My Last "Last Post" - Goodbye?

  Hello there!

So, we're right back here again. At the end of the semester.

This time we had 5 tasks, all of which were group projects (which I loved) and all taught me more tools that I can use in my classrooms. Even though it was frustrating at times due to the old/inefficient technology (Looking at you, webquest) overall it was a fun experience, and it taught me a lot (If nothing, it taught me to be patient with technology). 

Personally I really enjoyed creating the flipped classroom vocabulary video. It took a long time to do, but it was very fun, and I can see it being very useful in the future. Not only as a part of the flipped classroom experience, but it could be used as homework as well. Aaaaand I dreaded the grammar video more or less the same amount, although that was mostly due to the site not functioning as it should've.

I think agumented reality is unfortunately too new of a technology to use in classes for now - I hope that'll change before I graduate because the potential it has is amazing - but for now, it's just too much effort for minimal result, and it's hard to even find an app that can help you create the exercise. Webquest is on the opposite end of the spectrum - it's simply too old of a technology. It may have provided great lessons back then, but now it should be replaced by newer, shinier, more user-friendly technology. That's why I think neither are good enough to be used reliably; nice tool, wrong time.

Overall, I think I've learned a lot during this semester, and I'm so glad I took this class.

Unfortunately, like all good things, this too will end very soon. And this time, for good. (Unless I get to have another elective from Dr.Kurt, of course.)

Well, I guess it's time to give my thanks then? First, to Dr. Kurt, for creating and teaching this course, I will remember you when I create materials for my classess. Second, to Kaan for being such a great teammate, it was a blast working with you, pal. And lastly, my dear reader, to you: For following me across two courses.

Now, for the last time, 

Stay safe, stay kind.

& 

Wear your masks and your seatbelts!

Goodbye

Webquests - Tell Me About Your Family!

  Hello there!

The last taks of the semester was to create a webquest - which was something we intended to do last semester, but didn't get around to, so I was excited to learn that we would do them this time! This was another group project, so... Do I even need to tell you who I collaborated with? I don't think I do. Well, you-know-who and I looked at projects from the book that we used to create our flipped grammar video, and picked a task that we thought could use technological enhancement. The students' original task was to create a vlog and introduce their family, and we made it so they would need to create a family tree online, and then vlog/interview their family members, and then upload it to youtube as an unlisted video. That way, it's not only technology enhanced, but it's also pandemic friendly! (Which is an important thing these days)

As our teacher had suggested, Kaan and I headed to questgarden and created an account each so we could start working. The site wasn't overly complicated to use per se, but it did feel like we were dealing with a site that hadn't been updated since 2012, and that made things difficult. The site would crash or not save the changes, and sometimes it would change the background color for no reason, making it impossible to read what we've wrote. Uploading images was another problem, as the site required the images to be smaller than 500 x 500 pixels, and didn't allow us to re-size the image once it was uploaded.

In the end though, we powered through and created our webquest, and I do believe it will be a quite fun experience for our students one day. Personally, I think it's a tool that can be used sparringly (to save the teacher's sanity). I don't see myself giving webquest homeworks every week, but once or twice a term, why not?

Here's the link to our webquest, I hope you'll enjoy! http://questgarden.com/q/vlog

 

Well dear reader, it seems that we're once again approaching the finish line.

Time flies, huh? Especially when you're stuck at home doing homework...

The end is near, soon, but not yet!

So until then, 

Wear your masks and your seatbelts!

Augmented Reality - A Trip to Japan!

  Hello there!

It's time for yet another task! Today I'll be talking about AR. You may have heard about a similar technology, Virtual Reality, also known as VR. The difference between them is that VR takes you to the other reality, while AR brings the other reality to ours. 

My first experience with AR was when I began playing Pokemon GO. In that game, you walk around in real life, find and capture pokemons. It is very fun, and I'm glad I'll be able to use this in my classrooms in the future.

I believe that as the AR technology gets more widespread, we'll be able to use it more often, in more areas of life. Can you imagine an AR-made mechanic instructing you on how to change your car's tire? Or an AR-made chef telling you how to cook your favorite dessert? This is just a fraction of what we could do with the AR technology, and I can't wait to see what's more to come!

So, about the task: Our task was to take our students on a trip, using AR technology of course. Kaan and I wanted to choose somewhere in Japan, as it is a place we both want to visit. Then, the next question was where in Japan we would take them. We wanted to do either Kyoto or Tokyo, as each city represent different but equally beautiful parts of the country. After doing some research, we decided to go with Tokyo, as there were more content available. Unfortunately, more content doesn't mean enough or viable content. And that's why he had to resort to using QR codes and 360 videos instead.

And at the end, we created a handout to go along with the project. We wrote some questions down and Kaan created and put together the visuals and then we were done!

Overall, I think the AR technology is fun to play with now, but not as viable as I'd like it to be. Thankfully I have a couple more years before I graduate :D So I hope it'll be more advanced by then and it'll be easier to use.

We're closing in on the end of the semester, and I only have a couple more posts to make, so look forward to those!

As always:

Wear your masks and your seatbelts!

Oh, and get vaccinated if you can!