Monday, 17 June 2013

Assessment 2 - Design Rationale and Lesson Plan

EDEL20002 Assessment 2 – Lesson Plan Design Rationale

In designing my lesson plan I have used the 5E’s approach as I felt it was simple but covered all areas needed to produce an effective lesson but allowed for flexibility. The 5E’s consist of Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate. Engage and Explore cover the introductory phase of a lesson, Explain and Elaborate takes the topic into more depth and gets to the core of the subject, while Evaluate allows the student to demonstrate their understanding of the subject.

Learning Objectives
The learning objective is appropriate and relevant to the Information and Library environment and applicable to current work situations.

Pedagogical Decisions
The content matter influenced the pedagogical decisions as objectivist approach was more appropriate for the early stages of the lesson and the constructivist approach was more appropriate for the latter stages of the lesson.  The middle section Explain and Elaborate employed both pedagogies.

Activity Types
To create interest and to appeal to different learning styles I have used different activity types including reading text, viewing videos and interactive and collaborative activities. Students could interact with others via the forum or blog comments.

Evaluation Strategies
In the middle stages an interactive quiz was used to test level of understanding with a feedback mechanism in place. The evaluation at the end of the lesson was structured in such a way to allow for individual contribution.

Technological tools and resources and transform learning

To engage students attention I used a 2 minute light humorous Youtube video eg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEOg8-EzQpQ. I also used blogs for student reflections as blogs are very much used in the library context. Animated videos are a fun, cheap and easy way to simulate a work environment. The animated videos with their capability to be adapted and edited leads to transformed learning.  Providing links to global resources adds to transformed learning as students can draw from experts from anywhere in the world. Thought it also given to what tools are chosen for accessibility reasons and where possible alternatives are offered ie transcript capabilities for videos.

Desired student outcomes
Students hopefully would learn what is  a good interview techniques and also be able to adapt what they have learned to different situations.

TPACK application and links
Technological Content Knowledge
Technological Pedagogical Knowledge
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
In my lesson I have made use of animated videos so that students can have a simulated work environment but students are also able to adopt and edit the video to produce their own version. This leads to transformational learning as students can employ creativity and apply their own understanding to the content
The objectivist approach is use with the interactive quiz used to reinforce learning of the types of questions and techniques in use. The quiz uses positive reinforcement, using multiple choice questions, looping until all questions are answered correctly. This works well for questions and techniques in use in interview techniques as they are quite set. The constructivist approach is most suitable when encouraging students to suggest improvements. Students use critical thinking to suggest improvements to the interview samples given via blog reflections and editing of the animated video.
The lesson is graduated in difficulty, starting with introductory notes – Engage and Explore then building on this to go into more detail on the content – Explain and Elaborate.  Lastly activities are prescribed that Evaluate the student’s learning but also offers them the opportunity to take learning further if desired. The subject matter for example the matter of types of questions and techniques is set and definite so the appropriate pedagogy is used but then as the lesson progresses and more thinking skills are needed for discussing improvements to the interview techniques used then a different pedagogy is employed

Links to my  Pedagogical Framework

Learner Centred – The lesson is designed to offer guidance but does offer opportunities for the learner to take their studies further through optional extra readings and activities, so how much the learner learns depends on the learner.

Flexible Study Environment – Activities such as reading notes, interactive quiz, watching videos and posting blog reflections and to the forum can be undertaken at any time by students.

Supportive and Collaborative Learning Environment – Feedback offered through comments on blogs, students can collaborate in creating and editing video if desired and are encouraged to post comments to other student’s blogs

Mixture of teaching methods used – I have used a mixture of teaching methods and theory, using objectivist for some teacher led activities in the initial stages, and applied positive reinforcement through the interactive quiz to reinforce the learner’s understanding, and also constructivist theory in use of blog reflections and comments as well as using the animated videos.

Use of new and relevant technology to enhance teaching and learning – Use of videos to engage student’s interest; use of blogs relevant used extensively in the Library and Information industry animated videos is something that can be used to engage and interact with customers in the Library and Information industry, but also for its collaborative editing capabilities and ideal tool for learning; use of quick simple interactive quiz for instant feedback.

