Emma’s Teacher B.Ed. Portfolio

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Blog Ten: What I’ve Learned

Wow! How has this semester flown by so quickly! What a journey this has been.

Book Read GIF by Buffer
Gif: Buffer

I feel like this semester has been such an amazing opportunity to learn and grow, and being able to document a part of that journey through these blog posts has been so meaningful. As time went on this semester, I began to see that what I was learning in this process could be utilized and taught in the classroom. This wasn’t necessarily my initial intention but I’m so happy it ended up turning out that way. Not only was I learning things for myself, but it taught me lessons that I can embed in my future classrooms. As we have continuously talked about this semester, the amount you give to a classroom, the more you get. In all honestly, my biggest goal right now is to become the best teacher I can be. I am in a constant search for new tools that I can use to teach my future students to become successful life-long learners. I too am still learning and these lessons play such a vital role in accomplishing this. In my future classroom, I hope to create a space where every student has the chance to work on building the best version of themselves. I want to support them on their journeys in finding and understanding who they are and what they want to become. Having an outlet both here and in my journal over these past few months, where I have pushed myself to become the best version of me that I can be, has been such an amazing experience. It’s almost April and I am so proud of my accomplishments so far! I really hope that I can replicate this feeling for my future students so they can reflect on their time in elementary as a positive and accomplished time.

I feel like learning how to create a website was really cool this semester. I can envision myself using something like this to hold a lot of future lesson plans and ideas. These websites are super accessible and are such a great collaboration outlet. So far I have created a google drive of everything I have completed in terms of lesson plans and assignments! It’s so easy to get wrapped up in lesson plans on the internet and having a space where I can store and share my ideas is something I want to create in the future. As for now, I hope to continue this journey as this (and future years) progress. Thank you to everyone who tuned in 🙂 

All the best to you,

  • Emma

Blog Nine: Goals

Why set goals? I feel like this is an important topic to discuss, especially as a future teacher. Teaching students how to set goals is really important as it helps students with motivation, which can help them with becoming lifelong learners. 

One way goals can be set within the classroom is using the S.M.A.R.T goal outline. According to mindtools.com 

To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:

  • Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
  • Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
  • Achievable (agreed, attainable).
  • Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
  • Time-bound (time-based, time-limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).
File:SMART-goals.png - Wikimedia Commons
From: Wikimidia

Specific: to find specifics about a goal, answer the 5 W questions. 

  • What do I want to accomplish?
  • Why is this goal important?
  • Who is involved?
  • Where is it located?
  • Which resources or limits are involved?

Measurable: Can you track your process? How does this help with motivation?

Achievable: Are the goals realistic and attainable?

Relevant: Do your goals matter to you? Does your goal seem worthwhile? Is this the right time for these goals? Am I the right person to reach this goal?

Time-Bound: What does this goal look like to you in the future?

Why should we set goals in the classroom?

Edward Locke and Gary Latham (1990) are leaders in goal-setting theory. According to their research, goals not only affect behavior as well as job performance, but they also help mobilize energy which leads to a higher effort overall. Higher effort leads to an increase in persistent effort.

Riopel, 2021

Establishing goal-setting skills in the classroom can really motivate students to work hard to accomplish these goals! These skills can be reflected in many different forms as these students become young adults and are entering the world. In goal setting, students have an opportunity take ownership of their own learning which is something I find really fascinating. As teachers, it’s our task is to empower, inspire, and give tools to students to help them grow into lifelong learners.

Photo from: Education Week

On the topic of goals, I feel that student reflection is one way teachers can assess how these goal-setting progress is coming along! Daily exit passes can be used in the classroom in a variety of different ways (as seen below in one I designed for a music lesson plan) and can be tailored to follow goal setting and achieving journeys.

