I would definitely conclude that gamification is a good way for students to engage in academic work, but I am unsure of how beneficial it is for their learning. A lot of games are good for repetition, which means that students may get really good at identifying certain math equations that pop up frequently during the game but not actually be benefiting their mental math skills. Math games are usually all about one step questions that have one answer which mainly focuses on a student’s ability to get good at remembering answers to questions that come up frequently. A lot of math games don’t improve a student’s ability to identify strategies and complete more complex problem solving. I see gamification only really working well for a subject like math where it is easier to make a game that involves single answers and lots of repetition. Typing is also a skill that can be enhanced through games and I have personally benefited from games like this. I remember being in elementary school and playing typing games where you would have to master a letter before moving onto the next one. It became a competitive game with your classmates because you always wanted to be at a letter that was further in the alphabet then the people sitting next to you. It definitely paid off because typing is something I do everyday and it comes very easily for me.
Photo by Amelia Bartlett
With writing being put on the back burner because technology these days, typing is a really important skill not only for school purposes but many jobs demand for efficiently typing abilities. I am going to make sure that my students are getting sufficient time to learn how to type properly and I will most likely do this through some type of game. I think a reason why gamification works so well is because it works like a reward system. Although the awards you may be receiving on the game are virtual, the competitive nature of a student kicks in and it encourages them to progress. I think I will definitely incorporate a lot of gamification in my classroom even though it may not improve a student’s learning I do believe there are benefits and it helps promote learning in a fun way!
I am so pleased with how far I have come in these past three months. This had to have been one of my favourite assignments throughout the semester, it really showed me how hard work and perseverance pays off! I have rekindled my the ability to read music and my hands have found their way around a keyboard again! I did mention several times that I hoped to sing along with my last video upload but unfortunately this song does not compliment my voice at all and listening to the piano itself is much more appealing in this case! I decided to upload 2 recordings, in one I was able to play on a grand piano and the other piece is on my keyboard at home. I had such a difficult making the adjustment to the piano because the keys were much heavier compared to my keyboard. I also noticed a huge difference in sound, if I pushed down too hard the sound was extremely loud on the piano. Since my keyboard has a volume control it is very difficult to get the different dynamic sounds throughout the piece, sometimes if I don’t hit a key in the right way it doesn’t even produce a sound! The only dynamics this piece had was a volume change from mp to mf and some staccatos in the beginning chords which I tried to emphasize on! I am definitely going to continue playing to keep improving and I am really excited to translate this into my classroom one day!
Collectively something that really resonated with our group was during a lecture with Jesse Miller. He mentioned something along the lines of giving students 5 minute breaks to check their phones to break the urge of wanting to read their notifications. Instantly we all felt kind of appalled by this! As awesome as technology is, it has also become a very dangerous device especially when it is not used appropriately. It is very sad that most students these days are so focused with their devices that they are unable to concentrate for even just an hour in a classroom setting. A lot of this is due to anxiety around what is happening in their social media world, things like if they posted a recent picture how many likes are there so far. Through this blog we wanted to express our inquiry of “how can we make cellphones in the classroom a purposeful tool versus a distraction?”
There’s no doubt about it, cellphones have incredible features that can enhance the way students can interact with their learning. We have provided a list of really interesting apps, some of which none of us have heard of before. Majority of these apps can be used on an iPad or a cellphone which is why eliminating phones from a classroom setting is a possibility. Our biggest concerns in relation to cell phones and becoming future educators is that they will not be used appropriately by many individuals. Although we are considered “old” to students who are 11 and 12, we understand how Tik Tok works, what Snapchat is and how addicting Instagram becomes! We are all about the same age and went through middle school when Snapchat and Instagram first became popular. Looking back we’re relieved that those apps were not introduced when we were younger, because as evidence shows they can be very problematic!
