Category Archives: Assignments

ETEC 511 T&R

ETEC 511 – Truth and Reconciliation Assignment

1. Identify a significant corpus (body of texts, or singular text) of searchable educational history-related documents in your own locale or one you are most interested in (i.e. B.C., Ontario, South Africa). You can choose a fictionalized account, non-fiction narrative, historical text, a set of related documents, a report, etc. Briefly explain why you selected this as ‘raw material’ to search for how Indigeneity and Indigenous people are represented in texts that make up our knowledge about and understanding of the history of education in the locale you chose. Explain how this text might have impacted either educational history or Teacher Professional Development.

This assignment led me on a Truth and Reconciliation journey that is, and will continue to be, important for me to continue long after this assignment is complete.

For this assignment, I originally intended on choosing The Indian Act of 1876. I thought it was a good opportunity for me to read the original piece of legislation passed to control First Nations people. The Indian Act is still in effect today, so I became curious to learn more about the amendments made over the years, hoping that I could educate myself on the root of the Canadian government and Indigenous Peoples’ conflicts. This led me on a journey to learn more about the history of the Residential Schools and I became more and more enraged at how adults chose to treat the children who attended these schools.

As I read through information about The Indian Act of 1867, it became clear to me how little I knew about the oppression of Canada’s Indigenous People. After reading through information about The Indian Act, listening to videos from Indigenous voices regarding the Act, and the revisions it has gone through over the years, I learned a small part of what the Canadian Government has done in the past and realized there is so much more for me to learn. This had me continue wanting more information about the present day and how we are where we are now. I wanted to hear from the people who this affects.

As a former school teacher, I am drawn to learning as much as I can about the Residential Schools and the history of how something so horrific could have happened to so many young children. The scale of the abuse is horrendous. Furthermore, the abuse did not happen in one location, it was nationwide.

I continued learning about the Residential Schools and became curious about how UBC is decolonizing and how they, as an educational institution, are honouring their Truth and Reconciliation process. I read through the Truth and Reconciliation information on the Faculty of Education’s website and found a report entitled “What We Have Learned:  Principles of Truth and Reconciliation”. The report reflects on the Truth and Reconciliation process written by The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2015, by authors Justice Murray Sinclair, Chief Wilton Littlechild, and Dr. Marie Wilson. The report calls on all Canadians to commit to reconciliation and they define reconciliation as well as provide a set of principles that provided the foundation for the 94 calls to action in the final report from the TRC.

I chose this text because it is an example of a recent report that describes how horribly First Nations children and their families were treated by the Canadian government, focusing on the abusive treatment in the Residential Schools. Thanks to a few brave people who spoke up about their experience in Residential Schools. This allowed others to come forward and share their experiences in the Residential Schools and brought their truth to light.

2. Identify a specific question you want to answer by selecting and searching this text. What is your search intended (or hoping) to illuminate?

I am hoping that my search educates me about the reality of the lived experiences of the children who attended the Residential Schools. The specific question I want to answer by selecting and searching this text is, “What have we learned about the experience of First Nations children since The Indian Act of 1876 was created and how are these learnings shaping future legislation in Canada?”

3. Identify and explain the search terms you will use.

The search terms I will use for the first part of this assignment are Indian(s), Indigenous, Aboriginal, First Nation(s), and Native(s). “Indian” references the legal identity of a First Nations person who is registered under the Indian Act. Indigenous included a variety of Aboriginal groups. Aboriginal people include First Nations, inuit, and Metis people, who are the first people who occupied Canada. First Nations is the ethnicity of people who are Aboriginal but not Metis or Inuit. Included the plural variations of the words Indian and Native to the search would include Indians and First Nations. I excluded the lowercase variation of “native” as that did not refer to specific Aboriginal ethnicity, rather referred to a person or thing from a specific place.

