Monday, 25 March 2013
Monday, 18 March 2013
Push technology
Student audioboos
I used Audioboo in a lesson with my Physiology students recently. They had previously carried out a practical task, and it had been 2 weeks later that they were expected to write a report about it. I thought that it might work well to use Audioboo as a way of them recapping what they should have achieved, while giving them ownership of their work. Therefore, I asked them to download the app as soon as they entered the lesson. They clearly loved the opportunity to use their phones for something, and I could see straightaway how powerful this was as a way of getting them to 'buy in' to the lesson. They then had to research a small part of the topic we had been working on each, and it was their individual responsibility to collect together information that they could then put in to a recap Boo for them and their classmates to use at their leisure. They immediately saw that there was a benefit, as it meant that they could collaborate on their work. But it also allowed them to use a medium (audio) that they are familiar with being engaged in constantly. The Boo's are now up on a 'physiology' board, which they can access at any time in order to help them with their assignments.
Box
Monday, 11 March 2013
Podcasting
Video night is also podcast night! Another excellent opportunity to cringe to the sound of my own voice. I decided that I would use this as an opportunity to put together a self help/assignment workshop for my fitness training group who seem to be continually forgetting how to correctly fill in an exercise programme. The benefit of this is that the students can immediately engage with the material on a range of different mediums, such as PC's, but also Ipods, tablets and smartphones. There are so many ways you can use a podcast, such as for plenaries, quick recaps on different topics etc. They rely on you having the equipment though, and your equipment working properly....I will be uploading the second podcast in a series of 3, because at the current time I cannot get the first or third to upload to the PC!
Youtube, web 2.0 and social media in teaching
Tonight was video night! Martin had pre-warned us that we would be making a video, or using previous video footage....but I dont have any previous footage on my smart phone that would be appropriate, so Gareth and I got creative! Actually, we made an awful video about the merits of the Ealing campus. My camera work was awful, and I couldn't even stand to listen to the whole 4 minutes of rubbish we talked. Nevertheless, it has been uploaded to my personal youtube channel for all to see! Youtube is a useful social media tool, made social by the fact that (as you will see) the videos don't have to be professionally produced, any old shaky hand can produce one! As well as uploading your own videos, you are able to make comment on those uploaded by other amateur hand!
As always a number of useful learning points emerged. Firstly, no video is a bad video. Using footage that isn't very watchable or user friendly can in itself be used as an example of how a better job could be done. A poorly put together video will still probably be engaged in by students (especially if it allows the opportunity for them to laugh at you!). Students can also watch the video, and make suggestions for how they could do a better job themselves. Finally, it gave us the opportunity to actually upload the video to youtube - another skill under the belt.
Downsides - well, I HATED having to listen to my own voice. I know it sounds hideous on camera, and so was reluctant to talk in the first place. Having this issue when students make the videos could actually stop them from engaging with the learning properly. Trolling may also present itself as a problem. Comments can be disabled from the video though, so this may get around the issue. However, turning off the comments section takes away a large part of the social media element.
Anyway, here it is.....don't judge too harshly!
As always a number of useful learning points emerged. Firstly, no video is a bad video. Using footage that isn't very watchable or user friendly can in itself be used as an example of how a better job could be done. A poorly put together video will still probably be engaged in by students (especially if it allows the opportunity for them to laugh at you!). Students can also watch the video, and make suggestions for how they could do a better job themselves. Finally, it gave us the opportunity to actually upload the video to youtube - another skill under the belt.
Downsides - well, I HATED having to listen to my own voice. I know it sounds hideous on camera, and so was reluctant to talk in the first place. Having this issue when students make the videos could actually stop them from engaging with the learning properly. Trolling may also present itself as a problem. Comments can be disabled from the video though, so this may get around the issue. However, turning off the comments section takes away a large part of the social media element.
Anyway, here it is.....don't judge too harshly!
Monday, 4 March 2013
I created a Pinterest account a few weeks ago, and I have to be honest, the main reason for doing this was to tick it off the list of E-learning things I had to do as part of the course. Everything that has been suggested to us up until now has been great for engaging students in tasks, but I have been really short on time recently, and didnt give this one much of a go. I like to have time to be able to figure out how each resource serves to improve the standard of my delivery to students, and how they can get the most out of it in a sport specific way.