Negative Impacts
Photo by Mika Baumeister
Cellphones in the classroom easily have overall negative effects, the most prevalent being that they cause distractions for students. When an individual has a cellphone on them it becomes an addiction to want to check it, even if there are no new notifications, they will find a reason to need to unlock their phone (check the time or the weather, etc.) Depending on the age, students can also be distracted by games on their cellphones and obviously their social media apps. Cellphones are not just a distraction for the individual using them, they can also distract the teacher and other classmates, for example: if a cell phone accidentally makes a noise in the classroom it can disrupt the flow of the class and disturb other students concentration.
Photo by Jamie Street
Our brains now associate notifications with happiness, this is called neuro-association (Butler, 2016). Dopamine gets released when we get a notification so subconsciously or not, we are always searching and waiting for that notification to get a release of dopamine (Butler, 2016). There is a rhythm of when we need and expect dopamine hits, so if we are listening to somebody talking, for example a student in a classroom listening to their teacher. If the student is not getting that dopamine hit from their teacher it is common that they will just tune them out and focus on another way to get those hits. For this reason having a cellphone on you in class can be really hard to ignore (Butler, 2016). In a study conducted by Daniel Darghan Felisoni and Alexandra Strommer Godoi in 2018, it was found that every 100 minutes spent on a cellphone decreases the grade ranking by 6.3 points in a range from 0-100. This concludes that cell phone interactions can also be harmful to a student’s grades.
Students often overestimate their ability to multitask. Many students believe that they can pay attention to school related works such as lectures, homework, studying, etc. while keeping their cell phone near them and just using it periodically. This is not the case, individuals are more tempted to use their phones frequently if they are in a close proximity. However, cell phones have really become a very powerful educational tool that can have positive influences on a students’ learning. Cell phones create mixed results, they contribute productive outcomes to specific academic settings but also jeopardize student’s performance in others.
Considerations for Solutions
Even though it is clear that cellphones in the classroom have a lot of negative effects, there are a lot of potential solutions for these issues. Some being the solution that Jesse Miller mentioned in our lecture from week 3. That the way to stop cell phones from being a distraction is allowing students to take a 5 minute break on their phone to do whatever they want to do. This can be beneficial in diminishing the chances of using it when they’re not supposed to. Another solution could be blocking certain websites and apps from being used on the school Wi-Fi. I (Riley) know this is possible because my elementary school and high school did this, they blocked Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. from being used on the school Wi-Fi, it was mainly just educational websites that we were able to reach. My school was also built with materials that blocked cell phone service so we couldn’t even use our own data to reach these websites. As a student it was really annoying how my school did this but it did result in less distraction.
Photo by Arthur Lambillotte
During this semester I (Riley) conducted some interviews with elementary teachers in regards to technology use in the classroom and the overall consensus was that technology use has very positive effects on student learning and outcomes, but that was mainly focused on the teacher using technology to enhance their teaching. In regards to cell phones, iPad use in the classroom was mentioned frequently; many teachers enjoy the quick, easy access to information. It was also mentioned that technology allows students to have multiple creative possibilities to demonstrate their learning. A grade 7 French immersion teacher explained how educational technology supports French students really well. These students were able to find different resources to help them like online dictionaries and thesauruses. Overall, all three teachers talked about how technology increases engagement, participation, and motivation which does improve students’ learning and outcomes.
In our week 10 lecture when we had the guest speaker Chantelle Morvay-Adams from BCEdAccess, she talked about assistive technology and how certain technologies can be used as tools for students with disabilities or complex learners. Equipment such as cellphones, iPads, or tablets can be used for students who are adverse to touching paper. These technologies can also be used by students who struggle with writing because of the voice-to-text option.
Photo by Annie Spratt
I (Riley) also learnt how when people are playing, the brain works in a very similar way to when they are studying, so using gamification is a great way to enhance learning (Meylan, 2017). Gamification is a game based learning style, it uses points, leaderboards, badges, etc. it is an excellent way to motivate individuals in achieving a certain goal (Meylan, 2017). An example that I (Riley) observed over the semester on my Wednesday school visits was students using Mathletics and Raz Kids which are both educational websites. One website allows them to do math questions (Mathletics) while the other has them reading books and then taking short quizzes about what they read. The students get stars when they complete homework assignments, finish books, etc. the stars are used as an incentives because it allows them to customize their avatars. The gamification aspect gets the students really excited and motivated to do their school work!