Here is a summary of the terms used in my first inquiry and how many times they appeared in the document:

Indian / Indians = 773

Indigenous = 74

Aboriginal = 452

First Nation / First Nations = 126

Native(s) = 43 / 8

4. Create a new question, and any additional search term/terms you think might be illuminating.

In researching Canada’s history and the roots of the Indian Act, I began to get a better picture about how the Canadian government is moving towards reconciliation. My new question that arose from this assignment was “If the Indian Act is so archaic and discriminatory and based in cultural genocide of the Indigenous Peoples, why can’t we just abolish the Act and allow Indigenous people to no longer be governed by it?

It is clear that the Indian Act, and more specifically residential schools, were created to create cultural genocide. So why then can’t we make things right by removing these oppressive laws? Why is giving self-governance, self-reliance, and self-determination to Indigenous Peoples so difficult and complicated?

5. Search and document what you find.

I’ve learned that completely removing the Indian Act would do a huge disservice to Indigenous Peoples.

There would need to be a transition period to allow for autonomous, self-governed living by Indigenous Peoples. This would create a “policy vacuum” (TVO Today, 2021). Where would the right to self-govern and be a self-reliant society fit in?

The term “residential schools” was referred to 481 times, specifically to the children’s experiences and abuses at the school. The words “Indian child” were referred to 13 times. This implied the children were “othered” in schools, telling the children that they needed to be more like the white people running the schools. Abuse was referred to 86 times, including references to sexual and physical abuse. Trauma and its various forms were referenced 13 times, mostly speaking about the children’s experiences or intergenerational trauma that these schools have caused. Genocide was referenced 9 times, mostly referring to cultural genocide.

Here is a summary of the terms used for my second inquiry and how many times they appeared in the document:

Residential Schools = 481

Indian child = 13

Abuse (including sexual and physical abuse) = 86

Trauma / Traumatizing / Traumatic / Traumatized = 13

Genocide = 9

6. Report the results (and limitations) of your search and your analysis of those results.

This report speaks from the perspectives of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada. Their voices are represented through telling their community’s stories about what we have learned through the Truth and Reconciliation process that is currently going on in Canada. They speak about the trauma that has been experienced by children and families who attended residential schools. The government is referenced and referred to through the experience of the Aboriginal experience.  The document took a look at the trauma the government inflicted in the past so that we can use this information to guide us to make things right for Indigenous Peoples in the future. The limitations of my search included stories from the voices that chose to come forward. Not all residential school survivors and family members chose to share their stories,  or that they were not able to live to tell their story.

It is through education in the residential schools that Aboriginal people lost their culture, language, traditions, and ways of life. It is through education that all of us can learn about the harms of the residential schools and the truth and reconciliation process. Through education, I am hopeful that Canadians and our government can restore the damage that was done.

—

References

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. (2019, Feb 7). TRC Mini Documentary – Senator Murray Sinclair on Reconciliation [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjx2zDvyzsU

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). What We Have Learned Principles of Truth and Reconciliation.  https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Principles_English_Web.pdf

TVO Today. (2021, July 6). What Should Been Done About the Indian Act? | The Agenda [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns5Cgn1pREE

University of British Columbia. (2023). Truth and Reconciliation 2023. Faculty of Education. https://educ.ubc.ca/truth-and-reconciliation-2023/

ETEC 511 - Mini-assignment - Usability

ETEC 511 – Module 1: Thinking about Usability (Mini-Assignment)

Instructions: For each of Issa and Isaias’s (2015) seven “Usability Criteria” (p. 33), explain each criterion in your own words and provide a concrete/practical example of each. Draw from your own experience and try to find educational examples where you can.

1. Learnability

Describe in your own words:
How easy is it to learn the product? Is it intuitive, quick, and easy to learn? Are there clear instructions or feedback? Is the information broken down into small, learnable chunks? If errors are made, is there useful and timely feedback on how to correct it? How is the feedback given? Is the interface consistent?

Provide a concrete/practical example:
Well designed apps have tutorials for new users to complete before they are shown the full program.

