Laurences' Education Blog

Welcome to my Learning Journey

Getting Anna and Elsa to skate is hard!

March 24, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hello fellow bloggers!

Just a quick blog for you all today, I tried coding for the first time ever and to say the least, it was so confusing. Out of the 20 levels there, I only got to level 6 šŸ™ Even after watching the videos, I just struggled to understand.

This was the final skating move I got at. Ā I just could not figure out how to get Elsa to skate in squares in a continuous motion! Oh well, maybe next time!

I really enjoyed bringing coding into this lesson. It allowed me to understand just how hard coding is, but also how beneficial it can be to include in the classroom for student learning. Not only just for math, but for science, English, or geometry reasons as well. I will however, have to get better at it first in order to teach it!

Thanks so much for joining me on this learning journey, it has been a wonderful and very beneficial time šŸ™‚

LOBO

The Final Blog

March 22, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hey bloggers!

Through this inquiry we have learned a lot about FreshGrade and we look forward to the opportunity to use it in our future. When doing our research we relied heavily on the FreshGrade website and because of this we donā€™t have many resources to share with you. With that being said, we wanted to make sure all the information we provided was accurate which is why we chose to use FreshGradeā€™s website.Ā 

To summarize this inquiry, we want to start off by saying GO FOR IT! We understand that tech can be very intimidating, however, we strongly believe that FreshGrade is worth it. FreshGrade has so much to offer for students and parents which is so important in building relationships with students and the families you teach. By using FreshGrade you provide transparency that parents will appreciate, it also allows parents to feel more trusting in your teaching when they are able to see what students are doing weekly.Ā 

One way we have used other resources for our research was looking at parent/teacher reviews of FreshGrade. This was really interesting to see because there appeared to be mixed reviews. Some were slightly aggressive in stating that FreshGrade is a tool to force parents into teaching their students. However, most were very positive, noting small issues such as updates and bug fixes.Ā 

A crucial aspect of technology is privacy. FreshGrades privacy policies appeared to be safe from our understanding. We are not lawyers or very familiar with the privacy policy world but from what we found we would say it is safe for families to use. One particular part of the privacy policy that stood out to us is that students under the age of 13 need parental consent to use the website. However, we wondered if students that are 13 and up no longer need parents to be on FreshGrade. For example, student A was 14 and decided they did not want their parents on FreshGrade seeing their homework and their grades would they be able to set that rule? With further research we may come to find the answer, however, we believe this is one that will come to light when actually using the software.Ā 

We are very grateful to have had this opportunity to explore this unique, engaging, and free (!!!)Ā  software. As we are eagerly thinking about our teaching practice that is quickly approaching, it is beneficial to know about softwares we will most likely be using in the near future. This EdTech project allowed us to dive deep into the FreshGrade world- a world we can not wait to enter in 2 years.Ā 

Thank you so much for joining us on our learning journey!

Nat & Laurence

 

Final Video

March 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hello!

Here is my video of me performing “Im Yours” by Jason Mraz on the Ukulele.

I am so proud of myself! After hours (and I mean HOURS) of practicing everyday, I filmed my final video. It took many attempts and after about 3 hours of filming, this was my best take.

My thumb positioning has improved drastically since the time I filmed “Riptide” in February. Although sometimes my thumb goes up a little too high, I would say that 75% of the time, my thumb is behind the fret bar- which is a huge improvement! I am also no longer holding my Ukulele on my lap. This is a huge accomplishment for me, as last time I had my Ukulele resting on my lap. Overall, I am super proud of myself. Although it is not perfect and I had some minor errors here and there (strumming was sometimes off, thumb was visible at times) I could not be more happy with my performance. I am excited to keep practicing and learning over the summer.

Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity, I now have a new hobby I can carry with me everywhere!

Laurence

 

The final stretch

March 20, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hello my fellow musicians!