Good Intentions
I think when a lot of applications were made and introduced into the world no one understood the effect it would have on society, especially on the younger generations. Recalling a Netflix documentary called “The Social Dilemma” I remember the creator of the Facebook like button mentioning that at the time, the whole idea for creating that feature was to spread joy and kindness to others. He says how they had no idea that it would be something that young people craved and compared their self worth to. For myself personally (Heather), I remember in High School social media causing a lot of drama and it was honestly a very time consuming aspect of my life. I had a lot of friends who were a lot more involved than I was, but looking back I am disappointed I spent so much time caring about how people would react to my posts and what they thought of me! We all agree that a lot of students now don’t understand how their interactions with their phones and social media is actually affecting their overall well-being. It is a difficult subject to bring awareness to, especially to ignorant pre teens who have 2000 TikTok followers and think they will become the next online sensation.
Interesting Apps/Websites
Aside from a lot of the negative effects of cellphone engagement, if a student is responsible enough to use their phone in the classroom there are some great apps to enhance learning opportunities, some of which follow:
Kahoot!: This is a great tool for doing quick assessments at the end of a lesson and I know it is also a fan favourite! This online source allows for the teacher to make up their own multiple choice quiz (can be made ahead of the class time and saved for later use). Then students using some sort of device connected to Wi-Fi, can direct themselves to the website and plug in the corresponding code that will direct them to the quiz. Students can create their own username so they can be completely anonymous. At the end of the game students can identify themselves in case the teacher implements incentives to be rewarded by highest standing. Students are given a short amount of time to answer the multiple choice questions and then receive a score depending on how fast they answered and if they chose the right answer. This is a very informal type of assessment but overall it will give you as a teacher a good understanding of where majority of your class is standing in regards to certain concepts.
Google Classroom: I’m sure many can agree that Google has come out with some pretty great resources throughout the years. By far google classroom has got to be one of their front runners. Google classroom allows for teachers to basically create a virtual classroom for their students where assignments, due dates, reminders and grades can all be organized and managed proficiently! Having google accounts for your students is an easy way that they can translate their school work into their home environment and also a great way for parents to keep up to date with their children’s progress. I would definitely consider that implementing this into intermediate grades (3-5) is a great idea. It is also good to get them used to these kinds of programs before entering middle school. Something that is great about Google classroom is that it is a one stop shop for students needing to access any materials. Teachers are also able to review a student’s work easily without worrying about having to keep track of piles of paperwork.
Maneno: This is an app where students can record their daily reading and it also helps encourage children to get their recommended 15 minutes of reading in per day! The app provides you with reading materials and makes it an interactive experience for children. Gamification is included throughout the reading progress and awards are given. If a child is struggling with a certain word the app has features to assist them with pronunciation and definition. It also will recommend reading material based on books previously chosen. This is a good app for younger students because the animations alone will keep the kids exciting about reading! This is a good tool for the classroom but also for home. This can be an easy way parents can influence their children to read. It is very convenient since a bunch of different reading material is accessible with the touch of a finger!
Plicker:In this case, only the teacher is using technology while the students are just holding up pieces of laminated paper. This is similar to Kahoot! as it is a form of quick assessment on your students’ understanding. The teacher generates a multiple choice test and hands out 2 pieces of paper to each student that has a corresponding PR code that they would be assigned to throughout the whole year. Each side of the paper represents A, B, C or D so when a question is asked the students raise up their paper. The teacher then uses a device’s camera (cell phone would be easiest) by scanning all the papers and then the answers are anonymously tallied so the class can review the results. The application allows the teacher to know which PR code belongs to which student so they can go back and analyze the information and specifically see which students got which questions wrong. This can make the students more accountable, because unlike Kahoot! They do not make up a username they are assigned to their code. The same teacher can use this for multiple classes and keep track of them all on one device. This could be a very light and fun way to do a more formal assessment and actually use it for marks!