Anyway, tonight was the night when I decided to get to grips with this, and I have to admit, it was a bit of a frustration at first! Mistake number one was not eating before attending the after-college course - I suffer terribly with hunger rage! Mistake number two was leaving it so long, because I had forgotten a lot of the reasons why 'Web 2.0' tools are relevant to learning. If I'd have done this when we first learnt about Web 2.0 it would have cemented my understanding of it, but as it was it just seemed like a pointless waste of cutting and pasting.
Thankfully, now I have eaten, and had a couple of hours to reflect (I feel like I'm doing so much reflecting recently that I'm in danger of resembling a mirror!), I have begun to understand the beauty of this tool. The focus of my Pinterest is as a fitness resource for one of my teaching groups. The premise of their unit is fitness testing and training, so I have put together a number of sites that are reputable sources of information (there's a lot of rubbish on the internet, as it turns out!). This suits the unit as there are loads of different considerations that the students needs to remember, such as programming information, pictures and videos giving ideas for exercises, different goals that clients may have and how to meet them, as well as how to test the progress of a training programme by using fitness tests.
So, how does a Pinterest benefit the students? Well, the idea of all Web 2.0 technology is that it provides opportunities for interaction and contribution between many individuals. This is exactly what Pinterest supplies. At its most basic level, it provides students with a 'list' of resources, without it looking like a list. This in itself makes it a more pleasing experience when searching for information. But beyond this, students are able to have their own input and collaborate with one another. The idea is that they comment on the sites that are pinned there, either by critiquing the information they read and adding their opinions, or highlighting relevant information to help their collegues (peer sharing), or hopefully in many other ways that they think of, that I, as of yet, have not! As Will Richardson points out in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms "(weblogs) demand interaction". Any opportunity to increase learner engagement, collaboration and participation in class discussion is welcome as far as I am concerned!
As always, I will introduce this resource to my students, and see what they think of it, and how effective it is....
http://pinterest.com/binzyg/fitness-testing-and-training/
Anyway, tonight was the night when I decided to get to grips with this, and I have to admit, it was a bit of a frustration at first! Mistake number one was not eating before attending the after-college course - I suffer terribly with hunger rage! Mistake number two was leaving it so long, because I had forgotten a lot of the reasons why 'Web 2.0' tools are relevant to learning. If I'd have done this when we first learnt about Web 2.0 it would have cemented my understanding of it, but as it was it just seemed like a pointless waste of cutting and pasting.
Thankfully, now I have eaten, and had a couple of hours to reflect (I feel like I'm doing so much reflecting recently that I'm in danger of resembling a mirror!), I have begun to understand the beauty of this tool. The focus of my Pinterest is as a fitness resource for one of my teaching groups. The premise of their unit is fitness testing and training, so I have put together a number of sites that are reputable sources of information (there's a lot of rubbish on the internet, as it turns out!). This suits the unit as there are loads of different considerations that the students needs to remember, such as programming information, pictures and videos giving ideas for exercises, different goals that clients may have and how to meet them, as well as how to test the progress of a training programme by using fitness tests.
So, how does a Pinterest benefit the students? Well, the idea of all Web 2.0 technology is that it provides opportunities for interaction and contribution between many individuals. This is exactly what Pinterest supplies. At its most basic level, it provides students with a 'list' of resources, without it looking like a list. This in itself makes it a more pleasing experience when searching for information. But beyond this, students are able to have their own input and collaborate with one another. The idea is that they comment on the sites that are pinned there, either by critiquing the information they read and adding their opinions, or highlighting relevant information to help their collegues (peer sharing), or hopefully in many other ways that they think of, that I, as of yet, have not! As Will Richardson points out in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms "(weblogs) demand interaction". Any opportunity to increase learner engagement, collaboration and participation in class discussion is welcome as far as I am concerned!
As always, I will introduce this resource to my students, and see what they think of it, and how effective it is....
http://pinterest.com/binzyg/fitness-testing-and-training/
Quizlet
Tonight we have been using an online tool called Quizlet, which allows the quick set up of resources for students.
