For the past two weeks, I’ve been dealing with a killer flu and when I say killer, I mean it. This flu completely ruined me to the point of pure misery. I can confidently say it was the sickest I have ever been in my life. Sadly, because of this evil flu, I’ve missed our last two tech classes, meaning I have no class material to reflect on. So, for my final class reflection blog, instead of reflecting on recent classes I will be going through and reflecting on two of my classmates’ educational tech presentations.
The first presentation I will be reflecting on was done by Calissa, Chris, Shealyn and Kennedy. Their presentation is centered on the pros and cons of technology-based learning. While this is a great topic to inquire about, I chose to reflect on this presentation not because of the topic but because of the way they presented their topic. Instead of going the traditional route of doing a PowerPoint, this group decided to present their findings through a debate. I found this to be a really interesting idea as I feel it presents their material super effectively. Both sides of their argument (pros and cons) were able to express their ideas freely and in opposition to each other. Allowing the viewer to decide which side they land on based on the presented material. Very cool and smart idea!
The next and final presentation I will be reflecting on was completed by Jo, Allie, Lexi, and Kari! Unlike the last group, here I will be focusing on the content of their presentation, which focuses on the ways in which educators can engage students in the outdoors via technology. I found this to be quite a thought-provoking idea because, on the surface, it seems counterintuitive. You would think that technology would distract students from the outdoors, but after going through their presentation, they have some great ideas to work through this. My favourite of these ideas is a class geocache hunt. For anyone who doesn’t know, a geocache is an object or selection of objects that are selectively hidden. When found, the idea is that you take whatever the object holds and replace it with something of your own. Essentially, it’s a little treasure hunt, making for a super fun activity to do with a class. Students could be split into groups and given a location to a geocache on their devices which they would then use to explore their surroundings and locate the geocache. Overall, I love this idea and think it’s a great way to implement technology in an outdoor class!
A picture of the sun I took the other day! Photo Credits: My photo
Well folks, this is it. We’ve made it to our final blog.
Nothing like shawarma in bed! Picture Credits: My Photo
Yes, you read it right at the top of the post. This will sadly be my final food blog. As they say, all good things must come to an end, so this must too. It’s a harsh reality but the only answer. Anyways, let’s remember the good times and do one final review. For this week’s blog, I stopped in at Bold Butchery and Grill! Located at Quadra and Pandora, Bold Butchery is a small eatery serving various types of Middle Eastern food. Can it overtake the list and take the top spot for the final blog? Let’s find out.
My Order: Chicken Shawarma Wrap
Just look at those colours! :0 Photo Credits: My Photo
Appearance: 7/10
I mean there’s nothing inherently wrong about the appearance of this meal. It honestly looks quite yummy. Really really really yummy but that’s only if we’re talking about this beautiful cross-section here. If we look at the first picture, at the top of the blog, we are left to see quite a bland sight. In no way is it unappealing, it’s just bland, it’s just meh, 7/10.
Taste: 9/10
This was actually my first time trying shawarma (I know how lame) and holy moly, was I impressed. Obviously, since this was my first time trying it, I had nothing to compare it to, but just from the initial taste alone, this was absolutely delicious. The flavours all paired together perfectly and made for a little party in my mouth with every bite I took. Even flavours I don’t always enjoy, such as tomatoes, were great in this meal! That’s how you can tell when something is good when it makes something you don’t usually like to be very enjoyable. I gotta say, after this meal, I will 100% be getting shawarma more and more, I have been missing out! 9/10.
Customer Service: 9/10
I really don’t have much to say about the customer service here. I walked in ordered my food, waited about five minutes, then my food was ready and I left. There was no line to wait in and no chit-chat to be had. I just simply ordered my food and received it. Nice, I like it, 9/10.
Bang for your buck: 4/10
Surprisingly, this was my most expensive meal yet. In total, my meal came to twenty dollars and 16 cents, taxes included and with a two-dollar tip. Wow, that is quite a hefty price, to say the least. When the man behind the counter told me the price, I honestly cried a little inside. It all became worth it once I took the first bite but still, the price hurt. So yes it is worth it, but just be prepared to spend if you go to Bold Butchery.