Desmos: Desmos is an open source graphing calculator that students can easily access. Good graphing calculators can be very expensive, therefore this is a great app to get the same advantages as those students who have fancy graphing calculators. It would depend on the instructor if this would be allowed on a test because it also does have some other great features like creating graphs. An instructor can actually make a classroom environment on this application where students can hand in work and their progress can be monitored.
Skitch: This is a photo editing software similar to a lot others. After reading reviews, the majority of teachers who use this application, integrate it when doing more interactive work with nature. They get students to take photos of plants/wildlife and then reflect on them by adding notes and information to the pictures they gathered. This is a great way for students to use visual representation in a meaningful and organized way that expresses their creative learning.
Mindomo: This was neat to find because none of us have heard of this app before. This would be a great tool for middle school students to use when conducting research and connecting concepts together. This app gives the ability to create mind maps in different layouts, definitely a good way to keep work organized, so when producing an end product (like a big project or something) a student will be able to easily follow their research and draw connecting ideas. This app also allows for collaboration, multiple students can be building off the same mind map! This could be used as a whole class tool working on one mind map together at the beginning of new units, the teacher could list 3 main points and the students could add subtopics of what prior knowledge that already have regarding the bigger topics.
Other Alternatives to Cell Phones
There are many devices out there that have a lot of similar functions to cell phones and in many cases a lot of the resources listed above do not need to get cellphones involved. We wanted to look into some other technology alternatives that steered away from students accessing their personal devices during class time, some of which follow:
Photo by Arthur Krijgsman from Pexels
If your class has an interactive whiteboard and projector:
Show online videos related to the lessons.
Check out the software which came with the interactive board.
Try interactive websites such as BrainPOP or similar platforms.
Explore the virtual math manipulatives available online and on various websites!
Use the videoconferencing tool Skype or Zoom or a similar platform to connect beyond the classroom-perhaps with other classes from different places or guest speakers that are unable to physically attend the class.
If there is only one computer in your room:
Assign one student to be the class scribe and take notes. Students could take turns doing this!
Start a collaborative class blog, similar to the blogs we have created for this class but cumulative of everyone’s work and thoughts (this would be better suited for older grades).
Build a Google Classroom Site to use as a class content ‘base/house’ site. Children could access this (or parents) at their home as well.
Encourage skills such as research, writing or the creation of collaborative stories using a shareable word document platform such as Google Docs.
Record Screencasts for providing onscreen instruction.
If you have a pod of three to five computers in the classroom or access
Photo by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels
to a library with a pod of computers:
Explore student-created multimedia presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi, Google Slides etc.
Try using sites such as Edmodo, Schoology, Google Classroom or Moodle to manage course content, various assignments and possibly assessments.
Encourage students to start an interactive blog site on something of interest as we have done in this class.
Build websites with students using sites such as Weebly or Wikispaces.
Get the students to create cartoons or graphics using free online web sources.
Have students make videos using Windows Live Movie Maker, Video Editor or whatever the computer comes with/supplies. There are also various ones you can download from the internet such as DaVinci Resolve.
If you have access to a laptop cart or a computer lab:
Enable students to work through course content at their own pace through using screencasts, e-books, and other digital media.
Use Survey Monkey to get students feedback on certain assignments or aspects of the course-or create a poll
Explore digital note taking.
If your students have 1:1 laptops or Tablets:
All of alternatives and ideas listed above, whenever you want, for however long you like (especially if students take their laptops or netbooks home).
Photo byPatricia PrudenteonUnsplash
If your students have 1:1 mobile device such as a tablet etc…:
Use them as multi-function devices, use them to read (e-book), as a calculator or platform for digital note taking.
Try a tool like Nearpod to project information onto student devices.