Ferlazzo, L. (2021, March 5). Response: Student goal-setting in the classroom (opinion). Education Week. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-response-student-goal-setting-in-the-classroom/2017/01

Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). Smart goals: How to make your goals achievable. Time Management Training From MindTools.com. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm

Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). Personal goal setting: – planning to live your life your way. How to Set SMART Goals – from MindTools.com. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.mindtools.com/page6.html#:~:text=Setting%20goals%20gives%20you%20long,the%20most%20of%20your%20life.

The importance, benefits, and value of goal setting. PositivePsychology.com. (2021, December 7). Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-goal-setting/#:~:text=Setting%20goals%20helps%20trigger%20new,you%20don’t%20properly%20manage.

WEEK TEN

Webaşkı Profesyonel webtasarım hizmetleri  GIF
GIPHY

According to BC’s Ministry of Education, digital literacy is “the interest, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others”. Additionally, the curriculum sets out a specific framework used to “provide a clearer, more detailed sense of what digitally literate students should understand and be able to do at various levels of their development.” This framework is listed below (taken from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/resources-for-teachers/digital-literacy)

  1. Research and Information Literacy: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information
  2. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources
  3. Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology
  4. Digital Citizenship: Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behaviour
  5. Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others
  6. Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. 
File:Digital literacy disciplines.png - Wikimedia Commons
From: Wikimedia

I thought that today’s class was really interesting. Taking time to think about how much we rely on tech is so eye-opening! The biggest thing I realized was that it’s so easy to take AI technology for granted. One of my goals on my blog was taking more time away from technology but in all honesty, it has been pretty hard! When I have spare time it is so easy to pick up my phone to do mindless scrolling or get on my computer to get ahead on school. I think my biggest takeaway today is taking time to reflect on what you are doing on the internet and how it’s impacting you. Spending hours on social media and always feeling behind in everything else is an easy fix but finding balance in taking time away from the screen between school and free time is something I still am working on. 

Sources:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/resources-for-teachers/digital-literacy

Blog Eight: Updates and Check-ins

asphalt road between trees
photo by: Matt Duncan

I cannot believe it’s already March! I feel like I have been on so many ups and downs on this journey. Even though I have had to re-introduce and edit my routines and habits, I am so proud of this journey. However, to say that I have stuck to everything I said I would, would be a lie. The biggest thing I have realized is that I’m not disappointed in myself for not sticking to these goals.

Breathe In Breathe Out Medicine GIF by Doctors Under the Radar
Photo by: Doctors Under The Radar

The goals I set out for myself in January still inspire and motivate me, but putting my full energy into completing them every day is just not possible right now. As this semester starts to wrap up, school definitely has taken more of a priority than this journey. I still take time for myself every day, but completing x,y, and z some days gets to be too much. What I have found that works for me are week by week, I’ll pick and choose which goals I want to focus on each day. With this, I take time to look ahead at my schedule and make a plan in advance so I know I can take time to do something for myself every day. Some days this may look like taking a few hours away from school to socialize or go to the gym. On the other hand, some days when I know my schedule is tight, I’ll make sure I take time to meditate and reflect on my day in some way. That way, even on those crazy and hectic days, I can allow myself time to think about my day and ask myself what I can do the next day to feel more on top of everything.

I feel like it took me a while to really understand this method. For a while, any time I couldn’t meet all of my day-to-day goals I felt like I had failed myself and started to look for ways to start over. When I would start over, I would somehow ‘fail’ again and I became caught in this loop of equaling an ‘off’ day to failure. Soon I started to see those ‘off’ days as rest periods and found others ways I could meet some of my goals. Here, I started to think about my goals from a different lens and began to look at the bigger picture. Sure I didn’t work out every day, but for me, that meant I had more time and energy to put into school and self-care. Learning how to balance goals, time, and understand my success/fail mainframe is something I still need to work on. Overall, I am really happy that this journey is pushing me to better understand how I view success and failures. In life, there are always ups and downs and I really want to push to become a person who can readily adapt to those changes rather than see them as threats. For now, I’ll keep looking at the bigger picture and continue this journey one day at a time.

