I. Am. A. Teacher.: This is My Journey

Rae Tresierra

Category: EDU 394 Blogs

Digital Citizenship. What is It & Why Do We Care? Teacher Edition

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On December 12, 2020

In EDU 394 Blogs, Education, ePortfolio

If you’re reading this right now, congratulations, you have some form of digital literacy to navigate the internet and find this webpage. Now prepare for my cheesy quote: “With Digital Literacy, comes great responsibility.” No seriously… how many times have you seen arguments on Facebook over something that could have been avoided if people minded their own business?  How many times have you heard gossip about a certain post on Instagram?  Digital Citizenship is the ability to know and control healthy boundaries when it comes to technology, the internet and social media.  Imagine a world where everyone was a supreme example of a Digital Citizen… yeah I cannot either.  But why is it important that we share this message to our youth? Technology can make or break a future and here’s how:

Employers. When applying for a job, sending out a resume or going for an interview, keep in mind your employer has probably gone on your social media pages to view you.  We are judged on our profile photos, cover photos, posts, memes and well, basically everything.  You might want to make sure that whatever you have on your social media is something you’re proud of, stand for and want to exert to any future public you may work for or with.  For instance; my Facebook account is semi- private, I control which pictures are public and which only my friends can view.  I am proud of my Facebook and any content on it I would have no shame in my employer or grandmother viewing.

Students: Hey teachers, yes, I’m talking to you.  Do you want your students seeing your Friday night plans? That’s rhetorical- you do not.  To maintain a student- teacher relationship, keeping your private life well… private, it pretty crucial to the success of your career.  Speaking of Digital Citizenship, a lot of our students do not have it yet, but their digital literacy skills are far superior to ours.  So if you want an inappropriate photoshopped photo of yourself leaked to the internet, give your student free reign to view your photos on your social media, otherwise; privacy settings are your best friend.  On a positive note: you can use these examples to show students how to positively enhance their Digital Citizen skills by demonstrating them yourself.  Again, on my Facebook due to my privacy settings, if students choose to creep my profile (and you better believe they do) I also have no shame in what is available for them to see. And again, between my personal belief in Digital Citizenship- my students are not my friends on Facebook.  If they remember their crazy teacher at 18 years old, sweet we can be “friends.” Until then; I am not your friend, I am your teacher.

The Public: As teachers, especially those of us in a small town, we must be responsible of what is available for view on our social media and how we use it.  It is one thing to have a clean Facebook page, but you better also have a clean trail.  If you think you’re anonymous commenting on general websites- you’re not.  As teachers we are held to a higher standard to uphold our professionalism in and out of schools (not fair, I know, but it’s what we signed up for.) Do yourself a favour, and don’t comment on the newest post from some random who is voting for Trump.  Walk away, delete them, remove them from your feed and take the higher road to your redeeming Digital Citizen qualities.  Anything negative you post on the internet, webpages, social media etc, can come back to haunt you, but you know what won’t? Positive comments.  No teacher has ever been negatively affected from posting positive feeds, so if you really feel the need to comment on random posts (for instance, this amazing blog), you can always say nice things.  Again, we must practice what we preach, and if we want to walk the walk while we talk the talk with our students, then let’s set positive examples of the type of Digital Citizens we hope them to be.

Safety: Last but not least, the internet is not a 100% safe place for anyone.  Personal information should remain private.  Not having your credit card information saved on numerous sites or your banking information saved might be a good start to not having your identity stolen.  We also have to be careful of what can come back to you. Do you know how to set a secure password or protect details like address, phone numbers and email? Have you made your students aware of these safety skills of becoming a Digital Citizen? What about who and where you share information to? Pictures? I am not even referring to just promiscuous photos, (let’s not go there) I am referring to photos that may include others who have not given you consent to photograph them.  What about photos that may have license plates, or street signs that can be traced back to you with facial recognition?  Remember; everything can be traced.  We also need to set an example and make our students aware of this.  Making sure personal information and pictures

stay private is key to staying out of trouble.  Sadly, you don’t know who you can trust, and the last thing that anyone wants is for private information of any kind to be leaked to the public.  On a lighter note: you know what photos you can send though to anyone you want? Memes, inspiring quotes, reminder schedules, jokes etc. Just be careful of your copyrights at that point if you’re putting them up publicly anywhere.

