Month: December 2023

https://www.pgpl.ca/

The Prince George Public Library graciously hosted us and gave us a presentation. They focused on services, kits available for teachers, how to do anything there, and a tour of the building.

The biggest surprise was that they host adult education and provide them with tutoring and internet services. The library is a place for everyone. Learning and entertainment. There were also games, movies, and music!

For teachers, there are a huge array of kits for teaching. They can provide resources that might not be otherwise available at your current school. This way, resources can be equal in the community and be available for anyone for free!

Online resources are also a huge part of the library. The world is moving more and more towards online technology. The library is there to facilitate resources but also teach anyone how to use them.

A library is more than a compilation of books. It is also resources that might be expensive or unaccessible for some, community building art and other events, education and literacy of physical resources and digital media, and entertainment to take a break that includes magazines, music, movies, etc.

Going to the library can be a solo discovery or a group activity. Looking up the events the library offers can help you find community in a new town. If you are new to Prince George, visit the local library and talk to a librarian, they could set you on a new adventure to find like-minded individuals who enjoy the same subjects as you. They don’t only sort books but can also catalogue your interests!

Noelle Pepin presented us with the opportunity to integrate beading and the binary code. It was an amazing experience! I get compliments on my necklace all the time.

I chose the word purpose because I have found purpose in my teaching, why I am teaching, and the reminder to continue with purpose every day!

The teaching perfectly summarized the spirit of the First People’s Principal of Learning in the BC Curriculum. It is hands-on beading that is entertaining, builds a conversational piece, and shows students the binary code. The restriction of the necklace also shows the students actively the rules of “space” in data saved using binary. It was a great conversation with my peers to understand a new digital language that it is usually unavailable in our reality but only digital, but now in our hands!

My Indigenous friends and I from various First Nations communities have discussed how there is a fine line that might be crossed by the introduction of Indigenous culture that is being adapted and then resold to them as part of education. This is a topic of discussion that has perplexed everyone I ask. It is important to remember the intention of why we teach something and to not appropriate culture. We can avoid this by asking the people who are part of that culture to present it to our students or at least for permission from the community we intend to quote. The least we can always do is to mention where it comes from and how it is practiced. Some of these communities have not had the chance to practice their culture and we need to remember the privilege it is to share these spaces with them.

The artist in this case was portraying how she felt about the overuse of plastics and how it affects the ocean. Climate change is upon us and an art piece can make you feel things and reflect on things that might not be here yet but are in the close future.

We do not always understand what the artists want to portray right away, but the art in front of us is a reflection of how they see the world. It is important to see the art, admire it, understand how it makes us feel, then see the name of the piece, admire it again and see if we see it in a different light, then read the description and analyze your feelings of what you analyzed and what the artist meant to convey.

This art installation was close to my heart. The town I grew up in Acapulco always had art installations about the use of plastic and how pollution was affecting the oceans. My fondest memory is of my mom and I going to clean reafs since I was in the first grade. The old memory of the impactful pieces of the past brought back memories but also made me hypercritical of the art. I had to fight my bias and see it with fresh eyes to find enjoyment with my peers.

The town of Acapulco was just completely devastated by one of the strongest hurricanes the world has ever seen. The town that saw me grow up and gave my childhood so much meaning will take decades to recover from such a tragedy. Some close relatives have not recovered from it. Climate change is here and it is devastating our reality. It is not a thing of when, but where you will be when it affects you and your loved ones.

The visit from Science World made me realize (AHA) a couple of things:

Aha: Digital literacy is about being able to read and know what is been presented on a website and about 79% of students only judge what we see in front of us.

Aha: Lateral reading is a skill that can be taught to students to debunk fake websites. Skills that they can practice getting better at filtering the information that is presented to them online.

But it left me with a couple of questions:

Hmmm:

• How do we teach digital literacy if the students don’t always have access?
• How do we teach this to K-5?
• How do we help the students when the parents give them too much access? the problem)

It is important to always talk about advancements in technology with our peers, but also with our students and younger people; they are usually the ones who hear about those technologies faster than us as they have more time to access information online. We also get used to what we have and work, but younger generations always want what is newest and brightest to get away from adults.

