Finlay Jessop

I wanted to add the most impactful things from the course for me to my sketch notes. I really like the multimedia lesson, in which I felt like I learned the most and I think it connected really well with the See Think Wonder activities we did. I liked all the technology we used and how it was incorporated into our Inquiry post. All in all I learned a lot from this course, and a lot will be brought with me into the classroom.

I really enjoyed Brittany Johnson‘s presentation about classroom management, and technology in the classroom. I loved when she explained how she uses soft starts to get the class ready to learn. Having a quite and calming start to the day is vital to having a great classroom environment. The use of materials such as kinetic sand and Playdoh, for students to play with when they arrive is such a nice way to utilize soft starts, especially with younger students who get to think creatively first thing once they arrive. I like how everything she does in the classroom is thought out and intentional, enhancing her learning environment to maximize learning focus and creativity. My absolute favourite thing about the class however, was the hugging machine. That thing is the coolest, and I love how it is used in the classroom. I think they need to be made mandatory in every classroom and especially in post secondary.

https://www.autism-products.com/product/autism-steam-roller/

Do you think the Science Journal app would be a useful tool at your age level.

I think it would most definetly be a valulable tool, to make science classes more engaging, as well as providing a multimedia lense for our learners. The Science Journal app allows students to organize every part of an experiment, such as the note taking, recording, analysis and observations, all on one application. If you look at the SAMR evaluation strategy for the the Science Journal app, it provides an enhacement to the experiment side of science, by simplifying the process with technology.

Could sketch-noting benefit learners in the grade level you hope to teach at? If so how?

Sketch-noting would be incredibly beneficial to middle school students. In fact, the class I am observing for Link2Practice constantly needs reminders to stop doodling during class time. Sketch-noting is incredibly useful for middle school learners. Firstly, it provides a multi media approach to learning, where students who are listening to lessons can sketch what they are listening to as well. Secondly, students who can’t take notes traditionally can be better suited to to take notes via sketch-noting and having the option for all students, leads to more active class participation. Lastly, something that the teacher I am observing does that I love is when she notices students who are doodling, she asks them “is that helping you focus?”. This simple questions allows students the option to interact with thje lesson in a way that works best for them.

How could the TPACK model help you select the most appropriate tool or technology to help meet your learning objectives for your class?

The TPACK model provides teachers with the framework to properly incorporate, and evaluate the use of technology in the classroom. The video, TPACK in 3 Minutes outlines how teachers need to selectively choose their resources based on pedagogy (how material is presented), tecknology (what technology will be used to maximize learning) and content (what is being taught/learned).