It is important to remember when integrating technology into the classroom, that although students may have ample access to technology in their homes, they may not know how to use it properly for learning. A large part of integrating technology and arguably the most important is teaching the students how to use the technology they have access to appropriately and safely.
Overall Realizations
Photo by NeONBRAND
After conducting our research it became very clear to us that technology is undeniably an incredible gift that students are fortunate to have. We tried to make an argument that cell phones do not have a place in a successful learning environment. There are plenty of resources that students can use, as listed above that will allow students to have access to a lot of the same things as their cell phones without the unnecessary distraction. There are ways we can make cell phones a purposeful tool, but fighting against notifications for students attention is something instructors do not have time for. We would suggest that in Elementary school and even in Middle School implementing rules against cell phone use will be effective for young learners. Eventually in High School a student needs to learn to take accountability for their own learning, so allowing for appropriate cell phone will beneficial. We don’t want to just write here that cell phones are bad in the classroom and no child should have one. I think in most cases the negatives definitely weigh out the positives, which has a lot to do with the various alternative options that have become accessible to us over the years! We all really appreciated looking into this topic for our inquiry and will definitely apply the knowledge and resources we found into our teaching practices!
References:
Butler, J. (2016, August). How smartphones change the way you think [Video file]. Retrieved from https://jeffjbutler.com/tedx-technology-speaker
Edutopia. Technology Integration. 5 November 2007. November 2020. <https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation>.
Felisoni, D. D., & Godoi, A. S. (2018). Cell phone usage and academic performance: An experiment. Computers and Education, 117, 175-187. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2017.10.006
Meylan, C. (2017, November). Technology… tool or toy? Exploring play in the classroom [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_meylan_technology_tool_or_toy_exploring_play_in_the_classroom
Schwartz, K. (2015, July 29). Teacher Recommended: 50 Favorite Classroom Apps. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/41165/teacher-recommended-50-favorite-teaching-apps
Since this program is for upcoming elementary school teachers, I think that for this weeks post it is extremely beneficial to share some information on why as teachers we need to be promoting healthy living through physical and health education. As far as the physical aspect of the course goes, this subject allows for constructed time where students get to participate in physical activity. It is suggested the children ages 5-12 should get at least 60 minutes of moderate-vigorous activity daily. Within the short amount of time given for elementary PE classes it is essential that we are having our students engage in activities that are inclusive for everyone. Presenting physical activity in a desirable way will influence our students relationship with exercise, the goal is to make it an enjoyable experience so they will translate these activities to outside of school! I know PE classes are not realistic to have everyday so implementing other activities during classroom time could be beneficial as well. Finding ways to integrate academic subjects and physical movement is something that all educators should look into and something I intend on doing. Having students sit still at a desk all day is not very interactive and I think a lot of students would benefit from having some structured time within a classroom environment to get moving! Putting on a 10 minute dance along video or going for a quick play outside to give the students a brain break will really help their attentiveness. I have done quite a bit of research in regards to the connections between academic achievement and exercise. In almost all cases it is evident that students perform better in math and literacy work when they have engaged in physical activity.
Photo by K15 Photos
I think a key part of helping your students live out a healthy lifestyle is constantly engaging in discussions surrounding it. This could be as simple as daily check-ins with your students at the beginning of the day to see how their mental health is. This can assist us as teachers so we are aware of certain individuals during the day and give them extra support if necessary. It is also a great way to get your students communicating, maybe they haven’t really thought about how they feel that day and sometimes need a reminder to reflect on their emotions. Promoting healthy choices in regards to food is something that can be spoken on lightly, we do not want students feeling ashamed of what they may have brought in their own lunch kit. Understanding the healthy choice between veggies and potato chips is something we want our students to recognize and take into account when making their own decisions. Emphasizing on nutritional value and what your body needs to work efficiently is a great way to discuss healthy food options and the Canada Food Guide. I really love physical and health education and I am so excited to eventually teach this subject!
