Category: Weekly Reflections

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!

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 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!

@sassmcmaster on Instagram (29/11/2021) Full post here

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!

For this reflection post, I wanted to think back on the guest lecture about iMovie. My experience in iMovie started very young with my middle-school-self’s discovery of the Movie Trailer feature on my older sister’s Macbook Air. Since then, I have loved toying around with iMovie to make compilations of little videos, memories, and school projects (whenever they were offered). However, despite my self-taught experience, I enjoyed the time in class to test out different features; in particular, I had never tried the green/blue screen effect before! I had fun putting the clips and audios together as per the instructions, then playing around to see what I could create.

Video-Making in Classrooms

Part of my last year of high school and first first year of university took place during quarantine in 2020. This meant that I saw first-hand the recent rise of online teaching. One thing I appreciated was how one of my first-year professors would post online recording lectures for us to watch, then we would use the synchronous online lecture time to discuss questions and work through problems following the introduction videos. I remember that this felt more manageable, as I could engage with the video content on my own time, then spend time in lecture asking questions rather than solely learning new content. As someone in an education role now, I can see how having a backlog of recorded video lectures on frequently taught topics could leave me more space to explore and deepen curriculum. In addition, if a student misses content, having recorded lectures allows them to catch-up when they are able.

Another format of video-making in classrooms is the student-made piece. I remember, especially in high school, having assignments focused on video creation or those with the option to make a video. I always had a fun time working on these and chose them if the option was presented. I feel that, as a student, video projects made me think of not only what the content was, but what was the best way possible to share or present it. One of my favourite projects was in Social Studies 9, where we were asked to create a YouTube-styled video about the Industrial Revolution. This made the content engaging, as my group partner and I came up with fun ways to keep the content engaging. The result was a skit, historical show, “Crash Course” combination that we had the best time filming. Since this video is quite long and contains more than just me, I won’t attach it to this post. Instead, I’ll attach a video from my Biology 10 class where we were instructed to make a “Portrait of a Protist.” For my project, I opted to create a stop-motion video, as I love stop motion and wanted to take my turn trying it out.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18lkK90sc7JKhzS29isEFcI30B3nVlt5a/view?usp=sharing

I’m excited to explore more ways to incorporate video making into the classroom! Both from the teacher-centred lesson creation and the student-led project type.

Unfortunately, this week I was sick and missed class. It turns out I’m not yet immune to seasonal illness! I’ve marked it as an area that I’ll need to improve in before becoming a classroom teacher (we’ll see how successful that is).

Looking over the slides, I was excited to see the reflection topic encouraged playing around with graphic design. Since I was in school myself, I have spent time playing around with various digital design softwares (e.g., iMovie for videos, Procreate for drawing, Google Slides for presentation, and Canva for graphics).

From “Powerpoint Nights” (presenting niche topics and interests with friends) to creating event posters, I’ve loved playing around with these design tools. This reflection introduced a new way to play around with these resources: worksheets! Therefore, for this reflection, I’ve included two example worksheets that I made. Both are made using Google Slides. The second one involves elements from Canva’s graphics library.

1. The Wild Robot

While sick, I spent a lot of my free time reading. For my L2P, I had weekly visits in a grade 3/4 classroom. As my Wednesdays are available this semester, I spent one visiting the class again. There, I had found that the students were reading The Wild Robot. Coincidentally, I had recently received that book for Christmas! Therefore, for my first worksheet, I thought I would create something to tie in with a novel study of Peter Brown’s book.

2. The Middle Ages

Outside of class, I also work as a tutor. Part of my job is tutoring eighth-grade Social Studies. According to the BC curriculum, one of the first units for Social Studies 8 is “Feudalism in Europe.” For my second worksheet, I wanted to create a tool to illustrate the social and power structure of feudalism present in Europe’s Middle Ages. Often, this is demonstrated using a pyramid showing the flow of power, as well as each role’s responsibilities and interactions. I thought for a review worksheet, students could “fill-in-the-blank” a pyramid.

What did I learn?

From making these worksheets, I considered when each would be introduced in a unit. I also had fun exploring what else could tie into these exercises.

For the novel study worksheet, I imagined this to be a reflection after reading the chapters mentioned. I thought this could also tie to elements of science with camouflage. Therefore, I wanted to focus on what camouflage is—both in the story and beyond. The exercise of finding the definition in a dictionary would encourage students to use the resources available to them. Also, it would act as a touchstone for new vocabulary. In camouflaging Roz themselves, students would reflect on how she camouflaged in the novel and imagine new ways she could interact with different landscapes.

For the feudalism worksheet, I imagine this could be a study aid alongside learning about the social structures in Europe’s Middle Ages. That is why I provided a word bank. In my own school experience, I remember “fill-in-the-blank” follow-along notes were how I learned best. It allowed me to both note important information and follow along with what my teacher was saying. If I were to adapt this exersize for review, practice, or a test, I may omit parts of the word bank (either roles or responsibilities) or omit the word bank altogether.

All in all, I had fun trying out new techniques in Google Slides (for example, using the “shapes” function to build a Roz lookalike). This exercise made me excited to build activities for students! Worksheets, activities, and note documents all provide ways for students to recall, learn, and explore new information. In addition, they help students learn how note-taking can work best for them!

I’m looking forward to playing around with graphic design tools and seeing what is possible! (Special thanks to Google Slides for this reflection post).

For my second reflection, I thought I would spend time reflecting on the conversations prompted by the guest speaker, Jesse.

