Category Archives: ETEC540

Task 6 – An Emoji Story

For this task, I chose to use the last movie I watched and I focused on words and ideas to convey messages about the movie. I didn’t rely on or even think about syllables when conducting my plot using emojis. I did not start with the title because I found it difficult to find emojis on the keyboard I used (https://emojikeyboard.io/) to accurately represent the title so I ended up developing the title last. I ended up using emojis that best fit its name given the available emojis. During this time, I challenged myself to not switch the keyboard to a more diversified one or my movie up to choose one that I could more accurately represent with emojis. This made the task quite challenging for me as I filtered through each emoji page many times before deciding on the most accurate title and plot. According to Kress, modes of representation influence the meaning behind messages and it is important for educators to engage with the affordances of new media (2005).  In conducting my movie emoji plot, I was mindful of the different meanings each emoji could convey to different people and therefore, tried my best to stick to the basics by not using too many emojis and by being strategic in the chosen emojis that would most clearly communicate the plot. In addition, the placement of the emojis made a difference in the message I was trying to convey. If I wrote the plot as a continuous emoji train, the message would convey an even more diverse set of meanings. Furthermore, the plot length for this task was open-ended which also played a role in my decision to not overuse emojis in my plot.

In addition, Kress also makes a good point that, “aptness of mode and what is represented is not the only issue, equally significant now is the aptness of fit between mode and audience” (2005, p. 19). This led me to reflect upon the varying emoji keyboards that exist in new media today and how they consistently get updated to more accurately reflect the society we live in. 

This task also had me thinking about how educators can use every day new media like emojis in the classroom as a means for learning and communication. I haven’t tried implementing emojis in any way in my classroom but I believe it has potential for more connected and engaged learning for students. Emojis serve as a non-verbal means of communication which could be beneficial especially in diverse learning communities.

Task 3 – Voice to Text

So today they finally announced the walk 30 challenge winner it was a five week health promotion campaign that was a competition between the city of Burnaby in the city of new Westminster and so they’re not finally announced the weather today unfortunately Bernie did not win new Westminster one but we all did really well and it was super fun because my class actually got a honorary mention for walking the most to school for all of the classes in Burnaby and new Westminster that participated so that was really fun I’m so proud of the kids they were super happy that they actually won were not one but they were recognized for their hard work and for their efforts in this challenge so yeah today was also a super active day we played our very first basketball game that was fun we played four on four and the kids were able to learn some basketball rules and they actually learned how to play a real basketball game they practice their shooting their dribbling their passing and like I said they were able to learn some of the actual rules to play a real basketball game so they were pretty pumped about that and they actually did really well it looked like a real basketball game they one of the kids actually got three shots and another student was able to get to and I really enjoyed watching my students show good sportsmanship today and then on Friday we’re going to be having sports day it’s the first sports day for some of my students in grade 3 who have never actually had a sports day because of Covid so that’s exciting a super eventful week this week for the kids at school we’re also going to be watching a play tomorrow at Burnaby Mountain it’s called beauty and the beast so we’re gonna be walking down to Burnaby Mountain to watch the high school students perform I’m so Nother kind of walking field trip for my kids tomorrow and then sports on Friday they have early dismissal I’m so lots going on in the schools this week lots to be proud about the kids are just really enjoying being at school which is great the weather made a difference today students were excited and because it was sunny we how do you spend at least sometime in the afternoon outside playing in the sun definitely have to make the most of it while we have it

 

Reflection:

This task especially made me reflect on the ongoing and recent advancements with voice-to-text applications. From my experience, more people are using voice-to-text applications nowadays because the technology with it has improved significantly in recent years. For myself, previously, it was more of a hassle to use voice-to-text applications because the written text would be so incorrect that you would have to manually edit it anyways. Now, the voice-to-text technology is so advanced that it actually makes sense to use because it makes texting easier. For example, when I was recording myself, I noticed that the text was being edited as I was talking once the application had a better idea of the topic that I was talking about. It was able to recognize that some words did not make sense given the context and was deleting and adding words while still recording what I was saying. It was interesting for me to see the application editing the written text and recording my voice at the same time. 

Despite these advancements with voice-to-text applications, the text still deviates from conventions of written English. For instance, the text is one big run-on sentence where there are no commas or periods present, even though I made pauses throughout my recording. I also found that the application was able to pick up on some conventions of written English but not all. For example, it used apostrophes correctly and recognized when to use some capital letters. The application was able to recognize that days of the week and cities should be capitalized, although I found it surprising that it did not recognize “New Westminster” as a place. It only recognized “Westminster” as a place, even though “Burnaby” was recognized and is beside New Westminster on a map. One might assume that this resulted because the word “new” is most commonly used as an adjective and not to name a city and the application was not able to pick up on this function too (I wonder if it would have recognized New York). This stood out to me because there is evidence in the text that the application is quite multifunctional. For example, I noticed that the application used homophones such as their and they’re correctly in the written text, knew how to correctly write numbers (30 vs. thirty; five vs. 5), and even recognized “Burnaby Mountain” as a place.

