Angie Cauthers Portfolio

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February 11, 2020 / 0 Comments

Online safety and iMovie

In today’s Tech class we had a guest speaker Jesse Miller who talked about the importance of online safety. This is something that I have been cautious and aware of since I have been a kid. My parents were always very strict about not allowing me to have any social media growing up. I remember always being that kid that was so out of the loop every time something happened in school or out, because I wouldn’t hear about it until someone physically told me. In middle school I made an Instagram account behind my parents back and unfortunately wasn’t educated enough to make it private so they found out about it right away and asked me to take it down. After that incident it wasn’t until grade 12 that I became a user on Instagram again and was even later until I downloaded Facebook for the first time.

Jesse talked about the importance of attaining and maintaining a professional presence online as an educator and an employee. His presentation definitely made me think about what I have been posting online and especially what I have been tagged in online. I have been careful with my social media but I do have to say that I am also very naive when it comes to regularly changing my password and not using public WiFi to check personal information of my phone. It seems like such an obvious thing when I actually think about it, but the dangers of doing so has never really crossed my mind when I am on the go and have to google or check my banking quick, which is a scary thought. Jesse’s presentation definitely gave me something to think about for the future and things to be mindful of when online.

In class we also explored the use of iMovie which was interesting. It is something that I have never used before because I have always used windows products and have never gotten the opportunity to play around with it on a laptop or iPad. I would definitely use it in the future either with my students or for my own personal use but I would need a lot more practice! It wasn’t easy let me tell you that, but I am so glad I am obtaining the experience and exposure to all these different digital platforms and technologies that I can integrate into my teaching practice one day.

February 11, 2020 / 0 Comments

Parent Interview on FreshGrade

Parent Testimonial on FreshGrade: 

For this weeks EdTech inquiry post we interviewed a parent from SD 61 and asked about his experience with using FreshGrade.

Was your overall experience with FreshGrade positive?

Yes, it was a helpful window into my children’s day to day activities in the classroom.

Were there any negatives with using FreshGrade?

I don’t know if there were any negatives.  I found that when the teacher posted a picture or an update from the day in the classroom, my kids were excited to see it and it usually prompted a discussion about what they did at school that day.

Were the teachers using it consistently?

One teacher used it very consistently, another not so much.  I do think it helps to be quite consistent with it so that both the teacher and parents remained regularly engaged with it.

Did you find that you were able to have an insight of where your children would be exceeding or having challenges by the information posted on FreshGrade?

Not really.  Sometimes the teacher would specifically do an assessment of, for example, reading level on FreshGrade.  And in that case you would see if your child was meeting expectations for the grade level or not.  That was a pretty rare occurrence though. Most of the posts were classroom updates and not child specific.

Is there anything you would have liked to change about FreshGrade?

The App itself is very clunky and buggy.  It frequently crashed or the videos would not play with sound and other annoyances.  It could certainly use some work to get it to a more usable level.

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February 4, 2020 / 0 Comments

Group Technology Showcase

In class today my group Maddy, Catrina, Brittany, Arnelle and I researched Flashcard apps, specifically Quizlet and this is the information that we found:

What is Quizlet?

Quizlet is a free website which provides learning tools for students of all ages. It includes a flashcards section, learn section, write, spell and test section. It makes learning fun! It is a digital take on the simple Q cards, which allows for students to think and share to learn. 

Below is a link to a Youtube video, which explains what Quizlet is. 

Did you know?

  • That 90% of students receive higher grades when using a quizlet to study.
  • It is an American Company.
  • It was invented in California.
  • It has seven study modes.
  • You can share your Quizlet’s with your friends. 
  • You can include Quizlet diagrams. 

