I chose a photo of Donald Smith pounding in the Last Spike at Craigellachie, and cropped it to centre on Smith himself. There are a couple of reasons for this; first, it leads into a class activity of prediction and inference using the modified image; second, because there is so much information contained in the original, that the intended subject of the photo is partially subverted by the periphery. By reducing the extraneous elements, it allows the learner’s focus to be directed to the intended content. I also reduced the contrast of the background to soften the perception of the image so that increasing the brightness does not wash out detail for visually challenged users.

The software I used is www.pixlr.com, a very powerful but free online editing tool. It acts much in the way Adobe’s Photoshop does, allowing for layers and filters, but with no cost. It does have a learning curve, but once some familiarity is established, the range of applications far exceeds many of the online photo editors available. The workflow is moderately simple to those with some experience, and there are multiple tutorials available with a simple Google search to assist the novice user. I was able to crop, create insets, adjust contrast, blend, and exposure levels, enlarge, and edit the picture in a matter of seconds. The software uses its cookies to retain previous projects as well, so it acts as a sort of archive.

*Addendum

We are assigned to create a piece of supportive alt-text, and attach it to this blog post. If the cursor is hovered over the close-up of Mr. Smith above,  a pop-up box will appear featuring additional information about the photo for the visually impaired. In the alt-text box should appear the words ,”In this 1895 black and white photo, Donald Alexander Smith, surrounded by onlooking workers, bends low to swing the sledge hammer onto a railway spike set in the tie. This spike signalled the completion of a coast-to-coast rail system in Canada.“

The graphic I selected today essentially summarizes all of the learning aspect for my unit on rocks and minerals. This is the basic physical geography component covered under the science curriculum from grades five to eight, and the ability to articulate this in some way shape or form is ultimately the learning goal, with levels of sophistication evolving as the learners grow.

This particular info graphic requires only a small bit of modification, as I would change some of the language to be more accessible for younger grades. With that said, I have a tendency to use the correct scientific terms for geological processes, as it allows students to access greater levels of information in information resources outside of the classroom. For example, I would either change the word temperature to heat, or perhaps bracket underneath for my emergent learners. I also would (and have in the past) include small pictures or examples of certain processes that manifest, such as crystallization.

I like this explanatory interpretive graphic (Clark & Lyons, 2010) for its simplicity, for its contrast, and for the fact that you can add examples with a dart of colour to enhance the information therein. The visual and textual information references Gardiner’s multi-intelligences approach (Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, 2020), and as “interpretive graphics help learners build understanding of events or processes that are invisible, abstract, or both…Butcher (2006) found better learning from a drawing like this than from a text – only description” (Clark & Lyons, p. 19).

Additionally, I appreciate the fact that this has lots of white space that students can augment or add to around thedeep margins. I have previously had examples of student learning in this manner displayed on this blog.

The rock cycle graphic, located at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rock_cycle.gif, is used under the Creative Commons license, and comes with additional attached information around modification and distribution. Further, the site explicitly states that direct permission is “not need[ed] to obtain a specific statement of permission from the licensor(s) of the content unless you wish to use the work under different terms than the license states” (“Commons: Reusing content outside Wikimedia”, 2021).

References

Clark, R. C., & Lyons, C. (2010). Graphics for learning : Proven guidelines for planning, designing, and evaluating visuals in training materials. ProQuest Ebook Central

Commons: Reusing content outside Wikimedia (2021, February 14). In Wikipedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Reusing_content_outside_Wikimedia

Marenus, M. (2020, June 09). Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/multiple-intelligences.html#:~:text=To%20broaden%20this%20notion%20of,Interpersonal%2C%20Intrapersonal%2C%20and%20Naturalist.

I often link students and colleagues to content on www.bettereducate.com, as it provides me with free hosting for resources or resource compilations. I installed the ‘NoCoffee’ extension in my Chrome browser, and reviewed the site through the lens of a visually challenged person. With the pronatopia filter on, I noticed that red and grey become more difficult to differentiate between, which rendered some links to almost invisible. Regardless of the visual filters, the grey text on white background barely provides enough contrast for easy visibility. If any aspect of ‘colour-blindness’ is couple with visual issues, the homepage becomes almost unreadable, due to small text and lack of strong contrast or spacing between content. In fact, as with colour deficiency issues, any deviation in visual perception renders the on-screen text inaccessible.

