Category: EDCI 336

Photo by Mikhail Hilov on Unsplash.com

This week’s class on digital accessibility was surprising and informative. Throughout the class, I continued to realize the amount of online sites that are inaccessible to many individuals. When I think of accessibility, the first thing that comes to my mind is architecture and other structural components of communities, like brail signage, crosswalk signals, and elevators. However, these key components to daily life do not near the complex world of digital accessibility. 

Aspects of digital accessibility are often forgotten or missed while developing databases, websites, and resources. I believe this is because of the lack of confrontation that is involved with the online world. While looking at physical accessibility, it is impossible to avoid the interactions with disabled individuals, making it a more urgent focus. However, there is no pressure on authors and publishers to ensure all sites or databases are accessible to everyone. There is also much more focus on the security and risks of online content being leaked, manipulated, or effected by online viruses, which can often interfere with making documents and domains accessible. I found this concept quite surprising. As creators focalize on these points, accessibility is often completely forgotten or extremely inconvenient to navigate.

I found the Wave Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool to be an incredibly useful site to ensure the accessibility of your website. I was very surprised by the results I received for my blog regarding the colour contrast. While viewing my blog, I would not assume that it would be considered inaccessible to many individuals. While designing it in the first few weeks of class, I only considered the easthetics of it. This included the colours, fonts, and layout. Since my chosen cover photo consists of blues and whites, I focused the appearance of my blog to the colour blue. The overlapping shades of blue and grey can be difficult to see when individuals are visually challenged. Even after modifying my blog, The Wave Web tool still found countless aspects that reduced the level of accessibility. I also noticed that the majority of these aspects are related to the WordPress format provided, in which I am unable to edit any further. To analyze your own website with the Wave Web Evaluation Tool, click here.

Below is a video i created from a previous blog that I have now added closed captioning to in hopes of making it more accessible:

Above is a photo of the keychain that I designed on Tinkercad.

This week, we had the opportunity to work with 3D printing technology in the library. This was a fun and interactive class that allowed for a lot of engagement. We started class by learning how to navigate the Tinkercad website, where we designed our own 3D projects. The website was easy to navigate as a beginner with only a few setbacks throughout my formatting. 

3D design is a unique and innovative tool in terms of language revitalization. It allows us to create symbols and letters that are not accessible through keyboards. Although the letters and symbols could be presented by drawings and prints, 3D models allow for a hands-on experience while looking at these topics. This encourages more student engagement and understanding. An example of this is using 3D printers to create Indigenous dialects that can be brought to class and incorporated into lessons. The University of Alberta provides an example of this by creating and supplying 3D printed Cree syllables in kits that are accessible through their library. Learn more about their approach here

Using 3D design and print in elementary grades has many upsides and downsides. When working with these machines in an elementary setting, it is important to educate students of the safety precautions that must be taken. It is easy to be burnt or pinched while accessing projects and some machines can be hard to turn off or override when needed. While teaching in primary grades, platforms like Tinkercad could be useful as a teacher resource, but I do not think they would be fit for a student resource. This is because of the complexity of the programs and the process of getting the 3D object to the machine for printing. As a teacher, it could be beneficial for creating classroom tools and activities. It can create game pieces, die, fidget toys, decorations, and more that can add excitement to primary classrooms. In secondary grades, the programs could be quite useful in various classes. I see the purpose in including 3D printing lessons into elective classes like intro to engineering, art, media arts, and tech ed. Although it is not an essential skill, it is useful and entertaining to students interested in further pursuing digital arts or programming. 

 Below is a video discussing the safety measures that should be taken around 3D printers:

Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash.com

Generative AI is a difficult tool for students and teachers to navigate in an educational setting. Although it can be useful, it is challenging to monitor how students utilize it. This is often why teachers and professors forbid the use of AI. However, suppose instructors take their time to explain, practice, and create content using AI. In that case, students can develop a more profound understanding of how to strengthen their work without committing academic dishonesty.

While reflecting on my use of AI, I remember times when it was helpful to me, but also times when I could have chosen a better option. ChatGPT specifically, has been helpful in generating prompt ideas and subheaders for my work. However, when asking AI tools for assistance in solving difficult questions, it has often provided me with incorrect information. In any of these situations, I still felt I was nearing academic dishonesty. Due to the lack of education I had received surrounding AI tools, I always felt nervous about using any AI-generated assistance with my schooling or work when not instructed to do so.