Final Score Breakdown
Appearance: 7/10
Taste: 9/10
Customer Service: 9/10
Bang for your buck: 4/10
Final score: 29/40
Final Thoughts
For my first-ever shawarma experience, this place was awesome. Exceptionally delicious and with speedy service, I would recommend this place to anyone. Just be ready to spend a bit more than usual as this place is very very pricey
Jaxon’s Top Takeout in Victoria List
Rise and Grind, Downtown – 35/40
Italian Food Imports, Downtown – 33/40
RedFish BlueFish, Inner Harbour – 29/40
Bold Butchery & Grill, Downtown -29/40
Sunnyside Cafe, Esquimalt – 27/40
Big Wheel Burger, Numerous locations – 26/40
Foo Asian Street Food, Downtown -25/40
Lee’s Chicken, Esquimalt – 20/40
Mary Brown’s Chicken, Esquimalt – 12/40
Final Inquiry Reflection
There we have it folks, the last review has been written. I hope you all have There we have it, the last review has been written. I hope you all have enjoyed reading these blogs just as much as I have enjoyed writing them for you! In the end, Rise and Grind came out on top of this highly coveted list, which it very much deserves. That place is absolutely amazing, if you haven’t been there yet, it is a must. In last, came Mary Brown’s chicken which I would only recommend if you like soggy bread and wet chicken.
Overall I think my inquiry process went very well. I explored my question to a high extent and although I stuck to a very formulaic approach, I achieved exactly what I wished to. Which was to explore the city I have lived in my entire life, in a way in which I have not before and to eat some yummy food! I can confidently say I achieved both of these goals and I am quite happy with how it all turned out in the end. Thanks for reading and refer to these blogs when you’re hungry!
My pod consists of me, Abigail, Cody and Isaac. When thinking of how to approach this project, our group wanted to do something that we all had an interest in as well as something that was legitimately relevant to the classroom. Thus, we decided to ask the question: how could a school move to be completely paperless and if so, what are some things to consider? We choose this question because as the years go on, this scenario is becoming more and more of a possibility. Technology is advancing rapidly, in both the real world and the classroom. From the time I began school to now (15ish years) the use of paper assignments has already reduced. How will the classroom be in another 15 years or what about in 50 years? Will paper even be relevant? Only time will tell, but for now, see our presentation on what moving to a paperless approach in the classroom entails.
My portion of the project: Every slide I read, is a slide I worked on.
For this week’s class, Tina O’Keefe came in to give us a presentation on gamifying the classroom. I really appreciated hearing what Tina had to say, as gamifying the classroom is something I believe to be truly beneficial to student learning. In my experience, whenever an activity was gamified, my interest in the activity instantly increased. In turn, this improved my comprehension of the presented material as I became more involved and engaged with the content. In comparison, when activities were not gamified, I often had difficulty maintaining focus and interest, especially with content I already had little to no interest in. Of course, not everything in the classroom should be gamified but finding a balance between non-gamified and gamified activities brings a level of play to the classroom that I believe is too often lost. School should be something students look forward to, not something they dread due to it being boring. For this reason, I plan to implement gamification whenever I can in my future classrooms!
During her presentation, Tina also spoke about how she runs and manages her classes, which I found quite interesting! In her classes, Tina provides her students with almost complete freedom to take their learning in any direction they please. Comparatively, this is a very alternative method to teaching versus the ones we’ve come to know in the classroom. Since watching the “Most Likely to Succeed” documentary a couple weeks back, I’ve become very interested in alternative schooling. For me, the traditional methods of content presentation never really clicked so alternative teaching is definitely something I’m looking into more and more. My only concern is how effective these methods are. To my knowledge, these methods of teaching are fairly new to the education scene, so there is a chance they may not be as effective as they may seem. I have a few friends who went to Esquimalt High School, where Tina teaches, so I plan to ask them if they had any classes with Tina and how they felt about how the teaching. Hopefully, this will allow me to gain a deeper insight into these alternative methods!
