My group presented on Google Classroom. While we found and focused on lots of positives that Google Classroom offers for students and teachers, our inquiry question highlighted some serious concerns for it.
Google Classroom essentially has a monopoly when it comes to online platforms for schools to use for correspondence between teachers and students. However, Google Classroom is in contradiction of FIPPA. The informed consent parents sign is not really informed, and the teachers, students and parents are not the ones accepting the “terms and conditions”, the school district does that. So, for these reasons Google Classroom’s benefits may not be outweighing the risks to student privacy.
There should be convenient and accessible alternatives to Google Classroom available to students and teachers.
Google Classroom is a extensively used in schools across BC, despite the FIPPA concerns for student privacy. The major issue in my eyes is the informed consent. I do not think that what happens, a permission slip going home to be signed by parents, really qualifies as informed consent. I think there needs to be another option available to teachers and students alike, who take the privacy concerns seriously.
While the organization and convenience is a huge benefit to teachers and schools, the issues of school districts signing the ‘terms and conditions’ for people is a huge issue for the informed consent.
The environmental benefit of less paper needs to be weighed against the environmental impact of google’s storage. Storing emails, and information through google means that google has to have a physical location to do so. These plants also have an environmental cost, and I would be curious to know which outweighs the other.
I feel so proud of what I have learned and been able to bake throughout this sourdough journey. I certainly am not an amazing sourdough baker yet, but I’m on my way towards it. I definitely still struggle with my regular sourdough bread recipe, I haven’t managed to have consistency throughout all my bakes. I think my biggest issue is in the rising time and conditions. I often get impatient with the bulk fermentation, or the final rise, and cut it short, resulting in a more dense loaf. I thought my loaves were decent and then I went home and had my mums bread which is so incredibly light. That’s something I’ll be striving towards.
I would say some of the highlights for me on this journey were the sourdough doughnuts I made, those were so delicious, and really so easy.
Sourdough Doughnuts made by me
Another highlight for me was the sourdough Khachapuri. These were so delicious and we ate them with homemade borscht. They were easy to make and incredibly tasty.
I’m actually really thankful for this process, it gave me time and justification to indulge in this project that I’ve been wanting to learn about. Now I feel more confident in my ability to make bread and food for myself and my family. It’s cost effective and better for us.
I love cinnamon buns, and I (maybe controversially) think they do not need icing if the bun itself is good. I’m going to make them with the same method as my mum, but instead of a yeast recipe I’ll use a starter recipe.
I think the key part is that you bake them close together, and as soon as they come out of the oven you flip them upside down so that all that sugary caramel sauce drips through them again – it’s like icing in and of itself! Here’s a picture of some vegan cinnamon buns (regular yeasted dough) I made a few years ago, just to show what I mean when I say you flip them upside down to serve.
“What strategies can we employ to minimize the risk of plagiarism?”
When I asked ChatGPT this question, this is what it generated: (I couldn’t get the text from ChatGPT to change colour, so please note that it is the numbered list, all contents from 1-7).
Use the information as inspiration: Rather than directly copying or lifting entire responses from an AI, use the generated content as inspiration or a starting point for your own ideas. This helps in developing original content while still benefiting from the AI’s assistance.
Paraphrase and reframe: If you find a helpful response from an AI model like ChatGPT, rephrase and reframe the information in your own words. This practice not only helps to avoid plagiarism but also ensures a deeper understanding of the material.
Combine multiple sources: Instead of relying solely on one AI-generated response, combine information from multiple AI-generated responses or other sources, integrating them into your own unique content.
Attribute when necessary: If you’re directly using or referencing a phrase, idea, or content generated by an AI model like ChatGPT, attribute it appropriately. Acknowledge that the information was derived from an AI source.
Verify and fact-check: AI-generated content can sometimes contain errors or outdated information. Always verify the information provided by an AI model through reliable, authoritative sources before using it in your work.
Review and edit: Just like with any other source, thoroughly review and edit the content generated by an AI. This process helps in refining the language, structure, and ensuring the content aligns with your intended message.
Document your AI usage: If required by your institution or project guidelines, keep track of the AI models or tools you used in your research or content creation process. Mentioning these in your bibliography or references can demonstrate transparency in your work.
Before I used AI to ask this question, the first thing I thought of based on discussions we’ve had in class was, well use it like you would use Wikipedia, as a jumping off point.
