Author: sageworthen (Page 1 of 2)

Sketchnoting

Here is a sketchnote I made as an overview for this course. It highlights the most memorable aspects of my weekly reflections. My favourite three areas we covered are AI image generating, the Arduino Science Journal, and the 3D printing workshops. Since we learned about them in class, I have used the Image generators and the 3D printers outside of this class. I also loved the Arduino program and have had lots of ideas for way I could use it, but have not had the chance to try it much yet.

Arduino Science Journal

Here is the science project I completed during the “Bomb Cyclone” event. I took three samples over the course of the night, monitoring the amount of noise (in decibels) the wind made as it blew through the cracks by my window.

Here is a PDF view of my project that I completed using the Arduino Science journal app.

Here is another view of the same info, presented in picture format.

At a high school level, cell phones are highly useful and accessible tools, but are rarely used for those reasons in class. With younger students, there should not be cell phones or tablets in the classroom. From kindergarten to grade 3, students conduct very little research, and what little online work they can do can be provided by the school in the form of Chromebooks or iPads.

Although not too many second or third-grade students have cell phones, I fully support their restriction. I liked the limitations of devices outside of instructional hours, as stated in BC’s guidelines. Removing device use from schools outside of structured class time helps disincentivize uses in the class, or even decrease bringing devices to school.

I think that the science journal is highly applicable to every age. Notice how I said any age. I think that activities could be made for students from K-12 with this app, but I also believe that many people outside of high school and much beyond that could enjoy it as well. For younger audiences, you may have to be the primary user of the app and simplify the data given to the students. For older students, getting them to use the app to start giving them an idea of the scientific process could be highly useful. One use of Arduino Science that stood out to me in particular was the earthquake test. Participants from and grade or age could enjoy this activity, and I believe a very substantial lesson could be built around analyzing both the physical and online aspects of this task.

Classroom management techniques

Strategies for primary classrooms.

• Routines/expectations – Music to get students ready for the next activity. Slides for visuals (helps with French language barriers. Timers/Bells can increase efficiency. When the music ends, the class is ready for the next activity.
• SEL check-ins – The “Inside Out” check-in uses familiar emotions that have been adapted for a movie. Written self-check-ins potentially give us a more in-depth analysis, but can pose challenges for younger students.
• Soft start – Tools for soft start include: Playdogh, painting/drawing, Calm music, Yoga, Reading, and Counting.
• Modelling – I do, We do, You do Have examples of each level of quality (emerging, developing, proficient, extending)
• Inquiry/strength-based approach – Student agency Meeting both those who don’t care or those who are extending
• Grading – students use digital portfolios to share work, allowing parents to be well-informed about what the child is doing at school. The student’s best/most important work is posted online to this portfolio.
• Co-creation and collaboration – as teachers, we should seek out and find solutions with our colleagues. That being said, co-creating rules and assessment rubrics with the students can increase buy-in for activities and assignments.
• Culturally responsive – Teachers must be aware of and able to educate others about the Indigenous peoples of Canada. Including FPPL in our teaching strategies is a good first step. Make sure to also include the 5Rs: Responsive relationships, reason, resources, reflective dialogue, recognition.

Here are some check-ins to throw up on the board board at the start of a class.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/aboriginal-education/principles_of_learning.pdf

Hour of Code and Video games

For today’s class, we got to work on the website “Hour of Code.” This website provides simple, step-by-step instructions to assemble pre-fabricated chunks of code into creations that would normally be overly complicated for an elementary student.

Here are some sample snowflake designs I created using the Elsa and Anna tutorial from Hour of Code.

Here is the code I had to write to get it to make these patterns.

Here is a link to the Elsa & Anna Hour of Code walkthrough so that you too can create snowflakes with code.

Computational thinking

Can computational thinking help learners become better problem solvers? I believe that the process of taking apart a complex idea by breaking it into parts is a fantastic way to learn. For example, we can apply this principle to the PB&J sandwich-making tutorial we viewed in class. If we simply toss a bunch of instructions to a computer, we could end up with something that most definitely does not meet our expectations, but meets the parameters that were given to the computer. By analyzing each step carefully, we can give clear and specific instructions to a wonder snack.

Gaming in education

I think that the game “Minecraft” is a versatile platform that can offer a variety of lessons for students. Let’s look at the block-based nature of the game as a platform for math. In my grade 2-3 class, the students are learning to examine an image of a pyramid to determine how many squares it would take to make it. An image is great, but what if the teacher could move around the pyramid in 3D? What if after the students have made their guesses, they get to build the pyramid to determine if they were right? What if they got to CREATE THEIR OWN SHAPES TO SHARE!!! Boom! Massive callback to “Redefinition” from the SAMR model. Finally, Minecraft teaches important life lessons such as “We do not fear death, but what we stand to lose from it.”

Incorporating Drawing and Design into Learning

Sketchnotes

Here are two sketchnotes that I made in class today. The first is on the benefits of taking notes on paper. The second is on learning french words related to travel.

The purpose of these sketchnotes is to help quickly retain information by forcing yourself to summarize what you are learning. Drawing and text together engage multimedia learning practices, leading to better retention of information.

I think that sketchnoting would work excellently for a grade 2-3 class. At this age, they still have trouble forming sentences, let alone taking notes on a topic. If they can use images and incorporate words they see from the board in a sketchnote, they could almost have proper “notes.”

What is SAMR?

The SAMR evaluation method helps to analyze the usefulness of technology adaptations in a classroom. The acronym stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. For instance, the use of iPads in schools falls into two domains of SAMR. iPads can be simply used as a substitution for a pen and paper, but they are also capable of creating perfect shapes and imputing images that can be classified as augmentation. There would be no modification or redefinition in these cases.

Here is a link for more on SAMR

One thing to take away from SAMR is that if you can do something without substituting technology, then it might be best to keep it simple. It is important to evaluate what specific benefits using technology brings, so that money and time are not wasted creating a redundant resource.