Keanna's blog :-)

Enjoy life and be kind to others

Inquiry and technology

I have learned lots from this inquiry protect. I have deepened my understanding on inquiry which is essentially answering an open-ended question that can lead to more questions. It is a personalized learning plan students create on their own to explore a subject in depth. Using inquiry allows the students to learn what they are passionate about. Generally speaking the current education system is very structured. Inquiry eliminates the structure and allows for exploration. At first I found the idea very scary as a person who likes structure however this project has been very enjoyable as I got to learn more about what I am interested in. Therefore a positive to this learning style is maximum student engagement as students are passionate about the questions they attempt to answer. Inquiry has helped my self regulation skills which I needed to finish this project. I believe this system is super beneficial to teach children critical thinking and creativity skills transferable to future careers. I am now able to express myself using my blog. I have also started to learn how create a professional portfolio online. I used headspace, watched online workout videos and looked up online recipes. I have learned lots about how technology can support learning and my future pedagogy.

Conclusion

I was not able to eat healthy, go to the gym and meditate during the school term. I believe that some people may be able to but it really depends on the kind of person you are. It also depends on other key factors like work which I have to fit into my schedule in order to have the means to live. I am someone who is very academically inclined and could not allow the time needed to be fully healthy and succeed in my school work. Theres a fine balance between feeling good after working out or feeling stressed because you lost time to do homework. I have found having a set schedule helps allow time to work out, cook and meditate. I am very exited for school to be over so I can get back on track with my workout schedule. Fitness healthy foods and meditation can improve your health, attitude and mood. The weeks I didn’t follow the WW app I felt poorly about my body. The weeks I didn’t work out I felt extremely tiered and irritable and the weeks without meditation I didn’t feel in tune with my body and emotions. Finding a balance and creating a schedule is crucial to maintaining a healthy life style.

Meditation and hiking

I have been using headspace these past weeks. I started with a free 10 day basic pack. Headspace is an app created to guide people through meditation. I have learned more about what mindfulness is and how to be in the moment. Meditation is shown to help with sleep focus and anxiety. The app has actually been working super well. Spending a couple minutes a day has been helping me feel more grounded and relaxed throughout the day.I planned to go on a hike this weekend with my friend. My plans were foiled when it started getting dark at 3:30 right when we were planning on going. So the next day I planned to go however there was a rockslide near mt. Finn where we had planned on going. Instead me and my friend went to Mt. Doug/Pkols and the Uvic gardens. The garden was amazing. It was a little cold outside but it worked out because we went and walked the gardens after hiking the mountain. Hiking is great to become closer to the environment and it acts as a good workout.

New recipes

So I’ve realized eating healthier is more expensive and way more time consuming. No wonder our obesity rates are in 10 countries around the world. Ive tried a few new dinner recipes from Monday to Sunday. Monday I made salmon with dill sauce, asparagus and rice. Tuesday I experimented with some different salads using fruit. I put strawberries apples and avocado in it was delicious. Wednesday I made some roasted brussel sprouts with quinoa. Thursday I made a delicious vegetable soup and cauliflower with cheese. Friday I baked lasagna using a few noodles zucchini and tomato and I made sweet potatoes as a side dish. Saturday night I cooked broccoli stir fry and carrots. Throughout the week I have been eating lots of chicken and eggs for breakfast and lunch because they are low point foods.

Sports and workout classes

Ever since I was little I have played high competitive sports. I play on the UVIC softball team but right now is the off season. I used to play rep hockey. But I aged out this year so I’ve decided to join a women league. The women’s league has been good as it has gotten me on the ice doing cardio. It is not the most competitive league but it is fun nonetheless. Now that school has ramped up I’ve been struggling to find time to make health food and go to the gym. I have decided that the only way I can allow time for the gym will be by signing up for a class and holding myself accountable. I signed up for a pilates class at UVIC that has class ever Tuesday. Pilates has been amazing we start with cardio and then focus on core and then we finish the class with stretching. I have also went to two drop in yoga classes. Yoga is good for introspection and becoming in touch with your body. All this exercise is great however, the more exercise I do the hungrier I am so I did go a little over my week points on WW. 

December 1st, 2019

We started class today with more technology presentations. We learned about environmental awareness through technology and technology that can help mental health. We also learned about gasification in the classroom and coding. Mr Rich Mccue came back into our class for the rest of our class. He expanded my knowledge base on augmented reality. He allowed us to practice on the augmented reality app using iPads. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xd7sgc-oj6dpr5z2uZN3XNTbYbH95cbrilG80wfJCr0/edit

Later a group of about 6 of us left the building to try virtual reality. This was my first time trying virtual reality. Today I learned girls are more likely to suffer from motion sickness when using virtual reality and children under 13 shouldn’t be using it. Virtual reality was super cool. I got to explore using google maps, although I wish I went in the other group. They had a more interactive experience using virtual reality. Todays class was super interesting I was happy I had the opportunity to experience virtual reality. At the very end of class we talked about all the things we learned throughout the year in EDCI336.

