Category: EDCI 336

This is a category for the EdTech course. Please add this category in addition to the relevant edtech assignment category(ies).

February 9, 2026 EDCI 336, Weekly Reflections

Topic 5 – Weekly Reflection Blog Post

This week there was no prompt given for reflection, so I will be talking about my experience at the Pacific School Of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII).

Inquiry Based Learning

PSII’s style of learning is based around the student with inquiry being at the core of their process. Students engage with questions about something that is close to them, that brings out their own curiosity, and then they are directed to research that topic. More about the process can be found here or in this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwkerwaV2E

Pros

I think that the inquiry based model of learning is a fantastic model for some students, as it provides a frankly dramatically different model than conventional schooling. In my opinion, the students that benefit from this model the most can be broken down into two types of student: the overachievers, and the disinterested.

Personally, I know several students that went to PSII who have advanced degrees, largely spurred by the inquiry that they did at PSII. Before PSII they were also always overachievers, scholarship students and straight A students, but at PSII they were able to flourish and create fantastic inquiry projects, such as a full novel. The inquiry process allows them to not be hindered by traditional classrooms and keeps pushing the students further and further.

On the other hand, the classically disinterested students also found a place at PSII. Friends of mine that went to PSII that were generally considered “problem children” or “too energetic” and “hard to contain” were able to find their niche at school, and apply their energy to something that actually grabbed their attention.

Cons

Nothing is perfect however, PSII’s model does not fit for everyone. Unfortunately, a big problem for PSII’s model is that it requires a lot more individual support and attention, which means that the classic ratios of students to teachers needs to be a lot higher. I believe that the current numbers roughly work out to a ratio of 1:12 teachers to students, which is a significantly lower number than the usual public numbers. Another problem is drive and motivation. If students are not interested in schooling in general it can be hard, even with an inquiry based model, to fully engage those students in education, and having a school where there is the ability to do functionally nothing all day means that you will get some students who take that opportunity. The traditional schooling model provides checks and if you are not doing work all day, by virtue of being in classes it is easier for teachers to check in and catch those students.

February 2, 2026 EDCI 336, Free Inquiry

Free Inquiry Introduction

For my free inquiry this semester I have planned to track my climbing performance and my workout performance and describe my journey through both.

Introduction

I chose this topic as I have been climbing for a long time, but have plateaued at a certain difficulty of climb, specifically V4 for bouldering (my main kind of climbing). I wanted to improve my climbing, and so I reached out to a friend who is a PHD candidate in Strength and Conditioning, and a professional strength coach for Canadian national teams. He advised me on several types of workouts that I could do to improve my climbing performance. So, my main goals for this semester are to “send” a V6 & a 5.10C climb, lift 750lbs between squat, bench press, and deadlift, and to lose 10 pounds. This is an ambitious goal, but I believe that I will be able to achieve it if I keep to my schedule.

My Starting Stats

Climbing: I have been climbing much more frequently than working out, so I am able to flash V4 boulders and 5.10a top rope climbs.

Gym Stats: I have been advised to not try and hit my maximum right at the beginning, as that could lead to injury and so I have recorded my baseline.

  • Squat: 5x185lbs
  • Bench Press: 5x135lbs
  • Deadlift: 5x275lbs

Total: 600lbs

The Routine

For the routine I have decided on going climbing twice a week and strength training twice a week. This lets me balance my school work, social life, as well as providing workable amounts of time for achieving my goals.

Climbing: I plan on climbing twice a week minimum, with Tuesday and Thursday being my dedicated climbing days. There is also the option of adding Saturday as a climbing day, depending on school workload and soreness. I plan on climbing for 1.5 hours each session, with Tuesday dedicated to bouldering and Thursday doing a mix of bouldering and top rope climbing. Saturdays would be a more social climb, and so would be 2-2.5 hours depending.

Gym: For the gym, I will go on Wednesdays and Fridays, as I have no class Wednesday and Friday I have no class in the afternoon. Both sessions will take roughly 1.5 hours as well, Wednesday I will do a mix of exercises, but will start with Squats, Bench Press, and Deadlifts which are the trackers I am using. Friday I will do a mix of lower weight exercises, including biking for my cardio and weight loss, and core exercises.

Ed Tech Elements

As a part of this assignment, I will also start to film myself in attempts on harder boulder problems as well as a weekly video of one type of lift. These videos serve two purposes: First, to observe myself and to help me adjust form, and technique & Second, to keep myself accountable to posting once a week.

Additionally, I will be taking my friend’s professional advice for what lifts and exercises to do, and post any new exercises to the blog, detailing why I have added them to my routine. Below are a few videos, one detailing the basics of bouldering, and one detailing the basic form for the lifts I will be doing to begin. Personally, I did not follow the lifting videos, I had my friend coach me but they provide a good visual guide for those that do not know what the lifts consist of.

Casually Explained is a very popular youtuber, with over 4 million subscribers. He also happens to climb at our local gym, CragX downtown. This is not a perfect introduction, but I thought it was fun.

January 23, 2026 EDCI 336, Weekly Reflections

Topic 3 – Weekly Reflection Blogpost

This week for our blog post we have been asked to reflect on a few things, first to add our H5P video to the blog, and then to reflect on a couple questions about H5P/interactive video. Then describe how Multi-media Learning Theory and Flipped Classrooms can be used in our specific context.

H5P & Interactive Video

H5P seems to be a useful tool to create check in points for our classes. I can see it being quite useful if i was sick and had to record a class, getting some formative feedback from the class’s responses through the H5P software.

Video/Audio editing as an Assignment

I think that creating videos or a podcast could be a fantastic tool for students who are not comfortable doing projects that involve presentations. Additionally, I think that it could add a lot of personality to a project. I envision an assignment where students are required to make a radio show or video from the 1940s for a socials 10 class, the students could make anything from a radio segment to a “propaganda film” which would allow the students to choose something that interests them, while staying on topic. To make it engaging, the key would be to ensure that the students understand that they are not being graded on quality of video, but creativity and ingenuity.

Multi-media Learning Theory

Multi-media learning theory allows instructors to create much more effective presentations through online media. The theory has several precepts, but among them are some such as: Talking Heads are distracting, and “more text is not necessarily better.” This lets us be more effective as educators using the online videos easier.

Flipped Classroom Teaching Model

A flipped classroom at the grade level I would like to teach (socials 10) would likely involve me assigning readings from a textbook, or primary sources, for the students before a class. Then, during class we would go over the readings in much more detail. Some strengths include: students who are moving quite quickly will be able to go at their own pace and move far beyond the rest of the class in content and understanding. Some weaknesses are: that students who are not as engaged will slip further and further from the class and end up completely unengaged with the content or material.

I believe that for the socials 9/10 classes the weaknesses outweigh the benefits, as going through the content at the same time gives some accountability to the students, as their classmates will be all going through the same things at the same times. Additionally, the students that are much quicker and able to understand the material quicker will naturally able to help the students who are falling behind. Finally, this way of teaching exacerbates issues for students with disabilities, or who require more help. As they wont be able to do the prep work on their own time without help, which not all students would have access to.

At a higher grade level I can see this working a lot better, when students are taking the course as an elective rather than as a required class. Other teachers I have talked to, at parklands and at other independent schools, find that flipped classes work well for higher achieving students, but not as well for the majority of average or lower achieving students.