I think the most clichĂ© saying we hear, but need to abide by is; “Would your grandmother approve of reading/seeing this?”  Now, my grandmother doesn’t approve of much so I suppose I’m lucky there, but seriously, the next time you go to comment, post or login, take a second to think about what kind of Digital Citizen you are, and the kind you want to be. Think about what is going to keep you safe, and teach your students to be safe. Digital Citizenship is for everyone; this is why we care.

 

Teacher Rae; Over and Out.

 

 

Cited Sources: 

What is digital citizenship? (2019, February 4). #DigCitUtah

Zook, C. (n.d.). What is digital citizenship & how do you teach it? Digital Curriculum for CTE & Elective Teachers | AES. https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-is-digital-citizenship

What your students really need to know about digital citizenship. (2014, October 24). Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-need-to-know-vicki-davis

 

Mino Pimatisiwin: An Indigenous Teaching for Equality

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On November 29, 2020

In EDU 394 Blogs, Education, Reflections

I was able to attend Correlieu Secondary School’s Non- Instructional Day on Indigenous Education.  The main topics of focus were: Truth and Reconciliation- Calls to Action, Equity, Racism, Systemic Racism and White Privilege.

Our keynote speaker was Kevin Lamareaux, who is professor at the University of Manitoba.  Out of everything he spoke to, I found it so important that he taught us how to address those who are ignorant to their own personal systemic racism, how to approach the topic by educating calmly and diplomatically while also raising awareness.  He was able to give us tools for future conversations that I found extremely helpful in regards to the Call to Action 63.3.

I heard a new definition of “Reconciliation” that I had not heard before which was: “Reconciliation is a gift given to us by residential survivors.  If it weren’t for the courage and the dignity of Residential School Survivors, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today.  Reconciliation, is the children who were exposed to the worst of Canada, and the same children, now adults, who are able to extend and open their hand out to shake.”

We looked at the basis of systemic racism and how it is a system, not an event.  We uncovered the word “otherness” that dehumanizes based on difference, and how to get away from no longer drawing lines.  We addressed that it’s easy for us, because we are human, to categorize an “other” field when addressing culture.  Kevin gave the example of how Canadians may show this “otherness” line when referring to American’s and what is going on currently in the United States.  Addressing that these feelings we have make us human, but it is what we do with those feelings that define us and how as educators, it is important to educate on the difference.

The steps deconstructing “otherness” are as follows:
1. Humanize the other: get to know them, talk with them, as about their families, their story, their history

2. Education and Awareness: Relationships before Curriculum

3. Acknowledge, understand and explore privilege: He spoke on his personal story of growing up around sexists/ misogynistic males, and resenting a female professor who acknowledged his privilege over females.  Instead of humiliating him or “Squishing him like a bug with her education” she instead took him out for coffee.  It was after that coffee that he truly realized how “privileged” he was to be a male.

After the keynote, the principal hung up poster paper on the walls, each containing “What do you know about” questions on subjects such as:
1. Jackie Robinson
2. Tommy Prince
3. The Mi’kmaq, Maliseet and Passamaquoddy bands Fishery Dispute
4. Women’s Suffrage
5.  The hanging of the Tsilhqot’in chiefs