2. Flexibility

Describe in your own words:
Users have diverse backgrounds, preferences, and abilities. Usability includes an inclusive, user-friendly, and adaptable environment that adjusts to the diverse needs and preferences of the target user. Can you customize the interface, settings, or features according to your needs or preferences (ie: colours, fonts, layouts, etc.)? Can it adapt to different skill levels (ie: novice to advanced)? Can users interact in different ways with different modalities (ie: touch, voice commands, or keyboard inputs)? Can it accommodate users with different abilities or disabilities? Can the user do the task in multiple ways? Can it adapt to different devices or screen sizes? Is it a consistent and user-friendly experience across different platforms? Can it be personalized based on preferences? Is it accessible to users with disabilities (ie: screen readers for visually impaired)

Provide a concrete/practical example:
Software programs like Photoshop and Illustrator allow users to customize their windows and how the interface is displayed.

3. Robustness

Describe in your own words:
Can the program remain stable? Can it handle errors or failures? Does it crash? Is it secure? Is it compatible with various platforms? Does it have regular backups? Has it been stress tested? Is there data validation? Have there been quality assurance testing?

Provide a concrete/practical example:
If an app crashes too many times, I will go and find another product to use.

4. Efficiency

Describe in your own words:
Can the user perform tasks and achieve their goals in a timely manner? Can it take minimal effort, time, and cognitive load to complete the tasks? Is it positive, streamlined, and efficient? Does it respond to user input in a timely way? Is it logically organized? Is cognitive load minimized? Is it intuitive to navigate? Are things properly labeled? Is the design consistent and predictable? Are there keyboard shortcuts available? Any other time saving features? Is feedback timely and helpful? Is there search functionality? Is load time minimized?

Provide a concrete/practical example:
It took me time to learn Canvas with my UBC courses, but once I learned it for my first class, subsequent classes were much easier to navigate.

5. Memorability

Describe in your own words:
Can users remember how to use the interface after learning it or being away from it for a period of time? Do users have to relearn the interface verytime? Is it intuitive and what users naturally anticipate? Is it consistent? Are there clear icons and labels? Does the navigation make sense? Is there cueing, feedback, or guidance? Is there documentation or help? Is there training? Is it visually memorable? Is there reinforcement?

Provide a concrete/practical example:
Applications such as Photoshop and Illustrator have generally stayed the same over the years, with a few changes. It makes it easy for me to keep using them as they are memorable to me.

6. Errors

Describe in your own words:
Are there minimal errors in the program? How are they addressed? Are the errors easy to understand? Is the error from the user’s interaction or the program? Does a consistent interface help reduce errors? Does the error guide how the user can correct? Can the user recover from the errors and continue with their task? Can the user undo errors without significant consequences? Are the error messages clear and concise? Can training help reduce errors? Can accessibility features help reduce errors?

Provide a concrete/practical example:
Errors in an application sometimes display the user code error or a number which is frustrating – the errors should be in plain language so the user can understand them.

7. Satisfaction

Describe in your own words:
Is the overall satisfaction positive or negative? Does the user have a strong emotional response when interacting with a system, product, or interface? Does the user enjoy engaging with the technology? Satisfied users are more likely to continue using a system, recommend it to others, and have a generally positive attitude toward the technology. How is the user experience? How is the system’s usability? Is the product aesthetically pleasing? Is there useful and timely feedback? What are the user’s perceptions of the product? Does it help achieve the user’s goals?

Provide a concrete/practical example:
User feedback forms, user testing, or focus groups can be arranged for users to give feedback and see how satisfied they are with the program.

ETEC 511 - IP #3 - Algorithms

ETEC 511 – IP #3 – Algorithms

Introduction

Google impacts many people around the world everyday and could rightfully be called the world’s most powerful company (Jack, 2017). Google’s products include online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and more (Google, 2024).

