Participatory Culture

Do you remember the days of dial up internet and calling your friend from a landline? I do. Those were the days. I had a lot more patience back then. Trying to load anything or play a game took forever. I lived on a farm and we didn’t get an upgrade from dial up internet until I was in grade 6. Even then it was only a step up from dial up, a small step. I still remember having to call my friends from our landline to talk to them after school. We didn’t have conversations about what YouTube video we’d watched or what the newest trending challenge was, or about what someone else might have posted. We talked about school and what had happened that day, what we thought tomorrow might be like. My growing up years up until middle school or high school were very different from the environment that children are growing up in today.

Burn

New week. New goal. I liked a couple of weeks ago when I sat down and learned how to play a song. I thought I’d try the same format again.

Last time I had a friend help me figure out how to play the song and what it was supposed to sound like because I could not figure it out just playing it on my own. Do you ever have that where you know something doesn’t sound right but you can’t figure out what is wrong? I discovered that I still have much to learn about the timing of different notes.

Hills, Valleys and Plateaus

Last week, I felt like I fit a plateau when it came to learning piano. I felt like I didn’t get any better. Some days it did feel like I had digressed. It felt like all I could do was put in my practice time and call it good. So, I turned to other sources for inspiration this week. Something that would inspire me to keep learning.

Whyyy from lingling40hrs

Anchor

Using Anchor FM made a small dream of mine come true this week. I LOVE podcasts as a medium for learning, imagining new possibilities, and just for fun. My love for podcasts made creating with Anchor a no-brainer for my learning project this week.

Anchor has both a mobile app and a web browser mode that you can utilize. On both versions, you have the ability to record and organize your podcast episodes. Anchor also will distribute your podcasts to the various platforms that one can listen to podcasts on. Anchor provides you with options to add music from Spotify, sound effects, and messages from listeners into each episode. One of the best parts is that the app is free.

Repetition is the Key to Success

I have really come to love the app SimplyPiano. However, as I mentioned last week, I want to try something a little different. Prior to this class I had watched and went through the below video. It was very helpful for a beginner like me.

I discovered as I watched the videos two things. One being that I love that there is a human on the other side of the video talking to me which makes it feel more fun. Two I don’t love practicing.

It’s Not Love… yet

Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com

Twitter. An endless source of information and a way to connect with people all around the world. At least, that’s how I see it. I have had a Twitter account for years, but never really loved the format. I personally prefer Instagram for its medium of photos as a way to share experiences. As I reflect on that, I find it ironic since I prefer to communicate through written words. However, this class has pushed me back in to the Twitter-sphere. Here is a list of the reasons I enjoy Twitter and some reasons I don’t really enjoy Twitter.

Timing and Trials

Setting goals and having accountability for those goals is key for me. I’ve asked the lady whose house I’m staying in, to keep me accountable and make sure that I practice the piano. So far, so good. 

This week I have been using an app called Simply Piano. The app allows you to go through most of the basics course and complete daily 5 minute workouts. I decided to try out the 7 day trial to get more of a feel for the app and whether it is something I would like to use. It’s made learning the piano into more of a game as I try and progress through the different lessons and get three stars on the songs they offer. I have enjoyed it and seeing as playing the piano is more of a long term desire I may invest the money and pay for the year. 

“Feed”ing My Curiosity

Creating Feeds on Feedly

Using technology for learning is a must in the evolving nature of education. Feedly is just another source in my technology toolkit. Currently, I have three feeds. One for Ed Tech, the second is just for education in general, and the third is just a place to put various feeds I’m interested in but not sure what to categorize them as. The education and ed tech feeds are probably the most relevant to my life right now. My life feels like it completely immersed in all things education sometimes. It is nice to have a place to go to read some new articles that can help me grow into a better educator.

Childhood Dream and a Lifelong Learner

A lifelong dream of mine has always been to learn an instrument. In EMUS 202, part of that dream came true and I learned to play guitar. I am not very proficient at it and lack of regular practice leaves my soft fingers feeling sore every time I think to pick up my guitar and improve my skills. Piano on the other hand, is a less portable instrument but easier on the fingers. For my EDTC 300 Learning Project I am going to learn to play the piano. Over the last couple of years I have been dabbling with the piano. I have googled how to read sheet music and learned enough to be able to play some of my favourite Christmas carols and hymns.

The Never Ending Journey of Learning

Hello Fellow Learners,

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

This blog post marks the beginning of a new learning journey for me. I am in my fourth of Middle Years Education, in my last semester. As one of my final classes, I decided to take EDTC 300. The world of technology is ever-changing. I think of my own experiences in school. When I was in elementary school, to use a computer we had to go to the computer lab and use desktop computers. Teachers may have had computers in their rooms but I don’t remember them ever using them. I think maybe when I was in grade 5, the school finally got Smart Boards in some of the classrooms but teachers did not like using them because the alignment with the projector was always off. In high school, my school got a set of small laptops for us to use. These laptops were used mainly for research purposes and typing out the occasional assignment. My technology experiences as an elementary and secondary student were pretty limited. In University, different technology and ways of learning through technology have been used more so. I hope to learn as much as I can about using technology to be a life long learner as well as to encourage my future students in their learning.