Teaching observation, Day Five

Today was the last day of my teaching observation period and I had the pleasure of sitting in on the Introduction to Animation class for the first year Fine Arts students. As always, if you click here and scroll through al the other amazingly interesting day recaps, you'll eventually get to Day Five.

Here's an early short animation that was shown today as part of the class, just to keep things interesting. It's about a dinosaur, so what's not to like?!

Teaching observation, Day Four

Today I attended the penultimate session of my teaching observation period at TAMK, this time sitting in on one of my own subjects, which was different. Like always, you can click here and scroll down to get all the details.

For adding colour, I include now a video of The Hero's Journey from the people at Extra Credits:

Teaching observation, Day Three

Into the second week and the third day of teaching observation. Today I sat in on the continuation of the Introduction to Animation course, but now with a different teacher, which helped new things come to my mind. What new things?! You can see here if you scroll down a bit to Day Three.

Here's a making of video about Coraline, a wonderful stop-motion animation that was created using Dragonframe, the program the students were learning today...

The Comic - Part Two

Last week we completed the classroom course work for the Comic as a Method for Multicultural Pedagogy, which was two days, the 30th of October and the 5th of November. You can read all about that in the Comic course dairy page, though you'll have to laboriously scroll down past the first two days to get to those exciting last two days. But it's worth it. You can see here.

And here's a comic I drew:

And here's a better comic, that I didn't draw:

The course isn't finished yet, we still have to host our own comic course using the methodology we learnt, which I will do with Anna, hopefully in early December.

Teaching observation, Day Two

The second day of my teaching observation took me to the Demola mid-pitch event at the Finlayson site in central Tampere. If you want to know how that went and what I thought about it, check out the Day Two section in the Practice page of this blog. You have to scroll down a little for it.

Teaching observation, Day One

Today I began my teaching observation at TAMK, sitting in on the Introduction to Animation class which was looking at making anthropomorphized characters from animals as well as animating using After Effects. You can see my incredibly insightful thoughts from Day One here.

Evaluating LinkedIn as a tool for education

TAMK Participatory Learning & Teaching - Assignment: Networking with LinkedIn

With over 300 million users (40% of whom check in daily) in over 200 countries, LinkedIn is one of the social networking success stories. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, however, LinkedIn sets its stall out as a venue for career-related networking, rather than socializing in general. 

In the digital age, educators are keen to harness the powers of this phenomenon for their own ends. But before doing so, they must ask themselves two questions: What is it good for? And, what are the drawbacks? Let’s first have a look at the upsides:

Networking

The value of networking is clear for all to see, especially in education at a vocational level and higher where students will be searching for work practice placements and potential future employment. Knowing the right people helps.

The old models of networking are not only disappearing but can feel painfully cumbersome to maintain. At its most basic level, LinkedIn allows students and educators to connect and keep in touch. It’s a tool with a purpose and it is able to perform its purpose well when used correctly.

Internationality

Using LinkedIn can help educators to bridge otherwise significant distance problems with foreign partners. Whilst there’s little excuse for not visiting your colleagues or counterparts in your own town, the financial limitations of doing so internationally, as well as time and energy costs, mean that LinkedIn is a useful tool in meeting that challenge.

Unknown possibilities

One of the truly useful aspects of LinkedIn for students is that they can gain knowledge of career paths that they may never have thought of before. Through linking with new people in different sectors and putting themselves out there, they can find unexpected opportunities.

Online CV

The most basic use of LinkedIn is as an online CV. Users are able to include information in their profiles about skills, competences, work experience, education, projects and aspirations for the future. Importantly for a CV, it’s simple to keep up to date. Creating a portfolio is a necessity for most students and LinkedIn not only helps you do this, but also provides eyeballs for looking at it.

What are the downsides of using LinkedIn?

Despite the impressive growth of the site, there exists polarizing opinions about its worth. Let’s have a look at some of the key drawbacks in using LinkedIn for education.

Procrastination

A survey conducted by Salary.com found that for all the reasons people waste time at work (let’s annex study onto this, too), by far the biggest culprit was social networking, including LinkedIn. This raises the question of why people are time wasting in the first place. That can be due to many factors, though lack of motivation would seem to cover a lot of those.  

Arguably, social networks may be a symptom rather than a cause of time wasting, but one thing is for sure, they don’t help.

