Samantha's EdTech Blog

Learning about Teaching and Technology

Origami Reflection

My mind is boggled with how many ideas there are for how to do origami, and the lengths people take it to be creative and thoughtful in making their beautiful creations. Origami is so satisfying. I’m only at a beginner level, but even making something like a little box or a tree was fun and cool to see come to life.

I have learned a few things from this inquiry project, with one being that it is challenging to be a beginner at something!It is hard for me not to be discouraged sometimes when I am struggling with a fairly simple creation and it still does not turn out how I want it. Really taking the time to enjoy the process, putting some music on, and just playing was helpful in making it more enjoyable. It’s all about practice!

To keep motivated, I have recruited a friend to have a holiday origami crafting afternoon with me so we can try out some more challenging creations and I can get help with instructions if it gets tricky! I think the extra brain and hands will be helpful for me so I stay motivated! I also will be doing origami in out of school care and trying to build my repertoire as well as teaching a couple of my favourites.

Origami Creation 10: Christmas Tree

Fold top 3 points of diamond to bottom point.

Fold right side into centre line and unfold.

Using the new crease, open the flap and press down. Do this 3 more times all around the origami.

Fold the bottom at the crease. Then open up and just fold the long coloured parts under.

Arrange the tree how you like!

Ed Tech Inquiry: FreshGrade


I did my Ed Tech Inquiry project on FreshGrade and how to incorporate it into the classroom with Mitra and Jessica. I really enjoyed learning about FreshGrade and FreshGrade Next and getting a good understanding of how it can be used effectively to help students on their learning journey. As well, it was exciting to see and hear about some of the benefits in regards to communication between teachers, students, and parents.  I have included the link to the FreshGrade presentation below:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tbyMq6tqAPZlaw3cpAMmsJFIjcY5NEESMi27867WMyI

November 29th Class Reflection: Virtual Reality

(Using Google Maps with the VR equipment)

 

The virtual reality experience was so fun! I had done it once before, and it was such a great experience. I got to experience a roller coaster this time, and it felt so real. It was amazing seeing other people try out the Google Maps option and check out places they had lived or wanted to visit. It would be incredible to see kids use this kind of technology! Someone tried doing sculpting as well, which was cool to check out but a big learning curve for only a couple minutes of playing around.

I loved taking part in the HP Reveal: Augmented Reality activity! It was so fun and I love the idea of getting kids to use it for adding their voice and explaining some work they did and then getting parents or peers to use the HP Reveal app and hearing the kids speak. What a neat idea! I am really excited to keep exploring augmented reality and looking for more ideas and opportunities on how to use it in the classroom! (Or just for fun!)

(me riding the roller coaster)

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