A Song-Filled Week

This week has been a little crazy with schoolwork. So, to distract myself, I picked up my ukulele more than usual. This playing has lead to a slight loss of feeling on my left hand (which I’m used to but, I haven’t gotten used to the metal strings of the baritone yet).

I decided this would be a good time to revisit some old songs that I never quite mastered and to my surprise, I could actually play them. One song that I managed to master was Everything Stays from Steven Universe. It uses seven chords plus a bar chord that I don’t like playing. Although I think I managed quite well.

Here is a memo of me playing one part of the song:

I also took this time to revisit some songs I adore playing. Here is a list of some of my favourites that I practiced this week:

My Anthem by Christina Grimmie

All is Found from Frozen II

Edelweiss from the Sound of Music

Send this to Your Sad Friend by Blanks

and

A Non-Love Song From Nashville and Dear Happy by dodie

There are still some chords I find rather difficult, this includes the E chord. Although I will not give up just yet, I will keep trying to master it throughout the term.

As for my own song, I would like to include a B7 and an Em somewhere because I think they both have a melancholy sound that I would like to include in my song.

February 9, 2020 Add Comment

A Very Cool Origin Story

When discussing comic books and superheroes, it is important to pay homage to the original modern superhero and the two men who brought him to life. The superhero, of course, is Superman. Before I talk about the character himself, I would like to talk a bit about the artist and writer that created him.

Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster created the character in 1933. It is rumoured that the idea for Superman came to writer Siegel in a dream, where he mixed the strength of Hercules with the strongmen seen in the newspaper comics. Siegel and Schuster tried for five years to bring Superman into newspaper comic strips. However, it wasn’t until 1938 when Superman was first introduced to the public eye in Action Comics #1. Fun Fact: An original first edition copy was sold at an auction for 2.16 million dollars. 

This is the original cover for Action Comics #1, it is seen as one of the most iconic covers in comic book history.

Superman’s origin story is one that most people can recognize. Superman is an alien from the planet of Krypton and assumes the alter ego of Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet. Superman’s story is different from other comic book heroes of the 1930s. While most heroes from comic strips lived in medieval England or outer space, Superman was a reflection of the modern man. He lived in a non-descript city, where he fought crime similar to what people read in the news.

Superman is also a reflection of the immigrant experience in America. Now, I know that sounds a bit crazy. However, to quote comic book writer Mark Waid from the Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle,

“When you strip everything else away, what you’re looking at is a stranger in a strange land, who wants to be part of a world and not an isolated alien.”

Superman achieved what some would call the American dream. However, in doing so, he lost his name and his home. Even though Clark Kent is not human, people connected with his character through that struggle. In fact, Define American, a company dedicated to using media to spread immigration stories, started a campaign called Superman Is An Immigrant; where people could share their (or their family’s) immigration stories to show that everyone in America came from somewhere else.

Superman became a beacon of hope for children at the start of WWII, although that’s a topic for next week’s blog. Superman also started the Golden Age of comic books and the rise of the modern superhero. A reflection and a new interpretation of all of the myths/legends that came before.

Thanks for reading and tune in next week, when I will talk about the effects of WWII on comic books and the true beginning of Marvel Comics.

February 7, 2020 Add Comment

Quizlet – Week Five

In EDTech class today, we went into groups to work on a shallow dive into an educational resource. Myself, Angie, Brittany, Arnelle, and Maddie did a “brief” overview of Quizlet.

What is Quizlet?

Quizlet is a free website that provides learning tools for students of all ages. It includes a flashcards section, learn section, write, spell and test section. It makes learning fun! It is a digital take on the simple Q cards, which allows for students to think and share to learn. 

Below is a link to a Youtube video, which explains what Quizlet is. 

Did you know?

  • That 90% of students receive higher grades when using a Quizlet to study.
  • It is an American Company.
  • It was invented in California.
  • It has seven study modes.
  • You can share your Quizlet’s with your friends. 
  • You can include Quizlet diagrams. 

