Clara Kucher's Portfolio

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Blog Responses – Topic 1

June 10, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Amanda:

Hi Amanda!

I really enjoyed reading your blog post! It was really interesting to hear about your experience using the Virtual Reality set. I also can recall being somewhat skeptical about certain programs that were introduced to us in EDCI 336, as I too didn’t understand exactly how it would translate into an elementary classroom as something educational. The program that came to mind that I shared similar feelings with was Minecraft. It wasn’t until I heard from the actual students using the program and their experiences as well as actually using the program myself to understand the potential it had to be used as an effective technology tool that is also educational. It sounds like you shared a similar reaction with being in the actual VR lab paired with your instructor’s lecture.

I also share the same feelings with regards to your comment on learning about technology tools that will provide students with an opportunity to create meaningful learning. As we know, there are many apps out there, but I think it is crucial to take the time to ensure that the technology that we use in a classroom is only going to enhance student learning. I too hope to learn about new technology that we haven’t already addressed in EDCI 337.

Stephanie:

Hi Stephanie!

I could relate to many of the points you made in your blog post regarding storytelling and how it made a positive impact on your learning as a student. I too have always found that storytelling is a great way to absorb the information being told.  I also like the point that you address from Sherry Norfolk’s blog regarding  storytelling and how it can positively impact development of memory,  life values and sparking imagination. I believe a lot of important life values can be taught to children through stories. A kindergarten teacher from Victoria named Rebecca Bathurst-Hunt focuses on incorporating inquiry practices with students has a blog and provides many great resources on different stories that she uses in her classroom. She shares one blog post in particular that focuses on a story workshop that you may find interesting and useful to read!

As you mentioned in your blog, technology may not always be available to everyone, so I agree that having different approaches to create meaningful learning for students is essential. The Think, Pair, Share is an activity that I would love to use in my future classroom.  I know that even as a student today, I really don’t enjoy being called out on for an answer and I believe this method takes away a lot of that anxiety that most students fear around class discussion.

Brittany:

Hi Brittany!

I was happy to hear from your blog post that you seemed to have positive multimedia learning experiences prior to post secondary education! As we are in the same cohort, I have always been interested in hearing about your experiences during your elementary/middle school years, as it seems your school was quite progressive with regards to the activities and learning opportunities provided!

I can relate to your experience with using YouTube, Khan Academy and Ted Talks as a useful tool to learn at your own pace and have a concept taught differently than perhaps your own teacher has taught/explained it. As we know, everyone learns differently,  so being able to have the option available to use these as resources is great!

It was also interesting hearing about your connection to your prior experience using technology for an online course and how it has prepared you for taking courses online because of COVID-19 measures.  I believe that COVID-19 and the restrictions of meeting with people, students and businesses has pushed a lot of people towards using technology who may have been skeptical about using it, especially in an educational setting. I feel  grateful that we are  being exposed to technology and being taught how to use it effectively.

Blog 1 – Multimedia and Interactive Learning

June 7, 2020 / / 1 Comment

I was initially unsure what to expect from this class and what we would be learning about, but after watching and reading the course materials posted, I feel that I have a better understanding of the topic and what to expect. As mentioned in Mayer’s article, “multimedia learning is learning from words and pictures” (p. 1, 2014). As for interactive learning, I felt that the article provided in our readings by The Share Team gave clear explanations as to what interactive teaching looks like. The Share Team (2017) explains that without giving learning a practical application, people often fail to understand the depths of the material being taught. I hope that in this class I will learn how to promote meaningful learning in my future classroom through interactive and multimedia learning. I have already discovered some of the benefits of using technology in a classroom through EDCI 336 and found that very beneficial, so if I could combine my knowledge from that class and apply some of it to this new content that would be great.  As Rich also mentioned, not all multimedia resources are created equivalent and, with that in mind, I hope to learn about resources that are reliable and user friendly to ensure smooth and effective operation when used in the classroom.

When reflecting on my own interactive or multimedia learning experiences, I don’t have many that come to mind in my elementary or high school years that I found extremely beneficial or that I could relate with to the readings provided for this topic. I find that unfortunate because as I was reading these articles, I know that a lot of these different approaches would have benefited my learning style. For example, the article written by the Share Team (2017) provides many examples of how to incorporate different interactive teaching styles. Some that stood out to me and that I find to be more relevant to educators now than when I was in school are the following:

  • Encourage student participation;
  • Discussion and hands on learning experiences;
  • Group work environments; and
  • Think, pair and shares.

