My Genius Hour Reflection: The Supplies are Ready!

Today I was faced with the toughest decision (yet) of my Genius Hour project: choosing the yarn! Imagine walking through two aisles of a craft store where all of the shelves are packed with yarn in every colour imaginable! Beyond the multitude of colours, there was also thick yarn and thin yarn, glittery yarn and frilly yarn, wool yarn and acrylic yarn. How do you choose?! 

Thankfully I received some advice from my grandmother before I went shopping. She suggested choosing a yarn of medium weight. Very fine or light yarn can be quite challenging to work with as it results in very small stitches which are difficult to see and time-consuming to knit. Thick yarn helps the project to move along more quickly as it creates big stitches, but can be challenging to work with due to its bulkiness. Thus, yarn of medium weight is great for beginners as the size of the stitches are fairly easy to see and are not too time-consuming to knit.

Thus, after admiring the beautiful skeins of yarn for half an hour, I finally decided on this medium-weight yarn: 

Olij, B. © 2016
[Photo from personal collection]

My niece has beautiful blue eyes so I thought the mix of neutral and bright blue hues in the yarn would be a great choice for her.

The next step was to choose the needles. My grandmother has a seemingly endless supply of needles, so I was able to borrow a pair from her. As I learned in my research, the thickness of the needle determines the size of the stitch. Yarn packages typically recommend the size of needle that would work well with the weight of the yarn and the yarn I selected recommended size 5 needles. My grandmother had two pairs of size 5 needles; one pair was fourteen inches long and the other was ten inches long. This led me to do some further research on what length of needles was recommended for beginners. Most blogs and websites recommended the ten inch needles as beginner knitters tend to find the shorter needles less cumbersome to hold and work with. Taking this advice, I have decided to use the ten inch needles. If I find I am having trouble using these needles, I can always switch to the other ones. 

Overall, I have really enjoyed the first few steps of my Genius Hour project. While I have seen my grandmother knit a few times over the years, I never really knew the details of knitting. I have now learned that yarns have different weights, that needles have different thicknesses, and that it is important to consider these details when deciding which yarn and needles you want to use for a particular project. I love learning new things, so it has been fun to research and explore a new topic. Through this process, I have also learned how useful blogs can be in providing information, ideas, and advice. It has been really helpful to read the experiences of other knitters and to gain new insights as these knitters share their knowledge and advice. It is amazing to see how the Internet allows knitters from all over the world to connect and create a learning community where they can share their ideas and learn from one another. I am excited to take what I have been learning and to apply it to my own project as I prepare to begin knitting my scarf! 

My Genius Hour Reflection: The Research Has Begun!

This past week I began doing the research for my Genius Hour project. Having never touched a pair of knitting needles before, I knew there was a lot for me to learn! I decided to begin my research online using the search words “knitting for beginners” and quickly found a plethora of knitting websites and blogs containing tutorials, patterns, and advice for novice knitters such as myself.

Choosing a Knitting Project

Originally, my goal was to knit a blanket. I searched for free blanket patterns online and found a few that piqued my interest. When I shared my plan to knit a blanket with a few of my family members who knit, they gave the feedback that a blanket might be too ambitious, overwhelming, and time-consuming for someone who is just learning how to knit. After discussing a few different projects with them, I decided that a scarf would be a better beginner project. I always wear scarves in the fall and winter, so I would love to learn how to knit my own!

Choosing a Pattern

Having decided on the project of a scarf, I began to search for a knitting pattern. I quickly discovered that there are many different types of stitches in knitting. There are several basic stitches such as the garter stitch, the purl stitch, and the stockinette stitch. There are also more intricate stitch patterns that use different combinations of garter and purl stitches. The website Craftcookie was helpful in my research as it provides a picture and brief explanation for each of the different stitches

.

The majority of the blogs and websites I read recommended the garter stitch as this is one of the easiest and most common stitches in knitting.  You create a garter stitch by knitting every row. Thus, the garter stitch is a helpful stitch for beginners to learn as it allows them to practice doing a lot of stitches and to get a good feel for the rhythm of knitting.