Interestingly, despite resetting the visual impairment menu, the browser extension continued to mess with the display on Chrome, and so I ‘lived’ with the screen flutter for the duration of my examination, until refreshing the page.

A big step towards accessibility for bettereducate.com would be to improve the level of contrast between text and background on the homepage. Light grey text on white becomes practically illegible with even the slightest visual impairment, and is a colour palette that absorbs the red icons integrated into the content throughout the page.

Additionally, the homepage requires some resizing of content, and more spacing so that images or thumbnails are not stacked on top of each other, or bleed together visually. It should be noted that the user section is much better laid out, and less prone to visual interference.

Moose

The moose (North America) or elk (Eurasia) (Alces alces), is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the largest and heaviest extant species in the Deer family. Moose are distinguished by the broad, palmate (open-hand shaped) antlers of the males; other members of the deer family have antlers with a dendritic (“twig-like”) configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal forests and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates.

The most common moose predators are the gray wolf along with bears and humans. Hunting and other human activities have caused a reduction in the size of the moose’s range over time.

Moose have been reintroduced to some of their former habitats. Currently, most moose are found in Canada, Alaska, New England (with Maine having the most of the lower 48 states), Fennoscandia, Baltic states, and Russia. Their diet consists of both terrestrial and aquatic vegetation.

Unlike most other deer species, moose are solitary animals and do not form herds. Although generally slow-moving and sedentary, moose can become aggressive and move quickly if angered or startled. Their mating season in the autumn features energetic fights between males competing for a female.

Appearance

Hooves

As with all members of the order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates), moose feet have two large keratinized hooves corresponding to the third and fourth toe, with two small posterolateral dewclaws (vestigial digits), corresponding to the second and fifth toe. The hoof of the fourth digit is broader than that of the third digit, while the inner hoof of the third digit is longer than that of the fourth digit. This foot configuration may favour striding on soft ground.[85] The moose hoof splays under load, increasing surface area, which limits sinking of the moose’s foot into soft ground or snow, and which increases efficiency when swimming.

The body weight per footprint surface area of the moose foot is intermediate between that of the pronghorn foot, (which have stiff feet lacking dewclaws—optimized for high-speed running) and the caribou foot (which are more rounded with large dewclaws, optimized for walking in deep snow). The moose’s body weight per surface area of footprint is about twice that of the caribou.

Antlers

Bull moose have antlers like other members of the deer family. Cows select mates based on antler size. Bull moose use dominant displays of antlers to discourage competition and will spar or fight rivals. The size and growth rate of antlers is determined by diet and age; symmetry reflects health.

The male’s antlers grow as cylindrical beams projecting on each side of the head at right angles to the midline of the skull, and then fork. The lower prong of this fork may be either simple, or divided into two or three tines, with some flattening. Moose antlers are broad and palmate (flat) with tines (points) along the outer edge. The antlers of mature Alaskan adult bull moose (5 to 12 years old) have a normal maximum spread greater than 200 centimeters (79 in).

By the age of 13, moose antlers decline in size and symmetry. The widest spread recorded was 210 centimeters (83 in) across. (An Alaskan moose also holds the record for the heaviest weight at 36 kilograms (79 lb)).

Population

North America

In Canada there are an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 moose, with 150,000 in Newfoundland in 2007 descended from just four that were introduced in the 1900s. In United States there are estimated to be around 300,000, as follows:

• Alaska’s state Department of Fish and Game estimated 200,000 in 2011
• in the Northeast a wildlife ecologist estimated 50,000 in New York and New England in 2007, with expansion expected
• in the Rocky Mountain states Wyoming is said to have the largest share in its 6-state region, and its Fish and Game Commission estimated 7,692 in 2009
• in the Upper Midwest Michigan estimated 433 (in its Upper Peninsula) in 2011
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 20–40 (close to its upper-peninsula border with Michigan) in 2003
• Minnesota 5600 in its northeast in 2010, and under 100 in its northwest in 2009

 

Europe/Asia

Recorded numbers are sporadic according to regional reporting data.

