Assessed Activity 2.2 - Technologies

What integrated technology was the most memorable for me and which one was a barrier to my learning - will you guess before the end of this blog?

There are so many different ways in which technology is integrated into learning some of which are listed below:

Simulators, virtual worlds (experimenting), Communication (discussions, forums, interactive whiteboards, instant messaging, Designing (graphics, CAD, Scratch/BYOB), Community Building and collaborating (Wikis, moodle, Google docs), Modelling (spreadsheets, databases), Visualising (paint, graphical information systems, digital images and Assessing (online quizzes, voting systems, Adobe Connect, electronic portfolios) to name a few.

My most memorable was using Adobe Connect. I know it was only recently but to me, being able to be at home whilst looking after a sick 3 year old and still being able to participate in the class, not missing anything stands out for me. What an experience (which will be repeated several times). Such a change from sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher talk. Not only that but I can replay the 'lesson' as it was recorded so if I did miss anything I could listen to it again.

As part of an assignment we had to build a game using BYOB (Designing) - have you tried that software.....  I just could not get to grips with it. It made me annoyed and cross and I felt useless as I just could not understand how it worked. I can not describe how I use to feel in those classes. Having failed that paper I resat it, attending night school rather than during the day. This time it was different why I don't know. Maybe it was because there were less students or maybe it was because some of what was taught previously sunk in - who knows. It still leaves a bad memory and I have not used BYOB since.

What about you? Have you had similar experiences? Do tell.

Reflection - A conversation with Bill Gates about the future of higher education (Young,2012)

My thoughts on this.....

In June 2012 Bill Gates had an interview regarding his vision on how higher education can be transformed through technology. It has nothing to do with him giving everybody a tablet and say there you go get on with it, it is about fixing the inefficiencies. Giving somebody technology does not mean that they know how to use it and to use it effectively. Bill Gates whats to change what is done within the class as he believes that sitting in a lecture is an 'antiquated thing'.

In some respects I feel that this is true for I did not turn up to class in the true sense of the word, I logged on and participated from home, some 45 minutes away. Did I learn, yes, did I engage with the tutor, yes, did it help, yes. Same could be said if I was in the lecture true but things are changing as you recall (ubiquitous learning) me writing in a previous blog.

As our views on how and where we learn change and technology changes our way of learning will change to reflect this. However, I can not see an end to children going to school but one wonders if a child is ill at home could they not, with all this technology, still 'attend school'

What do you think, an interesting topic for debate I think.

Assessed Activity 1.2 – Learning Styles

Do you know what the acronym VAKOG stands for or NLP and do you know how they are related?

I will try to explain some of these terms.

VAKOG

V = Visual – linked to something you see, remembering what colour somebodies hair is

A = Auditory – linked to hearing for example a song or a story that you remember

K = Kinesthetic – general activities that are repeated for example games

O = Olfactory – linked to smell

G = Gustatory – linked to food and drink (Dewar, 2012)

NLP

N = Neuro

L = Linguistic

P = Programming

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (Dilts, 1999)

What does that mean you ask, well NLP encompasses the three most influential components that we have. Neurology, language and programming.

How is this linked to VAKOG?

Well to be honest it is not easy to put into words but we know from playing games (Kinesthetics and Visual) we are programming ourselves to remember how to play something. If you add a song into that mix then you add Auditory (because you have heard it before) which then adds Linguistics into it and being the brain (Neuro) we have added VAKOG to NLP

Does that make sense to you?

Let me know if you think differently.

References:

http://www.hypnosisjournal.co.uk/vakog-definition/ (28/10/2012)

http://www.nlpu.com/NewDesign/NLPU_WhatIsNLP.html (1999)

Assessed Activity 1.1 –  Learning Theories

Digital Learning Technologies (DLT) allows for individualised and ubiquitous learning. Here I will try to explain what is meant by ubiquitous learning.

First of all, what does ubiquitous stands for – ever present or everywhere.

Secondly learning – educational, pedagogical or instructive. If you add Environment to the mix (surroundings, situations, setting) you can see that ubiquitous learning means learning wherever you are (Jones, 2004).

Normally one would go to school and learn – be in a certain place at a certain time for a certain period well ubiquitous learning means that you don’t have to do that anymore.

Ubiquitous Learning means that you can learn anything at any time at any place – so long as you have a mobile device and can hook into a wireless network. (Osborne, 2013).

It means you can be ‘in class’ whilst at home. With the use of technology one can log onto a lesson and participate. Once could take a photo of an animal and google it whilst travelling, this is ubiquitous learning.

References:

Jones, V. & Jo, J.H. (2004). Ubiquitous learning environment: An adaptive teaching system using ubiquitous technology. In R. Atkinson, C. McBeath, D. Jonas-Dwyer & R. Phillips (Eds), Beyond the comfort zone: Proceedings of the 21st ASCILITE Conference (pp. 468-474. Perth, 5-8 December. http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/perth04/procs/jones.html

http://edtalks.org/

Authenticity Statement

Activity WS1.2 - Authenticity


1.   This is an original assessment and is entirely my own work.

2.   To my knowledge, it contains no material published previously or has been written by another

      person, except where acknowledged within the text.

3.   No material which to a substantial extent, has been submitted for any other academic course,

      is included without acknowledgement.

Privacy

Activity WS1.2 - Privacy

1.   Anybody can view and comment on a blog.

2.   Details and content can be stolen and used by somebody else.

3.   Photographs will no longer be private and can be used by others posing as you.

4.   People really need to be careful of the content that they put online. As somebody once said
      these things have a way of coming back and haunting us.

Introduction

Activity WS1.2 - Part 1

This blog is in regards to an assignment in Digital Learning Technologies.

My name is GJ and I am a mature student in my final year of BcS at EIT Taradale.

Previous to coming to New Zealand I was living in England and teaching high school children Microsoft products. Previously I was teaching adults City & Guilds IT Principals.

My aim at the end of this course is to either teach at or get into project management.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Thanks for reading.

GJ