A Day at the Cemetery

For my Leap Day, my mum and I decided to visit a local cemetery to walk our dog. While I was there, I took photos of some tombstone engravings. The youngest person buried that I saw was four years old. However, looking at online records from the church, the youngest buried was a still-born from the late 1800s. For more information about the churchyard and cemetery, visit their website here. Below is a panoramic picture of the churchyard and I will include more in a photoset following this post.

 

All of the tombstones I will be posting in the gallery will have the names blocked, out of respect for the deceased. One of the tombstones I saw had a really beautiful engraving. If the picture is too blurry, the engraving says “together they lived and loved and together they departed this life” as well as “there is a green hill far away.” I think that would be a good idea for the chorus.

Together they lived, together they died, together they departed this life. They say that death is the crown of life. But this is the story of how they died.

March 8, 2020 Add Comment

Ed Tech #4 – Word Processing

Microsoft – Word

Microsoft has one of the most well-known word processing formats on the globe, Microsoft Word. Word was first developed in 1983 and has since been updated many times to increase proficiency and encourage businesses and schools everywhere to use it. As I discussed last week, Word is by far my favourite Microsoft application in terms of easy usability. I am very fortunate as a Uvic student to get Microsoft products for free. 

Similarly to other word processing applications, Microsoft Word has a variety of helpful tools such as spelling and grammar corrector, speech recognition, inserting pictures, typefaces, special codes, tables, graphs, word art, and many other things to assist the user in making documents. In addition to tools, word has 30 different templates to make a document for any purpose. A few of the most popular templates include note-taking, calendar, cover letter, resume, brochure, flyer, and menu. 

Word also allows for easy collaboration amongst peers and our professors often ask us to submit word files so they can add track changes to grade our work. One of the downsides to Microsoft Word is to collaborate, users must all have word on their computers, and since a lot of people are making the switch to Apple, using word is challenging since Apple comes with a different word processing app. 

Apple – Pages

Pages is Apple’s native word processing application. Pages was first released in 2005 and is compatible with both macOS and iOS devices. Pages allows for easy collaboration between Apple devices, which could encourage students to share work and make group assignments easier. Pages has pre-set templates that include note-taking, resumes, CVs, and letters. For projects, students could create brochures using one of the templates provided or create posters for presentations. 

As I spoke about last week, Pages has a very user-friendly interface. Once students are taught how to use the application, they will be able to create many different projects and use the word-processor as a versatile educational tool. Students could choose to use one of the pre-set templates or use their creativity to create one of their own. 

The benefits of Pages are seen in an all Mac or Apple environment. As the collaboration only works between Apple devices, so, if the school uses Macs as their primary operating system, Pages would be the best word-processing application.

Google- Docs

Google Docs was launched in 2006 and is compatible with any device connected to the internet including smartphones. Google also launched an IOS app in 2014 to make Docs more portable and accessible to smartphone users. This app can be used offline, and is compatible with Microsoft Word. A big perk of Google Docs is that it saves automatically if the device is connected to the internet, so users have no need to worry about losing their work

Google Docs also has many templates to choose from, to help those who are not confident formatting. These include but are not limited to resume, letter, recipe, and project proposal templates. 

As I mentioned previously, Google Docs provides the opportunity for simultaneous collaboration between users, making group work manageable even at a distance. There is also a voice-typing option. I have not yet explored the accuracy of the voice- typing, but it is a great way to boost accessibility. Docs also has spell check, which can prevent students from making some basic syntax errors.

In fact, these blog posts are written on Goggle Docs.

From: Maddie, Kiya, Catrina

March 2, 2020 Add Comment

A Visit About Inquiry

This Wednesday, our class took a field trip to George Jay Elementary in the Victoria School District to talk with a teacher about using Inquiry in the Kindergarten classroom. The teacher we visited, Rebecca Bathurst-Hunt, also known as @inquiryteacher on Instagram, uses an inquiry and student-based approach to teaching early primary students.

She spoke to us for about 40 minutes and then allowed us to explore her classroom and take photos of what inspired us. I really enjoyed looking around her classroom and was inspired by all of the natural elements in the toys and the furniture. She includes toys and books that center around topics that the children are interested in (for this term, the topic is dinosaurs). I also really enjoyed all of the quiet spaces around her class and the flexible seating for students (with clipboards, stools, wobble chairs, and coffee tables).

She spoke to us a lot about encouraging student autonomy, even in the early primary years. When students are engaged with a topic, they are excited to come to school and learn. She also spoke about how inquiry does not have to mean a complete loss of control and chaos in the classroom. Inquiry can start with more structure, with the teacher closely guiding the students with pre-determined questions. As the students gain experience with inquiry and guiding their innate curiosity, the teacher can release some control, and the students can guide their inquiries.

