EDCI 336

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This is a category for the EdTech course. Please add this category in addition to the relevant edtech assignment category(ies).

Technologies That Can Help Students With Learning Difficulties

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On March 30, 2022

In EdTech Inquiry

For this EdTech Inquiry, Cheyenne and I have chosen to investigate, “what are some technologies that can help students with learning difficulties?“

We chose this topic because we are passionate about special education and thought it would be helpful as future educators to know more about the different types of assistive technologies than can be used to support diverse learners. To better explain these various technologies, we decided to organise them by learning difficulty. 

Image from love to learn pencil signage on wall near walking man photo – Free Image on Unsplash

Before we begin, please watch the following video that discusses how using technologies helps to support diverse learning needs, Using Technologies to Support Diverse Learning Needs. The video highlights the importance of using technology to assist students in the classroom to ensure their academic success. It is important to incorporate different technologies in the classroom to ensure that learning is accessible to all. This provides an inclusive learning environment. Now, we will discuss the different possible assistive technologies…

Autism:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioural challenges. For students with ASD, assistive technology can be used to support and enhance communication in the classroom.

Some great assistive technologies include:

  1. Tobii Dynavox – This technology is great for students with Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS) and Rett Syndrome, both of which fall under the Autism Spectrum. This device is beneficial for these students, who are often non-verbal and experience significant mobility issues. Tobii Dynavox is a speech-generating device that is controlled by eye movement and gaze. 

For more information on how Tobii Dynavox works, view this video below: 

2. Proloquo & TouchChat – These two programs are used to help non-verbal students with their communications skills and provide them with a “voice”. These programs can be downloaded directly to students’ iPads or phones and be used to help them communicate in any place, at any time. The video below provides a brief overview of how TouchChat and Proloquo are used. 

3. ChoiceWorks – This app is great for students who struggle with transitions! It has a built in visual schedule and a timer, to show kids exactly how much time is left before they are expected to move onto the next activity. The view below provides an in-depth tutorial of how ChoiceWorks is used. 

ADHD:

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a condition that can cause individuals to experience unusual levels of hyperactivity and engage in impulsive behaviours. Students with ADHD may also have trouble focusing their attention on a single task or sitting still for long periods of time. In addition to this, students with ADHD may benefit from a wide variety of assistive technologies. The following list of assistive technologies below can be utilised to assist students with ADHD in the classroom. 

  1. Audio books/reading software – An assistive technology that reads the book aloud to the reader.
  2. Screen readers –  A screen reader will read the text and images on a computer and output the information to the user by speech or braille
  3. Digital typewriter – For students that require some assistance with writing and fine motor skills, a digital typewriter is a helpful tool. A digital typewriter allows students to type on a keyboard, which can then be transferred to a computer.
  4. Dictation/speech-to-text – This assistive technology is very user friendly and helpful for students that require support with their writing and fine motor skills. With dictation, the user must simply speak into the microphone on the computer and text will appear on the screen. So, instead of typing, the user will speak and text will generate i.e. speech-to-text. (full description in Dysgraphia)
  5. Word prediction software – The name of this assistive technology describes its function, as it predicts the next word that you will type. This is helpful for students with dysgraphia as it limits the amount of typing required. One drawback of word prediction softwares is that if a student does not understand the word that is predicted, then it can cause the student to write a text that is misunderstood. However, the benefits of this software outweigh the cons as it is a great assistive technology for students to use while typing.

Dysgraphia:

Dysgraphia is a disorder of written expression that impairs an individual’s writing ability and fine motor skills.

Some great assistive technologies include:

  1. Dictation/speech-to-text – This assistive technology is very user friendly and helpful for students that require support with their writing and fine motor skills. With dictation, the user must simply speak into the microphone on the computer and text will appear on the screen. So, instead of typing, the user will speak and text will generate i.e. speech-to-text.

Some applications that you can download for the speech-to-text software can be found using the following links:

Speechnotes – Speech To Text Notepad – Apps on Google Play

Dictation – Speech to text on the App Store (apple.com)

Please watch the example video below of me using the dictate function on Microsoft Word:

  1. Digital typewriter – For students that require some assistance with writing and fine motor skills, a digital typewriter is a helpful tool. A digital typewriter allows students to type on a keyboard, which can then be transferred to a computer. One drawback of digital typewriters is that some models can be fairly expensive. Please follow this link to view a wide variety of different digital typewriters, Amazon.ca : digital typewriter.
  1. Word prediction software – The name of this assistive technology describes its function, as it predicts the next word that you will type. This is helpful for students with dysgraphia as it limits the amount of typing required. One drawback of word prediction softwares is that if a student does not understand the word that is predicted, then it can cause the student to write a text that is misunderstood. However, the benefits of this software outweigh the cons as it is a great assistive technology for students to use while typing.

