Reflective Synopsis

Reflective Synopsis

Expecting learning experiences to be robust and authentic without technology embedded in them is like teaching students core subjects in a foreign language. The conceptual framework of Kearsley and Shneiderman’s (1999) engagement theory involves the use of ICT’s if digital natives are to be actively engaged in

lifelong learning. In the subject areas of Home Economics and Hospitality the overarching framework is “Technology”. Enmeshing engagement theory concepts with ‘technology’ essentials is necessary and rewarding because of the practical and creative nature of the subject. During this e-learning journey, I have begun to learn a new language where the alphabet evolves daily and stories are waiting to be ‘written’ and published for the entire technological world to ‘read’.

There are so many tools available that it is really confusing trying to make sense of which ones will be most beneficial for my pedagogy. Understanding my own learning style (Felder & Soloman) and personality has helped me to understand to some extent which tools I feel most comfortable with and of which I will make the best use. Understanding my students learning styles will dictate the style and type of delivery and assessment focus.

Authentic tasks reinforce positive attitudes and perceptions (DoL 1) (Marzano & Pickering, 2006) which promotes a healthy learning environment. Using You-tube and Teacher-tube videos to instruct students in cookery classes is invaluable as this medium brings the expert into the classroom and is not confined to one viewing or one location. The instruction is authentic, with real people and real food. Placing the you-tube link on the class wiki allows students access to the information long after class has finished and provides opportunity for students to share knowledge with others. Blogs and wikis, flickr and picnik, hotpotato and classmarker, mediafire, incompetech, and voicethread, are just a few of the tools encountered in this course and most of them were new to me. Acknowledging that the learning environment is no longer confined to the classroom and access to knowledge is not confined to what the teacher knows opens up the world of learning. Developing strategies and frameworks to guide the learning of students who are digital natives has become essential as learning managers attempt to facilitate learning in this new resource-filled environment. Incorporating netiquette as normal technological culture requires learning managers to be conversant with cybersafety protocols.

I would use webquests extensively in my learning design because of the exciting and engaging nature of the tool. If every student I taught had access to a computer and the internet in every lesson, then webquest would be my unit plan, powerpoint my reuseable instructor, you-tube the engaging hook and mediafire my storage cabinet. Blogs would be the format for reflective journaling and individual instruction, while wikis would be group work. Voicethread would be used for audible discussions not confined to the time and space of the classroom and slidecasts would tell the story for students and teachers.

There are many great resources available on the world wide web, and Slideshare offers much for learning managers to access while providing the opportunity to “relate, create and donate” (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999) back to the learning environment. Hotpotato provides many opportunities to create in pre-designed templates and if mood or culturally authentic music is needed then Incompetch is freely available.

On-line storage is one of the most useful tools as not only documents but photographic evidence of students assessment can be stored and shared. Professionally, Mahara allows for up-to date resumes to be stored, accessed and circulated efficiently. Folders of student’s work which contain animated powerpoints, videos etc can also be stored in Mahara, accessed by panel and assessed on-line.

For efficiency in my teaching practice I would make use of webquest, mediafire, slideshare, you-tube, teacher-tube, flickr, hotpotato and classmarker. To develop digital skills I would subscribe to podcasts and wikis in recognition of the importance of lifelong learning, acquiring new skills and being encouraged. Using aggregators to keep track of student’s and peers contributions will also manage this process effectively.

Professional blogs like that experienced in this course provide the opportunity for collaborative learning, encouragement and engagement. Inviting people to comment on your blogs, commenting on theirs and learning together has been challenging and interesting. This process has highlighted the fact that the learning environment is now enormous and the student population is culturally very diverse. Time delay in conversations is one area of concern in this type of communication where interjection is missing and discussion is therefore more controlled, however, time delay allows for considered opinions to be posted.

E-learning is amazing! I feel privileged to have the opportunity to discover some of the tools and join in the journey. Fundamental education frameworks will now be overlayed with ICT’s because it is the global language of the future. What an exciting time to assist in managing the learning of students and their instructors!

