User:GJHarvey

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GJ Harvey
Digital Learning Technologies ITEL7.101 2015''



About Me
I am a mature student in my final year of BcS at EIT, Taradale in beautiful Hakes Bay here in New Zealand. I am sure that the 'youngsters' see me as really really old but hay ho, I don't care as I am really enjoying myself.'''GJHarvey (talk) 01:21, 1 March 2015 (UTC)

My Interesting Links
If you are interested look at http://gjharvey.blogspot.co.nz/

If you are interested look at My cool blogger blog

Assessed Activities
4.1 - Developing Course Content

I have chosen the social media Facebook to change to reflect my lessons. You can read what I am learning by clicking on the following link

This weeks course content

Assessed Activity 4.2 (2015)

 * 1) APA reference for Wikipedia - see references


 * 1) Syntax highlighter

A curly bracket is this: {
 * 1) Pedagogical template - A pedagogical template is creating a box within your wiki by surrounding the name of the template with curly brackets

{{{Web_Resources|Wordpress Blog https://gjharvey.wordpress.com/

}}


 * 1) Syntax highlighter - The syntax highlighted is known as GeSHi (Generic Syntax Highlighter). It displays the formatted source code with the syntax highlight tag. The tag shows code that has been typed, including colours and white spaces. If you right click to Inspect elements you can see an example of this (click on the x to exit).

Here is an example that our tutor M. Veerhart (http://wikieducator.org/VirtualMV/Superquick_wiki_guide) gave as an example:-



GeSHi examples come in many different languages, these can be found at http://qbnz.com/highlighter/

To create another page to link to use Blog activities

Assessed Activity 4.4
RSS Feed Connecting to Wiki to my blog through RSS Feed - Think this is work in progress but the links work - just don't look pretty as yet.

http://gjharvey.blogspot.co.nz/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

https://gjharvey.wordpress.com/feed/

Assessed Activity 5.1
What is an online portfolio and do you have one? Have you thought about your PLN - Personal Learning Network?

On Monday 16 March I listened at home to a lecture streamed into the classroom from Melbourne Australia. Our lecturer was Joyce Seitzinger and she discussed with the class Personal Learning Networks. This was very interesting as many of us use the internet daily we don't think of the impact of using it.

With the use of technology we have the facility which allows for individualised and ubiquitous learning but is everything we read correct? Do you think of cross referencing online, as you would in a library, to see if the information is correct? I deal with information bloat by making sure that I have few technologies in-which to use at that time. When I study my phone is turned onto silent, the television is not on and that I am working in an environment that is conducive to my learning (without distractions such as FB or messenger). Coming into EIT on days like this (holiday time) or on a Saturday to work is the lab is great as there are no distractions for me. Minimising is essential for dealing with information bloat.

For me, personally I use a couple of websites to find information. I look at Google first then go to Ask.com to cross reference. YouTube is another great website to use if you wish to find out how to do something. I have even been know to ask friends on Facebook, or within a page on Facebook certain questions. Some of the answers have been interesting so I tend not to use the site for Education and Technical questions (filter bubble). I find that my Personal Learning Network is quite productive. I have to make sure that Skype is off though as with one child in Brazil and the other somewhere in the world serving in our wonderful armed services I tend to end up chatting when I should be working. Failing to find correct information online is easy, so long as you know where to look. As students there are forums that are helpful within our subjects and although I have found them very helpful I find not a lot of students tend to use them.

Am I using my PLN to it's full advantage no. I need to update my information online (Linkedin for example) and to follow up emails. I need to use my PLN more effectively to enable advancement within the area in which I wish to go.

I sat and thought about my PLN and this is what it looks like, it is not complete as there are things that I have yet to include (other web pages I use) but these are the main ones.



I have found this topic interesting as I can see that my PLN is a mixture of both personal and study based. Reflecting on my PLN I find that I need to balance it in respect of what I am doing. At the moment, if I managed my PLN more effectively I may be able to stay at home on Saturday mornings instead of coming into college - still it is peaceful...

Coming into college, using the tools available on my PLN, I feel that it gives another dimension to my learning skills. It updates my knowledge in an efficient manner - if it didn't I would still be on the first assessed activity trying to find what and how to do something. The tools above have helped me to progress.

Assessed Activity 6
What is an ePortfolio?

Well, it is a collection of a persons electronically created work. Anything that they have created which they reflect back upon. These could be anything from a document, to adding images, creating a blog - all things we are doing on this Digital Learning Technologies course. As you can see below I have included links to online information which I have created, this is portable and can be accessed anywhere (so long as you have internet access).