Dyslexia: 

Dyslexia is a learning disorder in which individuals experience difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, poor spelling, and decoding abilities. 

For students with Dyslexia, many of the same technologies used for those with Dysgraphia can be beneficial. 

  • Dictation/Speech-to-text
  • Word Prediction Software/ Spell Check 
  • Screen Readers 

Hearing Impairment:

Hearing impairment, deafness, or hearing loss refers to the total or partial inability to hear sounds. For students with any form of hearing impairment, some assistive technologies include:

  1. Closed Captions – This is an assistive technology that can be added to television and online video platforms, such as YouTube. Closed Captions provide the viewer with text transcription of the audio, making it easier for them to understand what is being said. Please watch this video that we created using closed captions:
  1. Microphone and speaker System – The microphone is worn by the teacher to help project their voice through a series of speakers throughout the room. These systems can also be wireless connected via bluetooth to students’ hearing aids. A great example is Front Row. 

Visual Impairment:

Visual impairment, blindness, or visual loss refer to the total or partial inability to see. For students with any form of visual impairment, some assistive technologies include:

  1. Alt-Text – This is an assistive technology that is accessible to all and should be used whenever an image is used for information (not decorative). As I have previously mentioned in another blog post on week 7, “good alt-text description is specific, brief, and less than 125 characters”. Alt-text must be used on images, otherwise screen readers will be unable to describe the image to the user. Please visit this website as it provides a helpful description on creating a beneficial alt-text description, How to write better alt-text descriptions for accessibility – The Big Hack. 
  2. Described Video – Described video is an essential assistive technology for individuals with visual impairment, blindness, or vision loss as it provides information on the visual media of a video. With described video, the visual media of a video are auditorily described to the viewer. The full description of describe video is as follows:

“Described Video (DV) uses a secondary audio track synchronized with media to provide aural representation of visual narrative of a program’s non-verbal elements that may include surroundings, costumes and body language. The description is added during pauses in dialogue, and enables people to form a mental picture of what is happening in the program.” (Post Production Described Video (DV) | Accessible Media Inc. (ami.ca))

  1. Screen Readers – A screen reader will read the text and images on a computer and output the information to the user by speech or braille. This assistive technology is essential for individuals with visual impairment, blindness, or vision loss to access technology. Screen readers will read all the information on the screen, which is why it is important for individuals to create meaningful and specific alt-text descriptions on their images. Otherwise, the user will be unable to determine the importance and context of the image.

In conclusion, assistive technology is a requirement to ensure that content and information is accessible and inclusive to all. As we have discussed, assistive technology can be implemented in a wide variety of ways depending on the learning difficulty of the user. As future teachers, we see the benefit of understanding and implementing assistive technology in the classroom. We hope that with this inquiry other educators will feel confident in their ability to implement assistive technology in the classroom and choose which is best suited for their diverse learners.

Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list! There are thousands of various technologies, apps, programs, etc. that can be used to improve student success in the classroom! These are just some of the few resources we found during our research 🙂 

Image from @robounderkind child playing game on white ipad photo – Free Image on Unsplash

Inquiry: My personal learning

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On March 30, 2022

In Free Inquiry

person holding white samsung galaxy note 8
Image from person holding white samsung galaxy note 8 photo – Free Image on Unsplash

My inquiry journey of learning Spanish was really beneficial to my future teaching practice. I will be a French Immersion teacher, so learning the different ways that students learn a second language was really helpful. This experience was valuable as I got to learn through the lens of a student while also developing language teaching techniques as a teacher. Here is an overview of the content that I learned throughout my inquiry process along with my personal reflection:

As the video highlights, in my free inquiry journey I learned about,

  • Masculine and feminine
  • Duolingo
  • The present tense
  • Adjectives
  • Spanish culture through food
  • Food vocabulary
  • Tips for learning a new language

Every week allowed me to further develop my language skills and future teaching skills. I am glad that I chose to focus on this topic for my inquiry as it really allowed me to learn about a variety of different language concepts. My big takeaway from this inquiry is the importance of enjoying what/how you are learning. This is important to understand as a future teacher as everyone learns differently. So, it is essential to incorporate different teaching strategies in the classroom to ensure that every type of learner is benefitting. This means that you can use books, movies, songs, conversations, direct or indirect instruction, independent exploration, etc. I think that it is important for language learners to have explored many different types of learning to ensure they are developing their written comprehension (reading), written expression (writing), oral comprehension (listening), and oral expression (speaking) skills.