At the Kindergarten level, inquiry can be a topic chosen by the students. In Rebecca’s classroom, the students chose dinosaurs as their main topic of focus. Rebecca then sub-divided the students to focus on one type of dinosaur of their choice. The students will do research with picture books to learn more about what they eat, where they lived, and what they look like. While the students chose the topic, the teacher still has control over how the classes are structured.

 

To know more about Inquiry in Primary Classrooms, check out the book Inquiry Mindset.

Found on Amazon. 

 

February 28, 2020 Add Comment

Leave the Saving of the World to the Men? (I Don’t Think So)

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog, I took a little bit of a break for reading week; but I’m excited to share more about this topic. If you recognized the title, then you already have an idea of what I will be talking about in this week’s blog. Today, I will be talking about the first notable woman in superhero comics.

Evolution of Wonder Woman. From Left to Right: Original 1941 release, Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman in the late 1970s TV series, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in her first big-screen release.

Wonder Woman was created by psychologist William M. Marston in 1941. From her inception, she has always been a symbol for feminists across the United States, and that was intentional. Marston was a proud feminist, and that was reflected in his work. As well as the work of Harry G. Peter, the comic artist that first drew Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman’s costume is easily recognizable, with the blue skirt, bulletproof armbands, and the red and gold breastplate. This outfit reflected common themes for superhero costumes, patriotic red and blue, even if the character is not American.

Wonder Woman’s origin story is not as recognizable to a wide audience like that of Superman or Batman. Wonder Woman, or Princess Diana, comes from an island only populated by Amazonian women called Themyscira. She was created by Queen Hippolyta from clay. Diana becomes Wonder Woman after Steve Trevor crash-lands on Themyscira, and she must return to the Man’s World to spread a message of peace.

Although, not all of Wonder Woman’s history included truth lassos and warrior women. After WWII, creator Marston passed away, and Wonder Woman was given to another writer who stripped her of her powers. Her loss of powers reflected the feeling of many women, who were forced out of the working world, and back into the traditional roles of women such as babysitters, mothers, and home-makers. Instead of the powerful princess, Diana became a fashion model and a wife to Steve Trevor that gave advice to women in a newspaper column.

Image result for ms magazine wonder woman cover

She remained this way for several years before Gloria Steinem placed Wonder Woman in costume on the cover of Ms. Magazine. Steinem, who grew up with the original Wonder Woman, petitioned for her return to glory. To this day, she remains the feminist icon that William Marston intended her to be. A superhero for little girls to look up to, that encouraged compassion over war.

Wonder Woman paved the way for future women superheroes. After her debut in 1941, she allowed for female superheroes like Storm, Black Widow, Killer Frost, and Captain Marvel to be created and adored by women and girls around the world.

Thanks for reading and check back next week when I’ll talk about the over-sexualization of women in comics.

February 27, 2020 Add Comment

Music Midterm Update

Here is the video update of my ukulele playing, along with some explanations on my choices for the songs. Cheers until next time!

February 24, 2020 Add Comment

#3 User-Friendly Interfaces

In this week’s blog, we will be talking about the user-interface of all of these systems. For ease of understanding, we will be using a five-point face scale to demonstrate how easy or hard the system is for beginners.  

Microsoft

Rating: 

 

 

 

Personal Testimonial: I love Microsoft. I have been using it since the 4th grade and it has always been fairly easy for me to navigate. I always found word processing and presentation making fairly easy. I love the variability of slide design in PowerPoint and the look of documents in word. In addition, I always liked how the apps looked and were laid out, I think they’re clean and simple. Maybe I found it easier to use because I consider myself as someone who is tech capable. However, according to reviews online the rest of the population has very mixed reviews about the usability of Microsoft products.

Testimonial 1: Someone under the screen name JudithNotHappy is clearly not happy. According to her post on a Microsoft Answers Forum, she purchased office 2016 and is struggling to download the software she has purchased.

Testimonial 2: According to a quora forum, someone named Rita who has written 10 books on apple software is “a very long time Macintosh user who truly finds Microsoft products to be bloated and very patronizing if you’re not into programming or hand-building PCs”.

Final Remarks: I think Microsoft is a manageable software as long as users research the applications and put in a little time learning how to use them. Microsoft often offers in-app tours when using an application for the first time and those who are not the most tech-savvy can really benefit from this feature. I think that getting acquainted with the features and doing a little research can help fix all the problems people are complaining about online.

Apple

Rating: 

 

 

 

Personal Testimonial: To be honest, I am not an avid Pages/Keynote user for Apple products. My go-to app for word-processing has been google docs since middle school. However, in the past, I have started to use Pages a bit more. I find the layout of both Pages and Keynote to be very straightforward and easy to navigate. These programs both share a similar look and are designed for Apple products, which allows (supposedly) seamless transitions between devices. This is where I have struggled in the past with Apple and why I keep going back to Google for word-processing. The programs themselves are intuitive which is good for people who may not be technology savvy. 

