Category: Weekly Reflections

Weekly reflection #8

              This week in class, we discussed inclusive technologies and accessibility. In breakout rooms, we discussed two YouTube videos, and all felt similar ways about how, if technology can be brought into a classroom and help students feel more supported and included, why would teachers not want to do so? Technology supports can not only make students feel more supported and included but also allow them to access tools that broaden their learning and improve their motivation in school.

              It was very interesting checking out The Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool created by Utah State University. I had not thought about the accessibility of websites to this degree before, and it was really interesting to learn about all the different considerations that are needed to make an accessible website. When I tested my blog website out, I got a score of 4/10. Some of the flagged issues were not by my design but how the website template was designed; however, there were two main things getting flagged that I can fix: one being the colour contrast of text, and the other being adding alt text for images. I have changed the accent colour to be darker and have better contrast, and will add alt text to the images I use for this and my last inquiry blogs!

This week in class, we explored the topic of gamification and how it can be brought into the classroom setting. I was very excited to learn more about gamification as I had limited knowledge on the topic beforehand. As I learned from these two websites, Gaming Enhances Education and Gamify Your Existing Course Pedagogy: Level Up!, on gamification, there is a distinct difference between game-based learning and gamification. I think when I heard the term gamification, I thought of game-based learning, which is playing games and learning through the process, where gamification is where you design lessons to include game elements within the lesson itself.

Learning more about gamification and the rationale and purpose behind it reminds me of learning about different inquiry-based schools. The main idea is trying to approach learning from a new lens that could support diverse learners in different ways. Rethinking the format of education can lead to students having more personalized learning plans and increasing motivation to learn. Like any unique teaching approach, it won’t work for every student; it is not one size fits all. It may take time for a teacher to grasp and be able to execute effectively, but it is worth considering as an approach, especially for new teachers. It has gotten me curious about learning more and figuring out how I could apply this in my teaching style. My practicum is in a Grade 1/2 split, so I may struggle to find a place for it there with the younger students (at least with the technology aspect), but who knows, maybe there is more research out there I could go searching for on gamification for younger students.

In class this week, we had a chance to give our classmates an update on our Pod projects and how we are doing on them so far. It was really neat to hear about everyone’s different ideas and plans. There are lots of great project plans out there that I think will be very beneficial for all of us to learn from and potentially use in our careers as teachers.

I am especially interested in learning more about the Pod #5 project on using AI applications for new teachers. I am curious to see how they approach it based on what we have already learned in this class about effective uses for AI and what new insights they have. It will be interesting to see how they set up their project, as it sounded like they wanted to use AI in the process of the final product. I am hopeful that their project will be useful in helping new teachers find ethical and reliable ways to use AI in their teaching journeys.

I am also excited to see the Pod #2 project on investigating different language learning resources available online. Their topic is similar to my pods, which is on early literacy and technology (English and French teaching), and I am intrigued to see what, if any, crossovers there are between the projects. Since we are creating an informational resource website (link to unfinished website) and they are creating an informational video, I wonder if our projects may be complimentary of each other?

After last class, I am eager to see everyone’s final products and excited to learn lots!

In class this week, we had the chance to have a group discussion around the topic of GenAI power/water use. The question prompts were:

1. Do we have any choice about using GenAI?
2. Can we avoid its use?
3. Can the environmental impacts be mitigated?
4. Will the tech giants solve the power and water overconsumption?
5. Will Elon Musk save us with an orbital data centre solution?
6. Does whether I use GenAI or not really make a difference?

We found that the first two questions were intertwined, as in some situations, you do not have much say around if GenAI is used; therefore, you cannot avoid it. An example of that we discussed was simply doing a Google search; the first answer you will see is powered by Google Gemini. Now there is a setting where you can turn off the automatic use of Google Gemini; however, it is hard to avoid. Multiple other services now have GenAI built into the programming without you even know which makes it very hard to avoid the use of GenAI. With this being said, I am sure you could find a way to turn off all the uses of GenAI, but it would not be easy.

Moving on to the next three questions, we ended up bouncing between them as well, as they seemed to be very connected. When it comes to the question “Can the environmental impacts be mitigated?” our first reaction was to say yes, as we hope that is the case, but we feel it is hard to know. We felt that we ourselves could try to mitigate the impacts, but we do not feel we have enough power to make a big difference. This is how the next question comes into play: we believed the tech giants who created these problems must be able to find solutions and ways to mitigate the impact, but will they? Is there enough drive for them to want to? What benefit will they gain from it? These questions answered the next question, as we do not believe Elon Musk will save us; there is not enough in it for him. His current proposed solution with the orbital data centres seems unrealistic and bound to have its own problems.

That leads us to the final question: Does it make a difference if I use Gen AI or not? I related this topic to recycling, as much as I always try to recycle as much as I can, I will bring recyclables home just to recycle correctly. I will clean any food container in order to recycle it. I will even pick up recycling that my roommate throws out and clean it to recycle it, but in the grand scheme of things, how much does this make an impact? Can I individually help save the environment by having good recycling principles? That I do not know, but I do know it allows me to live up to my own standards and values, and it makes my ethical consciousness feel at ease. I believe that if I can stand by my own values and educate others, eventually it can help make a difference. If one day I throw out a plastic cup because I can not find a recycling bin anywhere, will that make a big difference? Probably not. I see using Gen AI in the same way. I can do my research, find ways to use it ethically and with the least amount of water/power usage as possible, but if it is necessary for me to use it or more convenient at times, it won’t destroy the world. I can try to educate others and promote ethical use of GenAI, but at this point, I feel that is the best I can personally do.

It was very interesting to get the chance to tour the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII) with our class. I had never seen a school designed so deeply in inquiry-based learning and was very curious about how the structure worked and if it was beneficial to the students. During the tour, we learned about the foundations of the school, why it was started, how it supports the students, and how it still ensures the students receive a BC high school diploma. We got a chance to walk through the different rooms, seeing the different resources the school provides to support the students’ inquiry projects, and see the students at work.

This experience made me reflect more on the question “Do we need to reimagine education?” as the creators of this school clearly did. They created a different approach to providing a high school education to students that is more student-focused and provides more freedom for learning. The way PSII school reimagined education to support diverse learners who do not thrive in a traditional school setting. Giving students the freedom to choose their inquiry project based on their interests can create more purpose to their learning experience. It also allows them to learn about subjects when they are ready for them and interested in learning them, rather than being on a strict schedule. I think the school’s design is very interesting and could see from just a small visit how much of an impact it could have on students’ learning experience; however, I am not sure if full inquiry-based learning would be beneficial for all students. This approach would also be hard to replicate on a larger scale as it requires access to many expensive resources and guidance from teachers. With that being said, I do think it has made me reimagine how I want to be an educator. I am hoping to teach primary ages, but would love to find ways to include more inquiry-based learning into my teaching style. I would also love to find ways to give students more autonomy and freedom in their school experience. I could see more challenges in creating an inquiry-based school structure for younger students, as some fundamentals in pedagogy are highly beneficial in young kids’ learning processes. There are nature based school such as: EPIC Learning Community (Power to Be / NiDES), Blossoming at the Farm (Mary’s Farm and Sanctuary), and Heartwood Learning Community – Sooke that involve more inquiry learning than traditional public schools for elementary-aged children in the greater Victoria area. We have the opportunity to visit on of these schools for another class in our program and I will be curious on how that will also make me reimagine education and what I can add to my teaching style for when I do teach at a public school.