EDTC 300 Blogs

       This learning project was an incredible opportunity to explore my creativity . It was also an outlet-- a way to express myself and my thoughts. It was an honor to spend some time each week rediscovering my passion for creative writing. Some people aren't so fortunate to find fulfillment in something they've learned to do. For me, writing poetry was more than a learning project, it was an extension of my taking care of myself. I think what stands out from other hobbies and interests I've pursued before is tech integration. For these 13 weeks, I used tech and digital resources to support my learning journey.       Researching different poetry forms was not a hard task. Thanks to Savannah Jackson at Jericho Writers , I was able to collect a list of forms to explore. Although the selection for each week was picked randomly, I never minded any of them. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the ones I was unfamiliar with. Some poetry forms were just interesting and challe

 I can't believe that it's the end of the ride. It's been an amazing 13 weeks with everyone in EDTC 300. I'm so grateful for the memories I made and the lessons I learned. I couldn't have done it without you! Here's my summary of learning: https://youtu.be/0pX5KVYOXWU For the past thirteen weeks, I’ve been preparing and equipping myself with invaluable knowledge of digital literacy and of tools and resources to carry forward into my teaching. At the beginning of this semester, technology was an area that intimidated me. It is constantly changing, and as teachers, we will be challenged to adapt to the world around us and to the students who will later succeed us. That’s why I felt strongly inclined to learn about integrating technology in education, but there are so much more that I did not expect to learn. Whether it be coding, trying a new resource, or discussing sensitive topics, I felt myself being pushed out of my comfort zone into this intimidating space. A

       My cooperating partner this fall put me on this new AI tool for educators called Eduaide . Before using this tool, I was familiar with Chatgpt. The difference between them is that Eduaide is shaped particularly for education and planning instructional materials while Chatgpt might not cover the perspective of education as effectively.       This AI tool is beneficial for educators who need ideas and new strategies to use for instruction and the classroom. Eduaide has over 100 different resource types to explore, and I've yet to explore myself. I've used the lesson seed before, and it works really well! Eduaide  A lesson seed Eduaide gave me recently. There's more to it, but that's all you get from me. Eduaide covers planning, information objects, independent practice, cooperative learning, gamification, and questions that teachers may need. This AI tool can assist with lesson and unit plans, assessment measures, engagement activities, and rubrics. Basically, what

       My University of Regina transcript says that I'm on a fantastic journey to teaching middle years, which is around grades 6-9. This week's blog prompt poses an interesting concept for me: how do you teach digital literacy effectively so that students are able to recognize misinformation? I thought about the importance of digital literacy especially in middle years. I witnessed this fall how much tech or research is integrated into lessons. In fact, I was going to teach grade 7 and 8 students about government systems of various countries where they would group up and research specific information. I was advised not to allow students to fend for themselves and enter all these stranger sites through Google. Instead, I should direct students to Britannica School which is accessible through Clever. At the time, I agreed that students should stick to this trusted database to limit the possibility of them finding the wrong stuff.  However, exposure to the "wrong stuff"

     I did not know that Scratch was something that my younger brothers had worked with in school. They saw me coding (or attempting to) away on my 80-year-old Macbook and harangued me the entire time. I wondered, "What is the deal? Why is this something I had to do? Why is coding something THEY had to do?" As I persevered through the complexities of a seemingly simple coding program, I realized a couple things. 1. Trial and Error     You make many mistakes before you can see the fruits of your labor. I cannot count how many times my Sprite disappeared on me every time I fiddled with the backdrop and how long I spent trying to get it back before I had to completely reset everything. Thankfully, my brothers gave me tips and helped me to better understand coding.  Benefit : teach students that making mistakes is normal and there's nothing wrong with it; it's part of the natural process of creating something from something you've never used before. 2. Keep Going!   

The lights are set up, and so are the Christmas decorations. I figured, "Why not write a poem for my favorite holiday?"  It worked out very well that my poetry form for this week is the " occasional ." Occasional Poetry      You can definitely guess what this particular poetry style entails. Poets.org  states, " An occasional poem is a poem written to document or provide commentary on an event. It is often intended to be read or performed publicly." (2023, n.p.). I remember analyzing one of these in my AP English class in grade 10. It was Alfred Lord Tennyson's " The Charge of the Light Brigade ." There are no specific guidelines for this poetry form other than marking an event. Why the festive mood?      I was talking to my mom recently about how I wished we could visit the Philippines now. See, we went home last summer, and it rained a lot. The ideal season to visit is during winter, especially around Christmas. They celebrate the holidays