Finally, Tina also introduced us to the Hour of Code Website. Hour of code is a website in which coding is presented to students in a gamified and easy-to-understand manner. On the website, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different coding-related games students may choose from. These games range from the absolute basics of coding to more intermediate levels. In our increasingly technological world, these skills will only become more and more valuable. Thus, teaching them at an early age is something I deem to be of extreme importance.
The perfect Sunday morning view Picture Credits: My photo
For this week’s blog, I must admit I was struggling quite hard. After a long night on the town, I awoke feeling oh so icky. My body needed something, it needed to be healed. So how did I go about this process? By buying an overpriced breakfast burrito, of course! Thus, for this week’s blog, I stopped in for a meal at Sunnyside Cafe to heal my broken self. Located along Esquimalt road, beside the memorial park and across from the Esquimalt library, sunnyside cafe is a locally owned breakfast/lunch restaurant serving a variety of delicious meals! Can Sunnyside cafe dethrone its direct competitor, Rise and Grind? Let’s find out.
My Order: Breaky Burrito
Now that looks delicious Photo Credits: My photo
Appearance: 9/10
Holy moly, this looks simply exquisite. Although the picture may not fully do it justice, the looks of this meal are next level. Coming in a classic white takeout box, at first, I was apprehensive to see what was inside. In many of my experiences with takeout food, when it comes in a box like this, the meal is often just thrown in, with no regard for appearance. To my surprise, as I opened the box, I was greeted with the most perfect sight of a massive burrito carefully cut and placed into two pieces with hashbrowns lining the side. Steam rose from the box to my face as I took a look in as well, making for a truly magical experience. I felt like I was at Disneyland, 9/10.
Taste: 6/10
In all honesty, this may have been my toughest score to decide to date. Why you ask? Well honestly, this burrito was very tasty, but it was also kind of gross at the time. Let me explain. The flavours were all there, but the texture was so very off. I’m not sure exactly what caused it, but sadly after a few bites, the burrito became very soggy. This was quite disappointing because those first few bites were so delicious. Had it not gotten soggy halfway through, we’d be looking at an 8+ score. All the ingredients perfectly complemented each other and were evidently fresh. I just can’t deal with no soggy food. Sorry Sunnyside, you were so close to being delicious, but a wet burrito is not the move, 6/10.
Customer Service: 9/10
Although struggling with the effects of a long Saturday night, I must say, I very much enjoyed my time at Sunnyside Cafe! All the workers were personable and more than happy to take my order. This made for a very welcoming experience and all around, the vibe of the little cafe was great. I really have no qualms with this place. Within 10 minutes of ordering my meal was ready to go. It really doesn’t get much better than that, 9/10.
Bang for your Buck: 3/10
Now here’s where my problems with Sunnyside Cafe really begin. THIS PLACE IS EXPENSIVE. In total, my meal was roughly 19 dollars after taxes and with a two-dollar tip. Now, Yes, the burrito was massive and came with a side of hashbrowns, but 19 dollars is simply too much for a takeout meal. If I wanted to pay that much for breakfast, I would have gone to a nice sit-down spot, not a speedy takeout spot. Its only redeeming factor is that it could be split into two meals due to its size, but nonetheless, I’m very disappointed, 3/10.
Final Score Breakdown
Appearance: 9/10
Taste: 6/10
Customer Service: 9/10
Bang for your buck: 3/10
Final score: 27/40
Final Thoughts
Sunnyside Cafe had so much going for it. It had the potential to grace one of the top spots of this list. The service was amazing, the presentation was exquisite and the flavours were all there and oh boy were they good. Sadly, the expensive cost of the slightly above-average food coupled with the burrito becoming soaked halfway through the meal diminished my experience too much. It’s sad it had to end this way, but I had no choice. You did this to yourself, Sunnyside Cafe.
In my eyes, remote learning is a great tool for students who may not be able to attend class full time. Otherwise, unless there are accessibility issues, I believe remote learning to be a lackluster form of teaching. I say this because in all my personal experiences with remote learning, I’ve consistently been left disappointed with the methods used. Simply put, remote learning is often rushed, confusing and just as frustrating for the teacher as it is for the students.
