Final Posting

Hi Readers!

 

This has been quite the journey so far, and I am so excited I had the opportunity to share it with you!

I have learned so much and I am so excited to be able to learn that as a student it will be possible to travel on a budget. This genius hour project was a great chance to teach myself something as well as grow professionally as a future educator. I have learned many 21st century skills that will help me as I am teaching the future students of tomorrow. Technology is a great skill to have as it is becoming more and more advanced everyday and students are also learning at a very fast pace. This will be very important for teachers to keep up with them.

 

Overall I have grown both personally and professionally including my knowledge, comfort level, and skills, with teaching and learning. Technology is all around us and affects many different areas of our lives. This can be used in every class setting and subject, as well as outside of the classroom. The needs of learners are constantly changing and we need to keep up with the pace, just like the saying keeping up with the Jones's.

 

Rocky View Schools. (2017). 21st Century Learning. Retrieved from: http://springmd.rockyview.ab.ca/our-school/21st-century-learning

 

In my future classroom I will be integrating technology into all of my subjects. I can take many skills and resources that I have learned from during this technology course, as well as from completing this genius hour project. I will be using a flipped classroom style in my class where I will provide my students with short videos on the subject they will be learning at home so they can come to class and be prepared and ready to learn! The in class time will then be devoted to exercises, projects, and activities for students to apply and further advance their knowledge. I also loved the idea of using gamification as discussed early in my blog as it gives students a chance to engage in the material at their own rates, as well as use 21st century skills. The best part is it makes learning fun!

 

I am so thankful for taking this technology course at Brock during my teacher college year, and I would like to thank my professor Dave Potts for all of his wisdom and teaching. We all could of not done it with out you. Cheers and good luck to all of my fellow teacher candidates!

 

Cheers Readers!

  

Week 7

Hello Readers,

 

Welcome to my final post on my genius hour project, and I have laid out my dream vacation to travel to on a student budget and all of the options I chose to take based on my personality, and interests, as well as my budget! It has been quite the journey researching and learning about a lot of information on travelling. I am so excited that I chose this topic to research as it is something I am hoping to accomplish as soon as I graduate in June. I am so excited to share my final findings with you as this project was such a great experience. I will definitely be using this in my future classroom of students one day! Thank you so much for reading and following along I hope you found my tips helpful and are able to take a trip one day soon, on your student budget! 

 

Original Goals

 

When first starting out this project I had 5 main goals that I wanted to accomplish. These goals included:

 

1. I want to attain a budget and learn the cheapest and safest way to travel to a unique location in the world.

 

2. I want to visit as least 3 different places that I have never been to before.

3. My timeframe will be 2-3 months

And I am very happy to announce that I have accomplished each and everyone of them!!

 

My Student Budget Trip Break Down

 

After all of my hard work during this course, it has finally paid off as I have completed my goals for this project, completed all of the requirements, and now have a dream destination I can begin to save up for. I have a goal in mind and I am going to reach it with all of the great tips I have learned and shared so can you!  

 

I will now share with you where it is I want to travel to, my budget, transportation I can take, length of time I will spend there, how long I will be staying for, currency rates, where I will be staying, as well as some other information on the culture and mannerisms of the country I chose. I selected a place I have never been to and I have never been more excited! Drum roll please.....

 

 

IRELAND!!

 

The location that I have selected to travel to is indeed IRELAND! My top three places to travel too would include: Alberta, Paris, and Ireland, and after completing my research I believe this is a trip that I can afford, on a student budget!

Erin Bender (2013). Travel with Bender.
Retrieved from: http://travelwithbender.com/

 

Transportation:

 

I will begin my trip by travelling from Toronto airport (YYZ) to Dublin airport. The flight there costs $310 dollars through West Jet and if I buy it through Ebates (sign up for free discounts) I can get $25 dollars off each flight I buy. Then if I buy my return flight home it will cost around $345. I will be travelling on flexible dates around Wednesday June 7th (day after graduation) and will return home around Wednesday August 2nd. May and June are also the sunniest months in Ireland, and July and August are the warmest, so I picked the absolute best time to travel there! By paying for individual flights I will save money rather then buying all at once, and I will receive a $50 dollar cheque from Ebates as well! Also look into checking flights at random and weird times such as 11:05pm for flight deals or even last minute for flights home! When arriving into Dublin my mom's friend offered to pick me up and drop me off as well as show me around! I also would like to rent a car for a few days. However this will be the most expensive payment that I will be spending on. Renting a car you must be 21 years or older. For a small car it will cost $18 per day but however there is CDW insurance that I am required to buy when travelling in Ireland. Small cars are also ideal because of the narrow roads, just be careful and make sure all of your luggage can fit into those small cars! The worst part about renting a car is insurance! Many are mandatory including the: Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and this can be around $10 a day which is $14 Canadian so it will add up. When they say small they mean it. If I decide to take any public transportation including the buses (most common, least expensive) I will pay $2 per trip. However I can buy a leap card as a student which gives me 20% off transportation so I will only pay $1.50 for bus fares. The leap card can be bought there or in advance for 5 euros which is just over $7 Canadian.   

