Amy's Learning Space

My Key Learning Moments and How I Will Apply This Learning in the Future

Below I have listed my 5 key learning moments from EDFD459 that have resinated with me.

How online learners progress through Salmon’s 5 stage model of teaching and learning online, and how I can assess my own progress through this model.
The curriculum as a framework for a cooperative and collaborative learning space for which teachers can build on.
How to provide pedagogically sound learning spaces to cater for the needs of my students and for the school community
The opportunities technology has provided us to extend our personal learning networks globally
To seek support when needed. I found it can take a lot of time to complete quite simple tasks due to lack of experience in this learning setting. It is a lot easier to ask for assistance than to spend hours attempting yourself.

Much of what I have learning through this unit is very applicable and relevant for my future teaching career. Of significant I will apply the knowledge I have gained about the 5 learning spaces and how to makes these spaces pedagogical sound for my future students and the school community. I will align my future classroom design with research. The preferences of your learners is of importance when designing the layout of the classroom. It provides benefits for student learning, classroom atmosphere and the learning process. Through learning in this online setting I have gained the skills and competence to be a successful online learner which I will be able to pass onto my students. Salmon’s 5 stage model as well as the structure of this online unit has given me many ideas for future online learning opportunities for students. Overall, I will take with me the many benefits of online learning and web 2.0 technologies which has been illustrated throughout this unit.

October 20, 2015 0

I’m a ‘Curator’?

If you use the web you’re a curator.The volume of information being created is growing faster than your software is able to sort it out. While devices struggle to separate spam from friends, critical information from nonsense, and signal from noise, the amount of data coming at us is increasingly mind-boggling. Curation on the internet is largely a response to an overwhelming quantity of cultural information and artifacts already in the public domain. There are many differing opinions on what makes you a curator. From my research to me a curator is someone who sorts through data on the Internet and collects the most relevant data to share on blogs, websites and through social media. A curator analyses and categorises web information based on a similar topic and transforms this information onto a relevant platform or into a format that is recognisable for the reader .Curators provide a consistent update regarding what’s interesting, happening, and cool in their focus. Good curators tend to have a unique and consistent point of view, providing a reliable context for the content that they discover and organise.

This term to me makes more sense when I think of a Librarian. Librarians sort books and place them on shelves in specific groups based on the type of information the books hold. This is similar to the way that content curators assemble their data. Pin interest is also a great example to make sense of this term as you are repining content from other people (curation) as you are sharing your own ideas (creation).If you’re using social media it is likely you’re a curator or you’re following someone that is.

October 19, 2015 0

Future Learning Spaces

October 14, 2015 0

How to be a Good Online Learner?

As the semester comes to an end I have developed this list of strategies that I believe makes a good online learner. These tips/ strategies are what I have attempted to adhere to over the semester and what I believe contribute to a successful online learning experience. As this is my first online unit I’m sure I still have a lot more I could add to the list!

Set up your learning space: ensure your computer is reliable and has the necessities needed for the unit.
Unit Outline: the unit outline is a critical resource for any unit. It is the road map o for the entire course—get to know it well.
Be organised: have a plan of where and when you are going to complete the required work. As there is no specific time in the week dedicated to the completion of the unit it is important to set time aside to complete the readings, e-activites, blog posts etc. Don’t try to do it all at once. Also of importance is planning time to respond to peers. Everyone needs to participate if excellent, collaborative learning is to take place
Get support: from this unit I found it can take a lot of time to complete quite simple tasks due to lack of experience in this learning setting. It is a lot easier to ask for assistance then to spend hours attempting yourself.
Motivation: for me I found that motivation at the start of the semester was very high although when the workload of other subjects me into play it slowly depleted.hen this occurs, remind yourself of the reason you enrolled in the first place. Realize that you are doing this to improve your teaching skills and to provide better services for your future students.

October 8, 2015 0

Liminal Spaces

I understand the term liminal to mean “in the middle”. It is a place in the process of transition where one door shuts and before another is opened. A places which raises the question, what now? I think with every liminal space there is an associated with uncertainty. It is an uncertainty of what’s to come and can have both a negative or positive effect on people. There are varying examples of liminal spaces.

The liminal space of the Zaatari Refugee Camp is evident through the uncertainty of the future. This is an example of a negative liminal space as the situation describes a place where food and supplies are low and they are living day to day. This are many challenges facing the people in this camp as the population grows and the supplies and accommodation are depleting.

