Posts

Blog Reflection

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    In complete honesty, I believe that my blog is done very well. Through using research and personal experience, I have generated educated and knowledgeable opinions/thoughts on particular educational matters. By understanding the history of a given topic and then diving into the current/modern research, I was able to provide my readers with a timeline of events and how it has impacted education (i.e., going from old and traditional methods of teaching like long lecturing, testing and work sheets to new and collaborative methods of teaching like inquiry projects, podcasts and etc.). The biggest knowledge takeaway from my blog is that my thoughts and opinions are generated through calculated and timely measures. For example, we currently live in a world that is surrounded by technology.  Personally, I don’t believe in restricting something that is prominent everywhere we go. As an educator, I am trying my best to use current research, and my experiences (both indivi...

Less Talk, More Play

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As a secondary Physical and Health Education (PHE) teacher, the main goal of my class is to get my students moving and to hopefully help them find a physical activity they can do lifelong. Unfortunately, not many students enjoy PHE class. As a result, it is my job to provide a variety of activities that may spark and inspire students to participate in class. When executing new activities, explanation needs to occur. Otherwise, the activity will become unorganized, boring and a hot mess. Teaching, lecturing, and explaining can be extremely time consuming. Hence, students may not get enough physical activity and therefore not reap the benefits of it. What's the point of PHE class if students are just listening to instructions when they should be moving!   A study noted by one of my college professor indicated that a high percentage of PHE classes in North America no longer meet the 60 minute of physical activity. The article suggested that PHE teachers spend too much time on administ...

Final Learning Glossary

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  Innovation Innovation is implementing something new to an existing product or process. As time goes by, products and processes need to be updated. Innovation is the advancement of these products and processes. Innovation keeps things “hip”, elevated and relevant in a given time period. I think a fitting example of innovation are the constant new features of the iPhone. In order for the iPhone to remain relevant and up to date, Apple must be innovative and come up with new features to meet the needs of its customers. As time goes by, advancements must take place. Teaching is no different! Teachers need to be innovative to motivate and inspire their students. Old and traditional methods of teaching like non-stop lecturing and only writing tests for assessment does not work in today’s world of education. We have to stay up to date with the current teaching methods! Most of this reflection/explanation was a part of my working definition. That being said, I completely agree with every...

Professional Development Reflection

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      1)         The name of the event:  The event that I went to was “Meaningful Media Literacy”, presented by Liz Schulze.   2)         The date and time of the event The event took place on February 16 th , 2024, at 12:30pm. The event was hosted at Gladstone Secondary School in Vancouver, BC.   3)          A paragraph describing the event (what it was about, who it was targeted to, and etc.) The professional development workshop I went to was geared towards secondary school educators. Currently, we live in world where our devices (i.e., phones, tablets, laptops) and technology captivate everything. Liz, the presenter of this workshop, shared an example of how technology has taken over.    Her story went like this: Twenty-ish so years ago, before you left your home, you would usually double check for your wallet, phone, house/car keys, c...

To Restrict or Promote Technology in the Classroom?

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Technology has taken society by a storm. If you are waiting in line at Starbucks, people around you will likely be on their phones. When you take public transit, many people will be either listening to music, reading, or watching videos. Right before bed, a staggering number of people use their technology to listen to a podcast/music, watch videos/memes and more. From my perspective, our current society struggles with a technology/device usage problem. In addition, I firmly believe that this problem is more prominent in the younger generation (i.e., elementary/high school students, and post secondary students).  In schools, it seems like every break is associated with technology. Even when I coach sports, water breaks have become phone breaks. I personally find this concerning. Furthermore, in the classroom, students are constantly on their phones. Sometimes, many times actually, for their own leisure. As a result of this, I firmly believe that technology and device usage has becom...

Professional Learning Network

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Part 1: Reflect 1)   Initially, the way I learn about new developments, ideas, and opportunities in fields that I care about are through social media platforms (i.e., Twitter, Instagram, Reddit). Social media platforms usually present information in a brief and appealing manner which gets the attention of their audience. When I become intrigued about a particular topic through these platforms, I then do my own research to find more information. In terms of knowledge mobilization, watching videos, listening to podcasts and reading short summaries is the most efficient way for me to learn. In complete honesty, I think I learn best through watching short reels which typically last no longer than a minute. Throughout my educational journey, I have and still struggle with lengthy research articles/books. That being said, I can read and acquire knowledge through this style of learning – it just takes a lot of time and motivation as my attention span is extremely short. 2) My main modalit...

Diversity and Inclusion in Innovation, Teaching and Learning

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  Article 1 – Asynchronous Learning (Danaher & Danaher, 2019) Long story short, Danaher & Danaher (2019) indicate that asynchronous learning is a teaching/learning modality that can take place “anytime and anywhere”. In asynchronous learning, educators usually set up self-paced instructions and materials for their learners to do whenever feasible. Much of this work is completed independently, but students are able to reach out to teachers/instructors if they need support and guidance. Personally, I loved asynchronous learning when I completed my undergrad during the Covid-19 pandemic. For a multitude of reasons (i.e., undiagnosed ADHD, fidgeting and boredom, seeking attention), being in the classroom was unproductive and stressful. All I would do in class was talk to my friends, crack jokes to the teacher and distract other students. It just wasn’t working for me! When the pandemic hit, my academic career skyrocketed. I loved learning about my major (Kinesiology), but was j...