Category: Weekly Reflections

AI CONT.

What strategies can we employ as educators to teach the ethical and productive use of AI?

• Integrating dedicated modules on AI ethics within the curriculum enables critical discussions on the societal impact of AI.
• Hands-on projects that require students to develop and use AI applications while considering ethical implications foster a practical understanding of how to properly use AI.
• Encouraging debates between the students, and inviting guest speakers, including industry experts. This can broaden perspectives and provide real-world insights.
• Trying a cross-curricular approach combining AI ethics with different school subjects and understanding the nature of ethical decision-making.
• Continuous learning opportunities, community involvement, and leadership can further empower students to navigate AI’s complexities responsibly.
• Be upfront with students on the use of AI in the classroom and what is allowed and not allowed within that class dynamic.
• Try projects where they have to show their information rather than write their information in a document. This will hopefully encourage critical thinking and hopefully discourage plagiarism.

AI in Education

What is AI?

AI is a simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computers. It has 3 categories “Learning”, “Reasoning”, “Self-Correction”.

What are Neural Networks?

Neural networks are deep learning. Essentially it is a system that takes in data to reflect an answer and then inputs that data into its system. Once it has inputted the data it goes through some hidden steps in its programming and then outputs the answer until it finds the correct one for that sequence or question it has been asked. It is the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience.

What are Large Language Models?

LLM’s are AI systems trained on vast amounts of tech. They are capable of performing natural language processing tasks such as translation, summarization, question answering, and conversation. They analyze patterns and structures in their training data and output what it thinks may come next.

Some examples of this are

• Chat GPT
• Microsoft Bing
• Bard
• Chatbots
• Babylon
• Inworld

Positive ways AI has changed education

• Personalized learning
• Intelligent tutoring systems
• Automation of administration tasks
• Data-driven insights
• Enhanced engagement
• Accessibility
• Global Learning

Negative ways AI has changed education

1.) Evaluation and Assessment

• Disrupts conventional methods of assessment
• Writing essays
• Synthesis of concepts
• Plagiarism and false flags

2.) Issues with misinformation

• Hallucinations
• Reasoning = Probability
• Unrelated content
• Incorrect content

3.) Violation of intellectual property

• Appropriation of content made by others
• Stylistic emulation of art
• Leading to a contraction of access to information online

My opinion of AI in education

I think that AI is really the next big thing and it is pretty well as influential as when the public began to have access to the internet. I think that AI is going to completely alternate our society as well as our classrooms and whether we like it or not, it is going to be here. I think just like when the internet first came out there was a lot of pushback, but eventually just became integrated into our teaching. This is exactly what we are going to have to do with AI. Of course, there are going to be many issues and some students may use it to their advantage, but we are all in the very starting stages of this, and I think that we have plenty of time to figure out how to use it in classroom setting. We need to keep classes innovative and I think implementing AI into your education is a great way to do that. Obviously, it should never be used as a crutch for learning but I think AI will be an incredibly valuable tool to take out the busy and mundane tasks and leave more time for students to critically and creatively think.

Gamification in the classroom

What is gamification?

It incorporates game elements, game design principles, and game-like experiences to engage and motivate students while participating in educational activities to make learning more interactive, enjoyable, and effective.

What are the different types of game styles involved with gamification?

Gamification can develop abstract imaginative thinking and realize goals that they could not achieve in real life –Vygotsky

What are some limitations?

• Isn’t a huge amount available for high school learners
• Costs
• Limited time to incorporate
• Lack of technology needed
• Unsure of where to find quality content
• The school system puts an emphasis on standardized test scores

What are some resources?

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/interland

• Made by Google to gently teach kids life skills

Sci champ.ca

• Science games for kids that can be difficult but fun!

https://www.coolmathgames.com/

• Math and other problem-solving games

https://education.minecraft.net/en-us

• Teach kids using Minecraft
• Can be any project that you want. Can be science-based or even creativity-based
• FUN! Kids love Minecraft

Do you agree or disagree with this practice?

I think that everything has a time and place in moderation. I don’t think this should be the main form of how you teach content to your students, but if you can find a way to incorporate games into your curriculum you absolutely should! This is a very personal way to connect to students and may get them excited about school in ways you may never have seen before. We are seeing more and more children involved with video games outside of school, so the more ways that we can connect with them at a personal level the better! When I was in school I would have loved if my teachers used gamification in their lessons because I think it would have tricked me into thinking I was playing a game when I was actually just learning the subject in a different context.

Image by Sergey Shulgin at https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/gamification-and-gaming-technology-illustration-in-neon-style-hand-touching-dice-gm1291983539-386940248?utm_campaign=srp_photos_top&utm_content=https%3A%2F%2Funsplash.com%2Fs%2Fphotos%2Fgamification&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=unsplash&utm_term=gamification%3A%3A%3A

Accessibility in the Classroom

A disclaimer is that I was away for this lesson so I will summarize what I think the learning was about but I cannot promise complete accuracy. Much information is taken from the slides created by Guillaume.

