Assessment Part B of Task 1

Technology, in one form or another, has always been part of the teaching and learning environment. Developing students’ knowledge and skills related to ICT in the school years provides an important grounding for later in life. It also provides equity of opportunity, regardless of background. After reviewing the past couple of weeks learning about the Digital technology challenges and pedagogies related to the Digital Technologies section of the Australian Curriculum, I have learnt various activities and skills that will effectively assist me in the area of learning and teaching the digital technology components to students in the 21st century.  

For many of the challenges I completed in the digital framework addressed the concept that technology is the tool rather than being associated with the pedagogy. It is clear that many of the resources, activities and sites support computational thinking skills and creation of digital solutions such as project planning, evaluating alternative designs, collaborating and managing, and making decisions. By defining, designing, implementing and evaluating a game solution, students will need an understanding of how data is represented in digital systems, how data will be input by the user and how they will be transmitted within the digital system. They draw on this knowledge when stating what is required for the solution of designing the game’s interface and instructions, implementing the solution using specific software functions and items of hardware, where appropriate, and then evaluating it against the stated needs (Refer to week 8). It is essential for students to acquire, interpret, manipulate and communicate information to meet a range of purposes that involves an understanding of the representation of data, the basis for creating solutions (knowledge and understanding). An example of this evident in my studies is using code to understand how drawings are represented and manipulated in digital systems (Refer to Week 7).

It is important for teachers to acknowledge the holistic aims of the curriculum, including confidently when using digital systems to efficiently automate the transformation of data into information and to creatively communicate ideas in a range of settings. When I become a teacher I will definitely engage students in learning project management skills as teachers cannot just hand the students a set of instructions before learning the knowledge behind what they are constructing. As a teacher I would engage the students in digital technologies by allowing them to explore the game prior to creating it and then draw from the key ideas to investigate and create their own game. I will encourage students to collaborate in a group exploration or problem solving, where students work together to discover and understand the topic and manage the design process of the game. I would use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written) and digital technologies.

In addition to the overarching aims for the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies, the activities I have completed throughout the past couple of weeks focusing on the Digital Technologies unit have exceptionally developed my computational thinking. As a pre-service teacher, after learning this component of the course I will take into consideration the importance of the computational thinking processes which are Abstraction, Patterns, Decomposition and Algorithms. I now understand how this curriculum area overlaps with others such as Maths, when learning about algorithms for example.

Overall, Digital Technologies provides students with authentic learning challenges that foster curiosity, confidence, persistence, innovation, creativity, respect and cooperation. These are all necessary when using and developing information systems to make sense of complex ideas and relationships in all areas of learning. Digital Technologies helps students to be regional and global citizens capable of actively and ethically communicating and collaborating.

 References:

ACARA. (2015). Technologies: Rationale - The Australian Curriculum v7.4. Retrieved 5 May 2015, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/rationale

Roblyer, M. D. (2006). Integrating educational technology into teaching (Vol. 2): Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.

 

Week 8 Reflection

This week we continued our digital learning experiences which focused on simple algorithmic programming. Whilst all activities are computer-based, there are many coding activities that are not computer based (unplugged), useful to consider when you do not have regular computer access in your classroom. This week's learning challenges are to explore the Angry Birds Maze and a website called Scratch. The Angry Birds Maze game can be used effectively used in a classroom as this activity meets the Australian Curriculum learning outcomes as it confidently uses digital systems to efficiently and effectively to automate the transformation of data into information and to creatively communicate ideas in a range of settings

Scratch is a website where you can create games, animations and stories that you can share around the world. Scratch is designed with learning and education in mind. A wide variety of educators have been supporting Scratch creators since 2007, in both formal and informal learning environments – K-12 classroom teachers, educational and computer science researchers, librarians, museum educators, and parents. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively essential skills for life in the 21st century.

The ability to code computer programs is an important part of literacy in today’s society. When people learn to code in Scratch, they learn important strategies for solving problems, designing projects, and communicating ideas. Students are learning with Scratch at all levels (from elementary school to college) and across disciplines (such as math, computer science, language arts, social studies).

