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Amazing pictures, Connie! I really liked this picture of the screenshots that you took. I agree with you; technology is playing a huge role in our lives in comparison to back in the day when technology was just evolving. So many people are reliant on technology whether its directions to get to places or communicating with others, we are dependent on different types of apps on our devices. We have some similar apps that we both use and it shows how as citizens we tend to use the same apps and tools for our daily needs.  Overall, great pictures and reflections!

- Jasmeen

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Hi Connie!

I really liked your bridge metaphor and how you related it to the program of studies. I think it is important as citizens to engage in the democratic process by upholding positive relationships (or bridges) with the government. Although at times as citizens it can feel like there is a blockade on this bridge, limiting our ability to interact with the government.

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Stunning choice of images, Connie! I'm looking forward to reading the reflections that go along with these images.

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Stunning choice of images, Connie! I'm looking forward to reading the reflections that go along with these images.

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- Brenda

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Alberta Learning. (2015). Elementary social studies program of study. Retrieved from http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/socialstudies/programs.aspx

Gibson, Susan. (2012). “Why do we learn this stuff”? Students’ views on the purpose of social studies. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ972852.pdf

Ribble, Mike. (2016). Digital citizenship: Nine elements. Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

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These are four screenshots of my home screen on my Samsung S6 cell phone. Each of these screenshots consists of different apps and widgets that makes my phone a convenient functioning tool for my daily life.

These screenshots of my home screen on my cell phone consists of many apps that I use on a constant basis. There are a total of 55 apps. However, I do use some more than others. For example, I find myself using the “Outlook” and “Gmail” app the most, along with the “WhatsApp” and “Twitter” app. Others, such as the gaming apps, are used sparingly, depending on how much time I have on my hands. Furthermore, there is a good balance of different types of apps as well. Indeed, there are social media apps, gaming and entertainment apps, apps that are more practical for everyday life (e.g., the “Out of Milk” app, which essentially is used to create shopping lists, the alarm clock app, and the calendar app) and even apps pertaining to e-commerce (“TD” and “PayPal” app). So long as I am connected to the internet, daily tasks can be accessed by a simple swipe of the screen in the most convenient way.

I chose this image because I wanted to emphasize the inevitable growth of technology in our lives and what it means to be a digital citizen. While this is only a small capture of what my life consists of when it comes to technology (i.e., I also own and use a home computer, laptop and tablets), I believe that this representation sums up what is most common these days in regards to the internet and technology.

With the advent of the internet and the importance of incorporating technology in our lives, I believe that it is important to be aware of what it means to be a digital citizen. As teachers, it is important to be able to adapt to the changing pedagogy, and the integration of technology is in the forefront of these changes. Furthermore, it is a part of our job as teachers to know, or at least be familiar with the expectations and responsibilities that comes with a connected/digitized world. Much like being a citizen of a country, there are also laws, expectations, and responsibilities of being a digital citizen. According to Mike Ribble (2016) there are nine different elements of being a digital citizen: access, commerce, communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights and responsibilities, and security. One can characterize themselves to be a digital citizen when most, if not all, of these elements are met on a consistent basis.

This picture can provide opportunities for us to expand our notion of what citizenship means now because, on the most basic of levels, it means we are anticipating the future. Now more than ever, citizenship encompasses a vast component that does not necessarily mean being a part of a community or country, but a digitized community as well. Indeed, the rise of technology in our classrooms is inevitable, so it is important that we understand how to use it properly to be good upstanding digital citizens. So long as we have access to the internet and choose to use it on a consistent basis, we are considered to be digital citizens. As teachers, it is our responsibility to guide and foster our students learning in a way that seems familiar to them, and the use of the internet and technology is a huge part of their world now. Furthermore, being able to incorporate the use of technology into our curriculum is not so much of an option, but a necessary component of teaching.

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This is an artist’s rendition of my dad’s Chinese name, which he bought when he was in China a couple of years ago.

This is an artist’s rendition of my dad’s Chinese name. All three characters were drawn using watercolours, a very common medium used in Chinese art. While this is a more contemporary style of art, the animals (such as the birds and dragons), and natural elements (like the bamboos and sunsets) are common symbols seen in a lot of Chinese art. The first character on the far left-hand side, 陳, is actually my family’s surname. In English, this would be translated into Chen for the Chinese version, or Tran if it was translated to the Vietnamese version, which is what my family actually goes with, despite my family being only ethnically Chinese.

I decided I wanted to take a picture of this artwork because I believe that names encompasses a large chuck of someone’s identity. It reminded me of the very first group activity we did on the first day of class, where we all had to introduce ourselves and tell the group the story behind our name(s). While it was a fairly straightforward activity, hearing the stories behind my classmates’ names helped me get to know them better and, in some ways, made it easier to remember them as it gave their names a little more meaning; like using mnemonic devices. Also, it made me realize how diverse we all are just from the stories behind the names alone.

As the Alberta Program of Studies states, “[a] pluralistic view recognizes that citizenship and identity are shaped by multiple factors such as culture, language, environment, gender, ideology, religion, spirituality and philosophy” (2015, p. 1). With names, especially with surnames, one can recognize these factors simply by connecting the linguistic origins. For example, since my surname is Tran, one can make the connection that it is of Vietnamese origin. However, there is more to the name and its origins; despite Tran being a Vietnamese last name, I am actually not Vietnamese, rather I am only Chinese. The reason for this is because my dad was born and raised in Vietnam to Chinese parents and when he came to Canada as a refugee during the Vietnam War, the Canadian government just gave him the Vietnamese version of the name. It is important to include the background information, or story, that goes with each name. By doing so, it brings about a complexity that would otherwise be missing had these stories never been told. These stories add to the uniqueness of one’s identity, which in turn, helps broaden the scope and different point of views. As a social studies teacher, these unique stories can help our students better understand the world around them, and what it means to be a citizen of the country.

