I am starting to get a feel for how the different knowledge management tools can help shape my teaching, even though I am still very much in the trying out phase as I have never used tools like google classroom before. When I played around with Microsoft OneNote, it felt like a big, flexible space where I could drop ideas, half‑finished lesson plans, and resources without worrying too much about structure. This was entirely new to me and I am eager to explore it more especially since Microsoft is my preferred platform. I had a look at Google Classroom and spent some time exploring tutorials on youtube, clicking through settings, and testing out setting one of these up but I think I want to learn more about it before I attempt to make one. I think I could reach out to some teachers I know to help explain it more and show me theirs. I have already learned and heard a lot about it from people I know such as how there is a grade book, and how it is really useful for students to access and interact with materials from anywhere. I think that is super valuable, especially for parents to be able to see everything and have the class be transparent. I think that onenote would be very useful for collaboration with other teachers in the school I will work at because of its real‑time editing and shared folders.

I am still sorting out my feelings about the pros and cons of these types of tools in general because ultimately I would want to use a paper grade book. I know that the world is very tech heavy now and it will probably be an expectation for teachers to use platforms like google classroom so I am excited to learn more and try to stay on top of this technology. On the positive side I think these tools can make planning feel more organized and help me stay on top of things. But I also felt the weight of the learning curve and have the sense that learning new tools can sometimes complicate things instead of simplifying them. Even with those challenges, I can see myself using OneNote for brainstorming, sharing notes, organizing, and Google Classroom for structuring my class, because both support a more intentional and accessible classroom environment.

I also want to share a video that I watched How I use Google Classroom | Teacher Tutorial because it gives a really down‑to‑earth walkthrough of how Google Classroom actually works from a teacher’s point of view. When I watched it, I appreciated how the creator did not just list features but showed how they fit into real classroom routines like posting assignments, organizing topics, giving feedback, and keeping communication clear. Since I have been trying to learn more about Google Classroom myself, this video helped me see the platform in a more practical way, not just as a set of buttons to click. It made me think about how I might structure my own digital classroom so students can find things easily and feel supported. I figured others might find it helpful too, especially if they are still experimenting with classroom.

I am not very experienced with generative ai but I think it has some major limits that people should know about. I think one of the biggest problems is that it can lull people into believing it, because it often sounds very confident even when it might be wrong. An example of this is in math I have found the answers to be incorrect, yet at first I believed they were right. I also think it is important to mention that generative ai does not understand the world the way humans do. It has no real feelings, common sense, or lived experience. I think this lack of real understanding means it can miss obvious details or misunderstand what someone is asking. I also think GenAI sometimes makes things up, including facts or sources that are not real, and its confident tone can make those mistakes seem believable. I have heard of it making up sources completely. One of the biggest questions I have is does GenAi repeat unfair biases because it learns from human data?. What data is important to it and what is not? I think another limitation is that it may not always know the most recent events, so its answers can be outdated.

I think GenAI can be helpful for learning, but I have also noticed its limits, especially when I think about using it while teaching Social Studies. I think it is great for getting quick explanations or for helping me brainstorm lesson ideas. For example, if I am planning a lesson on the causes of World War I, I think GenAI can break the topic into clear, easy-to-teach points that help me get started. But I also think it can be risky if I am preparing something for students and do not take the time to form that knowledge on my own. It raises the question of whether teachers will know what they are talking about when they are teaching or if their use of AI will dominate? Overall, I think GenAI can support my teaching, especially in Socials by looking up facts, building useful lesson outlines, creating ideas for games, but I still need to use my own judgment and make sure I am guiding students with accurate, thoughtful information.

I also want to mention and share one of the most interesting ai tools I have noticed and that is google notebooklm podcast tool. It allows teachers for example to upload notes and create a podcast from them. This is a great multimodal tool especially for a fun twist on a unit and for those that prefer to learn orally rather than through written text. This is an ai tool that I am interested to explore and I could see its value for teachers and especially in subjects such as english or social studies.

A fun way that I could have students use video and audio editing in a Law 12 class would be using it to show their understanding of fouls in sports. I could have students record short clips of situations in a game that could look like tripping in soccer or a foul in basketball. Then use editing tools to highlight where a foul occurs, add voice‑over explanations, or slow down the footage to show key moments. This turns the assignment into something active and creative instead of just written work and it is also a creative way to make use of multimodal tools in the classroom. I think this assignment is a very strong way to implement technology in the classroom as it allows for students to be involved in their own learning in a new way. To make it engaging, I would let students choose their own scenarios, they could work in small groups, and use music, captions, or replay effects to make their videos feel like real sports analysis. This approach helps students learn the rules more deeply because they have to explain them clearly while also having fun with the technology.

“While often defined simplistically as “school work at home and home work at school,” Flipped Learning is an approach that allows teachers to implement a methodology, or various methodologies, in their classrooms” (FLN, 2014, What is Flipped Learning? section, para. 1).

Reference: Flipped Learning Network (FLN). (2014) “What Is Flipped Learning?”. Definition of Flipped Learning – Flipped Learning Network Hub

A flipped classroom in a course like Law 12 could involve students learning core concepts such as Charter rights, legal terminology, or case backgrounds through short videos or curated readings at home, then using class time for hands-on activities like debates, case analysis, and mock trials.

Reimagining education feels very important today because according to Gill (2024) “In many of today’s classrooms that have adopted a “teaching to the test” mentality, students have become passive participants in their own learning, unable to make the connections between the lessons they’re taught and how they apply in the real world” (para.1). The article highlights how approaches like project‑based, inquiry‑based, and collaborative learning can help students take a more active role in their education. I found it helpful because it explains how students can co‑create their learning experiences and how teachers shift from being lecturers to facilitators.

Even though these ideas are exciting, educators can face real obstacles when trying to change their pedagogy. Some schools lack the technology or resources needed to support student‑centered learning, which raises equity concerns, who gets this access and who is left without? Others worry about privacy and data security when using digital tools, especially with younger learners. I have also seen teachers mention that strict curriculum requirements or pressure from standardized testing in subjects make it difficult to try new approaches. While on the other hand in the PDPP we are being told to exercise different approaches. The question becomes how? It seems easier said than done.

What excites me most about this approach is the possibility of giving students more voice, choice, and ownership in their learning. Multimedia tools like short videos, sketchnotes, or podcasts can help students express their ideas in creative ways across different subjects. At the same time, I am concerned about whether all students will have equal access to these opportunities and whether schools will protect their data responsibly. I would be thrilled to hear what others think about balancing innovation with fairness and safety, especially from educators who have tried student‑centered learning in their own classrooms.

Reference: Gill. J. (2024). Shifting to Student-Centered Learning: The Role of Curriculum & Instruction. https://gsehd.gwu.edu/shifting-student-centered-learning