Regards

Sue

References used throughout professional blog.

Aldred, S. (2009, July 21). Effective e-Learning Design. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from E-Learning Design: http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=18264

Australian University Teaching Committee. (2003). The Learning Design Construct - Oliver, R. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from Learning Designs: http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm

Churches, A. (2009). Bllom's -Understanding. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from Educational Origami: http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s++-+Understanding

Compton, L., & Warren, C. (2004). e-Food and Technology 1 (2nd Edition ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

CQU Noosa. (n.d.). DoL 2 - ACQUIRE AND INTEGRATE KNOWLEDGE. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from CQU Noosa -Professional Learning Package: http://www.cqu.edu.au/dol/construct_models.htm

CQUniversity - Managing E-Learning. (2009, July). Active Learning. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from FAHE-11001- Term 3, 2009 - Managing E-Learning: http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=18262

Eshuys, J., Guest, V., Lennox, R., & Wilkinson, S. (2000). Fit for life 1 Health and Physical Education for Queensland. South Melbourne, Vic, Australia: Thomson Nelson.

Felder, R., & Soloman, B. (n.d.). Index of Learning Styles. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from NC State University: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999, April 5). Engagement Theory:A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

MacLeod, K. (2006). Royalty Free Music - Whimsy Groove. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from INCOMPETECH: http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=African

March, T. (2003, December). The Learning Power of WebQuests. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from Tom March/ozline.com: http://tommarch.com/writings/wq_power.php

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (2006). Dimensions of Learning Teacher's Manual (2nd edition ed.). Heatherton, Victoria, Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.

McKeever, C. (2009). How-to-add-podcasts-to-blog-posts. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from penSourceMarketer.com: http://opensourcemarketer.com/how-to-add-podcasts-to-blog-posts/

Queensland Studies Authority 3. (2007). Essential Learnings - Technology. Retrieved December 8, 2009, from Queensland Studies Authority: http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/learning/7299.html

Queensland Studies Authority. (2005). Subject Area Syllabus and Guidelines, Home Economics Education Level 4 to Beyond Level 6. Spring Hill: Queensland Studies Authority.

Queensland Studies Authority. (2003). Technology Years 1 to 10 Syllabus. Spring Hill, Brisbane, ueenlsand: Queensland Studies Authority.

Stansbury, M. (2008, March 26). Analysis: How multimedia can improve learning. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from eSchoolNew: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=53243

Healthy Behaviours Yr 8

Hi Everyone,
This digital immigrant must have pressed or not pressed a wrong something because the slide show doesn't progress when on the blog, it does however do the right thing when you click on the "Healthy Behaviours" link and slip into slideshare! It's beyond me at this point in my migration!!

Using the tool itself was quite easy and I can see that it would be useful both from a teaching perspective and for student displays.

The editing facility which allows for changes to the MP3 file and or the visuals is useful because often the visuals can be used for more than one application.

Encouraging students to use this tool for presentations provides a visual and auditory medium which embraces different learning styles.

A great tool, easy to use and for both students and teachers.
cheers
sue

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Healthy Behaviours Yr 8

View more presentations from roleypie.

Synopsis of design for Students use of FLICKR

Synopsis of design for Students use of FLICKR
Year 12 - Hospitality
Current Unit of Work: Workplace Health and Safety
1. Students sign up for a FLICKR account and familiarize themselves with the site.
2. Students upload their digital photos relating to OHS issues around the school.
3. Students access photos relevant to their particular subject from FLICKR
4. Students edit and collage photos from both sources to present a visual display of OHS elements.
5. Students submit this display in a blog with a reflection about why they chose these photos, what it represents and how it is relevant to OHS in the school.
If whilst doing this activity students identify issues relating to OHS at the school then the OHS officer within the school will be notified. Students will reflect on this in their blog.
This activity will engage the learner (Kearsley and Shneiderman (1998) in an area of learning that is considered boring in content and challenging in delivery. Students will construct their own knowledge, it will be authentic and creatively embedded with ICT’s.
Cheers
Sue
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999, April 5). Engagement Theory:A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Rough Draft of Unit of Work - Wiki.