 

Hosking, B. (2012, September 24). Example of the Garter Stitch.
[Photograph]. Image retrieved from http://bit.ly/2dTsIiN

Taking this advice, I chose a pattern that used the garter stitch as I felt this would serve as a good first project to learn the basic skills of knitting. I chose the Basic Garter Stitch Scarf pattern from Craftsy.  In the pattern, it discusses how you can adjust the number of stitches and rows in order to make the scarf narrower or wider and longer or shorter based on your personal preference. This gave me the idea to make a child-sized scarf for my niece. I have always wanted to give her a special hand-made gift and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do so! After consulting with my grandmother, we decided that a good-sized scarf for a toddler would be twenty-five stitches wide. 

Macauley, V. The Basic Garter Stitch Scarf.
Image retrieved from http://craftsy.me/2cUGpeU

Being Flexible

It is interesting to see how my original plan has changed after doing my preliminary research. My original goal was to make an adult-sized blanket for myself. After reading various websites and blogs and discussing the project with other knitters, I decided that a better beginner project would be to knit a scarf instead. Then, after exploring a number of different scarf patterns, I decided that I would love to knit a child-sized scarf for my niece Chloe.  This was a great reminder of the importance of being flexible and learning from others who have more experience in the field. I learned that sometimes it is wise to adjust your goals based on new information you discover. While my ultimate, long-term goal is to knit a blanket, I want to build towards that goal gradually as I develop the different skills needed over time. Thus, my goal for this Genius Hour project is to knit a scarf that will help me to develop the basic skills of knitting. Being open-minded, discovering new information, and adjusting my goals are all part of the learning process as I explore the world of knitting! I am looking forward to the next step in this learning journey as I purchase my knitting supplies!

My Genius Hour Project

In my "Teaching Digital Learners in a Digital Age" class, I was introduced to the idea of Genius Hour. Genius Hour is a educational approach that allows students to research and explore a topic of their choice for a set period of time (i.e. one hour per week). Thus, students take on a more active and engaging role in their learning as they choose a project that they are passionate about and spend time exploring, creating, and problem-solving as they build their knowledge. I was intrigued by the idea of introducing Genius Hour in the classroom and was even more excited to find out that we ourselves would be choosing a Genius Hour project! I think it is a great opportunity for us to build new knowledge and skills while learning how we could implement Genius Hour in our future classrooms!

For my Genius Hour, I have chosen the project of learning how to knit a scarf. My grandmother has always been a fantastic knitter. From socks to blankets to stuffed animals to scarves, my grandmother can knit anything! When my siblings and I were young, we often received hand-knit sweaters as gifts for Christmas or our birthdays. Last Christmas, my grandmother knit coffee mug cozies for all of her children and grandchildren - twenty in total! While I have always admired her knitting and have always wished that I knew how to knit, I have never mustered up the courage to actually give it a try.

Coffee cup cozies hand-knit by my Oma.
Olij, B. © 2016 [Photo from personal collection]

Sweaters hand-knit by my Oma. They were definitely unique!
Olij, B. © 2016 [Photo from personal collection] 

This past year in particular, I have developed a greater interest in knitting. Last September, I became an aunt for the first time to beautiful little girl. Often when I am scrolling through Pinterest or Facebook, I see a lot of cute knitting ideas for babies and children. I would love to be able to make various hand-knit gifts for my niece!

This opportunity to do a Genius Hour project, therefore, has given me the perfect opportunity to stop making excuses and finally explore my interest in knitting. I am really excited to challenge myself and try something new. Stay tuned to this blog to see my progress throughout the next few weeks!

The Importance of Copyright in Education

In the twenty-first century, educators and students alike are constantly accessing media from the Internet. Given the fact that we live in such a digital age, it more important than ever for both educators and students to know what copyright laws are, how to protect their own creations, and how to legally share the creations they find.

Ribeiro, L. (2008, June 30). Children at Computer. [Photograph].
from https://www.flickr.com/photos/lupuca/8720604364/

This week I had the opportunity to do a little bit of research into the issue of copyright so that I could gain a better understanding of what copyright really means and how to properly use it. In North America, all original, tangible work is copyrighted and one must obtain permission to use it for copying, distributing, performing, displaying or adapting. I was surprised to learn that copyright notices are not required as the simple act of creating the work enables the copyright, meaning that only the creator of the original work possesses the right to use the work. [1] While these laws may seem very restrictive, it is important that they are in place to protect artists' and authors' creativity.

