 My mind map focuses on wellness, specifically for teachers. I chose to focus on teacher wellness because one message from orientation week this year at OISE resonated with me about teacher burnout. The speaker mentioned how prioritizing yourself as an educator must be remembered despite caring for students daily. There are many types of wellness, which I have broken down on the mind map. In the middle is the prominent theme of teacher wellness, followed by six pink subcategories of wellness: physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental, social, and financial. I brainstormed what the specific wellness categories could entail (highlighted in purple). Finally, the blue are some tips on incorporating wellness into one's personal and teaching life. I hope this mind map serves as a self-help guide and a reminder to prioritize wellness.
I won’t go into detail about every sub-section but will highlight some of my personal favorites. The physical portion of the mindmap explains activities one could incorporate to maintain a healthy body. Teachers tend to have busy schedules, but keeping up with nutrition regardless is essential. Additionally, exercise can benefit overall health, whether walking to school or even dancing with your class. The environmental portion describes nature as necessary in a personal and curriculum setting. Teachers can feel good by incorporating sustainability in their classrooms, such as a recycling program. Furthermore, going outside alone or for class activities benefits wellness since it forces one to understand the world around them and get fresh air. Finally, I want to highlight the social portion of this mindmap, specifically the “boundaries” section. It is essential to be social, but sometimes, you must say no and be in your thoughts to decompress. Wellness ultimately looks different for everyone, but I hope this inspires everyone. Fullan and Langworthy (2014) discuss the importance of mind maps as a learning tool since they aid in metacognition (p.5). I could think about what I was learning about in this process since it helped me reflect and understand the challenges of wellness in teaching practice and how to improve it. I will be using this tactic as a way for students to demonstrate their learning since it is personalized and authentic. Works Cited Fullan, M., & Langworthy, M. (2014). Executive Summary. In, A Rich Seam: How New Technologies Find Deep Learning (p.5). London: Pearson. https://ctl7016.weebly.com/uploads/5/5/0/7/55075753/fullan_langworthy.pdf
0 Comments
 My coding activity on studio.code.org explored the interconnections between literacy and coding, two essential twenty-first-century skills. Coding teaches problem-solving, logical thinking, and creativity, while literacy equips students to express further ideas created through mediums such as coding (Dindelegan, 2018, p.56). In a classroom setting, cross-disciplinary learning aligning through coding and literacy develops multifaceted understandings and connections between different areas of knowledge. Moreover, it allows one to express creativity in ways that coding or poetry alone cannot. This is seen on the platform through the various tools (size, audio, sprite, and text effects) that can manipulate code presentation. Having control over one's work empowers students to create digital content to understand the technology that shapes their world. From a teaching perspective, this helps educators assess student learning and reevaluate teaching pedagogies if needed.
Two prominent themes discussed above are student empowerment and creativity through coding and literacy. The game found on studio.code.org aligns with Seymour Papert’s constructivist theory by discussing the importance of learning through creativity (Kafai & Burke, 2014, p.2). Kafai and Burke (2014) quote Papert when explaining how learners construct knowledge effectively when actively creating meaningful work (Kafai & Burke, 2014, p.2). Coding and poetry involve blending logic with expression from literature, allowing students to build their understanding of programming concepts personally. By creating poetry, students are not just passive recipients of information; they become active in their learning, embodying Papert’s idea of knowledge being constructed through experience. In my work, I channeled Papert’s ideas by creating a poem personal to my biggest passion: swimming. I used waves as a way to create a beautiful piece of work. Sometimes, my code failed, but since I was determined to make a visually aesthetic poem resembling my passion, I was determined to build upon my learning and learn from my coding mistakes. The platform was intuitive, allowing me to learn from my mistakes, which equated to Papert’s claims of making meaningful learning through designing personal programs. I did not have access to coding or diverse ways of expressing my emotions, as seen through this activity. I wish this had been around when I was in middle school because I believe this would have enhanced my learning and overall engagement. Works Cited Dindelegan, M. (2018). Digital and coding literacy for school students. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Digitalia, 63(1), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbdigitalia.2018.1.04 Kafai, Y. B., & Burke, Q. (2014). Mindstorms 2: Children, programming, and computational participation. https://ctl7016.weebly.com/schedule.html  Lululemon Brand name: Lululemon Taglines/Words of Wisdom:
Themes:
Lululemon Athletica, a beloved North American athletic brand, is more than just a brand's community. Originating as a yoga brand, Lululemon has evolved into a lifestyle brand that is inclusive and accessible to everyone, from the everyday individual to the highest level of athletes. They've fostered a large athletic community by connecting various individuals. This is seen through their Instagram bio: “Mindfulness, sweat, community and more,” as well as their social media posts, promoting wellness across various individuals who enjoy movement. Emotional Techniques: Lululemon’s tagline, “Be All In,” describes how anyone can be an athlete, regardless of skill or upbringing. The brand reinforces this through its In-store events, such as free yoga classes and wellness workshops. Furthermore, their program Sweat Collective collaborates with local athletes and fitness enthusiasts who become Lululemon ambassadors to promote the brand and engage with the community. The #sweatlife hashtag creates an emotional connection by promoting a lifestyle aligned with its target audience. Phrases like #thesweatlife and “the practice of possibility” inspire customers to live active and fulfilling lives. Coupled with visual storytelling, Lululemon showcases these phrases with real people engaging in fitness, which customers find relatable and motivating. From a swimmer's lens, I can attest to Lululemon for staying true to its word and being a brand for anyone who associates with a wellness lifestyle. The Canadian 2024 Paris Olympic swim team is sponsored by the brand. Seeing athletes on the team represent the Leaf, and Lululemon inspires me and others that these dreams of making an Olympic team are possible. Moreover, it reinforces the idea of community sought out by Lululemon since, despite not being on the team, I share a similarity of enjoying movement and wearing active clothes. My advertisement: My advertisement aims to evoke emotion while maintaining Lululemon's community-based aura. Predominantly directed at girls, the term “sweet treat” has become popular in recent years to normalize the love of eating sweets after dinner. According to Hughes (2018), girls are drawn to purchase materials promoting normative tendencies of femininity (p. 14). Featuring specific messages aligning with marketing can help create a strong community with consumers and brand connections (Hughes, 2018, p.5). By integrating the sweet message into my advertisement, I aim to normalize and celebrate sweets, fostering a positive and balanced relationship with food and exercise. This approach promotes a healthy balance, consisting of the balance between indulging in treats and engaging in activity. The concept of balance, which resonates with yoga and Lululemon’s values, helps combat the negative connotations often associated with food and exercise in society. By showcasing the balance, I am to empower the audience to feel confident. This message encourages a holistic wellness view consistent with the brand's goals. After all, life's simple pleasures are a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. Works Cited Hughes, R. (2021). “Once you shop, you can’t stop”: Are big-brand companies producing games for girls, or girls themselves? Gender and Education, DOI: 10.1080/09540253.2021.1962517 Linggi, K. (2023, December 26). The phenomenon of the “sweet little treat.” Spoon University. https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/the-phenomenon-of-the-sweet-little-treat Lululemon. (2024). Our philosophy: Designs: Lululemon Athletica. Our Philosophy | Designs | lululemon athletica. https://shop.lululemon.com/designs/_/N-1z140xkZ1z13xio Policella, G. (2024, February 27). How lululemon uses lifestyle marketing to create a strong brand community. Loyalty & Reward Program Insights from Smile.io. https://blog.smile.io/how-lululemon-uses-lifestyle-marketing-to-create-a-strong-brand-community/  The central theme of my visual diary is water. Although the pictures highlight a noticeable trend, they extend beyond water, suggesting how the most superficial elements in life can form deeper meanings. This has been performed in my visual diary and in many photographs on digital platforms such as Instagram to convey messages and connect with others.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, professional photographers used platforms like Instagram to share their work in hopes of overcoming challenging and uncertain times (Libbey & Farago, 2020). For example, American photographer Catherine Opie, described their newfound enjoyment of using Instagram to connect with others while posting authentic content to convey their thoughts. Photographs hold memories, and like the article, I have my own, which have been secretly captured through the following images. Water continues to flow like life, no matter how challenging the circumstances. Additionally, water has been something I have reverted to during many difficult times. The picture of the koi fish extends beyond its simple form since it was taken during a walk when I found out the last member, aside from my mom and dad, passed away. I lost all my family at an extremely young age and was forced to grow up faster than many people around me. Throughout it all, the calmness of the water made me feel at ease. Moreover, the U of T pool picture describes both triumph and sorrow. That exact pool is where I quit the sport in grade 10 and qualified for the Olympic Trials. In High School, I was hospitalized and almost ended my life due to a deadly eating disorder. I was pulled out of the sport and was advised never to exercise competitively in case the negative thoughts re-occur. Against all odds, I worked hard to prove everyone wrong. I can now celebrate my success by walking over to that pool every day after having exciting (and stressful) days at school. I am proud that water can be a part of my everyday life. Even if water is associated with life challenges, it continues to flow and always has an answer, even though it might not be reflected in the moment. Works Cited Libbey, P., & Farago, J. (2020, April 2). The World’s great photographers, many stuck inside, have snapped. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/arts/design/instagram-photographers-coronavirus.html  The four technology-related terms I researched were clickbait, micro-influencer, smartphone zombie, and sextortion. Before researching, I was aware of most of these terms, but some, such as sextortion, were foreign to my knowledge. With technology rapidly advancing, it will be interesting to witness new terms integrating within our world. My researched technology terms:
Clickbait is used to describe misleading headlines on the internet to attract views on content (Molina et al., 2021). A broad theme with clickbait is how, despite sounding authentic, the actual content has nothing to do with what it claims. Ongoing literature debates have been analyzing whether clickbait content persuades users to “click” on the content since the website’s legitimacy and wording of headlines can influence individuals differently (Molina et al., 2021, p.1). Jung et al. (2022) studied the impact of standard clickbait phrases such as “you won’t believe” and their influence on internet users (p.4). The authors discuss how the excitement of such phrases causes more views since they are simple and form credibility (Jung et al., 2022). During the earlier years of YouTube, I remember quickly clicking on challenge-themed videos titled “You won’t believe what happened” since they easily persuaded me. I stopped clicking on the material after becoming more aware of specific phrases and wording in the videos. My comic emphasizes how internet clickbait can relate to school. Multiple times in primary school, my teachers would over-hype a lesson to get our attention. As seen in the leftmost frame, the teacher mimics a clickbait headline by describing the lesson as “ the most fun”. In the middle, it has the students acting as internet users by being excited at the presented content. Lastly, the teacher reveals a boring math lesson, mirroring what the clickbait content ends up being.
A micro-influencer is active on social media and posts content similar to influencers (Conde & Casais, 2023). In contrast to famous internet influencers, these individuals have between 1000- 100 000 followers on social media platforms lower on the influencer hierarchy (Conde & Casais, 2023). One will find micro-influencers endorsed less by brands or promoting lesser-known products in hopes of gaining revenue and popularity. As someone with 18,200 followers on TikTok promoting swim content, I understand the difficulty of moving to the “popular” level online since more prominent influencers tend to gatekeep the brands they work with.
“Smartphone zombies” are defined as people who use their phones distractedly while walking (McCleave, 2023). This causes individuals to trip and bump into others accidentally on the sidewalk. I believe smartphone zombies are more susceptible to falling for clickbait too, since the distractions can cause one to glance over clickbait-like phrases that would be identified if not over-occupied.
Although I never knew about this term, I know the topic. Sextortion is when individuals create fake identities online to persuade victims to send explicit photos of themselves (Kindelan, 2024). I believe this term is one more people should be aware of, especially in schools, since child predators are, sadly in this world, attacking children new to the world of social media. Works Cited Chen, J., Zhang, Y., Cai, H., Liu, L., Liao, M., & Fang, J. (2024). A comprehensive overview of micro-influencer marketing: Decoding the current landscape, impacts, and Trends. Behavioral Sciences, 14(3), 243. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14030243 D. Molina, M., Sundar, S. S., Rony, M. M., Hassan, N., Le, T., & Lee, D. (2021). Does Clickbait actually attract more clicks? Three clickbait studies you must read. Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445753 Jung, A.-K., Stieglitz, S., Kissmer, T., Mirbabaie, M., & Kroll, T. (2022). Click me…! the influence of clickbait on user engagement in social media and the role of digital nudging. PLOS ONE, 17(6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266743 Kindelan, K. (2024, May 8). I was a victim of online sextortion in high school. Here’s what I want parents and kids to know. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/victim-online-sextortion-high-school-parents-kids/story?id=108662394#:~:text=Sextortion%20is%20a%20crime%20in,photos%2C%20according%20to%20the%20FBI. McCleave, R. (2023, October 10). Read canadian underwriter’s article about the “smartphone zombie apocalypse.” Read Canadian Underwriter’s article about the “Smartphone Zombie apocalypse.” https://www.bflcanada.ca/article/read-canadian-underwriters-article-featuring-robin-mccleave/ |
