This week I decided to look into other resources on top of the ones that I have mentioned in the past. I happened to come across one that was neatly organized, however one that I do not recommend for beginners. The website provides the signs that you will be going over and a video following suit. The video was extremely hard to follow because it was moving so quickly that by the time you were understanding one sign, they had already taught two others.
I wanted to document this on my blog because not all sites are going to be useful when it comes to learning something new. And hey, this sight might be great for down the road when I am able to go a lot faster with signing, but as of right now, it was very difficult to follow.
The use of Gen AI in the classroom is controversial. Gen AI is a powerful tool that can be easily abused by students and teachers. Understanding the proper way to use Gen AI comes from the teacher not being afraid to learn more about the technology, along with the ability to teach students that it can be a helpful tool. Students also need to understand the consequences that come up if the technology is used in a manner that does not help them long term. In my opinion, generative AI can be softly introduced in grade 4 or grade 5- purely in a technology introduction form. By this, I mean that Gen AI would not be introduced as a tool for school, but a tool for extra curriculars; such as assistance in VR or other video games. In grade 6 or grade 7, Gen AI could potentially be introduced as a tool for helping narrow down a project topic or inquiry.
For myself, I have found Gen AI to be useful in helping simplify sentences. I have a tendency to overcomplicate sentences, and that does not serve me well when writing long papers. Gen AI has also helped me narrow down my thesis, when my topic has been too broad.
In this video I used screencastify to document a question I asked Copilot, a LLM (Large Language Model). I asked how to obtain a certain mod in a VR game that my housemates were playing. This is an example of how younger students could potentially use it in a non-educational form.
Including H5P tools is a great way to interact with students when providing a video within their learning. As the teacher, it can be used as a studying tool, but also as an interactive, fun way to spark learning in the classroom. It is a check in that students are paying attention to the video as they go and not only listening to it as background noise.
Although I have a lot of difficulty with technology, I think creating a video that includes visual and auditory editing is a great way for students to display their learning in project form. Having an interactive tool to show the concept taught in class such as a video the students filmed and edited can be used by all grades above grade 4 or 5; however, this really depends on the capability of the class.
Multimedia theory is great for creating future instructional videos because it pairs verbal and non-verbal learning. This means that pairing an eye catching visual with dialogue, or keywords on an image can have the ability to move through one’s initial memory, past their short-term memory (their working memory), all the way to their long-term memory. In doing this, retention-based learning transforms into the ability of transferring knowledge.
For my Free Inquiry project, I have decided to do my best in learning ASL and the world that it has created. ASL stands for American Sign Language and is a tool used across the globe to communicate without needing sound. ASL is one variation of Sign language, similar to how there are multiple variations of Spanish from different regions. I have always been very interested in learning ASL, as it is great to have multiple languages in your toolbox.
This week I decided to dive into the available resources for learning a new language from a beginner standpoint. Here is what I found!
This is an interactive website for learning beginner ASL signs. It also provides a free course on learning ASL.
Learn How to Sign is a Youtube channel that I have been following along with in my ASL journey. They do a really great job at breaking down the signs while allowing time for you to practice as you go. They have so many videos and my favourite part is integrating them into my day in a practical way.
While watching the documentary it was interesting to see the perspectives of the educators, the students, as well as the parents. High Tech High has transformed pedagogy to allow students to learn while also putting effort into âsoft skillsâ. This new form of pedagogy also comes with disagreement. Parents of the children at High Tech High did not attend a similar education, thus when comparing the workload and the schedule to their own, they fail to see where the ability to get into college would be. Going further, when teachers from other schools tried to implement other forms of learning (ie. The math teacher in the documentary), they were taken aback when the students were the ones disagreeing- arguing that they want to ace the test to have a good college application. The approach to education that High Tech High uses has me weary and excited, all at the same time. The freedom given to students to display their learnings is amazing; however, it does not work for everyone- I, myself, would not be able to handle the lack of structure within the school year. Growing a passion for what the students were learning and how they were displaying it was a beautiful growth to watch, but I also wonder about the dynamics of how all the students are doing with their learning. When removing the educator from the front of the classroom, and moving them to the back, it creates an opening for someone else to step in- it is a role of power that is âup for grabsâ. While this could be seen as a beneficial oppoutunity for students, there is also the chance that some students may become left behind in their contribution to the class- especially when the class is being assessed as a unit. With that all being said, I believe that education needs to be a blend of structure and freedom. Education needs to give oppourtunity for all students to succeed. The route of pedagogy that High Tech High uses does not serve all students, in a similar way to how traditional teachings do not assist all students either. To re-imagine education, one must learn from the present students, along with utilizing their past experiences. Â
Below is a student-based project from High Tech High combing math, science, and art!Â
Dalhousie University has a website dedicated to different forms of pedagogy and the combination of different forms of thinking.Â
Before proceeding with this first blog post, we expect you to consider your privacy preferences carefully and that you have considered the following options:
Do you want to be online vs. offline?
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