• Russia had a population of approximately 600,000 moose in 2007
• Finland reported a summer population of 115,000 moose in 2009
• In Norway there were a winter population of around 120,000 moose in 2009
• Latvia had 21,000 moose in 2015
• Estonia recorded a population of 13,260
• Poland had 2,800 moose
• The Czech Republic recorded 50 animals
• In Sweden the summer population is estimated to be 300,000–400,000 moose

Human Interactions and Behaviour

Moose are not usually aggressive towards humans but can be provoked or frightened to behave with aggression. In terms of raw numbers, they attack more people than bears and wolves combined, but usually with only minor consequences. In the Americas, moose injure more people than any other wild mammal, and worldwide, only hippopotamuses injure more. When harassed or startled by people or in the presence of a dog, moose may charge. Also, as with bears or any wild animal, moose that have become used to being fed by people may act aggressively when denied food.

During the fall mating season, bull moose may be aggressive toward humans because of the high hormone levels they experience. Cows with young calves are very protective and will attack humans who come too close, especially if they come between mother and calf. Unlike other dangerous animals, moose are not territorial, and do not view humans as food, and will therefore usually not pursue humans if they simply run away.

Diet

The moose is an herbivore and is capable of consuming many types of plant or fruit. The average adult moose needs to consume 9,770 kcal (40.9 MJ) per day to maintain its body weight. Much of a moose’s energy is derived from terrestrial vegetation, mainly consisting of forbs and other non-grasses, and fresh shoots from trees such as willow and birch. These plants are rather low in sodium, and moose generally need to consume a good quantity of aquatic plants. While much lower in energy, aquatic plants provide the moose with its sodium requirements, and as much as half of their diet usually consists of aquatic plant life. In winter, moose are often drawn to roadways, to lick salt that is used as a snow and ice melter. A typical moose, weighing 360 kg (794 lb), can eat up to 32 kg (71 lb) of food per day.

Habitat

Moose require habitat with adequate edible plants (e.g., pond grasses, young trees and shrubs), cover from predators, and protection from extremely hot or cold weather. Moose travel among different habitats with the seasons to address these requirements. Moose are cold-adapted mammals with thickened skin, dense, heat-retaining coat, and a low surface:volume ratio, which provides excellent cold tolerance but poor heat tolerance. Moose survive hot weather by accessing shade or cooling wind, or by immersion in cool water. In hot weather, moose are often found wading or swimming in lakes or ponds. When heat-stressed, moose may fail to adequately forage in summer and may not gain adequate body fat to survive the winter. Also, moose cows may not calve without adequate summer weight gain.

Moose avoid areas with little or no snow as this increases the risk of predation by wolves and avoid areas with deep snow, as this impairs mobility. Thus, moose select habitat on the basis of trade-offs between risk of predation, food availability, and snow depth.

With reintroduction of bison into boreal forest, there was some concern that bison would compete with moose for winter habitat, and thereby worsen the population decline of moose. However, this does not appear to be a problem. Moose prefer sub-alpine shrublands in early winter, while bison prefer wet sedge valley meadowlands in early-winter. In late-winter, moose prefer river valleys with deciduous forest cover or alpine terrain above the tree line, while bison preferred wet sedge meadowlands or sunny southern grassy slopes.

Known Predators

A full-grown moose has few enemies except Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) which regularly prey on adult moose, but a pack of gray wolves (Canis lupus) can still pose a threat, especially to females with calves. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are also known to prey on moose of various sizes, including many pregnant adult cows in some parts of Alaska and Scandinavia and even the rare bull moose, and are the only predator besides the wolf to attack moose both in Eurasia and North America.

However, brown bears are more likely to take over a wolf kill or to take young moose than to hunt adult moose on their own. American black bears (Ursus americanus) and cougars (Puma concolor) can be significant predators of moose calves in May and June and can, in rare instances, prey on adults (mainly cows rather than the larger bulls). Wolverine (Gulo gulo) are most likely to eat moose as carrion but have killed moose, including adults, when the large ungulates are weakened by harsh winter conditions.

