Author Archives: evanbarr

Module 2: Post 5

Technology Making us More Human?

This resource is interesting in that it provides an alternative view to much of the research on technology and how it is making us less emotionally sound and less aware/considerate of our own and other emotions. However, alternative views such as the ones expressed in this article provide a scope that technology may be the answer to making us more human because it gives us the opportunity to change the circumstances that surround us more rapidly than ever before. Technology, according to this resource allows people to tap into their inborn creativity and becoming creators of extraordinary solutions. This perspective is of interest in that it provides an alternative view to my research that technology may provide us the opportunity to be more human, as apposed to shutting our humanity out of what makes us educated or productive.

https://medium.com/davos-2015/why-technology-actually-makes-us-more-human-70f574962d3b

Module 2: Post 4

Communicate Emotions via Tech Interfaces

 

This paper examines how emotion is currently transmitted through tech interfaces, and explores how people express emotion via tech mediated communication systems. This resource also explores whether these tech systems are prepared to handle communicating emotions without corrupting them. This research will be integral in exploring whether current devices are capable of delivering emotionally rich educational experiences, as is done with traditional indigenous teaching practices.

http://www.academia.edu/300420/Communicate_Emotions_Through_Technological_Interfaces

Module 2: Post 3

Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainability

This resource, created by UNESCO serves as an excellent guide to what separates Indigenous knowledge and education from formal education. It points out that sophisticated knowledge is not confined to science, but also rich experiences and emotions relating to the environment from which the knowledge hailed. Information on this website will serve as a guide to indigenous educational tactics, and provide a base for my research on how to use technology to deliver emotional education as apposed to the formal education currently being delivered via technology, which excludes the spiritual, emotional and is weak in local knowledge.

http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_c/mod11.html

 

Module 2: Post 2

How Technology Affects Students Socio-Emotional Learning

 

This is a video page on the Oxford Learning Blog, where Sherry Turkle, a professor of Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT points out that over the past 20 years there has been a 40% decline in college students on measurements of empathy. Turkle describes her research of where devices now, when used inappropriately get in the way of very basic important human feelings and that transforms the nature of the relationships. This resource is of interest in that it supports my initial research assumptions that technology negatively impacts emotional learning, and thus techniques must be innovated to harmonize educational technology and socio-emotional development.

 

http://www.oxfordlearning.com/2015/02/06/how-technology-affects-kids-social-and-emotional-learning/

Module 2: Post 1

Technology Enhanced Social-Emotional Activities

 

This website has been designed to describe technology activities that facilitate social emotional learning. This resource serves as a practical toolkit for educators looking to enhance technology practices while maintaining and enhancing students’ emotional well-being. This resource is valuable in terms of my research topic, as I will be exploring methods in which technology can be used to interpret knowledge through emotional experiences, as apposed to traditional knowledge transfer.

 

http://seltechnology.weebly.com

Module 1: Post 5 (Aboriginal Affairs)

The Aboriginal Affairs website provides contemporary news articles and perspectives on Aboriginal roles in Economy, Business, Culture and Education. For researchers it serves as an effective resource to gain insight on the underrepresented issues faced by the Aboriginal community. This resource also provides real-world examples of successes and failures in government programming and investment strategies pertaining to the Indigenous Population in Canada.

Module 1: Post 4 (Aboriginal Perspectives on Emotional Health)

This article available for free via the International Indigenous Policy Journal is a strong resource for gaining an understanding of how best to support the social/emotional of Aboriginal children.  This article identifies five themes in supporting emotional development in Aboriginal Canadians: cultural wellness, emotional wellness, mental wellness, social wellness and identity. This study strengthens the assertion that Aboriginal children require an additional set of social-emotional skills to successfully navigate different cultural contexts during development.

 

 

Module 1: Post 3 (Emotional Intelligence)

Dr. Brown’s emphasis on emotional health, particularly identifying our emotional states, and developing proper emotional reactions spurred me to investigate skills on developing emotional intelligence. Help Guide is an excellent resource for teachers and students looking to develop emotional intelligence. The four key attributes to developing emotional health are strikingly similar to 6 principles outlined by Dr. Brown.

Module 1: Post 2 (Technology’s impact on our emotion)

The video with Dr. Lee Brown highlighted the importance of an emotional component to education, particularly with Indigenous learners. Dr. Brown’s video inspired me to explore how technology influences our emotions. I stumbled upon this article from Forbes which cites a study published in Computers and Human Behaviour where Grade 6 students who attended camp were tested vs. students who spent a week playing video games. The results are quite interesting, and speaks not only to the importance of emotion in social behaviour but also the impact screen time has on our ability to read and react appropriately as “emotionally responsible” beings.

Module 1: Post 1(Progress Report on Aboriginal Learners)

The Ontario Progress Report on Aboriginal Learners is a great resource for those interested in monitoring the progress of Ontario’s Aboriginal education strategy, implemented in 2007. This resource not only provides historical data on the successes of Ontario’s Education Strategy but also next steps for advancing the goals of Aboriginal Education in the province.

This data will help the Ontario government work in partnership with school boards and First Nation, Métis and Inuit partners to continue to refine strategies and develop new initiatives to help Aboriginal students reach their full potential.

Read the progress report.