I put together 20 flash cards with training principle terms on them, and found that once the resource is created it can be used in a number of different ways, such as a test, a spelling resource, or a couple of different games.
The brilliance in this resource is that it can be used online, or printed off. Therefore, instead of having to animate answers into a powerpoint, for example, you can flick between questions and answers in class with input from all students.
There is also a bank of resources 'pre-created' by other users that can be accessed, which saves on the time it takes to create your own resources. Once you have created a resource it can be used in a number of different ways, and for introducing a topic or testing knowledge on a topic, but they do take a while to set up initially (depending on how many flash cards etc you make). Therefore, having the option of using resources other people have created is a real time saver!
I put together 20 flash cards with training principle terms on them, and found that once the resource is created it can be used in a number of different ways, such as a test, a spelling resource, or a couple of different games.
The brilliance in this resource is that it can be used online, or printed off. Therefore, instead of having to animate answers into a powerpoint, for example, you can flick between questions and answers in class with input from all students.
There is also a bank of resources 'pre-created' by other users that can be accessed, which saves on the time it takes to create your own resources. Once you have created a resource it can be used in a number of different ways, and for introducing a topic or testing knowledge on a topic, but they do take a while to set up initially (depending on how many flash cards etc you make). Therefore, having the option of using resources other people have created is a real time saver!
go animate
After learning how to do a very basic animated video with go animate, I thought I'd trial it in one of my lessons. Not all the students got around to finishing them in the lesson - as with every task, some picked it up more quickly than others. I will add more as they come through, but these were the first few....
http://goanimate.com/videos/0iysxmrUel3M/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0PZ95i2k7-qU/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0CID4SQNCBEk/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0iysxmrUel3M/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0PZ95i2k7-qU/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0CID4SQNCBEk/1
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Webquest debrief
Ok, so I put together my first ever webquest last night during the E-course. It ticked all the boxes in terms of the criteria we needed to meet, but it wasnt quite finished, as I wanted to trial it in a lesson today. So, I came home, had some dinner, and then got back to it. Both the draft and the final piece that was given out in class today are linked to this blog.
Here are my thoughts about its effectiveness now that I have delivered the lesson and am sitting in the comfort of my own home again:
Reasons I like it and want to use it again:
1) Obviously, I am able to manipulate the content that the students look at, in a way that it is possible to filter out some of the irrelevant bits of information that they might normally have to trawl through
2) Due to this control factor, I can also work out very easily if students have understood, and actually summarised the information into their own words, which,
3) Helps to control any potential plagiarism, cutting down on the hours of trawling internet sites that I might normally do.
4) Crucially, it allows the students to hone their skills of deduction/summarising/reading text and understanding it in a slightly manipulated (and therefore, hopefully more productive) environment.
Reasons why it made my day a bit/lot more frustrating and I want to forget about WebQuesting forever:
1) After my first use of it I have realised that because this isn't a task they are accustomed to, I still need to 'hold their hand' with it a little bit. I assumed I would give them the webquest sheet, and that they would get straight down to business, and be finished in a matter of minutes. 2 hours (yes, 120 minutes) later, I was still trying to explain to some of the class that if they looked at the webquest sheet it would actually tell them EXACTLY what to do. And, in fairness, it was a very straightforward sheet - i.e click this, read that, answer in the box provided. I am often too harsh on myself and very critical about lessons that went wrong, and how it was my fault, but I''m not taking the credit for that today in terms of ease of use of the sheet! 100 other things were wrong, but the instructions on the sheet itself was OK
2) However, what is very evident is that my students have been used to being directed in a certain way ("google it"), and it will take them (and me) a while to get used to this new method. I think I may have expected too much in terms of them applying themselves fully to the task (how I expected them to all of a sudden not want to go on Youtube and Facebook anymore, I will never quite understand. What a moron!)