What is accessibility in the classroom?

Accessibility in the classroom is when all learners have the same opportunities to acquire resources, interact with materials, engage in activities, and create content, regardless of disability.

What is digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility is the practice of removing barriers that prevent students from having interactions or access to websites, digital tools, and technologies

What are some basic principles of digital accessibility?

Perceivable: Everyone should be able to perceive the content, and input the information into their brain so that they can process it.

Operable: Everyone needs to be able to operate and navigate through the content.

Usable: Everyone should be able to use the content easily, without becoming lost or confused.
Robust: Everyone should be able to access the content, regardless of the technology they are using to do so.

You should include tools that all your students will be able to access and not hinder anyone’s ability to learn. You can use:

Text: Ensure the proper use of headings, and hyperlinks to ensure your content is accessible

Images: You should always include alt-text for your images. This text-based description will be read aloud by a screen reader and is also what will show up if an image is unable to load.

Video & Audio: Add captions to your videos, and many services are available including YouTube. If creating in an audio format, provide a full-text transcript.

Equality, Equity, and Inclusion

What is Equality? The assumption is that everyone benefits from the same support. This is equal treatment.

What is Equity? Everyone gets the support they need, thus producing equity.

What is Inclusion? Inequity was addressed. The systemic barrier has been removed and everyone is able to access the tools and opportunities that they need

It is important that we are reaching every student and that we are providing accessibility resources, online tools, and even using appropriate language. It is important to remember that not every disability is visible or listed in an IEP. The more accessible that you make your teaching the more students you will make comfortable and feel safe and included in your classroom.

Covid-19 in a School Setting

My experience

I was in the middle of my second year of University when the pandemic hit. Like most, I was excited at first for a two-week break from school and to get to hang out with my roommates. Unfortunately, as we know that soon changed and the entire reality of the world somehow everything came to a standstill. It is certainly never something I would have predicted to happen let alone during my undergraduate degree. Luckily (for me) in my second year most of the professors gave up before the school year came to a close so that meant most of my final exams were canceled. However, that also meant that all of our concerts and performances were canceled as well which was heartbreaking to be working so hard on a creative project and just have it wither into nothing. Another thing that was extremely disappointing was that before the pandemic started I had auditioned for an Honour University Ensemble made up of students from across North America, and I had been chosen out of hundreds of applicants to participate in the conference and travel to the States. I am not usually someone who would have applied for something like this so when I got the news that it was cancelled I was devastated! I never was able to reaudition which is sad and I always wonder what might have been and the people I would have met if I had been able to go.

School during the pandemic

Music School during the pandemic was frankly not fun. It was in fact a little depressing… The professors tried their best to change the curriculum to make it worthwhile for us but all we really wanted to do was play music together again. At times my degree felt completely worthless and extremely isolating. We mostly just used Zoom to facilitate classes but when that comes to performing music, it really doesn’t work that well. Large and Small ensembles were paused which meant the only music you were making was alone at your house. I still had private instrumental lessons, but I couldn’t afford a microphone which meant most of my lesson sound would cut out it was a challenge for not only myself but also for my teacher because sometimes she had no way to tell what I was playing to give me feedback in real-time. Not all of it was bad though. I am thankful in a way that it was online because I had to take one of the hardest classes of my degree and I truly and honestly don’t think I would have passed the course if I had not been able to take it online. I had already failed it twice and at that point, I was really considering dropping out of my entire degree if I could not pass. The professor was brutal and was notorious for making exams that were way too hard and way too long to do in the time period of an hour leaving countless people to fail just because they didn’t have time to complete the exam. Because it was online she had to make the time to take the test time longer than normal and I took the entire 8 hours of exam time to finish the test! I am actually very thankful I was able to take that course online because I don’t think I’d be writing this paragraph in this degree if it were for taking that course online.

I think that everything happens for a reason even if it may seem awful at the time. Even though I was saved by doing that one course online, the fact that I couldn’t play music with my friends outweighed any of that. If I had the option I would probably choose to have classes in person, but I think having the choice to have some classes online is really helpful!

Digital Content Creation

This week I used the tool Designer to create a Banner which I have added to this reflection post as well as another one to my week 4 inquiry post. It was really fun to start with a template and then be able to expand on this idea! It was honestly very straightforward, and I felt that there was a lot of creativity you could have in the project once you found your template. It is one of those tools that make your life easier but don’t necessarily take away your ability to actually create. In that sense, it is a great tool for a student to use when creating projects.

Screencastify

I realized that I forgot to add my Screencastify recording to one of my other blog posts so I figured since we were talking about tools for digital creation this would be a great place to add it in!