Next I completed the Digital Learning Challenge which was creating a game on Scratch. I found this activity relatively simple as the instructions were straight forward. I enjoyed following the instructions to make the game where the Shark follows your mouse to eat the fish. The process of making this game would be a great activity for students in a classroom as they will use computational thinking and the key concepts of abstraction; data collection, representation and interpretation; specification, algorithms and implementation to create digital solutions.

Computational Thinking Skills - Algorithms ( from the Australian Curriculum):

·         Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems.

·         Experimenting with very simple, step-by-step procedures to explore programmable devices, for example providing instructions to physical or virtual objects or robotic devices to move in an intended manner, such as following a path around the classroom.

Week 7 Reflection

This week we started with an overview of computational thinking which involves a set of problem-solving skills and techniques that software engineers use to write programs that underlie the computer applications you use such as search, email, and maps. The digital learning challenges this week were to construct ideas to use generic software such as Word to teach abstraction, study ideas to teach coding at the Learn Code website and to interactive activities to learn about the components of a computer, and a network.

Next we went on to the Digital Learning Challenge: Algorithms - Abstraction and completed the interactive activity on Abstraction at the Thinking Myself site. The curriculum links for this activity relate to what sort of a learner the student is they may be Sociological, Auditory, Visual or Tactile learners. It is well know that people have different leaning styles that work best for them. The best approach for an instructor to take is to address a variety of learning styles with their teaching plan. In my opinion, for the younger grades this activity would work more effectively if the game was played in groups of four. In this way, all of the students could contribute their own ideas and knowledge. To successfully use Computational Thinking within a Digital Technologies classroom, I would introduce the four categories that computational thinking comprises of; decomposition, patterns, abstractions and algorithm before participating in the 'Thinking Myself' Activity.

Digital learning resources support information processing by helping students to develop mental representations through the mix of media elements presented to them. They combine multimedia elements including text, image, video and audio to present information. Research on multimedia learning have demonstrated more positive outcomes for students who learn from resources that effectively combine words and pictures, rather than those that include words alone (Mayer, 2008).

In summary, this week has exposed various aspects to take into consideration teaching within the Digital Technology classroom and interpret the fundamental skills for teaching in the 21st century.

Reference - Mayer, R. E. (2008). Applying the science of learning: Evidence-based principles for the design of multimedia instruction. American Psychologist, 63(8), 760–9.

Week 6 Reflection

This week we have moved into the Digital Technologies area of the Technologies curriculum. The focus in this course will be on the following computational thinking processes which are Abstraction, Patterns, Decomposition and Algorithms.

In week six I learnt about Binary numbers which I had never heard of before. At first it was rather confusing to understand, although after a few practice rounds on the binary number tables that Wendy gave to us I got the hang of it. We also learnt about Infographics, after doing some research to help me understand the complexity of the underpinning skills of an infographic. First being the target audience, when coming up with the concept, do your research and find out what your audience likes, so that you can create an infographic that they will just have to share because it's so on-point with their thoughts. Secondly, a compelling theme. The theme is essentially the story and it needs to correlate with your brand, as your infographic will become another footprint in your content marketing journey. Next being actionable data, for people to want to share it, it needs to feature stats that will back up your case. The key here is to find stats that will help prove to your audience that your product or service is the solution that they need in their life. Your headline needs to be strong so that people will be compelled to share it. Keep it simple, concise and relevant to the theme. Quite like blog posts, a great way to grab attention and invite people to check out your infographic is to create a 'how-to' headline or one that asks a question.

All computer language is based in binary code. It is the back end of all computer functioning. Binary means that there is a code of either 0 or 1 for a computer to toggle between. This is how computers have come to assist humans in tasks that would take so much longer to complete. The human brain functions holistically at much more rapid speeds than a computer in doing other types of very complicated tasks, such as reasoning and analytical thought processes.

The Cisco Binary Game is designed to provide for leaning in a fun, engaging format. The goal is to master the ability to convert decimal numbers to binary numbers and back again. The game claims that unlike most other learning games that test your knowledge, this game teachers you while you play. It is a score based game as you achieve higher scores and advance levels, patterns and conversation strategies begin to emerge. Before you know it, you'll be mastering the conversation of eight-digit binary numbers to decimals in your head.