3) Facebook is still the bane of my working day! I thought this task might cut down on Facebook use, but alas, not so much. I reckon this may be due to the fact that I included too many tasks for them to complete. Or rather, the fact that I didn't break the tasks down into small chunks, which made the whole thing seem quite daunting and unmanageable (even though there was actually about 45 minutes worth of work there). This, I put down to my overenthusiasm for a new method, coupled with my blind faith that the method itself would work the miracle. Due to this, I lost sight of some of the 'Teaching 101' rules that should be followed in every lesson, whether one has an exciting new tool to try or not! I still definitely don't have the answer to this little problem, but I'm now thinking about tactics I normally apply, and how they could relate in this scenario. For example, they LOVE to be in competition with each other. If I had used the countdown timer from classtools.net I could have set each individual task with a short turn around time. The tasks would have been possible in this short turn around, because I had already 'vetted' and approved the information they were going to be reading. This would have focused them a lot more, and would have resulted, ultimately, in me getting home in time to do my big Tesco shop!
4) This is no great surprise to me, but there is A LOT of rubbish on the internet. Even when I found relevant webpages, often I couldn't find all the information I needed for an answer on one website. To try and link lots of websites to the WQ just for them to answer one question would have been very confusing, and time consuming. Of course, all this actually highlights is that sometimes a Powerpoint (or something more exciting, Martin?!) can be of better use, and that not all methods are suitable for all learning circumstances.
In summary, I enjoyed learning about WebQuesting, I enjoyed putting a WebQuest together, and call me sadistic, but I have actually enjoyed trialling it, despite it being a total fiasco. I guess all the best lessons (for me as a teacher) come from reflecting upon a slight disaster! I will be using WebQuesting again, but I will just be better at it.....
Here are my thoughts about its effectiveness now that I have delivered the lesson and am sitting in the comfort of my own home again:
Reasons I like it and want to use it again:
1) Obviously, I am able to manipulate the content that the students look at, in a way that it is possible to filter out some of the irrelevant bits of information that they might normally have to trawl through
2) Due to this control factor, I can also work out very easily if students have understood, and actually summarised the information into their own words, which,
3) Helps to control any potential plagiarism, cutting down on the hours of trawling internet sites that I might normally do.
4) Crucially, it allows the students to hone their skills of deduction/summarising/reading text and understanding it in a slightly manipulated (and therefore, hopefully more productive) environment.
Reasons why it made my day a bit/lot more frustrating and I want to forget about WebQuesting forever:
1) After my first use of it I have realised that because this isn't a task they are accustomed to, I still need to 'hold their hand' with it a little bit. I assumed I would give them the webquest sheet, and that they would get straight down to business, and be finished in a matter of minutes. 2 hours (yes, 120 minutes) later, I was still trying to explain to some of the class that if they looked at the webquest sheet it would actually tell them EXACTLY what to do. And, in fairness, it was a very straightforward sheet - i.e click this, read that, answer in the box provided. I am often too harsh on myself and very critical about lessons that went wrong, and how it was my fault, but I''m not taking the credit for that today in terms of ease of use of the sheet! 100 other things were wrong, but the instructions on the sheet itself was OK
2) However, what is very evident is that my students have been used to being directed in a certain way ("google it"), and it will take them (and me) a while to get used to this new method. I think I may have expected too much in terms of them applying themselves fully to the task (how I expected them to all of a sudden not want to go on Youtube and Facebook anymore, I will never quite understand. What a moron!)
3) Facebook is still the bane of my working day! I thought this task might cut down on Facebook use, but alas, not so much. I reckon this may be due to the fact that I included too many tasks for them to complete. Or rather, the fact that I didn't break the tasks down into small chunks, which made the whole thing seem quite daunting and unmanageable (even though there was actually about 45 minutes worth of work there). This, I put down to my overenthusiasm for a new method, coupled with my blind faith that the method itself would work the miracle. Due to this, I lost sight of some of the 'Teaching 101' rules that should be followed in every lesson, whether one has an exciting new tool to try or not! I still definitely don't have the answer to this little problem, but I'm now thinking about tactics I normally apply, and how they could relate in this scenario. For example, they LOVE to be in competition with each other. If I had used the countdown timer from classtools.net I could have set each individual task with a short turn around time. The tasks would have been possible in this short turn around, because I had already 'vetted' and approved the information they were going to be reading. This would have focused them a lot more, and would have resulted, ultimately, in me getting home in time to do my big Tesco shop!
