Interestingly enough, this is not the first time I’ve thought about the state of teaching and schools in the future. Back in 6th grade, I wrote a short story for my Language Arts dystopia/sci-fi unit. Set in the 51st century, Final Breath (quite dramatic, Tess in 2014) featured a scene where the main character, Diamond Pentel, was in class. Here’s that scene below:
“Diamond! I said what is the answer to my question! Pay attention. This is 51st century. Not the caveman years of 3000! You could sleep in class without getting caught then, but not now.” She was in her grade 9 class. Her teacher Mr. Mann, Salmon Mann was his full name, was teaching history in room 143.
“Busted!” That was Spruce Wolldon. He sat next to her in Mr. Mann’s class.
“Shut up Spruce!” Now this was a voice that Diamond was pleased to hear. It was her best friend Thyme Costa. Thyme was both kind and understanding. Thyme had been her first friend from before that sad day when her parents died. Thyme’s family had accepted her into their home after her parents died. They had saved her from those brutal orphanages. The Costa’s had claimed that Diamond was their child, and was at the Pentel’s house for tutoring. There were rumors that there were no kids in the orphanages, but the kids had been told that they were going to the orphanage, but were executed when they got there. Diamond suspected that this was true, because Thyme’s cousin Mist was sent to an orphanage, and was never seen or heard of again.
“Well? What is your answer Ms. Pentel. We are waiting.”
“Could you please repeat the question Mr. Mann.”
“Who invented the first iPhone?”
“You mean the ancient phones? Oh, I know this one! Ah… Starfruit Jobs!”
“Steve Jobs, Ms. Pentel. Steve Jobs. Not named after natural resources like us. They still had starfruit back then.”
“Oh! Was starfruit good?”
“How should I know?”
“Weren’t you there to try some? You know, because it’s an old food.” Mr. Mann’s face turned red, his eyes bulged, and Diamond could imagine steam coming out of his ears,
“I’m not THOUSANDS of years old! Ms. Pentel, I will have to tell your mother Mrs. Costa that you have been not paying attention in class! The principal will be waiting for you outside his office after school.” The whole class shuddered, some of the mean kids giggled. Thyme looked sorry for her, and even Spruce looked sincere.
“Now students, back to our history lesson. Please turn to page 103 in your textbook.”
Myself, from the unpublished work of Final Breath
While brief, that imagination of schools 3000 years from now still pictured classrooms with a teacher, a group of students, and even usage of textbooks. I guess beyond the school, this world I created had both an overpopulation issue (that the government apparently saw the answer to being the (alleged) mass execution of children) and a complete absence of natural resources—hence the characters’ names.
Looking a bit closer in the future—30 years, not 3000—my vision of teaching in the future is, as expected, quite different than it was 11 years ago. I do expect there to be more tech integration and usage. I am hopeful that regulations will catch up to some degree, which will hopefully result in technology and social media being a more safe and productive place for young minds. My hope is that the developments in technology will move towards supporting education rather than overriding it. To be honest, I don’t look fondly towards a future of VR classrooms, or online schools, or teacher-less/student-less futures. I look forward to a future that has technology as an augmentation and not a replacement.
Can developments go towards making assistive tech more accessible? What if the realm of open online educational resources expanded until paid resources and textbooks were a thing of the past? Why can’t there be more safe and regulated online spaces for children? Maybe these questions will be answered in 2055. Maybe not. No matter what, I hope to enter the world of teaching with an aim to integrate technology meaningfully in ways that support the classroom and the students within it. From then on, all we can do is see and advocate for the future we want to see.
And on that note comes an end to this portfolio for now. At least for this coursework. Until next time!
And with this post ends the documentation of the inquiry! I specify “documentation,” as the inquiry isn’t ending here. Only the official record of it (for now) on this blog. Who knows, maybe I’ll come back to post here and there! I wanted to take a quick space to just reflect and talk about how this exploration was supported by tech and the format of the assignment.
One other reason I chose this topic (beyond what I said in the first post) was that, for my undergrad thesis, I had actually written a draft of a children’s picture book about old growth forests and the environment. My thesis supervisor and I had played around with the idea of submitting it for publishing, but that task seemed far too daunting. I wanted to use this project to give myself a reason to take the time to explore, and to document what I found. Even if I don’t submit it any time soon, I now have these posts as a bank of information for if or when I do want to enter that sphere.