My Digital Footprint

I found Jesse’s discussion of “digital footprint” and online privacy to be extremely important. As someone who grew up with the internet (I remember making my Instagram account soon after I turned 13), I have spent time considering what my presence online is. On cautioning from my parents and older siblings, my teen self made sure that all possible social media accounts were kept as “Private.” As I’ve grown up and learned more about the internet, I acknowledge that “privacy” on the internet is not as cut-and-dry as we would think.

Having social media, I feel, is something that continues to keep me connected to friends, family, long-lost summer camp cabin-mates, and many people who have, at some point, crossed life paths with me. Often, my mom asks me how someone from elementary or high school is doing, and I’ll respond, “I saw they [insert activity here], but I haven’t spoken to them in a while.” It’s interesting to see where grown-apart friends end up, how convergent stories become divergent, or just in general see the possibilities of the future. However, I am cautious to call this a connection in the same way I would usually use the word.

Returning to online privacy, I have always been wary of a digital footprint. Growing up alongside the rise of mass social media had a way of engraining that in me—endless warnings about catfishes, stolen data, and information being shared. Especially since turning towards education, I often think: is what I am putting out on the internet something I would be comfortable with my students/admin/parents of students/etc. finding? Real life experience does demonstrate how much information is readily available online.

For the past two summers, I have worked at a summer camp where I work and live alongside 10–11th grade students on a university campus for a month. Part of our role is being mentors, encouragement, or general support for the learners. Both summers I have worked there, as counsellors, we initially save from revealing certain personal information—age being a main one. Both times, I have noticed how fast the campers (when determined) can piece together information about us. A high school graduation year from LinkedIn, a university program graduation post where we’re mentioned (linked below), or some other online crumb contributes to a feast of information. While a lighthearted example, it, both times, has reminded me how much information exists online.

https://artsci.mcmaster.ca/congratulations-class-of-2024/

I don’t think that this should mean that we should be scared of our online presences, instead just be wary. This shift into a professional program (the PDP) has been interesting in that I now see the beginnings of my professional presence or identity. How am I representing myself online? Is it how I want to be perceived? Is it true to myself? These questions represent one layer of online privacy. There are more, I’m aware (such as data brokers and the selling of information, scams, and hacking).

This website, I feel, can represent one stage of my new “professional” online identity. While I do use these posts for reflection (some personal, some academic), their content ties to my future professional role: an educator. Being aware of what is happening around me, and in the world my students live in, will only aid in better preparing them to live safely. Both off- and online.

Community and Creation

The final lesson I’ve learned and reflected on from this guest speaker is the power of the internet and social media to share and create. Above, I’ve attached a QR code that leads to the Instagram account of an online creative writing magazine called The Melange. This magazine was the first proper time that I shared my creative work beyond my friends (excluding the long unlisted and deleted tween YouTube channel I shared with a friend).

Writing for, and later editing for, The Melange gave me the push to create for fun, and the confidence to share it. While this was a magazine made, and mainly read, by my small undergraduate program, it was publicly available. The social media account is public, meaning anyone interested in this magazine or the program can find it. In addition, the official McMaster Arts & Science Instagram account would often cross-post our publishing announcements, spreading the work beyond those who sign up to receive it. Working on this magazine showed me the immense power that online publications and creative spaces have. People sharing their art led to connections, people reading and relating, and a snowball effect of more art being created.

Shared experience; shared art; sharing community.

I hope, as an educator, that I will continue to learn more about my place in the online sphere. Both to protect and prepare myself and my students, but to also encourage creation and the growth of spaces that foster (safe) community.

In this week’s class, we explored open resources—both those specifically for education, and those generally applicable to teachers. Prior to this class, I had never really explored the idea of copyright in the context of my role as an educator. Therefore, I was intrigued to learn more in this class.

When initially thinking of my future classrooms and lesson plans, I admit I sometimes was overwhelmed with the scope of both 1) what I can do, and 2) how much there is to do. As I have been going through this program, the resources, suggestions, and more shared by my classmates and professors have been a big help in curbing some of those anxieties.

For this reflection, I thought I would explore one resource that I explored. I wanted to see an example of an Open Education Resource, so I chose CK12 (linked below).

https://www.ck12.org/teacher/

When exploring CK12, I appreciated how the textbooks, when selecting a subject, gave a quick and detailed summary of a unit. I expect this will help as an educator, giving me a touch-up on units that I may not be as familiar with. I also appreciated how section often provided additional resources to supplement students’ learning (e.g., definitions, key questions, and study sheets).

One final aspect of CK12’s format that I appreciated was the prevalence of additional videos—such as the “Crash Course” videos. I remember using these resources myself in middle and high school; they provide detailed and engaging summaries of concepts, time periods, and so much more! Already, through my tutoring, I’ve found myself using these videos. In particular, the “Medieval Europe” video provides a concise and meaningful exploration of key events in Europe’s Middle Ages (a large part of the eighth grade BC Social Studies curriculum).

To end this reflection, I wanted to mention the additional website from class that I found interesting, and oddly beautiful. This was the “Listen to Wikipedia” project: http://listen.hatnote.com/.

This site, as discussed in class, is a visual and auditory representation of the real-time additions/edits made to Wikipedia articles. From this class, I learned to deepen my appreciation of Wikipedia; I learned it is not only a free online encyclopedia, but also that all material on it is under Creative Commons. This provides an initial place to learn information that is readily available to all.

I look forward to exploring more Open Resources and deepening my future educator “tool belt.”