Look around the web and Multimedia is everywhere from YouTube videos to music and many tutorials on every possible subject. It can't be that difficult so I spent a few hours playing. What I learnt very quickly is that there are many ways to achieve this and many ways in which you can fail. In short I had a quick look realised how much time it was taking and put it on hold for now.
I created a short video clip on my phone followed by a voice over on my PC using audacity. My plan was to merge the two together using Windows Movie Maker but I couldn't get it to recognise my Movie. I started experimenting with file conversion, no real joy here . I created a PowerPoint presentation instead and started to think about how I would get the video online. It was only a short clip as was the sound file. Google presentations was the answer? Well sort of, this would if I shared it with the world. But Google Presentations only allow a Video linked to YouTube there was no option to embed sound.
This then shifted focus back to PowerPoint and linking to YouTube for the video. I have never used YouTube to upload so this was a first my short clip was uploaded eventually but I still had an issue with the sound file. I pressed on with the presentation ignoring the sound issue. Published it to Google docs from PowerPoint and hoped for the best. My presentation file is downloadable from my Blog, but as expected the sound did not work.
I put my file into the H808 conference and issues were identified by my H808 friends, I had forgotten to share the video on YouTube and as expected the sound was an issue. If I had recorded the sound at the same time as the video this would have solved the problem but I was not starting again.
My first attempt at multimedia was a success I think, I have learnt so much but there must be an easier way. This has lead me to look at alternatives to PowerPoint, slideshare and preezo.com for example. Google Presentations is simple but does not permit audio at the moment but eventually will I am sure.
I really must get on with my TMA.
Saturday 24 October 2009
Sunday 11 October 2009
3.4: Your own template for PDP
It is not easy assessing yourself there is a tendency to be negative about oneself. To overcome this I produced what I thought was a reasonable assessment of my current skills and then asked two of my colleagues to comment. This not only confirmed this fact but also enabled me to update my PDP plans for both my current position and the aspirations to develop in terms of the use of Moodle and more importantly the development of online learning material at work.
This helps to bring focus to what I want from H808 this year and my plan is to further develop this PDP to take it away from being Moodle specific and more 'Elearning skills', based.
This helps to bring focus to what I want from H808 this year and my plan is to further develop this PDP to take it away from being Moodle specific and more 'Elearning skills', based.
For this task I approached it from two directions.
- The first being my current development as a lecturer within FE with my role as a lecturer performing class tuition within a traditional class room environment.
- Secondly a development of PDP for the introduction of Moodle at 'Eng College'. This second task was based on the standard format but seeks to adjust the template to enable it to become a PDP for all teaching staff at the college. Both forms were completed with the co-operation of my peers at Eng College.
There are therefore four files for this activity with two being blank templates and two completed as follows:
- Blank PDP, lecture PDP in FE teaching
- Completed PDP SM PDP as of Oct 2009
- Blank PDP, Development of Moodle skills.
- Completed PDP SM Moodle skills as of Oct 2009
Friday 9 October 2009
Eng College to embrace lifelong learning by introducing Google Docs as an eportfolio system.
With the implementation of Moodle [1] at Eng College well under way, students are becoming more active and proficient in the production of electronic course work and evidence of achievement. It would be a logical progression to now introduce an eportfolio system to complement Moodle. Batson (2002), states,'Electronic portfolios have a greater potential to alter higher education at its very core than any other technology application we have known thus far'. It is perhaps a unfortunate that their implementation has taken this long to be considered by Eng College.
Many students at Eng College are expected to compile evidence of learning and coursework. This is currently produced in paper form with additional practical tasks dependant on the course of study taken.
'An eportfolio is a purposeful aggregation of digital ideas, evidence, reflections, feedback etc, which presents a selected audience with evidence of a person's learning an/or ability'. Sutherland, S and Powell, A. (2007).
The introduction of the eportfolio system would mean that an electronic repository of information would be gradually produced during the course, tutors would have access to material when required and feedback could be given. This would help to encourage students to further develop their portfolios in order to reach the required standard.