We had the chance to go around with our sticky note pads and write “what we knew” in regards to each of these subjects and stick them to the poster paper.  We later read out together all the facts and it was a beautiful history lesson of the people who’s lives were given to pave the road to expose and end Canada’s covered and guilty history.  The main takeaway from this, was that rather than just “heroize” those who’s lives have been lost, we need to take a look at the lives they were living while they performed actions of reconciliation.  Instead of saying “Tommy Prince was an incredible indigenous war hero” we also have to acknowledge that when he returned home, he was not given the same privileges as other white veterans, and eventually died homeless. We went around all the topics and discussed the underlying brokenness of which each “heroism” had to endure to pave the road for us- and that was a powerful statement in itself.
I was pleased that we were able to discuss very relevant topics

and given tool to pave a path forward in our ongoing journey of Truth and Reconciliation.  It is our responsibility as educators to “relearn our learning” and educate others for a better Canada.

“Education go us into this mess, and Education will get us out.” – Justice Murray Sinclair

What an incredible day of learning.  Thank you CSS for having me.

UNBC B.Ed Program: What have I learned so Far?

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On October 9, 2020

In EDU 394 Blogs, Education, ePortfolio, Reflections

Below, I answer 3 questions we were asked from our EDU 394 class.  I broke them into categories and felt they each deserved their own attention.

  1. What is your biggest learning so far about teaching and learning in your first month of the B.Ed. program experience?

The biggest learning or “ah-ha!” moment I’ve had since beginning with the UNBC Ed program in September was the relationship between changing schedules, student’s abilities to adapt and understanding different reactions when last minute changes are made.  This doesn’t seem like something you’d reflect on, but I’d like to share a back story with you:

Two years ago, I was teaching Gr. 6/7 at one of our rural schools.  It was my first time ever teaching in an elementary school, and I was heading to what I thought was my gym time (keep in mind, it is now 1:00pm, and my students have seen the schedule on the board all day long and have been looking forward to this.)  Turns out, the first week of school there’s a sign-up sheet prior to the actual schedule taking place the following week- so when I arrived to the gym with my class, of course; it was full.  One of my Gr. 6 students had a complete meltdown (and I am probably under exaggerating.) She threw herself into the walls, ripped her hair out of her head with her fingers and teeth while screaming.  Of course; this reaction was not at all what I had expected and it’s a rather extreme one, BUT; I had learned from then on that if there was going to be any schedule changes, I would need to mentally prepare this student for that well in advance.

Another example of student reactions to schedule changes are when we are going to go outside and I decide not to because of weather, or when I say we are only going to focus on socials for so long and my class seems to be on a roll so I let them continue… I didn’t realize the impact both positive and negative that could have on a student until I- went back to the classroom in a different perspective.

Fast forward to present day, myself now as a student, I have found that when our UNBC schedule changes, goes over time, or doesn’t stick to the syllabus (knowing very well that this is a completely normal and adaptable circumstance I need to get over) I can’t help but notice my mood and how it’s mostly negatively affected.  Because my brain is wired to schedule my life so intricately, an extra 20 minutes, or extra time- despite the adaptability, can really mess with me.  That extra 20 minutes I planned to get in a yoga because that could have very possibly been my only 20 minutes to myself that day.  Or when I plan to go ride my horse but extra learning is scheduled for that day, or an extra reading is posted that wasn’t on my syllabus so I can no longer go do that… it almost breaks my heart with disappointment when I do not have the daylight to accomplish my passions that help with my mental health and well being.

What I have taken away, is I didn’t realize that while I was teaching, I asked my students to adapt- a lot.  Sometimes we didn’t have a choice, but other times I did have the choice to stick to the schedule or not but I would change it based on how I was feeling or how I thought the students were feeling. Granted; I always gave them voting “rights” and options so that they delegated their changes and learnings- however; it is the change in itself that was probably rattling for them.  The thing is- I probably super disrupted their day changing the schedule so much.  It’s one thing if you’re like “you all want to take a break and go for a walk?” but even then, maybe there was that one student who was finally on a roll, or on a breakthrough and now you completely busted that thought process by offering something you thought was a good thing.  Case and point: I am going to think twice now as an educator before I go changing up my schedule.