Conformity

People are generally at best unmoved by mass-produced online profiles and at worst mistrustful of them. For students looking to make an impression on prospective study or workplaces, being able to point to a LinkedIn profile is unlikely to get anyone’s pulse racing. Never underestimate the worth of standing out.

Privacy

Putting your personal information into the hands of a business means you lose control of it. The Terms of Service for LinkedIn state that they have unlimited license to sell user information to anyone. Below is a quote from their website:

…you grant LinkedIn a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, unlimited, assignable, sublicenseable, fully paid up and royalty-free right to … use and commercialize, in any way now known or in the future discovered, any information you provide, directly or indirectly to LinkedIn … without any further consent, notice and/or compensation to you or to any third parties.

The old adage comes to mind, ‘If you are using something for free on the internet, you are the product.’

Would we suggest other educational tools if they could potentially endanger the privacy rights of the students?

Exclusivity

Whilst it may seem that the level of participation in online networking among young people is reaching saturation point, it will simply never be the case that every student or educator will be happy to sign up. 

This results in an imbalanced playing field, where most people are happy to go along with the service and some, for better or worse reasons, are not. Those students left behind are potentially disadvantaged for it.

Summary

LinkedIn, and any similar online networking tool, is optimally used as a supplement for real world networking and certainly not as a complete substitute. 

The world of education has not yet entirely shifted into the cyberspace and it’s not going to any time soon. People value meeting in person and the danger is that if there is a backlash against social networking, some people entering the workforce will lack the social skills needed for real world interactions. 

To lean on the internet as the key medium for education is to employ a rather wobbly crutch.

Of course, students themselves mostly opt into studies through their own volition and if it’s clear from the start that the course involves participation in a social networking site, then that’s all fair and well. If, however, it isn’t presented front and centre then a certain amount of flexibility has to be in place to accommodate those students unwilling to sign up.

Sources

ColourMyLearning.com

http://www.colourmylearning.com/2013/02/how-linkedin-works-for-education/

Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2012/07/17/employees-really-do-waste-time-at-work/

Salary.com

http://www.salary.com/2013-wasting-time-at-work-survey/

The Tech Republic

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-reasons-why-i-avoid-social-networking-services/

LinkedIn statistics

http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/by-the-numbers-a-few-important-linkedin-stats/#.VDUXtxY4QjA

LinkedIn Terms of Service

http://www.linkedin.com/legal/user-agreement

The Comic as a Method of Multicultural Pedagogy

For optional studies, Anna and I have begun studying on a course about using comics as a tool for multicultural pedagogy. It has been fascinating, educaitonal and fun so far and you can see here what's been going on.

VOC I - session 4

Session 4: 29.10.2013

For the fourth and final virtual session of VOC I, the Chair Group was Vygotsky, meaning ourselves and the two other groups presented during the 55-minute long sessions. I will begin by reporting on our own group…

Team Piaget – Group Dynamics

For me, this was arguably the most interesting subject to deal with during the whole of the VOC I virtual session course. I have for a long time been interested in this subject and have had some experience working with a consultancy firm in Oslo, dealing with such matters as how teams can best work together.

During the research phase for our presentation, I was able to lean on my Norwegian counterparts for some tips about which thinkers they are using and they suggested I go back to Belbin and his models of teamwork, which I was happy to do.

We also looked at Tuckman’s model of the stages of team development, which was another eye-opening experience for those taking part.

The discussions were fruitful and insightful. Everyone has experience of working in a team and people instinctively understand the challenges that came come from that, so there’s real gratitude when tools for dealing with teamwork are presented. For me, this is such a key component to successful classroom productivity that I want to work on this more and more in my own time, too.

References:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByzDy4uXDKaubUhHOGRBSGZCanc/edit (Where you can find the whole presentation PowerPoint as well as all of the sources)

Team Dewey – The role of vocational education in the whole of Finnish education

The subject matter for Team Dewey was a complicated one, but they dealt with it well. They had one interview with one project manager, Leena Happonen, who was able to lay out the significance of vocational education in the bigger picture, with specific reference to the use of having those close ties to the working community.

Looking at the challenges that face vocational education brought about through maximizing the working-life connection, there appear to many and all of them significant. For my part, it was interesting to listen to this kind of thing as I have personally found many challenges in my own work in trying to foster good, working relationships with work practice places. 

The greatest challenge for me has been a lack of resources, meaning that there just hasn’t been enough time to go to all the places and strike up a solid working relationship with the people there. It’s good to know I’m not alone and others also feel that this challenge needs attention.