 

Where I will be staying?

 

I will be residing at my mom's friends place who lives just outside of Dublin (capital) as she has a spare room I can stay in which will cost me no money. I however would like to show my hospitality with a small gift or some money or I would like to help with cooking, cleaning and groceries for letting me stay with them. If I do decide to go out on my own which I plan to I will then be staying at hostels which are very inexpensive of only $14-$21 per night/day. That is also for a 4star hostel price.

 Since I am staying with a family friend I am also able to take advantage that they have a kitchen and appliances where I can then buy my own groceries, and save money on eating out! If I do decide to eat out which I would like to experience a few Irish dishes a few of these would include:

1. full Irish breakfast

2. Dublin lawyer lobster

3. Dublin coodle
4. calcannon
5.  carrageen mass pudding
6. Irish coffee
7. Irish whisky

When I am eating dinner or any meal there are a few mannerisms I need to remember. There is a small plate for boiled peelings as I remove them off potatoes, etc, which is placed beside me like a bread plate. I also need to keep the knife in my right hand at all times and the fork in my left, these must never switch hands. When I finish any meal to show my appreciation and that I am done (so they don't put more on your plate) you will place your fork and knife across the center of your plate with the knife facing towards the middle of the table.

  

Where to explore? 

 

One of the main reasons I want to travel to Ireland is the country sides and beautiful breathtaking landscapes! I hope to do a lot of hiking, biking, and car trips around the countryside all over to a variety of different places. I can borrow a bike form my mom's friend, hiking is free to do, and the only cost will be for my gas and car rental daily fees. I also have been looking on pinterest, google, intagram, and other sites looking at Ireland bucketlist items and have selected a few I would like to complete. Most are $0 to do which is the best part!

 

Ireland Bucketlist:

1. Visit the graves of Ireland

2. Drink a Guiness beer where it was created

3. Have a drink at Sean's the oldest bar in the world  

4. Hike the cliffs at Moher (MUST DO)

5. Visit St. Georges famous market

6. visit castles (free for student tours)

7. Tour botanical gardens (free to visit all parks too)

8. Spend a night at Kilarney park

9. Hike to the most Northern part of Ireland: Malin 

10. Kiss the Balarney Stone

11. see the Sea Cliffs

12. see Dalemsn and ruins

13. see the Dark Hedges

14. Go to the kilmainham goal free exhibition and tour around

 

The best part is how FREE almost all of my excursions are that I want to do!! 

 

Vaccination/VISAS

 

When looking into what shots I needed before travelling there I was very pleased as I only needed one shot! They recommend taking a Tetanus/Diphtheria shot which is $20 or free for students as we are covered (from parents or schooling). Tetanus is a bacterial infection present in the soil, and can be seen worldwide. If you get a cut the virus can finds it's way into your body through your cut, and it has the potential to affect the nervous system. Most people in Ireland receive this as a child. They recommended you take this within 10 years to be safe. Diptheria is a disease part of the tetanus vaccine and is also a bacterial infection. It causes inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. This is an airborne caused infection travelled from person to person. 

Another great thing about travelling to Ireland there is no VISA needed to travel here!  

Ireland Tips

 

Number one tip to know is to ALWAYS PACK RAIN GEAR everywhere you go in Ireland! I would also look into buying a map of Ireland as well as making sure google maps works on your phone. I will be buying a data plan on my phone for calling and texting but will have no internet only emergency. This will only cost $10 a month extra through my phone provider. I would also suggest buying a safe adapter to plug your devices into before plugging them into the walls just in case it is different from what our outlets are like in Canada. The worst thing ever would be to fry your cell phone through the charger or your expensive straightener! I would also make sure you have good comfortable durable hiking shoes as you will probably wear these for most of the trip as you explore all over, being the curious tourist I know we all are! Another great thing is they speak English in Ireland as well as Irish so you will usually be able to talk to others and they can answer or at least understand what you are saying, and you don't have to worry about learning another language. After being there for a few days you will begin to pick up on any jargon and Irish slang they use just like people who travel to Canada do. Whenever you great anyone in Ireland just like Canada a firm handshake and locking eyes is the way to do it! 
 