My biggest gripe with online learning stems from the true lack of human connection. To me, it all just seems so fake. In many cases, content in remote learning is posted on an application, such as google classroom, and that is all. It is nothing more than words on a screen telling you what to do. There is no hook, there is no intrigue. It is simply a task you are expected to do. How can one be expected to effectively learn, if all they are provided is a task? To me, the most effective learning occurs when a teacher is motivating and passionate about the topic at hand. As this mentality translates to the students and they to become motivated/passionate about their work. Remote learning kills this passion and instead makes students into nothing more than robots completing their task because they have to.
You may say “well what about content delivered through Zoom, isn’t that a human connection?”. To that I say, tell me on time where you truly felt you were having an effective learning experience through Zoom? Sure, some of you may have an answer, but I bet the vast majority of you hate Zoom just as much as I do. It is just so boring and lifeless to stare at the screen for hours on end. There is no enjoyment to be gained from that. It only highlights how truly boring school can be. Not to mention most people didn’t even show up for their meetings and if they did, they likely turned off their camera and did another activity with the teacher none the wiser.
To conclude, yes, remote learning is an extremely useful tool for students with accessibility issues. Nor am I denying the importance of remote learning. What I am stating is that for students with non accessibility issues, remote learning is a lifeless and soul crushing process that provides little to no actual benefit to the student, besides getting to lay in bed all day.
A picture of an owl I took last weekend! Picture Credits: My photo
For this week’s blog, I may have bent the rules a wee bit. Instead of getting my takeout meal in Victoria, I got my meal up island in Parksville. I know, I know, this is supposed to be the top takeout spots in and around Victoria’s list, but hear me out. As we all know, this past week was our winter reading break. In light of this, me and a few friends went up to Parksville for the weekend. Unfortunately, while in Parksville, I spent A LOT of money on various items. Including a few stops to get some takeout. So, for the sake of my wallet, I decided instead to write about my favourite meal I got while away. Rather than buying a whole new meal while in town. To keep the integrity of the list though, this week’s addition will only be a part of the list for one week.
Anyways, for this week’s blog, I stopped in at the Coombs Ice Cream Parlor for a meal. Located along the Port Alberni Highway and found within the Coombs market, Coombs Ice Cream Parlor is definitely an interesting place to eat. You may be thinking, “did he just get ice cream for lunch?”. As much as I would have loved that, the answer is no. Deceivingly, the Coombs Ice Cream Parlor is much more than its name may lead one to believe. Inside its tall wooden walls is a takeout restaurant serving a wide array of food along with an art gallery featuring numerous wood-carved pieces. It’s definitely no ordinary takeout spot, but nonetheless, it still is, and thus, it deserves a proper review. So, can an Ice cream shop take down some of the top spots in Victoria? Let’s find out.
My Order: Bacon Poutine
Scrumptious Picture Credits: My photo
Appearance: 8/10
Holy moly, does this ever look beautiful. Before I continue, I must say that I am a die-hard fan of poutine. Thus, my opinion of the looks of this meal may be biased but, c’mon just look at this. The cheese curds are evenly spread out and frequent, the gravy is covering each and every fry and the bacon is placed right in the mix of it all. How can it get much better than that? The beautiful part about poutine is how simple it is and here all aspects have been covered. Even if, in comparison to other meals I’ve ordered, it seems bare, I just love it, 8/10.
Taste 6/10
As much as I hoped it would, this meal did not taste as good as it looked, but I must admit, it was pretty yummy. To start, the fries and cheese curds were immaculate. Perfectly cooked, the fries were not too mushy and not too hard, all while being seasoned just the right amount. The cheese curds were nothing special taste-wise, but they were large and found in every bite. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I order poutine and it comes with like three total curds, so having many elevated the dish. Unfortunately, the gravy and the bacon were both lacking in various areas which brought down this meal’s score greatly. Although it was perfect consistently, the gravy just didn’t really have much flavour. It added more to the meal by melting the cheese curds than it did with its taste. As to the bacon, there was no bacon. To my surprise, the meat used for this meal wasn’t bacon but instead, it was ham. Of course, the ham still tasted delicious, but I was expecting actual bacon, not Canadian bacon. Leaving me longing for real bacon after each bite, 6/10.