Year 10:Home Ec

Title: Participating in Community Decisions

Time frame: 10 weeks, 2 x 80 mins and 1x 40 min lessons per week.

Essential Learnings: “Ways of working: Students are able to:

• investigate and analyse specifications, standards and constraints in the development of design ideas

• consult, negotiate and apply ethical principles and cultural protocols to investigate, design and make products

• generate and evaluate design ideas and communicate research, design options, budget and timelines in design proposals” (Queensland Studies Authority , 2007)

Knowledge and Understanding. People can influence decisions made about the design, development and use of technology to change the impact on people, their communities and environments at local and global levels (Queensland Studies Authority , 2007)

Home Economics Syllabus: LW 6.4 Students develop preferred futures scenarios that promote individual, family and community wellbeing and are socially and ethically responsible. (Queensland Studies Authority, 2005, p. 65)

Students will access a public Wiki designed to obtain public opinion on a new shopping complex in their community.

Students will then reflect on a class wiki about the postings, and after collaboration and consensus, combined posts will be submitted to the public wiki where comments will be invited.

Students will work through the webquest http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/harmony/shopping/process.htm during this unit to acquire knowledge about issues relating to design of community shopping centres.

At each stage of the webquest, a collaborative posting will be created and posted to the relevant page of the public wiki.

Experts from council will be invited as guest speakers and a digital dialogue will be encouraged through a class wiki.

The ICT Learning Design Framework constructed by Oliver (1999) incorporates the elements of learning tasks, resources and supports. These elements include problems, projects, investigations, web links, tutorials, papers, instructions, procedures, schedules and announcements. Using a webquest as the ICT tool for this unit of work encompasses the required learning elements outlined by Oliver. (Australian University Teaching Committee, 2003) The summative assessment for this unit is a brochure developed collaboratively summarizing the design brief, the problems and solutions. Formative assessment occurs with the submission of reflective input on class wikis.

Regards

Sue

References:

Australian University Teaching Committee. (2003). The Learning Design Construct - Oliver, R. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from Learning Designs: http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm

Queensland Studies Authority . (2007). Essential Learnings - Technology. Retrieved December 8, 2009, from Queensland Studies Authority: http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/learning/7299.html

Queensland Studies Authority. (2005). Subject Area Syllabus and Guidelines, Home Economics Education Level 4 to Beyond Level 6. Spring Hill: Queensland Studies Authority.

"Hot Potato" Quiz is a Design Challenge

Synopsis.

The assessment for this unit will be a design challenge where students create a quiz using "Hot Potato"software http://hotpot.uvic.ca/ and based on the central learning outcome ‘Becoming Independent’:

“BI 4.2 Students develop and implement
strategies for optimising personal diet based on
identified nutritional needs for growth, energy
and health. (HPE PH 4.2)” (Queensland Studies Authority, 2005, p. 18)

The challenge will be to produce a quiz suitable for 13 year olds who have completed a unit of work on personal dietary needs of adolescents. The quiz will need to include 20 questions, have multiple choice and true/false answers and be completed within a negotiated time frame. Participants will have only one opportunity to complete the quiz which will be completed in teams. Designers will have one lesson to familiarize themselves with the technology and two lessons to complete the design. An ‘external auditor’ – Head of Department will access the quizzes and be present in class for the competition.