When tipping over in Ireland you tip 10% to waitresses and tour guides, 0% to bartenders, or taxis, and $1-2 when you buy purses or accessories. The euro is the money over in Ireland they use and it is 0.71 to the Canadian dollar. Meaning they are a bit under but still close. This will fluctuate to closer to the dollar throughout the year. However things tend to be a bit cheaper over there which will balance out in the end to match the dollar. 

 

Do not forget to pack light and to stay safe!       


Thank you so much for reading my blog and I hope you have found it as helpful as I have! Good luck to all of you student travellers out there and feel free to message me if you have any questions about my tips and blog!

Until next time, and next trip!
 

 

Cheers Friends!

Week 6

Hey Readers!

To continue my research this week I will be looking into the transportation and costs that are involved when travelling. The type of transportation that you decide to take can make huge difference in how much it costs to get to places. I will be also discussing a trip idea with a travel agent and getting more advice from someone who works in the travelling field.

Transportation

There are many ways we are travel from place to place, these do not just include flying. Once you get to your destination you can rent a vehicle for a day, take taxi, train, limo, buses, bike, or even hike and walk to places on foot. When travelling on a student budget the cost of transportation can sometimes get yeah, so I am here to tell you how you can make it through with a low cost for transportation. I am sure you can guess the lowest cost of transportation...if you said walking/hiking you would be correct! The next cheapest way to travel would be by biking, city buses, and then renting a cheap car/taking a train. The most expensive way to travel is TAXI! Try to avoid taking a cab anywhere when you travel as these are very expensive and a waste of money, unless it is an absolute emergency! Taking a train can actually be a great money saver over a car when you are travelling to and from different countries. If you are over in England and want to travel to any surrounding country train is your least expensive option. If you pre book your train you plan on taking inadvance by one month prices to travel to another country like London/Paris could be as low as $12.50, where even if you book a day in advance the cost could be $22. The prices surprise most people, as where I am from back home if I were to take the VIA train from my school to hometown (3hour drive) it would easily cost me around $100 for one way. They do have wifi but those prices do not compare to the UK! Check out: http://www.seat61.com/uk-europe-train-fares-comparison.html for more information on travel rates in the UK. I also would recommend biking over a car but some cars can be $30 a day which you still have to pay for gas but then you can take your own adventures and travel where you want to on your own schedule. The option is up to you!   

Advice from a Travel Agent

Today I went to my local travel center: Marlin Travel and discussed some potential tips that this lady had for students on a budget. This lady was an absolute delight and gave me a ton of helpful information! We picked a random spot to travel to (AKA I PICKED PARIS!!) and we then broke down the points in which I would need to look into and how to budget for my trip. First we looked at cost of flights, and then transportation in the area. We chose a specific place to fly out of (Toronto) and a spot to fly into (Charles de Gaulle) in Paris. We then got out her books and looked at some online pictures of Paris to get ideas of what I wanted to do there. As a student I tended to go with the cheaper excursions and things such as hiking, touring, and visit museums using my student identity to get cheap discounts. We then talked about how I could also do stuff when I got there and decide on the go which could get me cheaper last minute options. The next step we took was looking at the shots if any were needed for this area and if I needed a VISA card as well. I will need to make sure that I am up-to-date on routine vaccines before every trip I travel. These vaccines include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot. This is all because of safety! I also am covered for these mostly because I am a student. Use the student discounts as much as you can as you won't be a student forever! The best part about going through a travel agent is they are almost doing the hard work for you. They are on your team and will work with you to find the cheapest flights and hostel rates. I unfortunately do not know anyone in Paris so I will have to stay in hostels for the duration of my stay. When we went through all the final calculations at the end my total ended up being for 3 weeks in Paris $2,500 including my flights, hostels, food, and a bit of extra.  She said usual to travel to Paris she would budget 1,000 a week to be on the safe side but as a student and her great tips we can work to be around 500-750 you would be spending per week. I also would of been travelling in June, which is great weather in Paris as well! June is the best month for weather as it will be sunny and a bit dry. She also highly recommended getting travel insurance as it is my first time travelling and I am a student. A few other tips she provided included: keeping a list of every transaction I make (journal), do some research on the place I am travelling to, don't be afraid to ask questions, and look at the currency the prices are in before buying anything! She wishes we all the best and I want to thank her for all her help!  
 

Learning Object Jigsaw Task

 

Document your experiences participating in the Learning Object jigsaw exploration. How might you re-purpose a tech-enhanced activity like this for your own classroom?

One tool I created after using this jigsaw teaching technique was a quiz on quizlet, one of my peers in my group showed me this resource. You can create many different quizzes using flash cards and other tools online. I created one about any questions one might have on my genius hour topic: travelling on a student budget. Check it out by clicking on the link below!

https://quizlet.com/_374g4g


 Thanks for reading check in next week for my final post on my genius hour project.

Cheers!