EDCI336
QR Codes
A QR Code (Quick Response Code) is a barcode that is readable by an imaging device like a camera on phones, laptops, tablets, etc. and when you scan it, you gain information about the item that is attached to it. To scan one of these codes using an imaging device, you need to open up your camera and scan the code (you do not need to take a picture). This will then give you a link to the item or website, making it very easy to see the product. They were first created in Japan in 1994 for the automotive industry but quickly became more and more popular for various different uses, due to its fast readability and its large storage space. QR codes are made up of black squares that are arranged into a square shape on a white background. Below is a picture of a QR Code. 
QR codes are used for many applications, such as tracking products, identifying items, managing documents, general marketing, and more! A lot of companies use it since it is easily scannable by smartphones, to promote their product and to link to their website. This makes it even easier for consumers to get access to the brand’s website, which is beneficial for the companies. I have scanned QR codes before to gain information about a product, and I found them easy to use and very straightforward, which for someone who is not super techy is a great way to find more information on a brand.
Distributed Learning
Distributed learning is a style of learning that is independent of the teacher and focuses on the use of technology for learning. It provides an opportunity for student independence and for flexibility by learning outside the normal classroom setting. Teachers who use this style of learning use a variety of electronic resources to communicate with their students, such as video conferencing, email, telephone calls and more.
Video conferencing is a great tool to use when choosing to do distributed learning. It is a way to communicate with your students and help guide them through their learning through the use of technology. Video conferencing allows for face-to-face interaction with others anywhere in the world. This can be used by the teacher to help a student one-on-one or help teach a group of students. Students can also use it to conference with their peers to help each other with their learning. One example of a popular app used for video conferencing is Skype. Skype allows users to video conference with up to 25 people and all you need is the app (which is free) and a wifi connection.
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Throughout my high school years, I did not have a lot of experience with distributed learning. A lot of it was very teacher directed. It was not until this year that I really experienced distributed learning. I have had the opportunity to do multiple inquiry projects, which allowed me to choose topics that I am interested in and do my own research on these topics. Through this project, I learned how to use a blog, found many resources to back up my ideas, and gained more independence in my learning. My teacher of this class also introduced to us the idea of using video conferencing to stay in touch and to get any help we need on our own time (we did not have to be in class to get assistance). I really enjoyed this style of learning and found it very beneficial to my own learning. I would like to learn more about it and use it in my own classroom in my years to come.
Week 10 – Reflection and Meal Plan
My technology course has now come to an end, which means I have finished my open inquiry project. I chose to focus on Nutrition for this inquiry as it has also been something I am interested in and wanting to know more about. Nutrition and diet have been on the rise over the last few years and with that, a lot of new diets and nutrition trends have emerged. For this inquiry, I wanted to focus on ones that I wanted to know the true benefits/ disadvantages of. A few of my topics were, the effects of sodium on your body, the effects of sugar, the effects of dairy, juice cleanses, and the keto diet. From doing weekly research on a topic, I have gained a lot of knowledge on what is the best way to fuel your body and live a healthy diet.
After all the research I have gained, I think the best diet for me personally is to not cut out any foods in particular but to eat a balanced diet. I think it is best to not limit your self because this could lead to binge-eating or eating too much of a certain food group, but instead to eat everything in moderation. I have researched a balanced meal plan and have created one that I think would be best for me (I do not have any allergies, nor am I vegetarian). I created a one-week meal plan that I am going to follow starting on Monday.
