Category: Weekly Reflections

Reflection: Final Video Project

For our final video, we created a video about an online ELA class on Zoom, set in an dystopian alternative universe where COVID-19 resurfaces in 2024 in a world where students now can use ChatGPT and other AI tools (which were not available as widely in the height of the 2020 pandemic).

To capture the challenges of online learning, which many of us experienced during the pandemic, we included both scripted and unscripted elements. For instance, David deliberately kept his camera off at the start of the call to replicate common disruptions in virtual classrooms.

We also encountered actual technical issues (of course…), such as our faces being hidden during portions of the screen sharing. Since our initial in-class presentation discussed the inaccessibility of technology for some students, we decided not to edit out these difficulties, emphasizing the reality of such barriers. The Zoom call was screen-recorded: a skill we have the opportunity to learn during our free inquiry tutorials.

We aimed to integrate a discussion of AI ethics into the lesson in a way that would resonate with a grade 8 English Language Arts class. We focused on the drawbacks of relying on AI in educational settings and in creative projects, talking about that fact that while AI can be a useful tool, it is possible that its overuse in schools risks students losing the change to develop critical writing and thinking skills.

The lesson also featured Canva’s storyboarding tool, which we explored as a potential classroom resource. After trying various platforms, we found Canva to be the most user-friendly and accessible. Although some features require a paid subscription, we didn’t find this to be a significant obstacle and successfully created storyboards with the free version. However, we did have one of our students address this drawback in our script.

In my future teaching practice, I plan to facilitate classroom discussions about AI ethics, encouraging students to reflect on the ethical implications of these technologies. My ideas about incorporating this can be found in my final EdTech tutorial.

Notes on Role Selection and Participation:
This project was a collaborative effort, with all group members contributing to the research and design. For the final video, everyone appeared on-screen as either a teacher or student, except for myself, as I took on the editing portion of the project’s creation.

Jeff Hopkins, the founder and co-principal of the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII), visited our class to talk about the school’s unique vision: challenging conventional ideas about education and offering a school that can truly center student curiosity and individuality.

Photo credit: PSII

PSII is far from the typical schools I’ve been in, from my own high school to the Link2Practice observations I have had at Royal Bay Secondary School. Its philosophy is rooted in the idea of designing education around the needs, interests, and potential of each learner, emphasizing the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Jeff explained that ZPD, the space where learners are just beyond their comfort zone but supported enough to succeed, requires recognizing three key components:

Photo credit: Eliott Reyna

1. Every student is unique.
2. Learning and progress happen at different rates for everyone.
3. A variety of environments and approaches are essential for fostering growth.

At PSII, students are encouraged to pursue their interests and questions at their own pace, with guidance from educators, creating a dynamic educational experience.

Photo credit: Yan Berthemy

Jeff’s presentation has me rethinking how I can incorporate elements of PSII’s philosophy into my future teaching practice, especially in drama and creative writing. One way to do this is by giving students autonomy in their assignments. For example, instead of assigning the same project to everyone, I could offer a range of options or let students propose their own ideas. Whether it’s writing a script, creating a short story, performing a monologue, or designing a storyboard, students could choose the format that best aligns with their interests and strengths.

Photo credit: George Pak

I have had some interest in working in International Baccalaureate education in the future, and PSII’s philosophy really reminds me of the goals, values, and mission of IB. I would be interested in visiting PSII in the future and seeing how they achieve their mission in practice!

Photo credit: bcedaccess.com/

In my journey as an educator, creating an inclusive and equitable learning environment has always been at the forefront of my teaching philosophy. In fact, in 2021 I launched Better With Music Theatre School, a recreational performing arts program focussed on the promotion and implementation of inclusion, accessibility and diversity in musical theatre. Unfortunately, due to a COVID-19 pandemic resurgence the project was prematurely shut down, but it was an amazing experience to connect with eager performing arts youth from all walks of life, and is a memory I cherish.

Photo credit: Emily Eymundson (Better With Music Theatre School)

Recently in our class, we had the privilege of learning from Kaori Lau and Tracy Humphreys of BCEdAccess, who provided invaluable insights into the barriers students with disabilities face and strategies to foster inclusion. Their presentation emphasized the power of thoughtful design, technology, and community in ensuring every student feels seen, supported, and empowered.

BCEdAccess emphasizes recognizing and addressing systemic challenges in education, particularly for students with disabilities or complex learning needs. One stark reality they highlighted is the wait time and financial burden families face when seeking assessments, often leaving students without the support they need for years. As educators, we cannot control systemic processes, but we can create spaces where all learners can thrive, regardless of whether they have an official “designation.”

Photo credit: SHVETS production

In drama and dance, this starts with acknowledging the diversity of abilities in the classroom and designing lessons that allow everyone to participate meaningfully. Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which BCEdAccess aligns with, offers a framework for achieving this, and whose resources I plan to access throughout my career.

In a dance class, technology can facilitate participation through visual aids or slowed-down video demonstrations for students needing extra time to process movement. This is actually something I already do for my students in my dance studio jobs, and I will consider this and other tools for my future drama classes as well.

Photo credit: CottonBro Studio

Ultimately, what resonated most from the BCEdAccess session was the reminder that inclusion is an ongoing process of learning, reflection, and adaptation. As I continue to grow as an educator, I will prioritize seeking out even more resources to better understand how I can support all learners.

My goal is to create drama and dance classrooms that not only teach performance skills but also foster a culture of empathy, understanding, and inclusivity – spaces where every student feels they belong.

Photo credit: Photo Wunderkind

There are many reasons to discourage students from using AI to complete their assignments and schoolwork: questions about plagiarism, ethical concerns regarding creativity and the arts, students not learning for themselves… but my primary concern goes beyond personal implications to wider consequences of AI overuse. As soon as I became aware of generative AI, my first worry was environmental implications, and after doing a wide breadth of research, it seems I have reason to be concerned.