When most people search for information on the internet, Google’s search engine is usually top of mind. Behind Google’s search algorithms, however, is a darkside that is controlled by artificial intelligence such as recommender systems, priority cutes, algorithmic bias, and a PageRank system that can be blamed for societal inequities, racism, and oppression through how its content prioritization algorithms work behind the scenes (Nobel, 2018, p. 33).

Content Prioritization

Content prioritization is a way of ranking what the product designers think is important to the end user of the information so that the most important items are displayed first. Content prioritization is used in education when the teacher wants to highlight the important concepts first. In search engine content prioritization, however, the information that is presented first is usually what will generate the most clicks or the most revenue.

Content prioritization is meant to capture the end users’ attention and is found in digital or print media, like magazines, email marketing, newspapers, where the most important stories are displayed first and less important information would follow. Content prioritization can also be found in digital entertainment streaming platforms such as Spotify and Netflix.

ETEC 511 - Quote from Nobel, 2018

Controlling the largest digital repository in the world

The content prioritization algorithms that companies like Google use are helpful when getting important information out, however, these same algorithms can also be responsible for perpetuating misinformation, as we saw in the Cambridge Analytica scandal (Jones, 2020). These algorithms also punish those without the resources to advertise, like Nobel (2018) exposed Kandis’ Yelp experience where her low rankings punished her business and also punished potential clients by having to travel long distances to find a hairdresser who was knowledgeable about Black hair, further oppressing an already marginalized group of people. This form of algorithmic oppression is “loaded with power” and continues to be true today as they continue to perpetuate racism, hegemonic ideals, and inequalities through these content prioritization systems (Nobel, 2018, p. 171). Nobel (2018, p. 6) describes that the internet is “the most unregulated social experiment of our times” and the importance of public policy to prevent algorithms, whether these biases are programmed intentionally or not, from further inequities.

Impact on my professional life

Content prioritization algorithms can have positive and negative impacts on my professional life. They can be useful for some tasks as it can find information faster, focusing on the most relevant information. The content prioritization systems can help highlight what is most important and reduce overwhelm by having the algorithms do it for me. These algorithms will hopefully display what is personally relevant based on my previous searches and relevant recommendations (OpenAi, 2023). The downside to these algorithms choosing the information that gets displayed to me is that I don’t know what goes on behind the algorithm from Google, an advertising company that is driven by profits. Google controls what information I see and therefore will display results that prioritize their interests above mine, leaving those people with less money, power, and resources without a voice. This is a form of oppression by prioritization of power.

PageRank

PageRank, named after its co-founder Larry Page and the term web page, is one of the algorithms used by Google Search. PageRank measures how important a web page is to display their search engine results to the user. Each web page gets a numerical weighting, that is not known to anyone other than the algorithm, based on a probability distribution algorithm that determines its importance. The higher the ranking, the more important the link is according to PageRank (PageRank, 2024).

PageRank impacts my personal life because anyone who searches my name will easily see information about me. When I search my own name on Google, there is a lot of personal information that comes up, for example my social media profiles, charities I work with, and my professional website.

One thing I did not consider was how changing my last name when I got married impacted my online searchability. When I search my maiden name, my accomplishments and information have fewer pages over the years so potential employers are not able to see publications I co-authored, my college volleyball stats, and other information under my maiden name, unless I provide these links directly. It makes it a bit more difficult to find information on me which I view as a positive and I have a bit more control over the information that is displayed about me.

Conclusion

Algorithms are increasingly shaping how we interact with products made by companies such as Google, Apple, and other tech giants. We usually do not see how the algorithms work but we do need to be aware of how they make decisions for us and increase our awareness of the biases underlying them so we can fight against them (Slavin, 2011).

References

Crawford, K. (2021). Atlas of AI. Yale University Press. (Chapter 3L Data, pp. 87-121)

Google. (2024, January 30). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google#cite_note-11

Jack, Simon. (2017, November 20). Google – powerful and responsible? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-42060091

Jones, R. H. (2020). The rise of the Pragmatic Web: Implications for rethinking meaning and interaction. In C. Tagg & M. Evans (Eds.), Message and medium: English language practices across old and new media (pp. 17-37). De Gruyter Mouton.