Monday
- Breakfast: 1 piece of whole wheat toast with 1/3 of an avocado and 1 fried egg
- Snack: 1 cup of blueberries
- Lunch: Chicken Pita Wrap – whole wheat pita stuffed with 1/2 a chicken breast, 2 tbsp hummus, cucumber and spinach
- Snack: 1/4 cup cashews (or any nut)
- Dinner: 1 serving of Salmon with pesto, 1 cup steamed green beans and 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
Tuesday
- Breakfast: 1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup raspberries, 1 1/2 tbsp almonds, and 2 tsp. honey
- Snack: 1 medium apple
- Lunch: 1 serving veggie and ham sandwich
- Snack: 1 protein ball
- Dinner: 1 chicken breast with 3/4 cup cooked quinoa salad
Wednesday
- Breakfast: 1 cup bran cereal, 1 cup almond milk, and 1 banana
- Snack 1: Carrots and 2 tbsp. hummus
- Lunch: Chickpea and cucumber salad
- Snack: 1/2 cup blueberries and a handful of cashews
- Dinner: Chicken, broccoli, and pepper stir-fry with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
Thursday
- Breakfast: Banana berry smoothie
- Snack: 1 rice cake with 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- Lunch: 1 bowl of turkey chili
- Snack: 1 medium apple
- Dinner: Zucchini noodles with bolognese sauce
Friday
- Breakfast: 1 piece of whole wheat toast with 1/3 of an avocado and 1 fried egg
- Snack: 1 medium orange
- Lunch: Green salad with chicken
- Snack: 1/2 cucumber with 2 tbsp. hummus
- Dinner: Tuna lettuce wraps
Saturday
- Breakfast: 1/2 cup rolled oats cooked in 1 cup almond milk topped with 1/2 cup strawberries
- Snack: 1/4 cup mixed nuts
- Lunch: 1 veggie and turkey sandwich
- Snack: 1 banana
- Dinner: Penne pasta with spinach, tomatoes, and pesto
Sunday
- Breakfast: 1 poached egg with 1 piece of whole wheat toast, and salsa
- Snack: 1 apple with 1 tbsp. of peanut butter
- Lunch: Quinoa and chickpea salad
- Snack: 1/2 cup blueberries
- Dinner: 1 serving of salmon with 1/2 cup brown rice and cooked asparagus
Overall, I am glad I had the opportunity to research this topic because I learned a lot about maintaining a healthy diet. There is a ton of resources out there to help with finding the best meal plan for you. This project has allowed me to eat well and come up with my own balanced meal plan, which I am excited to try!
Week 10 – Reflection!
I have now finished my term in my technology class where one of my main projects was to do an inquiry on something relating to technology that you wish to learn more about. I chose to do Excel for my tech inquiry. I chose this because Excel was something I have never known much about, but I know how useful it can be for a variety of different functions. I knew that Excel was not learned overnight and that it takes time to fully understand how it works and to learn how to use its various functions. This is why I thought it would be the perfect thing to do for my inquiry as I had 11 weeks to learn it.
My journey learning Excel has been very educational. It was definitely frustrating at times, as some days I felt like I would never be able to figure out how it works, but once you do understand a function it becomes clear and easy. I have learned a lot of unique features that Excel offers, such as how to enter, sort and filter data, how the formulas work, how to insert tables, how to use charts, and more! I feel much more confident in my ability to use Excel since learning more about it, however, there I still have more to learn. The order I learned each of these functions in was beneficial for me and they built off of each other. This allowed me to gain a better understanding of each function since I knew the other functions you had to use. Within these 11 weeks learning about Excel, I have gained confidence and experience using this program.
One of the highlights of learning Excel for me was the basic tasks and learning how the formulas work when creating a budget spreadsheet. Learning the ins and outs of these formulas allowed me to create an accurate budget spreadsheet easily. This is something that I will use a lot when using Excel because it saves you a lot of time and manual inputting. I think that the formulas (SUM, AVERAGE, etc.) are one of the most used functions by those using Excel, so I wanted to spend a lot of time learning these. I now feel confident in my skills and feel that I can accurately use these formulas.
Overall, I am happy that I chose to learn Excel for my tech inquiry, as it challenged me to learn something that I had absolutely zero knowledge on and something that would be of value to me in my years to come. It was definitely not easy to learn since there is so much involved with an Excel spreadsheet and many different functions, however, there are a ton of great resources available online (linked in each of my blog posts) that were a huge help for me in my learning. I am grateful that I had the opportunity in my technology class to learn Excel because it is a skill I can take away with me and it also allowed me to do a lot of research and writing on the topic. I recommend anyone looking for an extra project who does not already know Excel to learn how to use it. You will be surprised how helpful it can be in your everyday life.