Study Modes and Games: 

  • Quizlet lets users create sets of terms and their definitions. These sets can then be used with several study modes
  1. Flashcards: this is the most commonly used mode and it simulates paper flash cards. Users are shown a card for terms and they can flip it over by clicking it to see the definition
  2. Gravity: In this mode definitions move vertically down the screen like asteroids. Users must type the correct term before it reaches the bottom of the screen. Gravity is one of the ‘Play’ study modes
  3. Write: in this mode users are shown a term or definition and must type the term of definition that goes with it. Users are graded automatically
  4. Long term learning: In this mode users are given a study set that has been recommended to them based on whether they answer study set questions correctly. Terms are repeated if answered incorrectly. A dashboard shows learning progress. This mode focuses on spaced repetition to stimulate long term retention and mastery rather than short term memorization
  5. Speller: in this mode the term is read aloud and students must type the term correctly. Correct responses are rewarded with a video of a monster truck using a flip
  6. Match: In this mode users are shown a grid of terms in random order. They must drag terms on top of their definitions

How is Quizlet Used in the Classroom? (Pros and Cons)

Here is a good link for some pros and cons of using Quizlet in the classroom: https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/quizlet-pros-cons

Because Quizlet is a public website, anyone can go on and create a set of study notes. However, this freedom can lead to the spread of misinformation. Educators can combat this by creating study sets for their students and encouraging them to work with their peers to create concise notes. Another problem with Quizlet, is that if one word is out of place, the website will mark the answer as incorrect. 

Quizlet Live is an in-class tool similar to Kahoot for quizzes using devices. The students are shown a question on the board and must choose the correct response on their device (phone, laptop, or tablet). It is important to weigh the pros and cons of Quizlet, to decide whether or not it will work in your class. 

Pros

  • Free 
  • Allows students to share and create their own quizzes using various forms (MS, short answer etc, matching) 

Cons

  • Could be used to encourage cheating, as students can copy/paste material and find answers to online quizzes. 
  • Could provide false info because anyone can make a Quizlet 

History: 

Quizlet was first created by Andrew Sutherland while he was studying for his French class to help him memorize words. The coding for this program took him over 420 days to create, and was then posted to the public in October of 2005. Over the years Quizlet has been revamped and restructured to grow with modern day technology. Quizlet was then developed into an app available for iphones and androids so that students could view their flashcards anytime, anywhere. 

Privacy Policy: 

Information from Quizlet is stored in servers in the United States, which as we know, have different privacy laws than Canada. Quizlet keeps the information as long as the account is active. The information Quizlet can gather include: login information, google and Facebook accounts, language, and local time zones. 

February 4, 2020 / 0 Comments

FreshGrade: What is it?

For our group Ed Tech inquiry we have decided to look at FreshGrade. FreshGrade is an online system that allows for teachers, students and parents to stay connected with what is going in the classroom. The site gives you the tools as a teacher to design lessons, schedule assignments and projects, as well as, grade students work and give feedback on assignments. The site also allows for parents to stay up to date with what the class is learning and look at how their children are doing in the classroom. School District 61 Greater Victoria has been using FreshGrade for a couple years now, and the response from parents, teachers, and student has been very positive. On the SD61 website you can find all kind of resources and articles explaining FreshGrade and how effective it can be for the classroom. For this inquiry we will be looking at the Pros and Cons for teachers, students, and parents as well as contacting SD 61 teachers and asking them about their thoughts on the program. We will also be talking to a parent whose children attends a SD 61 school and getting their opinion on the program. We found this topic to be very applicable for us, as some of us may find jobs in the SD61 district and will have to use the site in our own classroom.

By: Laura Anthony, Angie Cauthers, Clara Kucher

Here is a link to the SD 61 websites resource page on FreshGrade:

February 4, 2020 / 0 Comments

Learning How to Play the Ukulele Blog 2

Image result for ukulele png

It has now been a few weeks of learning how to play the ukulele and practicing the song Skinny Love by Bon Iver. Since I have started I definitely feel as though my chord transitions have gotten better and I am starting to hum the song while I play it. A few days ago I started learning my next song which is Valerie by Amy Winehouse. The chords that are used in this song are C and Dm in the verses and F Em Dm G and C in the chorus. So far I am finding the verses easier to play than the chorus, the chord Em stretches along three frets and is not the easiest chord to play and switch to after F. This transition slows me down quite a bit but is the only part that I am really having a hard time with and will need more practice working on. I am starting to hum along while I play, because I am finding it easier to learn the song while singing along with the transitions. The strumming pattern is coming more naturally to me in this song because I have known it since I have been a kid and can establish if I am on or off beat.

As of right now I have fully learned one song and am confident in playing it, I can also slowly play the other from beginning to end. During the week I am going to work on memorizing the chords and lyrics for both songs so that I am not dependent on my sheet that I have printed out for them. I am also going to work on that transition from F to Em in the chorus so that it sounds and feels smoother.