EDTech Inquiry

person using MacBook Pro

Avel Chuklanov

By: Dylan, Katie, Emma, Emma

For our EDTech Inquiry, we chose to focus on the pros and cons of using technological resources such as “Class Dojo” in the classroom.

Class Dojo, is an online communication system. It connects students, parents and classroom teachers together through features such as a message and photo sharing feed. It also helps students gain knowledge on their student’s academic and social behaviour. Class dojo allows each student to create an avatar, which will represent them throughout the school year. Depending on students’ behaviour and performance, they can be rewarded or demoted points. This is a great motivation for students to be on their best behaviour and put in as much effort as they can academically. Evidently, this kind of technology has equal advantages and disadvantages. We have listed these below:

CONS:PROS:
-Negative class comments may not be good for students
– Tailored solely towards the teacher and parent communication
– No in-app search feature
– Limited coordination and organization tool
– Not good for older students, they may find it boring or childish
-Students may struggle with negative feedback
– Parents can become more involved in their children’s education
– Free app
– Having daily communication regarding required tasks and homework
– Setting and rewarding class expectations 

To bring communities together, and give their kids learning experiences they love. We think every kid on Earth should get an education they love. We don’t believe there is some “ideal” education, a one-size-fits-all model that all kids must fit. Instead, we believe every community of teachers, kids and families should be able to get the learning experiences that they want and love. And we believe the way to do that is from the ground up. This is ClassDojo’s plan: we listen to teachers, kids and families. We help them work together as a community. And we help them bring the world’s best learning experiences into their classrooms and homes.

Class Dojo Mission Statement

Tour of Class Dojo SiteClass Dojo Avatar Creation

https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst

UDL Tools - All Grades - The UDL Project

EMMA H
Dadakhodjaeva, K. (2017). The good behavior game: Effects on and maintenance of behavior in 

middle-school classrooms using class dojo (Order No. 10110917). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I. (1797920891). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/dissertations-theses/good-behavior-game-effects-on-mainteance-middle/docview/1797920891/se-2?accountid=14846

This article focuses on how classdojo can be used as a GBG (Good Behavior Game). The study looks at how using Class Dojo in classes can increase classwide academically engaged behavior. It also studies if Class Dojo can be used to “reduce disruptive and passive off-task behaviors in the middle school classrooms” (Dadakhodjaeva, 2017). Overall, the article found that the GBG using Class Dojo was effective at improving engaged behavior in academic studies, and it also helped to decrease disruptive behavior. Although it did state that improvements for off-task behavior were minimal.

Summarizing, the article found that the use of Class Dojo in the classroom was mostly beneficial. However, I would like to acknowledge that this study was done over 5 years ago when the app was at its prime and I would argue that if the study was repeated the resulted may vary nowadays. 


EMMA
Saeger, Abigail Marquis, “Using ClassDojo to promote positive behaviors and decrease negative behaviors in the classroom” (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 2443. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/2443 

The purpose of this study was “ to determine whether the application in conjunction with weekly goal setting could encourage students to display more positive behaviors and decrease the frequency of undesired behaviors” (Saeger, 2017). This article argues that Class Dojo can be used to help motivate students to make responsible decisions as with tech, this digital behavior management tool when applied in the classroom can tailor student behavior to appropriate scenarios and environments without consistent redirection or instruction. I thought that this was an interesting study because of the approaches it came from and the angles it took. Saeger asks;

  • Will the use of the Classdojo methods for self-monitoring of behavior lead to more positive behaviors such as following directions upon first request, showing effort during independent work time, being positive and respectful, and working quietly during independent work time and an improvement of the weekly positive behavior percentage of second grade students, including those with ADHD and those with low proficiency in math and literacy? 
  • Can the consistent, daily use of a Digital Behavior Management Tool in conjunction with weekly goal setting sheets develop self regulation to ultimately increase the percentage of positive behaviors? How do students feel about the use of ClassDojo as reported on a reflection sheet about the use of ClassDojo to improve their behavior and decision making skills?