I’ve heard from a few people that often popular songs never quite sound the same as the original after being translated into different forms of sheet music available to the public. Although the sheet music I have gives credit to the original artist I know that it is not the original version of “All of Me” by John Legend. I chose this one in particular because it was not as complex as some of the other sheet music I found for this same song, I figured the more simplistic version would best suit my skillset. Some parts of the song did not sound right to me so I used my hearing to adjust only a couple parts to make the music flow better. As of now I think I have made immense progress considering I have not played piano in about 13 years and I have definitely surprised myself in terms of how far I have come since the beginning of the semester. Practicing often for short periods of time has really paid off. In certain parts of the song I don’t even need sheet music to read because my fingers are trained to move in that rhythm.
Photo by Soundtrap
I really did want to sing during my final video but I think because of the key this version of the song iswritten in I am unable to sing adequately along to it. The song is very low and I would consider myself being more soprano than alto, so no promises yet for the final video! If the song were different I would definitely be posting a video of me singing along to it. I spoke in my last blog about how singing and playing music at the same time was difficult, that is no longer the case for me. I am able to sing along to my song without messing up the timing of my piano playing which is what my biggest challenge was. Ultimately as of this point I have reached the goal I set for myself of being able to sing and play the piano at the same time and I could not be more thrilled! I am very proud of my accomplishments as of now and feel on track to completing my goals for this assignment in the given time.
With the current world situation many instructors have had to take their classrooms to the digital world. For myself I have not had troubles with it and do not see my grades being effected in any way. Mainly on this blog I want to just share how my experience throughout this semester has been, as well as give a few tips to students who may find themselves struggling in an online learning environment. Overall it was disappointing for me to have my first official year at university be online because I feel like I have missed out on the whole experience and excitement of my accomplishment. That said, I am extremely impressed with how much communication and collaboration can get done online.
Photo by Chris Montgomery
Zoom offers a variety of ways for students to engage in the class in personable way. For myself, I find it is a lot easier to get distracted just staring at a screen and it’s easy for your eyes to wander around the room! Keeping engage throughout the whole session can be very difficult but to help with that I encourage you turn your camera on! By having your camera on, you’re keeping yourself accountable to pay attention during the class because others can see you. I also think it is a good way to have your instructors recognize you and in some ways get to know you better. Coming from a student perspective I cannot believe what it would be like to just teach a bunch of black screens in hopes that everyone is listening attentively. Something I am appreciating with online school is the amount of extra time I am gaining. The time it takes to get to the school, find parking and then get to class would roughly take me a good hour. I easily have an extra 8-10 productive hours each week just from excluding the commute, I don’t have to going anywhere since all my resources are accessible with a click. I will say that any class longer than 90 minutes is extremely hard on me, especially my eyes. Even if I have gotten an appropriate amount of sleep, spending so much time on the screen makes me very tired. I usually have to take a short nap on days with multiple classes to refresh my brain, which is actually something I did just before writing this!
Synchronous and asynchronous classes can also impact student success with online learning. This semester I found that a lot of my instructors did a really great job of incorporating both of theses styles equally within the course. I think it’s good to have that structured time with a class to keep everyone relatively working at the same pace and on track. Giving students a week to review any asynchronous materials is completely doable, it all depends on an individual’s ability to time manage. My biggest advice, go into online learning with a positive attitude and be open to any new resources your instructors give you, they’re usually very helpful! Here’s a list of other things I have found to make my experience this far successful:
These are some of the checklists I have made over the semester!
Make checklists, this can be a good way to keep track of weekly assignments especially if you are using multiple learning platforms.
If possible have a separate working space away from your bedroom, this helps your brain associate school work and home as two different things.
Get dressed!! Putting on “real clothes” example not just a hoodie and sweatpants can make you feel more motivated and energetic!
Turn your camera on and participate in class discussions! Engage in your own learning, you’re only going to get out of the course what you put into it so actively participating in group discussions is very beneficial.
Take breaks, make sure to take breaks between your classes or before you start working on other assignments. Getting out of the house and getting fresh air is always a great idea and it stimulates brain activity.