Orcas (Orcinus orca, also known as killer whales) are the moose’s only known marine predator as they have been known to prey on moose swimming between islands out of North America’s Northwest Coast, however, there is at least one recorded instance of a moose preyed upon by a Greenland shark.

 

[Please note that formatting does not translate to this blog, and so a PDF version is available here.]

*Edit- Tumbnail added 02/14/2021. Thumbnail created using http://makethumbnails.com/ 

Working with Universal Designs for Learning for the last 10 years, I find that there are some challenges and some major successes implementing UDL strategies. I taught science to a group of grade sixes and sevens, who run the gamut of academic abilities. I had (and have) slow learners, low learners, self-motivated go-getters, about 5 straight-down-the-pipe kids, one moderate FASD, and one severe ADHD. For these students, with their range of abilities, the UDL spectrum approach to learning materials and assessment (particularly the assessment) resulted in very high engagement, and a demonstration of learning far beyond my expectations. For this class of 24, Earth Sciences was something they were not particularly into initially…

First, the challenges. Number one was access to technology; as a small school, individual devices were unheard of, and a space to compile appropriate links and content in a consumable format was non-existent. Obviously, we have progressed, but

piloting programs such as this is schools can be difficult because of the lack of available infrastructure.

Second challenge was attitude, from the students, who were unfamiliar with the format; from colleagues and admin, who were concerned about the curriculum contained in conventional texts and the precedent being established; and from parents, for whom the format did not mesh with their experiences, and so seemed like the students were not learning, but rather ‘on a screen all the time’.

All the successes really came to light towards the end of the unit. Student engagement was very high- we did an incredible amount of hands-on exploratory science, both in the class, and out in the community, students and teacher brought in mineral samples that we would drop everything and look at, test, and identify. I knew we’d arrived when the FASD student showed up with a huge box of rocks, and told me he picked them up all over the farm (which was a substantial and diverse amount of property), and wanted to know what they were.

I decided to check over my preferred platform for online education using the POUR filter today. The POUR filter, for those not in the know, is an acronym used to determine accessibility for exceptional users who may struggle with more conventional GUI interactions. Please note that the images in this post are thumbnails which open in new tabs;Iwill endevaour that all future images also be links to facilitate access by users with visual exceptionalities.

The POUR filter stands for Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust, and can be applied to any site. I used bettereducate.com,  a teacher-vetted repository for resources available across BC.

In critiquing the site, I used a number of techniques recommended by Glenda Watson Hyatt, an advocate and online accessibility expert who works primarily as a consultant for various government organizations. One of Glenda’s recommendations is to surf the site with your non-dominant hand. This highlights tightness of format, clashing menu access, and button location, and I found bettereducate.com to be quite user-friendly in terms of the formatting and layout of menus. Full disclosure, as a long-time guitarist, I have a great deal more facility with my left hand than the average person, so that may play into my quick navigation of the site.

Another suggestion is to attempt to navigate the site using only the keyboard. The ‘Tab’ key allowed me to move through the site quickly, and select menus with the enter/return button. However, some potential barriers include the difficulty in recognizing highlighted links; the change in the thumbnail graphic was pretty minimal when selected. Additionally, there are any number of different menu options presented on the main page, and took a great deal of time to navigate down to lower buttons located near the bottom of the page, In all, inconvenient, but still navigable.

I opened the site using a few common browsers, and also on mobile devices running both Android and Apple iOS. The site was optimized for desktop use, and there was little to no change between desktop operating systems, and browsers (Brave, Safari, Explorer, and Chrome).  The site text on mobile was significantly smaller,

which stands to reason given screen size, but this still made it difficult to read and access links in default formatting on the mobile devices, and required a switch to landscape mode which might be potentially problematic.

I found the actual hosting of the site to be funded through larger established entities, through the BCPVPA, as well as (surprisingly) Baseball Canada. Owing to the size, nature, and longevity of these hosts, the site appears to be well ensconced in the net for the foreseeable future.

For more information on website accessibility auditing, or to see the sources used in this article, please visit Ms. Watson Hyatt’s site at http://blogaccessibility.com/ .

