Posts By jennabursey
Union Pacific Coffee Shop
4.7 ⭐️ Google Review
Our First Stop
Our first Cafe stop is to Union Pacific Coffee Shop. You can find them located on Herald Street, in downtown Victoria – China Town. Like much of China Town, they have a rustic concept with an exposed brick building. Being close to many work spaces and construction sites, they have a high influx of workers coming in for their morning caffeine fix and lunch breaks. Not only do they have delicious coffee, they also have a great selection of baked goods and lunch options (all made in house). One of their best features is the backyard patio, covered and with great lighting to enjoy year round! Google Reviews rates them a 4.7 stars and I can definitely see why!
The Coffee
Ok, before I can even start you must know that they do TWO DOLLAR LATTE TUESDAYS!! This is no longer advertised but if you show up on Tuesday, ensure you order a latte because this is probably one of the only times you’ll ever be paying $2 for a latte…. so BRAVO Union Pacific. That being said, the latte I ordered was also delicious. Much like many locals, I got mine with oat milk and it was still just as thick and creamy as you’d hope with no seperation. Their JJ Bean espresso shined through, although, I would hope it to be a little less bitter (but this was minor) and the latte art made up for it. Overall, I give their coffee a 4.5/5 stars.
Food
If you are looking for a delicious baked good, breakfast, or even lunch they have you covered. Again, everything is made in house and I was pleasantly surprised by their reasonable prices. You can get lunch for an average of about $10 and a baked treat for under $5. Another great touch is that they provide table service for your food and the staff are beyond friendly. Overall, I give their food 5/5.
Atmosphere & Location
One of the great things about Union Pacific is their location. They are in the heart of downtown/China Town. So if you are looking to spend a day downtown or live in the area it is quite convenient. However, one downside is that if you are driving you will have to pay for parking.
Depending on what you are looking for, the atmosphere at Union pacific offers a variety of options for you. When you walk in, it smells of delicious baked goods and has warm lighting with exposed brick. They have a 4 large tables that offer people the opportunity to sit with a large group or have two groups side by side. They also have smaller tables at the back and best of all their back yard patio. The back yard patio offers you the full Victoria China Town experience as you are in the alley between many of the buildings.
I would argue that Union offers its guests a mixture of rustic and modern and over all I give their atmosphere a 4/5.
Jenna’s overall cafe Score: 4.5 ⭐️
So far, I have enjoyed my Inquiry process. One roadblock I had was getting images off my phone and onto the blog.. when I airdropped my photos to my laptop the format they saved in does not work with WordPress. I had to email myself the photos instead and it was a timely process (as I tried other strategies first, such as changing the image to .jpeg). Other than that, this has been fun and I enjoyed trying out the column format, adding the emojis for the star ratings and connecting social media (as seen below).
Screen Casting In The Classroom
This week we worked on screen-casting and making these videos interactive with H5P. I am personally interested in working with kindergarten students, so this may not be that useful for them. I feel like I want to use minimal technology with them during their formative years. However, one benefit I do see could be using this to communicate with parents on how to use an online platform for the school or our classroom. For example, navigating a classroom website or assessment tool.
I have seen screen casting done before with a grade 8 class, where the teacher created screen cast videos demonstrating the math concept they were working on. Students and families were able to access these videos on google classroom and use them to support their studying/homework.
I could see myself doing this with students as early as grade 5. Screen-casting videos that demonstrate how to do their homework and making it interactive for activities such as watching videos can be beneficial. It is helpful to reach families at home so they don’t have to wait and talk to me in person or by email. This eliminates work for both parties and offers support that can be reached as needed. My one obvious worry is that not all families have the capabilities to access these resources and would need to communicate and find out if all families have access to a computer. As always, I believe if used intentionally multi-media resources can benefit those teachers who use them!
Caffeine Fix?
Are you sick of going to the same Tim Hortons or Starbucks and having the exact same experience every time you go? You’ve heard Victoria has amazing cafe’s but you just don’t know where to start? Then look no further than this blog!
Over the next 9 weeks, I will be trying out the best of the best of Victoria’s coffee shops. Some that I have been to before and some I haven’t. I will be comparing each cafe to their google reviews online, giving you the inside scoop on what is great and not so great about them.
“We want to do a lot of stuff; we’re not in great shape. We didn’t get a good night’s sleep. We’re a little depressed. Coffee solves all these problems in one delightful little cup.”
Jerry Seinfeld
I will use photos, videos, and many other multi-media models along the way. By the end of these nine weeks, I will create Victoria’s ultimate cafe guide, with all the best tips on where to go and what to try.
I am excited to try all of the delicious drinks and treats and find the best atmosphere for you to try out! Stay tuned, and be sure to offer your questions and suggestions along the way!
The future of Education
This week we watched the documentary, Most Likely to Succeed by Ted Dintersmith. This documentary explored the topic of education in America and challenges the viewers potentially preconceived ideas on how we educate children. As a future educator, this topic is at the forefront of my mind and Ted did a brilliant job of offering new perspectives while allowing me to develop my own opinions. The documentary follows some teachers and students at a school named High Tech High, which takes a innovative approach to educating their students. I felt inspired and excited when I watched and it prompted many thoughts about my future teaching career.
What excites me about the ideas Ted highlights in his documentary are many. First, it was a relief to see teachers, who are excited about their work and feel like they are making a real difference in the lives of their students. Unfortunately, this has not been my experience when I have talked to some teachers or consumed media that highlights the difficulties working within our educational institutions. I once worked as an casual educational assistant in School District 61, which meant I went to a variety of schools within the district. I met, witnessed, and worked alongside a wide variety of teachers that held many different perspectives on their jobs, often negative. On the contrary, teachers at High Tech High had the freedom to teach what they thought would benefit their students most, in any way they saw fit. In turn, they seemed excited, energized and hopeful about their careers and I hope to feel the same.
I believe that this approach at High Tech High impacts the teachers and students in a similar way. At first, you could see how the new students did not know how to act in this alternative setting and had uninspired looks on their faces (a familiar look in many modern schools). However, as the documentary progressed you watched them come to life. Obviously, with some good editing and thoughtful choice of what to include in the film. Nonetheless, I can imagine how much happier my students will be if I take the time to give them autonomy over their learning and opportunities to stretch their comfort zones. Our world is changing an it is unacceptable to not have our educational institutions change with it. Moreover, how can we make these changes align with post-secondary institutions and job entry requirements so our students aren’t stressed? These are important questions to keep discussing for the future of education.
Jenna’s Blog
I bet you’re wondering what this blog is all about?! Well me too. Today is the first day of my blogging journey for EDCI 336. I am excited that you’re here. I have never created a blog before so setting up this site was a bit of a struggle for me. However, I am excited to get going so I can learn how to utilize educational technology to support my professional journey. I will be deciding on an inquiry project to take on this semester and sharing about it over the next few months. I look forward to sharing this journey with you! 🙂
Hello world!
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