Category: community contributions

Hi Amanda,

Amazing blog post and connection to UDL and inclusive education!

That’s super cool that you got to take a course around inclusion! I also learned from the readings on how to teach using these guidelines to create an online learning environment. I personally believe that these have helped me consider ways to further support learners and really think about design and it sounds like you did as well. I never really fully considered how learner equity can change based on educational delivery and lens, but your blog post made me further reflect on these ideas.

Yes, I agree that considering the disproportional results of students who have challenges is shocking and it just makes me think of how important it is to teach to diversity and adapt accordingly!

Great points and quotes around design and the importance of design especially in online learning! Before the readings I never realized how much of an impact design has online but I totally agree and thus think that it is crucial to adapt and work with the UDL guidelines as you suggested instead of looking and creating an imaginary “average learner”. I wonder if design in a classroom seems easier because you can adapt easier on the spot/ you are more familiar with this mode of teaching as online teachers who had to transition due to Covid were learning all at once….

Great Infographic I love this diagram and I will definitely use it and be thinking about it in the near future! Great visual!

I totally agree that choice in activity, expression and learning in general is key to success as it promotes student centered learning. Great cross-cultural connection of diverse identities and multimedia. It also suggests relationship building and collaboration all in one which is powerful.

Awesome work and great connections! You can really tell that you are thinking and considering all students and circumstances!

Hi Clara,

Very powerful and interesting blog post!

I really enjoyed how you opened up with acknowledging that it is harder to recognize different learning styles and abilities in open and online learning. I wonder what we can do to get to know more about our students learning styles… I totally agree we need to provide means for students to meet their needs and space for growth and mistakes!

I definitely agree with what regarding a group effort versus in the classroom where it is the teacher and students who create the meaningful environment. This statement acknowledges diversity and students various learning environments when online, which goes well with the quote you chose in the previous paragraph. Great pick! This made me think of how teachers can design the lesson but cannot control the environment which parallels your idea of open and distributed learning being more difficult to address authentic environments.

I think it is super powerful that you included multiple viewpoints in your blog. As well as you made a really great reference to topic one and the importance of relationships! The part you included from Selwyn is so relatable and such a good aspect to consider. I personally have found that I thrive in asynchronous learning environments when online and so I also can relate to what you are feeling going into September. At least we will be in the same boat!

Great ending paragraph, it is so crucial to teach to diversity in all learning environments and as such UDL guidelines can help us do that as you mentioned. I think it would be super beneficial to include a diagram or something from the UDL website (I remember you sharing one in our group project) would be a great visual to include near your UDL paragraph!

Your final sentence of considering how to support these groups is very important. It reminds me of a Shelley Moore video of teaching to diversity but specifically her analogy of bowling and hitting the pins on the outside as those are hardest to reach. Same concept!

Overall great blog post love how you included multiple perspectives as well as personal experience. The asynchronous and synchronous learning I think is a key aspect that should be considered, and I love how you brought that up in relation to our reading.

Hi Stephanie!

This is such a terrific blog post and great way to address the question!

I totally agree with your point around accessibility in relation to family’s financial situation. As you mentioned it is important to meet their needs by providing them with these technologies and resources. It was great to see this being done within our local school districts when everything switched to online learning due to Covid.

I really like the way you structured your blog post; it is almost as if it is steps of what to do to meet the needs of the children. UDL guidelines stresses the idea of choice and fosters that we all learn differently.

In your third paragraph I really enjoyed how you recognized the need for different spaces and how that can create a safe and give students choice as to what environment best suits their needs. The final sentence in that paragraph is so powerful and truly speaks to how education is more than just grades and assignments. Thus, it brings back the whole idea of student-centered learning as well as relationship building that extends beyond the classroom. One of my favourite quotes is “When one teaches, two learn.” (Robert Half). This just describes the collaboration and dynamics that are intended!

Adapting is so key to teaching and learning and I love how you included it and connected it to face to face vs online and that transition. Sometimes you have to change and be creative and what you shared is so true!

Great Info-graph I like the concluding thoughts as I definitely resonate with the idea that learning happens everywhere. As such it stresses that learning is a process and not just outcome based nor within the walls of a building (classroom). It is much much more!

Loved this post, all in all, I really liked the breakdown and structure related to 1. Accessibility, 2, UDL principles, 3. Learning spaces and 4. Adapting accordingly, as well as the great use of diagrams.