Not only would students see there work develop during the course they would also have access to the information after the course and most importantly when they return for the next training phase. At Eng College a course would last around twelve months and students would return after field experience to complete the next stage, advancing further their qualifications. It is a unique college that encourages lifelong learning and provides its students with both a career path and employment.
Staff and Tutors would be able to play a more proactive role in the students development and it would be easier to spot a student that was falling behind on coursework. The implementation of an eportfolio system would also encourage:
- reflective practice
- individual learning plans
- a better understanding of the course contents
- students to form a community and support each other
- tutors to introduce learning more appropriate to a digital age
- a reduction in the amount of paper based material and evidence
There are a number of possible applications that can be used to produce an eportfolio. The fact that we are currently using Moodle may well influence the choice. However I would recommend using Google Docs. The main reason for this choice is the flexibility this gives the students. An eportfolio is owned by the students and this choice would leave the students in full control of the contents. I am confident that they would also make use of the many additional web 2.0 applications that google has to offer. Students today naturally expect to encompass blogs wikis and social networking into there student life.
To encourage students to create a portfolio within the college network would mean the contents would not be available after their course has been completed, unless students take steps to export their data. This rules out portfolio tools such as PebblePad[2] and similar systems, Google is both free and open source.
By adopting this approach we maintain the course structure and management within the college system but we are encouraging the students take control of their eportfolio and more importantly their own lifelong learning.
References
Batson, T. (2002) ‘The electronic portfolio boom: what’s it all about?’ (online), Campus Technology. Available from: http://campustechnology.com/articles/2002/11/the-electronic-portfolio-boom-whats-it-all-about.aspx (accessed 10 July 2009).
Sutherland, S. and Powell, A. (2007), Cetis SIG mailing list discussions [www.jiscmail.ac.uk/archives/cetis-portfolio.html] 9 July 2007
[1] Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS) It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites. http://moodle.org/
[2] PebblePad is a Personal Learning System being used in learning by schools, colleges, universities and professional bodies. http://www.pebblepad.co.uk/
Friday 2 October 2009
2.5 What constitutes a good reflective writing.
Reflective writing is a personal account of an experience that has occurred on life's long journey. It is something we wish to record and possibly share with a friend, colleague or the whole world. It's personal and it's owned by the author, anyone reading a reflection should feel privileged that someone is prepared to share their feelings and thoughts on the contents of the reflection.
As Professor Phil Race puts it. ‘Reflecting’ is about thinking. Jotting down your reflections is about capturing your thoughts – the brilliant ones alongside the silly ones (which are often, of course, fun). Race. P (2007)
So what is a good reflection? If you choose to reflect it is your event, what you write is for your benefit, it helps you to develop or learn from your experiences. These experiences could be formal learning or just an event, a wedding, visit to a new country, anything you want to share or reflect on.
It's a fact though that if you take the time to write you should check your spelling and spend just a little bit more time making sure what you have written makes sense. I think its a bit harsh to critique someones reflection, it is after all a gift, they have agreed to share a personal event with you the reader.
There are no real rules but I think it is sensible to try and avoid long paragraphs and rambling on, you want the reader to tune in to your thoughts to enable them to see where you are going with the reflection. After all the reflection is aimed to generate thought provoking ideas and reflection on the part of the reader. This enables the sharing of ideas and collaboration on the topic being reflected on.
An article by Rebbeck. G (2007) does well to state a number of examples where reflection can be used but as for rules states. "There are few rules. What happens is in the main driven by teaching and learning episodes and as a response to events and incidents in their professional life."
Geoff continues by stating the purpose, "The use of e-portfolios is to promote scholastic endeavour and raise the professionalism of tutors at College".
I can't help but think there is an awful lot of reflection going on and we have to be careful that as learners the core subject is not overlooked, we learn by reflecting but we won't learn about a new subject just by reflecting. However we might learn a bit more by reading about another persons learning experience, it most certainly is likely to shed light on alternative viewpoints or invoke meaningful discussions about our new found learning.
So read, reflect, discuss, have a go at sharing your thoughts with a wider audience. You never know it may make a difference.