Regarding tech and reading, the way this inquiry shifted to cover books in general was more driven by passion than anything. I love books, if that wasn’t made abundantly clear by now! Exploring the ways tech, books, and reading all intersect opened more doors into this thing I love; it showed more ways that reading can be made accessible and brought into the classroom. I loved taking the time to explore just some of the many online resources there are. As well, this inquiry gave me a chance to explore some of the topics we had discussed in class (graphic design, screen recording, video making, and Google Slides). Taking these tools to explore something I was passionate about made the practice of tech usage that more fun.
I’m not done with books and the world of publishing. If anything, this project only strengthen those interests. Talking to Michael in our last meeting, he prompted me to look into open access textbooks and other educational texts—something I hadn’t considered at all! Well, as that shows, there’s always more pages and that this may not actually be the end. Or if it is, it’s the back cover of the first book in the series.
In both of my university degrees, I have been lucky enough to live within a 10 minute walk of a public library. As well as books, libraries are record keepers (holding census data, legal documents, and historical records). Libraries also are extremely useful community supports—running programs for all ages. In particular, libraries have supports for newcomers, with English practice sessions and entire sections dedicated to adult English learners.
I hadn’t truly appreciated the importance and range of the library until I read Susan Orlean’s The Library Book, which discussed the instance of the L.A. public library burning down as well as a condensed history of libraries. For this last content-focused inquiry post, I wanted to spend some time exploring the websites of the uVic library (focusing on the guides made by the Education Librarian, Pia Russel) and the Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL)—both its digital category and the library website. This inquiry also let me continue to practice using the QuickTime screen recording tools built into my computer. (Because of their size, both videos are shared using Google Drive) Enjoy!
In this inquiry project, I’ve explored how books get onto shelves. Recently, due to current political climates and my own interest in education and libraries, I’ve been wanting to look deeper at what takes books off of shelves. Where better to explore these resources then in this inquiry post?
American Library Association’s “Banned Books”
I began by simply looking up “banned books.” This brought me to the American Library Association’s “Banned and Challenged Books” page. When exploring this site, I found it interesting seeing all the banned, or challenged, book reports—especially looking at ones that I had read before. I thought that these online records of censorship (reminding that the individual instances part of something larger) is such an important task. From this site, I’ve attached below the ALA’s 2023 report infographic: both the numbers around censorship, as well as the top 10 challenged books of 2023.
Exploring the website, I found it disturbing seeing both the challenged books, as well as their reasonings for challenges. It did feel a little daunting at first, but the ALA gave supports through the data (showing patterns of challenge), as well as providing what they called “Book Resumes”: PDFs that provide summaries, reviews, resources, and accolades of banned and challenged books. Tools like these offer some help to educators and librarians when they receive a challenge for a book they’ve chosen. It makes me think about how I may have to explain and defend my choices in teaching and reading in a classroom. I will definitely keep an eye on this resource as I enter the classroom sphere.
Library and Archives Canada’s “Freedom to Read Week”
Looking to the Canadian context, I wanted to explore the “Freedom to Read” website. Through this degree in the literacy classes, I had heard of this movement before—as well as around book stores and libraries during the week itself. From their website, they state their reasoning for documenting these challenges as: “Freedom to read can never be taken for granted. Even in Canada, a free country by world standards, books and magazines are banned at the border, and schools and libraries are regularly asked to remove books and magazines from their shelves. Few of these stories make headlines, but they affect the right of Canadians to decide for themselves what they choose to read. See our Challenged Works section for the real story on censorship in Canada.”
Similar to the ALA’s website, the “Freedom to Read” site provides an ongoing list of books and other works that have been challenged, or even banned: https://www.freedomtoread.ca/challenged-works/
I hope to continue looking into the movement of the week, and bring it into my own classroom if I can. Being aware of books, challenges to books, and banned content is integral to being fully conscious of what is going on around us. Banning, or challenging, books isn’t just about the act itself of removing a book from a shelf, but it covers the challenging of information, the removal of representation, and the possibility of stifling critical thought. Looking through both of these resources, it made me extremely unnerved to see the amount of books challenged for the reasoning of “LGBTQ+ content.” These bans remove the representation, insinuate these identities are “wrong,” and overall work for suppression. It’s disempowering to think that a parent or board’s challenge of a text I choose to bring into my classroom could make my classroom less of a safe space for all my students. It’s important that all these bans are put together to make the trend of banning or challenging visible; when the pattern is clear, it’s easier to unite to defend our books.