Ultimately the findings of this study was that Class Dojo was an “effective tool for increasing positive behaviors and decreasing negative behaviors” (Saeger, 2017) I added a photo of one of the survey examples from this study below! 

What was particularly interesting about this study for me was that students were motivated to isolate specific behaviors they wanted to improve upon! The results of this were that “students developed better self-monitoring skills” and were “better able to control their behavior” (Saeger, 2017). The task of changing a behavior can be super daunting for some students! Which is why I think that the breaking down of specific behaviors is super beneficial. Here, students get the opportunity to really focus on their day-to-day habits and look at small improvements over time. 


DYLAN CHAMPAGNE

Class Dojo: Supporting the art of student self-regulation. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2022, from http://mat2013macleanblevins.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/67504126/MacLean-Blevins%2520MRP%2520FINAL%252028may13.pdf

This article seeks to highlight how Class Dojo can be used as a tool in the classroom to support students’ development of self-regulation. Self-regulation is the art of working through one’s emotion, and it requires taking a pause between a feeling and an action. Children can very frequently struggle with this behavior, as can many adults when they do not take the time to think actions through before reacting. One can see how the skill of self-regulation is crucial in order to be able to function effectively in everyday life and manage one’s own emotions. 

This study examined how students’ self-monitoring of their behaviors was influenced using an online tracking system, Class Dojo. In this study, students had autonomous access to the site with their own username and password. After three weeks of implementation in the classroom, the results reflected that “positive, self-regulatory behaviors increased and negative, disruptive behaviors decreased even though only the frequency of positive behaviors were tracked using Class DoJo”. In conclusion, the article summarizes how students must develop self-regulation in order to succeed, which I wholeheartedly agree with. However, we far to often punish bad behavior rather than acknowledging positive behavior, which is where Class Dojo can be an amazing tool. 


KATIE FARRELL

DiGiacomo, D. K., Greenhalgh, S., & Barriage, S. (2021). How Students and Principals Understand ClassDojo: Emerging Insights. TechTrends : for leaders in education & training, 1–13. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-021-00640-6

The article summarizes an online resource for teaching called Class Dojo. Moreover, it summarizes the importance of class dojo and the drawbacks of using the app. Furthermore, the article highlights the immense influence that Class Dojo and similar educational apps have on a students participation and general interactions in a classroom environment. The article exhibits a study on how Class Dojo alters a class environment and the students’ relationships with their parents and teacher(s). The main point taken from the study was that Class Dojo should prioritize the voices, experiences, and perspectives of children and youth. It should also not be limited to evaluations or assessments of the tool’s utility or efficacy, but rather to the impact on students’ overall schooling experiences. This point is very important as some drawbacks from Class Dojo is its significant reliance on behaviour and efficiency of students during class time. Therefore, the main takeaway is when using Class Dojo the main intention with utilizing the resource is that is for the benefit of students, therefore, if this app does not benefit the students, then it should not be used. 

Attached is a chart showing the data collected from the study in regards to students feelings surrounding Class Dojo. 

References

3 reasons why teachers need to use technology in the classroom. Concordia University Texas. (2021, December 28). Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://www.concordia.edu/blog/3-reasons-why-teachers-need-technology-in-the-classroom.html#:~:text=Technology%20in%20the%20Classroom%20Provides,better%20understanding%20of%20the%20material

ClassDojo. (n.d.). Classdojo. ClassDojo. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://www.classdojo.com/ 

Chaudhary, S. (2021, March 5). How to change education (from the ground up). Medium. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://samchaudhary.medium.com/https-medium-com-samchaudhary-how-to-change-education-from-the-ground-up-f82b8f3e4b95 

The UDL guidelines. UDL. (2021, October 15). Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://udlguidelines.cast.org/ 

Applied Design, skills and technologies. Building Student Success – B.C. Curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst 

WEEK NINE

Gamification is the integration of game elements like point systems, leaderboards, badges, or other elements related to games into “conventional” learning activities in order to increase engagement and motivation.