Customer Service: 7/10
This place is just straight weird. First off, the restaurant is very divey and on staff was a single old granny. Furthermore, as I mentioned in the intro, this restaurant is located in the same building as a wood carving art gallery. These two things coupled together created a very interesting vibe. I felt like I was in someone’s grandma’s kitchen while being surrounded by wood sculptures. Many of which were carvings of naked people. In no way does this take away from the nice old lady’s customer service. She was awfully friendly and more than happy to make me and three of my friend’s meals. The ordering process was simple and smooth and the food came in no time, 7/10
Bang for your Buck: 8/10
In total, my meal came out to 10.50, taxes included and with a one-dollar tip. I must say, that’s pretty dang good. The portion size you get is massive. After finishing my meal I was completely and utterly stuffed. If I was asked to eat just one more fry, I may have exploded. So really, for all the food you get 10 dollars is cheap, 8/10
Final Score Breakdown
Appearance: 8/10
Taste: 6/10
Customer Service: 7/10
Bang for your buck: 8/10
Final score: 29/40
Final Thoughts
For an Ice cream parlour in an art gallery, the food here is surprisingly good. The prices are cheap, the portions are great and the service is friendly. Just be prepared if you do plan to go, that it is an incredibly weird place. You will feel awkward but you will also be full. So pros and cons, but I’d recommend Coombs Ice Cream Parlour!
Jaxon’s Top Takeout in Victoria (and Parksville) List
Legit Big Wheel in a big storm Video Credits: My video
For this week’s blog, I stopped into Messob Ethiopian Cuisine. Well, at least that’s what the plan was. Unfortunately, when I pulled on the front door, it didn’t move an inch. The place was closed, my heart was broken. Luckily, all I had to do was a 180-degree turn to see where I was going to eat instead. To my surprise, directly beside Messob Ethiopian Cuisine is a Big Wheel Burger. So now, for this week’s blog, I stopped to eat at Big Wheel Burger! Although there are numerous locations on the island, this Big Wheel is Located on Cook Street, directly across from Cook Street Village. Big Wheel Burger is a high-quality burger restaurant that focuses on being completely sustainable. From their ingredients to their packaging every aspect of a big wheel burger was cultivated through sustainable processes. This may be good for the environment, but will it taste good? Let’s find out!
My Order: The Big Onion Burger
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yummy Photo Credits: My photo
Appearance: 7/10
Well guys, as you can see, it is definitely a burger. Nothing too special about it at all. The red onion peeking through coupled with the lettuce gives it an unexpected pop of colour, but besides that, this is fairly basic. Is that necessarily a bad thing though? In my opinion, for this meal, it isn’t. When I come to a takeout burger restaurant, I’m not expecting to see something out of a Michelin-star restaurant. I’m expecting to see a burger. A nice bun, with some meat, cheese and vegetables, is all that’s needed to please me. So although it is fairly bare bones, that’s exactly what I expected from Big Wheel Burger, 7/10
Taste: 8/10
Just like its appearance, when it comes to taste all I can say is, it is definitely a burger. A good burger at that. The problem is, almost all takeout burgers taste the same. Whether it’s big wheel, Bin 4 or the now closed Pink Bicycle, they’re all pretty much the same, albeit a few special patties. What it really comes down to here and why it scored so high is because how high quality and fresh the ingredients. You can truly tell through each bite that what you’re eating is fresh. The bun is soft, the vegetables are crisp and the beef is delicious. Even if it didn’t blow me away, the overall quality of this burger increases it’s rating, 8/10.
Customer Service: 6/10
Let me give you a quick rundown of my experience at Big Wheel Burger. I walked in, I ordered my food, I sat down, I picked up my food and finally, I left. That is quite literally it. Nothing of note happened. I ordered, I sat and I left. So I guess that means good customer service? I honestly don’t really know what to write, it kinda just happened. One second I was burger-less the next I had a burger, 6/10.