Why Books Matter
The freedom to read, the ability to discuss, the right to think—all connected. Books are entertainment, are knowledge, are the practice of thought. Encouraging our students to not only read, but to consider what they’re reading, why it was written, who it affects, and so much more all contribute to creating a better world. To make us, our society, and our schools better, we develop and we consider and we challenge and we learn. Books and stories invite us into their stories to reflect on our own world. By keeping books accessible, we encourage our students to think and explore. I wanted to end this post with a quote from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Reading this book, I was still reminded by the importance of books and reading for building a society that keeps structures of power accountable. The quote below is the fire chief explaining to Montag why they burn books to keep society complacent:
“You can’t build a house without nails and wood. If you don’t want a house built, hide the nails and wood. If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides of a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war. If the government is inefficient, top-heavy, and tax-mad, better it be all those than that people worry over it. Peace, Montag. Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn Iowa grew last year. Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so damned full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information. Then they’ll feel they’re thinking, they’ll get a sense of motion without moving. And they’ll be happy, because facts of that sort don’t change.”
While there was still some rain, I really loved going into the gardens. I thought the QR code scavenger hunt was such an engaging way to both explore and enjoy the gardens. While we were looking for the QR codes, the trip to the gardens was not all about completing the “collection.” The hunt meant we explored all corners of the garden and looked at the nature around us.
This activity made me think of a similar activity to bring into my practicum: maybe a story walk, where QR codes each have snippets of a story and students “collect” them, bring them to the classroom, and piece the collected bits together to complete the story. Beyond classroom education, QR codes let information and resources be condensed. For example, in a poster designed for information or awareness, QR codes can be used to easily like petitions, news articles, or further information.
Throughout this activity, I thought about how technology and the outdoors coexist in my life already. The outcome: a reflection post!
Plant ID
As we’ve talked about previously, our phones have many resources when it comes to identifying nature. I myself have Seek and iNaturalist as apps. I’ve used them when I’ve wondered what a plant is on a walk. I also recently have been using the built-in ID tools in the iPhone’s photo app.
A photo I took outside of MacLaurin!
Leaving class one day, I saw that the blossoms had popped! I love blossom season, so I took a photo. Looking back, I wondered if these were cherry, apple, plum, or some other blossom type. Thanks to the ID tools, Apple gave me their guess: Plum!
Having these tools in our pockets make it so easy to learn while outside. As well, the photo tools mean we can keep learning when we come home and stay more in the moment while outside. I’ve found learning to ID plants so rewarding; there’s something so comforting about becoming familiar with what’s around us. These ID tools make it that more easy to begin to get to know what’s around us. Even just giving a name makes it that much easier to deepen knowledge later through books, discussions, learning, or more technological explorations!
Bird ID
Another identification app I have recently come to love is Merlin. This is designed for recording the space around us and providing “best matches” for the birds we hear. Then “life lists” can be created from each recording: categorizing what was on each walk, or the total amount of birds listened to.
For example, here’s a recording I took at the Swan Lake sanctuary in December, along with Merlin’s list of possible birdcalls heard. Even something as simple as this makes me more aware of the sounds around me. Seeing the diversity of bird calls in one space even helps me practice differentiating and focusing on the sounds around me; instead of hearing “birdcalls” as one united sound, it’s easier now to recognize the different players in the music.
This app also provides information about each species as well as identification. It can be used for learning as well as identification! Imagine all the wonderful possibilities of not only being able to name the birds you’re hearing, but also learning a little about them. A relationship beyond only the name.
Records and Social Media
As I’ve moved back to BC from Ontario, I’ve been trying to take advantage of the mountains and woods around to hike and walk with friends. One tech tool that has helped with both documenting these trips as well as discovering more locations is AllTrails. On AllTrails, you can search for outdoor experiences near you and see photos, updates, reviews, and other people’s experiences. I’ve found it helpful for choosing a hike, as you can sort by difficulty and other filters.
An example hike my friend and I did on Black Mountain near Cypress in North Vancouver.
I also loved how AllTrails can record your hike: like distance, elevation, time. I’m someone who likes keeping memories through records, so any app that documents and keeps what I do is something I enjoy. Now, I can look back and see all the cool places I’ve been! The information and community on AllTrails is also a plus—it can be used as a social media of sorts if you’d like too.
Memories and Details
The most obvious technology and outdoor combination is photos. Tech allows us to keep stored records or documentation of what we find when we’re outside while making sure we leave no trace. As well, these records can help document what species are in an area in a particular time (as photos on phones are usually location and time stamped).
