Category: Weekly Reflections

This week in tech we focused on inclusion in education supported by technology. During my K-12 tears, I didn’t personally use adaptive technologies, but I did notice some students using tools like laptops or text-to-speech programs. At the time I didn’t connect these tools to inclusion, but I now understand that they were important in helping create a more equitable learning environment.

In my L2P, I saw how technology can play a key part in supporting inclusion. Adaptive tools like speech-to-text, audio books, and visual supports can help students with diverse learning needs participate with the class. When these tools are used effectively, they allow students to work more independently and feel more confident in their abilities. However, I noticed in the classroom that its success depends on how well the tool is introduced and supported by the teacher. Without proper guidance, students may struggle to use them effectively or may not benefit the way it was intended. For example, in my L2P one of our students who is unable to speak and was learning to use a text-to-speech program was normally given support by his EA. However she was sick one day and they didn’t have a replacement so it was just me and the classroom teacher. The classroom teacher attempted to give him support but she didn’t fully understand how to use the program so she kind of gave up and so did he.

Technology can be such a powerful tool for supporting inclusion in education when it is used thoughtfully. It is not just about having the tools, but how they are implemented to ensure that all students feel supported.

Link to the Assessable Resource Center – British Columbia

https://www.arc-bc.org

Pearson – How Adaptive technology empowers student success:

Last week in tech we explored gamification and how game elements can support learning. After looking through some websites our instructor provided, I starting thinking more about how games can make learning more engaging for students.

One key idea is that games already include features like clear goals, challenges, and immediate feedback. These things can help motivate students and encourage them to keep trying, even when the task is difficult. Gamification can also make topics that students may not normally enjoy feel more interactive by turning learning into a challenge or problem to solve.

Something else that stood out to me was the difference between students playing games and creating them. While playing games can reinforce learning, creating them can deepen understanding. For example, students could use programs like Scratch to design their own simple games or challenges. This allows them to be creative while also thinking critically about the content they are learning.

Overall, this week showed me that gamification doesn’t mean turning every lesson into a game, but rather using game elements to make learning more engaging and meaningful.

Link to websites:

http://gamingenhanceseducation.weebly.com

http://pedagogylevelup.weebly.com

Link to Scratch:

https://scratch.mit.edu

This week in Tech we did our POD inquiry checkpoint presentations and completed a SAMR activity. It was really nice to see all the different PODs ideas as well as receiving feedback for ours. I also found it interesting how even though everyone’s topics were different, a lot of them had focus on students mental health, which is very important.

We discussed the SAMR and TPACK models that help with integrating technology into the classroom. In the activity, we redesigned a simple animal research lesson and explained how it fit into Substitution/Augmentation/Modification/Redefinition.

After looking at other groups ideas in the padlet, It was nice to see different approaches in applying SAMR. This activity reinforced how SAMR can guide intentional tech use, and I can see myself looking back to this model to make lessons more engaging.

Link to SAMR and TPACK models:

https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/resources/SAMR-TPACK

Last week we had the privilege to attend two Focused Ed Professional Development (PD) online sessions with teachers and school staff members. I joined one on The Digital Classroom with Lisa Read, and another on student cybersecurity with Mike Silverton. Both sessions felt very relevant to our future classrooms.

The Digital Classroom session walked us through different online resources available to schools and how to navigate them effectively. I appreciated how practical it was. One resource that stood out to me was 4 Canoes, because it was created through collaboration with Indigenous communities and elders. As a future teacher, I think it is so important to use authentic Indigenous resources, so learning about this platform was really valuable.

The cybersecurity session also made me think more deeply about digital literacy. It focused on topics like strong passwords, digital footprints, and online safety. I realized that we cannot assume students automatically know how to protect themselves online just because they grew up around technology. Overall, these sessions reinforced that teaching with technology also means teaching students how to use it responsibly and safely.

Link to Focused Education Resources:

https://focusedresources.ca/digital-classroom-access

This week we were given the opportunity to go on a tour of the Pacific School of Innovation & Inquiry (PSII). We were led by the founder of the school, as well as one of the grade 12 students. They began by discussing the average day of a student at PSII, and the overall goals of the students and the school itself. A brief summary of PSII is its a student centred, student led school, where their main focus is that students are in charge of their learning. They use mainly inquiry projects as their main form of learning and assessment. At the beginning of each day the students are responsible to plan out what they’re going to do, what lectures they’re going to attend, and anything else they need to be successful. The set up of the building itself was super cool to see, as they had many alternative spaces (like a recording studio) that you don’t see in a typical school.

I do see the appeal of a school like this, and I can understand why it would work for a lot of people. However, personally this kind of structure would not have worked for me as a high school student. I always liked the structure of a typical school, and I think it helped set me up for university.

Link to PSII website:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://psii.ca/&ved=2ahUKEwj32ue7m82SAxXMweYEHQc4FPAQFnoECCQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3UFmoQfVwukHEnoreC5uY3

What the PSII learners are doing at school:

This week our focus was the use of artificial intelligence in education. We had a guest lecture presentation by Darcy McKee, who is the SD63 teacher leader in curriculum & innovation. What has really stuck with me since this presentation, was the different examples of ways we can incorporate AI and tech use in our classrooms, in a productive way. I really loved her examples like using green screens to put kids inside their projects, and using games kids already like such as Minecraft, but making it educational!

Link to the BC government digital literacy supports for schools: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/program-management/ai-in-education

In week 1 we went over the course syllabus, and set up our websites. I was struggling to figure out how to set up my blog, but I was happy to know that I had support from my professor if needed. In week 2 we mainly talked about privacy, consent, and how to succeed. We also discussed the steps for getting started on our open inquiry projects, which allowed me to stress less, and be more creative!