4) This is no great surprise to me, but there is A LOT of rubbish on the internet. Even when I found relevant webpages, often I couldn't find all the information I needed for an answer on one website. To try and link lots of websites to the WQ just for them to answer one question would have been very confusing, and time consuming. Of course, all this actually highlights is that sometimes a Powerpoint (or something more exciting, Martin?!) can be of better use, and that not all methods are suitable for all learning circumstances.
In summary, I enjoyed learning about WebQuesting, I enjoyed putting a WebQuest together, and call me sadistic, but I have actually enjoyed trialling it, despite it being a total fiasco. I guess all the best lessons (for me as a teacher) come from reflecting upon a slight disaster! I will be using WebQuesting again, but I will just be better at it.....
Monday, 28 January 2013
Digital technology to improve learning...?
Just before Christmas I had a conversation with a fellow Sports Science lecturer about the lack of 'learning' that we felt was taking place in our lessons. It went something like this:
Me: Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Every time I allow them to use a computer to research, they end up wasting the rest of the lesson on youtube, or Facebook, and we get nothing done.
Collegue: Well, either that, or you end up with a piece of writing that has been directly copied and pasted from Wikipedia, or some such website.
Me: Ive been seriously thinking about rolling out a scheme with one of my classes, whereby we go a whole term without using computers at all, in order to see what impact that has on the learning....
Collegue: Yeah, thats not a bad idea, I might trial a similar thing.
Whaaaaaaat?!!!!! After a few soul searching moments, a bit of reading, and the willingness to throw myself head long into this evening class, I have a prediction about what would happen to the learning in the class (thankfully, I had the good sense not to actually trial this). It would grind to a slow and painful halt! I would then probably do a bit of blaming - well, if they cant bloody well read a book and understand it, then theyve got no hope in life, full stop - and then I might have the good sense to rethink said teaching method.
Atwell (2007) states that schools are in danger of becoming irrelevant to the day to day social life of young people. I believe this to be true of every generation. While my grandparents were accustomed to drawing letters in a box of sand, and standing with their back to the room donning a dunces hat, this was not an acceptable form of education for my parents, and therefore, education rather than students, had to adapt and move forward. Similarly, the regular canings that may have been acceptable to my parents generation were seen as an unnecessary tool for learning when I went to school (1980's and 1990's), and abolished.
Although I dont consider my school education to have been a million years ago, the fact is that the internet was not a daily part of lessons (I think the library may have had internet access, which was occasionally 'dialled up' as a party piece). I acquired my first mobile phone at the tender age of 18. Clearly, times have changed. And we must change with them.
My earlier statement about wanting to ban computers in my lessons, comes directly from my experience as a student at school. However, I use digital media, computers, internet, a smart phone, tablets etc in my social life now. I enjoy them, and consider them a relevant and necessary part of my social life. Therefore, where do I get off judging this generation of students, and deciding that this isnt an acceptible medium for learning?! Actually, as a teacher in the digital age, I am in the priviledged position of having a ready audience, eager to feed off the information I can provide. It is just the simple matter of packaging it in a relevant format.
So, where am I at right now? Well, I am susceptible to this change. I have come to the depressing conclusion that it is me that needs to adapt, and keep up with the moving times. I must work hard to find a way of building digital technology into my lessons in a way that enhances the educational experience of the learner. While I currently experience frustration while watching my pupils tab away from Facebook as I near them, I should try to channel this into finding a way of incorporating this (and other such social media) into my lessons. Using it in a way that makes the learner feel that I am assessing their needs, and keeping things relevant to THEM, while information that I feel is relevant flashes before their eyes - trickery, if you will. Educational slight of hand. Now all I need is for someone to bring me into the magic circle, and show me how......
Monday, 21 January 2013
And so it begins.....
So, I was gently pursuaded by my boss to sign up to a night school course on E learning. In true form I turned up 10 minutes late with a Pret bag of sandwiches.....nice start. And, to add insult to injury, it has quickly become clear that my facebooking and youtubing habits (the current extent of my computer usage) have in no way prepared me for the hours of animating and google jockeying ahead!
Hold on tight, theres some learning to be done...................
Hold on tight, theres some learning to be done...................
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