A tiny mushroom I found growing in Beacon Hill Park.
Cameras and phones can also help showcase details that may be missed. Like this tiny mushroom! I can see it with my eyes, but my phone camera helps get a closer and more focused image. Something that I may have overlooked now is its own centrepiece! I love taking photos of the cool things I find outside, and now can further appreciate how tech can supplement outdoor experiences and outdoor education.
For undergrad, I wrote my thesis on how environmentalism is discussed in children’s picture books. As the name would insinuate, I had to read a lot of picture books for this research. While the public library had many of the ones I was looking for, they weren’t always available for check-out. Through trying to solve this problem, I stumbled across the world of picture book read-alouds.
I had heard a little about read-alouds. I began hearing about them epecially during the COVID quarantine, when elementary teachers and daycares would upload read-alouds of picture books for the students at home. I love how they make reading accessible—giving children and families access to a wide range of books from their home. In my L2P placement, I also saw these used as teaching tools. My teacher would put on a read-aloud of a thematically connected book as a hook or introduction into a lesson.
For this post, I wanted to showcase some read-alouds I found (as well as their associated YouTube channels) and take a try of making one myself from home!
Read-Aloud Channels: e.g., So’oh Story Time
First, I wanted to talk about So’oh Story Time. In her channel description, she introduces herself: “Hi, I’m Shannon LaRance — I am Diné (Navajo), Hopi, and Assiniboine. “So’oh” means “Grandmother” in Hopi, reflecting the heart of our rich storytelling traditions. Here, stories aren’t just read—they’re brought to life to educate, entertain, and connect generations.” https://www.youtube.com/@soohstorytime
I loved how she discussed a focus on reading as connection. That is one thing that read-alouds are perfect for: they connect everyone to a story together. Having these video read-alouds gives the chance to utilize the video format, so that the pictures can be projected larger onto the board. As well, the video can be paused to bring in discussion or to answer/ask questions!
Author Channels: e.g., Bruce Simpson
This is a video I included in my previous inquiry post, but wanted to highlight it here again. Bruce Simpson is not only reading Paislee and the Talking Tree, but he is also the author. In making this video, he has made his book accessible for anyone to access completely for free. With his background as a kindergarten teacher, I appreciate how he shared his book for other teachers to access and bring into their classrooms. His entire channel also opens another way teachers can incorporate tech into their teaching: through a YouTube channel.
His channel is not dedicated to read-alouds, like So’oh Story Time, but instead to the songs he writes (as evident in the channel description): “I started writing children’s songs for my Kindergarten students and can’t stop. Lyrics in the videos to help children learn the words.” https://www.youtube.com/@BruceSimpsonSongs/featured
Visually Enhanced Storytelling: e.g., Marcus Winter the Sandman
This one is a little different than the above-mentioned read-alouds, but I love this channel too much to not include it. Marcus Winter is an artist who creates live representations of Māori oral traditions and histories through sand art. His videos both narrate the story, and show his live sand design. I came across his channel when looking for a representation of the Great Fish of Māui story and have been made a fan! Here’s his introduction from the channel description: “Kia ora tatou katoa! My name is Marcus Winter – a multi-disciplinary artist from Aotearoa ( New Zealand). I have a passion for creating sand art, transforming your ideas into reality. I am dedicated to helping artists earn a living from their craft and inspiring future generations of sand art storytellers.” Ki te Wheiao ki te Ao Mārama! Bring Your Ideas to Life! https://thesandman.co.nz” https://www.youtube.com/@nzsandman
Videos like these, that use technology to combine stunning visuals with stories and information, are engaging ways to share knowledge in any classroom. Even bringing in cross-curricular connections with art! In my upcoming practicum, I am doing a unit on Polynesia and will definitely be bringing in Marcus’s videos when I discuss Māori oral traditions.
My Own Attempt!
To end this post, I wanted to take a try at making my own read aloud. As I don’t have a tripod, this was created using a precarious stack of items on my desk with my phone on top. While simple, it did show me how incorporating tech in this way isn’t as initially daunting as it may seem! Not only are read-alouds accessible for the viewer, but all you really need to make them is a book and a phone camera. While not for YouTube, these could be ways to free up hands in class, or have book read-alouds prepared for substitute plans!
