For our EdTech Group Inquiry, our group decided to look at how FreshGrade could be used inside and outside the classroom, as a beneficial tool for students, parents, and teachers. We started by looking at what exactly FreshGrade was and how it could be used, we learned that FreshGrade was an online system that was designed to keep teachers, students, and parents connected. FreshGrade allows for teachers to design their lessons and schedules, give assessment and feedback on students’ work, and keep parents up to date with what their children are learning in the classroom. We learned that FreshGrade can also be beneficial for administration as principles can now use FreshGrade to create a community within their school, where others work can be showcased and everyone can engage. There were a ton of benefits to using FreshGrade such as the planning and organizing features, communication with parents and students, and the assessment features, but there were also some cons to using FreshGrade. FreshGrade does not support drawing, narration, or speech to text tools and it can become another task for teachers to keep up with, resulting with many not wanting to put in the effort. As we were researching for this inquiry we learned a lot about how FreshGrade can be beneficial for parents, and even had the opportunity to speak with a parent from school district 61 regarding what they thought about the program. In our interview, we learned that getting the most out of the program all depended on how the teacher was using FreshGrade in the classroom. Our interviewee said that he loved that his children were excited to show what they had learned at school that day and that this always sparked conversation about their day, and what they did in the classroom. He did mention that what you get out of FreshGrade all depends on what the teacher is posting, many teachers barely use it while others keep you updated with constant pictures and descriptions about everyday activities. He also explained that much of what his children’s teachers posted was not child specific, and did not include any form of assessment. We also learned about some of the cons that other parents experienced such as not having access to technology in order to view the site or that many parents are not comfortable having photos or videos of their children being posted for others to see. As we continued to research, we all realized that FreshGrade is an amazing program that would be very beneficial for future educators to get familiar with, especially here in BC as many of our school districts are using FreshGrade everyday in the classroom. FreshGrade offers many professional development day programs online to help educators learn how to get the most out of the program and can show how other teachers are using it within their classroom. We highly recommend that teacher’s check out our link below to look into signing up for their free class to learn how to get started with FreshGrade. We are very happy that we choose to research this amazing online program as it will be very applicable to our future careers and look forward to learning more about it in the future.
Link: https://learning.freshgrade.com/p/getting-started-with-freshgrade-1
I baked a fresh batch tonight for a yummy study snack and to relieve some of the stress that these past few weeks have built up. I first started with my research trying to find the best gooey chocolate chip cookie I could find to suit my craving. I settled with 
It all started with the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that I baked back in January. I chose this recipe because it was something that I was somewhat familiar with and is in the easy category of baking. I was able to practice the basics of baking which is separating your wet and dry ingredients then combining them later. This recipe was also something that allowed me to help build up my baking confidence which prepared me for the rest of the semester. I remember saying in that blog that I didn’t feel like I was doing homework and that it just felt fun. From day 1 I started to look at the assignment as a break from studying and a good way to treat myself for working so hard. This mindset is what I think helped me continue and learn throughout this inquiry.
The next baked good I conquered was scones. I decided to make cheese scones so I could learn how to create flaky layers in scones and similar pastries. This is done by using cold, cubed butter so that when the butter melts in the oven, it separates the dough and creates layers. This was the first recipe where I practiced kneading dough which was difficult because the cheese scones contained a lot of flour so it kept falling apart. They ended up requiring a lot of time and attention to make them into a workable consistency. This recipe was definitely something I would make again! Would go great with soup!
I got to say out of all of these recipes my biggest home run was the luscious lemon bars. I am still obsessing over them! This recipe had two sections, one for working and baking the crust and the other for the lemon filling. The crust was probably the most complicating, not to make but to prepare because it had to be assembled then compacted into a pan, perfectly level then frozen, then baked. The lemon filling was just time consuming requiring lemon juice and zest from 5-6 lemons. After following the recipe and baking it I got to tell you, they were delicious and stayed fresh the longest amount of time out of all the recipes. Through this experience I really built up my baking confidence and learned a good skill for whenever I make dessert bars in the future.
Unfortunately the cheesecake I made next added to my list of flops. This recipe was another first for me that contained many do’s and don’ts which didn’t help me much. I think the only thing that went wrong here was my cook time. I should have left it in the oven for a little longer then let it cool and set for longer than I did. Besides the uncooked portion of it, it turned out really well and was another learning experience for me which gave me insight towards what to do next time I bake a cheesecake. Or I could just choose a non-bake one…
The instructions for this recipe were pretty minimal, just saying to separate the wet and dry ingredients then mix them all together and pour it into the pan. It seemed easy enough it just stated in big bold letters not to over mix, so I was careful to only fold the ingredients in until just combined. Once I poured the batter into the pan I set the oven to 350 then started working on the yummy cinnamon topping. This was once again pretty basic and reminded me of the cinnamon filling I made for my cinnamon buns a few weeks back. After I had mixed the filling together to form a crumble I spread it evenly on top of my batter then was ready to set it into the oven.
The cake was set to be in the oven for at least 33 minutes (this is what the recipe said) but after a little over 25 minutes I peaked inside because I was getting impatient. The edges were golden brown and it looked ready to go so I pulled it out and let it sit on a rack to cool. This was one issue that I had with this recipe, if I didn’t check it when I did, it would have probably been overcooked and very dry. After it cooled down I poured some icing on top of it and cut out a piece to try!