Month: December 2023

Uzbekistan Travel Wrap Up

Well, folks, this is the end of the Uzbekistan travel series.

For this week’s post, I wanted to explore Bukhara, Uzbekistan as a final stop on my journey. According to The Diary of a Nomad blog, Bukhara has a very ancient rich history. Apparently, this city was once one of Genghis Kahn’s conquered lands. This blog offers a comprehensive list of 14 things to do while in the city. One thing I found to be helpful is their suggestion on where to eat! They recommend visiting the Chasmai-Mirob restaurant in the main square with rooftop terrace seating offering beautiful views. They offer many Uzbek dishes, with some I’ve never heard of before like: manti, lagman, shurpa, and somsa.

Another thing they suggest to see is the Ark of Bukhara built in the 5th century AD, making it the oldest structure in the city (my inner archaeologist is nerding out). This structure apparently used to operate as a city within a city inviting notable poets, scientists and mathematicians to reside there. The structure itself is immense in size and, in true Uzbek fashion, has incredible architecture to check out.

After visiting Bukhara, I will take the high speed train back to Tashkent and conclude my time in Uzbekistan. While this inquiry project has allowed me to dive deeper into the country and all it has to offer, this has only showed me that there is even more to learn! There is so much more to Uzbekistan than meets the eye and the list of things to see and do go further beyond what I have laid out in this series. I hope to continue to deep dive into different countries around the world and inspire my future students to be curious and inquisitive in the same way.

Peace out and keep travelling!

Photo attributed to AXP photography from Unsplash. This is the Ark of Bukhara!!

Week 10

This week we had our presentations on different technology tools to use in the classroom. One of the stand out presentations for me was on Semiconductor, an AI system used to conduct a virtual music orchestra. The group presenting this tool suggested it would be a great solution to involve students with disabilities in a music classroom. I thought this tool was genius and I definitely see it being used for that in the future. It is relatively user-friendly and allows the user to feel as if they are engaged in the music-making process. In my future classrooms, I can see this tool being used to get my Spanish class more involved in the cultural aspects of the language by using it to have them create Spanish music. I could have them come up with some of their own lyrics for their song to accompany the motions of conducting through AI. Furthermore, I can see this tool being used as a game. It could invite all students to participate in a fun activity without excluding non-able bodied people in the class. One potential drawback to Semiconductor, however, is that it is not completely synced with the movements. As Rhys pointed out in the presentation, music will sometimes continue to play without any arm movements at all. The potential successes, however, far outweigh the drawbacks and I think it’s only a matter of time before some of the kinks are ironed out.

Photo attributed to: Samuel Sianipar from Unspalash

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