For this particular assignment, we were sent on a scavenger hunt! It was kind of fun to dig around, and as usual, I was not content to sift through the provided resources, so dug up some really neat stuff…

When we first headed into pandemic teaching last spring, I packaged up a program that examined the elements of fairy tales with my grade 4 and 5 class. Amongst our goals, reading, responding, and making connections to text, and comparing and contrasting variations in format due to regionalization and diverse culture. In this exercise, I am extending the existing unit to more

fully include indigenous resources and perspectives. I will adjust the learning outcome accordingly to reflect the new addition.

Learning Outcome

By the end of this unit, students will be able to identify at least two literary elements contained in a fairy tale structure, and provide an example in both an indigenous and another culture. (Grade 5 Language Arts, BC Curriculum)

 

OER Number one

https://indigenousstorybooks.ca/about/resources/

This first resource matches quite nicely with both my topic and my level. Though the quantity of tales available is somewhat limited, the ethical and cultural use of these is on point, due to the curation and collaboration through the various First Nations. As such, the quality of the site is great, considering that there is a scarcity of resources of this caliber, and of this nature. I would use this as-is, as that too is ethically appropriate, but I would definitely pick and choose a large spread of resources in order to demonstrate the diversity between individualized nations.

Pros

• Indigenous compiled website, through the University of British Columbia, so culturally vetted.
• Free (as is to be expected).
• Reliable host, so longevity is not an issue.
• Well organized, according to indigenous groups.
• Local BC and Canadian focus, so relevant.
• Portal to international groups, so easily extended.

Cons

• Some stories are not, but are rather links to other resources, so becomes a bit of a rabbit hole
• Certain links are not well populated, for example, Interior Salish only has a single short film.
• Many groups are not represented outside of the coastal nations.

OER Number Two

https://www.oercommons.org/browse?f.keyword=fairytales

So often, when we see resources posted, they are touted as excellent avenues to enhancing student learning. However, this is an example of when resources fail to meet our expectations. Despite the fact that both of the next resources share a common URL, they are very dissimilar. Although I originally believed that this site’s contents closely matched my topic and level, I was very disappointed to note that although it was soundly constructed, the site appears to be short on content. Considering this, I would say the quality of the resource, though professional in appearance, is substandard as it does not supply the depth of content necessary to enhance my learning goal. I would be happy to take the one story from this, because it is in a usable format that I can easily modify, but beyond that, I find this site quickly and easily discarded. In fact, I would simply take the document, and probably never visit it again.  (Incidentally, if you are looking for a vast repository of public domain fairy tales, try this site . Adaptations, of course, would need to be made for contextual and era-specific languages.)

Pros

• Public domain, so free cost.
• Available in a .doc format, so it is easy to adapt.
• Clearly organized website, and easy to navigate.
• Has accompanied rating system, so resources can be reviewed and ranked.

Cons

• Grossly underpopulated; there is only a single story resource available on the site.
• The search results were only loosely related to my initial search parameters.

OER Number Three

https://www.oercommons.org/browse?f.keyword=fairy-tales

I think it’s only fair to allow for some redemption, so once more we revisit the OER common site, but this time in pursuit of lesson plans or activities to supplement our unit. Despite its poor story bank, the site boasts a fairly in-depth set of individualized lesson plans that match perfectly with our topic. In terms of level, that is entirely dependent on class; each lesson plan comes with a suggested grade level. Of course, many of the resources listed are easily adopted in terms of lessening the demand for output, or reducing the number of steps for groups that struggle. I particularly like this site because the quality of the resources seems reasonable at first glance, but I really appreciate the review system that is in place , allowing one to see what others favoured or disliked at a quick glance.

Pros

• Public domain, so free cost.
• Available in a .doc format, so it is easy to adapt.
• Clearly organized website, and easy to navigate.
• Has accompanied rating system, so resources can be reviewed and ranked.
• Plenty of diverse resources that also cite the source.
• Grade level cited.

Cons

• Not all resources are reviewed, nor are there comments.
• There is no specified BC curriculum connection.
• Specific grade level is contained within the site link, but not viewable from search results.
• Not searchable/ able to filter by grade level.