Testimonial 1: This review is specifically from the perspective of iPad user Jeffrey Battersby on LaptopMag. Battersby said that while the Apple system of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers is impressive and easy to use, the limitations of the environment still exist that are not found on Microsoft programs. 

Testimonial 2: Dan Helyer from makeuseof.com wrote five reasons for switching from Microsoft Office to iWork, one of those reasons being a cleaner interface. He also goes on to say that the options for formatting are still there, they are just hidden instead of crowded at the top of the page. 

Final Remarks: I think that after looking more at the benefits of iWork, I might consider using it more often. Apple also offers user guides online and help while on the app. I think with the cleaner interface, people who do not have experience working with technology might find Pages/Keynote easy to navigate. 

 

Google

Rating: 

 

 

 

Personal Testimonial: Personally, I have had great experiences with Google, and have been using it consistently for school work since high school. During this time, I found myself transitioning from the Microsoft programs and finding the same applications, with more modern features.

Testimonial 1: I am extremely happy with what I found after I started using Google Docs. I was looking for a lightweight tool that I could use without having to install anything on my devices and I found one of the most powerful tools for document creating / editing and never switched back since. Found here: https://www.getapp.com/collaboration-software/a/google-docs/reviews/

Testimonial 2: Overall: My overall experience with Google doc is good but not great. I like it for what it is but if I have to pay a little bit to use a better product I would rather pay to get something a little bit better. Found here: https://www.capterra.com/p/160756/Google-Docs/reviews/

Final Remarks: I think Google is overall very effective in being user-friendly and works hard not only to maintain its quality of experience for its clients but also to improve and continue to raise the standard for the cloud-based experience.

From: Kiya, Maddie, and Catrina

February 20, 2020 Add Comment

Many More Adventures (and lots of birds)

Hello friends!

It has been less than one week since my last post but, I thought I would give you an update after working with my partner on a guitar/ukulele duet. Today during our work block during music class, I met up with Maddie to practice our song together, a song called Birds by Thomas Sanders.

Both Maddie and I have experience playing our respective instruments so, the song was not difficult for us to learn. The tricky part today was learning how to play the song alongside another musician. Although we managed to pick it up rather quickly. We struggled a bit with transitions from the verses, to the chorus, to the bridge. However, with a bit of repetition, we polished up the transitions and the song in general.

One thing Maddie pointed out was that the chord before the chorus was an added 9th chord. Which I originally played out in the strumming pattern before moving on to the chorus. Although this made the beginning of the chorus sound a bit off, so we decided to leave the beginning with no chord.

Overall, this block was very productive, and I think with a bit more practice, we will be well ahead of schedule for my music plan.

Following all that success with my partnered song, I would like to talk briefly about my song-writing adventures. Although I will post more in about two weeks for my video midterm update. For now, I am liking the progression of G, Em, G, Em, C, G, B7 for the verse. I like the mix of a major chord and a minor chord in quick succession.

I also wanted to include a B7 in my song, as I said last week; putting the B7 at the end of the verse will provide a clear transition between the verse and the chorus. I am still working on the chords for the chorus, but that will all be included in the next blog.

Check back in next time for a special video of myself playing my original song and maybe a little snippet of the duet (played as a solo).

February 13, 2020 Add Comment

Very Cool Origin Story (The Sequel)

This post is a sort of continuation of my last free inquiry post, so I would recommend reading that one first. If you have already read last week’s post, enjoy this sequel. This means it probably won’t be as good as last time but, we will still have fun anyway.

Not to be outdone by National Comics, Timely Comics created a superhero that eventually became an icon of the Second World War in comic books. Created by Jack Kirby (known for creating Kirby Dots to mimic energy in print) and Joe Simon, Captain America was introduced to the world in 1941. The pair created the imaginary Captain to inspire Americans to fight back against Nazi Germany, hoping that his embodiment of the States would drive their purpose into the hearts of the American people.

Before Captain America became a superhero, he was a scrawny army recruit named Steve Rogers. Rogers signed up for a superhero serum that transformed him into a super-soldier. During WWII, he fought against the Nazis and many other smaller comic book villains. Captain America’s main rival was the Red Skull, a Nazi spy and terrorist.

The original cover of Captain America #1. Cover date March 1941.

Due to the time in which Captain America was first released, the politics and the war had an effect on his character. The very first issue of Captain America saw the title character punching Hitler in the jaw. His patriotism is a defining character point, and his introduction shows the start of comic books (more specifically superheroes) reflecting modern politics.

Captain America’s storyline has always had ties to politics, in the 50s Cap briefly fought a war against communism. However, this period did not last long.