UPDATE: While I did record myself doing a read-aloud, I then thought back to our discussions on copyright laws. I realize that, without seeking the publisher’s permission (like many read-aloud channels do) or not being the author myself, posting my read-aloud here violates the copyright. So, instead, I thought I would share a resource I found answering the exact questions I have now about being a teacher and online copyright for digital recordings of books. This question and answer page was specifically made to discuss copyright laws in Canada in the context of online learning. I found these discussions really interesting, and a reminder of considerations that need to be taken into account when adding tech to learning.
Well, sorry my Sylvester and the Magic Pebble recording is unable to be posted here! If you would like to read the book, I recommend it and would be happy to share my copy! Until then, I will try not to break any copyright laws.
For this reflection post, I wanted to discuss the BCEdAccess presentation. I thought the discussion of being aware and prepared for the diverse intersectional identities that we will have in our classrooms was extremely important. This guest lecture fit really nicely into what we’ve been discussing regarding UDL (universal design for learning).
From what I’ve learned about UDL teaching practices so far in this program, my understanding of its core purpose is to prepare lessons and units that have accessibility built into their designs. Starting with accessibility, and being flexible when teaching, means that students have a better opportunity to access the learning and advocate for their needs. One key takeaway I learned from this presentation is how making supports and accessibility tools accessible, and encouraging their use, can support all learners. Preemptively preparing for diversity normalizes differentiated education.
Relating to my group’s technology inquiry presentation, there are numerous technological supports built for accessibility—like those we explored for reading and writing. Meaningfully choosing tools that support and enhance learning, rather than completely separating learners or overwriting their learning, is something I hope to learn more about and practice in my own teaching journey.
In this presentation, I was pleased to hear Kaori and Tracy bring up the novel by Sharon M. Draper, Out of My Mind. This was one of my favourite books in middle school and, as I’ve been considering my own classroom library, a book I’ve re-read recently. This novel features a young girl with cerebral palsy advocating for her own voice (such as getting an AAC device). With the new tool that allows her to share her voice, she joins classes in her school, navigates friendships, and eventually joins her school’s quiz team.
One thing I loved about this novel was how it discussed the ableist barriers Melody faced—ones that may not be clear to people without the experiences she has. In researching this book, I found that Draper wrote this book for her own daughter, who also has cerebral palsy, so that there were more characters in media that represented her and discussed life experiences she could relate to. Similar to the BCEdAccess presentation, I appreciated how the tools in this novel supplemented Melody’s learning and showed how these tools highlight the learning and knowledge she already has. It was a hard read at times, seeing how the other students engage with Melody. As the book is set in the early 2000s context, it was also interesting as an educator to see how the education system may have changed in some ways, but the barriers still remain in other senses (e.g., less of a separation of students in classes based on abilities, but still lack of accessibility supports in many classrooms).
Right after I re-read the book, I learned two cool new things about Draper’s work: 1) that it was part of a trilogy, and 2) that a movie adaptation of Out of My Mind had recently been made! I’ve since read the second book (Out of My Heart, which features Melody going to an accessible summer camp), but haven’t yet read the third. I thought the second was interesting as, compared to Out of My Mind, there featured many other children with varying physical abilities. Through their friendships and interactions, this novel pushed how there is no one solution to accessibility, and not one shared experience of those with physical disabilities (this pulls back to the concept of intersectionality).
I also have recently watched the movie! I thought it did a great job of keeping true to the feelings and themes of the book, while still changing some things (as is usual in film adaptations). One example is the focus on the parents advocating to the insurance company for the financial support for Melody’s AAC. This isn’t a plot point as much in the book, but another important discussion when it comes to accessibility supports. I also found it important how the actor who played Melody, Phoebe-Rae Taylor, also had cerebral palsy. This not only increases representation through the character, but also through the actor. I’ve linked the movie trailer (it’s on Netflix!) below to end off this reflection post. Until next time!
For this inquiry, I wanted to curate a digital shelf of books that I could see myself bringing into the classroom. This was inspired by a project in Roz’s EDCI 412 class (Lang. and Lit.: Reading Diverse Texts) where we created grade-specific collections of texts.
As I’ve explored this inquiry and this degree, I’ve thought of how to bring my love of reading into a classroom; finding and thinking of projects for books is so exciting! That’s the main reason for this inquiry post: to have a mini curation of different grade-level appropriate books and some curricular connections.
For the delivery of this “shelf,” I wanted to use Google Slides to practice making slide shows. In addition, I liked how the PDF exports of Google Slides allow me to add hyperlinks directly into the presentation (e.g., for YouTube read-alouds, author websites, etc.).