Noble, S. U. (2018). Algorithms of oppression. New York University Press. (Introduction, Chapter 1, Conclusion)

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

PageRank. (2024, January 31). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank

Slavin, K. (2011). How algorithms shape our world [Video]. TEDGlobal.

Taylor, A. (2021, February 2021). Are streaming algorithms really damaging film? BBC News.

ETEC 511 - IP #4 - Media Convergence

ETEC 511 – IP #4 – Media Convergence

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

Create a “mind map” (using whatever tool you please) for the concept of ‘media convergence’ that sets out, with examples, the 5 processes of convergence that Jenkins distinguishes. Then, in a <5-minute MAX video (try to go beyond the ‘talking head’ format) explain your mapping of these aspects of media convergence, and conclude with a thoughtful and well-justified account of what you think are some key educational implications of media convergence.

Production format

A (digital) mind map and a <5-minute video walkthrough explaining your mind map.

Click on the video below to view my assignment (see text below for full transcript).

Final Mind Map for Media Convergence

ETEC 511 - IP #4: Media Convergence Mind Map

Click to view larger image.

Transcript for the video:

ETEC 511 – Module 4 Notes: Media Convergence 

In this video, I will walk you through the mind map I created for my IP#4 on Media Convergence.

I’ll outline what media convergence is, how Henry Jenkins categorizes media convergence into 5 different processes, and its educational implications.

SO, WHAT IS MEDIA CONVERGENCE?

  • Media convergence is where all media are blending into one.

  • It is not a hypothetical black box, but instead an ongoing process that changes how media is both consumed and produced.

  • But what’s happening is that we’re living in this diverse media world, where media consumption is making users participants that engage with different forms of media, often at the same time.

  • Media is all around us and we’re developing new skills to manage all this information.

  • There is the coming together of these previously separate technologies that are now sharing tasks and created this place where media, industries, content, and audiences intersect.

 
JENKINS’ 5 PROCESSES OF MEDIA CONVERGENCE

  • Jenkins states that when we talk about media convergence, we’re usually referring to 5 processes

  1. Technological Convergence

    • Technological convergence is the digitization and integration of many forms of media into one ecosystem

    • We expand these relationships between digital media and enable them to flow across platforms allowing different kinds of technology to merge.

    • EXAMPLES ARE

      • Smartphones, IoT, smart home technology, wearable devices, AR/VR, cloud computing, autonomous vehicles, e-books, gaming consoles

    • So phones are no longer just for making phone calls, and video game consoles aren’t just for playing video games – we can use smartphones to play video games, and also watch shows, access the internet, text friends, and more; and we can use video game consoles for gaming, social media, or streaming services.

  2. Economic Convergence

    • Economic convergence is when companies control entertainment franchises across multiple forms of media; or, as Jenkins describes, the horizontal integration of the entertainment industry

    • It involves the financial and business aspects of integrating different media types.

    • EXAMPLES

      • Broadcast tv (Fox), cable tv (Nat Geo), digital advertising, subscription models, news papers now online news companies  (NYP, WSJ)

  3. Social or Organic Convergence

    • Social or organic convergence is when people multitask and integrate technology across many platforms.

    • It reflects how individuals blend and share media content in everyday communication.

    • EXAMPLES

      • Watching netflix on a tv, texting friends on an iphone, writing a paper on a laptop

  4. Cultural Convergence

    • Cultural convergence is where culture is merged with many forms of media through participatory culture and storytelling.