Image from  The 4 Language Skills | Learn English | EnglishClub

I hope that with this inquiry, you also learned some beneficial suggestions on how to learn and teach a language. I will be utilizing the skills that I learned through this inquiry and implementing them in my classroom. In addition to this, I will ensure that my students have opportunities to explore their own free inquiry journey as it is such a valuable experience!

Spanish Espanol GIF by languages
Image from @languages Spanish Espanol GIF by languages – Find & Share on GIPHY

Thank-you for listening…

Kyra

Weekly Blog 10

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On March 30, 2022

In Weekly Reflections

Welcome to the weekly blog of this week! Before we begin, please assess yourself on this mood scale…how do you feel today?

Mood Scale: Teaches how to Scale Feelings and Respond in Healthy Ways | Teaching, Feelings, Coping skills
Image from Mood Scale: Teaches how to Scale Feelings and Respond in Healthy Ways | Teaching, Feelings, Mood (pinterest.ca)

This week, I had the pleasure of listening in on a guest lecture from Joanna Lake, an educator in Victoria, BC. Her presentation focused on creating meaningful connections with students and incorporating their ideas into lesson planning/assessment. Students like to have responsibility, especially within a classroom. So, teachers can utilize this in the classroom by collaborating with the students. Joanna explained that she creates rubrics with her students to use for assessment which motivates the students to be actively engaged and work hard. She discussed some important factors to consider when co-creating rubrics which are:

  • Set the learning intention
  • Brainstorm criteria as a whole class, then small groups, lots of voting, expressing opinions, etc.
  • Model what YOU believe to be an emerging/developing exemplar and proficient exemplar
  • With the class, create your final rubric
  • Students use for self-assessment, peer review, and teacher assessment

This presentation was really valuable as it really emphasized building community and collaboration within the classroom. I was provided with helpful insight on suggestions to accomplish this feeling of community in the class.

group of people wearing white and orange backpacks walking on gray concrete pavement during daytime
Image from group of people wearing white and orange backpacks walking on gray concrete pavement during daytime photo – Free Children Image on Unsplash @notethanun

Another important takeaway from this week was the usage of FreshGrade app and Arduino Science Journal. FreshGrade is a super beneficial tool to use in the classroom as it is a digital portfolio. It is easy to use to provide updates of students progress to parents/guardians, course materials to students, and helpful tools for teachers. It allows parents/guardians to observe what the students are completing in class and areas that could use improvement. This app is very user friendly, but accessibility/equity must always be considered prior to implementing technology in the classroom. The teacher must obtain consent from parents/guardians, understand the security/privacy/terms and conditions of the app, and ensure that all students will have access to the technology. These are important considerations for the Arduino Science Journal as well. This app requires a smartphone and allows “a pocket-sized science lab that encourages students to explore how the world works, record data, document observations, and experiment like a real scientist” (Arduino Science Journal). This app is really interesting as it is hands-on and user friendly for young learners. The benefits are countless as students can use this technology to enhance their learning of specific science concepts, but of course accessibility and privacy must be considered. Please watch this video of the Arduino Science Journal:

As a future educator, I will definitely incorporate the helpful suggestions from Joanna Lake’s presentation and use FreshGrade and Arduino Science Journal in the classroom. I found this week to be super beneficial for my future teaching practice!

Until next time.

Weekly Blog 9

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On March 22, 2022

In Weekly Reflections

Multi-Access Learning / Flipped Learning / Blended are all different ways for students to learn. There are differences between the three, which I will explain below…

Multi-Access Learning

Multi-access learning allows students to synchronously participate in class either in person or online. This explains the term “multi-access” as students have multiple ways to access the course. With this type of learning, students are all able to participate no matter where they are. I find that multi-access learning provides students with flexibility and freedom. Many students want to enroll in courses, however they do not due to the requirement to be face-to-face. Many face-to-face courses have a strict attendance policy which is difficult for many students due to external factors in their personal life. Therefore, multi-access learning creates the opportunity for students to attend class in which ever method they prefer.