Marzano and Pickerings (Marzano, 2006) DoL 2 strategies emphasise declarative and procedural knowledge. Declarative relates to constructing, organizing and storing knowledge, whilst procedural encompasses modeling, shaping and internalizing (practice). (CQU Noosa)
“The first phase of learning a skill or process is to construct a model” (CQU Noosa) which in the case of designing a quiz will first require students to gain some understanding of how the technology works. Students will work collaboratively and make decisions regarding the type of quiz that best suits their strategy.
“Shaping” the model happens as the students develop the quiz. This stage of learning requires critical thinking skills of assessment, evaluation and creativity. Students will need to redesign the practicalities of their quiz as well as the questioning.
Internalizing or practice requires students to become extremely familiar with the process of designing a quiz and its content.
As part of the formative assessment for this unit students will post 4 reflections on their individual blogs which will ensure individual students are donating ideas to the group as well as making order of and storing their knowledge.
Regards
Sue
CQU Noosa. (n.d.). DoL 2 - ACQUIRE AND INTEGRATE KNOWLEDGE. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from CQU Noosa -Professional Learning Package: http://www.cqu.edu.au/dol/construct_models.htm
Marzano, R. P. (2006). Dimensions of Learning Teacher's Manual (2nd edition ed.). Heatherton, Victoria, Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.
Queensland Studies Authority. (2005). Subject Area Syllabus and Guidelines, Home Economics Education, Level 4 to Beyond Level 6. Spring Hill : Queensland Studies Authority.

"Digital Storytelling"

Engagement theory, which is presented as a model for learning in technology-based environments emphasizes collaboration, projects and non-academic focus. (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). Home Economics/Hospitality are technology based subjects which use the elements of collaboration and creation. Hospitality is recognized as non-academic whilst Home Economics is more academically focused.

Digital storytelling is a useful tool to capture the real life situations students will encounter in the workplace. Talking to local coffee shop proprietors, filming and recording a service period, editing, critiquing and reflecting will make use of a range of ICT’s and engage the student in a learning process involving higher order thinking typified in Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy. (Churches, 2009). Students could then retell the 'perfect' story digitally as a comparison to the real situation. This would fulfil the requirements of engagement theory basics of relate, create and donate as students suggest solutions to problems identified in the first story.

I have recently undertaken a Hospitality course in the vocational education sector where the need for authentic tasks has long been identified. However the need to engage the learner has been overlooked with much of the ‘underpinning’ knowledge delivery in this sector being book based and boring. To engage kinaesthetic learners in a digital environment requires a ‘hands on’ approach in which digital storytelling can be an ideal process for the acquisition and extension of knowledge.

Storytelling is a traditional means of communicating and valued across all cultures. Digital storytelling communicates in the language of the digital native.
Cheers
Sue
Churches, A. (2009). Bllom's -Understanding. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from Educational Origami: http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s++-+Understanding
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999, April 5). Engagement Theory:A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

"B" is for "Blogging" and "Blooms"

Synopsis of Design for incorporating blogs in class.
1. Direct students to open https://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Teens.aspx
2. Students to read/complete the four activities in this section.
3. Ascertain prior knowledge from students about blogs.
4. Do a “plus, minus, interesting” of using web logs.
5. Explain that ICT is embedded in all our subject areas
6. Instruct students in setting up their blogs and following team members.
7. Remind students of netiquette.
8. Instruct students about course requirements of blogging as outlined in their profile and criteria sheet.
9. Do a practise blog by introducing yourself, team members and task.
10. Publish your post.
11. Comment appropriately on other blogs.
12. Bring the virtual into the real world class context by students presenting their findings to the class orally, visually and technologically.
As a student teacher, this is how I would go about using blogs in the classroom. I have directed the students to the teen section of the government cybersmart website and would not proceed further until all students are very familiar with these stories and activities. Blogging could be the digital equivalent of a journal and is a valued tool in critical thinking. “Blog Journalling – This is the simplest of the uses for a blog, simply a student “talks” “writes” or “type” a daily or task specific journal. This show a basic understanding of the activity report upon. The blog can be used to develop higher level thinking when used for discussion and collaboration.” (Churches, 2009)
Further information on Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy can be found at http://edorigami.wikispaces.com
Exciting!
Regards
Sue
Reference:
Churches, A. (2009). Bloom's -Understanding. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from Educational Origami: http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s++-+Understanding