Reference - Retrieved from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/what-makes-great-infographic-1
Photo credit - http://www.activatedesign.co.nz/blog/2013/12/what-are-infographics-and-how-are-they-used/#sthash.XwmDLChw.dpuf

Definition of Digital technologies

Any technologies controlled using digital instructions, including computer hardware and software, digital media and media devices, digital toys and accessories, and contemporary and emerging communication technologies. These technologies are based on instructions given using binary (0 or 1) code that invariably mean one or more processors are present to respond to these instructions. Computers, smartphones, digital cameras, printers and robots are all examples of digital technologies.

Final Blog Reflection - Part A of Task 1

Looking back through the past 6 weeks of Design and Digital Technology I have learnt so many different topics that I have never experienced with before this course. Having the opportunity to participate in the creation of my very own design project, using the technology design information from various websites including the Australian Curriculum Design and Technology (ACARA) I have gained an in depth understanding of the processes involved. The steps within the design cycle involve investigating, planning, creating and evaluating which directs students into high order thinking of each of the different phases. Learning and progressing through the course I have completed various weekly tasks including how to effectively use Wikispaces, blogs, as well as learning the information provided in the readings and activities.

As a teacher, it is a fundamental task to conduct effective classroom strategies to help engage students in learning, develop critical thinking skills, keep students on task, maintain classroom interaction, and enable and enhance the learning of course content. Therefore a key way to involve students in their learning is to ensure the material speaks to them. By choosing culturally relevant materials, the students are automatically interested in the content, although students who do not find representations of their own interests in the content are likely to lose interest in the activity. It is essential to find out what your students are passionate about and then use those interests as natural motivators to increase engagement. I have displayed this into my Design Project which is explained in my blog titled 'My Design Project' I have incorporated students personal interests outside of school into their design. My entire Design project revolves around sustainability and building awareness of recycling to give an insight to young students positive ways to benefit the future.

After re-assessing my Design Project I have added two alternative designs where students could also repeat the process with different materials such as a milo/coffee can and a Pringles container made out of cardboard. Students could take this design project the next step further by  making more storage containers for others such as their parents, siblings friends outside of school and the general public. Students may even like to make them for selling such as at the local markets or school stalls to help raise money for the school or for specific circumstances in their local community. By involving the teachers and children in recycling schemes and other activities to improve the environment can be an enjoyable experience in a classroom setting. Refer to my wiki titled 'Re-assessing my design product'

Throughout the investigation phase, I engaged in exploring and examining existing artefacts which provided a comprehensible layout of the design cycle to develop and adapt in the creation of my own design challenge. Refer to my blog titled 'Week 3 - The design cycle'. This reinforced the concept of using creative thinking skills where I have also included a Decision Making Matrix where I was able to evaluate my design alternative within the criteria drawn from my early specifications. Teaching students to use a decision- making matrix allows the designs to be analysed and evaluated aligned with specifications is valuable in the development of complex thinking processes.

Throughout my Design Project I had challenges which had many aspects to consider such as the risk assessment, design specification and needs analysis were just some of the factors I have included both in my blog and wiki. When considering the risks of this project I considered the tools that will be used, making sure they are safe and effective for children's safety. Prior to conducting the activity the teacher would need to have a classroom discussion about the certain types of materials the children can bring in. It must be considered that the materials the student is bringing in must be fully sanitised and all contents safely removed before experimenting with the object.  The teacher must demonstrate how to correctly cut and glue the pieces together if the student has chosen that particular item. If the student has chosen an object such as a metal Milo tin or cardboard Pringle container, the teacher will provides paint, colours or any other art materials used to decorate their recycled product to make appealing to the student. As for a lesson prior to making the design project the teacher could proceed with content based learning focusing on safety issues when using scissors, glue, paint etc. The teacher could also have previous lessons on the topics of recycling and the environment. (Refer to my wiki for the design specification and the needs analysis which elaborate on these topics).
To gain a better understanding of how my products impact the environment, I researched my product as well as the scientific method of measuring environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life, from the raw materials that go into formulas to manufacturing, distribution, consumer use, and how products are disposed of after use. Refer to the blog post titled 'Week 4 - Life cycle of my product'.