    • Anyone with access to the internet can use the affordances of different types of media to tell stories or engage with other people’s content by commenting, sharing, etc

    • EXAMPLES

      • Books becoming TV shows or movies; fan communities creating fan fiction, art, videos; remix culture where existing content is recombined and repurposed; globalization or pop culture through the spread of music, movies, and TV across borders; interactive museum exhibits combining traditional artifacts with digital technology for immersive experiences (ChatGPT)

  5. Global Convergence 

    • How media is interconnected around the world and when geographically distant cultures are able to influence one another

    • Can have its advantages but could also just perpetuate the dominating structures at the centre of the system

    • EXAMPLES

      • Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok), streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+; access content anytime, anywhere, any device with internet access)), global news networks (CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera English – 24 hour worldwide news coverage), digital journalism (Huffington post, Buzzfeed, The Guardian), Global advertising campaigns (Google ads, Facebook ads – allows advertisers to target specific demographic groups and geographic regions with personalized ads), viral content and memes (transcending language and geographic barriers – on TikTok, Reddit, other social media platforms), cultural influences and trends (Hollywood movies, K-pop, etc)

So, Let the DIGITAL RENAISSANCE begin…

  • Jenkins argues that these forms of media convergence are leading us toward a digital renaissance – a period of transformation that will affect all aspects of our lives.

  • And that a new cultural order is going to emerge, for better or worse.

  • We’re still unsure how these different types of convergence will affect society and individuals, including the educational impacts.

  • The POSITIVE educational implications include

    • Having better access to information (there are no longer gatekeepers of information);

    • Being more cost effective to access information (no more expensive university tuition);

    • We are likely to see more innovation and diversification of content;

    • And that this content can be personalized to the learner.

  • However, there are NEGATIVE implications to education that may happen such as

    • Having information overload;

    • It creating an even further digital divide with learners;

    • And the homogenization of information as powerful companies have monopolized media platforms

I guess we’ll see how it all unfolds as media convergence as we experience this digital renaissance together.

Thanks for watching!
/ end of transcript

References:

Jenkins, H. (2001, June 1). Convergence? I diverge. MIT Technology Review.

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

University of Minnesota. (2016). Understanding Media and Culture: 1.4 Convergence. https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/1-4-convergence/

ETEC 511 - IP #5 - Global Health

ETEC 511 – IP #5 – Global Health

Disclaimer: Some of the formatting is not standard for APA formatting due to the restorations of the webpage format.

Global health includes an interconnection between humans, animals, plants, and the environment around us.

Source: https://oia.osu.edu/media/japhavmq/onehealthvenn.png

Global Health and Its Impact on Education

The COVID-19 global pandemic was a reminder that global health directly affects global education. When we refer to global health, we should ensure we include humans, as well as animals, plants, and the environment and the interrelationship of all of these elements.

Investing in education can contribute to improved overall global health because they are both interconnected in several ways. Education can impact global health positively as advancements in research, new treatments, vaccines, and health care can help improve the health quality of our communities. Education can be useful to prevent people contracting infectious diseases, expand their knowledge of nutrition, and provide resources to access adequate health care. Education, including but not limited to educational institutions, can be used to prevent some diseases or expand our knowledge of health issues such as nutrition, hygiene, and reproductive health. Global economics are affected because of the increased health care costs around illnesses, sometimes causing families to suffer financially or make sacrifices such as school or job absenteeism, or dropping out of school to contribute financially or to care for sick family members. Global health affects the quality of education because it impacts the cognitive development and academic performance of students; if basic nutritional and health needs are not being met, students will struggle to learn. It can also affect students and teachers who do not want to return to in-person learning as they would be putting themselves at risk for infections. Global health also disproportionately affects marginalized communities, including Indigenous communities and women causing even more detrimental health disparities (OpenAI, 2023).

It is undeniable that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education, at least our traditional view of what education is. Children were at home with caregivers while educators attempted to adapt to provide continuity of learning. Interestingly, the COVID-19 pandemic brought to light assumptions and biases about what “education” actually is, exposed those who were unwilling to adapt, and highlighted “many pre-existing poor teaching practices (Czerniewicz et al. 2020, as cited in Boys, 2021, p. 17).