After sharing for weeks different ways I have been trying to incorporate healthy choices into my daily life I thought I would include a workout video this week. I use to be an active, competitive softball and volleyball player with good upper body strength. Recently I have stemmed far from those days and have significantly lost a good portion of muscle in my arms and shoulders. I am sharing a video below that is a compilation of my go to upper body strengthening exercises that I have discovered through various Instagram fitness accounts, YouTube videos and other online resources! Recording yourself is also a great thing to do because it gives you the chance to critique yourself and notice if there are any exercises that you are performing incorrectly. Also this was a fun way to play around with some more video editing!
Something talked about frequently in the world of education and encouraged throughout BC’s curriculum is inclusion. This refers to a variety of things, but the key point to get across is that segregation of student’s based on their learning abilities in a classroom is not benefiting those students in the way they need to be. All students need to be welcomed into their classrooms, supported by their teacher and given access to the resources they need to succeed while in an environment amongst their peers. For this week’s class we had a guest speaker Chantelle, who works with BCedAcesss, which is a non-profit organization that “supports families of students with disabilities or who are complex learners reach their full potential in BC education.” A lot of the concepts she spoke to were similar to ideas that have been brought up throughout the semester in different courses, mostly in relation to adaptability and understanding that each student has different learning needs.
Photo by Bud Helisson
One of Chantelle’s main focuses was how technology can be used as an inclusive tool to ensure that all students can engage in their learning at the same level as others. Items such as glasses are considered to be a type of technology that are created for individuals who were not blessed with 20/20 vision, myself being one of them! Imagine sitting in a classroom and having all your peers answering questions and having conversations about the information on the board but, you are unable to see because you are not given glasses and therefore cannot participate in any classroom activities. In a similar way students with learning disabilities and distinctions who are not provided with the right tools/technology are being deprived of the opportunity to engage in their learning the same way as others. There is a lot of technology available to enhance student’s abilities. As a teacher you need to provide these resources to your students and be adaptable in your classroom to meet their needs. I am going to share few examples of learning disabilities I researched online and share one way that as I teacher I can help those students get the most out of their education.
Auditory processing disorder (ADP), affects the way a student hears. Provide them with a visual aid tool such as a tablet to use during class time with the layout of classwork and activates.
Language processing disorder (LPD), makes it difficult for a student to communicate and organize their thoughts. Give clear instruction and provide them with extra resources to refer to when working through activities (such as specific criteria sheets and very detailed activity sheets that go step by step).
Dysgraphia, affects writing abilities and can cause difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper. I can give these students access to a computer where they can type and organize their thoughts better by having the ability to easily copy and paste. They could also use the speech-to-text feature.
The importance of IEP’s (individualized education plan) often came up in my discussion group. Part of creating an environment for your students to succeed in, is understanding their needs. Taking the time to read through IEP’s and possibly getting the students to fill out a survey at the beginning of the year reflecting on their own learning style can be very beneficial for both the students and the teacher. Communication with the student’s as well as with parents is crucial to determine what a child needs and is much easier they just making your own assumptions. Overall this guest speaker helped me to realize that communication and mutual respect are crucial for building relationships and setting up your students for success.
For my final assessment I have geared away from my original plan and chosen to play “All of Me” by John Legend. I found a great resource online that gave me access to sheet music of more popular songs. I chose this song specifically because the piano is the key instrument you hear throughout the whole piece and the tone, lyrics and melody of the song is complimented beautifully by this instrument. This is also a song I can not help but sing along to every time I hear it and I am really hoping to seamlessly play the piano and sing along. Speaking of that, it is a lot harder than I thought. Every time I go to sing I either end up off key, fall behind on the lyrics or completely mess up the melody/rhythm of what I am playing on the keyboard. I never realized that playing an instrument and singing could be such a difficult task. Also while learning this new song I noticed it is in the key signature of A flat, which means there are four notes I need to be aware of that are flat throughout the entire piece. I have been able to get the right hand successfully through the song with little to no trouble but once I try and put my left hand in there the speed is completely thrown off. I plan to continue practicing each day for just 10-15 minute intervals to really train my left hand to play up to the same speed and caliber as my right.