Hi Amanda

I really enjoyed your second blog post! I can totally relate to what you say in the first paragraph, I was very unaware of how early the first online school was founded and that it was in BC. Crazy to think that but yet there lacks research and data on Canadian online learning…

The real time answering system known “Teaching Machine” developed by Skinner is a great example of the timeline of technology. As a visual learner, I wonder if there is a diagram or timeline that puts the development of technology, online learning, open learning, blended learning etc. I would be interested what that timeline would look like after the current pandemic as well. I like the quote you used as it stresses the need for connection and how this machine extends beyond just student to teacher relationships. Therefore, you also address how technology supports interaction and relationship building, which is powerful as it builds off topic 1.

I love how you included an image of the Teaching Machine and that the chosen image includes description. I think this really benefits the post and understanding the characteristics of the machine.

All in all, I value how you chose Skinner and connected it to current technology as well as the similarities between online and open learning and the teaching machine! You address the idea of student-centered learning and how these environments allow students to be in control of the pace through teacher led instruction/ objectives all while designing a course that develops interactions. To be honest, I never really made the connection of Skinners Teaching Machine and online and open learning. As such I learned the similarities and was quite shocked of the direct comparisons and the timeline. Really interesting and creative post, I quite enjoyed it! Looking forward to your future posts!

Hi Clara,

I really enjoyed reading your second blog post  and I feel like I learned even more about open education specifically as the quotes you highlighted really made the intention clear. I found it very powerful how you started off with quotes. Created a really nice flow and understanding for the reader. I think my favourite quote you used was the “learners identify and locate learning opportunities for themselves as well as create opportunities for others” (Coffey et al, 2006 as cited in Roberts et al, 2018). This demonstrates the importance of design and collaboration and sums up how open learning extends beyond the classroom.

In the following paragraph you make a really strong connection to the UDL guidelines as well as the relationship to Dewey’s idea of learning from and with. Which again stresses the importance of collaboration as you addressed. I think you are really considering the relationship building aspects as well as the diversity of student learners, which is very empowering!

I totally agree with you I never knew how old and prominent online education has been in Canada and I also find it surprising of how little research has been done.

I also am curious to see what the outcomes related to online learning will be post Covid-19 pandemic and see a timeline. I believe we will see a significant jump and transition as everyone is now becoming more aware of online learning. I also did not know of CANeLearn prior to these readings and to be honest did not realize of some key benefits of online learning. Obviously each student responds to online education different and delivery is different but I wonder how students will now respond to courses being online and whether we will see an increase in online enrollment post covid-19 at a post-secondary level but also within the K-12 system… I am curious of the children who have experienced this pandemic if they are given the option between online and in class classes what their thoughts and choice would be.

Thanks for sharing your post with me, I enjoyed learning and thinking about the concepts more! Looking forward to your next post 🙂

Hi Stephanie,

I really enjoyed reading and learning from your blog post 2! I loved how you included the history and specific years as it created a great timeline for the reader. Also, I really enjoyed the connection of our current times (Covid-19 pandemic). I totally agree and I am excited to also see what will come from all the online learning taken place during these trial times. It just goes to show how like you said it shapes our learning and teaching moving forward. I definitely think that there will be much more use of technologies and I am also interested to see the great resources made by current teachers and how that will expand and create great resources.

I also had very similar experiences and saw the progressions of technology and online tools in the classroom as described in your second paragraph. I think you did an amazing job at summarizing it and creating a timeline from when we were in k-12 education to today!

You brought up a great quote of using learning theories as learning mechanisms and not making them just shape your teaching; but rather understanding them and their impacts on education. This transitions well into key characteristics of being an adaptable teacher. Being adaptable is crucial in teaching online and in the classroom in order to meet the children’s diverse needs and I believe you addressed this very well in conjunction with the readings. This also goes into the importance of creating a safe and welcome environment online as well and how we need to promote values such as trust and sharing! I also agree that this is more difficult to do online and wonder of what resources and techniques can be used to create an accepting and inclusive environment?

Great post I really liked all the great characteristics you brought forward and how the post was centered around student needs and teachers learning and adapting! I also value the SAMR model you used as it creates a great visual and a fun yet different way of looking at the ways of using technology!