Desired outcomes – lesson produces students with understanding of theory but also able to practically apply this through animated video editing.  Critical thinking, analytical and communication skills encouraged through blog reflections and posts. Technological skills gained through use of blogs and animated videos.

Lesson Plan
 

References

www.tpack.org
http://wiki.libraries.nsw.gov.au/index.php/Reference_excellence
EDEL20002_2131: Topic 2.2 Technology for learning - The TPACK framework
5 Steps to Lesson Planning Using TPACK downloaded from
httpL//tinyurl.com/tpacklessonplanningform

Thursday, 2 May 2013

Assessment 1 - Reviewing Affordance Analysis Tool and Online Spaces

For my first embedded task for Assessment 1 I have reviewed my affordance analysis tool and have made changes. These include adding inclusiveness as part of a supportive learning environment and changing some of the links between the pedagogical influences and the affordances. As curation is very much used in my learning/teaching context this has also been added.























For the second embedded task in Assessment 1 I have chosen to explore the functionality of blogs. Although I have already used my analysis tool to analyze the affordances of blogs this  will extend this task to explore the features in more depth as well as provide evidence of the functionality. This suits me very well as I didn't fully cover the blog's features in my analysis. Changes I have made to my analysis tool will allow more features to be added and align them more firmly to their pedagogical influences.

The summarized findings of my updated blog affordance analysis.





































Part of this activity involves posting evidence of our exploration of the technology and demonstrate that we have required technical knowledge to use in classes. My affordance analysis tool (see above) I have inserted as an image. It was first  created in Word, modified in Publisher then saved as a JPEG image.

Using the add gadgets features I have been able to add an RSS feed to an area of interest in my field, the Nancy Pearl podcasts.  This feature could be used by students to receive information and updates via blog posts for learning activities or provide links to resources.

For collaboration and support there is a comment section for others to add comments.  I have added comments to other learners blogs see comment on Teresa's Post and have received feedback from Wendy on another learning blog (EDEL20001).

Blogs can be inclusive and translation tools can be embedded, see sidebar. Information can be shared via links through the posts or adding links to the sidebar. As an example I am sharing a link via a rescooped item from my Scoop.it page see Scoop.it item on Bloom's digital taxonomy.

Flexibility is enhanced by being able to schedule posts to be published at set day and times something that would be useful for teachers.

Information can be presented in video format via Youtube.  This video explains the blogs affordances

Ten Ways to Use Your Edublog - Student blogs



Trevilians Elementary 21st Century Learning project.

Uploaded by ymj1321 2010


Overall I find blogs a useful tool for e-learning. One drawback is that posts are displayed chronologically which means older posts may be harder to find.


References



Assessment 1 - Digital Media and Presentation Tools

For task 3 I have chosen to explore the affordances of videos to support, enhance and transform learning.

Videos add variety to learning. It also gives teachers access to worldwide resources with many subject experts sharing their knowledge via Youtube videos.



Schwartz & Hartman suggest videos enhance learning by allowing people the opportunity to see things they have not seen before; by attracting the learners' attention and engaging their interest; and by doing - people can learn or imitate behaviours or skills shown on the videos. Videos can also be created and produced by students, allowing for creativity, collaboration and development of new skills. As with blog reflections this help students clarify their understanding of subject content, allows for contextuality and creates the possiblility of extending their learning beyond the curriculum.




Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.