University of Waterloo

Game-based learning, in contrast, involves designing learning activities so that game characteristics and game principles inhere within the learning activities themselves.

University of Waterloo

Why incorporate game elements in the classroom?

According to the University of Waterloo, “Games can introduce goals, interaction, feedback, problem-solving, competition, narrative, and fun learning environments, elements that can increase learner engagement and sustain motivation.” Like grades and rewards for completing assignments and work, games offer a similar system in the form of points. In the classroom, game points can possibly be seen as an academic award. Like points, badges and leaderboard positions can also be looked at from an academic point of view.

As it’s explained by the University of Waterloo later in the article “gamification applies game elements or a game framework to existing learning activities,” whereas “game-based learning designs learning activities that are intrinsically game-like”Week 10 Gaming in the Classroom

As discussed in class, we are seeing technology in EVERY classroom! From apple products and Chromebooks to text to speech converters and reader pens, technology’s presence is extremely large in today’s society. Interactive gaming was something I found super interesting today. I feel like I am a bit out of the loop on the usage of technology in the classroom and exploring the benefits really opened my eyes!

Ideas for games in the classroom:

https://jeopardylabs.com/ (for creating jeopardy games)

https://kahoot.it/ (quizzes)

https://wordwall.net/ (quizzes and games)

https://quizlet.com/en-gb (quizzes and games)

https://www.socrative.com/ (quizzes and grades)

https://education.minecraft.net/es-es/resources/explore-lessons (lesson plans)

Sources:

https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/educational-technologies/all/gamification-and-game-based-learning

Blog Seven: Meal Prep & Favorite Recipies

selective focus photography of green and orange vegetables on black container
https://unsplash.com/@maxdelsid

Like I mentioned in my last blog, meal planning has really helped me on this journey. I feel like when I plan ahead, I eat a well-balanced diet more often. Not only that, but I can get all my groceries in one go once a week. This saves me time and money because I can plan to use similar ingredients for the week so no food goes to waste! In this blog, I want to share my top 2 go-to meals that I have made recently.

Sushi Bowls:

Photo by:

Ingredients: 

  • 1 Avocado, large
  • 1 1/2 cups English cucumber
  • 3/4 cup carrots
  • Nori (seaweed packet) 
  • 1/4 cup Mayonnaise, light
  • 1/2 cup edamame 
  • 1/4 cup Soy sauce, low-sodium
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha
  • 2 cups Sushi rice 
  • 10 oz Imitation crab
  •  Sesame seeds

Instructions: Cook rice and edamame in separate pots. While rice is cooking prep carrots and cucumbers by cutting them up into small bite-sized pieces (can do matchstick carrots). Combine siracha and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Once rice is done, prepare a bowl with rice topped with carrots, cucumber, edamame, immitation crab, and avaocado. Drizzle with spicy mayo, soy sauce, and sesame seeds.

Luscious Lentil Loaf

Serving size: 3 people

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup lentils
  • ¾ cup cooked rice
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper finely chopped
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ tsp cayenne 
  • ½ tsp coriander
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp curry
  • ½ tsp basil 
  • 1 tsp seasoning salt
  • 2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

Cook lentils in broth for ½ hour or until soft

Put small amount of oil in a large pan and saute onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, then add seasoning and saute until soft. (remember for rice use ¾ cup cooked rice so you may have extra cooked rice since it is hard to get that proportion! Luckily you can make a easy fried rice or stir fry with extra veggies)

Add remaining ingredients, rice, and lentils. Stir well. Put in loaf pan and bake @ 350 for 20-30 min!