Thanks for reading my journey with using Excel 🙂
Week 9 – Pros and Cons of Excel
Learning how to use Microsoft over these past 8 weeks, has shown me a lot about the program and how it works. I made my own list of Pros and Cons of Excel using Excels pros and cons template. I added in things that I found were the biggest pros and the biggest cons for me. I ranked them in importance out of 5 (1 being the lowest (not very important) and 5 being the highest (very important)). Below you can see the list I created. In my list, the Pros won! I do think that the Pros of using Excel definitely outweighs the Cons of using it.
Thanks for reading!
Week 9 – Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting is not considered a diet, but a pattern of eating, where you eat your meals within a specific time period and then fast the rest of the time of that day(for example, eating for 8 hours a day and fasting the other 16). Another version that is not as popular but still considered intermittent fasting is eating your normal calorie intake for 5 days and then for the other 2 limiting your calorie intake to around 600 calories (depending on how many calories you consume on a normal day). This style of eating does not change what you eat it just changes when you eat. Some people say it is the best and most simple way to keep good weight on and lose the bad weight. Here is an example of an eating schedule for someone following this eating style.
* 16 hour fast followed by an 8 hour eating period
So what are the benefits of intermittent fasting?
- A good way to get lean without going on a diet or cutting down calorie intake
- Keeps muscle mass on (unlike some diets where you lose both muscle and fat)
- Helps you lose fat
- Easier than some diets since you don necessarily cut out foods
What are the disadvantages?
- Can be not very sustainable (hard for some people to be restricted to an eating period due to their schedule)
- You don’t know how your body will respond – for some it can lead to more health issues (people with type 2 diabetes etc.)
- Could lead to binge eating during the time you are allowed to eat
- Can have a negative effect on your sleep
There is a lot of evidence showing that intermittent fasting can be a healthy lifestyle and that it is effective in weight loss, however, some nutritionists suggest that the best approach is to find an eating schedule that works for them and is sustainable. This eating style is not recommended for those suffering from advanced diabetes, people who have a history with eating disorders, and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is important to talk to your doctor before fasting as it can affect your health if you suffer from certain health issues.
All in all, I believe that intermittent fasting is one of the healthier ways to lose weight and to live a healthy lifestyle. I like how it is referred to as a pattern of eating instead of a diet because it makes it seem less intimidating. Of all the diets I have researched, this one is definitely one of the ones that I would consider if I were to change my eating pattern. That being said I personally would not want to be restricted to a certain time period where I can eat and I think it would be hard to maintain with my school schedule.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for next weeks blog post 🙂
References:
https://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156
Week 8 – Keto Diet
The Ketogenic (Keto) Diet is a diet that consists of foods that are low-carb and high fat. It involves reducing your carbohydrate intake quite significantly and replaces it with fat. Since you are reducing your carbohydrate intake it puts your body in a metabolic state, which is called ketosis. Ketosis makes your body become very efficient in its ability to burn fat for energy. A lot of research shows that this is a good diet to lose weight, because the high fat intake really fills you up, which reduces your calorie intake and in result can help you to lose weight. However, since it is still a newer diet there is still more research that needs to be done. Some people believe it is a good diet to go on for many health benefits, and others believe it is not.
So what are some of the benefits of a Keto Diet?
- Can help for weight loss
- Can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
- May help clear skin
What are some of the disadvantages?
- Reducing carb intake reduces your intake of essential vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium, and fiber etc.