Overall, the written text was pretty accurate and reflected what I was saying. I do believe my knowledge and experience with voice-to-text applications played a role in this accuracy and made a significant difference in the outcome of the written text. For example, I found myself to be naturally talking a bit slower than I would in a normal conversation because I know to do this when I am using a voice-to-text application. It’s also important to speak clearly and this task reminded me just how clear I am needing to be for the written translation to be correct. I also noticed that I use the word “and” and “um” a lot orally. 

Oral storytelling differs from written storytelling in many ways. The most obvious to me is that you need to be literate for written storytelling – anyone can speak orally but not everyone can write. Writing is done more deliberately and in order to do so there are many conventions of language that are necessary to first understand. With oral storytelling, it is often more informal which is also shown in the translation of the voice-to-text application that deviated from conventions of written English. 

Hi! Welcome to my blog!

This is my current bulletin board outside of my classroom.

Hi Everyone! Thanks for being here! I’m so excited to learn with you all and to explore different platforms for text technologies together!

My name is Georgia. I was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. I have been a classroom teacher for two years and I am currently teaching a grade 3/4 class in Burnaby, BC. I am a primary and intermediate trained teacher with a strong passion for dance and learning through the arts, sustainability and outdoor education, and educational technology. I take an individualized and personal approach to student learning through collaboration and community. Prior to becoming a classroom teacher, I spent many years in the education field working as a Training Coordinator for a large insurance company, Dance Instructor at an Elementary School, and a Tutor for K-7 students. In all three professions, educational technology has played an impactful role for engaging, empowering, and connecting learners.

Kuma and Kobe enjoying their walk.

Check out my furry friends! On the left we have Kuma, he is the newest member of the family, he is a one year old Bernese Mountain/Toy Poodle cross. He is actually my brother’s dog but is one of my roommates, so same thing right?! On the right is Kobe, he is a ten year old Shih Tzu/Toy Poodle cross. Kobe I got when I was in my second year of University and he has been by my side through all of life’s ups and downs since. The two of them together are still trying to figure out how to share their toys!

 

Task 1 – What’s in my bag?

This is my work bag that I carry around with me five days a week. whats in my bag

The items in my bag include:

  • Another bag filled with some of my personal necessities such as wet wipes, hand sanitizer, band aids, bobby pins, tied to go, pen/pencil, chapstick 
  • Laptop and charger
  • Cellphone (not featured as it was used to take the photo)
  • Sunglasses
  • Wallet (includes ID cards, bank cards, gift cards, scan card for work)
  • Keys
  • Water bottle
  • Coffee cup
  • Lunch bag
  • Speaker
  • Dog treats

The text technologies in my bag include my laptop and cellphone that help me learn and stay connected. These items make it known that I personally value and enjoy using technology on a regular basis. My laptop charger that is carried around with me further points to the extent that I use technology. As a classroom teacher, my laptop plays an important role in the way I communicate with my students and peers. In addition, my cellphone has become both my planner and wallet that helps me stay organized and demonstrates the value I place in technology for both language and communication. 

The items in my bag best speak to my health, digital, financial, and cultural literacies that I have developed over time. My water bottle and lunch bag best speak to my health literacy. I always pack a home-made lunch and strive to make something that I look forward to eating (lunch is a big deal for me!). The dog treats in my bag could also represent my health literacy as I bring treats on all of my walks with my dogs. My laptop and cellphone best represent the value I uphold in digital literacy and learning through technology. My keys and wallet speak to my financial literacy in which saving, budgeting, and planning are important for obtaining both a car and financial cards. My wallet also includes my identification cards and some gift cards that I received from my students from Christmas which reflect my identity and lifestyle. The gift cards are for Chapters and Sephora, I enjoy reading and pampering myself with a relaxing face mask. My sunglasses, speaker, coffee cup, and personal bag, best speak to my cultural literacy in which I value travelling and being in the sun, listening to music, and ‘being prepared’ for every day tasks. My coffee cup and personal bag help me to feel prepared for my day. In addition, I especially love travelling to explore different cultures and to enhance my cultural literacy. 

I believe the items in my bag also reflect my teaching style. For example, my speaker is used often to play music for my students and reflects the sense of play I try to incorporate. My sunglasses are part of my daily bag as I enjoy taking my students and the learning outside quite often. We recently just finished a community health promotion campaign put on by the city of Burnaby in which my class walked for 30 minutes every day for five weeks. During this time, we took the learning outside while also prioritizing our health and wellness, which are both emphasized in my teaching practice. Furthermore, the technology readily available in my bag is used daily in my classroom to enhance the learning environment. 

The main difference that stands out to me when reflecting on what my bag would have looked like in past years is the technology. Technology these days is a lot more accessible and highly encouraged in the school systems. An archeologist trying to understand my bag in future years might assume that I live an active lifestyle.