Names are important. They are the very first type of identification that we know about ourselves. In the kindergarten and grade one social studies curriculum, the concept of identity and family are an important part of the general outcomes (Alberta Education, 2015: Program of Studies K-3, p. 11). The stories behind the name can bring about a multitude of disciplines. From the story behind my own name, for example, we can integrate subjects such as history, geography, and even ethics into the Curriculum. In doing so, I believe that this integrative interdisciplinary method will help add more depth to what we understand identity is, and it can bring in different point of views. Although, one would have to create a unit that is more suitable for the respective grade levels.

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This is a picture of my family’s circular dinner table. As you can see, it is a circular table with a circular moving part on the top for easy access of whatever dish that may be present during dinner time.

This is a circular dinner table with a circular moving part on the top for easy access of whatever dish that may be present during dinner time. There are also six chairs – one for each of my family member. Because it is a circular table, it has no head of the table, implying that we are all equal to an extent.

I decided to take a picture of my dinner table because dinner time is one of the most important traditions in my family. Because we all live such busy lives, it is important to be able to sit down as a family and enjoy a meal together for a couple of hours. It is during this time where my family and I can connect face-to-face with one another while sharing a delicious home-cooked meal. These connections are important because they are more personable interactions.

Around the dinner table, stories or narratives are often told. These stories provide for a unique experience that would otherwise be lost had it been retold through emails or text messages. In my opinion, storytelling is one of the most effective ways in which lessons can be learned, traditions and values can be taught, and we can even learn a little bit more about our family members, and even ourselves as well. It may not be the place where we can entirely discover ourselves, but it is here that we start to build our identity.

Storytelling is an important part of learning and teaching. According to the Program of Studies, “[c]ommunication skills enable students to comprehend, interpret and express information and ideas clearly and purposefully” (Alberta Education, 2015: Program Rationale and Philosophy, Social Studies K-3, p. 10). In many different cultures, such as the First Nations, oral storytelling can help foster the traditions being passed on through the younger generations. As we become more aware of First Nations, Metis and Inuit (FNMI) traditions and its importance to Canadian society, we can help close the gap between FNMI community and the rest of Canada and its diverse group of peoples. These stories of identity helps reflect our diversity in this country, and as a result we become more aware of, not only our Canadian identity, but as citizens of the country as well. As a teacher, my hope is that we can understand the importance of the diversity in our country and how it can shape us to be better citizens.

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This is a picture of a bridge on a walking trail near the community I live in, Panorama Hills. This trail in particular rests in the center of the community, and despite being surrounded by homes and the main roads, this section of the trail is quite quaint, giving it a unique feel of a small nature trail in the middle of a busy neighborhood.

In this photo, we see a small bridge that connects with the walking trail. Underneath the bridge is a small stream that runs throughout the entire walking trail area. On the other side of the bridge is the nicely paved trail that twists and turns within the area. The trail also consists of many different elements including the natural scenery, the aforementioned homes as seen in the background, and even sitting areas and garbage cans, which are used to help keep the area as clean as possible – an onus placed on the residents who chooses to use the walking trail.

I took this photo because I thought it would be a good representation, or metaphor, of what I believe being a citizen means in Canada. To me, the bridge itself represents the transition of becoming a citizen, and the trails itself represents the journey that we embark in in discovering our identity and what it means to be a citizen. Like any other citizen in this country, we have roles and expectations that we must uphold in order to be good upstanding citizens – that is what the bridge and aforementioned garbage cans represents: expectations and responsibilities. The stream represents the challenges that may occur, and the bridge is what we, as citizens, can use to help overcome these challenges. Furthermore, the action of crossing the bridge also represents the idea of citizens participating within their community or society in which they choose to live in.

As a Canadian citizen, I believe it is important that both the Canadian government and the citizens of this country both have responsibilities to make this country the best place to live. This shared-responsibility and accountability from the government (as represented by the bridge) and our own responsibilities (represented by whether or not we choose to cross that bridge) is an important part of being a citizen. The bridge is essentially the metaphor that balances both the responsibility and accountability between the two.

By examining the Alberta Social Studies Program of Studies we can see several opportunities in which the bridge metaphor can relate to. For example, in curriculum 6.1: Citizens Participating in Decision Making, grade six students are expected to demonstrate their understanding of the “dynamic relationship between governments and citizens as they engage in the democratic process” (Alberta Education, 2015: Program Rationale and Philosophy, Social Studies Grade 6, p. 15). The bridge metaphor represents that “dynamic” relationship between the Canadian government and the citizens. Indeed, it can show that the government has responsibilities and are accountable to them so long as the citizens also partake in their responsibilities for society. Essentially, according to Susan Gibson (2012), we teach social studies to help students understand the importance of being a good citizen. We all have responsibilities, but we have to understand that it is up to all of us to make it work. That “bridge” help closes the gap between responsibility and accountability between the government and its citizens. I feel that it is important to emphasize the importance of knowing what is expected of you as a citizen of this country and how responsibilities and accountability goes hand-in-hand.