Affordances of Videos

Pedagogical Influence
Affordance
Level of Importance
Technology Features
Supportive, and safe learning environment
Legal, ethical and safety friendly



Inclusive

Enables feedback
High
Permissions can be set for security and privacy levels

Comments can be added to the video or animation
Encourage collaboration & scaffolding

Collaborative







Curative

High
Can share on different social media platforms

Some create video sites such as Xtranormal allow for editing by others, can adapt then add on to create their own

Videos on similar topics appear on the site eg (Youtube) with video and can be searched by tags
Learner Centred  

Flexible

Contextual



Students determine depth of learning



Encourage learning beyond curriculum


Develop critical thinking skills


Mixture of independent and interdependent learning
Synchronous & Asynchronous capabilities


Can adapt to suit individual needs


Interactivity




Creativity



Inquiry



Reflection

High



High



Medium




Medium



High



High

Videos can be watched at any time


Can create videos or download videos on chosen subjects

Engage attention
Can participate in interactive video games

Students can be as creative as they like if creating their own and will need to develop clear understanding of subject
Links to other similar videos means students can extend their learning

Accessible
User friendly
Cost

Time efficient – use & support
High
Can be costly and time consuming to create own, but sharing other videos is relatively easy and usually free. Can have trouble playing
if on low bandwidth


Throughout this course I have found that the videos presented have engaged my attention and helped me to understand the subject matter more clearly.  I have also in my research found other videos that have helped my understanding on the subject matter.  To try out new technology I experimented with both GoAnimate and Xtranormal. These are fun, free and a relatively easy way to create your own animated videos. As the creator you choose the content, setting, actors and what they say making it a highly creative exercise. One problem I have found with videos is that there can be technical problems in watching or downloading for those with low bandwidth.

References

Schwartz, Daniel L. & Hartman, Kevin. It is not television anymore: Designing digital video for learning and assessment. School of Education, Standford University. To Appear in Video Research in the Learning Sciences; R.Goldman, S.Derry, R.Pea, & B.Barron (Eds). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Presentation Tools - PowerPoint

For task 4 I have chosen to explore PowerPoint as a technological learning tool. I have included my affordance analysis on the slide presentation.  The presentations can be shared online by uploading to sites such as Slideshare or Authorstream. I have chosen to upload to Authorstream.



The creativity that PowerPoint allows seems endless. They can be as simple or as creative as the user would like and have the power to attract the learner's attention, can be interactive (quizzes) and are a great collaboration tool as students can get involved as a group to create a project presentation.

Overall I have found exploring technologies for learning fun and  interesting. It has also created a desire to explore all those that were nominated, not just those that were listed here. There is also a wealth of techological tools out there still to explore that have the potential to enhance e-learning.

Technology and Its Potential Usefulness

For this engagement activity we were to draw up a table, choosing technologies relevant to our context to show their usefulness as a learning tool and capability of transforming learning.


Friday, 26 April 2013

Analysis Tool for Technology Affordances

For the purpose of this engagement activity I have combined and adapted tools from the readings, in particular Conole's chapter and other learners' blogs to produce my analysis tool. I have adapted ideas from Sue, Dominic, Ben and Wendy (see blog references below).




Analyzing the affordances of blogs for learning

Now it's time to put my framework to the test by applying it to analyse blogs as a learning tool.  Already I have noted some changes needed to my pedagogical influence (inclusiveness) and the links to the affordance of the tool. In my context some reference needs to be made to the ability to curate but this is not needed for every tool employed so at this stage I am still determining its place in the framework. There was a lot more that I could have added to the blog's capabilities so it features high on my list as a learning tool.




References

http://edel20002.blogspot.com.au/
http://edel20002.blogspot.com.au/
http://myedel20002.blogspot.com.au/
http://dpedel20002.blogspot.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/grainne/chapter-7-affordances

Thursday, 25 April 2013

Strengths and Challenges

Content Knowledge

My subject-area knowledge is library studies, developed through university study and practical work in a public library. My knowledge covers a mixture of theoretical understanding of subjects such as leadership and supervision models, but also covers practical procedures in cataloguing, reference desk work, acquisitions, information literacy, circulation desk duties, use of library management systems, readers' advisory, and customer service. Most educational suppliers of library courses seek ALIA (Australian and Library Information Association) accreditation to ensure they are meeting industry standards. State Library, Government departments and changing customer needs can also influence course content.