The last thought I have on this, was our EDU 394 instructor mentioned, “Age Appropriate Structure.” No wonder I have been fighting with this internally.  As adults, part of our success in ANY work force is our ability to adapt, but you would never ask that of say a Kindergarten class where structure is 100% necessary to the success of the classroom. I will have to continue to monitor this as I further my educational journey, constantly assessing what age group I have and the dynamic of the classroom.

 

  1. What is the expected learning so far?

 

Something that I was expecting to learn and am learning is more in-depth about in our UNBC Renewed

Education Program, are ways to incorporate Indigenous ways of learnings, knowing and being in the classroom using the First Nations Principals of Learning (FPPL.)

I think by being able to explore the definitions that have been thrown around at me at Professional Development days, but never really explained, has help deepen my understanding about how I can do my part as an educator with Truth and Reconciliation.  It has been great being able to go beyond keynote speakers and the “hypothetical” aspect, and really dive into how we as future educators can really start to make the changes in our classrooms and districts.  I like that it is also acknowledged that many educators (even veteran educators) struggle with “risk taking,” and are “afraid to get [it] wrong” so many times the intentions are there to implement FPPL, but the ability to execute is not.  This acknowledgement makes me feel less alone in my journey to new ways of knowing, learning and being- and has allowed me to review previous ways I’ve taught and how to continue to grow.

An example of my growth has been, when I first started teaching, I did not have a single clue how to implement the FPPL into my class (even though a lot of what I did fell under the learnings- I did not know how to draw those connections for my students.)  I started by bringing in Miss. Holli our Aboriginal Coordinator for District 28 to have her do a few teachings, and from there I was able to build units off of her material (with permission of course.)  This is what gave me my start.  I kept those units and have modified them with my class the following year, but somewhere along the way I think I missed a HUGE part of that learning- the “why.” I do not think I covered “why” are we learning this in school well enough for my students to comprehend Truth and Reconciliation.  I am grateful I have the chance to learn more about the FPPL, so when I go back to the classroom I will be able to give my students a fair comprehension of the “why” and not just the “what.”

 

 

  1. What have you learned about yourself?

I have learned that I am becoming increasingly sensitive to many of our readings that group “Aboriginal Educators” into this category of “all knowing.” For example, in chapter 3 of: “Learning, Knowing Sharing- Celebrating Sucesses in K-12 Aboriginal Education in British Columbia” by Jo-ann Archibald it states:

“It was our initial observation that non-Aboriginal teachers often felt ill-equipped to address the goals of the EAs [Enhancement Agreements] and that their fear of making mistakes held them back from trying” (pg 31. Linda Kayser, Judy Halbert, Trish Rosborough.)

This is one of many examples of readings we have been given through our program where my own insecurities of an Aboriginal Educator rise.  I feel that no where in our learnings or text does it state, “Not all Aboriginal educators are experts on the First Nations Principals of Learnings and not all Settler educators are naïve to them.” I feel this unnecessary sense of pressure that because I have failed to obtain as much knowledge in Indigenous studies as others in my culture, that I have failed my culture (when really, if we want to point fingers, let’s take a look at all the times we talked about different ways of knowing, learning and being in my education throughout K-12… no wonder I am clueless.)

So, what have I taken away? I have learned about myself that yes, although I am insecure about my lack of knowledge of my culture, I am willing to take on new learnings. I am willing to dive into, absorb and implement FPPL in my classroom, admit when I “do not know” and own my own educational journey.  I have to remind myself that our text books are not attacking me personally, they are generalizing and that is okay!

 

First Nations Principal of Learning #7: “Learning involves patience and time” 

(Click the link to take you to Jo- Crona’s Blog on the FPPL to dive deeper into Principal #7)

 

Until Next time,

I am a Teacher, and this is my Journey.

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