February 3, 2020 / 0 Comments

Muffins!

This week for my baking inquiry I decided to take it up a notch and bake muffins. Preparing for this week I took some time to do a little research on what kind of muffin I wanted to make. I was deciding between making a blueberry muffin, lemon poppy seed or carrot muffin’s which are are equally my favorite. After researching more I decided to go with a carrot muffin because I already owned all the ingredients that it called for making it less costly. Going into making this recipe I was worried about using carrots because I have never baked with them before and I wasn’t sure if I needed to do anything or pre-cook them before hand. The last thing anyone wants is a crunchy carrot muffin but after a thorough review of the recipe I was assured that it would all be fine and that the carrots would bake in the muffin. I was also nervous/curious about using so many different types of spices, I used a Spiced Carrot Muffin recipe which called for cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. The only thing that I can think about the uses similar ingredients is pumpkin pie so I was curious to see how the muffins would turn out and taste with these added ingredients.

During the baking process the muffins seemed to come along very well and the consistency of the batter looked great! I followed the recipe exactly and I again was enjoying myself in the process. After everything was combined I set them in the oven and let them bake for 20-25 minutes as recommended. After 20 minutes I took them out and tested them with a toothpick to check if they were ready. After I pulled them out I set them on a cooling rack and waited a few minutes to try one. The muffins visually looked great, they rose really well and obtained a nice golden brown along the edges. Unfortunately I think they looked better than they tasted. I don’t know what it was but they just had no flavor. The texture of them was really great and they were nice and moist but they didn’t really taste like anything. Next time I think I will add more more of the spices specifically cinnamon and maybe some orange juice or some lemon juice. Other than that I was very proud of how they turned out and proud of myself for baking more goodies.

 

 

 

February 3, 2020 / 0 Comments

Learning How to Play the Ukulele Blog 1

It has now been a week and a half since I started learning how to play the ukulele. My first goal was to learn how to tune my ukulele which turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I ended up using an app to help me tune my ukulele just so I could get used to how the strings sound when it is tuned, then possibly after midterm I will try again to tune it by ear. The first song that I am currently learning is Skinny Love by Bon Iver. The chords in this song are Am F and C in the verses and C G and F in the chorus.  So far I have found the verses the easiest to play because of the chord progression. The chord Am naturally leads in the chord F which makes the transition pretty easy and the switch to C is fine as well because I am only using one finger to play the chord as opposed to two or three. The chorus on the other hand is a bit trickier because of the switch to G which take me a second to fully position myself and then it is a very quick switch to F which is also not the easiest transition. The strumming pattern in the song is a simple down down up up down up motion, I started slowly practicing the strumming pattern while initially learning the song and was able to find the rhythm of the strumming and keep up with it, and now I can strum it without hesitation.

I am finding at the moment that I am able to play the song from beginning to end slowly but my chord transitions are not as smooth as I would like them to be. I would also like to work on memorizing the chords with the lyrics so that I do not have to look down at my sheet the whole song. The liabilities that I have listed in my Musical growth template at the start of this assignment haven’t really been an issue as of yet and because I am aware that I have a busy schedule, I have been trying to organize my time better and put time aside to learn how to play the ukulele. I am very happy of the progress that I have made and cannot wait to learn more songs! I am really loving this instrument!

 

January 29, 2020 / 0 Comments

I Think The Cookie Monster Would Approve

Today was the day folks, I baked my very first batch of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and to my and my families surprise they turned out really good! I followed the recipe pretty well but I did run into a few problems. Problem number one was that all the mixing steps called for an electric mixer which unfortunately I do not own, so I just had to do my best and hope that a fork and a little elbow grease would do the trick when creaming the sugar with the butter and mixing all the ingredients into the dough. Another problem was that the recipe called for 3 CUPS OF OATMEAL call me insane but that just seems like way too much. After I combined my wet and dry ingredients the cookie dough was the perfect consistency until I started adding the cups of oats. The dough started to get very thick and dry so I only used 2 cups of oats which still seemed like an absurd amount. It was at this moment where I really thought I messed something up, i was thinking that maybe I didn’t add enough of one of the wet ingredients because it was so dry but I decided to leave it and hope that it would turn out in the end. After making the dough I set it in the fridge for 45 minutes to cool then took it out and started making little balls and setting them on to my trays lined with parchment paper.

