kayldawn – Page 3 – Kayleigh's Education Blog

Final Musical Growth Upload

I hope that you enjoy my final growth! I have worked hard this semester to develop my skills in chord transitions, practicing different strumming patterns, and playing more difficult songs than I’ve ever played before. I am really proud of the growth I have made over the semester, and this journey has made me more passionate about exploring my musical abilities. I hope to take what I have learned into my future as a teacher and as a musician.

While adventuring into the world of playing with another person, I discovered how difficult it can be to ensure that two of you are playing at the same tempo, as well as ensuring that both of you are executing the same strumming patterns. Although there were difficulties while playing with another person, I also think that I had a lot more fun playing and had more personality in my performance. David brought out a more musical side in me when we were playing together, and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to “jam” with him. Playing with other people is something that I’ve always shied away from as I was not confident in my abilities, but it is something I definitely want to explore further in my future.

I am incredibly thankful that this class and assignment reignighted my love for music, and I can not wait to bring that passion into my future classrooms.

Coding

Today we had Rich McCue come into our class and talk about and teach coding. We were introduced to different tools that we can use to learn coding. Most of the tools that we used could be introduced into an elementary classroom. It is important for teachers to learn about coding and understand the passions that some of our students might have.

Scratch can be intorduced into all different subject matters. McCue provided different links and levels for teachers and teachers. Some students are not fond of Scratch because they want to get into typing real code. This shows the differentiation and the importance of students communicating with students about their preferences and skill levels.

Grasshopper is more textual, and you use Javascript. There are a lot of supports with Grasshopperdon’td you dont need to have programming experience to be able to understand the Javascript.

Hour of Code uses a multitude of coding languages, and there were multiple activities and instructor guides to help train you in coding. There is also an activity that does Floppy Cricket. You can filter with grade and comfort levels. The quality of instruction is not even umong activities, but you can go through and find what would work for you class.

TinkerCad is a 3D design application, and you can print if you have a 3D printer. They have an interface that takes your design and use code to copy, rotate, and creat a 3D design.

Code BC is helpful if you are wanting to do more coding in science. It has a framework for teachers to see how they can use coding within classes and how to help students.

Musical Growth – Busy Times and Busy Minds

These past couple of weeks have been incredibly busy for everyone, and I have been struggling to find someone to sing and play with. After some asking around, I have found a couple of friends that I am going to play Riptide with. I am looking forward to the recording process, and know that it will be tricky to ensure that everyone is playing at the same tempo.

In terms of Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World I have been working incredibly hard to keep my tempo up, and executing my strumming accurately. When I am strumming as quickly as the song requires, I find that my hand is still struggling to follow what my brain is telling it to do, and my strumming can sometimes come out slightly messy. I hope that more practice will help my accuracy and flow.

Can’t Help Falling in Love has been both fun and slightly frustrating to practice. I am enjoying the fingerpicking, but the strumming for the bridge has been a slight struggle. I have never tried to incorporate dynamics into my playing, and the D-d-d-D-d-d patter has been difficult to execute. I have been working on playing through the bridge slowly, and then slowly speeding up the tempo, and I have found this process fairly helpful.

I am overall fairly happy with the progress that I have made over this semester, and I am excited to show you my growth in the upcoming video upload.

Video Conferencing

Today we learned about video conferencing, accessibility, and modality.

Video Conferencing increases accessibility. Students who are unable to attend a physical class, whethere its because of location, disability, or mental health, students can attend class through video conferencing.

We considered a variety of questions through this session:

Why do we need to have required face-to-face experience as a class?

Should an instructor’s preference override student accessibility? Or student preference of modality?

Does/should modality bias exist?

Should we allow flexibility in modality accessibility? What are the implications?

Jess and I worked together on these questions through discussion, and she posted our answers on her twitter page.

How teachers design instruction and allow flexibility affects the levels of our students’ engagement. There tends to be a binary way of thinking in terms of modality: face-to-face or online. Researchers and instructors are working on changing this way of thinking. The more flexible an instructor is with their presentation of information and student access, the better and more accessible their instruction is. “Blended” instruction is a dead term. There is no increased access to learning afforded by blended learning and blended can not meet mobility needs.

Teachers carry bias when entering the field in terms of modality, whether they intend to or not. It is important that teachers are aware of these biases, and work to break them down and extend past their comfort zone in order to accommodate all of their learners. Once teachers provide freedom, location is no longer important or an obstacle. I have been fairly biased in terms of face-to-face instruction, as I have tried online coursework, and it was not effective for my learning. I have come to realize how allowing more flexible modalities and different points of access will directly impact the inclusiveness and acceptance within my classroom community.