Inquiry Conclusion

There are many different kinds of technology out there to aid children’s health such as smart inhalers and continuous glucose monitoring. There is also technology that helps students function better in daily activities such as wheelchairs, glasses or hearing aids. As a teacher you must be aware of the students in your class with disabilities. Being adaptable, organized and compassionate will help you best teach all your students including those with health disabilities. I am hoping my project helps inform other future teachers about different disabilities and technologies associated with them. As teacher we need to help all students learn to the best of their ability therefore teachers will most likely need to alter the way they teach if they have a student with a disability in their class. It is important to understand that students with disabilities are very capable and may simply need a little extra help.

Auditory disabilities

There are various people who suffer from hearing loss at different stages. Hearing impairment can be caused by aging, illness, injury, and excessive noise exposure. The technology most commonly used for people with hearing impairments are hearing aids which use a telecoil. The goal of hearing aids is to improve audibility of soft sounds while assuring other sounds do not become too loud. Assistive listening devices help amplify the sounds you want to hear, especially where there’s a lot of background noise. There is hearing loops which use electromagnetic energy to transmit sound. FM systems which uses radio signals to transmit amplified sounds. FM systems are where the person speaking wears a small microphone connected to a transmitter and the student wears the receiver. Infrared systems use infrared light to carry sound to the receiver. A transmitter converts sound into a light signal and it beams to become sound. There are also Personal amplifiers they increase sound levels and reduce background noise for a listener. Lastly there are devices to convey information visually such as visual alerting devices and captioning. 

If a student in your class has a visual impairment you may…(dependent on the students visual impairment)

  • Use captions when showing videos.
  • You could teach students gestures and sign language to use when speaking.
  • Give interpreters copies of lessons in advice to help prep the student for the vocabulary being used.
  • Provide visual cues rather then auditory cues.
  • Keep instructions brief.
  • Create lesson plans that allow the student to participate.
  • Attempt to keep unnecessary noise to a minimum in the classroom.
  • Consider the students location if they have an ear that is better then the other make sure you are facing it and allow them to sit near the front so they can see visual cues clearly. The best sitting arrangement for students with hearing impairments is circular seating.
  • Use assisted listening devices to help the student such as an amplifier. Also make sure the student is wearing they’re hearing assistive device. 
  • Encourage the class to speak clearly. Repeat students if they are too quite.
  • Always face the student as you speak. 
  • Provide written materials as much as possible.
  • Do not limit their activities or underestimate mental abilities.

Visual disabilities

There are many kinds of visual impairments some people struggle seeing long distances, some struggle reading small print, some people cannot see colours and others cannot see at all. Visual impairment can be caused by not enough use of eyes as a child, missing parts of the eye, or damage to the eye. People may use glasses to help them see. There are many versions of smart glasses that have been created to help blind people see. Brainport V100 record’s its user’s surroundings and converts these images into electric symbols transmitted through the tongue. EyeCane sends out infrared rays to translate distance into auditory cues. It provides visual information from sound and touch letting the user sense objects within a range of up to five meters. Blitab makes it possible to view whole pages of braille text at once and direct conversion of any text file into braille.

If a student in your class has a visual impairment you may…(dependent on the students visual impairment)

  • Use specific coloured pens when writing. As some colour blind students may stubble seeing certain colours.
  • Provide lots of time for students to inspect an object presented
  • Provide lots of auditory instruction and tactile learning.
  • Explain any visuals used in the class.
  • Allow students with vision problems to sit up front.
  • Use large text and images.
  • Create lessons the learner can do.
  • Provide students additional time to complete their work.
  • Provide braille, page magnifiers.
  • Maintain a consistant classroom arrangement.
  • Use students names when addressing them.
  • Do not limit their activities or underestimate mental abilities.

Mobility disabilities

Mobility disabilities affect a persons use of extremities. Mobility disabilities are caused by a number of factors including an accident, disease neuromuscular disorders or a congenital disorder. Examples include arthritis, spinal cord injuries and amputations. There are certain technologies that can be used to help the person with a mobility disability. An example is a wheel chair or prosthetic device. Some other tools that aid people with mobility disabilities are specific keyboards, speech to text technology, book holders, adapted pencil grips.

If a student in your class has a mobility disability you may…(dependent on mobility disability)

  • Extended exam time or create alternate testing.
  • Offer note takers and assistants.
  • Create an accessibility in the classroom. This means allowing room for assistive technology like wheelchairs.
  • Have equipment being used within reach of the student.
  • Be sure if you go on a field trip there are accessible ramps washrooms ect..
  • Create lesson plans that allow the student to participate.
  • Have course materials available online in electronic format.
  • Have tools in the class that aid students with mobility disabilities. An example is page turners. 
  • Do not limit their activities or underestimate mental abilities.
« Older posts

© 2024 Keanna's blog :-)

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