Photo by Jean-Philippe Delberghe
Something mentioned in my midterm evaluation was the depiction between the different dynamics, loud versus soft. I have found it extremely difficult to reflect those accurately using my keyboard, if you listen very closely you may be able to hear the slight differences but they are not very distinct. For my final piece, I am able to access a grand piano which I plan to play on instead to really emphasize and compliment the skills I have developed through this assignment!
I thought for my post this week it would be suitable to share different ways that technology can be used to promote healthy lifestyles. There is an app that I found on the Google play store called “MyFitnessPal,” it was highly rated so I decided to download it and start exploring the different features. When initially setting up my account it asked for typical personal information as well as my weight, height, age and gender. It then prompted me to fill out my goal weight and a timeline for it and also determine how physically active I could commit to being each day. Depending on what I answered, I was supplied with how many calories I should eat in a day to reach my goal. To test out different outcomes I said I wanted to lose 35lbs in 2 months (not what my goal actually is) and do it with hardly any activity per day. The app informed me that in order for this to take place I would need to consume only 1100 calories a day. I found that extremely shocking especially when a calorie calculator suggested I should be eating 2200 calories a day. I think it is very unrealistic to lose weight in a healthy manner without doing any physical exercise and this app makes it seem like it is possible. This app creates an organized space where you can record everything you eat in a day and totals the calories you are consuming. You can find almost every food imaginable on this app and you can scan food bar codes for even more accuracy. For example, instead of recording a granola bar and getting the most common nutritional facts/calories, I can scan a cliff bar and record the specific peanut butter and chocolate chip variety. Drinks are also included in your calorie intake and there is a separate chart for recording cups of water drank. This app also provides different low-cal recipes to try out, workout plans to follow and articles with tips on staying healthy, but to access some of those features a premium membership is required. You can also record when you have been active so then the app knows to allow a larger calorie intake because you burned calories. I honestly think this app is great, it is not the perfect thing to rely on but it can definitely help someone be more conscious of what they are putting in their body and help keep a calorie deficit.
Photo by Andres Urena
Another thing I wanted to bring up in the post is Fitbits! I just got one a couple months ago and I absolutely love it. I have the corresponding app on my phone and there are a lot of similarities to “MyFitnessPal.” Fitbit really targets physical exercise and keeps track of steps, calories burn, heartrate and water intake. I find that when I wear my Fitbit I feel more motivated to exercise and get active, I also really enjoy getting to see how many calories I burned or steps I walked in a day. Technology is becoming such a huge part of the world and it has integrated it’s way successfully into health and fitness! I think both of these resources can be extremely useful and enhance one’s experience with regaining control of making healthier choices.
In our week 10 lecture when we had the guest speaker Chantelle Morvay-Adams from BCEdAccess, she talked about assistive technology and how certain technologies can be used as tools for students with disabilities or complex learners. Equipment such as cellphones, iPads, or tablets can be used for students who are adverse to touching paper. These technologies can also be used by students who struggle with writing because of the voice-to-text option.
I thought for my post this week it would be suitable to share different ways that technology can be used to promote healthy lifestyles. There is an app that I found on the Google play store called “MyFitnessPal,” it was highly rated so I decided to download it and start exploring the different features. When initially setting up my account it asked for typical personal information as well as my weight, height, age and gender. It then prompted me to fill out my goal weight and a timeline for it and also determine how physically active I could commit to being each day. Depending on what I answered, I was supplied with how many calories I should eat in a day to reach my goal. To test out different outcomes I said I wanted to lose 35lbs in 2 months (not what my goal actually is) and do it with hardly any activity per day. The app informed me that in order for this to take place I would need to consume only 1100 calories a day. I found that extremely shocking especially when a 