There is a saying from kids I’ve heard, “Once my parents find that platform and learn to use it, we need to find a new one”. As they get older they want to reach older or more targetted generations, they join different websites meant for the “aging people”. I was there when MySpace was the “it” thing and facebook was first invented…

SparkLab: “It’s a community driven initiative, born out of a passion for sparking positive change”

• Vision: catalyst for transformative innovation.
• The sessions are designed to kindle curiosity.

Some machines are unaffordable, and they cannot be placed in each classroom or school. Access to places like WIDC that have machines like 3D printers, lasers, high-tech engineering machines, etc. is important so students have access to see what technology can bring to the future.

• The combination of expertise, high-end hardware, and latest software all in one place is easily incorporated in the Curriculum with Educational Plans and field trips.
• This brings accessibility to the community and inspires the kids to join the field of technology.

3D-Printing can bring cheap access to different pieces of engineering and topographical maps that would not be accessible in other ways and the feel and touch parts bring it to their other senses in ways that pictures can’t. The software needed to create the 3D models also teaches the students how to program and create something in digital space and time, which then can be printed into our own reality.

Digital literacy is an important skill to have in today’s technology-based world.

The Ministry of Education and Childcare defines digital literacy as “the interest, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others”.

The Digital Literacy Framework is also mentioned, and it elaborates in six characteristics identified by BC educational leaders. They are based on National Educations Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S) developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

The characteristics are:

1. Research and Information Literacy: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
2. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
3. Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
4. Digital Citizenship: Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.
5. Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/resources-for-teachers/digital-literacy

“A digital footprint – sometimes called a digital shadow or an electronic footprint – refers to the trail of data you leave when using the internet. It includes websites you visit, emails you send, and information you submit online. A digital footprint can be used to track a person’s online activities and devices. Internet users create their digital footprint either actively or passively.”

I have learnt about digital footprint for a long time. We have all heard of the one friend who is good at tracking people through pictures on social media and other posts and basically finds anything about them… I was one of those people!

The realization that I and some friends were so good at doing that made me aware of how easy it could be for other people to find you. Continuously clearing my cookies and not accepting everything online should always be in our minds, “what am I really agreeing to in order to see this content?”

This is when I went through a long couple of days to delete myself from as many newsletters and go through the process of not just closing or suspending my account, but deleting my information as much as I could. I also constantly “clean” my social media friend’s list, eliminate anyone I am not close to and carefully add only people I trust. This way only people that I have added can google or find me.

I then realized I had given my email way too many times to retailers, websites, social media, etc. and now they had access to my email, then I gave my email and phone number somewhere else, and now they had access to that as well. The thing we do not realize is that data sets of our information can be sold by the people we provide our information to. We never sit and read the whole “Apple privacy contract”, they sell our activity to businesses and then flood us with advertisements that are targeted to us, then we are surprised they know us… spoiler alert! you permitted them to pry into your life.

Creating this website has been a challenge for me as I do not like to share too much online. But I overshare in person… However, not all digital footprints are bad either! Companies use their digital footprint so you can find them more easily. Posting a popular dance on TikTok can lead them to see your bio, then other social media platforms or websites that they can access to acquire your services or purchase your products.

We have to remember that footprints are left everywhere we go, in real life and digitally and we have to be careful what doors we open and what we access.

Here are some tips for you to be careful about what you portray with your digital footprint:
– Be careful about what you share, where you share it and with whom!
– Be smart about the sites you visit (fake ones are hard to spot! Learn the subtle differences), do not open emails that aren’t from someone you didn’t ask, and very importantly DO NOT click on links you receive!!

Here are some tips for your students to manage their digital footprint:

1. Be kind, helpful, and understanding
2. Use privacy settings
3. Keep a list of accounts you own – do not leave any open!
4. Don’t overshare! particularly in open websites or where strangers can access them
5. Use a password keeper (Apple or Google have safe encryption)
6. Google yourself – you can see what others can see!
7. Monitor linking accounts – facebook can link with Instagram and TikTok, etc. providing them with more information that you might want to give.
8. Consider using an anonymous secondary email.
9. At least skim the terms and conditions – key words such as “sale or will never sell” are important.
10. Know that sending is like publishing-forever – someone could keep that information as screenshots, etc.
11. Understand that searches are social – You could ask your students to google each other and see what they come up with.
12. Use digital tools to manage your digital footprint

Always tell your students about the consequences of online footprints. You might learn something you didn’t know yourself!