The University of Victoria offers multi-access teaching and learning. This can be read more about here, Multi-Access Teaching and Learning | Teach Anywhere (uvic.ca).

Flipped Learning

Flipped learning is a new concept to me, which I find very interesting. With flipped learning, students will teach themselves the course content through videos and resources prior to coming to class. Then, when students are in class, they will practice and implement what they learned. After class, they ensure that they understood what they learned both in and out of the classroom with more independent practice. I find that this is a major shift from traditional education, where the teacher provides direct instructions to the students. Flipped learning gives students more independence in their learning as they are responsible to learn the content prior to coming to class.

The following website explains flipped learning along with the advantages and key components to consider prior to implementing it in your classroom, Flipped Learning | Learning and Teaching Services (LTS) (algonquincollege.com).

Image from Flipped Learning | Learning and Teaching Services (LTS) (algonquincollege.com)

Blended Learning

Blended learning is the only one of these three learning concepts that I have experience with as a student. Blended learning combines face-to-face and online learning. This means that students will receive instruction in the classroom and then have the opportunity to complete work and learn online. This combination allows students to learn in a way that is unique to them as they have the course material accessible to them online. In addition to this, students will be able to seek individualized help from the teacher while face-to-face or online. I find that blended learning is beneficial for students who are self-motivated as lots of the coursework is to be completed individually online (depending on the instructor). With this being said, many students are successful with blended learning as students can learn in a variety of ways.

Image from 8 Benefits of Blended Learning You Might Have Missed – 3P Learning

Now that we understand the differences between these different types of learning, I will share a project that I created in my HyFlex course. This HyFlex learning allows me to complete the coursework in a way that is most beneficial to me as a learner, which I really enjoy. Please see below the 3D Design project that I created (a key chain of my name).

I hope you enjoyed learning about the different types of learning as much as I did!

Kyra

Cross-Curricular Coding and Computational Thinking

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On March 15, 2022

In Uncategorised, Weekly Reflections

Cross-curricular coding and computational thinking are quickly gaining popularity within the classroom. Coding and computational thinking are both very important in the world today. Computers, phones, game consoles, laundry machines, and so many other devices are programmed through coding. It is through coding that the world is currently so technologically advanced.

My personal experience with coding was not a positive one. When I first began my undergraduate degree, I chose to pursue engineering. I decided to study engineering as I excelled in math and science throughout my secondary school education. During my studies, I did well in my classes; however, when it came to computer science I really struggled. Prior to commencing a computer science course, I never had any experience with coding in all of my previous education. No prior exposure to computer science and being in a class filled with individuals with vast knowledge on coding was really difficult. I find coding to be extremely difficult and frustrating, but that will not stop me from implementing it in the classroom. Due to my unpleasant experience with coding, I strive to give my students exposure to coding to ensure that they are capable of pursuing any career they want when they are older. They will be able to do whatever they desire as they will have acquired experience and skill with coding. Perhaps if I had been exposed to coding in my education, then I would not have faced the struggles that I did.

Below is my latest experience with coding. I think that this coding activity would be beneficial to use in the classroom as it shows students the breakdown of codes. Coding is a logical sequence of events, so seeing it broken down into simple structures will allow the development of more complex thinking as codes become more advanced.

Now, some questions…

Can computational thinking help learners become better problem solvers?

I think that computational thinking can help learners become problem solvers as this thinking promotes the break down of complex thinking into simple and logical steps. By breaking down complex problems into steps, learners can become better problem solvers as they will be able to focus on one step at a time. Computational thinking can be broken down into these four main steps as outlined by Computational Thinking – District Learning Team (sd61.bc.ca):

  • “seeing a problem and its solution at many levels of detail (abstraction)
  • thinking about tasks as a series of steps (algorithms)
  • understanding that solving a large problem will involve breaking it down into a set of smaller problems (decomposition)
  • appreciating that a new problem is likely to be related to other problems the learner has already solved (pattern recognition)”

(Computational Thinking – District Learning Team (sd61.bc.ca))

This article explains computational thinking really well, What is Computational Thinking? Why thinking like a computer builds skills for success (teachyourkidscode.com). The article highlights that computational thinking is becoming a desirable competency to have in the workforce. Therefore, it is important for educators to implement computational thinking problems in the classroom so that learners can develop this competency from an early age.