Last year I took a nutrition course and I found it so interesting!! Not only did I learn tons of information that help me make healthy choices every day, but now I’m learning how to take that information and turn it into lessons I can one day teach! Right now I’m working on a physical education unit on nutrition and I find that it’s really cool to start integrating what I know with what I want to teach!

Healthy foods
https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

WEEK EIGHT

purple, blue, and red hands illustration

Photo by: Tim Mossholder

This week we talked about Inclusion in BC K-12 Schools. Chantelle Morvay-Adams, our guest speaker, from BCEdAccess was able to join our class via zoom. Together we discussed what inclusion can look like in school as well as the role technology plays in supporting inclusion.

The first thing we talked about was BCEdAccess! According to their website, “BCEdAccess Society is an entirely volunteer-run organization serving families of students with disabilities and complex learners all over the province of British Columbia.” The biggest discussion that stuck out to me was about views on technology. Specifically, for parents, there’s a denial of tech, personal tech may be outdated, access to tech can be difficult, and lastly, there’s no support for parents to learn how to use the tech. For students, lack of tech can lead to exclusion in class. It’s interesting to think about covid and remote learning in the past few years and how this can majorly affect a student’s learning.

We champion and support children and youth who have disabilities and who are complex learners to reach their full potential in BC education, and in all aspects of their lives. This is achieved through supporting families, sharing information, providing education to families, allies, professionals and students, providing community engagement and awareness, and other activities to promote equitable access to education and inclusion for all.

BCEdAccess

I thought the discussion “using technology that honours their strengths and challenges” was really interesting. Coming from a school where technology wasn’t really an opportunity for learning, it was interesting to see on my Wednesday visits how technology can open up worlds for certain students. The topic of “withholding tech because it might make other kids jealous” was definitely something I didn’t think about before. I really liked Chantelle’s quote that technology is not a toy it’s a tool.

Thinking about normalizing technology in the classroom is something we as new teachers will have to really work with and continue to work with in our future classrooms. An interesting topic that keeps coming up in our class is how we are preparing the future generation for jobs that don’t even exist yet! I believe that technology plays a major role in this because, as we said in class, technology can honour students’ strengths. As teachers, we want to foster life-long learners and set our students up for success and technology can help do that.

Sources:
https://bcedaccess.com/

Blog Six: Food & Healthy Living

vegetable salad

One thing that I have been focusing on during this journey of building healthy habits is expanding my culinary skills. Put simply, food is fuel! Our brains are in constant need of fuel because they’re always on! A big part of the efficiency of this brain fuel is what our food is made up of. What you eat affects your mood as well as the structure and function of your brain! Harvard Health’s article Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food uses a really great analogy here. 

Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the “waste” (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells. Unfortunately, just like an expensive car, your brain can be damaged if you ingest anything other than premium fuel. If substances from “low-premium” fuel (such as what you get from processed or refined foods) get to the brain, it has little ability to get rid of them. Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body’s regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.

HARVARD HEALTH
Car Driving GIF by GEICO

So how does food affect how you feel? As explained by Harvard Health “Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, mediate moods, and inhibit pain.” What’s really cool about this is that 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract! Due to this, the GI tract is lined with billions of neurons and bacteria. Thinking about it this way, your digestive system not only digests your food but greatly affects your mood. With this considered, when we are eating foods that upset our stomachs and interrupt the regular workings of the GI tract, it’s no surprise that our mood is affected by that. According to the article Food for your mood: How what you eat affects your mental health “The connection between diet and emotions stems from the close relationship between your brain and your gastrointestinal tract, often called the “second brain.”