Although my education prior to university did not seem to be very focused on interactive or multimedia learning, I did find that as soon as I did start my post-secondary education these methods were incorporated, and it really helped in discovering how I learn best. With the article “The Hidden Importance of Teaching with Stories” written by Juliani (2016) in mind, I also believe storytelling to be an extremely helpful way for people to learn and understand something on a deeper level. This  link provides an example of how a BC teacher uses digital literacy in her classroom through a First Peoples’ lens and aims to make learning accessible for all students. The stories are created by students through Clicker Docs.

References:

Mayer, R. (2014). Introduction to Multimedia Learning. Retrieved from https://www-cambridge-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/core/books/cambridge-handbook-of-multimedia-learning/introduction-to-multimedia-learning/DCB47795DE7396B0CDF134B54F03F6A5/core-reader

Juliani, A.  (2016). The Hidden Importance of Teaching With Stories. Retrieved from http://ajjuliani.com/hidden-importance-teaching-stories/

The Share Team (2018). 5 Examples of Interactive Teaching Styles: Resilient Educator. Retrieved from https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/5-interactive-teaching-styles-2/

Music Blog Post #6

March 26, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This is my final blog post on my journey learning how to play the piano!

Looking back to the beginning of this semester to now, I feel quite satisfied with the progress that I have made. That being said, I also feel that given recent life circumstances with COVID-19, I wish I was able to give myself more time in practicing. I would have thought that having to stay at home all day would give me that extra time I need, but that definitely wasn’t the case!

The stress of having family being away and others having severe coronavirus symptoms, preparing for my own family to have food, etc., I had to realize that my school obligations had to  go on the back burner temporarily in order to stay sane and healthy during this crazy time.  I was feeling extremely anxious and stressed out and thought that piano actually may help with this, which once I was able to find time for it did!

Although I did not learn both hands together perfectly, I did make quite a bit of progress on the right hand and feel comfortable with submitting this assignment in knowing that I gave it my best effort. Once my school assignments are completed, I will definitely have more free time and will continue learning this song and probably other songs!

Through this experience, I have learned that practicing is very important and that learning a new instrument is difficult! I do feel that being able to play piano is very beneficial for teachers and I would like to continue learning so that I can use it in my future classroom.

Thank you Anita (music teacher) for all your support throughout this class and encouraging us to incorporate music into our personal lives, but also our future classrooms!

Here is the link to my video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqbOiejoCJE&feature=youtu.be

Note: filmed by a child so I apologize for the shakiness!

Music Blog Post #5

March 26, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I am still continuing to learn Let it Be and still finding it difficult, but better! My mom who knows how to play piano is currently away right now, as she had to go visit my 98-year-old grandma. I don’t know when she will be back, but definitely feeling less prepared with this piece than my previous pieces due to the support I received from her with those. This has made me realize how useful music teachers can be!

I think pushing past initial frustrations is very important when learning a new instrument. It is really easy to be faced with something difficult and put it aside. I think experiencing this firsthand, probably gives all of us learning new instruments an insight as to how children might be feeling with learning something new!

I have done some research online to find out what people say about how to successfully learn an instrument on your own and here are some of the tips that I have been applying to my learning journey:

  1. Regular practice as a habit in your daily routine: I have probably talked about this one before, but I do think it is the most important aspect of learning anything new.
  2. Select simple pieces of music: the first two songs that I chose were quite simple and I found it easier to stay motivated to learn them. I knew that Let it Be was going to be more difficult, but I wanted to give myself a bit of a challenge so regardless I am feeling good about the song I am learning.
  3. Practice slowly: I find that by practicing harder parts over and over again slowly that I have more success when I play the song from start to end.
  4. Warming up hands: as mentioned in my previous blog post, I am continuing to practice my other pieces and I feel that this helps me warm up.

These tips are small, but I find that even knowing I have a few things I am keeping up on constantly helps me succeed overall.

Music Blog Post #4

March 26, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I have been working on the Let It Be song on the piano and have been finding it quite difficult. I have been finding it easiest to follow along with a Youtube video and practice only the right hand, but feel like I am going to need to practice quite a bit more before trying to do both hands together. That being said, I also am happy with the progress that I have made just after practicing a few times (I could barely keep up with the YouTube video before).

I also have been practicing the pieces that I have already learned (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Ode to Joy), as I find it nice to switch things up a bit. It can get somewhat boring practicing the same piece over and over again.

Next week I am going to try and play both hands together for certain parts. By then I will have had a few more days of practicing on the right hand only.

I am thankful that I have a piano at home, as I know that a lot of people have limited access to their instruments. Setting aside time at a specific time of day is something that I find useful and keeps me on track.

Week 11: Zoom

March 24, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This week was our first week of in person classes being cancelled due to COVID-19. I had wondered what this was going to look like for our courses going forward and it seems as though the only class that is taking a technology approach to continue with lectures is with this  class!