Image from Computational Thinking – District Learning Team (sd61.bc.ca)

Are there any non-math-related opportunities for integrating coding and computational thinking into your grade level’s curriculum?

Coding and computational thinking are very math oriented, but they can be integrated into cross-curricular activities. Some other parts of the curriculum where coding and computational thinking can be utilized are science, career education, or applied design, skills, and technologies (Curriculum | Building Student Success – B.C. Curriculum (gov.bc.ca). These cross-curricular connects would allow students to develop numerous skills and competencies simultaneously which would enhance their learning experience.

This video shows the importance of problem solving and computational thinking. After viewing it, it is certain that coding and computational thinking should be integrated into different parts of the curriculum. This is because computational thinking (and problem solving) are such important competencies to develop.

Could computational thinking or coding turn math abstractions into concrete form for students with their inquiries at the grade level you’d like to teach?

Computational thinking and coding could turn math abstractions into concrete form for students. With coding and computational thinking, students can use technology to create codes to represent math abstractions. The possibilities with coding are endless. With the correct experience and skill, students can create unique and complex math abstractions that represent their inquiries. This promotes hands on learning and allows students to take on additional responsibility for their learning.

Bye for now!

Inquiry: Tips for Learning a New Language

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On March 11, 2022

In Free Inquiry, Uncategorised

GIF from @dmitterhofer Happy Good Morning GIF by Denyse® – Find & Share on GIPHY

This week, I decided to focus my inquiry on helpful tips when learning a new language. I am bilingual (French and English) and I am currently learning a third language (Spanish). I find that learning a third language is much easier for bilingual individuals as their mind has developed the required flexibility of transitioning between languages. However, anyone can learn a language with determination and practice!

My first recommendation for learning a new language is enjoyment. This TED talk discusses that to develop fluency in a language, you must enjoy how you are learning it. This video highlights that you can learn a language in a large variety of informal and formal ways as long as you enjoy your chosen method of learning. I find this to be true as if you do not enjoy how you are learning, then you will not be motivated to learn. A key component of learning a language is motivation. Ultimately, motivation and enjoyment go hand-in-hand. Please watch this TED talk for the full explanation:

The second tip that I have for learning a new language is practice (practice, practice, practice!). This is super important as to learn a language you must have exposure in a variety of different ways through practice. Language learning can be seperated into four different components:

  • written comprehension (reading)
  • written expression (writing)
  • oral comprehension (listening)
  • oral expression (speaking)
Image from The 4 Language Skills | Learn English | EnglishClub

Reading, writing, listening, and speaking must all be practiced to develop fluency in a new language. Many language teaching websites such as Duolingo, Babbel, Busuu, and many others (please follow this link for a complete best rated list 10 Best language learning apps 2022 – Lingualift) incorporate these four language learning components. All these four components of language must be developed simultaneously to ensure fluency. Therefore, you must practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking in order to fully learn a new language.

Another recommendation that I have for learning a new language is relevancy. The language must be relevant to you otherwise you will not enjoy it or have the motivation to practice. Therefore, it is critical to choose a language that you are passionate to learn. This recommendation is super important in a classroom setting as many students may not see the relevancy of the language that they are learning. So, as a language teacher it is important to show students the relevance by incorporating the culture (food, music, movies, books, traditions), finding pen pals, and sharing stories of experiences with the language/where it is spoken. This website provides additional ways to enhance language learning, 5 Ways to Make Language Learning Meaningful – The TEFL Academy Blog The TEFL Academy.

Ultimately, learning a language requires motivation, enjoyment, practice, and relevance. You must be passionate to learn a new language! It can be frustrating, but languages provide so many amazing opportunities in life.

Stephanie Beatriz Reaction GIF by Regal
GIF from @regalmovies Stephanie Beatriz Reaction GIF by Regal – Find & Share on GIPHY

Hasta luego,

Kyra

Inquiry: Spanish Food (Vocabulary)

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On March 7, 2022

In Free Inquiry

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GIF from @languages Spanish Buenos Dias GIF by languages – Find & Share on GIPHY

To build off of learning the Spanish culture through food from last week, this week I wanted to focus on the Spanish vocabulary associated with food. I really enjoy Mexican food, so I find that it is time for me to learn the names for my favourite dishes and ingredients. This is important as you must know the proper terms for food if you travel to Spanish speaking countries.