I have linked some examples of successful Video conferencing and alternatives to face-to-face instruction, and places for further research.

Tech Inquiry – CAI Benefits and Challenges

Today Jessica, Jess, Madi, and I presented our research. We created a source for our class that they are able to access here.

Before putting the research together, I looked into the benefits and challenges of Computer-Assisted Instructions. CAI allows for self-paced learning. Learners can move as slowly or as quickly as they like through a program; they can repeat some task or review material, as well as skip over topics if the information is already known, making the learning process more efficient. CAI is also self-directed. Learners can decide what they want to learn and in what order they want to learn it. Every student has a different learning style and uses different strategies. When learners can use strategies that suit them, and improvements in the effectiveness of the learning process normally ensue. When students are able to direct their own learning motivation is increased and their autonomy in their learning strengthens. CAI exercises various senses; humans are multi-sensory animals and the more senses through which we receive information, the easier it is to remember class material. Computers have the ability to exercise various senses and present information in a variety of ways.

There are also a few challenges of CAI that I came across. Computer programs can be overwhelming for students. They are left on their own with information and recourses available, and if not properly guided through the programs, they can become overwhelmed. There is also a tendency to use multimedia “gimmicks”. Teachers need to pay attention to current theories and resources, and ensure that they are benefiting their learners, and not just acting as a distraction. Meaningful multimedia practices are possible, but more work. In addition, malfunctioning equipment can waste time and become frustrating for both teachers and students, leading them to give up faster.

Macaroni Moments with Maxie and David

Today Maxie and I went over to David’s van and made some Macaroni and Cheese. We used my all-time favourite recipe for Mac and Cheese, my Granny’s recipe. Her mac n cheese uses sharp cheddar and has a bit of a tang to it, and I love that about it.

Here is the recipe we used:

1/4 cup butter
1 tsp salt
2 cups old cheddar, grated
2 cups macaroni
1/4 cup flour
2 1/4 cups milk
1 TBSP Imperial Cheese
soda crackers

The recipe calls for a microwave to melt the cheese and mix the butter, but given that we were in the van, we heated and mixed everything on the stove. Place butter, flour and salt in a pot and heat until butter is melted. Add milk and stir until sauce becomes thick (took about 5 minutes). Mix in cheddar and imperial cheese until melted. While making the cheese sauce, cook 2 cups of macaroni for 8-10 minutes and drain. When done, add drained macaroni and cheese sauce into a casserole dish. Top with crushed soda crackers. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until crackers are golden and cheese is bubbly.

Cooking with friends definitely added an element of fun to the cooking process. We worked together to measure, stir, and add ingredients and did crosswords while we waited. I had a marvellous time making my Grans Mac n Cheese, and would definitely want to cook in David’s Van again!

EdTech Inquiry – Further Research

This week I have been working hard on researching my topic. Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) is the use of computers to provide and enhance instruction in the classroom. CAI can rand from simple programs to teach typing to a complex system that uses the latest technology to teach new keyhole surgery techniques.

Through my research, I found that CAI can help all students in and outside of the classroom. In terms of students with disabilities, CAI helps students with physical and learning disabilities, as well as deaf students.

Compared to the other assisted technologies that my other group members researched, CAI is one of the cheaper options of incorporating software in the classroom. Students and teachers find that CAI, especially in terms of educational games, are fairly accessible. Where text-to-speech and speech-to-text are typically over a couple of hundred dollars per student, CAI programs are sometimes free, and far easier to find.

There are two basic types of CAI: tutor and tool. Tutoring is split into four different categories: Drill and practice, tutorials, simulations, and games. Drill and practice use the behaviourist model where the repeated practice is focused on lower-level cognitive skills. Drill and Practice are typically frowned upon as it follows the old school models, and is not adaptable. Tutorials are the most common type of tutor in elementary school. Tutorials allow students to practice different skills and assess their learning. Simulations are not usually seen within schools as it is used for working with real-life tools, such as training to be a pilot or surgeon. Games are one of the most motivating for younger students. They incorporate and competitive element with other students and reinforces the knowledge that the learner is assumed to already have. The second category of tools enhances the teaching process, usually by focusing on one particular learning task and aims to improve it. Tools could look like highlighting different math symbols or bolding important terms.

Next, I am going to look into the positive and negative effects of CAI.