I also wanted to showcase a resource I’ve been using since high school: Slides Carnival. This is a free bank of slide presentation templates for PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Canva. I love how the templates have various layouts for slides in so many themes, as well as including a “graphics bank” at the end to make custom slides with all graphics used. As well, they source their images and graphics from other open source sites and credit those in the attributions slide.
Group: Aubrie Hunter, Brooklyn Baker, Charlotte Berry, Erica Smith, and me! (Tess Macdonald)
For our group, we decided to explore how technology can assist with reading and writing. The podcast we created, along with a transcript, is below. Enjoy!
Transcript (first initials used to differentiate speakers)
C: Hello, I’m Charlotte,
E: I’m Erica,
T: I’m Tess,
B: I’m Brooklyn,
A: and I’m Aubrie.
C: Today we will be explaining our tech project where we focused on the most accessible and best resources for students with learning disabilities or ELL students. Our technology inquiry question is: What are the best technological platforms for students struggling with reading?
E: Every elementary school classroom will be filled with English language learners (ELL’s) or students with IEP’s. While some students will have diagnosable IEP’s, many others could probably qualify for one but have not had a psychological assessment done for various reasons or are on waitlists, which can be years long. There is a mismatch in the amount of students needing extra help and the number of teachers and support staff available in the classroom to provide this specialized assistance. With recent surges in technology use, attention has been turned to which technologies can be used in the classroom to provide help for students at times where teachers are not available.
E: Reading and numeracy are widely considered the two fundamental skills that children are expected to gain in elementary school, as these skills will set them up for success in high school and beyond. For this project, we decided to focus on technologies we can use to support our students’ literacy abilities in the classroom. Reading is an important skill for children to learn because it can improve critical thinking skills; build vocabulary; enhance conversational skills; role-plays empathy and perspective taking; strengthens writing, language, and communication abilities; and can even reduce stress, build memory, and help with sleeping. While some people light up when you ask them to read a book, reading can be a very daunting skill for some—especially if they have a learning disability or are not fluent in English. In an elementary school classroom, where so much of a person’s academic and life successes are influenced by reading ability, how can teachers feasibly help struggling students alongside meeting the demands of the curriculum and the rest of the class?
C: Text-to-speech software is a good way to engage struggling readers in the classroom. Many students’ reading difficulties come from having trouble staying focused or processing large chunks of text, as well as not understanding how to decode a word. Text-to-speech software will be useful for students with dyslexia and/or ADHD, in addition to English language learners.
C: Now we’re going to talk about some other resources recommended. So to start, we looked at some extensions and apps such as Ghotit, Learning Ally, Speechify, and Focus at Will. Speechify is an app and Chrome extension that reads any text. It has over 200 voices, can clone your own voice, has 60 language choices, can increase the speed of what is read, can provide summaries using AI, and is able to scan texts using a phone and convert to a PDF that is read aloud. Ghotit performs grammar and punctuation corrections. Learning Ally produces a library of educational audiobooks. Focus at Will provides playlists for people with ADHD to listen to while trying to focus, and then has a timer function, and tracks productivity. Google Read and Write helps read things out loud, can form a vocabulary list of unknown words, provides photos of unknown words and descriptions, proofreads work, can translate words, and can be used to highlight documents.
C: Some other resources are Otter.ai, which is a recording and transcription service. To use, you open your web browser and press record and then Otter.ai automatically transcribes what is being said. You can then organize and edit the transcriptions and recordings. Google Docs also has a dictation mode as well as Microsoft Word to allow for speech-to-text if students have difficulty writing. Microsoft Edge’s Read Aloud allows you to change the pace and sound of the reader’s voice, enlarge text, or increase space between text. There are also features in Apple products that are unknown to many people which can help as well. For example, on Apple devices, there is spoken content for Macs and iPads accessible, which has your device speak text on the screen whenever a keyboard shortcut is used. You can also customize the keyboard shortcut, have the text highlighted as it is read aloud, and then change the speaking rate. Additionally, most web browser support some type of reader mode which simplifies the web page by removing unnecessary images, makes the text uniform, and changes the background and foreground colours. Microsoft Edge has immersive reader, Apple Safari has reader, Firefox has reader view, and Google Chrome has reading mode. All of these provide text-to-speech, text reformatting and colour controls. Turning on reader mode may help simplify what needs to be read and helps with distractibility too.
