After a discussion in my Media and Digital Literacy class, this is a Word Cloud list of 10 skills that I believe are important for media users to have. 

Here are some examples as to why these words are important…

1. Critical Thinking: being able to think critically about what may or may not be true on the internet or in media is extremely important to not believe bias or false information
2. Analyze: analyzing website and links that may or may not be legitimate
3. Question: the ability to question information seen or heard in media
4. Independence: being yourself and not falling under the negative influences of others
5. Good Character: don’t be somebody different behind the comfort of a screen – if you wouldn’t say it to somebody’s face – don’t say it behind a screen; stay true to who you are and your morals and beliefs
6. Safety: examining websites and media to determine whether they are safe to be using; practicing extreme caution when inputting personal information (ex: name, address, phone number, payment information, etc.)
7. Netiquette: speaking properly and effectively like you would in person but a digital space
8. Privacy: not putting too much personal information on social media that would impede on your personal privacy and not invading others personal boundaries either
9. Adaptability: being virtually flexible, open-minded, and open to changes when networking and using media and digital platforms
10. Creativity: using and exploring different platforms in digital media and practicing out of the box thinking to make different types of digital media

My sister is teaching in a Long-Term Occasional position for this full school year. After listening to an inspirational speaker she realized that calling her students Champions instead of students or boys and girls would be a simple yet empowering change in her daily dialogue. My mom, sister, and I created an acrostic poem for the word Champions and turned the blank back wall of her classroom into a colourful and empowering wall.

A world without teachers would be a very scary place. Teachers play such an important role in society and the lives of so many children! The extra work that teachers put in goes unrecognized most of the time. They spend their unpaid nights marking and planning for the next day, they spend their paycheques on classroom supplies and extra things for their students to take home as presents around holidays, and SO much more! Next time you see one, thank a teacher!

Family is SUPER important to me! I have a very close family and it means the world to me. I am very fortunate to have the family support that I do but I recognize that not everyone has the same family bond that I grew up with. That is why I want to be the type of teacher that students can see as their family member while they are at school. I want to be someone that children can look up to and look at for the support they may be lacking elsewhere. 

This is my family (from left to right): my older sisters Melissa and Kate, my mom Bev, my dad Gerry, me, and my younger sister Rachel.

This week we explored bubbles in Science Class! To help save the planet we reused the straws by covering the end of the straws with our hands to not spread germs. It was very cool to work together to blow bubbles inside of other bubbles and to see how many bubbles would could join together before they burst!  

I am Rebecca Goorts, a teacher candidate at Lakehead University in Orillia. I enjoy teaching and am very excited about becoming a certified teacher within the next year! I am going to take you on my journey of being a teacher candidate and what being a Professional Year Student at Lakehead may look like.