I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! After nearly two months of practicing with my new and improved technique, I can finally (almost) say that I am ready to film my video of me performing “Im Yours” by Jason Mraz on the Ukulele. Here are a few things I still need to work on:

  1. The interlude: During this part of the song, the order of the chords changes; which I did not know until about two weeks ago when I realized something was not sounding right. Rather than going the typical Cx2, Gx2, Amx2, Fx2 , it goes C, G, Am, G, Fx2, D7X2. Although these are all chords I know, it is still something new I need to add to the song which takes some adapting and patience. I know I will be able to add it with little to no struggles. I will just have to keep on practicing it everyday!
  2. Hugging the Ukulele with my right arm: This is something I am constantly reminding myself of. When I begin a practice session, I usually start off with practically perfect posture. Nearing the end, I find myself getting tired leading to me not holding on to my Ukulele with my right arm properly which in hand, Ā leads to my thumb on my left hand to move up the fret board; which is what I am trying to avoid! I need to remember the tightly hold onto the Ukulele with my right arm as if I was trying to “hug” it.
  3. Knowing the exact lyrics: Because this song was so popular back in 2010, I tend to forget the lyrics sometimes as this was a long time ago. I need to start listening to the song when I am driving or working out, in order for the lyrics to stay in my head!

See you next week for my final post: the video!

Laurence

Final Free Inquiry Blog

March 17, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hola CompaƱeros Bloggers!

As I sit and reflect on my Spanish learning journey, both negative and positive thoughts come to mind. Although learning a glimpse of the Spanish language was eye-opening and interesting, there were a few bumps on the road and things I wish I did differently.

First off, I think I under estimated how much work needs to be put in order to learn a new language. I think I went in thinking this would be easy considering I am bilingual in both English and French. Although being bilingual helped a little bit, it didn’t take away from the fact that learning a new language is very difficult and time consuming.

I also do not believe that Duolingo is a good platform to learn a language. Don’t get me wrong, this app is very well put together and is very helpful; however, I believe that Duolingo is better for somebody who is trying to practice a language they already once knew and are trying to regain their knowledge on the language. I do not think it is ideal for somebody that is trying to learn a new language from scratch. Although it did help me get the basics of the language, it is simply just not enough.

I do feel as though this free inquiry was very beneficial. Ā I now know how to introduce myself, hold a short (and slow) conversation, Ā and say a few facts about my schooling and family- which is something I never know how to do before. I just really feel that if you want to learn a new language it is extremely beneficial to either have someone teach it to you, or by going to a Spanish speaking country.

I think that the next time I get the opportunity to do a free inquiry, I would focus on something other than languages. Although I am very passionate about learning and languages, I just don’t think I find it realistic to learn a new language on my own.

Thank you so much for joining me on this learning journey. I truly enjoyed every step of the ride

See you next time

LOBO

Coronavirus can not separate cohort bond

March 17, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hello fellow bloggers

As you have all already heard, UVic has switched all classes from face-to-face to online. Some courses have decided to just post their lecture slides online, and some have taken it to the next level: Zoom.

Zoom is an interactive platform where students can see, hear, and engage with their fellow peers in the comfort of their own home. Students and teachers can share slides and even do presentations, Ā which is what my class did today. I noticed that there were practically no technical difficulties and everything went very smoothly. All we had to do to get on the chat was click on a link that our Professor provided, and we were all set to go! We could mute whenever we wanted, pause the camera whenever we wanted, and record our conversation. Overall, I think Zoom is an awesome outlet for online lecturing that all professors should use during this stressful time.

I experimented with the software called Twine. Twine is an interactive platform in which people can make non linear stories. I really enjoyed trying it out. The pre-class video and quiz helped prepare me to create my own story, in which I was very grateful as it made this experience a calm and fluid one.

See you next week,

LOBO

Tips for using FreshGrade

March 17, 2020 / / 0 Comments

FreshGrade can be intimidating to use if you aren’t confident with technology. We have a few tips on how teachers can make their transition into FreshGrade as smooth as possible.Ā 

1. Use FreshGrade frequently!Ā 

By using FreshGrade often it will keep your skills sharp! Additionally, it will keep parents updated on what their students are doing in the classroom. These updates can come as often as you would like, but we recommend doing them at least twice a week. By using FreshGrade frequently you will also be able to monitor students’ assignments and organizational skills. This can be done by checking their folders!