By exhibiting the students’ artwork for the whole school or local community to see is a great way for students to share and display their creativity. It also raises awareness about the importance of reusing and recycling, especially if you simultaneously display recycling-themed posters or other educational materials that the students have produced themselves. For example, in the Recycle Right To Save Resources lesson plan students produce a poster aimed at encouraging others to recycle. (Planet Ark, 2012) In the Recycle Right To Avoid Contamination lesson plan, students produce an educational resource (e.g. a poster, video or other media) as part of an educational campaign that they have devised to reduce recycling contamination. Recycled art competitions are growing in popularity and the teacher may wish to consider entering the students’ artwork in such competitions. Holding a recycled art exhibition or competition in your local community could be a great opportunity to find a local sponsor and attract local media attention for your school.

During this entire Design Project I had to constantly critique, analyse and reflect on my own teaching practices and pedagogy as well as how would I want to implement this in my own classroom. In regards to the feedback element of my design solution challenge I managed to provide valuable feedback to my peers and found myself thinking in terms of the sustainability factor of recycling. After completing a personal reflection and evaluation on my own design project, I also was given insightful peer feedback from another person in my group which lead to re-assessing my design project. (Refer to the Wikispace titled Re-assessing my design product). Peer feedback is important for the student's level of involvement in the classroom therefore I will be definitely implement it into my classroom when I become a teacher. Through engaging in this process, students gain a better understanding of what the criteria is for and this enhances their ability to select ‘good evidence’ (Biggs and Tang, 2007, p.187). The process thereby helps students to develop skills that facilitate their own learning (Dochy et al, 1999; Liu and Carless, 2006). For a more comprehensive peer feedback reflection please see my blog post named ‘Week 5 - Peer Feedback Reflection.’

In summary, as I continue my degree in the following years to come, resulting in the privilege of having my own classroom, it is absolutely fundamental that I provide these skills and concepts to the students I teach. With all the knowledge that I have gained through this practical exploration of the technology design cycle has provided for me a clear understanding of the importance of planning, feedback and pedagogy of the technology curriculum area for teaching students in the 21st century.

References-

Planet Ark (2012)
Retrieved from - http://recyclingweek.planetark.org/documents/doc-704-srrc-recycled-arts-and-crafts-guide-2012.pdf

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Retrieved  from the Australian Curriculum website - .http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/design-and-technologies/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level3-4

Dochy, F., Segers, M. and Sluijsmans, D. (1999). The use of self-, peer and co-assessment in higher education: a review. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 24(3), pp.331-351.
Retrieved from - http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/resources_teach/teaching_in_practice/docs/Student_Peer_Review.pdf

Week 5 - Peer Feedback Reflection

Peer assessment and feedback is essential in the design cycle. Despite the positive reports on the impact of peer grading on students’ learning, many researchers have argued that evaluative feedback is more important than assigning grades (Ellman 1975; Liu and Carless 2006) and that peer feedback is more effective than grading in peer assessment. It is evident that researchers have discovered that peer feedback enhances learning by enabling learners to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and by receiving concrete ideas on how to improve their work (Crooks 1988; Rowntree 1987; Xiao and Lucking 2008). This study examined whether the involvement of students in online peer assessment predicted their performance on LS projects. The online peer assessment was found to significantly affect the quality of students’ project learning outcomes, because it provided opportunities to evaluate the work of others.

This study expands our understanding of the relationship between peer assessment and learning performance. It proposes a possible explanation for the benefits of online peer assessment on student learning performance. Thoughtful feedback on specific problems and suggestions are strong predictors of how assessors perform on their final project. Positive affective feedback predicts a higher performance from students which then reflects in their assessment. It is crucial for teachers to be sensitive to the fact that peer assessment works differently for assessors and assessees. Teachers should ask students to be specific in their feedback, particularly with regard to the problems in the students work, and to provide suggestions. Students should be encouraged to give thoughtful and meaningful comments rather than simply assign grades to peers. Students should be encouraged to exchange affective comments that give socio-emotional support to peers and recognize peers’ achievement. The results to this reading suggest that positive affective comments are not just about making other people feel good. They can help boost the motivation, interest, and self-efficacy of the students, which in turn can enhance their performance therefore enhancing the effects of feedback on the students assessment.