Bang for your Buck: 4/10
Now, this is where Big Wheel Burger really grinds my gears. In total, my meal came to 15.91, taxes included and with a two-dollar tip. Yes, you heard me right. For a single burger, it was 15.91. Now I did not get the cheapest option on the menu, but still, almost 16 dollars for a burger is insane. If I had gotten fries and a drink, I would have been in the 20-25 dollar region. That’s more than most sit-down restaurants! Maybe it’s the high-quality ingredients that drive the price so high? Nonetheless, this is too expensive for a single burger, 4/10
Final Score Breakdown
Appearance: 7/10
Taste: 8/10
Customer Service: 7/10
Bang for your buck: 4/10
Final score: 26/40
Final Thoughts
Although it was nothing special, I must admit it was quite delicious. Sustainable practices and high-quality ingredients make this a burger that feels good to eat as well as tastes good. As long as you don’t mind paying the big bucks for an above-average burger, I recommend you stop and check out Big Wheel Burger.
This week, Tracey Humpreheys, from the BCedAccess Society, came into our class to discuss technology and inclusion in the classroom. This was something I greatly appreciated as I feel this is an area I need to improve my knowledge in. Not in terms of inclusion, I, of course, respect any and everyone, but in terms of actually applying technology to assist students with disabilities. I believe this to be of extreme importance but I feel like we’ve hardly even touched the surface of this topic. In all my classes this semester, we’ve talked much about inclusion in the classroom and its importance but have rarely talked about actually implying inclusive methods/techniques in the classroom. I know in most cases, this is largely the role of a supporting EA, but as stated, this is in most cases. Very often is a teacher left to assist and manage a class of varying accessibility levels all to themselves. For example, in my Link2Practice class, there are three students who speak no English, one student with down syndrome and zero EAs to assist the teacher. This culminates in quite a tricky situation for the teacher as she has to ensure the students with accessibility issues are equipped for the activity at hand while also ensuring the rest of the class is on task. She often tells me that she wishes she could help the students with accessibility issues more, but she simply can’t. Largely due to a lack of resources and a lack of proper training.
For all these reasons and more, I truly appreciate Tracey coming in to speak with us. Although, I believe it is not enough. More effort needs to be put into teaching us actual methods to help students with accessibility issues. If my Link2Practice teacher, who has been in the career for multiple decades, struggles with helping all students, then how will I be able to assist them? If I was asked to teach a class with numerous students with accessibility issues right now, I would struggle to balance this situation greatly. Hopefully, this knowledge comes in a later class, but if not, I plan to take courses outside of school to ensure I’m capable and ready to assist all students. Who knows, maybe I’ll get in touch with BCedAccess Society!
Unrelated, but a cool photo I took last summer Photo Credits: My photo
From what I gathered from the provided resources, EdCamps seem like a really great way of spending a professional development day! Prior to this week, I did not know events like EdCamp were available to teachers. To my knowledge, professional development days were set days where teachers would watch a seminar on a topic of their choosing. Already I was beginning to dread the thought of going to these, as I have trouble retaining information in this traditional style of education. I’m glad to see now, that alternative approaches to professional development, like EdCamps, are available to teachers. It’s a super cool thing to see!
As to some aspects I enjoyed about EdCamps specifically, I loved how open they are! From the information provided in the video, they describe EdCamps as being completely open and free-flowing. Anyone may speak on a topic of their choosing and anyone may listen. I find this to be really cool as I can imagine all the great conversations this sparks. I bet many of these productive conversations would have never happened had it not been for EdCamps. Speaking further on the openness of it all, I really like how if you are listening to a speaker and for any reason, you feel you should leave for a new discussion, you’re more than welcome to do so! Personally, I love this, as the feeling of being stuck in something where it is considered rude to stand up and leave is not one I enjoy.
Overall, I think EdCamps are an amazing alternative to the traditional professional development day and I will definitely be attending one in my future!
A cool picture I took of the sun this morning! Photo Credits: My photo