Today, we had class on a program called Zoom. I have recently been hearing lots about this program for conference calls and connecting with staff, but had not used it before. Overall, I was quite impressed with the overall quality of the program, as it feels like most programs like FaceTime, Skype or Facebook calling have major bugs and limits, which makes it difficult to use. Here is an outline of some of the Pros and Cons that I came up with for Zoom:

Pros:

  • Video Calling/Audio Calling
  • Can bring multiple people into calls (perfect for our situation)
  • Screen sharing (great for presentations)

Cons:

  • People can get distracted by other things around them (less likely to focus than being in a classroom setting). That being said, we don’t have the option to be in classrooms right now, so this program provides a great alternative
  • Glitchy. This one feels pretty unavoidable with most technology and I think people expect it. Perhaps the program is also a bit delayed due to the amount of people using it
  • Having to use headphones while using to improve sound quality

Obviously after only using it once for this lecture, I feel that these pros and cons probably don’t give it a full overview, but in terms of using it for an online class setting I thought it worked very well!

macro photo of camera

Week 8: Zero-Waste

March 24, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This blog post is going to be dedicated to coronavirus and how it has impacted my zero-waste journey. The coronavirus has presented many issues for everyone around the world. Once we started to realize how serious this virus is and how it might impact our daily lives now and in the future, I like most people decided to go get enough food to help support myself and family during this unknown time.

This meant that I had to put aside a lot of my zero-waste habits that I have picked up during this journey. Bulk Barn switched to using single-use plastics only, coffee shops also banned people from using their own cups and as the grocery stores has limited supplies I find that I am having to opt for products that have more waste  than what I normally would feel comfortable with purchasing. Regardless of Bulk Barn and coffee shop policies, I don’t feel comfortable going to these places anyways, as I feel like they would be of a higher risk to spread the virus. I know that I can sanitize things purchased at the grocery store, whereas a cup of coffee and a jar of beans I can’t.

rainbow drawing

Right now, I feel that our main concern is keeping safe and healthy. So, being zero-waste is unfortunately not as important. Here are a few tips that I have been keeping in mind during the pandemic:

  • Buy only What you Need: (this is hard, because of how unknown everything is right now. I also hate going to the grocery store because I feel like everything I am purchasing has the virus all over it…)
  • Use What you Have: this goes in hand with the point above. I have enough food that I can use without going to the grocery store for awhile. I think planning on doing one bigger grocery shop a week is a good plan and something I use to do normally before coronavirus)
  • Avoid Food Waste: I currently have quite a bit of food in my fridge right now and I have been making a meal plan to ensure that I do not waste any food!
  • Grow Veggies at Home: Before everything basically closed, I went to a garden store near by and purchased kale to grow on my balcony. Planting made me feel less anxious about what is going on in the world and also made me feel better to know that I should have kale to eat in a few weeks!
  • Up-cycle: I have already been  collecting household items (egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, etc) to use for future crafts or learning activities for the two children at home that I will be looking after during the school closure.

These little tips have been making me feel better about what is going on and I also feel that with quite a few negatives around COVID-19 there are also positive things that should be noted with regards to the environment. There have been articles suggesting that Venice’s canals are crystal clear from the decrease in boats, there has been a significant decrease in air pollution due to travel restrictions and quarantine. Although, these changes are likely temporary, perhaps people will begin to recover from the pandemic with the environmental crisis in mind and shift the ways that we operate without crippling our economy.

Week 9: Zero-Waste

March 24, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This is my final blog post related to my zero-waste journey!

I am happy with the progress I have made over the last few months, but also feeling somewhat disappointed, as I felt I had to give up a lot of my zero-waste habits due to the coronavirus. Being mindful of waste is always in the forefront of my mind when making any purchase, but I had to make a few changes with regards to buying bulk and opting for bigger packaged items with more waste. Although I feel guilty about some of these purchases, there wasn’t much I could do about it and I just have to consider this part of the journey!

Overall, I feel that this inquiry has been successful. I found new resources that were relevant to living in Victoria, BC,  lots of tips and tricks from other bloggers following a zero-waste lifestyle and information related to some of the challenges that other people face due to location, cost and lifestyle.

Ultimately, I learned that being completely zero-waste is not something that I feel is possible with my lifestyle. I will continue to make as much of an effort that I can with reducing waste, but I think my mindset is moving more towards minimalism rather than zero-waste.  I really enjoy clean and clutter free space and with all my lifestyle changes to reduce waste I feel that these two concepts align nicely together. I have made a very big effort in donating and selling items on VarageSale that I no longer need or feel that I get enough use out of. I find that by selling things it makes the process of letting items go easier. Now that I have reduced a lot of my household items and clothing, I find it much easier to really consider future purchases and whether or not I truly need them.

Advice that I would give for people starting a zero-waste journey is to start with small accomplishable goals. There are sooooo many things to do to help reduce waste and we have many resources available in front of us to help us along the way. Something as small as not buying coffee unless you have a reusable mug to use is a great first step. When I reflect on all the changes I have made I feel quite happy with my progress! I hope that because of the environmental crisis happening globally right now, more people will also be reflecting on their lifestyle and try and come up with ways to do their part. That being said, I feel that the Government and large corporations have a responsibility to look at how they can make a change and in a way force people to adapt to these sustainable choices.

The Journey is On LED signage

Week 8: FreshGrade – Summary

March 24, 2020 / / 0 Comments

For our EdTech Group Inquiry, our group decided to look at how FreshGrade could be used inside and outside the classroom, as a beneficial tool for students, parents, and teachers. We started by looking at what exactly FreshGrade was and how it could be used, we learned that FreshGrade was an online system that was designed to keep teachers, students, and parents connected. FreshGrade allows for teachers to design their lessons and schedules, give assessment and feedback on students’ work, and keep parents up to date with what their children are learning in the classroom. We learned that FreshGrade can also be beneficial for administration as principles can now use FreshGrade to create a community within their school, where others work can be showcased and everyone can engage. There were a ton of benefits to using FreshGrade such as the planning and organizing features, communication with parents and students, and the assessment features, but there were also some cons to using FreshGrade. FreshGrade does not support drawing, narration, or speech to text tools and it can become another task for teachers to keep up with, resulting with many not wanting to put in the effort. As we were researching for this inquiry we learned a lot about how FreshGrade can be beneficial for parents, and even had the opportunity to speak with a parent from school district 61 regarding what they thought about the program. In our interview, we learned that getting the most out of the program all depended on how the teacher was using FreshGrade in the classroom. Our interviewee said that he loved that his children were excited to show what they had learned at school that day and that this always sparked conversation about their day, and what they did in the classroom. He did mention that what you get out of FreshGrade all depends on what the teacher is posting, many teachers barely use it while others keep you updated with constant pictures and descriptions about everyday activities. He also explained that much of what his children’s teachers posted was not child specific, and did not include any form of assessment. We also learned about some of the cons that other parents experienced such as not having access to technology in order to view the site or that many parents are not comfortable having photos or videos of their children being posted for others to see. As we continued to research, we all realized that FreshGrade is an amazing program that would be very beneficial for future educators to get familiar with, especially here in BC as many of our school districts are using FreshGrade everyday in the classroom. FreshGrade offers many professional development day programs online to help educators learn how to get the most out of the program and can show how other teachers are using it within their classroom. We highly recommend that teacher’s check out our link below to look into signing up for their free class to learn how to get started with FreshGrade. We are very happy that we choose to research this amazing online program as it will be very applicable to our future careers and look forward to learning more about it in the future. 

https://learning.freshgrade.com/p/getting-started-with-freshgrade-1

Week 6: FreshGrade – How to Use FreshGrade

March 24, 2020 / / 0 Comments

FreshGrade provides opportunities for student learning, parent engagement and formative assessment. FreshGrade provides a list of ways to use FreshGrade and we have narrowed down the list to some of our favourites:

Empowering Students:
FreshGrade portfolio allows students to take ownership of their work, as they are able to choose the information to post and reflect on their learning.
Provide Feedback:
After learning is captured, teachers can provide personalized feedback.
Track Student Progress:
FreshGrade allows teachers to look at student and class progress. This can be done through the class dashboard and also has a feature to alert parents if help is needed at home.
Assessment:
Teachers can use FreshGrade with regards to reporting and grading their students and potentially save time and reduce their workload. Teachers can select their desired assessment tool (mastery, score, custom, etc.) and assess each activity for each student and share with them. FreshGrade also provides an opportunity for students and parents to receive assessment consistently (not just three specific times a year), which should ultimately help students’ growth.
Learning Slideshow:
A learning slideshow is a way to show students’ learning and growth throughout the year.
Personal Portfolio:
As education seems to be shifting towards using portfolios in the future, FreshGrade provides an opportunity for students to start building their own portfolio and allow the teacher and student to reflect on their personal growth and progress.
Record Field Trips:
Teachers can use recorded field-trips to provide an opportunity to continue learning after the field-trip is over.
Reduce Waste in the Classroom:
The environment is an important topic that students should be encouraged to think about. The amount of paper waste will be significantly less by using FreshGrade.

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