Assessed Activity 4.1 - Improving Course Content

Today I have chosen the social technology (Twitter)  and made some changes to reflect my teaching and learning technologies.

Social networks include not only Facebook but blogs such as this one, Linkedin (I have one) and discussion forums. Tools such as these are often referred to as Classroom 2.0 - derived from the term Web 2.0. What is Classroom 2.0 I hear you asking.

Classroom 2.0 is, information you want delivered to you for your convenience (Putnam, 2008). I see this as having my links (URL's) added to one page so I can access these easily. I can also add, with the correct software a podcast with a link for followers to click on and see.

Wikis are good for this too and if you read my blogs you will see a link to my Wiki page (updated weekly) http://wikieducator.org/User:GJHarvey

I have edited a Wiki page, adding a link to a beginners tutorial on how to use Twitter and some information in regards to Twitter.

http://wikieducator.org/VirtualMV/Digital_Learning_Technologies/Social/Instant_Messaging#Twitter



REFERENCES

Verhart. M, (2015) Retrieved from: http://wikieducator.org/VirtualMV/Digital_Learning_Technologies/Social#Developing_course_content

Putnam. J, () Classroom 2.0, Putting web 2.0 to work for you (2008). 

Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/julep/classroom-20-putting-web-20-to-work-for-you 

Assessed Activity 3.3 - Skills for Teachers

Have you ever wondered what skills a teacher would need to use IT within a school? All teachers use some form of IT within the classroom at some point.

Here is a list of some of the skills that they would be required to know to enable them to carry out a lesson using IT.

Some basic skills are required before a teacher can even start, these are:

• How to use a computer
• Basic word processing
• How to create a presentation
• How to use a printer
• How to use a projector
• How to link a computer to a printer and projector
• How to access the internet
• How to search the internet for the information required

From these skills a teacher needs to progress to having intermediate skills such as:

• How to make a video
• How to turn the audio on/off for the lesson
• How to download and store information
• Know about security
• How to cite where the information comes from
• How to do a backup and where the information is stored
• Learn about the schools policies regarding internet and presentations

Then of course, once the teacher has intermediate skills they need advanced skills such as:

• Create and develop resources
• How to share resources with learners (and other staff if required)
• Know which platforms to use/access
• Trouble shooting
• What to do if you get a virus

The list goes on. Not only do they have to know how to do this they also have to know other things. For example is the content suitable for the age range. Is the audio set to low/high, is the contrast correct, is the font size used appropriate, does it follow the curriculum etc. etc. etc.

Another aspect a teacher would need to know would be the tools to use in an application. For example if the learners had to use change photos into cartoons. There are lots of different tools/sites one could use but I tried cartoonize,net. This however took me to another site, Mywebface.net. The result was not what I thought it would be and after waiting five minutes for the caricature picture to download I gave up.  Have you ever tried one of these and if so which one was it and what was the result?

So another thing teachers have to do is to use the software tools to see if the learners would be able to use them too. They also need to be aware of the software that they download.

Here is a tweet with a link you may wish to look at:
https://twitter.com/glenys_jane

Glenys-Jane Harvey @glenys_jane · 8m8 minutes ago

Kharbach, M. (2012). The 20 digital skills teachers should have. Retrieved from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/33-digital-skills-every-21st-century.html … … #vmvdlt @medkh9

REFERENCES

Kharbach, M. (2012). The 33 Digital Skills every 21st Century Teacher should have. Retrieved from: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/33-digital-skills-every-21st-century.html 

Your photo albums to DVD(2015). 5 excellent tools to convert photos into cartoons. Retrieved from: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/05/5-excellent-tools-to-convert-photos-to.html 

http://cartoonize.net/

http://home.mywebface.com/caricatureApp/

Assessed Activity 3.2 - Implications of Digital Learning Technologies in Organisations

In an Educational establishment there are a variety of Digital Learning Technologies that link together to enable a learner to access material. I shall do a drawing which will show you the relationship between the different technologies which have been used in our Digital Learning Technologies class.