- “Keto Flu” which can include symptoms such as low energy levels, increased hunger, sleep problems, nausea and more
Here is a sample meal plan if you were on a Keto Diet:
- Breakfast: Bacon, eggs, and tomatoes
- Lunch: Chicken salad with olive oil and feta cheese
- Dinner: Salmon with asparagus cooked in butter
- Breakfast: Fried eggs with bacon and mushroom
- Lunch: Burger with salsa, cheese, and guacamole
- Dinner: Steak and eggs with a side salad
Nutritionists and studies show that the Keto Diet can be beneficial and cause weight loss when used short-term. Most do not recommend to do it long term as carbohydrates are essential for us for energy and certain important vitamins and minerals. There is also not much information about its long-term effects yet. Like most diets, it also depends on your body type and lifestyle for if this diet would work for you. The diet that nutritionists seem to recommend the most for a healthy lifestyle is one that is balanced, unprocessed, rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, fish, whole grains, lean meats, nuts, seeds, olive oil and lots of water.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next weeks post about intermittent fasting 🙂
References:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101#other-benefits
Week 8 – Pros and Cons Function
Excel has many templates you can choose from for various different activities such as a to-do list, an inventory tracker, a weekly timesheet and much more. After looking through all these templates one in particular really stood out for me, the pros vs. cons template. I like this one because it is useful when deciding between two things, which is a common occurrence in my daily life.
The pros and cons template is different than just making one by hand because you can rate the value/ importance of each item. At the end when you have inputted all your data excel will calculate the values of each one and tell you which one (pros or cons) wins! This function helps you to make a decision but it also provides a place where you can put your thoughts down. It helps you to compare and analyze the data in your list. Here is what the template looks like when you first click on it.
To use this template you enter items into the item section and enter values under the importance section (scale of 0-10). You enter the value of importance to indicate the weight of each of those items. 10 is the highest importance and 0 is the lowest. Excel calculates the total value of all the items under the pro section and the con section to show you, which one is more important to you. The rating scale is basic but very helpful. You can categorize the items alphabetically to help you organize your list or just put them in whatever order is most helpful for you. I made my own pros and cons list using this template and I found it super helpful and easy to use. I especially like how they calculate the values up to show you which one wins. This made it easy for me to realize which one is more important to me. Here is the beginning of the list I made. 
Overall, I would highly recommend this Excel template to anyone who likes to make pro and con lists. It is an easy way to observe and value your items.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next weeks post!
References:
https://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/pros-and-cons-list.html
Week 7 – Calendar Function
On Excel, you can create your own calendar from scratch or you can use a pre-built calendar template that Excel provides. There are templates ranging from 12-month calendars, monthly calendars, weekly calendars, and calendars that have notes. They are already formatted for you and you can add in your events right away.
It is easy to use one of these templates, you just need to choose the template you want and then add your schedule into it. You have the option of customizing your calendar by changing the size of the font, the style of the font, and the colors of the calendar. To learn how to use this function, I chose to do a monthly calendar for the month of November. After you select the calendar you want it will go directly onto your worksheet. Below is what it looks like when you first select the calendar. 
The title will usually say January, so to change this you click on the title and change the formula (shown in the above image in the formula bar) to the correct year, month, and date you want and then press enter and it will update for you. However, the numbers will not be in the correct days of the week (1 will always start on Sunday even if that is not correct) so you will need to re-number the dates. You can change the colors of your calendar by going to themes under the home tab and choose the color scheme you like best. Next, to add events into the calendar, you simply double-click on a date box and type in the event. This is a much easier way to create a calendar in Excel and it saves you a lot of time. These templates still look professional and they keep your events organized well.
I created a calendar for the month of November and added in my important assignments that are due in that month. I found it very straightforward and it produced a well-organized calendar for me that I will definitely be referring to for this busy month! I love that there is an option of getting a template because it saves you a lot of time not having to input all the features of a calendar and for those who like to customize their calendar, you still have the option to do so by changing the theme, color, fonts, and font size. I would definitely recommend using this feature provided by Excel for anyone who likes to create clean looking monthly and yearly calendars in a fast and easy way. Below is a picture of the calendar I created.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next weeks post on the pros and cons function!
References:
https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/easiest-way-make-calendar-excel
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