To begin… food in Spanish is alimentos (plural masculine) or la comida (singular feminine). And the verb of “to eat” is comer. Some other important food terms to know are:

  • breakfast = el desayuno (noun) or desayunar (verb)
  • lunch = el almuerzo (noun) or almorzar (verb)
  • dinner = la cena (noun) or cenar (verb)

This list displays some common Spanish food vocabulary

A list of Spanish food vocabulary
Image from spanish vocabulary – Google Search | Spanish food vocabulary, Collective nouns, Nouns (pinterest.ca)

Now that we know some Spanish food vocabulary, how should you order food in a restaurant? Well, there are two verbs that you should use. They are poner (to put) and traer (to bring). These two verbs can be used interchangeably when ordering food (even though they have different English translations). A brief and clear definition of the difference between these verbs is,

“If you’re ordering real food or drinks, you can use both, poner or traer.
If you’re ordering other things that are far away from the waiter (the menu, the check, a fork, a slice of lemon), use traer”. (“How To Sound Natural When Ordering Food In Spanish”)

In addition to this, this website How to Sound Natural When Ordering Food in Spanish (deliberatespanish.com) provides helpful tips on speaking in Spanish when in a restaurant, grocery store, or talking about food.

Please watch this YouTube video of food vocabulary in Spanish. This video will allow you to read and hear the vocabulary, which is essential when learning another language. I really enjoy this video as it is separated into different sections (i.e.. breakfast food, breakfast drinks, lunch drinks, etc.)

Now, once you feel confident with your newly acquired food vocabulary in Spanish…try this online quiz Spanish Food Vocabulary Trivia Quiz! – ProProfs Quiz! This quiz will help you learn, review, and enhance your knowledge and vocabulary of food in Spanish as it contains words and pictures. I got 20/20! Woohoo

¡Adiós!

Kyra

Weekly Blog 7

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On March 4, 2022

In Weekly Reflections

Welcome to…assistive technology and equity!

an individual typing with a braille writing device
Image from person using braille writer photo – Free Québec Image on Unsplash (by Sigmund on UnSplash)

How much did you know about digital accessibility prior to this week? Was this ever a topic you considered previously?

Prior to this week, I did not know much about digital accessibility. The extent of my knowledge about digital accessibility was the usage of subtitles and screen reading devices. This is a highly important topic in education as digital resources need to be accessible to all. As our course readings this week explained, the importance of digital accessibility comes down to the facts that it’s “the law, it’s the right thing to do, and it’s a better experience for all” (McCue). I find this statement to be correct as everyone has a right to access any resource that they desire. As a future educator, I will educate myself on how to ensure that the resources that I provide to be digitally accessible for everyone to use. This blog post is already helping me learn more about the implementation of digital accessibility!

One resource that I found helpful to ensure digital accessibility with this blog post was this website, How to write better alt-text descriptions for accessibility – The Big Hack. This website provided insight on how to create beneficial alt-text descriptions. In sum, a good alt-text description is specific, brief, and less than 125 characters. I followed this guidance in the alt-text description that I created for the image earlier in this blog post.

Are there any digital accessibility practices that surprised you? Why?

Yes, I was surprised that colour is a digital accessibility practice. I did not expect this as I thought that the only digital accessibility practices were text, images, video, and audio. However, upon reflection, it does make sense that colour is a digital accessibility practice as everyone sees colour differently (which is so interesting!) I now know that digital accessibility practices include…

  • Text: allows screen-reader, but requires proper headings
  • Images: must be high-quality and have alt-text for screen-readers
  • Video and audio: must have captions and/or transcript
  • Colour: must pass colour contrast checker

The website, WebAIM: Contrast Checker, provides a contrast checker. A contrast check is a way that you can check to ensure that your chosen colours are digitally accessible. If the color does not pass the contrast checker, then I would suggest using a different colour to ensure digital accessibility.

Why do you think many digital accessibility practices aren’t more well-known or commonly used?

I think that many digital accessibility practices aren’t more well-known or commonly used because people are unknowledgeable about how to implement them. I find that if people were more educated on how to use digital accessibility practice that they would be more commonly used. This was my situation, I was just unaware of the practices and how to properly use them. In reality, it is simple to use digital accessibility practices (once you know what they are and how to use them). In my opinion, workshops for digital accessibility practices should be mandatory for university students and at workplaces that use technology. Having digital accessibility practice workshops would provide people with hands-on experience creating resources and websites that follow digital accessibility practices.