Lately, I have been really trying to incorporate whole and unprocessed foods into my diet. Personally, I know that processed and high-sugar foods affect my digestion and overall mood. Narrowing down other parts of my diet that affect my gut has been hard to do. Since I am a university student who is currently unemployed, there’s not a lot of wiggle room with money. Sometimes it’s easy to say “oh I’ll take this’ ‘ while walking down the snack line at the grocery store because you know it’s a quick pick-me-up and is relatively inexpensive. Finding a balance between buying foods that I can save time with at an inexpensive price vs. ones that I know will take time and may be more expensive at times is no easy task (and I know I’m not alone with feeling that way). I find that the easiest way to find this balance (for me) has been meal prepping which is something I’ll go more into in the next blog post! This cycle can be really hard to get out of because sugar causes inflammation in your gut. What’s interesting about this is that while it feeds the ‘bad’ bacteria in your gut, it temporarily spikes the ‘feel good’ transmitters (ex. dopamine) at the same time! Eating sugary foods causes a really hard cycle to get out of because it can be quite addicting and causes ‘crashes’ that are not great to deal with for some people. As Food for your mood: How what you eat affects your mental health explains, “When you stick to a diet of healthy food, you’re setting yourself up for fewer mood fluctuations, an overall happier outlook and an improved ability to focus.”

Sources:

MD, E. S. (2020, March 26). Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food. Harvard Health. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626 

Food & your mood: How food affects mental health – aetna: Foods that help your brain health. Aetna. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.aetna.com/health-guide/food-affects-mental-health.html

Gif: Car Driving GIF By GEICO

Photo: Ella Olsson

WEEK SEVEN

This week was a really great recap. I feel like because we haven’t had a ‘normal’ class in two weeks, a semester recap was much needed. Next, we covered the topic of technology integration!

File:The SAMR Model.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons

Here we were introduced to the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, or Redefinition Model. This model analyzes the impact of technology on both teaching and learning. SAMR can be a guide for teachers to assess how they are integrating technology in learning. Here teachers can ask themselves if the technology they are using in the classroom allows for enhanced learning or transformative learning. Here we discussed what ‘teaching above the line’ can look like, which essentially means how we, as educators, use media to transform our student’s learning experiences? Below I’ll break down some examples of how this can be used in the classroom.

ENHANCEMENT:

Substitution: Typing vs writing a paragraph response. In this example, we are dealing with the same assignment but one uses technology.

Augmentation: Like substitution, tech acts as a tool that substitutes. Only this time around, this substitution has a functional improvement. Google Docs for example allows students to work on formatting and spell-check. Something they didn’t have access to before with pen and paper.

TRANSFORMATION:

Modification: This is a complete redesign! In this new realm, it opens up different ways to approach assessment (e.x. collaboration and personal expression). Students can connect online and work collaboratively on assignments whether it’s peer editing or even group work via google docs and Word.

Redefinition: Here, tech allows for the creation of a new task. This is a great zone of focus as a future educator because it means we don’t have to continuously repeat the same assignment. Here we can re-conceive the same base idea. 

TPACK model | Alan Parkinson | Flickr
Flickr

The other model we focused on today was The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model. This combines what teachers know, how they teach, and the role technology plays in impacting teaching. As explained by Schoology, “TPACK is a technology integration framework that identifies three types of knowledge instructors need to combine for successful edtech integration—technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge.” TPACK is a great way for educators to better understand the integrated relationship between pedagogy, content, and technology.

I thought that these models were both really cool concepts because they got me thinking about different ways I can use technology to meet the needs of every student. Technology, as I have learned over the past few weeks, opens up so many possibilities within the classroom! These models are both great ways that I can challenge my own understanding and push myself to find new ways to teach. Breaking this process down by understanding that I can integrate Content Knowledge (CK) (what I know), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) (how do students learn best), and Technological Knowledge (TK) (what digital tools are available to me) is somewhat simpler than I had imagined in my head. I am excited to use these models in my future lesson planning and teaching. Especially when looking into different elementary grades! 

Sources:

Schoology. (n.d.). The TPACK Framework explained (with classroom examples). Schoology. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.schoology.com/blog/tpack-framework-explained

Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_SAMR_Model.jpg

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/geographypages/8280963584

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