My first post, wow! I hope this blog can serve as a meaningful and insightful reflection space for myself. I am excited that a space to submit academic assignments can double as a creative online journal. I hope to make my reflection posts sound as unscripted as possible, just a free flow of authentic thoughts.

3 weeks into the Secondary Education Program. Every day I am inspired by my professors, peers and the material we are learning. Every course has aligned with my interests and passions in different ways. EDCI 336 has excited me because the assignments/ projects allow for a lot of creative inquiry. We are free to explore any topic we want and we can use various modes or kinds of technology to communicate what we have learnt. Already we have been introduced to so many different online platforms, applications, technological learning spaces, etc. that we will be able to use as teachers. The quantity of resources being introduced to us right now might stress some out, but I am feeling rather tech-savvy and satisfied at the moment. I am also really happy to take EDCI 336 because I think it will give me great perspective on the battle I have in my head on promoting screen-time with so many new technologies used in the classroom. I’ve realized that, as someone who has ventured through many outdoor education positions, my stance lately has been on the side of ‘youth need to get outside and stop starring at their devices all the time’. But there are inevitable truths I think I must face. After this course I will better understand how to integrate nature, tactile learning and biology course material, with the ever-evolving world of tech.

This past weekend we were asked to watch the film ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ for EDCI 336. It focused on High Tech High – a high school in San Diego that emphasizes inquiry and project based learning – some might say to the extreme. The students don’t have ‘blocks’ or ‘periods’ in their schedule, nor do they have individual lessons on one subject. Different subjects are integrated into various projects that usually end up being student lead. I thought this film was very interesting and it kept my attention the entire time (most films can’t do that). I think that emphasizing learning how to effectively communicate, problem-solve and work with one another in school is becoming more important than an individual memorizing facts and developing a massive knowledge base. It will have to be a slow switch though, and it is true that universities and colleges will also have to integrate this type of teaching in order for this idea to succeed. There will have to be a healthy balance or a sort of ‘stream’ system, as we are still going to need very advanced thinkers and experts in certain subject areas. Nonetheless, it is apparent that something of this sort will have to change in our education system to prepare individuals and society for the future, and I am eager to be a part of the conversations surrounding that change.

(Feature image taken by me, Julia, and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The butterfly in this art installation is representative of the beautiful changes, evolution and ~ metamorphosis ~ within education that I have been learning about this past month.)