H5P video of a virtual science demonstration

This virtual science demonstration video was an opportunity for me to utilize digital accessibility practices by creating captions for a video.

Until next time!

Kyra

Inquiry: Spanish culture through food

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On February 23, 2022

In Free Inquiry

Image from Happy Food GIF by Uber Eats – Find & Share on GIPHY

This week, I wanted to immerse myself more into the Spanish culture. I find that food is an important part of every culture. There is so much history connected to food. So, I decided to use this week of my inquiry journey to learn about the most popular Spanish cuisine dishes.

I began this week by reading this website with recommendations of popular Spanish cuisine, 14 Spanish dishes you should try — from churros to jamon | CNN. I found this website to be really insightful as it provides a description of the dish and where to try it.

After reading this website, I decided to try to make churros. A churro is a Spanish desert that is popular for many occasions or as a breakfast item. I decided to make churros as a desert. Churros can be eaten with a sweet sauce (such as chocolate or dolce de leche) or simply with cinnamon sugar. This is the recipe that I followed to make churros, Churros (Homemade Recipe with Step by Step Photos) – Cooking Classy.

Please watch this video on how to make churros prior to trying the recipe.

Upon watching this video and reading about churros, I finally decided to try to make homemade churros. I did not make the churros in the traditional form of long sticks, but as squares. This allowed me to use less oil and cook them quickly. The video below is the final result of the churros…they were DELICIOUS! I will be making them again.

I find that learning about the Spanish culture through food to be enriching to my inquiry journey. An individual can not learn a language without learning about the culture, as the two go hand in hand. Food is only one component of the Spanish culture. Culture can also include music, films, festivals, destinations, traditions, and many other factors. The Spanish culture is unique and I hope to learn more about it on my inquiry process of learning the Spanish language.

AdiĂłs,

Kyra

Weekly Blog 6

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On February 23, 2022

In Weekly Reflections

Image from edcamp vs professional development – Google Search

Professional development is super important in the teaching profession. It allows opportunities to educators to learn from and with others. This week, we focused on an EdCamp which can be described as “a user-generated conference”. Prior to this course, I have never heard of an EdCamp before! If you are in the same boat as me, please follow this link to learn more about what an EdCamp is What Is Edcamp? An Overview For Teachers (teachthought.com). After I read the information on this helpful website, I learned that an EdCamp is a collaborative and hands-on opportunity for teachers to learn from eachother. In addition to this, there is a distinct contrast between an EdCamp which is more participant focused/active and traditional professional development which is more information focused/passive. Even though an EdCamp is a form of professional development, it is a different learning experience due to the requirement for participants to be actively engaged in choosing the topics of discussion.

Screen time in the classroom was the topic of discussion for the EdCamp. This is a highly important topic as technology is becoming ever present in the classroom and at home. Students are exposed to large amounts of screen time. Many classrooms have iPads, Chromebooks, SmartBoards, and other technological resources that students have access to. In addition to this, when students return home, they most likely have access to television, iPad, computer, cellphone, or a gaming system. This demonstrates that students have access to technology in all aspects of their lives. Therefore, I find that it is important to minimize screen time in the classroom. High quality teacher can be accomplished without the usage of students using technology.

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With this being said, students must understand how to use technology and the internet responsibly. As a teacher, I play an important role in helping students understand their digital footprint. As I previously discussed in another blog post, what you post on the internet will stay there forever. Therefore, teachers must limit screen time in the classroom while also teaching appropriate digital citizenship information. This website provides great tips for teachers and parents on how to help students understand the importance of creating a positive digital footprint and the importance of reducing screen time, Screen time and children: How to guide your child – Mayo Clinic.

I found this TED talk that discusses the positive and negative effects of screen time. This video highlights how screen time impacts brain development in fascinating ways. In addition to this, it explains that screen time is not a “one size fits all” topic as the appropriate amount of screen time is dependent on the student.

My goal for this post is for you to understand that screen time is currently high for lots of students, so teachers should be aware of the amount of screen time that they are implementing in the classroom. There are many activities and lessons that can be accomplished without the usage of screens.

Goodbye!

Kyra

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