Rebecca Bathurst-Hunt gave a really great and inspiring presentation about how inquiry can be used in an elementary school. I really liked how she opened the floor to her students and encouraged them to think about their “wonderings.”

She talked about using Ada Twist books, such as “Ada Twist Scientist” by Andrew Beaty, to spark curiosity of children and introduce them to inquiry concepts. She talked about how it is important to provide the right environment for children to ask questions as not all kids have their questions ready right away. An important takeaway I had was the idea that one of the most powerful shifts you can do in adopting inquiry into your practice is to begin learning with questions. It shifts the power! For example, “What are shapes? Can you point out any shapes?” Etc. Inquiry CAN be teacher driven for younger students. It can start out structured and the teacher can gradually release responsibility depending on the situation and the learners.

Her classroom was such a warm and vibrant environment, and really made me feel like the students had a myriad of opportunities to explore in their learning and use their imaginations. As well, Rebecca talked about various ways to honour the children’s questions. Some examples are using a Wonder wall, which ensures all voices are heard, using a Curiosity jar, Wonder journals, clipboards, and iPads  or different modes of technology to express their inquiries and explore in their learning.

• We discussed how Power Point is an easy tool to use to make graphics, and not just for presentations (can do lots of interesting things with simple software
• Vectors are fun to draw with because can make as big or small as your like and still clear and crisp, whereas Photo shop resolution is not as good
• Freeware is open source software can get but asks you to pay after a certain point
• It was really interesting to see interactive slides on PowerPoint and think about how you can present information in a more engaging way, like covering up the text and then deleting the shapes as you go over the information
• pixlr.com and vector.com are great graphic creation tools online
• Some other neat apps are: Apps Galore (Freeware app-some free then pay), Prisma, Mirror Lab, 8 Bit Photo, Comica
• Inpiration and tools from Bryan Mathers (bryanmathers.com)- The Fabulous Remixer Machine

Jesse Miller came and shared his Mediated Reality presentation with the class today and it was incredibly fascinating and educational!

It was really interesting hearing about the various byproducts of the things we do online, like how the information from responding to a CAPTCHA will be used to help AI collect information for self-driving cars, or the various advertising uses of our social media posts and images, to name a few.

Through discussing “Bait-Click” headlines in regards to technology use, such as “Why social media is not smart for middle school kids” and “a philosophy professor argues kids should use more technology, not less” we were reminded of the importance of checking the studies behind these articles to get full and accurate information. For example, in the second headline above, the professor was discussing the various ways families could use technology to build connections with one another, not that children should play video games 8 hours a day.

Talking about the shifting societal changes and behaviours and how to navigate certain tricky situations was really interesting (and anxiety-inducing) as well. There are so many challenges around the appropriate boundaries concerning social media use inside and outside of the classroom. A good point was that if the classroom is an engaging place to be, there will be less issues with cell phone use most likely. One’s private life is not really private and it is important to keep in mind one’s role as an educator in all aspect of their life. As well, making sure you have all your bases covered and are keeping in mind the policies and expectations of yourself in your role as an educator at all levels is crucial so that the public, parents, staff, and students are all happy.

Also important, is respecting children who have interests in technology-related activities outside of the  classroom. We talked about how society has changed so that now gaming is a huge culture, E Sports is a way children can be involved in teamwork and critical thinking and can lead to future careers and monetary rewards. A child’s wish to be a You-tuber is not just a fanciful dream, but a real possibility. Educators need to think about their preconceived notions surrounding technology and acknowledge the pitfalls and take precautions, but also think about all the beneficial and relevant ways children are using technology today and how we can be a part of this dialogue.

A quote from Jesse’s slides that I will leave you with:

“We shape our tools and thereafter, our tools shape us.” – John Culkin

  I really enjoyed trying out iMovie today and learning about some of the little tweaks you can do to make your movie more interesting. I had never used it before, and it was a fun, easy introduction into the world of home movie making. I especially enjoyed using the green screen and searching through the audio options. 

  I took part in the climate strike walkout at 11am on September 27th, and made sure to take lots of pictures from the event. It was unbelievable! The energy in the air was crazy; there was such a feeling of hope and resilience. It was really powerful to see all the signs, and ways people were coming together to fight for the future of our planet. Below is a short video slide of pictures I took from the event.

It was interesting seeing how sites like Bitly can allow people to plug a link in and create polls and share information with others without  needing to make accounts or worrying about FIPPA regulations. Also seeing Google Docs being shared without us needing to sign into our accounts was eye-opening, as I did not even know that was an option!

I found it extremely helpful talking about Copyright, and clearing up some areas of confusion. For example, I am glad to be more familiar with Creative Commons now and know what to look out for when I am researching resources. Going over which sites are commonly used by educators and how they are used was also useful.

opensource.com from user opensourceway on Flickr.

Some of the open ed resources we discussed:

• OER commons (great for finding U.S. teaching open ed resources)
• Siyavula (for math and science learning)
• Curriki (for K-12 Education)
• PhET (for simulations)
• Archive.org  (library resource)

The assigned video, Most Likely to Succeed, was incredibly inspiring, and invoked some passionate conversations in class. I really enjoyed the concept of teaching children relevant skills for the modern world. Like many of us know, a degree does not equal a career when we graduate these days, and the competencies required in the workplace do not always match up with one’s education.

I think the conversation around education that goes into depth versus breadth is so interesting, as it seems more beneficial to gain concrete skills that are relevant even if you then do not cover as much material, and yet I can understand the fear that surrounds the unknown. It will be interesting to see how education changes in the coming years, and the innovative strategies that are used to keep up with our technologically advancing world. This video left me feeling energized in regards to all the possibilities there are for future educators, but also overwhelmed at the ever-changing expectations placed upon educators to help prepare the next generation of learners to enter the workforce.