Canada does, however, have a clause for fair dealing in its Copyright Act. Fair dealing allows others to use the work for "purposes of private study, research, criticism, review or news reporting that is not considered to constitute infringement of copyright” [2] This allows teachers in non-profit educational settings to communicate and reproduce small excerpts (up to 10%) from a copyrighted work for the purposes listed above. [3]

For artists and authors who wish to share their work more openly, Creative Commons provides an excellent solution. Creative Commons allows artist and authors to provide licenses that specify how their creations can be used by others. For examples, an artist can specify whether he requires attribution, non-commercial use, share alike, or no derivative works. [4] Creative Commons is a great resource for teachers and students as they can search for digital media and easily see the permitted uses.

In today's digital age, it is critical that students learn about copyright laws both with regards to how to protect their own work and how to properly share the work created by others. As a teacher, I would first begin with a class discussion asking students how they would feel if someone took their creation and pretended it was their own, changed it, or used it in a way that the student did not like. This discussion would help students to understand why copyright laws are needed in the first place. From there we could discuss how the Copyright Act protects people's creativity. Then we could talk about how it can be valuable to share our creative works with others and how resources such as the Creative Commons allows us to do so effectively. In order to help students put this into practice, I would have students create a sound clip, video, or photograph and upload it to Creative Commons so that they could see how to apply a Creative Commons license to their own work. I would also have students practice finding an image via the Creative Commons website and giving the proper citation for that work. This is not something that I would have the students practice only once or twice, but it is something we would do throughout the school year with various projects so that students would become very comfortable with using Creative Commons and get in the habit of giving citations when they share the work of others.

The Internet and digital media in general provide teachers and students with a lot of wonderful opportunities to enhance their learning. At the same time, it is critical that both teachers and students become aware of what copyright is and how to properly use it so that they can be responsible digital citizens!

Vandewalker, L. (2014, January 27). Boy at Computer. [Photograph].
from https://pixabay.com/en/little-boy-little-techie-251365/

[1] Figg, Candace. (2013). Copyright for Tech-Enhanced Learning. http://www.handy4class.com/tpack-teacher-game/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Copyright-2013c1.pdf

[2] Guide to Canadian Copyright. (2015).  http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrksv/cipo/cp/copy_gd_protecte.html#6

[3] Canadian Teachers Federation. (2016). Copyright Matters. http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/291/Copyright_Matters.pdf

[4] Creative Commons. (n.d.). https://creativecommons.org/about/videos/wanna-work-together/

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Belinda Olij. I am currently a Teacher Candidate in the Junior/Intermediate Consecutive Education Program at Brock University. While French is my teachable subject, I also have a passion for History and Language Arts.

Since my first day of Kindergarten, I always thought it would be fun to teach. I loved going to school and discovering new things. I must admit that at first one of the main reasons I wanted to become a teacher was so that I could decorate my own classroom. I thought it would be so fun to choose colourful posters and create cheerful bulletin board displays! It wasn't until Grade 5 that my main reason for teaching changed as I was inspired by my Grade 5/6 teacher. Mrs. Van Bodegom was a truly exceptional teacher. She created a safe, welcoming, and engaging learning community where every student who walked into her classroom felt loved and valued. Mrs. Van Bodegom connected with each of her students and made every student, regardless of their learning ability, feel that they had something important to contribute and that they were capable of success. She incorporated creative ideas into her lesson plans as we built dioramas, performed skits, and sang songs with fun actions. Mrs. Van Bodegom truly sought to instill in her students a love of learning, a desire to discover, and an eagerness to investigate. Her care and concern for each of her students was always evident - I still remember being so thrilled to receive a birthday card in the mail from her during the summer. Her passion for teaching and love for her students always shone through.

Having Mrs. Van Bodegom as a teacher for two years helped me to understand the exciting challenge and tremendous opportunity that educators have. While decorating classrooms may be fun, what gives a teacher true joy is having the opportunity to help students of all learning abilities discover their potential. Teachers find joy in making students feel loved, valued, and capable of doing amazing things, and in preparing students to be productive citizens in society. Sitting in Mrs. Van Bodegom's class, I both saw and experienced the impact an outstanding teacher could have on her students and she quickly became a role model for me. In the years since then, I have developed a true passion for teaching and am so excited to help children develop a love for learning, exploring, and discovering. I feel privileged to have this opportunity to be an educator and look forward to continuing to learn how I can be an effective and engaging teacher.