Month: March 2022

My last two blog posts after this will be a finished product and a crochet pattern for other people to use, and for myself to come back to if I ever want to make another hat! I’m excited to find new crochet patterns for future products… and picking out yarn colour is the most exciting part! Although I’m sure my family is confused about the random grandma hobby I have picked up, it has been very entertaining.

Due to bad planning, and a speedier completion time on my bucket hat project I have decided to make another one! This time I decided to choose some brighter and bolder colours for summer.

At the end of this bucket hat, I’m hoping to make an easy-to-follow crochet pattern so that anyone reading this can try it on their own. Most patterns are complicated or long and if you’re someone like me, sometimes you won’t have the attention span to follow a youtube tutorial. So for now here is a speedy time-lapse of me doing single crochet continuous rounds around the crown of the hat.

(Side-note I had to pause in the middle of my crocheting because my Netflix show got too intense)

In tech today we covered collaboration technologies and Digital Literacy

The Ministry of Education defines digital literacy as,

“The interest, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others”

Government of British Columbia. (2022). Digital Literacy – Province of British Columbia. Gov.bc.ca. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/resources-for-teachers/digital-literacy

Other topics we discussed were artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Some AI that we interact with every day is, voice recognition (Siri, Alexa, Google), Zoom, web search, face recognition, etc. I never considered Artificial Intelligence to be something we used regularly until we discussed this topic in class.

Artificial general intelligence is complete reproduction of the human experience that is not human, also known as strong AI.

Augmented Reality (AR) is visuals of the real world that are turned into an interactive experience enhanced by technology.

Virtual Reality (VR) is computer technology that creates a simulated environment. Google Cardboard is an inexpensive VR option that can be used in classrooms. They are a foldable kit that you insert your smartphone into to engage in virtual reality experiences.

Overall, the content from this week has shown how many ways you can incorporate AI, VR, and AR into classrooms. Many of these activities allow for collaboration, engagement, and student interest to help motivate and excite them to learn.

This week we discussed game-based learning and gaming in the classroom

Gamification as an educational term is the integration of game components into traditional instructional methods.

Using games in the classroom increase student engagement and motivation. This is from games providing rewards, quick feedback, progression of difficulty (not making students feel defeated), visually appealing.

Game-Based Learning Resources:

• Minecraft
• Gimkit
• Kahoot
• Quizlet

One platform we have looked at in another education class is gimkit. Gimkit is basically a virtual quiz game (similar to kahoot) where students answer multiple-choice questions on their tablets, computers, or personal cellphone devices. If they answer the question right they get virtual currency. These credits can be used for power-ups and upgrades.

There are 10 games available to enhance the quizzes. Teachers can view a dashboard that shows the student’s progress, earnings, and data reports from the game. This platform keeps learning fun and engaging for students.

So after choosing the type of brim I wanted on my hat I’ve finished my first bucket hat!

I’m excited to start my next one with some new colours.

Some things that were difficult or I want to be different on next bucket hat:

• took a long time to get the stitches uniform looking
• slightly larger so it holds shape better (doesn’t stretch around my head)
• more distinction between the hat and the brim

Successes:

• looks like a real hat!
• all the stitches are smooth

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This week in tech we had a guest speaker on zoom. Chantelle Morvay-Adams spoke to our class about technology, inclusion, and ableism.

Chantelle is the secretary of BCEdAccess, a volunteer-run organization for families of students with disabilities and complex learners. Although this organization is intended for families, I think it is important for teachers to understand and be informed on

For myself, the main ideas I took away were:

1. Technology is not one size fits all
2. Teachers should have an understanding of technology and how to make it accessible for students who need it.

Technology can support students with both their strengths and challenges, without it, the classroom can be a place of exclusion.

This week I am starting to create the brim of my bucket hat! For this section, I wasn’t sure what style I wanted so I researched some possible ideas.

The 3 options I wanted to decide between were: floppy, structured, or wavy brim

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https://www.etsy.com/listing/991363649/crochet-pattern-for-daisy-bucket-hat?ref=landingpage_similar_listing_bot-3&epik=dj0yJnU9QjY5Q1R3MXVWV3JqSm5VY2RITHV6RTFpSDJVcTdqclomcD0wJm49dVZ2WnpCdF9QUWFYMjJ3ck40QVEwQSZ0PUFBQUFBR0lucks0

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1066929168/crochet-checkered-bucket-hat-pattern?epik=dj0yJnU9Vm90QzNzaXloRTdhXzJqVnNialdCSmFjTU9YSDlVbzAmcD0wJm49cGVGcHhqSXlxNFpTOFFkRXFFN3BvZyZ0PUFBQUFBR0lucVUw

https://www.garmentory.com/sale/march-break-is-cancelled/women-bucket/1374501-crochet-bucket-hat-teal-and-black?epik=dj0yJnU9QWNmbUhHV193TTM5TGp2LWJERmMySzU3TXhTS0tYT0QmcD0wJm49ZnhseVI5bUR2Y0pxcFNUSklmTHVVQSZ0PUFBQUFBR0luclhr

From doing some research on hat patterns, and the different styles I think I’m going to start with crocheting a floppy hat. It seems the easiest to do. I do like the style of the structured bucket hat best so if I crochet a second hat I will try the more structured brim!

This week in tech we started our class by recapping all the content we’ve covered. Hard to believe it’s already March!

Today we learned about TPACK and SAMR, both are technology integration models.

Substitution – Technology directly substituted for traditional classroom methods. 

i.e. students typing notes instead of writing.

Augmentation – Tech again directly substituted for traditional classroom methods but provides significant advancements to student learning experience

i.e. students using google docs which allows for spell check and grammatical errors to be caught.

Modification – Tech creates a change or enhancement to the learning design and outcome (significant task redesign)

i.e. Using google docs to collaborate with classmates (peer editing, group work etc.)

Redefinition – Tech creates a new education experience or task, that was previously inconceivable. 

i.e. publishing a class book online where students can leave reviews/comments and parents can access it to read.

These models really help break down technology integration and make it seem less intimidating to someone who is not very tech-savvy.