Thanks for sharing! I look forward to your future posts 🙂

https://amandastreeted.wordpress.com/2020/07/10/edci-339-blog-post-1/

Hi Amanda,

Great post! I really value how you shared your experience with doing classes at Sides, I think that sharing our experiences as learners can definitely help us consider all circumstances and help us understand how students may feel. This can thus further help us support them and try to help them engage in online learning! I also did one course at SIDES and found that there may have been a lack of connection as I did not work or collaborate with any other classmates. Do you think the lack of buiding relationships and collaborating with classmates also had an impact on your motivation in regard to SIDES? I personally was thinking of the classes we are doing right now, and I wonder if I would feel as inclined to do online if I did not know anyone in the course, I wonder if you feel the same?

I think that all these aspects like you address align perfectly with the reading as well as the social presence model! Love the visuals you added and thanks for sharing my blog diagram! So glad you liked it 

That video is so perfect for both children and adult learners! I think it would be a great resource to talk about how to form safe connections online. I am curious if there is a video out there that talks specifically about FIPPA in the same format or how you would present FIPPA to your children and parents? I also do not have an account with Study.com so sadly could only watch part of the video… however I think that even though I could initially only watch part it also shares a useful resource and made me inclined to sign up!

Great connection to privacy and safety, I totally agree that the reading made it clear that these extend beyond just cyber predators and harassment. I also learned so much from the Zoom meeting with Dr. Brown. What you said though in regard to software that is stored within Canada is crucial, would be very cool to learn more about Canadian platforms. As the only one I can really think of is Freshgrade. Do you know of any other Canadian platforms and how would you use them to build relationships specifically?

https://smaceducation.wordpress.com/2020/07/09/topic-1-blog/

Hi Stephanie,

Awesome post! I think it is great that you addressed the privacy concern of storage and data within Canada vs the US. I agree with that and have had experience with my highschool that used a US stored company Edmodo and then switched to Freshgrade for exactly that reason! I wonder if you have any examples of specific surfaces you would lean more towards regarding Canadian stored platforms. I value that you made a connection to Barbara Brown suggestion of FlipGrid and the use of videos! Is FlipGrid Canadian or US based just curious? Are there any Canadian collaborative video making companies?

Your second paragraph is a great tip as it just shows how the privacy concerns is at the heart of the whole district and everyone is working together to find the best and safest resources!

I totally agree with your connection to the reading and the benefit related to control their learning online, but also the distinction between synchronous and asynchronous learning. Control makes me further think of mastery and autonomy (circle of courage) and how we are meeting needs and leading the children to feel empowered and motivated by learning. I am wondering if you can go more in depth around these two styles (synchronous and asynchronous) of online learning? I really liked how you added in your personal experience to support the challenge of creating relationships!

I really appreciate how you went more in depth on connecting this subject to our current situation and how this will affect education moving forward! I also am curious to learn about ways to support the diversity of student learners! That is such a key element in order to include all students and to create a welcoming environment as you stated! It makes me wonder what resources or tools can benefit these learners and how can we meet their needs! Great questions to consider! Definitely makes me think too!

https://clarakucher.opened.ca/category/edci-339/edci-339-blogs/

Hi Clara,

Great post! I agree with so many of the points you brought up, especially the idea of realizing and finding techniques on how to build relationships through online learning. I definitely find it more difficult but as you said the readings also opened up my perspective on the less obvious online resources that can help us facilitate this. I also referred to the wide range of technology and how these are assets to help students succeed, therefore I totally agree with you! I also appreciate how you gave the example of Zoom as a useful technology; I am wondering if you have any more ideas of specific features or even other surfaces that may help build relationships amongst teacher-student but also student-student relationships?

A connection I made between both of our posts is that we acknowledge how online and in person learning can have both benefits and challenges and that one style may work better for one individual but not the other. As such we as educators need to consider all circumstances! You referred to this being “true for both open and online learning”, I wonder if you could maybe make it clearer to the reader the difference between open and online learning?

My absolute favourite quote is the one you used ““their learning [rather] than the online modality within which they are learning” as I think it is such a crucial thing to understand and consider when thinking of the importance of relationship building

Great connection to safety as well in regard to privacy and safety! I am wondering how you can demonstrate this to younger students or to parents, like how would you explain FIPPA. Throughout the post you included many personal experiences and considered all students as well as current situations in the world! Great work!