A: An area that I am passionate about but feel has received very little attention throughout our program is the inclusion tools we have access to for our English as an Additional Language Learner students. Although the first translator that often comes to mind for people is Google Translate, this service does not use proper grammar, idioms, or tense. Instead, the best free service I recommend to other educators to use with EAL students is DeepL, which is a highly accurate translation and dictionary platform that helps students understand new vocabulary and grammar structures. There are many reasons why I recommend DeepL as a suggested resource for teachers.
A: For starters, DeepL provides more contextually accurate and natural-sounding translations, making it more reliable for academic use. It captures nuances in language, helping students understand not just the words, but the meaning behind them. DeepL allows students to click on a word within a translation to see multiple possible meanings and examples in context. This helps students Learn how a word is used in different situations, choose the most appropriate translation, and develop a stronger understanding of English vocabulary. DeepL also edits grammar and sentence structure, which helps sentence construction over time. In regards to implementation in the classroom, DeepL helps students translate classroom text into their native language, check their English writing, and rephrase sentences. DeepL can also be combined with speech-to-text tools, and teachers can pre-translate difficult vocab.
B: Accessibility tools, like text-to-speech, can help empower students and give them confidence when engaging with written texts, allowing them to better connect with the content. Text-to-speech software removes the barriers students with learning disabilities may have when it comes to reading, ensuring that students are not barred from learning at the front door. Keeping tools like text-to-speech easily accessible to all students in the classroom ensures that students with learning disabilities do not feel singled out in reading tasks and are equal participants in any class learning. When all students are able to easily comprehend text material, it becomes easier to facilitate inclusive class discussions, which are key to enhancing student understanding.
B: However, a potential con to these reading accessibility resources is that if students become too reliant on using them, they might not ever fully develop their reading abilities. Technological aids for reading should be used as a tool to supplement reading abilities, rather than a replacement for reading skills. It is also important to note that, while students can use this to help them engage with content, they should still be given the time and support to grow their reading and comprehension skills without the use of text-to-speech. Teachers should pick when the use of text-to-speech is appropriate in classrooms based on the current learning objectives. If the focus of the reading is the content within it, say it’s a science or social studies text, then students can use text-to-speech to help them better understand the content. However, if the focus of the lesson is to work on the reading and comprehension skills, then the use of text-to-speech will only impede students from practicing.
T: So now we’ve talked about what tools there are out there, now let’s talk about actual implementation of these tools in a classroom. So, in my classroom, students used text-to-speech software, specifically Google Read & Write, to help write their creative writing stories. While this made the recording of their work faster, as many had just learned how to type, there were challenges with the tools presented and their implementations. The dictation would sometimes record homophones of words, it could not pick up made-up names (which was important for fantasy stories), and it would often add or remove punctuation when not wanted. While these softwares were designed to make writing accessible, the students weren’t seeing their stories written on the page. And for those who couldn’t yet read fluently, they weren’t able even to see the errors and correct them themselves. In addition, for students who have accents or speech impediments, the dictation tools pose even more of a barrier.
T: These made it difficult as a teacher, or me as a student teacher, to see where the students’ progress was: were errors in the students’ work from the students themselves, or did they come from the technology? In order to finalize the proofreading of these stories before they were printed, we found it necessary to sit with the students and have them individually dictate the story they had hand-written, so that we could live-edit the dictated document. This additionally frustrated students, as they felt that all the work they had put into typing and dictation was completely overwritten. When speaking to the teacher about the use of dictation tools like Read & Write, she spoke about how it was intended for accessibility (and in many situations was accessible). However, it often made the tasks more inaccessible through all these barriers. This does not mean that these tools should be removed or ignored completely, but instead it opens a conversation for how we can better ameliorate these tools to be improved for accessibility in the everyday classroom.
T: Moving from writing, a reading accessibility tool I observed was the Epic Books website. This was a combined eBook and audiobook resource bank, where students could both read the eBook and then listen to the audiobook at the same time. I mainly observed this tool being a supplement to silent reading—allowing students who were not yet able to read independently to still engage in the solo silent reading and not feel left out. Providing the combination of the eBook and audiobook meant that the reading was not completely overwritten. Instead, the tools acted as a supplement and made the reading more accessible to students of all reading levels. Combined, this experience showed how accessible reading and writing tools can be implemented in the classroom—as well as what questions we should ask of the tools in order to improve them to support all students in the best way possible.