Prior to the pandemic, an assumption about effective education was that learning could only happen in-person, face-to-face, even when there was research that concluded otherwise (Boys, 2021, p. 19). It also highlighted what constitutes evidence of learning, who gets noticed, who has “preferred character traits”, and who is “invisible” (Boys, 2021, p. 19). It also highlighted assumptions on who is valued and deserving of education, leaving certain genders, race, classes, abilities, or sexualities seen as inferior and therefore excluded or “misfitting” for education (Boys, 2021, p. 18). Examples of this would be children of different abilities excluded from the traditional classroom setting or if a school is an unsafe space for students who are gender expansive. This highlighted the need for developing new, innovative, and equitable learning for all as we lived through a global pandemic together. Researchers and educators realized that there were problems with how education has been traditionally carried out and alliances such as COVIDEA have been created post-pandemic because they believe digital tools and resources should be easily accessed by all to help transform our education system. We have moved beyond seeing education as an intellectual process and are moving towards a holistic, interconnected view between humans, non-humans, and the global environment around us as well as elements that promote collective well-being such as character education, judgement, resilience, social awareness, responsible and active citizenship (COVIDEA, 2020; Ewart, 2024).

Lessons we learned from the pandemic included how education children received when they were at home was inadequate, math achievement scores suffered, educators were not held accountable for their students’ learning outcomes, and the mental and physical health of educators and students suffered since people were working in isolation (Kuhfeld et al., 2020; Bennette, 2020). Unfortunately, since administrators had not been through his before, there was no unified plan on what the expectations from either students or educators were and therefore students were not incentivized to continue learning when marking practices were removed. The most disheartening issue illuminated was that the “digital divide” was more obvious than in the past and it was the lower income communities without access to internet, technology, or the means to help children at home struggled most (Burgess et al., 2020; Bennette, 2020). Additionally, it challenged underlying assumptions that that online education is “inherently inferior to face to face” (Boys, 2021, p. 16).

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 is still affecting our health and education systems and probably will for years to come and is providing a “new foundation” on which educational technology is being built. The pandemic highlighted the interconnectedness of global health and how a pandemic affects and influences our education systems at all levels – from early to higher education. It shone a light on what was already happening in education – for better or worse. It challenged assumptions of what “education” is and that it does not have to be in-person. Some programs and universities, such as the UBC MET program, were already effectively using technology as a tool for education pre-pandemic and utilized the affordances of technology for learning. With more research being done post-pandemic and realizing where education can be reformed and improved, we can make changes using an evidence-based approach and “suitable learning design” to teaching and learning (Boys, 2021, p. 27).

References

Bennette, P. W. (2020, July 20). The educational experience has been substandard for students during COVID-19. Policy Options.

Boys, J. (2021). Exploring inequalities in the social, spatial and material practices of teaching and learning in pandemic times. Postdigital Science and Education, 4(1), 13-32.

Burgess, S., & Sievertsen, H. H. (2020, April 1). Schools, skills, and learning: The impact of COVID-19 on education. Vox.

COVID Education Alliance (COVIDEA). (2020, October). COVID EDUCATION ALLIANCE (COVIDEA) Adapting education systems to a fast changing and increasingly digital world using relevant technologies and online resources. COVIDEA Primer.

Ewart, K. (2024). Global Health [Class handout]. WebCampus. https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/130938/pages/global-health?module_item_id=6328308

Koplan, J. P., Bond, T. C., Merson, M. H., Reddy, K. S., Rodriguez, M. H., Sewankambo, N. K., Wasserheit, J. N., & Consortium of Universities for Global Health Executive Board. (2009). Towards a common definition of global health. The Lancet, 373(9679), 1993–1995.

Kuhfeld, M., Soland, J., Tarasawa, B., Johnson, A., Ruzek, E., & Lewis, K. (2020, December 3). How is COVID-19 affecting student learning? Question 2. Brown Center Chalkboard, Brookings.

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat