Lauren's Education Blog – Page 2 – Prepare to be enraptured by my educational journey

A Change In Direction

On March 10, 2020

After discussing our timeline with each other, we have decided to change the direction of our inquiry. While we feel the google certification program is a valuable asset, the amount of work necessary to complete it is unrealistic at this point in time. Last week, we looked into the first unit of the course which would have taken us a minimum of 85 minutes. The entire course suggests that it would take about 775 minutes. If you see the following images below, you will see the extensiveness of the course. To complete this course and spend time to blog about it, we do not have enough time on top of our current academic course load.

We will now be using this inquiry as a way to learn more about the apps in the GSuite. We think this will benefit our future teaching careers while also being a realistic goal for our current student schedules. Once we become really well acquainted with the google apps, we will be able to teach our students how to use them easily and also be able to seamlessly incorporate them into our future classrooms.

The first app we will be looking at is “Science Journal.” This is a Google app that “transforms your device into a pocket-size science tool that encourages students to explore their world. As they conduct eye-opening experiments, they’ll record observations and make new, exciting discoveries.” This app can be used in younger classrooms that have tablets/iPads or in older middle school classrooms where students have their own phones.

The app allows students to document their science experiments through measurement, picture taking, and note-taking. The app is free and provides “70 hands-on science activities from education experts.”

Week Six!

by laurenbull

On March 10, 2020

In Free Inquiry

So, its been a week since I’ve attempted full veganism and I can honestly say it’s been a struggle. I had to be inventive with my meals and experiment with ingredients I wouldn’t normally try. One such ingredient was nutritional yeast (commonly referred to as ‘nooch’) which is a powdered, deactivated yeast that is rich in protein and boasts a delicious cheesy flavour. I experimented with this on pasta with tomato sauce, popcorn, and oven roasted vegetables!

To normalize my eating as much as I could, I bought foods to replace the things I eat or use in things regularly. These replacements included dairy free yogurt, oat milk, vegan burgers, tofu, and several others.

I also went to a coffee shop to study one day and researched a vegan place to go to. I discovered Fernwood Cafe that had a variety of yummy treats, meals, and drinks to choose from. I settled on a peanut butter cup and soy milk latte, and thoroughly enjoyed both!

In my mind, this week was a success and I plan to continue using some of the vegan replacements I found! I would also love to experiment with vegan baking recipes because I think it would be fun and tasty.

ScreenCastify

by laurenbull

On March 3, 2020

In EdTech

Today I experimented with ScreenCastify, a Chrome program that allows you to record your voice as well as your computer screen. This seems like a great educational resource as it allows teachers to share lessons and other materials outside of the classroom.

Once creating an account, I was able to navigate a simple recording fairly easily. The little ScreenCastify icon that appears at the top of your browser allows for quick access to this tool and makes it easy to record at any time. I decided to make a short clip using an elephant Gif I found (https://images.app.goo.gl/FzkpGH74qLdaRDFn9).

In the recording, which I have included at the bottom of this post, I prompted my hypothetical students to begin an inquiry into elephants. This topic is aimed towards a younger group of children, as the students are simply asked to note what they know about elephants, what they see in the Gif, as well as what they wonder or would like to know about elephants in the future.

This clip would be the provocation for a small unit on elephants!

The biggest wish I have for my video is better audio quality. I’m not sure whether the poor sound is due to the program, the quality of my laptop’s microphone, or the amount of noise in the classroom around me, but either way, if I were to use this tool in my class, I would attempt to better this aspect of my videos.

Getting Started On Riptide! (March 3)

by laurenbull

On March 3, 2020

In Music

Learning a new song has given me a renewed sense of excitement and motivation for playing the ukulele. After playing “You Are My Sunshine” for so long, its initial intrigue started to wear on me and (even though this isn’t true) I felt that my playing was plateauing and I wasn’t really improving anymore.

Since starting Riptide last week, I have been experimenting with a new strumming pattern (DD-UU-D-U), as well as switching more fluently between the chords used in this song. These chords are G, C, and Am.

I found that YouTube videos were really helpful while learning “You Are My Sunshine”, but I have yet to find a video I really like for “Riptide”. Despite this, I feel like I’m off to a good start with this song mainly because of the time we had in class last week to practice. Catrina, who already knows “Riptide”, generously offered to help me learn it during that block of time. She shared how she plays the song, did the strumming pattern with me, and gave me a strategy for switching chords on time with my strumming. She also gave me a pick that I am going to use in my practice to see if it makes any difference in my playing!

First Unit

by laurenbull

On March 2, 2020

In EdTech Inquiry

This first unit is called “Getting Ready to Use Technology in the Classroom” and discusses how educators must have clear learning goals for their students before implementing technology into their classrooms. By deciphering what they want to get out of their lessons, teachers can more appropriately select online tools to enhance their classes.

In this unit, we learned about G-Suite and the various tools available within it – Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Hangouts, Blogger, Drive, Maps, YouTube, Calendar, Gmail, etcetera.

It explains further how there are three pillars of digital responsibility to consider while using these sorts of technology including copyright and fair use, online safety, and communication. If these guidelines are followed online instruments have the potential to “support the work you currently do”, “prepare for the future”, and “help your students behave responsibly online”.

(https://teachercenter.withgoogle.com/fundamentals/unit?unit=1).

This was an informative introduction to Google and all of its extended tools, but it definitely took some time to thoroughly work through the entire unit. A helpful addition to the process is a review quiz at the end that helps to ensure you understood all of the information. Despite this and the straightforward instructions throughout the units, this is going to be a big-time commitment for us to complete.

Fundamentals Training

by laurenbull

On March 2, 2020

In EdTech Inquiry

Before taking the exam to become Google Certified Educator Level 1’s, we have to go through a number of readings, videos, and activities that will help us learn how to integrate Google into our future classrooms

There are 13 units to complete – comprising various lessons on engaging in professional growth and leadership, increasing efficiency and saving time, facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity

These units are set up to record your progress as you go, and so that you can start and stop lessons at any time. This is a really great feature since it allows you to progress through the units without having to dedicate large amounts of time to complete lessons, allowing any spare time can easily be used to work through this fundamental training.

Another convenient feature is that you can see how many lessons each unit consists of, as well as the approximate amount of time required to complete each unit.

Throughout this next week, we will begin working through unit 1, Get Ready to Use Technology in the Classroom. It is supposed to take about 85 minutes and has 5 lessons within it.

Week Five!

by laurenbull

On February 29, 2020

In Free Inquiry

I still have yet to watch the documentary I mentioned a couple of posts previously, but it is still on my to-do list. This past week I’ve been focusing on getting back into the routine of meal-prepping and cooking regularly (with predominantly vegetarian ingredients).

I am definitely feeling more on track after reading break’s slight curveball, but I think that it is time to take another step forward with my plan now and try a vegan lifestyle for a week. I already know this is going to be a challenge because I not only enjoy a lot of non-vegan foods but also because I am simply not used to looking out for things that contain animal by-products.

Things like ordering a latte with almond milk instead of regular milk, watching for baking that includes egg, and finding substitutes for non-vegan ingredients in my own cooking are going to take a conscious effort on my part. I need to grocery shop soon, so I think the first step I am going to take towards this goal is going to be emptying my fridge of leftover ingredients that aren’t vegan, and then replenishing it with plant-based ingredients.

I really like eggs, so for dinner tonight, I am going to make myself scrambled eggs and toast, to both get rid of eggs from my kitchen, as well as have a last egg-meal before this next week 🙂

https://images.app.goo.gl/F3MRAy58QxYoAhgz9

Can’t say that mine will look this good, but a little preview of what I’m aiming to whip up tonight! (still vegetarian too)

Week Four!

by laurenbull

On February 29, 2020

In Free Inquiry

This post is a little late but better late than never right!

Unfortunately, over reading week, my sustainable eating goal was set back a step or two. I wish I could say I stuck to the vegetarian lifestyle more than I did, but several factors definitely offset my journey!

The first of these factors was that I wasn’t doing my own grocery shopping or cooking. Back in Penticton, I was eating meals with my family and relying on the groceries my mom bought anytime I made my own food. This limited the variety of non-meat food options since no one in my family is vegan or vegetarian. I also had the luxury of my mom’s delicious homemade cooking which, more often than not, contains some sort of chicken, beef or pork component. This leads me into the next challenge I faced at home, it’s hard to turn down foods you love when they are placed right in front of you – even when you know they go against your goal. Fresh bacon and eggs for breakfast… chicken fettuccine alfredo for lunch… burgers with cheese and onion for dinner… Way too hard to say no!

While this week was not exactly on track with the rest of my progress, it did teach me that this sort of lifestyle isn’t as easy as it had previously seemed. There are always going to be temptations and obstacles to navigate, but it is important to remind myself why I made this goal for myself, as well as that my journey won’t be perfect because I am still learning about this lifestyle and what works for me.

George Jay Field Trip (Feb. 26)

by laurenbull

On February 29, 2020

In EdTech

The field trip to George Jay Elementary School was both authentic and memorable as it gave us a real-life peek into the life of a practicing teacher. Rebecca Bathurst shared a number of ways in which she implements unique philosophies — such as Inquiry-based learning, flexible seating, and the Reggio Emilia approach — into her own teaching.

I loved the layout of her classroom, as it incorporated a lot of student work and it boasted an open, welcoming space for students to learn and explore their interests. I initially wondered how a teacher could conduct an inquiry-based approach to learning with such a young group of students, but Rebecca’s style of teaching goes to show how much of education relies on scaffolding knowledge and that the primary steps of this should be started young.

She showed us her “teaching heart” which emphasizes connected learning, visible learning, seamless tech, celebration, relationships, learner interest, and inquiry-based. I had never seen a teacher make something like this, but it made me consider what might go into my own if I were to make one… Student-Choice? Inclusivity?? I feel like there are too many core values I would want to include as of present, but after a few years of teaching, I think it is a great idea to narrow down a couple of key principles to uphold.

You Are My Sunshine

by laurenbull

On February 27, 2020

In Music

IMG_3114