Study Modes and Games: 

Quizlet lets users create sets of terms and their definitions. These sets can then be used with several study modes:

  1. Flashcards: this is the most commonly used mode and it simulates paper flash cards. Users are shown a card for terms and they can flip it over by clicking it to see the definition
  2. Gravity: In this mode, definitions move vertically down the screen like asteroids. Users must type the correct term before it reaches the bottom of the screen. Gravity is one of the ‘Play’ study modes
  3. Write: in this mode users are shown a term or definition and must type the term of definition that goes with it. Users are graded automatically
  4. Long term learning: In this mode, users are given a study set that has been recommended to them based on whether they answer study set questions correctly. Terms are repeated if answered incorrectly. A dashboard shows learning progress. This mode focuses on spaced repetition to stimulate long term retention and mastery rather than short term memorization
  5. Speller: in this mode, the term is read aloud and students must type the term correctly. Correct responses are rewarded with a video of a monster truck using a flip
  6. Match: In this mode, users are shown a grid of terms in random order. They must drag terms on top of their definitions

How is Quizlet Used in the Classroom? (Pros and Cons)

Here is a good link for some pros and cons of using Quizlet in the classroom: 

Because Quizlet is a public website, anyone can go on and create a set of study notes. However, this freedom can lead to the spread of misinformation. Educators can combat this by creating study sets for their students and encouraging them to work with their peers to create concise notes. Another problem with Quizlet, is that if one word is out of place, the website will mark the answer as incorrect. 

Quizlet Live is an in-class tool similar to Kahoot for quizzes using devices. The students are shown a question on the board and must choose the correct response on their device (phone, laptop, or tablet). It is important to weigh the pros and cons of Quizlet, to decide whether or not it will work in your class. 

Pros

  • Free 
  • Allows students to share and create their own quizzes using various forms (MS, short answer etc, matching) 

Cons

  • It could be used to encourage cheating, as students can copy/paste material and find answers to online quizzes. 
  • Could provide false info because anyone can make a Quizlet 

History: 

Quizlet was first created by Andrew Sutherland while he was studying for his French class to help him memorize words. The coding for this program took him over 420 days to create, and was then posted to the public in October of 2005. Over the years Quizlet has been revamped and restructured to grow with modern day technology. Quizlet was then developed into an app available for iphones and androids so that students could view their flashcards anytime, anywhere. 

Privacy Policy: 

Information from Quizlet is stored in servers in the United States, which as we know, have different privacy laws than Canada. Quizlet keeps the information as long as the account is active. The information Quizlet can gather include: login information, google and Facebook accounts, language, and local time zones. 

GROUP: Catrina Moyes, Angie Cauthers, Maddie Osgarby, Brittany Johnson & Arnelle Basi.

February 4, 2020 Add Comment

Head to Head

Before I jump into this blog post, I would like to talk briefly about nerd culture. Or what I believe to be nerd culture. Nerd culture has gone mainstream in the past few decades with the rise of comic-con and popular culture mixing with traditional nerdy material (see Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter). Nerdy material includes most things science-fiction, fantasy, or intellectual. Nerds like to learn everything they can about what they are interested in and love to correct others. There is a great series on youtube called “Um…Actually”, which is based on this idea. 

What does nerd culture have to do with this week’s topic? Well, for this week’s blog, I would like to discuss the differences between Marvel and DC comics. 

As a bit of background, DC comics started as National Comics in 1934 after merging with several other comic publications. However, many people still called the comic company DC after the Detective Comics series. DC Comics officially changed its name in 1977. Marvel debuted in 1939 under Timely Comics. The comic company went under the name of Atlas Magazines for about a decade before changing to Marvel Comics in the early 1960s. I will discuss more about the early days of comics in a future blog post. 

Now back to my original narrative on nerd culture. As I said before, nerds love to learn everything that they can and, they love to debate. One debate that is prevalent in nerd (specifically comic book nerd) culture is: which is better, Marvel or DC? Some people will debate about the movies while others will choose to debate the source material, the comics. In fact, while doing some research for this blog post, I found multiple blog posts of people debating this exact topic. 

So, is there any merit to these arguments of which is better? In my opinion, no. Comics, like any other form of entertainment or art, is subjective. What one person enjoys may not be you enjoy but, that doesn’t make it any worse. If that is not a good enough answer, then perhaps a reminder that publications have collaborated in the past to release DC vs. Marvel, a miniseries that features both universes fighting each other. The series ends with the two superpowered brothers, personifications of the publishers, realizing that fighting each other is pointless.

If you would like more than my opinion on the matter, here is a link to a thorough examination of the comics, characters, movies, and comics. Although I will be touching on some of these topics in the coming weeks. 