I have reflected on my ePortfolio by updating and adding new things (blogs each week), which is slowly creating my own ePortfolio. It serves as a record of learning which also provides tangible evidence of my skills and knowledge

We have been asked to create a Linked-in account (have one but not updated it for a while) - here is the link:

https://nz.linkedin.com/pub/glenys-jane-harvey/98/261/447

Secondly we were asked to create a Google site with a basic CV - This is the link:

https://sites.google.com/site/basiccvgjh/

I have also joined the EIT Information Technology group which is on Linked-in. This is the link:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/EIT-Information-Technology

Assessed Activity 7
Instructional Design Model

Reflection, Learning Technologies @ EIT

This weeks activity is slightly different. First of all we had a 'walk about' on campus and paid a visit to the music department where we met Tom, the tutor. Whilst he spoke to (and showed) us his software (insight by Faronica) Michael fielded questions from students and Steffanie streamed the lesson (Adobe Connect) to those students who could not attend class but were able to participate from home - great collaboration which worked really well. I will download and include some photographs and a short video of this experience shortly.

The music lab is set up using Apple Mac's, students have headphones and small keyboards at their 'work stations'. Additional seating area with tables is available for when students ware not working at their stations. The software Tom was using allows for greater interaction between tutor and students, it also offers the facility of full class participation.

However, like with most software, it has it's strengths and weaknesses. These are some that I think apply.

Strengths allows tutor to monitor students work without being beside them allows the tutor to show the class/individual on large screen easier than using 'PowerPoint' slides access to video assists in monitoring student progression allows tutor to 'help'

Weaknesses Limited access to some sites (blocked by tutor) Privacy issues (students might not like it) Overuse of 'monitoring' facility Authenticity of students work 'Mute' Students would find this annoying if in the middle of something - could also be a positive to assist students Material only stored for six months

Opportunities sharing facility between fellow students used in other areas of EIT Threats Hacking Over writing of material Overall I found this software to be an asset in the music lab. With some considerations it could become a good collaborative piece of software which could work well across the broad range of courses at EIT. When designing learning for remote participation there are so many different pieces of software which you have to have. When you have decided what you are going to do and what you are going to use you must make sure that they are all compatible. Internet access is getting less and less of an issue now and as time progresses and we all have fast reliable coverage remote teaching will become more acceptable than traditionally going into a classroom.

Saying that not so far back some 'remote' students participated within the classroom by using radio transmission - things haven't changed that much after all.....

Assessed Activity 8
Online Learning Courses

Here is an example of online training

https://www.open2study.com/courses

Open to Study is a great place to find courses to suit you. There is a wide range on offer ranging from free ones, Diplomas and Certificates,University Courses and Professional Training. Although many qualified teachers and tutors know their subject not all of them can teach therefore I was interested to see what they have to say about becoming a confident trainer as this is something I am passionate about. Not all teachers can teach - or can they?

https://www.open2study.com/courses/becoming-a-confident-trainer

Assessed Activity 8.2
Reflective Log

This is a reflective blog to say what I have learnt so far on this first semester of DLT.

What great fun I have had learning new ways in which to communicate with the wider world and what different platforms there are I can use. Integrating these Michael did a great job as I was able to participate within the classroom environment whilst sitting at home some 50 minutes away just by logging into Adobe Connect.

It was not so easy for Michael. He has had to set everything up, not always easy to then start a class on time when another tutor is in that room beforehand. It was good though because as we waited for the class to come 'live' we chatted online to those that were also logged in from home (or work).

I feel, for me that this made me feel part of the lesson and not an outsider watching in. Michael often read our comments and asked us questions, keeping us all as a class. If he didn't somebody within the classroom might just point them out to him if they thought that the question warranted an answer - sometimes they did answer themselves which was good.

At the beginning of the course I did not know what to expect and although I have taught Packages for many years this kind of lesson teaching was new to me. It took a while to get on-board with some of the tasks which the class had to do and which were assessed activities. I was not comfortable in the beginning on what I was doing and if what I was doing was correct. I look back at that learning experience and see that yes, I have made some errors but then I have achieved alot and learnt alot too.

I feel more comfortable using different platforms and feel that even after this course has finished I will continue to use some, if not all, of them.

It was good to be able to go out to a high school which needed some assistance with advanced Google docs as they were getting in a muddle and needed some help. I was surprised at how much knowledge I had amassed and was pleased to of been of assistance.

My project (which is the next thing) will be to create a Learning Object that will enable the ladies I taught to teach others. This I am looking forward to now I have the confidence of other platforms.

Improvement on the course?

One of these has already been addressed as I now know where to find all the assessment as they are in one place. Sometimes I feel that the class has gone so quickly and I need more time to digest what has been said and done but we do have the option of watching the recorded lesson session at a later date.