It always starts wth a need…

I have dozens of needs for resource almost every week, particularly when we modify our teaching practice due to, say, a pandemic, or to accommodate exceptional learning needs. As a second-language teacher who deals with a wide spectrum of learners, I am always taking core concepts and repackaging them into a format that makes the concepts both more attractive, and more retainable.

 

Here’s a sample of something I made for my French 6 class to introduce vocabulary around the face. Obviously, I was in violation of international copyright laws, but the imagery and timeliness of the resource yielded excellent results in student demonstrated ability to retain the knowledge because of the visual association.

That said, I am also a major contributor to an online repository of free teacher-vetted resources called Bettereducate. Bettereducate is a free site used to store, share, and collaborate on projects, document, and resources by educators and administrators across the province. Each resource comes with tags that are part of a searchable database. I post my quality created projects on the site for colleagues to share free of charge, and am able to view, comment, and download the resources from others. One of my favourite resources to share is this french-themed Bingo (Lotto, if you are a purist),

based on the winter Carnaval, celebrated in Quebec early in each new year. It uses free images on all the cards, is relatively recent in terms of timeliness, and provides a resource for an aspect of French Second Language learning that is deficient- culture.

 

I am very proud of the project, as it took time and a lot of expertise that I have developed from my past careers. There is some desktop publishing from my journalism degree, the algorithm to generate non-repeating patterns from my math background, and general computer wherewithal that comes from experience. I am excited to share this because it also promotes Quebecois culture, and looks great with all its colour and quality images.

The thing that really stands out for me is the philosophical raison d’etre behind OER. Follow me here for a second. First, the purpose of education is to build critical thinking participants of a democratic society, with the end goal being that these individuals will help to form and moderate a progressively better (and hopefully, just) society in the future.  To that end, the establishment of post-secondary institutions has occurred, so that experienced minds can provide guidance and discourse beyond the experiential day-to-day. So, what then, are we as a society doing, putting barriers that are ultimately economic, in the way of those who will become the driving force behind social advancement? Does that not mean we are in essence stymying ourselves, and in the process, creating social strata, that, though they have the same democratic power, may not have the same access to informing the awareness of both process and impetus? I would argue that such things as this are the defining aspects of privilege, and lead to the exponential degradation or retardation of society as the gap between those social strata perpetuate.

 

So, to that end, countries such as Germany are heading in the right direction, by offering free post-secondary education to all. If the point is betterment through the people, then bettering the people is the point. Particularly now, the need for free universal education is paramount, and so attempting to glean financial gain from those engaged in that betterment process is not only counterintuitive and restrictive, it is unethical.

 

[I have selected an image I shot from my Dad’s trapline in Mayo, Yukon, where I was raised. Mayo is a small community some 400 kilometres north of Whitehorse, located at the confluence of the Stewart and Mayo rivers, on the traditional territories of the Na-cho Nyak Dun. Being raised in a small remote community has given me strong ties to the land, and also has allowed me the opportunity to develop many life skills that may not have been available in a more urban environment.]

My name is Ryan, and I teach in beautiful Christina Lake, BC, in School District 51 (Kootenay-Boundary). I wear many hats, primarily as a classroom teacher for grades 2-7. I teach Math to the grade 2s and 3s, and grade 6s and 7s, French to the 4s to 7s, Language Arts to the 4s and 5s, and PE to the 6s and 7s. In addition, I am one of the district coordinators for computational thinking in the district, so I organize and facilitate distribution and training around district technology; lots of fun!

I have had lots of experience with educational media; I actually have a degree in journalism specializing in broadcast communications, and worked shooting and editing video for a few major networks in my former life. During my teaching program, I worked as a tech aid to the education program at UBC, as well as shooting and editing video projects, and I also created and maintained the cohort website (now defunct, I believe). I utilize tech daily with my class, from assistive technology to coordinating student independent learning.

I am really looking forward to this course, and I hope to experience new avenues to incorporating tech effectively into my practice, potentially with tools I have not encountered or used yet. I have discovered that the collective mind is an amazing resource, and I cannot wait to see where this will take me.

For your edification, this is one of my favourite pieces that emerged out of an early course in TRU. Amy Cuddy is vulnerable and funny, and I show this video to my students every year.

Take care!