There are probably a few that I might have forgotten to add. If you know of any that I have missed please could you write them down and I will add them later.
Thanks.

Assessed Activity 3.1 - Implications of Digital Learning Technologies in Organisations

I am to discuss the role of three digital learning technologies and their role within the organisation set up of a college.

Matthew Hancock, Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise (2014) wrote in his forward (as a response to the research and report from FELTAG that the power of technology can transform education.

What digital learning technologies are used within college. I looked at the EIT website, which is run by Moodle. Moodle is a learning platform designed for educators, administrators and learners with a single robust, secure and integrated system to create personalised learning environments. (Moodle, 2015)

This page enabled me, as an International Student, to see the programme list - courses available to me, if I choose to study at EIT.

The Moodle platform then allowed me to register online. This page asked for personal details which were then entered into a database system. This information contained data that was private and procedures had to be followed to ensure that this data was 'safe' and that there was no 'redundant' data.

I was able to chose at which location I wished to attend, ask questions, pick my course and ask for accommodation if I required it.

Online classes are also available - thus giving a student the option of studying from home. This requires digital learning technologies for the tutors have to make the material for which the student needs to access - both paper based and online. There are lots of different things that are required for online learning, such as computer access, internet, microphone, smart-boards, servers, to name but a few. 

Without these technologies EIT could not transform education in the way that they have today.

Do you like to study within the classroom or would you prefer to learn from home? I think that a mixture of both is the best way forward for me.

REFERENCES

https://docs.moodle.org/28/en/About_Moodle

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320242/bis-14-841-government-response-to-recommendations-from-the-FELTAG-action-plan.pdf

http://www.eit.ac.nz/

Activity - 3.0 Digital Learning Technology in Organsiations

In the last few years Digital Learning Technology has changed organisations in the way that they do business.

I worked for Lloyd's Register of Shipping for over 12 years and in that time there were many changes. I started as a secretary and ended up and IT Trainer.

Believe it or not, I started using a typewriter to type up reports, in triplicate using carbon paper. 
That was hard if you were not a proficient typist as one mistake could take quite a while to rectify.

Having computers linked to the main HQ in London was a huge step forward for the company. No longer did we have to wait for mail to arrive or spend hours on the phone for an email would give the same result within a short space of time.

Ernst and Young wrote a report (The Digitisation of Everything) which said that in a world that is digital businesses must embrace technology to stay in the game (2011).

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills in the United Kingdom responding to the FELTAG research and report paper comments on how technology has the potential to engage more learners, improving their learning experience and that it will meet the ever growing needs of the employers (2014). 

Companies now have to think about procedures, mainframes, how to help their customers and shareholders. They must use technology to stay 'ahead' of the game. 

Schools and colleges are the main users, I feel of DLT and there have been a shift in learning 'outside' the classroom. Some find this easy whilst older students find that they would rather attend a class as perhaps this was the way they were taught.

There is much to think about and lots to discuss on this matter. I haven't really covered it very well so please, if you like, add a comment to this blog. Maybe add your views, I would be interested to read your take on the matter of using DLT within an Organisation.

REFERENCES

http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/The_digitisation_of_everything_-_How_organisations_must_adapt_to_changing_consumer_behaviour/$FILE/EY_Digitisation_of_everything.pdf 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320242/bis-14-841-government-response-to-recommendations-from-the-FELTAG-action-plan.pdf

Assessed Activity - 2.3 Challenges

What are the biggest challenges for ubiquitous learning and individualised Digital Learning Technology?

Ubiquitous and individualised learning means that a person can learn something at any time of the day or night and any where they happen to be. There are several devices that allows one to learn on the go.

You may think one thing and I might think another so this would be great at the end of the blog if you could add your thoughts on the matter.

Technology is one of the biggest challenges I feel. Why? There is so much of it. 

What if it is not compatible with the end users? 

What if you to video a lesson and broadcasting it at the same time for students to participate. 