I then placed them in the oven for 15 minutes and crossed my fingers. After the 15 minutes I pulled them out, set them on a rack to cool and then tried them. I was very happy about how chewy they were, and how they were sweet but not too sweet which was a really nice surprise. Based on taste, texture and appearance I would give these cookies a 9/10. I think with some more chocolate chips they would be a home run but I just didn’t put enough in which is something that I now know to do next time. My overall experience while baking these cookies was actually very fun. It didn’t feel like i was doing homework, I was able to play some music and take my time to enjoy  it which I felt like I needed. It was a very good break that also resulted in building my baking confidence and with a container full of cookies that I can proudly say I made.

January 28, 2020 / 0 Comments

Visit to PSII

Today our class visited The Pacific school of Innovation and Inquiry and listened to the principle Jeff Hopkin explain how the school works and the idea behind the creation of this type of education. This school emphasizes inquiry based learning and encourages students to follow their interests. I had a hard time at first fully understanding this concept of education and I just couldn’t wrap my head around how they still incorporate the curriculum and how students are still able to carry on to post secondary. The idea of having no bells, no large classrooms, and integrated grades and ages of learners just seems so foreign after growing up in the public school system. It is hard to fully understand how the teachers keep on track of all the things that these students are doing and guide them within such a wide array of topics and interests. As a student I don’t think I personally would do well in this environment just because it is so different to what I am used to. After 16 years of sitting at a desk, listening and waiting for the teacher to tell me what to do and what to learn I would find it difficult to then be asked to take charge of my own learning.

Looking at the full picture though and listening to some of the stories Jeff and some of his students told. I can completely understand how this would work for a majority of learners especially in today’s learning environments where teachers are starting to explore different methods of education based on the needs of the individual learner. A student that I talked to while visiting the school described how she has experienced 3 different education systems moving from Alberta then attending Vic high then moving on to PSII. She explained how for her especially in math class, she never fully understood the lessons being taught and never was able to sit down with the teacher and ask all of the questions that she had. She felt like she wasn’t learning anything and all she was gaining from being school was anxiety and depression. She explained to us how starting at PSII was strange at first because it was so different from anything that she has ever experienced but she finds herself excited to go to school now and excited to learn the things that she is interested in. She is currently exploring her inquiry towards photography and film while learning Spanish and researching the effects and history of depression in young adults.  Its stories like these that make me believe in this form of education especially in middle school or high school where students are starting to become more independent and focus on their own interests. I am not sure how this would work in an elementary setting but I think it can be explored and introduced by simply giving the students more autonomy in their learning so that they are able to focus on their interests and stay engaged. We may not be anywhere near what PSII is doing currently but I do believe with our new curriculum that we are heading in the right direction, and may get there one day.

January 21, 2020 / 0 Comments

Cookie Preparation

So this is it folks, day one, part one of learning how to bake in one semester. I thought I would start myself off with something easy, something that I couldn’t possibly mess up; something like cookies. Okay, so here’s my thinking, I have made cookies before, mostly with the help of my mom or my friends but usually they always turn out tasting good even if they get messed up. So by starting with this it might be good to raise my baking confidence right off the bat and to get used to some of the most basic techniques like separating your wet ingredients with your dry. Look at me go with these technical terms! So the cookies that I am going to bake first are going to be chocolate chip oatmeal cookies because they are my favorite.  After making that decision I then took to my computer to do some research on what recipe I want to use and narrowed my options down to two.     

#1 Sallys Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

#2 Live Well Bake Often Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Both look really good and give very good instructions to follow for each recipe but they are both very different which is where my inexperience shines through because I don’t know what the difference in ingredients will do. Sally’s recipe calls for 2 large eggs and a tablespoon of molasses and Live Well’s calls for 1 egg and doesn’t have molasses. I am not even sure what molasses is, and I have no clue what it might do to the cookie but because I am curious and because of how good the cookie looks in the picture, my gut is telling me to try Sally’s recipe and hope for the best.

I am confident that next week is going to go well. I have good instructions, a solid recipe, and some experience in baking cookies so I feel as though the odds are in my favor! Lets hope I’m right.

Tune in next week for the results and to see how it went!

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