Valerie Irvine, a professor and advisor in British Columbia, provided us- teacher candidates with important questions to really critically think about. For example- why do you think face-to-face experiences are important? which I answered stating it is important because I am a big believer in hands-on experiences and those experiences cannot be implemented through doing a course online via internet. Furthermore, as a future teacher I want to make those connections to my students. A connection through the internet is not the same as a connection face-to-face. However, I would provide different options for that learning to take place for my students, so that I covered the different learners in my classroom.

Valerie Irvine reflected on her experiences to tell us how modality shapes the concept of teaching. She stated that in one of her biology classes in high school, all she did was memorize the work. Moreover, she explained that we sometimes underestimate the fact that we have diverse learners in the classroom. I agree with this, I went through the experience where I was just memorizing tests. But did I really learn something in the class? no I did not learn.. I could not tell you anything about biology 11 class. I did poorly in the class and almost failed. This experience taught me an important lesson: to create different methods for my students to learn and PROVIDE OPTIONS. We must look at the methods and stop judging the modality- Valerie Irvine

Sandra McAullay, a grade 7 teacher at Bulkley Valley paid a visit to UNBC today. She did the honor of teaching us, teacher candidates on the different aspects of technology for learning in the classroom. Ultimately, I learned about the different learning websites there are on the internet. I honestly, did not know many websites until now. The different websites she talked about were pic collage, fresh grade, video logs, and google translate/books. I had the opportunity to play on the iPad on the app- DDM Reading. I thought the app was great for listening and comprehending language arts skills. Likewise, Sandra told us a story about an experience, she had to help a teacher with a student. The story really stood out to me because it really speaks the truth; we must as educators have students learn and access in different ways because every student learns differently. The story was about a student who would not read or write but did not have an individualized education plan. Sandra came up with a plan to use technology to capture that interest of the child. And it worked! the child did his chemistry assignment on the iPad and even helped the student beside him. It just shows that we need to implement different ways for students to show their work and their learning. With technology becoming so advanced, we as educators need to keep up because it indeed is taking over the world!

Today we did something much different than going to our ordinary computer lab! We went to Nes Deh Yoh -an Aboriginal school in Prince George. We had the opportunity to meet Noelle, who works at the Aboriginal District Resource Center. This is actually my second time meeting Noel, I did an internship of 90 hours at Nes Deh Yoh for my major in First Nation Studies. She taught “maker space” with my grade 5/6 class that I was observing and helping at that time. She was patient, kind, and understanding as I observed her 2 years ago. Today, we played around with “ozzobots”. I actually never heard of ozzobots before so I definitely learned something new. We worked in groups of three and each shared the ozzobots. As well, we coded the path for the ozzobot to move on. As I looked around the room, everyone was highly engaged, interested, and working well in their groups. It really shows that hands-on experiences are one of the best ways you can learn. Imagine doing this with kids, it would be so much more fun for them and they would have a blast! It was a day to remember! Thanks Noel for introducing me to the world of ozzobots!

Everyday we learn something new. I had the pleasure to witness Ian Landy’s presentation on portfolios with a spoonful of inspiration attached to it. Ian is a Principal in Powell River and is teaching future educators like me on the world of educational technology. So, you might be wondering what I learned from the presentation? I learned that journals have a significant impact and has been used since the early days. As a child, I would write in my diary simply to let go of my emotions and eventually would dispose of the diaries. Unlike, Ian who discovered two decades ago of his father’s journal. His father highlighted important moments in his journey as an educator. Ian could envision how his father’s struggles, successes, thinking, and perspective as an educator was before he passed away. Likewise, I think it is highly important to keep track somehow, in any style about your journey because one day, the audience meaning your friends and family will look back and envision the person you came to be as an educator. And for me, maybe one day I will look at this eportfolio and reflect on who I was, what changes occurred, and who I am presently.