I absolutely agree that we need to treat AI as the new google, or the new calculator. It certainly won’t be going anywhere and the best way to move forward with it is to be educated about it. A ‘just say no‘ approach to AI in education would be harmful and counter productive. It’s not necessary that everyone has to be an expert in it, or even use it, but turning a blind eye and demonizing it is not the answer.
Given that the University of Victoria does not even have a stance on AI yet, goes to show how new this is, but also how much, and how fast it will change. This is another reason we should be somewhat adept in AI because it will change and grow, and governments and institutions will be developing stances on it.
The MagicSchool.AI is a really interesting resource educators. I’m especially intrigued by the fact that it is an encrypted and the information doesn’t go anywhere else – which is FIPPA compliant. Super intriguing, I can see myself using this in the future.
I do think there are inherent harms with over use of these tools. Defaulting to the use of AI generated lesson plans or grading rubrics will definitely harm our own capabilities of thinking creatively, and frankly – working hard. This is only one of the many possible harms we could be seeing with the use and over use of AI tools in education. However, I personally feel that I struggle starting from scratch, and having a prompt gets my creative and critical thinking going much faster and better. Although, i’m really not sure if thats because that’s how my brain works, or if I just have debilitating imposter syndrome, and anything 100% my idea is likely not good enough.
The three big issues brought up in class: evaluation and assessment, misinformation, and violations of intellectual property, present real issues in the future of education with AI.
When I asked ChatGPT if teachers should change their assessment now that students have such readily available access to AI, ChatGPT said:
Absolutely! The rise of AI has transformed the way we access information, learn, and solve problems. Teachers can adapt their assessment methods to align with these changes by emphasizing skills that complement AI, such as critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and complex decision-making.
Instead of traditional memorization-based tests, assessments could focus more on application and synthesis of information. For instance, assigning projects that require students to analyze data, interpret results, and propose creative solutions can be more beneficial. This encourages students to utilize AI as a tool rather than just relying on it for answers.
Moreover, formative assessments, where teachers continuously gauge student progress, can be enhanced by integrating AI tools to provide personalized feedback and adaptive learning experiences. This combination can create a more dynamic and tailored approach to education.
Ultimately, teachers should prepare students to collaborate with AI, emphasizing skills that make humans unique, like emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning, and adaptability. The goal is to foster a symbiotic relationship between human intellect and AI capabilities.
Who doesn’t love Focaccia, sourdough or not! Focaccia is such a delicious bread that you can top however you like. I’m partial to a really simple focaccia with salt and rosemary, and then eat it hot out of the oven, cut it up and dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I will be using this recipe from Alexandra’s Kitchen. When it comes to time, when working with sourdough, it is entirely environment dependant. This suggests letting the dough proof for between 4-18 hours. How is anyone supposed to know how much time it will really need?! Well, this is why baking requires skills of observation. The author of this recipe is smart to suggest that you allow your dough to rise in a transparent tub so that it easy to monitor the growth of your dough. This way, you do not have to worry about the time so much, it’s way more about the growth of your dough – which you can observe. Because in summer, in a warm kitchen, the first rise would probably only need 4 hours, but in winter it may need the full 18 hours.
Like most sourdough recipes I do, I will be making these in the evening, and allowing them to rest overnight on my counter (my house is not that warm, and it’s nearing winter so I don’t expect it will over proof).
The key for focaccia is the second rise in the baking dish. After it’s doubled its size during the first rise, you pull it out into a baking dish that has olive oil in it. Then it needs to rise (likely) at least 4 hours. The dough needs to be puffy and almost doubled in size. Then comes the verrrrry fun part of baking focaccia.
When the second rise/proof is complete, you drizzle the dough with olive oil and push your fingers all the way down to the bottom of the dish. Check out this very satisfying video by Shebakesourdough (Jade Lim).
By doing this you create the iconic aeration and bubbles of focaccia. In this video by Shebakesourdough Lim is doing delicious pesto and cherry tomato topping, which I would definitely like to try but as I said, I’m partial to a very simple focaccia topping.
If you try to make your own focaccia, do not fret if it doesn’t look as amazingly bubbly and beautiful as Lim’s she’s an expert. Mine won’t look like that – I’m finding my biggest issue with baking sourdough is my lack of patience to let things rise fully. Focaccia really needs that long rise time so I’ll have to be patient.