Music Growth – Falling in Love

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working on playing the ukulele with a capo for Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, as well as learning Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. I have also been playing a lot of new songs to try and figure out what final song I would like to learn for this assignment. I am thinking that for my last song, I would like to find a one that I can play as a duet with a classmate. I have never really sung and played a stringed instrument with another individual, and I think that it would be a powerful experience for me to have.

Playing the ukulele with a capo is a bit of an adjustment. The strings are harder to strum, and you have less space on the ukulele to execute chord transitions. I find that it makes strumming slightly different as the strings are stiffer and it takes more power to execute strong strumming patterns. I have also begun to attempt to play the song up to tempo and I am finding it a challenge to gracefully transition between chords as well as strum with as much accuracy. Though, the more I practice the easier it gets.

Can’t Help Falling in Love has been a lot of fun to learn; it has always been one of my favourite songs. Finger-picking is a whole new concept to me and ensuring that I strum the right strings has been one of my biggest challenges. In addition, the transition from finger-picking to the strumming pattern has been slightly odd. Getting my finger and hangs to execute what my brain is trying to tell them is a bit of a struggle. The best thing about the song is it is in my tessitura and has been a lot easier to sing than my previous song.

I am excited to learn a final song and show my final growth.

Musical Growth – New Beginnings

November 5, 2019
by kayldawn

Today we received our midterm assessments. On mine, it was recommended that I try using a capo in order to help with the range of the song. I have tried singing an octave higher and it’s pretty difficult for my voice, but the capo has made such a difference. When I have the capo on the second fret and play the song with a slighter quicker tempo it allows me to sing more on key and feel confident in playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World.

It was also suggested that I attempt a couple of new songs for the final. I have selected Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. Ever since David taught me how to fingerpick, I have been obsessed with how beautiful it sounds. I have been using a YouTube tutorial in order to learn the strumming and fingerpicking pattern. The new chords that I am learning are B7, G7, and A7. The song is in 6/8 time, meaning that there are 6 beats per measure. If you are numbering the strings from the top (closest to your chin when playing) of the ukulele down, the fingerpicking pattern is [ 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 3 – 2] per chord when playing the verses. The strum pattern for the bridge is [ D – d – d – D – d – d ] per chord. “D” stands for hard strum down, and “d” represents a soft strum. The strumming is done with the thumb and is something I am struggling with a little given the fact that it incorporates dynamics, and the chords are also slightly difficult in that section of the song.

I am incredibly excited to learn more songs, and will hopefully learn more than just one new one.

Minecraft is Awesome!

Today we had a teacher and students from Colquitz and Spectrum school, where we were taught all about the Microsoft owned program, Minecraft. Minecraft is an incredible platform for both teachers and students to help them dive into different subject matters, make connections, and change pedagogy. There is an edition of Minecraft called Minecraftedu that allows students and teachers to access the program and change modes from tutorial to survival. In Minecraftedu teachers have the ability to change the settings and modes. They can adjust how and if students communicate, what resources are available to them, difficulty, controls, and so much more. The teacher also has the ability to relocate students within the game, have private conversations with them, and help students stay on task and focus. The students that came into our classroom were unbelievably excited and full of knowledge about the program and ways that it could be used. When playing the game in our class, peers were constantly talking, helping each other out, and learning from one another, leading to the building of rapport, communication skills, and bonding opportunities. The teacher discussed how she had learned a plethora of skills from her students while incorporating Minecraft within lessons. One of the most interesting skills she learned was instead of blurting out resources and instructions for students, she allowed them to play around with the crafting tables. If the students try out different options for themselves, they are more likely to retain the information they have learned and struggle less with resources in the future. The tutorial mode is structured more by the teachers and implements teamwork, ideas of career decisions, and different subject matters.

Integrating Minecraft into the classroom allows students to understand what career path they may want to go down. One of the students discovered that he is interested in becoming an architect, and another student loved the amount of creative freedom she had and was steered towards the arts. Minecraft is also beneficial in building community within the school. If teachers hold Minecraft at lunch and recess, students are interested can join and meet other students with similar interests. This creates a safe space for students where they can connect and build a community. Students can also work together online while in different locations. One of the students had used Discord and Skype in order to walk through what they had created on Minecraft and explain why and how they connected to the curriculum. If there is a particular set of skills and instructions the teacher wants the students to achieve, she hands out papers with checklists to help students reflect. This allows students to see their development, use metacognition, and understand how successful they were. The lesson held on Minecraft has taught me that teachers need to have an open mind and be willing to change and build on their pedagogy in order to interact with students and their interests. Teachers don’t have to be experts in order to use Minecraft with their students, they need to enter the class with an open mind and a willingness to learn from their students.

1 2 3 4 5

Posts navigation