A Library of Trinkets

Why Is Your Screen So Dark? From the time I was a young child well into my teenage years, I was constantly plagued by headaches. At the time I did not know what would trigger these headaches. I missed a lot of school as a result and it was not until I entered college that I realized I would often get a headache after being under bright fluorescent lights or staring at a bright screen for too long. As someone who now works behind a computer screen, in a building full of fluorescent lights one of the biggest things I can do to stave off a headache is lowering my screen brightness and placing every application I have in dark mode. I sometimes forget that others like their screen is bright until I have to read something off of someone else's phone or someone has to read something on mine. I am always immensely grateful that our phones have settings like this that allow us to choose what is best for our needs. However, unlike our phones and computers, there is not much I can do about th...

Don't Trust Everything You Read As a child of the internet, one of the first things my parent told me was do not trust the internet. They would always reiterate that on the internet anyone can say anything is true and there is no one there to regulate this. While this is not entirely true, many people will tell you if you are incorrect on the internet, it did give me a healthy wariness of whatever I would read online. When I entered the world of Tumblr, a place infamous for its "Tumblr education" I was prepared not to take any information at face value. However, my parent's warnings and self-determination still did not prepare me for the people who could convince me they were telling the truth. It is easy for anyone to say, "I know that the grass is green because I have a degree in Agriculture." They could have been telling the truth or they could have been lying, but there was no way for me to prove it either way. For a middle schooler, someone declaring th...

What is Active Learning? Active learning is a form of teaching that calls for students to be actively involved in what they are learning. Instead of using the traditional lecture and note-taking style, the teacher uses a variety of strategies to get their students engaged in what they are learning. This can involve hands-on tasks, assignments, and activities that require students to get creative with their learning. We have long established that there are many different kinds of learning, and not every student can absorb the information they are given through only lectures and readings. There needs to be a rapport between the school lesson/subject and the student. Students need to be engaged in what they are learning and using active learning strategies will help them build connections between what they know and what they are learning.  What is the Muddiest Point? Have you ever been in class and thought to yourself, I am totally lost? Well, I can assure you you are not the only one...

Remember When... I remember watching my parents plan their finances when I was young. They would pull out a calculator, a spiral notebook, and a black zipper bag that held their cashed paychecks. They would count out the bills and place money on top of different envelopes signifying which money went where. I remember thinking what would happen if a payment got lost in the mail? This whole system stressed me out as a child, but it felt perfectly natural to them. Now, I cannot imagine paying my bills in physical cash instead of my online transactions. Technology has paved the way for much easier and seemingly safer shopping and bill-paying options. Gone are the days of changing the location of the money pouch, my parents have thankfully switched over to only online banking, and gone are the days of nervously waiting to see if the snail mail payment made it through safely. We are now in the age of digital! My Digital Map Image Source: Author Image created with Canva Using David White'...

Middle School Photo Source: GIPHY When I was a child I was quite shy and quiet. As an adult this is not something that hinders my life, I have found my community of people who accept me for who I am. However, as a kid, this has a greatly negative impact on my social life. I was too nervous to speak to new people and always found doubt in the few school friendships I had, afraid they would get bored of me. I knew that I had so much to say, but I just did not know how actually to give volume to my voice. That all changed when Facebook made its introduction to my 6th-grade class. Every student who had a computer at home made a Facebook, though we were not the minimum age of 13. Not wanting to fall behind I made one too. I put in my fake birthday and took a very grainy photo of myself using my family's computer webcam. Thus the Facebook page of "Syen P." with a dark, grainy profile picture was born. I "friended" every classmate I could, finding it was easier to do ...

What is SAMR? SAMR, largely associated with Dr. Ruben Puentedura, stands for substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. Substitution is when the technology simply replaces the means of work, there is no change in function. Such as changing from taking notes in your notebook to taking notes on Word Documents. Augmentation is when the technology does improve the function, making the work easier to interact with. Such as using Google Docs to share works back and forth. Modification is when there are substantial changes in the use of the work, such as being able to use Google Classrooms to create assignments and academic calendars. Last is redefinition , where the technology that is used allows for activities and tasks that have not been accessible before. Such as connecting to students and teachers from around the world, taking virtual field trips, and speaking to experts all over the world about their special interests.  It is a framework to show educators how to inc...