but there is way too much. It came off to me as saying you need to have this, this, and this, otherwise you aren’t a good teacher. I’m only in my second year of the education program and I think I’m drowning in the number of tools and the pressure to use all of them. For example, the Malloy text says that teachers could/should have a blog that parents can have access to communicate with the teacher and see what is happening in the class. Communication is important with parents, but what is wrong with just a weekly email and individual emails if needed?
However, I did like the idea of using Google Sites and Wikis for student-to-student and student-to- teacher collaboration. I think it’s a fantastic way for teachers and students to work together to build an online resource for the class. It quickly becomes a tool for students to use to have their answers to questions and it can be a way they contribute to the class by adding information. Especially coming from the social sciences, you can spend a lot of time researching; having that google site could be a quick way for students to find information for essays.
I thought that the search activity was very cool. It was interesting to see that google gives you the response you want to hear. I can see myself showing students this activity. However, the activity also reminded me of the videos. Google giving us the responses we want to hear, makes me think of the filter bubbles and how it will only show us what we are most likely to click on. This is one cause for “fake news” we consume. Fake news is a severe problem, and the filter bubbles don’t seem to be helping this situation. If filter bubbles only show us one side or one outlet, then it is more likely we will never learn the truth. For example, in the Ted Talk video, the speaker was prevented from seeing links his conservative friends posted on social media due to the filter bubble. People should always be allowed to see the different opinions on the internet. Overall, filter bubbles seem toxic to society.
Journal #4
Hello everyone!
Our last group meeting went very well and it was engaging. We talked a lot more about a flipped classroom and how that might work in our own classroom.
We were first asked what grade level (s) a flipped classroom would be best used. Our group agreed that a flipped classroom would be more effective or better used in older grades. It would be very difficult to ask a 7 year old to go home and listen to a video on addition for 45 minutes. A flipped classroom requires some self-discipline, which most elementary students do not have. At the same time, it was suggested that even at the high school level, a flipped classroom is not something that can just be used on the first day. A flipped classroom will have to be slowly developed in high school. We can't just simply establish a new way of learning. It will take time.
We were then asked if we as future teachers would use a flipped classroom. This is where we had some division. Most of my group members said that they would not use a flipped classroom. I personally have some mixed feelings about a flipped classroom. I think it is something that new teachers should not use. A flipped classroom seems like a design for more experienced teachers. Although, I don't envision myself using a flipped classroom model in my first couple of years teaching, I might use it further down the road.
My group talked about the Maloy textbook. More specifically we discussed the issue of paper or digital materials. Everyone saw the value in both forms of learning. Our primary concern with going digital was that students learn better when they can physically highlight and write notes. They are more likely to remember material. However, we also understood that not every student wants to a bunch of different sheets and such. Our future students may actually prefer digital copies of readings and other handouts. Therefore, we concluded that it might be best to give students the option to choose.
Lastly, we also talked about how to build strong teacher- student relationships. We think that it is important to build trust. It is important to let students know that you are always there for them. Teachers should show that they are interested in what their students are interested in and find a common one.
I thought the Seesaw activity was difficult. I have never heard of it before and it was a bit of a learning curve.
Journal #5
Hello everyone! I hope everybody enjoyed their reading week.
Two weeks ago there was a little confusion about who was supposed to ask questions, however we quickly got it sorted and we were quickly discussing that week's topics.
We talked a lot about the book creator and what age level we thought would be appropriate. I think a lot of my group members are in elementary education, so coming from secondary education I found it difficult to see how I would use it in my classroom. My top concern was that I think older students might find it too childish. Nonetheless, it was still a fun activity to do in class.
We also talked more generally about how we would use technology in class. Most of us agreed that we would always have technology as an option and would encourage students to use technology appropriate. However, we also saw the importance of learning to write by hand the advantages of taking notes by hand.
We then talked about wikipedia and all agreed that it is important to show students how to use it responsibly and more as a tool to find resources. We figured this would be more important for high school students than elementary students.
Hope everyone is having a good day!
Journal #6
Hello!
Last week we began the class by assessing other peoples websites with a rubric. I really enjoyed the activity, as it was fun to practice using rubrics to assess work. It's not something I was able to do much during my practicum. The rubric was very easy to read and understand. I especially appreciated the way that it was graded, so no category made or brake your assignment.
We then had our regular breakout room where we discussed the readings. We had an interesting conversation about seating. At my high school, flexible seating wasn't really popular among teachers. But since being in practicum I see a lot more teachers with couches and different kinds of chairs for students. It is something I could totally see myself establishing in my own classroom and I think most of my group would agree. We then briefly discussed equity and equality. This is where we had some more conflicting ideas, but nonetheless it was interesting to hear what everyone had to say. Personally I think equity is extremely important in the classroom and that I would always be willing to adapt an assignment/exercise to fit a student's needs.