References - Lu and Law (2012), Online peer assessment: Effects of cognitive and affective feedback. Instructional Science 40(2), 257-275

Peer assessment and feedback is a very important component to use in a classroom environment. Since this design project assessment piece contributed with evaluating your peers design project, this allowed peer assessment by sharing my ideas and receiving feedback from my partner Stephanie Pole through our group wiki space. After sharing my idea of my design project and allowing her to read it in detail, it enabled me to think of new ideas and see what needs to be improved in order to create the most effective design project that would be able to be accomplished in a primary classroom within the 21st century.  Therefore, Stephanie’s feedback allowed me to reassess my original design project and see where I could make it better. This allowed me to think of my own pedagogy that I would do in my own classroom. I enjoy contributing Arts and Crafts with students as I feel like by using kinaesthetic learning in a classroom allows students to engage and recognise the importance of the activity. My design project also portrays details to the subject of Health and Physical Education as the whole topic is revolved around recycling. As a pre-service teacher, I would like to complete this activity with my students in the future as I think it is an effective way to build awareness of the importance of re-using and recycling to make the future a better place for the students. The Wikispace, has been an useful tool as you are able to upload files and discuss components of your design project with your fellow group members such as the risk assessment, design specification, Australian curriculum and the needs analysis. I felt as though the feedback that my partner Stephanie gave to me assisted me in making the final decisions around my design project. One thing I disliked about the Wikispace was at first it was rather confusing to use as when you post a file, it does not go in order of the date you posted it. Although, I would recommend using the Wikispace website as it is an effective way to collaborate with a group allowing everyone to share their suggestions and opinions. In summary, peer feedback is an essential component to any design project as your peers can help and encourage new ideas that you may not have considered.

 

The outline of my Design Project

(Shampoo bottle) Recycled Plastic Storage container.

First being a used shampoo bottle which I modified to make into a pencil storage container in the shape of a monster. Being already coloured green saves the painting process.

The products you will need to make this recycled pencil storage container.
-Scissors
- White and black paper
- PVA glue
- Sticky tape
- Black permanent marker

First of all you will need to sanitise the bottle making sure all of the shampoo is removed for health and safety issues. Secondly you will peel off the sticker on the shampoo bottle leaving revealed a blank green bottle. Next take the black permanent marker and mark out where you want to cut along to the height you want your pencil container. Next take the scissors and cut along the line making a curved top. With the spare parts of the shampoo bottle you have cut out, you can then cut the arms out. Now you can place the arms with the PVA glue/sticky tape on the back of the shampoo bottle. Take the black and white paper and cut out a mouth, teeth and eyes in the size of how you want your monster to be. Leave to dry for a night and now your monster desk storage container is ready for storing your pencils.

 

 

                                                                                                                                           
 

(Pringles) Recycled storage container.

Now to use the same method for making a storage container out of a Pringles jar.
The products you will need to make this recycled pencil storage container.
-Scissors
- patterned coloured paper
- PVA glue
- Paint

 First take your Pringles container and remove any leftover chips or remaining chips into a spare container, sanitize the container and leave to dry.

Leftover chips



Next, paint a layer of white paint all over your Pringles container and sit to dry. Select your paint colour you wish to choose and now paint the container.

Now time to illustrate your container to your personal likings. Paint or use craft materials to design your favourite animal, food, picture of anything you desire.
Use the PVA glue to attach your craft materials on to your container and sit to dry.

Now that the design of a Storage container is finished you can now put it to use, using your stationary items at school or home.

Finished product

                                                                                                                                     

 This process can also be repeated with different materials such as a milo/coffee can, jam/peanut butter jar, biscuit container, etc.