Reference is taken from the following website:
https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/what-is-a-digital-footprint

As I grew up in Lillooet and have many Indigenous friends, I have shared many fire circles before. Not one has ever been the same. Whoever leads the circle always sets the intention, and the intentions you bring to that day set the whole ceremony.

The artist Clayton Gauthier who spoke and opened the ceremony that day brought to us a perspective about art and the healing it can bring us.

Later, we shared in a drumming circle. I was able to connect with so many people in the circle through music in a way that is so different than any other. Music does not need conversation yet brings emotions that are shared through the tones of the voices singing together and the drums pulsing through your heart. My best friend had just passed away, and the drummers decided to play the “Eagle song”, which is a song about healing after someone passed away. When we played it, I could not help but feel my emotions and break all my barriers. Also, the support and connection I felt through the people around me without even talking was directly healing my emotions in ways I didn’t expect.

Circles are supposed to give us all voice. Traditionally we have whoever speaks in front of us and the rest of the people listen. Whoever speaks never sees the backs of the people in front of them or that is considered rude. In a circle, everyone has an equal opportunity to talk and be listened to, there is no leader above anyone and no need to stand in front stage. You also have people around you to support you if you need it and the audience is on equal footing with everyone. A community should be heard equally, supported beside each other, and could be leaders with their people. We all have something to share and sometimes we cannot stand in front of a room because it makes us feel vulnerable and alone; in this way, a circle of sharing is superior as you will never feel alone or like you are the only person with all eyes on you but an equal member of the community with all.

Inclusive Standard 9 in education.

On September 18th I had the privilege to attend a professional development day with speaker Niigan Sinclair.

It was a great insightful day with other teacher friends and sharing space with them about community. The best lesson I took from this day was that if you want to understand a community it is as easy as being involved with that community. Openess of mind and heart, as well as investing your time with them in an honest and accepting manner are thing that would genuanly help you diversify and open your circles.

Notes about the event:

The speaker’s father is the person that put forward the “Truth & Reconciliation”.

Teaching Youth to Make a Fire:

• Be in the cold, grab the right type of wood, make sure is dry, struggle to start it, make it bigger, keep it going, etc.
• This is a metaphor to be a father, have a job, etc.
• Fire ceremonies and how they teach young people about their relationships with their bodies, biology, science, etc.
  Indigenous communities have always had education. Usually taught down through stories, experiences in ceremony, and hands on work through their parents and elders that specialized on a specific task.

“The foundation of Indigenous Education was to create healthy and sustainable relationships in every step of life”.

“Learning was a holistic, lifelong process based on primarily localized, experimental learning and formal/intentional education process”.

First Nations Holistic Lifelong Learning Model:

• Source council on learning: “Redefine how success is measured in First Nations, Inuit, and Metis learning” (Ottawa, 2007).
  Teach roots based on ancestry, community, language, etc.

We have been taught that Indigenous People don’t matter as they are not represented anywhere.

• What is our relationship with Indigenous People and how do we allow them to have representation.
• What is success in schooling?
• Where are Indigenous students in this model? Or the current educational model?
• How are Indigenous and Canadian students doing in this model?
  o Furthermore, how is the measure of this success equitable to quality of life, job opportunities, and overall health?
  o We had said in the past that grad equal success. What did this mean? Go out in the world and go make money?
  o Is our job to prepare students for employment only? How do we measure goodness? (Educated Citizen should mean to share and be kind as well).
• Creating individuals that are graded on a curve become competitive and if you do not achieve that top spot, where does that leave you in life and how you succeed? Capitalism has given us an individualistic mentality where it equals employability.
  o This model does not work with kindness and generosity.

Some Challenges to Indigenous education:

• The will to change including political, social, and emotional.
• Finding, commitments, emotional, etc.
• (Mis)Understanding
• Resources
• Fear
• Time
• Anything else?

Reconciliation cannot ever be a lesson plan:

• How do we teach to students that one group matters more than the other?
• What is learnt in the hallways?
• Creating employable Canadians that can work with Indigenous Communities.

The School as a Social System:
“Change the liveability of the culture”.

Factors in successful Indigenous programs:

1. Relationship
2. Relevance
3. Respect
4. Responsibility
   The biggest formula for Indigenous Student success is relationships.

“Indigenous education is education for all!”