And we watched this video:

Team Freire – What is expected of a vocational teacher?

The kicking off point for this discussion was the core competences for the vocational teacher, as laid out by our own school.

This is something that we have covered before, but it’s really useful, I find, to go back and look at things again and see that the meanings have changed or become clearer over time and also that what you focused on a few months ago might be different to now. This is a sign of good progress, I think, when understanding is developing and changing due to studies.

Some other topics which came up in this discussion were equality and sustainability, which is important for everyone in all walks of life, not just teachers. This is something that gets covered later on in greater detail, too.

References:

http://www.oamk.fi/docs/flippingbook/amok/study-guide/2014-2015/files/assets/basic-html/page5.html

VOC II update

Having completed all of the assignments in the VOC II course, I have now compiled them, as well as the assignment that my own group created, in the VOC II page.

There you will also be able to access the Prezi that we made about Entrepreneurship in Vocational Education, which I am sure you will find very interesting, as well as all the references.

You can go to the Prezi here. Below is a picture of it, not the actual Prezi.

Hope you enjoy the Prezi, any feedback is welcome!

VOC I - session 3

And now for the third session, condensed like a can of condensed milk and just as delicious...

Session 3: 16.10.2013

For the third session, the Chair Group was Team Freire and the other three groups, mine included, had presentations to make on various interesting subjects. by this stage, I would say that the whole virtual session flow had settled down as everyone now knew how things went and everyone’s own presentations were developing and adapting according to what appeared to have worked in the previous two sessions. Also, we had all begun to know each other better now, so that helped make a nice, productive session.

Team Piaget: Portfolios and everything about them!

Our presentation was divided into three subsections: What is a portfolio, what is a good portfolio process and lastly, what is a digital portfolio.

Our jumping off point was to see how and how much others have used portfolios. We found that it is actually something that most people are aware of, but haven’t for whatever reason been active with and are keen to know more about, which is great for us.

For me, during the researching phase and in hosting the session, maybe the most useful tool was concerned with what was a good process. It includes being selective about what you put it your portfolio, putting your own personality in there, being sure to put projects and work into context in terms of what you’ve learnt and constantly refreshing the whole portfolio based on new developments or the current purpose of it.

I have in the past taught portfolio classes to students about to graduate and there’s some real gold tips in there that I will use in future.

In the end were able to give a hint about one digital portfolio website, Wix, which allows you set up your own easily customizable portfolio, with many templates to choose from, with a freemium level entry, which is something that I got the impression many people were genuinely excited about.

References:

Our whole presentations and the references can be found here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByzDy4uXDKauOHpTYVNHamRuNkE/edit

http://www.wix.com/

Team Dewey: How to evaluate and asses learning

We started by discussing our own experiences of evaluation methods and then went on to think about the comparison between peer and self evaluation.

One of the really interesting things to come out of this session was the model by John Biggs: Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO), which you can see below:

What I think this is telling us simply to aim for a much more nuanced and ambitious way of evaluating, beyond something as simple as (can the student do one simple task) towards something much more holistic and involving the student actively engaging in the subject. That, for me, is the key thing, the student involvement.

References:

http://www.johnbiggs.com.au/academic/solo-taxonomy/

http://www.pontydysgu.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/eva_europe_vol2_prefinal.pdf (a guide to the evaluation of e-learning, by Attwell)

Team Vygotsky: The student’s role in self-evaluation

In this presentation we covered such issues as what is self-evaluation, why it can be useful and how it works best. I must say that I remain yet to be convinced about the role and benefits of self-evaluation beyond the obvious idea that one ought to have a decent enough idea if one is learning or not, but then isn’t that automatically folded into the very concept of learning?

Well, maybe it isn’t. Maybe it is possible for people to blindly go through a learning process without giving much thought to whether they are developing in the right way and at the right speed. And the benefit of becoming aware of this as a learner is that it can take some of the burden off the teacher, so that there’s more than one party involved in evaluating the process.

And this seems to be the real key benefit to self-evaluation: independence! 

References:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Self-Evaluation-Global-Classroom-Whats-Schools/dp/041525826X

VOC I - session 2

Continuing my recap of the VOC I sessions, here's the latest installment, which can also be found from the VOC I page...

Session 2: 1.10.2013

For the second session of the VOC I course, my own group, Piaget, and two others, Freire and Vygotsky, contributed to the working session, whilst the forth group, Dewey, acted as Chair Group.