First of all one would have to think 'What would I need to make this happen?'

Well, what would you need? Hardware and Software 

What kind of hardware and software.

You would need a computer, internet access (wifi), a mouse, speakers, a webcam, a drive, a projector, desktop, browser, Adobe Connect and a smart board to name but a few. Gosh, think of the cost of all this technology - it is so expensive and one also has to think of the upgrades. What about the availability of all this technology too (and understanding how it works, individually and together).

That's only part of the challenge to ubiquitous learning. 

What happens if there is no connection or the server goes down. Or things have been moved and you can not find them?

What happens if the learner does not know how to connect to the correct place to learn?

I feel that another great challenge to this type of learning is the learner themselves. 

It is hard to master new technology and all that it entails.

Being on this course is a prime example of all the challenges to be faced whilst learning in this manner. I for instance have had to learn all about blogging (don't know if I have mastered it yet) and all that it entails. Will I still have my privacy? Can I connect when there is a lesson, can I hear the teacher. What would happen if my keyboard packed up and I couldn't type to let the teacher know that I was in the class. Being an international student this is important to me as to get a visa to study you must attend class (is being online technically in class)?

What are your thoughts?

Assessed Activity 2.1 - Pedagogies

Pedagogy strategies  is the way learning is delivered. For adults learning this is called Andragogy.

There are several pedagogy approaches to learning which includes Case-Based Learning, Inquiry-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning, Resource-Based Learning and Games-Based Learning.

In 2010 at the DEANZ Conference held here in Wellington, Terry Anderson from Athabasca University in Canada described three generations of distance education pedagogy. These are:-

• Behaviourist/cognitive, constructivist and connectivist. (Anderson, 2010)^[1], where: behaviourist/cognitive includes, self paced and individual study;

• Constructivist, working in groups; and

• Connectivist, using networks and collectives.

For a blended environment, behaviourist includes instructivits - this is where the content is 'taught' to students as in a lecture.  In a blended environment there are multiple strategies which are used to engage students with different pedagogies used depending on the situation.

In this blog I aim to describe an instance from my past learning experiences (good or bad) and describe it's effectiveness in regards to certain approaches.

Case-Based Learning - Real-life examples for example Law Students. They look at old cases and study them, trying to find the solution without first knowing the result. It is a good way of learning as it gives the student something specific to focus on which will help them to recall the details later on. They can test their knowledge and build on their existing knowledge to find the solution to the problem.

eLearning could be integrated using video footage of the case as it was filmed, giving students another dimension to the case. The students could be 'in' the court room so to speak seeing how the lawyers performed and find out if their conclusions were correct.

Resource-Based Learning - Books, YouTube and instructional videos. These are some of the resources used by students to learn - typically used in Universities. Students are given the resources and are more accountable for their own learning.

eLearning is already integrated into resource-based learning, for example in our own class for this subject we use wikieducator as a source, not only to read and to watch clips from videos but the lessons and resources are all in one place.

Project-Based Learning - Assignments are a good example of project-based learning. In my first year of this degree we had to make a game using a program called SNAP. I didn't find this a good way of learning for me as I could not understand the program.

eLearning helped when I resat this paper as I looked at YouTube videos on how to use the program. I feel that it would have been more beneficial if this had of been used in the class.

Game-Based Learning - Game based learning is a good way for young children to learn without realizing that they are learning. At school we taught children Maths by using a game where the numbers and symbols were shown on the screen and they were given a certain amount of time to 'touch' the answer. As they improved the time allowed got shorter.

eLearning is integrated in several different lessons and is a very useful tool for teachers. I wish that they had this kind of learning when I was at school.

What are you opinions on this, email me if you have any other ideas.

REFERENCES

Anderson, T. (2010) Three Generations of Distance Education Pedagogy [PowerPoint]. Retrieved May 2, 2010 from http://cider.athabascau.ca/CIDERSessions/sessionarchive 

http://wikieducator.org/VirtualMV/Digital_Learning_Technologies/Overview/Teaching