Benefits and Drawbacks of teaching new technologies in the classroom

Our most recent class

Just reflecting on our most recent class, even though it is a technology-specific course there were still issues with using that technology. It is always tricky when it comes to tech because no matter how prepared the teacher is to teach that subject, there can be many different factors to which it will be successful. The biggest thing is that you must be flexible to change and adapt on the spot just in case something doesn’t go to plan. In our last class even though we were set up to use HP5 many of us couldn’t log onto the program which was a setback for many students. Luckily Rich was able to modify the lesson making learning still accessible for everyone involved.

Evaluating Risk vs. Reward

1.) Accessibility: You must make sure that this new technology is accessible to all of the learners in your class. You don’t want to create any inequities in the classroom.

2.) Trial Period: Before you even introduce that technology to the classroom you should conduct a trial period where you evaluate whether or not it will work for your classroom, and if the technology even works at all.

3.) Assess the Reliability: Research and assess the reliability of the technology. Read reviews, talk to colleagues who have used it, and consider its track record for stability and accessibility.

4.) Feedback and Adaption: Collect feedback from students and be prepared to adapt or even abandon the technology depending on the experiences that the students had with it.

What are some steps for success while using new technology in the classroom?

• Have some sort of backup plan just in case the technology fails.
• Make sure that both you and your students have proper training on the technology and that you are providing clear instructions and examples for them to follow.
• Understand that technology might be frustrating for some of your students and they might need extra support.
• Create proper communication between you and your students just in case they need to ask for guidance on a topic.
• Be flexible with the material you are teaching. Not everyone may understand right away and that is OK. You need to be ready to adapt your lesson to make sure you keep everyone’s learning on track.
• After the lesson is complete assess how impactful the technology was, and if it was the right method for the students in your class to learn. Not every technology you introduce will be successful or impactful for your learners and that is alright!

SAMR Theory of Technology

What is the SAMR Model?

Essentially it is an educational framework that helps educators integrate technology more effectively into their teaching. This concept is split into 4 categories which represent the levels of technology integration.

What are the 4 levels of the SAMR model?

Substitution: At this level, technology is used as a direct substitute for a traditional tool or task without any significant functional change.

Augmentation: Technology enhances the task or tool in some way, which offers improvements in efficiency.

Modification: Technology begins to significant task redesign. It allows for the redesign of activities that were previously impossible without technology.

Redefinition: At this level, it is the highest use of technology integration, where technology enables entirely new tasks or experiences that were completely inconceivable without it. It transforms the teaching and the learning process.

How can you implement the SAMR model in the Music classroom?

There are many ways you can use this model in the music classroom, but here are some examples for each level

Substitution: Digital Sheet Music. Instead of using printed sheet music, students can access digital sheet music on tablets. This substitution saves paper.

Augmentation: Digital Tuners. Using tuning apps that provide real-time feedback on instrumental tuning offers a more precise and immediate response than regular traditional tuners.

Modification: Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). Integrating programs like GarageBand or Ableton Live for music production and recording projects enables students to experiment with sound.

Redefinition: Online Collaborative Performances. Students can collaborate with musicians from other locations through video conferencing or calls and perform together in real time.

Why is the SAMR model of learning helpful?

The SAMR model encourages educators to progress through these levels, aiming for more transformative uses of technology rather than merely substituting traditional methods. This method really helps educators think about how technology can support and enhance learning.

Fair Use Copyright Laws

So what is Fair Use?

Fair use is a legal policy that allows limited use of copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright owner. It is intended to promote free expression and creativity, while still protecting the rights of creators.

Why is Fair Use important?

It helps balance copyright laws with the need for freedom of creative expression. It is important that we give credit to the original source but also respect the fact that your work could be subject to interpretation in society.

Issues with Fair Use

The biggest issue with Fair Use is that it lacks clear rules and guidelines. This makes it difficult to predict whether a source of copyrighted material will be considered fair use or not. This problem can lead to legal disputes.

When in doubt if the content you are using is Fair Use, just give credit! You have nothing to lose by crediting the original source

Personal Story on Fair Use

I was listening to an Indigenous elder share a story about the music they had created. They shared with me that in the 90’s she, a few community members, and friends sang music together, and had even recorded one of their traditional and ceremonial songs. She said that one day she was watching the television and a beer commercial popped up and the song that they had recorded was playing in the background of the commercial. She was shocked because not only was this her music that they were using without permission and payment, but it was also a traditional song from her culture which she had certainly not given permission to any companies to use. She called the company immediately to ask them to remove the song and they said it was Fair Use because there was no copyright on the song. Unfortunately, nothing she could say or do would persuade them to remove the song and she and the other musicians were given no credit or payment for their work.

What could she have done differently?

Unfortunately, I am not sure. There was no copyright on the music, so technically it was Fair Use. Should you have to copyright culturally significant music so large companies do not use it to their advantage? In my opinion, I don’t think exploiting a traditional piece of music for your own personal gain (especially assuming that this company is run by a Caucasian male) is appropriate even in the slightest! This is just an example of the “grey areas” of Fair Use and how these situations can become quite complicated.