The liminal space being experienced by the Calais’s Syrian refugees is highlighted as they are stuck in one country while trying to flee to another and awaiting asylum to calm in the United Kingdom. There is a clear uncertainty for the refugees as they are unsure if they will be granted asylum in the UK. The distress of the refugees is evident as they have threaten to commit suicide if they are not let in.
There are two possible examples of liminal spaces in this circumstance. Firstly the liminal space as the refugees as they journey to Australia. The uncertainties of what Australia will be able to offer them is clear. They have no way of knowing where they are going to stay, how they will support themselves and their family, how they will feed themselves etc. The second liminal space evident for the refugees who stay with an Australian family. Similarly there is uncertainty of what will happen and if they will receive adequate help and support.

To consider this in learning spaces of the future it is important provide students with the skills to deal with this “in the middle space”. How to deal with feelings of anxiety or fear could be discussion. Places for students to reflect and relax in order to deal with these feelings could be provided. Teachers should focus on a possible positives of this time.

October 7, 2015 2

Week 10 Reflection on Learning- Salmon’s 5 Stage Model

In regards to my reflection of my progress through Salmon’s 5 stage model, I reported that I had accomplished up to stage 3 of the model. Since then I believe I have moved onto Stage 4, knowledge construction. I have been making an effort to take more control of my learning. My interactions with other have increased and thus I am able to extend my own knowledge through these interactions. An example of this is though my discussion with another user about liminal spaces. I found this concept a really difficult concept to grasp. However, through reading others responses/ blog post about this concept and interactions I was able to draw knowledge from these users. In addition I have needed less technical support than previously. I am relevantly tech savvy however I did struggle with some things at the beginning of the unit. However, I have found I have developed the skills to fix any issues I have come across. I do believe I have become an active member of the online community as I am interacting more regularly. I think I have struggled in managing my time effectively. During the middle of the semester when the work load is heavy it is extremely hard to find time to keep up to date with all learning and used vacation week as a time to catch up.

October 7, 2015 0

Teachers Without Boarders

For students to be successful it is up to educators to be properly trained to provide an education that is effective, relevant and creative. Teachers must withhold the skills, tool and knowledge to fulfil this role. The importance of the role of the teacher is often under valued. Often professional development for teachers is not useful and in some circumstances not utilised. Furthermore, educational policy change or significant decision-making is often done without the participations of teachers.

Teachers Without Boarders is an organisation that embraces effective teaching as collaborative and connected teaching. The organisation strives to connect teachers globally by promoting collective wisdom from key educators to assist all teachers in worker effectively. The aim of the organisation is to bring teachers together and creating social change. It is about eliminating the educational barriers and bridging the educational divide. In doing this it allows professional development to expand, thus supporting teachers in creating and sharing content, building professional communities and improving student learning.

One key aspect of work being undertaken by Teachers Without Boarders focuses on supporting teachers in the midst of disaster, and helping organizations and individuals reconstruct society. Beyond this they focus on female education, the importance of ICT in the classroom, promoting peace through education and much more.

As a future teacher the work of this organisation is so valuable for myself and all teachers globally. It recognises the benefits of collaborative learning and the benefits of learning off others. It highlights the sayings that, two minds work better than one. This organisation is about building teachers globally and thus building the possibilities of all students.

October 7, 2015 0

My Personal Learning Spaces

This slideshow is a reflection of my learning spaces throughout the week. Each photo represents a moment in time that I was engaging or reflecting on my studies.

http://web.photodex.com/view/gc2m42x4

September 26, 2015 0

The Group Learning Space

The group learning space involves partners or groups working together on particular topic or task. Students respect the ideas of others and work cooperatively in an area where they can clearly communitcate with their peers, with visual and oral language. Communication is vital in a group learning space. Students must adopt sufficent communication skills for this space to be effective.The importance of respecting others beliefs, listening and group roles is manuifested in this learning space. Thus, group learning largely contributes to student’s intrapersonal development.

A flexible classroom is most suitable for the arrangement of this learning space. This gives students the opportunity to move furniture and access resources to suit the needs of the group. Having a wide variety of furniture types, technology and resources is beneifical. Many considerations need to be made to ensure that students are not dominating discussion, with others left behind. When used effectively the group learning space allows students to learn off one another, promotes collaboration and the sharing of ideas and allows for easy transition from individual to group learning.