A major challenge is keeping abreast of the changes in a rapidly and constantly changing environment. Growth in e-resources and online content creation has meant changes to both acquisitions and cataloguing work processes with RDA  (Resource Description and Access) standards now being incorporated into cataloguing procedures. Reference desk work has also to adapt to these changes. Many areas such as copyright, legal and moral issues are still catching up, and are still in development mode, with no definite guidelines or global standardization in place.

Pedagogy

My teaching experience is minimal, but from my workplace I have developed an ability to deal with different age groups, backgrounds, educational levels and needs. This has increased my understanding of different learning styles and this, combined with theoretical knowledge of learning acquired during this course, has given me a good basis from which to improve my knowledge.  As a student of library studies I have been on the receiving end of teaching and this helps identify areas of weaknesses and strengths in methods used.

In my current workplace the challenge is that there is no set curriculum and no particular timeframes; training is served on a needs basis.  From the perspective of teaching online library studies, challenges would occur in maintaining flexibility of the course to meet student's needs and yet still implement collaborative and social media engagement activities that will reflect industry practice.

Technology

I completed an IT course several years ago and although I'm not totally conversant with all the latest technology I do find it easy to adapt. My early training in this area has given me solid foundations to build upon and I totally enjoy exploring new technologies. I consider this a major strength. Spending some time as an online student has helped me develop a sense of what works and what doesn't when implementing technology into e-learning design. The challenge would be choosing the best technology for the purpose from the wide range available,  and choosing something that will have have more than short term relevancy and will suit different levels of technological skills.

Finally, I would like to share Andrew Churches views on what he sees as a librarian's role today. I found the comments interesting. See http://edorigami.edublogs.org/2013/04/24/what-is-the-role-of-the-librarian/

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Reviewing Pedagogical Framework

After the readings on 21st pedagogy I have modified my pedagogical framework to now place emphasis on collaboration as part of the learning environment and also to include development of good critical thinking skills as part of the learning outcomes. I have also added that the technology a student needs to learn should be incorporated into the course content for undertaking tasks and activities.

Revised Pedagogical Framework

Learners now need to be prepared for working in a constantly changing environment with workers now participating, competing, communicating and collaborating in a global knowledge environment. They will need both information and technological 'fluencies' as opposed to literacies as described  in http://edorigami.edublogs.org/2008/08/16/21st-century-pedagogy/. These skills will need to be embedded into the course content so they are a part of everyday learning and will become as natural as breathing. To prepare them for this new work environment, one where they may have several jobs during their working life, learners will needs skills that are transferable, such as being able to think critically, take responsibility for their own learning and be able to work collaboratively with others.

References

21st Century Pedagogy Educational Origami retrieved 23/4/2013 from
http://edorigami.edublogs.org/2008/08/16/21st-century-pedagogy/

Dede, C. (2007). Transforming education for the 21st Century: New pedagogies that help all students attain sophisticated learning outcomes. Report commissioned by the NCSU Friday Institute. Retrieved 23/4/2013 from http://tdhahwiki.wikispaces.com/file/view/Dede_21stC-skills_semi-final.pdf

Monday, 1 April 2013

Engagment Activity - Copyright and ethics


This activity involved creating a copyright scenario providing recommendations and solutions. My scenario asked whether images found on the net could be used on a non-commercial but public website. The Australian Copyright Council (http://www.copyright.org.au/find-an-answer) suggests that permission is still needed even when it is for non-commercial purposes.
Some copyright owners offer 'free use' of images but to be on the safe side it is best to check the conditions of their licence. Also look at using images under Creative Common licences for more freedom in usage. Creative Commons has licences at different levels including one that allows copying, redistribution, modification and adapting for own works so long as credit is acknowledged to the original creator. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

Engagement Activity - Pedagogical Framework

While working on this activity I read through many of the recommended readings and researched others on the internet. I also checked the blogs of others doing this course and found viewing their work helped clarify my own thoughts on the subject in particular http://synergisticlearning.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/my-21st-century-digital-education.html as our views were similar in some respects.  My framework is still a working document, still in draft mode, but any changes made will be automatically updated in the link.

Link to Pedagogical Framework

References

http://synergisticlearning.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/my-21st-century-digital-education.html