References.
Race P. (2007) 'How to write a reflection', Assessment, Learning and Teaching. (online) Available from:
http://alt-resource.teams.leedsmet.ac.uk/how-to-write-a-reflection (accessed 30 Sept 2009)
Rebbeck.G (2007) 'Using a REfLECT e-Portfolio' (online), Thanet College. Available from:
http://www.ifl.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/6673/reflect-narrative-by-geoff-rebbeck-thanet.pdf (Accessed 01 Oct 2009)
As Professor Phil Race puts it. ‘Reflecting’ is about thinking. Jotting down your reflections is about capturing your thoughts – the brilliant ones alongside the silly ones (which are often, of course, fun). Race. P (2007)
So what is a good reflection? If you choose to reflect it is your event, what you write is for your benefit, it helps you to develop or learn from your experiences. These experiences could be formal learning or just an event, a wedding, visit to a new country, anything you want to share or reflect on.
It's a fact though that if you take the time to write you should check your spelling and spend just a little bit more time making sure what you have written makes sense. I think its a bit harsh to critique someones reflection, it is after all a gift, they have agreed to share a personal event with you the reader.
There are no real rules but I think it is sensible to try and avoid long paragraphs and rambling on, you want the reader to tune in to your thoughts to enable them to see where you are going with the reflection. After all the reflection is aimed to generate thought provoking ideas and reflection on the part of the reader. This enables the sharing of ideas and collaboration on the topic being reflected on.
An article by Rebbeck. G (2007) does well to state a number of examples where reflection can be used but as for rules states. "There are few rules. What happens is in the main driven by teaching and learning episodes and as a response to events and incidents in their professional life."
Geoff continues by stating the purpose, "The use of e-portfolios is to promote scholastic endeavour and raise the professionalism of tutors at College".
I can't help but think there is an awful lot of reflection going on and we have to be careful that as learners the core subject is not overlooked, we learn by reflecting but we won't learn about a new subject just by reflecting. However we might learn a bit more by reading about another persons learning experience, it most certainly is likely to shed light on alternative viewpoints or invoke meaningful discussions about our new found learning.
So read, reflect, discuss, have a go at sharing your thoughts with a wider audience. You never know it may make a difference.
References.
Race P. (2007) 'How to write a reflection', Assessment, Learning and Teaching. (online) Available from:
http://alt-resource.teams.leedsmet.ac.uk/how-to-write-a-reflection (accessed 30 Sept 2009)
Rebbeck.G (2007) 'Using a REfLECT e-Portfolio' (online), Thanet College. Available from:
http://www.ifl.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/6673/reflect-narrative-by-geoff-rebbeck-thanet.pdf (Accessed 01 Oct 2009)
Thursday 1 October 2009
First Group Work Activity Reflection, "Well that wasn't too bad"
My experience of group work online and Trevor's opening comments "I have to say from the outset that working together online can be difficult sometimes, BUT, with a little planning on everyone's part, it can actually be a rewarding experience. You never know, you may even enjoy it ;o)", left me a little concerned especially when there was little activity in the conference over the first few days.
As for the task in hand I did not find it at all easy, a page of web links to read and trying to ascertain what were the relevant drivers from all this was a little confusing. Do I print? Certainly not it was clear from the outset. I found myself easily distracted and I wandered off. I posted a number of additional messages in the conference and suddenly there was life. My first attempt at spotting the drivers for the USA was posted other inputs started to appear. I found the reading was a bit difficult to concentrate on although once I focused on just spotting the drivers it wasn't so bad.
In terms of my PDP I would like to focus on my Research related competencies it was clear I was trying to read too much detail and not focusing on the actual task after all we were only after the drivers. I was distracted into RefWorks did I need to sort out my referencing? Along came an email with contact updates so my Google contacts were updated. A quick scan at what else I had to do and it was clear I had to focus back on the task. I must stop allowing myself to be side tracked. Just something as simple as checking my emails before I start studying can distract me from getting on with my studies. I consciously have tried to stop checking my mail until after the study period. One other slight distraction is my job of course, preparing my own lessons and planning the weekly teaching commitments means setting a regular study period is not easy.
