Category: Weekly Reflections

Lately, I haven’t been keeping up with my blog as much as I would like. With other class and responsibilities, it’s been a bit hard to stay consistent. That said, I’m really enjoying the process. Customizing my blog by changing fonts, colours, and templates has been super fun, and I’m finally starting to get the hang of attributing photos properly. When I first started this course, I had no idea what I was doing, so even small steps like this feel like progress to me. I’ve also been enjoying my process with relearning the ukulele, which has been a fun way to take a break from schoolwork while staying off my phone. Finishing a Youtube tutorial and being able to play a song, even if I don’t always play the chords right, is really satisfying. My roomate has been happy to listen to my beginner attempts, which makes it even better, to “show off” my new skills I learn each time I practice. In my Link2Practice class, I’ve noticed how much music is used throughout the school and how beneficial it can be. Whether it’s songs during lessons or students in grades 3-5 learning violin before school, music seems to support learning and engagment in meaningful ways. this makes me excited to think about how I could use the ukulele in my own future classroom, not just for fun but also as a tool to teach lessons and help with memorization. Even though I’m feeling a bit behind and a little overwhelmed with my blog updates, I’m looking forward to continuing to keep practicing and building my skills with both my blog and the ukulele.

Watching the Zoom video of Cable Green made me think a lot about how powerful open education is. I thought it was cool how he started working in this area before technology was so accessible. He’s been in the field long enough to actually see the change from when it was hard to find information to now, when almost everything is online. That must have been such an interesting time to work in education and technology, especially since things are still changing so fast today with new tech and AI.

One part that stood out to me was when Green talked about working with teachers to build open educational resources together. I liked how they were paid for their time or could focus on the project instead of teaching a class for a semester, while still being paid. It showed how teachers can collaborate and create something meaningful that helps students. What amazed me most was how much money this project saved. As a university student, I know how expensive textbooks can be, and it’s even worse when you buy one that you rarley need to use. It’s frustrating, especially as student on a budget, trying to save money.

I think was Cable Green and Creative Commons are doing is great. It’s not just about saving money, but about giving everyone a fair chance at learning. Education should be something everyone has access to, no matter their income. I like how Creative Commons gives people control over their work too. You can decide if others can change, reuise it, or just share it as is. It’s such a good system that lets people share knowledge while still respecting ownership.

This connects to our EDCI 336 course as we learn how to create our own websites and blog. This helped me understand more about attributions and having ownership of your work.

This week, our EDCI 336 class visited the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII) in downtown Victoria. Jeff Hopkins, the founder, gave us a presentation about the school and its unique approach to learning. He explained how students learn through inquiry-based learning, where they get to decide what they learn about and combine different ideas to find answers.The school has around 120 students in grades 9-12, but the age range is 13-19.

It was fascinating to hear him talk about the students and how the school is run. The presentation was held in a classroom that had just been used for a science lesson, where students were studying science through a sci-fi novel. They were analyzing whether what was written in the book was scientifically possible. I thought that was such an engaging and creative way to teach science, especially since students in that room ranged from ages 13-18, which surprised me.

Jeff explained that most students at PSII graduate early and often find university not only easy but also boring compared to their high school experience. I thought it was really cool how much freedom students have in their days at school. There are no bells or blocks, and students have full control of their schedules. They can take lunch whenever they want and even leave to take breaks, but he said most students enjoy what they’re working on so much that they usually stay. I found it interesting that the school rarely deals with behaviour issues or disengagement, because inquiry-based learning keeps students motivated and invested in their projects.

Another part that stood out to me was how inclusive the school is. There are no strict expectations to attend, and tuition is very low compared to other independent schools in the area because PSII believes everyone should have access to this kind of learning. Jeff also mentioned that students considering the school can spend a half day there to see if it’s the right fit.

During the walkthrough, I thought the layout was amazing. They had so many different spaces for students: dark rooms, collaboration rooms (big and small), music studios, 3D printing, workshops, a stage, a lighting booth, and so much more. It was so cool to realize we have a school like this in Victoria, and I’m just finding out about it now after living here my whole life. Another detail that surprised me was that many of the teachers had originally gone to school for elementary education, just like us!

As a future teacher, this visit was super eye-opening and showed the possibilities of inquiry-based learning. Even if I’m teaching in a more traditional school setting, I want to take inspiration from PSII by giving students more voice and choice in their learning. I think even small things like connecting lessons to their interests, encouraging questions, and creative projects, can help students feel more engaged. Seeing how motivated and invested the PSII students are reminded me of how powerful it is when students care about what they’re learning. It makes me want to think about ways I can bring that same energy into my own classroom one day.

Watching the Most Likley to Succeed documentary completley changed the way I view and think about education. The documentary follows a group of ninth-grade students at High Tech High as they take on a kind of learning that is more creative, meaningful, and flexible, espeacially compared to the more traditional schooling I experienced. At High Tech High teachers had the freedom to design their own projects, and students gained knowledge throough hands-on work rather than memorizing facts. I especially enjoyed the part about Samantha directing the play and watching her growth over the year. She started off as a quiet, shy young girl, and by the exhibition she had taken on a leadership role, grown, and gained more confidence in herself. Those moments demonstrated how powerful it can be when students take ownership of their learning. Looking back at my own ninth grade experience, I realize how little of it felt memorable or relevant compared to what I saw in the film.

The documentary also made me think about how much technology shapes our world today. It’s true that sitting at a desk 7 hours a day listening to a textbook lesson isn’t going to prepare students for the future. Learning hands-on skills and soft skills is so much more important, and it’s so cool how these students were developping those skills early on. By the end of high school they may not have memorized every traditional fact, but they left with creative and curious minds, which in the long run seems more valuable.

At the same time, I do think that traditional schooling still matters, espeacially as a future teacher who will follow the curriculum. But I think combining traditional knowledge with creative problem solving and collaboration is a great way moving forward. Even in my B.Ed. program, I’ve noticed how much I enjoy group work and discussions, and how much I actually learn and take away from them. It’s true that the content I’ve memorized for exams rarely sticks with me, but hands-on learning and working with others does. The film made me realize that educations should be about building relationships, creativity and skills that last beyond a test.

Connections to ISTE Standards and UVic TEP Outcomes:

• The film demonstrated ISTE Standards for Students such as Empowered Learner (1.1), where students set personal goals and reflected on their projects, and Innovative Designer (1.4), as they created and revised meaningful work. It also showed Creative Communicator (1.6) when students presented their projects to a diverse audience
• For teachers, it aligns with the ISTE Standard of Facilitator (2.6). Teachers supported rather than dictated, encouraging students to take ownership of their learning.