Lastly, I thought the adobe express lab was pretty cool. It was very simple and easy use. I especially like that we could take out the background of our photos if we wanted. I find adobe can be pretty intimidating, but this was fun.
Hope everyone is having a good week!
Journal #7
Hello Everyone,
Last week we had our group discussion and it was very interesting. We talked a little about our practicum experiences. We were all over the place, with some doing their 3rd practicum, others doing their 2nd, and some didn't have a practicum this term. It was nice that we got to talk about our experiences and know what to expect for the 3rd practicum. We discussing content around coding. Were asked if we have ever taken a coding class before and most people said no. Some people then questioned the suitability of coding at the elementary level. I took coding in grade 9 and it was really fun, but I can see how it might be more complicated with the younger grades, as some group members pointed out. Overall it was a great conversation.
We then got to practice some coding. Having done some coding before I was flying through until I got to level 6. It was a bit difficult, but thankfully group members were there to help. After that it was fairly easy again. I really liked the set up of the activities and how it was Elsa themed. It seems like a good way for elementary students to get engaged in coding. I didn't get a chance to look at the rest of the site, but I'm curious if they have similar activities but more high school themed. For example instead of Elsa, perhaps a different character from a show or movie that teenager would be more interested in. I really enjoyed that activity and if I ever teacher computers/technology I could definitely see myself using that program in the future.
Journal #8
Hello everyone!
Last week we did not do a lab activity and instead we were given time to work on our group projects. My group was missing one of our group members, but we were still able to lay out a lot of work and decide on what we were going to be doing. I'm really looking forward to seeing our end product.
We also spent quite a bit of time on group discussion. One really interesting question we were asked was, "would you use podcasts in your classroom?" I think we all agreed that we would. One group member brought up that it would be a great alternative to a in-class presentation. Instead of having the student stand up and give a presentation, the student could simply play their podcast. We all agreed that it would remove a lot of anxiety for students who hate public speaking. It might also be a good way to change things up slightly in the classroom. For example, instead of having students do a reading they could listen to a podcast instead. Especially in today's day in age there are all sorts of podcasts on various topics.
We were asked next if we thought the use of powerpoint increased or decreased class attendance. Most of us said that it doesn't really change anything. The use of a powerpoint doesn't make students not want to go, nor does it makes students want to go. However, we did feel that if the powerpoint is just bullet points, you really need to pay attention to the class. Personally the only time I don't like powerpoints is in certain education classes. At times, it feels like I learn more when we get to have conversations.
We then talked about gender in the tech field and at schools. It is clear that men dominate the tech field and it was really inspiring to read about some of the women who do work in the tech field. However, a really good connection was made with Shark Tank. Shark Tank is always 3 men and 1 woman, which makes it seem like they are only putting her there so nobody can say that they aren't inclusive or something. In schools, it's always "can I have some strong boys to help me." Girls are perfectly capable of putting stacks of chairs away, lifting the gym mats, and doing any other heavy lifting or moving. Yet, its always the boys that asked to do these types of tasks. It's this type of behaviour and statements that discourage girls from working in certain fields or doing certain things. It's a shame. Hopefully in the near future these attitudes will change.
Hope everyone is having a good week!
Journal #9
Hello everyone,
This week I got to be the leader and it was quite fun. My first question was, how do you decide what to teach? Everyone said that they follow the curriculum and don't really stray to far from what the curriculum asks. It was interesting to hear what other people do to decide what they teach. I think with history it's difficult to pick what is important and what isn't, so it was an interesting question for me to ask.
We then talked about standardized and high-risk testing. My group was a little more divided on this question. Some people supported it completely, others were in the middle, and some were somewhat against it. I think one of my group members made a really good point; what's the difference between someone who got 46% and someone who got 55%? Standardized and high-risk tests don't really differentiate from the people who barely failed ( possibly implying they won't graduate high school or get into college) and the person who barely passed (they will graduate high school and possibly get into college). The system just seems unfair to me under these testing systems.
I then asked where people thought they were on the Rogers innovation curve. Everyone, but one said that they would be skeptical/cautious. The worry for some was about big corporations just looking for your money rather than actually attempting to improve student learning. I think this goes to show that you should throughly research products and companies before purchasing material from them.
We also briefly talked about your left and right hemisphere and how that played a role in your teaching. My last question was if they would use digital storytelling/journalism in their classroom. Everyone agreed that letting students out into the community would depend on the location of the school. You might let students out in a small rural community, but not in a big city. That's when another great idea was made. It would be really cool to have students interview people in a retirement home. Both parties might really enjoy that activity.
For our last lab, we did a video about ourselves. Using Adobe express to create a video might be what I do in the future. It was really simple and easy to use with all the templates available. I think using Adobe Express has been my favourite site so far.
Hope everyone is having a good week!