Whilst my technology skills are pretty good, well I think they are. I was suffering a bit from information overload I thought I was on top of the course then I checked the Wiki and found I had missed a task out completely. I guess blogs, wikis, google docs etc will all become as natural as driving a car. I must admit though I am struggling to see the use of Twitter but then again Facebook took a while for me to accept.
Once a fellow student put up the post suggesting a Wiki it was clear we had to start moving forward. The Wiki was the trigger point. A reading list was added as suggested by other students in the group. This was my first attempt at using a Wiki and I have to say it was quite straight forward. I did however find it easier to produce the HTML in Frontpage rather than the Wiki editor. This enabled me to copy and paste the HTML straight into the wiki. I posted a gentle reminder in the conference in an attempt to trigger some activity, this received a response on the Friday evening.
Personally I was now able to pick a few documents and read them solely to spot the drivers which suddenly wasn't that bad. I was able to also start looking for useful sources of information for the TMA essay, bit early yet though. The activity in work group picked up and text started to appear on the groups wiki. I have to confess I printed some of the main sources to enable a relaxing read on the sofa, I still can't get used to performing everything on a PC.
There was then an influx of activity an the Wiki page became more populated. I think the end result is a good collaborative effort. We are a small group based all over the world in different time zones and we have managed to link together discuss and form a joint opinion on a topic. In view of how hectic the course has been at the start and the fact that some students are just finishing ECAs for other courses I think it's well done all round.
As for the task in hand I did not find it at all easy, a page of web links to read and trying to ascertain what were the relevant drivers from all this was a little confusing. Do I print? Certainly not it was clear from the outset. I found myself easily distracted and I wandered off. I posted a number of additional messages in the conference and suddenly there was life. My first attempt at spotting the drivers for the USA was posted other inputs started to appear. I found the reading was a bit difficult to concentrate on although once I focused on just spotting the drivers it wasn't so bad.
In terms of my PDP I would like to focus on my Research related competencies it was clear I was trying to read too much detail and not focusing on the actual task after all we were only after the drivers. I was distracted into RefWorks did I need to sort out my referencing? Along came an email with contact updates so my Google contacts were updated. A quick scan at what else I had to do and it was clear I had to focus back on the task. I must stop allowing myself to be side tracked. Just something as simple as checking my emails before I start studying can distract me from getting on with my studies. I consciously have tried to stop checking my mail until after the study period. One other slight distraction is my job of course, preparing my own lessons and planning the weekly teaching commitments means setting a regular study period is not easy.
Whilst my technology skills are pretty good, well I think they are. I was suffering a bit from information overload I thought I was on top of the course then I checked the Wiki and found I had missed a task out completely. I guess blogs, wikis, google docs etc will all become as natural as driving a car. I must admit though I am struggling to see the use of Twitter but then again Facebook took a while for me to accept.
Once a fellow student put up the post suggesting a Wiki it was clear we had to start moving forward. The Wiki was the trigger point. A reading list was added as suggested by other students in the group. This was my first attempt at using a Wiki and I have to say it was quite straight forward. I did however find it easier to produce the HTML in Frontpage rather than the Wiki editor. This enabled me to copy and paste the HTML straight into the wiki. I posted a gentle reminder in the conference in an attempt to trigger some activity, this received a response on the Friday evening.
Personally I was now able to pick a few documents and read them solely to spot the drivers which suddenly wasn't that bad. I was able to also start looking for useful sources of information for the TMA essay, bit early yet though. The activity in work group picked up and text started to appear on the groups wiki. I have to confess I printed some of the main sources to enable a relaxing read on the sofa, I still can't get used to performing everything on a PC.
There was then an influx of activity an the Wiki page became more populated. I think the end result is a good collaborative effort. We are a small group based all over the world in different time zones and we have managed to link together discuss and form a joint opinion on a topic. In view of how hectic the course has been at the start and the fact that some students are just finishing ECAs for other courses I think it's well done all round.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)