I think that gamification is an awesome way to get students involved in a low-stakes way. I would absolutely use gamification in my practice. Likely both online / digital gamification and gamifying activities in the class. This lecture made me reflect back to our orientation day in September, where we were put into teams and were competing to complete our native plants bingo. Myself and another person in my group became really competitive and got so into it (which was really fun), but afterwards I reflected on the competitiveness, I thought it was not good that we’d become that competitive. Our instructor at the end of the activity told us that he purposely made it something where we would get competitive, because team tasks are an awesome way to gel new groups of people.
I think a potential issue with gamifications such as Kahoot, or video game type things, is that students may take it less seriously, and also behave less appropriately for school. I’m thinking specifically about how students may taunt or name call each other in a way they may if they were playing this game outside the classroom. So, some gamification may pose additional classroom management challenges.
So, I joined a facebook page about sourdough baking called Sourdough Geeks, follow the QR code below to check it out.
It can be overwhelming because there is so much information on there, and SO many opinions (that sometimes vary) but in general I’m finding it to be an awesome resource. One of the best things is that if people are having issues with their bread, they’ll post a picture and their recipe and everyone comes to their aid to help out with suggestions and feedback.
However, this week when I went to make my usual loaf of sourdough bread (I decided to make two this week) I realized that I timed feeding my starter incorrectly. Ideally, you would follow a schedule such as:
7am – Feed Starter, leave out on counter all day
5pm – Make bread dough
9pm – Bulk fermentation is done, put in fridge overnight
8am – Bench rest bread, then shape and rest in bamboo dish, then bake
What I did wrong was I took my starter out of the fridge and fed it in the late afternoon (Ideally I should have just waited until later in the evening) and then I realized that I wouldn’t have the hands-on time needed for the bulk fermentation the next morning. So, I thought I would have to discard from the starter and try feeding it again the next night, but I saw on the facebook page an alternative. By chance, a post came up that stated that some people use their starter straight out of the fridge! They suggested making the water warm if you use cold/refrigerated starter, but thats it!
I tried it out. I put my fed starter in the fridge overnight until the next evening, and then I pulled it out and used it as I would normally (with the addition of warm instead of room temp water). I continued the process as normal, I did an overnight rise of my dough after the bulk fermentation. Today, I have two great loves of sourdough bread!
What About the Crumb?
My main concern was the crumb of my bread. Wait, what does the crumb mean? The crumb refers to the texture inside your bread. On the Sourdough Geeks facebook page there are tons of images of people struggling with their crumb. I suggest checking it out!
I was worried that since I used the cold starter the bread would not rise as normal, however, my loaves turned out great! The crumb was really nice, similar to the photo above, maybe a little less open. While this was great to learn, that you can use your starter cold straight from the fridge, I won’t default to using it that way. In a pinch though, or due to poor planning, it’s great to know it works!
Who doesn’t love bagels? Bagels are one of those things that people think are quite complicated to make because they have to be boiled and then baked – but I’m here to tell you they are not hard to make. I have made them many times with yeast, and they’re incredibly easy to make and so delicious. Way better than any bagels you would get at the grocery store.
I’m going to use another recipe from Little Spoon Farm. Their recipes are nice because they already have the weighted measurements so I don’t have to do any conversions. Interestingly, this recipe calls for your dough to sit out (not in the fridge) overnight. Bagels are a fatless dough so theres no issues there (i.e. milk or butter going off), but it still seems a little odd to me!
Something I love about this recipe is that they provide an example of a timeline / baking schedule. This is really helpful for managing how much time you’ll need to complete a sourdough recipe.
This recipe will yield 8 bagels – I’d like to make a double batch so I could fill my freezer with some homemade bagels, but my oven is so small and not very efficient, so it would be very time consuming to bake all 16 bagels in one day.
This recipe calls for sugar in the water that the bagels will boil in, but I’ve always put honey in the water so I will do that instead.
A huge factor in all baking that requires rising or proofing time, but particularly sourdough baking, is temperature. The author of the Little Spoon Farm recipe states that her kitchen is about 20 degrees celsius overnight, and that accommodates her bagel dough to rise in time to bake at 8am the next day. So, I’ll either have to crank my heat overnight for this, or allow for more time than the 12 hours this recipe calls for.
After doing some more research it seems that it’s very common for sourdough recipes to bulk ferment (or rest) on a counter overnight for up to 12 hours. This recipe was easy and turned out great!