After learning more about how we can properly use AI in an educational setting, I can identify how it will be useful as a teacher and potentially to my students. I hope to properly incorporate lessons on the use of AI when I begin teaching so that my students can understand it, use it, and not be worried about committing academic dishonesty or collecting incorrect information.

Check out this short video by ILLC Science on a few rules to follow while using AI here:

During this week’s class, we created short tutorials using Screencastify and the H5P tool found on WordPress. Below is a link to mine:

Through this short tutorial, we learned to use the Google Chrome extension, “Screencastify,” as a tool for screencasting, as well as the H5P tool that is accessible through WordPress.ca. This tool allowed us to add notes, questions, or comments to the screencast videos we produce as classroom content.

I hope to teach a variety of age groups throughout my teaching career, and I think platforms like H5P could benefit them in different ways. In lower grades (k-4), I would use these platforms to my own advantage while creating lessons involving videos that will be shown in class. In older classes (5-7), there is more opportunity to create Screencastify tutorials for different websites or platforms we are using and even to have students create their own screencasts. Learning to navigate these tools can be beneficial to future teachers in many different scenarios. One that comes to mind would be while students/teachers are absent or during emergencies like a global pandemic, which we recently experienced. it allows teachers to provide more guidance and increase clarity while students are learning from home or in a self-paced environment. This could also make instructions much easier while in a large classroom or while assigning complex homework assignments.

Multimedia learning refers to the concept that employing multiple media types (verbal, text, images, icons, etc.) allows for a deeper understanding and more retention of information. The main idea is based on two theories, information processing and dual coding, which consists of several main learning principles. These principles outline how an instructor can employ multiple types of media in lessons without distracting from the main objectives or overloading the intake of information. Considering these principles while developing lessons and courses can create a more effective learning environment for students by making concepts engaging and clear, and later applying them to logical concepts that force information to resonate with children, therefore remaining in their long-term memory. Applying this theory to videos and tutorials will reduce distractions, information overload, and the overall lack of understanding. Distractions in videos and tutorials can occur when irrelevant information is added, faces are visible in the frame, and the same information is presented multiple times. Avoiding these key factors can majorly improve the quality of lessons and students’ retention of information. Learn more about the Multimedia Learning Theory from the video below:

Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash.com

Knowledge is an everchanging aspect of human nature. It continues to grow, change, and develop into complex ideas that form our identities. Education and pedagogy, being the transmitters of knowledge, should follow this trend of growth as well. However, we continue to practice a very traditional style of education. Greg Whitely’s documentary, “Most Likely to Succeed,” challenges this mainstream model of education in an informative and thought-provoking way.

I never considered whether re-imagining education was necessary, however, this film provides a compelling case. The educators of High-Tech High did face obstacles while attempting to remodel pedagogy. This included skeptical parents, not reaching all curriculum criteria, and adjusting students to the self-guided education they were immersed in. Initially, I had concerns about whether this method would properly prepare students for SAT exams and post-secondary education. After reflecting on my own adjustment to University, I realized that the grit, perseverance, and individual motivation they learned would benefit them more than the coursework involved in the generic curriculum.

The start of High-tech High was a well-thought-out program that ensured the proper education of students. They followed a more robust approach to education, consisting of soft skill development and application of concepts. Soft skills include critical thinking, confidence, the ability to collaborate, and more, which all contribute to an education that resonates with students. With this different learning environment, students can become self-motivated and independent before post-secondary education, setting them up for success. On the contrary, students who are not self-motivated may be less successful in this learning style and there is no guarantee that all curriculum content will be delivered.

The traditional education system would need to be permanently modified for a remodel like High-tech High to reach its full potential. Although the film successfully remodels education for high school students, there is still a lot of progress necessary to remodel elementary education. Solidifying new models would begin creating citizens with true innovative thinking, providing more to communities and increasing chances of career opportunities. The base-level education publicly offered does not suit current-day standards of knowledge, making the system problematic in itself. Our knowledge is ever-changing, therefore the curriculum and education system should also be.

Watch the film through the Uvic Library here.