The best example of politics I could dig up from the Captain America comics was that of the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s. While Watergate was never mentioned by name in the comics, the Marvel Comic Universe created a similar event, where a high-level official in the US government was revealed to be working for an evil system. For a character like Steve Rogers, this event caused massive distrust in the American government. Which caused Steve Rogers to drop the mantle of Captain America in favour of Nomad, signalling that the world was not as black or white as he once saw it.

Politics and social justice are common themes in modern comics, as I will talk about in further blog posts. Thanks for reading! Come back next week when I will talk about women in comics!

February 11, 2020 Add Comment

Digital Footprints

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog.

Today we had a guest come into our EDtech class to talk about internet privacy and media literacy. Jesse Miller came in and talked for an hour on various topics about technology and our lives on the internet. I found this talk a lot more engaging than the TEDtalk we watched for homework, perhaps because I could hear it a bit better :).

I remember talks about internet awareness and stranger danger of the online world from back in elementary school. However, we did not talk about the implications of social media on our future selves. My media footprints from middle school were erased to the best of my ability once I started applying for jobs in high school. My email from middle school, an address too embarrassing to release here, has long since been just for signing up for websites that require an email address. Although this is not the case for everyone.

For people who have forgotten their passwords to accounts that contain embarrassing tweets, videos, or pictures, there is little to do to erase these digital memories from their names. Before the internet, people made the same silly mistakes; however, they were not as well documented as today’s youth. For certain people, this could lead to not getting their dream job in the future because of a small mistake in their teens.

I wish we had talked a bit more about how parents are posting videos and photos of their children without consent, and how that could lead to trouble when the children get older. As children growing up nowadays already have a digital footprint, that they might not want. This is especially true in the mommy blogger circle.

Even though this might sound a little too Gen Z, there is a YouTuber named tiffanyferg who does social commentary and has addressed topics like these. I will link them below this post.

In addition to the privacy talk, we also learned a bit about iMovie. This was the first time that I recall using iMovie and it was pretty easy. I included some music in the background from a movie that I enjoy. I found the title cards a bit tricky to control but, I think with some more practice it will make sense.

Videos

Family Vloggers are Ridiculous 

The Importance of Deleting Old Posts

 

February 11, 2020 Add Comment

Post 2 – Pros and Cons

Here are some of the Pros and Cons of Cloud-based Servers. From Maddie, Kiya, and Catrina.

Google

Pros

  • Free 15 GB of storage
  • Cost-effective ($2.79/month for 100 GB)
  • Expanding offices into Canada
  • Easy to navigate- categories, folders, recent (if forgotten to sort), search bar
  • Easy sharing/collaboration
  • Option to set sharing preferences (who can edit, only view, public or private file)
  • Commenting, chat in documents
  • Most versatile free platform
  • Databases around the world to back up & secure information
  • Documents can be modified without wifi
  • Easy access from almost any device
  • Google account can be used to sign into multiple websites, apps, and services

Cons

  • Databases around the world in countries with different privacy laws
  • Documents do not automatically save to device for offline use
  • The smartphone apps are more difficult to navigate
  • At risk of crashing & losing information (like any cloud-based system)

Microsoft

Below are the Pros and Cons for Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office has been around the longest and is still running so it’s safe to say Office is a successful software.

Pros

  • Applications for all needs: Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, One Note 
  • Other applications for more business services: Publisher, Project, Teams, Visio
  • SKYPE is a very popular Microsoft application for video calls and conferences
  • Work on your documents from anywhere with access to the internet
  • Boosted productivity: easy to use, team collaboration (office co-authoring tool), regular automatic updates to the software
  • Reduced security risks: encrypted email, data loss prevention, mobile device management, advanced threat analytics
  • Around since 1988 and is most used cloud-based software (i.e. great reputation)
  • Multiple flexible plans catered to businesses of all sizes

Cons

  • Need a Microsoft account to use the services
  • Subscription-based payment (as a Uvic student we get these services for free)
  • If the internet is down you cannot access your document from another device
  • Competition with other cloud-based services in schools ( SD63 is using google exclusively)

Apple 

Below are some of the Pros and Cons of Apple’s iWork system and the devices themselves. iWork was first introduced in 2005 and has grown since then. 

Pros

  • Applications for all needs: Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and iCloud
  • Other applications on the Apple System include iMovie, Garageband and Photobooth
  • Free for all iOs and macOS customers
  • Applications are intuitive for beginners
  • Has started using peer-collaborating on documents (only for other mac users)
  • Apple works with educators to promote technology use in the classroom

Cons

  • iCloud storage space is limited (only 5GB for free) 
  • iWork is not supported on other devices (such as Windows or Android)
  • Apple products can be pricey for schools/students

February 10, 2020 Add Comment