Photo credit: Solen Feyissa

According to Golestan Radwan, the Chief Digital Officer of the United Nations Environment Programme, “there is still much we don’t know about the environmental impact of AI but some of the data we do have is concerning.” Most large-scale AI deployments operate in data centres, and the electronics they have create a significant amount of electronic waste, such as lead and mercury, and require staggering amounts of power to use. In addition, the water usage required for cooling the systems drains a significant resource from our already struggling planet. Furthermore, “the number of data centres has surged to 8 million from 500,000 in 2012, and experts expect the technology’s demands on the planet to keep growing” (UNEP, 2024). 

Photo credit: Mr. Bochelly

Teachers strive to prepare students for the challenges of the modern world, and AI has become a transformative force, reshaping industries, communication, and problem-solving. It’s crucial to educate students not only about the positive potentials of AI but also about its implications for our planet. Educating students about the environmental impact of AI aligns with a broader mission of fostering responsible global citizens. Today’s learners are tomorrow’s innovators, policymakers, and consumers. By giving them the tools to understand and address the unintended consequences of AI, we’re empowering them to create a sustainable future.

Photo credit: Kaboompics.com

It is my firm belief that teachers have a duty to their students, and the wider world, to be transparent about both the positive and negative effects of AI with their students. Especially with youth, who may not yet have figured out how to obtain research from reputable sources about the impact of their daily choices, the teacher can and should help students access important information about shifts in technology and the benefits and risks they may pose to the world. 

Photo credit: Laura Chouette

In a presentation given by social media expert Jesse Miller, the educators of tomorrow were made aware that “adolescents engaged in extracurricular activities reported significantly less recreational screen time” and that “mental health was best when youth participated in extracurriculars”. The correlation is clear: when students are participating in a fun, interactive, in-person activity, their eyes and minds are not able to be occupied by their phones or other devices. However, with a major shift to digital schooling and extracurricular activities in the COVID-19 pandemic, new barriers to in-person activities may have been created. What do these barriers look like, and what are the resolutions to them? Moreover, in dealing with a generation of youth who have spent a major part of their schooling online, how can the educator facilitate a comfortable and successful extracurricular activity in person?

Many students became accustomed to digital platforms for both learning and extracurriculars, leading to new challenges in re-establishing in-person engagement. Some common barriers include social anxiety, increased technology dependence, and concerns about health and safety. These barriers have me thinking about some ways to combat over-reliance on technology in the classroom and reintegration of extracurriculars in youth culture.

Photo Credit: Max Fischer

An idea I have for integrating this into the classroom is to begin with blending digital tools and activities with non-digital ones. If students are more confident working with technology and it helps them begin their educational journey, it would not make sense to “rip off the bandaid” and expect them to just jump into non-digital setups with confidence. I am considering gamifying some learning activities, and then creating physical activities to add to the mix. Slowly, I will integrate more activities that don’t involve devices than ones that do.

Photo credit: Ernest Ghazaryan

In terms of extracurriculars, the challenge is getting students to engage, especially if it doesn’t involve their phones or tablets. This may make students less likely to want to get involved if they don’t know the options that might speak to them, or the benefits that getting involved might have in their lives. Perhaps some students hesitate to join clubs because they’re unsure what to expect, adding to the anxiety their phones are already creating. Rather than making students sign up and commit right away, I think that offering trial sessions or one-time events where they can experience the activity without committing long-term could help bridge this gap.

Photo credit: Mikhail Nilov

Also, if students are accomplishment-driven, sharing club achievements, photos, and stories during assemblies, in newsletters, or on school websites and social media could help create a sense of accomplishment and add to the incentive. Additionally, recognizing student efforts can inspire others to join and build pride in the school community, thus helping the clubs and other organizations grow!

Image source: Mariana Pedrosa (Royalty Free Image)

In a lecture regarding the online presence of the educator with Dr. Michael Paskevicius, safety and privacy were the key points that stuck out to me. As someone who has been teaching in recreational dance and drama classes for years, I was given the opportunity to reflect on the differences in allowance of students in educator’s online content when it comes to the recreational sphere versus the public or private school classroom.

Part of my duty as a dance instructor hired by recreational performing arts organizations is to contribute to the promotion of the classes I teach. This is a way to ensure the longevity of not only the business’ success, but the security of my own position there – if no students sign up for my classes, I am out of a job. Studios ensure that they collect legal permission slips signed by the young students’ guardians that grant the release of photos and videos of their children to be published online by the studio and their teachers. This is a common practice in my work to date.

Image Source: prostooleh (Free License)

However, a school is not a business, and the marketing that takes place in extracurricular education spaces is vastly different from the provincial education system. Although I already had my guesses about this protocol, my hypothesis that posting photos or videos of students in the classroom is an inappropriate and discouraged practice in the provincial school system was proven correct.

Image Source: Daniel Norin (Royalty Free)

Beyond potential legal consequences, one might reflect on the fact that minors likely cannot meaningfully consent to being posted online by somebody else. Even as an adult, I have a difficult time conceptualizing the vastness of the internet and all of the ways that the things I post can be used in potentially nefarious ways. I understand issues like identity theft to a degree, but with the rise of artificial intelligence and deep fakes, the landscape of the online world is constantly shifting. 

As someone pursuing a career in public schools, I intend not to expose the names, faces, and other information of my students online, both for their safety as well as mine. However, as I am currently bound to the practices of the recreational education world for my work as a dance and drama instructor, I am also considering ways in which I can contribute to the necessary marketing of my studios’ classes without potentially exposing my young students to harm online.

Image Source: Freepik (Free License)