Team Freire: What is learning through discussion?

In terms of valuing and preparing well for discussion as a tool for education at vocational level, were provided an interesting and comprehensive list of tips and checklists for the method.

There were tips about how to help create productive discussion, such as:

• Create a safe environment
• Have clear objectives
• Inform about expectations
• Don’t fear silence
• Organise the room appropriately
• Give positive feedback for participation
• Show enthusiasm for the subject
• Manage the process and the content
• Listen, learn and adapt

For me, these are all good tips and every single one is important. If I had to pick out a couple that for me and really significant, I’d say those would be the set-up of the room, the positivity for contribution and the enthusiasm for the subject. I find that when I am teaching in any kind of unfamiliar space, I always want to be there early, so that the room is organized in the optimal way. If I turn up and it’s not, in my opinion, conducive to good learning, I will ask the student to help me rearrange the tables and chairs before we begin. 

Spending five minutes of a class getting the set up right is far better than spending a whole class time with a disjointed environment that can a hindrance to the flow of knowledge or a distraction for anybody.
 

We also looked at the benefits of discussion as an educational tool. Freire pointed out that it can help students learn for various reasons:

• It encourages them to engage with the subject
• It forces them to evaluate their own logic and the positions of others
• Students become aware of and formulate problems around the subject
• The students have the opportunity to apply their own principles
• It uses the resources of those in the room

For me, this last point is really relevant. When one considers that every student has their own areas of knowledge and expertise, we can really benefit as a group when we come together in this kind of exercise, as long as the discussion has been set up properly in the first place.

References:

http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/2009/02/discussion-or-dialogue-theres-a-difference.html

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb10/vol67/num05/Effective-Classroom-Discussions.aspx

The second reference is significant for me as it provides further tips about best practice in classroom discussions. One that I find particularly useful is to do with clarification:

“Some students have great ideas, but they experience difficulty expressing those ideas clearly. (Adults may have this problem as well!) If understanding is elusive, how can a teacher respond productively? One option is to call for clarification. For example,

Can you help me out here, William? I'm not sure I've understood you.

Frances, I'm going to try to say that back to you, and you tell me whether I've understood you correctly.

In these examples, the teacher assumes responsibility for not understanding. Such questions do not penalize students or make them feel stupid; they simply give students another opportunity to help the teacher understand. In addition, such questions give students practice framing their ideas into comprehensible statements.

Once the teacher fully grasps what the student is trying to say, that teacher can formulate an appropriate response so that the dialogue can continue on a productive course.”

Team Vygotsky:  Virtual teaching

The subject here was very relevant, given the way we are all learning on this course: virtually! Haha, I made a joke; that we are virtually learning. :)

One of the things that we discussed was the idea of simulation games in education. In this area, progress is being made all the time and research is showing how we can use technology to help student to learn in a more active way, rather than passively learning in the classroom.

Other good points were made about abilities in using technology in education and, closely connected to that, attitudes. Learners will take a cue from the educator, so they themselves should be competently aware and enthusiastic about virtual learning environments.

On the issue of games in education, I am reminded of one very interesting book I read a few years ago, What Video GamesHave To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy by James Paul Gee. I would thoroughly recommend this book for anyone interested in video games and education or even just one of those topics.

References:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101019171854.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Video-Games-Teach-Learning-Literacy/dp/1403961697

http://www.jamespaulgee.com/publications (lots of interesting articles around the subject of video games and learning)

Team Piaget: What is a curriculum?

Finally, my own group had the opportunity to hold a workshop during the session and from my perspective, it was really quite exciting and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think that comes largely from having prepared well in our group beforehand, so I knew what I was talking about.

Our jumping off point was to canvass for views on what came into people’s minds when they hear the word “curriculum”. Words that came up were “plan, advice, content, direction, map…”, which seems like a good way to start.

We showed the following video as part of our session, looking at new ideas around curriculum:

What came up during the discussion was that many people had not really given much thought to the idea of curriculum before, so it was refreshing to present some ideas about it. In our discussions we asked questions about how much influence a teacher can have on curriculum, should there be variations between regions and do you like the idea of variety in the curriculum?

We examined three different ways of thinking about it, as can be seen in the following image:

All in all, it was a very nice and fruitful discussion and you can find the whole presentation as well as all the relevant resources in PowerPoint form here.

References:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByzDy4uXDKauLXk0Q3FkSHEyNHc/edit