After Class

Today in Tech we spoke about the positives and negatives of distributed learning and how we personally feel about online university. I thought this was quite a valuable conversation because it is something we are all going through right now. I do feel like there are positives, as it is a more relaxed way of learning that allows for more flexibility and leeway in our learning. However, I am not a huge fan of distributed learning because of how mentally draining it has become. I find it extremely difficult to be on my computer 24/7 as it takes a lot of energy and makes you feel quite drained at the end of the day. I also find that distributed learning is quite busy, I often feel overwhelmed because there is so much stuff going on all the time and it is hard to keep track of all your assignments, lectures, and tests.

I think that during these times it is incredible that we were able to continue our studies and that we have the technology to do so, but I do feel that the quality of classes in person is something that you can’t replicate online.

We also spoke about ways of presenting distributed learning other than zoom. We spoke about bright spaces, Moodle, Blackboard, Teams ect. as other options to share learning and classes online. I found this interesting as a teacher because I did not realize that there are so many different ways and websites that offer an online learning experience. It is important although a year ago we would have never though this is something we need to learn, we as teachers need to be informed about distributed learning as we may or may not have to implement it into our teaching one day if a similar situation was to arise. I think it is also important to learn because regardless of a pandemic or not, I think parts of education will still continue to be online. Because of all this technology we have started to use and uncover we will be able to use it when students are at home sick, or unable to attend to class and need to hear the information that was lectured.

Overall it is honestly incredible how far technology has come and how we were able to continue our studies online. I have enjoyed my time online although at some points it was proven to be difficult, I would have much rather participated in distributed learning than taken a year off.

I am beyond excited to return to in person classes while still continuing to explore the online learning experience and how I will be able to implement aspects of it into my own teaching.

This week we had Tracey Humphries from BCEdAccess come to our zoom meeting to speak about technology and the use of technology in the special needs and alternate learning pieces of education. I found this a really important and engaging conversation as I personally see and agree with the implementation of technology to aid those who may need extra assistance in the classroom. My mom who is an Educational assistant at my former high school works with many students who use technology everyday as a means of helping them get through the school day. I have spent quite a lot of time down in our special education classroom and have had the opportunity to see some of these types of technology and how beneficial they are to the students using them. My mom works with one non-speaking boy, who uses an I pad to communicate his needs and wants to his EA. I think this is such an amazing tool for in the classroom because it allows for him to have the opportunity to communicate and speak without actually speaking. It is incredible to see how far technology has come, as we were discussing in my breakout room, there was no way this type of technology would be able to be used in the schools even 10 years ago, so it is so special that we are able to use it today. That being said I feel as though we need to provide these students with more equipment and technology resources for them to use at school. The budget for these types of programs and resources is usually minimal, but I believe that there needs to be more emphasis on how important this is and how useful it is to have technology available for these students to use on a daily basis at school.

This week In EDCI 336 we explored how to use videos to our full advantage in class. We leaned what a great tool they are, and how we can use them and customize the settings to best suit what we are aiming to do with the video. We talked about different types of educational videos and how they are useful when implemented into the classroom. I loved reflecting on this because there were so many examples I could think of that are videos that have stuck with me throughout my education career. One in particular that came to me right away are the Amoeba sister videos for learning biology; these are a series of YouTube videos that breakdown all the basic and complex information in bio by explaining it in fun and new ways. I have attached a Link to the videos home page!  http://www.youtube.com/user/AmoebaSisters

We also spoke about how we can change the setting on videos such as turning on and off subtitles, slowing and speeding up videos and much more. I found this helpful because sometime we need to accommodate for students needs which may mean attending to whether or not they can hear the video and if it is too fast. This gives all students an opportunity to learn in a way that works best for them!!!!