Anna's Blog

Here is my final sketchnote reflection! I really enjoyed making this; it is not a style of reflection that I am used to, so I found it fun and interesting to think of drawings that corresponded to topics. I also had a very easy time finding things and topics that stuck out to me. The material covered in this course was extremely interesting, and I definitely believe that it will be applicable in my future teaching career!

This week, I got the opportunity to explore Arduino Science Journal. This is a super cool app that allows students to perform experiments from wherever they are, whenever they want! It also allows students to record any data they find, as well as provides many different useable sensors such as a barometer, a compass, a magnetometer, and more. For my experiment, I used the sensor that measures sound intensity, and I performed actions such as clapping, stomping, whistling and speaking, and recorded the difference in decibels.

As you can see, the actions that created the highest sound intensity were whistling and stomping. I believe that this is because these actions were performed closer to the microphone than clapping was. When I stomped my foot, it was right next to the phone’s speaker. When I whistled, I held the speaker close to my mouth. When I clapped, however, the phone was on the floor and I clapped above it. In order to perform this experiment with less variables, next time, I would place my phone on a table instead of the floor, and not hold it for some actions and not others.

Technology in the classroom is a widely debated and nuanced topic. Aside from purely academic uses, tablets can be a great tool for students with learning difficulties. One such resource is Proloquo. This is an app that is essentially a touch board of different words, phrases, feelings, actions, and more, that, when pressed, say the word aloud through the speaker. This is a great way for students with speech difficulties to communicate.

One risk with this technology is that it could create a reliance. Students become accustomed to using the app, and may be reluctant to try speaking without it, even if they are ready and able. I do, however, believe that the benefits outweigh the risks. Students will grow out of that reluctance; what is important is developing their self-confidence and independence, something that this app does well.

The “See, Think, Wonder” exercise is a very interesting and effective inquiry tool. My Link2Practice classroom teacher (French kindergarten) uses a similar technique, primarily for science and math. For example, the last day that I was there, the teacher had a photo like the one below on the projector.

They have done exercises like this before, so they knew what to do. The teacher would start by asking for “I see” (je vois) statements, then move into “I think” (je pense) statements, and finally, “I wonder” (je me demande) statements. Some student examples were “I see a flower,” “I think it’s night,” “I wonder who put the candles there,” etc. There are no boundaries on the questions they can ask or the observations they can make, so long as they are relevant to the photo During activities like this, the students are clearly engaged, and are usually extremely excited for their teacher to call on them so that they may express their thinking.

For the math component, they had to pick one object, count how many there were in the photo, and write and draw it in their notebook. For example, if they chose the candles, they would count one, two, three candles, and draw them with the numbers written alongside. They were also expected to write any sounds that they heard in the word “candle” (chandelle).

This activity is effective in developing observational and critical thinking skills, as well as providing students the opportunity to express their thoughts and questions in a safe and encouraging environment. Every statement is treated equal, with no diminishing of ideas.

The worksheet that Rebecca uses would be an interesting modification. I am not sure that the students in my class would be able to differentiate between the different sections on their own; I think that it would be more of an effective tool to use as a whole class.

This week I was able to code with Anna and Elsa! This game is a great introductory tool, especially for younger kids, as coding on its own can be very overwhelming and scary. By using characters that kids are familiar with, it allows them to feel more comfortable with the topic, and by extension, more open to learning! Aside from simply learning to code, this game is a great way to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. If something isn’t working, students must find a way to break it down and figure it out. As well, it fosters creativity, and can force students to come up with out-of-the-box solutions. These are skills that will be useful to students for years to come, across all aspects of life.

After completing the Anna and Elsa workshop, I was able to create the above pattern using all of the skills that I had learned. If I had more time, I would have loved to try and actually make the shapes, instead of simply clicking “create a snowflake” or “create a circle.” By clicking on the photo, you can see my program run in real time!

I was also able to play Bad News, a game that lets you impersonate a corporation or important person and spread disinformation on Twitter. I was able to obtain all six badges– impersonation, emotion, polarization, conspiracy, discredit, and trolling. By the end of the game, I had become a conspiracy theorist, emotional manipulated, and all-around terrible person with a final follower count of 17 684.

Although this is a fun and humorous game, it is all too relevant to our world today. This game is a great tool for students to learn to recognize misinformation as it comes up, as well as just how easy it is for someone to be untruthful online. Because this is such a serious and important topic, introducing it to students through the use of a game is a great way to get them engaged and ready to listen and learn.

Sketchnoting is a tactic that can be very beneficial for students. The act of linking words and drawings together reinforces topics in the memory, increases engagement in the lesson, and allows for connections to be formed across concepts. During class, I was able to complete a series of sketchnoting basics. As demonstrated below, the aim of sketchnoting is not to create the most beautiful or detailed drawing. In fact, the opposite is true– it is most important to create images as quickly as you can so you can move on to the next concept.

Although this was the first time I had formally heard about sketchnoting, it is actually something that I have been doing for most of my academic career. I have always found it beneficial for my memory when I include a simple diagram or drawing about a concept that I am learning. Although it may not be traditional or official sketchnoting, in my previous astronomy course, it was always so much easier for me to commit concepts to memory if I was able to connect it to a picture or drawing. As you can see from my notes below, the drawings are quick and oftentimes ugly, but they get the job done.

Eventually, I hope to be a teacher of French kindergarten or grade one. Sketchnoting could be difficult with this grade level, as there is not much note-taking going on– it is almost always hands-on or some form of worksheet. This is not to say that drawing would not be useful to these students. Especially when learning a second language drawings can help form connections between the English word and the French word. When students are just starting out, drawings can be invaluable in the classroom– students are able to express themselves in ways that they would never be able to articulate, especially in a second language.