A: To sum up, technology has made reading more accessible for all students, regardless of their challenges. For students with dyslexia, text-to-speech tools like NaturalReader, Microsoft Edge Read Aloud, and Speechify provide much-needed support. For ADHD, tools like reader mode and transcription services like Otter.ai help with focus and organization. For EAL students, speech-to-text tools like Google Docs dictation, DeepL, and translation tools help improve both writing and comprehension skills. With so many tools available, students can find support that meets their needs. We encourage you to explore these options and see how technology can make reading easier for everyone!
For this post, I wanted reflect on the EdCamp activity we did in class. Firstly, I found the activity to be a great way to engage students and encourage reflection about 1) the broader topic, 2) what factors make up the theme, and 3) the nuances of those factors. For example, from just our class with the theme of education, we had discussions about parents, class size, and (the group I joined) school gardens.
The format of the EdCamp (voting on topics and then splitting into groups of interest) made it so that, even if the topics chosen weren’t those a person suggested, they still had a high chance of participating in a discussion that interested them. In addition, narrowing down the topics meant that similar questions could be combined into one discussion—deepening the range of discussions to be had in groups.
In our group, we explored the topic of school/class gardens. In our group there were people with a wide range of experiences and interests regarding gardening. From professional landscapers to home gardeners, everyone provided a unique perspective. As someone who doesn’t have much practical gardening experience, but is interested in plants and the environment, this was the perfect opportunity to learn more, ask questions, and add suggestions. Together, we discussed barriers holding back the creation of school gardens, some possible ways to overcome these, considerations when implementing gardens, and also the benefits that such installations would have in schools. Some examples of topics were native plants, deer and insects, food programs, and inter-grade activities. Coming in with different backgrounds, interest levels, and experiences, we had a more-than-easy time keeping discussion going, and engaging, the whole time. The only amelioration I would make to this activity was that, as we were spread out, it was difficult to join other topics (but, I was more than happy in mine, so it worked out!).
The Artsci Agora is a semesterly event where we bring together Artsci students and profs to have informal and engaging discussions outside of class. Each Agora is centered on a pressing issue or other relevant theme. This semester we will be speaking on the future of education. Dr. Clark has been kind enough to share his essay for the New Centennial Review, Abolish the University , as an optional reading prior to the event. He will be joining us us along with Prof. Jordan, Dr. Kroeker, Dr. Marquis, Dr. Savelli and (briefly) Dr. Wilson. At the start of the event we will also be viewing Dr. Giroux’s interview for the CCCB to kick off discussion. As your student program advisors, we are excited to bring this Artsci tradition back in the high resolution format of ‘being in a real physical room together’. Tickets are in our bio and they are FREE!
In my undergrad program, we had something similar to EdCamps, called “The Agora.” The above quote and link is from a post on the Society of Arts and Science Students’ Instagram promoting the 2021 winter Agora. These events centralized around a certain theme (for the one above, it was “the future of education”). Then, professors and students interested would attend. The event would usually begin with an introduction or more context—often in the form of a presentation or group discussion. Then, papers with subtopics relating to the main theme would be situated at each table; participants (students and faculty alike) would transition between tables and discuss the topics. So, similar to an EdCamp, minus the crowd-sourcing of topics at the event (from memory, the students organizing the Agora would send out requests for themes and subtopics leading up to the event, but they would be determined by the start of the event.
I liked the EdCamp’s format in making engaging with the topics feel more accessible. While I enjoyed the Agora I attended, it was sometimes a little daunting joining a table and not knowing the subtopic before. Having the crowd-sourced and voted in subtopics meant that I felt more connected to all the themes, and would have happily attended any group.
Continuing EdCamps!
Leaving class on the day of the EdCamp activity, I was awash with ideas for how to bring EdCamps into my future teaching practices. One I can see immediately is bringing them into my work at Shad Canada. Shad is a month-long summer experience where part of it involves students working in teams to create a product/service/business/solution to a monthly theme.
For example, the 2024 theme was: “How might we help people in Canada integrate affordable and reliable green energy sources into their everyday lives to create more sustainable communities?”
As a PA (program assistant), my part of this project has been working with the groups of students to help support their progress, to provide inspiration or mentorship, and to engage their learning in relation to all the subtopics and nuances of the theme. From our experiences in class, I believe running an EdCamp would be an amazing idea to encourage students to consider all parts of the theme; the group sourcing and voting exposes students to those sides of the issue that they may not have otherwise. Introducing a theme-launch EdCamp will definitely be something I suggest when I next return to Shad!