Check back in next week, when I will be talking about the Golden Age of Comics and the birth of a modern superhero.

February 3, 2020 Add Comment

EdTech Inquiry 1

Hello! This is Maddie, Kiya, and Catrina for our group Ed Tech post. We have decided to look at the benefits of different cloud systems in schools. We are doing a deep-dive into Microsoft, Google, and Apple. 

What is a Cloud-Based System?

Cloud-based information systems are a generally new way of transferring information from the user to a server. These cloud-systems can allow people to access documents and applications across different devices, as the information is located on an external server and is managed by the service providers. For more information on cloud-based systems, click here. For our purpose as educators, we are more focused on the different applications these cloud-based systems host and some of the benefits and drawbacks of the system. 

Apple

The first example of a cloud-based system is Apple’s iCloud. iCloud was launched in 2011 and is used as a platform to share photos, documents, and music. However, iCloud has been developed and improved upon under many names such as iTools when it first launched in 2001. Apple’s system uses Pages as a note-taking and word processing application. In addition to Pages, they also use Keynote for slideshow presentations and Numbers for spreadsheets.

Microsoft Office

Another example of a cloud-based server and probably the most commonly used one is Microsoft Office developed by Bill Gates in 1988. Microsoft Office features a variety of applications for different uses. The most commonly used apps by businesses are Microsoft Word for word processing, Microsoft Excel to create and edit spreadsheets, Microsoft Powerpoint to create presentations, and Microsoft Outlook to manage personal information. 

Google

Google is a widely used cloud-based server and has grown its services considerably since its launch of Google Docs in 2006. It provides applications that allow students to work collaboratively from different afar and it saves work automatically. Google offers the freedom to move between devices and administrators with a variety of free services. Other similar platforms come at a cost, so Google is used widely in schools as a tool for students and teachers alike. Essentially, Google modernized the tools that Microsoft already offered.

February 2, 2020 Add Comment

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

Hello, musical friends. For our music class this semester, I have decided to continue in my ongoing adventure of pretending to be good at the ukulele (that’s only a little bit of a joke). I picked up the ukulele about three or four years ago after falling in love with the Youtube musician dodie, her music tugged at my heartstrings and made me want to start playing music again.

I had a little background in playing music before playing the ukulele. I played the baritone, which is basically a small tuba, for two years in middle school. I also learned how to read sheet music in bass clef instead of the treble clef, because I played a brass instrument. Although looking back on my time playing in my middle school band, I was not very good. I hope for everyone’s sake that I at least have a bit more rhythm.

Pictured above are my two ukuleles. The top is a tenor/concert ukulele (I can never remember which it is) and the bottom is a baritone ukulele. The main difference between the two is the tuning of the strings.

Back to the ukulele, the very first song I learned on the ukulele was a song called down by dodie. It was difficult at first, but after a while of practicing, the chords became subconscious. I performed that song at an open mic (my first time singing in front of a crowd since I was 11 years old), and I kept returning to that event to perform more songs, both solos and duets with my friends.

For now, my goal is to work on relearning the scale and practicing a few songs before endeavouring to write my own.

February 1, 2020 Add Comment

Pushing the Envelope

For today’s class, we adventured out to PSII (Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry) in downtown Victoria. The principal and founder of the school, Jeff Hopkins, greeted our group and talked to us about the school and the pedagogy behind his teaching methods. I grew up in B.C. in the public school system as a French Immersion student. My experience K-12 was quite traditional in terms of testing and assessment. So, this school seems a little out of the ordinary to me and, at first, it doesn’t seem like it would be that effective. However, as we walked around the school, I found lots of students collaborating and working together on their projects.

I did wonder how the school worked within the confines of the B.C. curriculum. Jeff told us that PSII receives 50% of public funding, which requires the students to be B.C. residents, pay taxes, and the school must not spend more per pupil than the average school district. That means that the students must take all required courses (and exams) to graduate with a high school diploma. These exams include the new literacy and numeracy assessments in Grades 10 and upward. Jeff said that the students usually feel prepared enough to take these exams without traditional classes to prepare for the tests.

I noticed that the students had a lot of freedom in their daily schedules and were free to do whatever they needed to work on their personal (or group) inquiries. I do like this set-up, but I’m not sure it would work for every student. I also believe that too much freedom can cause some students to lose focus on their tasks. I did like the idea that students were free to ask for help from any teacher and that learning was co-constructed by the teacher and the learner.