2. Use their Report Card Program!

FreshGrade offers a great program for making report cards so take advantage of it! It is simple to use and can be updated as frequently as you need to. Additionally, FreshGrade does a great job of tracking and recording students assignments and learning progress making their grade book capabilities that much better.

3. Host a Tutorial for Parents.

To enhance the transition into FreshGrade, host a tutorial night for parents who have not used FreshGrade before. This can be done right after school, or later in the evening (whichever works best for the parents in your classroom). Keep in mind parents may have to bring their children in with them so if possible have a designated area in the classroom for students to play in, and let parents know they are able to bring their children if necessary. Parents will likely appreciate the fact that you took extra time out of your day to ensure they are able to effectively use FreshGrade, especially those who struggle with technology!Ā 

Thank you so much for joining us on our learning journey. We learned so much about this platform and we hope you did too. Our next steps is preparing for our presentation on March 24. Hope to see you there!

Laurence and Natalie

 

Who knew proper hand positioning and posture is so difficult?!?

March 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hello!

So, for this song, my main goal is to have proper posture and hand positioning; meaning I have to have my Ukulele resting in my arms rather than on my lap and have my thumb Ā behind the fret bar. To say the least, this has been very difficult!

After Anita took the time to show me how to properly hold my Ukulele during one of our classes, I felt as though I was starting from point one all over again. I used to play with my Ukulele on my lap and had my thumb over the fret board, just like you would play a guitar. I got so used to this and playing the Ukulele started to feel natural. Now, I feel as though I have no idea how to play anymore. It feels like I went from driving an automatic car to driving a standard car! It is difficult to see the chords I am switching to with this new positioning. I still struggle with where the chords are and I need to be able to see them before switching. I realize that this will come with time and if I keep up the consistency of practicing every night before bed, sooner or later, I will be able to switch chords without looking at the fret board. The picture below shows how the proper way of holding the Ukulele: what I am striving to look like everyday! (Picture taken from WikiHow) I find that it helps practicing standing up, as I am forced to hold the Ukulele up and have proper posture. I will keep practicing standing up until holding it up comes naturally, then I can proceed to playing sitting down again.

Tune in next time to see my (hopefully) progress!

Laurence

Minecraft as an educational tool

March 10, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hello fellow bloggers!

Today, I did something I never thought I would do in my University career: I played Minecraft for one of my classes.

At first, I had no idea how Minecraft could be used as an educational tool for both the teacher and the students. Practically every subject can have a lesson using Minecraft in order to make some of these concepts more concrete for the students. For every boomer that might say that Minecraft can be distracting; the teacher has control over everything happening on the students screens. If the students are getting too distracted, the teacher can freeze the students in order to get their attention. Teachers can add or take away anything, and can monitor what the students are doing on the software at all times.

I looked at a few lesson plans online that include Minecraft. My favourite one was a Gr. 3 math one, where the students would look at shapes in the Math Model Exhibition World. They would then make shapes out of those shapes, in order to get a better understanding of shapes. How cool is that?

This class has allowed me to have an appreciation for Minecraft that I never had before. I do not know if I will personally use it in the classroom but I am not closed to the idea!

See you next week!

LOBO

 

In a Slump

March 10, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hola fellow bloggers!

After several weeks of constant engagement,Ā  progression, and passion for the Spanish language, I feel as though I have hit a wall. I am at a point where I keep asking myself: “well, now what?”

I unfortunately lost my 32 day Duolingo streak. I went to bed early one night and completely forgot to do my daily practice. After this occurrence, I lost motivation to keep going and make a new streak. It felt as though I had to start from square one again which quite frankly, was very discouraging.

After watching shows in Netflix, practicing on Duolingo, and speaking in Spanish with Kaylyn, I am no longer sure what to do to improve my Spanish. I am trying to get my Duolingo streak up again (I am now at 2 days) but this simply does not feel like enough. Although this is discouraging, I have to understand that this is a normal challenge when it comes to learning. I know I am doing everything that I can to learn. With my busy schedule, there is only so much I can do. In an ideal world, I would take a Spanish class or course at Uvic or elsewhere but that is simply not an option right now!

I need to be more easy on myself. I know I am trying my best to learn and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

See you next week

LOBO

 

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