I’m not sure how this system would work for an elementary school. However, with some tweaking, I’m sure that a learning system similar to PSII could work in an elementary setting.

Find out more about PSII at their website here.

January 28, 2020 Add Comment

Alright, Let’s Do This One Last Time

About a week ago, when I decided to write my free inquiry blog about superheroes (more details on the weeks to come later). I stumbled upon an interesting article titled Superheroes and villains: Who’s more violent might surprise you. If you have the time, I would recommend giving it a once-over and thinking about the research. As for my opinion on the article, I don’t believe many parents are letting their children watch Deadpool or Suicide Squad as those movies are geared towards adults and contain heavy violence and subject matter. However, I do believe it is important to think critically regarding what children should be able to watch. There are several superhero-related shows geared towards children with less violence. 

Returning to my blog, I will be focusing my free inquiry on superheroes, more specifically, how superheroes have changed and reflected North American society over the 20th and 21st centuries. I chose this topic because of a documentary I watched with my sister a couple of years ago, called Superheroes Decoded produced by the History Channel.

Superheroes Decoded offers a definitive look at how marginalised, larger-than-life characters rose to the highest ranks of mainstream culture, dominating the box office and becoming part of the global zeitgeist.

This documentary completely changed how I viewed superheroes and comic books as a medium. However, there are still many people who believe that comics and superheroes are inherently childish. If you are one of those people, I would implore you to open your mind and continue to check in on my blog, as I hope to convince you otherwise.

Next week, I will be writing about the divide between Marvel and DC comics.

January 26, 2020 Add Comment

RIP – The Death of the Public Domain

RIP: A Remix Manifesto talks about the fight between big companies fighting over intellectual property vs the individual remixes created by young people. Intellectual property in this documentary started with a focus on music. Whether or not remixes were infringing on the copyright by sampling the music. The film’s creator, Brett Gaylor, states that

 

  1. Culture always builds on the past.
  2. The past always tries to control the future.
  3. Our future is becoming less free.
  4. To build free societies you must limit the control of the past

Musicians and artists are constantly developing and building on artists before them. The problem lies in the laws of copyright. In the past, inventors could keep the rights to their materials for 14 years then their property would fall into the public domain, where anyone could copy/change the original materials and develop it into something new. Adam Ruins Everything on youtube does a great short video on this topic. Now, artists are suing and trying to keep their creative material to themselves. It is my belief that all this does is prevent culture from evolving naturally and developing new ideas.

A defence against the new copyright laws that is mentioned in RIP is Fair Use. Fair Use is a copyright law that allows small snippets to be used to make a point or fighting for the freedom of speech. New copyright laws in the US lasts for the lifetime of the original creator plus another 70 years. For corporations, the copyright lasts for roughly 90 years.

In addition to the movie, we learned a bit about open resources in education. I found a link to a resource about women suffragette’s in the US on OER, while we are not in the same country, it is still interesting to learn about.

Image

January 21, 2020 Add Comment

Free Inquiry Ideas

I have a couple of ideas for my inquiry, although none of them are completely thought out. Here are my ideas in a list format, with pros and cons.

1. Learning ASL (American Sign Language)

It has always been one of my goals to learn sign language, as I believe it is a valuable asset and allows me to communicate with more people. I have also found a site called Handspeak that was created by a native signer to preserve Deaf Culture.

Pros

As mentioned before, ASL will allow me to communicate freely with deaf or hearing-impaired individuals. As a teacher, it will be useful if I have the background knowledge to help a hearing-impaired student.

Cons

Learning a language is difficult and can take time and repetition. As a student, I am unsure whether I can devote the time necessary to acquire a new language. It is also difficult to find many apps/resources for learning the language, as there is no Duolingo equivalent for ASL.

2. Superheroes

It is very nerdy of me, but I love superhero stuff. The many superhero mugs I have at home proves this to be true. I have seen a couple of documentaries on superheroes and how they have changed over the past century, and I would like to do more research in that area.

Pros

Because I enjoy the topic, researching superheroes would not seem like a chore; instead, it would seem like fun. I believe that superhero media has a lot of good morals and lessons that can be learned. However, people do not want to look past the “childish” medium of comic books or movies.

Cons

I have already done an essay on this topic, so I would like to take another direction for this inquiry.

January 15, 2020 Add Comment