How E-Learning can support pedagogy?

This blog post will draw upon my personal reflections of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that i have designed to support learning for the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design students. The group are currently working towards an enterprise module that involves designing and producing products that can be sold at Uplands Market. I will consider how e-learning can support learning, and the effects these processes have had on my own professional development. 

Using a VLE system is a great way of delivering course material online, and also offers opportunities to assess the learners progress and provide a range of resources that can enrich the learning experience. The information that is incorporated into the VLE is easy to follow, relevant to the subject and accompanied by visual images or videos. I wanted to accommodate all learning styles, and make the information easily accessible to all levels. 

The main page welcomes the students and a provides a brief description of the module, and the benefits of being involved in such a great project. The students can navigate their way around the VLE using the listed pages that are situated in the sidebar. Within each page, tasks have been set to help reinforce the information and initiate the students taking charge of their own learning. By completing each task, the learner will benefit from using online resource tools to generate their own outcomes. By passing some of the learning control over to the students, they are gaining valuable skills such as digital literacy, finding and evaluating useful resources and critical thinking. 

Students can also benefit from accessing important course information via the VLE, such as the module outline that illustrates what is required to complete the course, and a scheme of work timetable. Within this timetable, the group can see dates of lessons, lesson content and how their work with be assessed or evaluated. I found the online application, Bubbl.us, a great tool for creating mind maps and brainstorms. It was easy to use and a interesting way of presenting information in a visually format. This allowed me to construct a mind map for the course guidelines that highlight the module aims, the lesson objectives and how these can be achieved. This offers clarity to the learners, and provides a visual framework to work towards. The students can also begin to manage their own work loads and understand what will be involved to complete the project.

To aid communication amongst the group, and with the collaboration with the first year business students, a project forum has been included within the VLE. Here the students can organise meetings, discuss a topics or issues that may arise and also share any ideas. As a teacher I would have little input into this resource, and will rely on the students to take control of this tool and use it in a positive and constructive manner.

E-learning has a lot of potential when used for education and teaching, and can definitely enrich the learning environment. Though subjects such as art and design will always predominantly be studio based learning, and is generally taught using ‘direct experiences’, there is definitely room for ICT within the creative domain. One great tool that I found that can complement face-to-face teaching is the audio visual editor application called Movie Maker for Microsoft. This resource allows the user to upload a range of images or photos, and then overlay either spoken words or sounds over the top. Online workshops can be designed, and provide the students with additional help to complete practical tasks. For the Uplands market project, I have created a podcast for screen printing. This video runs through the different steps and equipment required, and provides an easy to follow description of each element. By offering these online tutorials, students can access the information at any time, use it to refer back to and gain knowledge of different processes. On a personal level, I found this learning tool very exciting, and is something I would love to use more of in the future for my own teaching practice.

Other applications that I have used are Wordle, which arranges words that you input into a cloud formation. This is a brilliant tool that can be used after a brainstorming session with the group to highlight discussion points. The word clouds can be additional used as handout to generate ideas and concepts at the start of projects. Pinterest is a fantastic visual discovery tool, and one that I use daily to collect a whole host of images, ideas and inspiration. An important factor of being creative is documenting any ideas or inspiration that may aid your own practice. Pinterest allows users to generate a number of boards that can be allocated themes, and pin photos, blog post etc to these board. I wanted the students to experience this brilliant resource, and have created a task where they produce their own research boards and log in. This presents an opportunity for the group to be individual in their research, consider lots of different elements and collate information. I have also created a blog which will document the journey of the group throughout the Uplands Market Project. This will present an opportunity for the students to reflect on their achievements and assess the outcome of their work and the end.

Assessment will be predominantly formative using regular observations, tutorials, feedback forms and peer group critiques.

Initially I was dubious on how a virtual learning environment could benefit a creative and practical course, but after using the plethora of teaching and learning tools available online I have definitely be converted. I found Google sites easy to navigate and creating the VLE, though slow going in the beginning was very easy to design after a short amount of practice. I actually feel excited at the prospect of using VLE’s in the future, and hope I get the opportunity to explore the possibilities within my own teaching.

Presentations - Powerpoint v's Adobe Illustrator

PowerPoint is a fantastic tool for creating presentations and information slides, and can be beneficial for relaying large chucks of text to students, in a visual form. Videos and sounds can be embedded into the slides too, to create an interactive presentation. Though I have used this program many times in the past, and no doubt will in the future, I do find the application can be limited from a design perspective. I much prefer structuring my slides on Adobe Illustrator and inputting these into Adobe In-design to create a Pdf. This allows more control of the layout, font, colours and uploaded imagery. Though this is a more time consuming than creating a slide on PowerPoint, I feel the overall look is more professional and individual.

Below are a handful of screen shot from a presentation that I did for the Foundation Art and Design student at UWTSD, in December 2015. I was asked to speak to the students about my journey into design, my job role at the clothing company howies and about my teaching role. The whole experience, though nerve racking in the beginning was very rewarding. The students gained a great deal listening to a variety of professional people, and were also given the opportunity to approach the speakers individually at the end. I tried to keep my presentation slides simple and visual, with limited text. I know from my own experience of sitting in wordy PowerPoint presentation, how boring these can be.

Though it did take my awhile to design the presentation using Adobe Illustrator and In-design, I am pleased with the outcome and received some positive feedback from the students and lecturers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Socrative

Socrative – allows the teacher to create a series of questions for students to access on their own computers or devices. As each student answers a question, the results are instantly fed back to the teacher, which is pretty smart. The teacher is able to monitor and assess the students’ knowledge, and the students are able to engage with topical information but in an interactive and fun way.

Would I use this App – possible yes. I will be teaching Adobe Illustrator in September, and feel this could be a useful way of assessing the student’s prior knowledge of the subject.

Disadvantages – Gathering all the information necessary for setting the questions could be time consuming

Appropriate applications used to support my teaching, and why

In my teaching practice, I have used the following applications;

Microsoft Word for assisting with essay writing and academic referencing. Word allows me to double check all my spelling and punctuation, which is very useful in my case.

PowerPoint for short presentations and hand-outs. An easy to use program, and a great way of presenting information and visual references.

Wordle, to stimulate creative thinking, and as a hand-out. I hadn't heard of this before, but have since used this application for my own personal learning, and in a lesson.

Pinterest - the digital mood board generator, or 'visual discovery tool'. I absolutely love this program, such a great way of collecting a images and ideas.

I appreciate that IT is progressing at a rapid rate, and that as teachers we need to get on board with this revolution and not shy away from getting involved. I myself enjoy learning about new resources that can be used to benefit the students, but I do feel that technology definitely has a time and place within a classroom. The way that IT is taught within a classroom setting is important. The tutor should strive to 'allow students to take initiative, make decisions and maintain a degree of autonomy over learning' (Kennewell, 2010). There has been a couple of occasions during my teacher placement, where learners have become frustrated or disinterested when using the computer. As teachers we need to be mindful of the different abilities of our students, and find ways of providing additional support for those who most need it.

The applications listed above have been very useful and the learners have found these to be useful also. I found an interesting quote by the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, who reflects on how technology can be used within education. He states that 'Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important'. I agree with him, technology does have a time and a place within education, but should not take the place of the teacher.

Reflecting upon my own experiences of teaching on the Foundation Art and Design course, the focus is predominantly work shop based and promoting active learning. The tutors also encourage students to self-direct their own work load, and explore through experimentation and research. There are computers around the studio, mostly used for the internet, but no designated area for IT. An overhead projector is can be used for guest lectures and project announcements. With a lack of space and facilities, using group assessment Apps such as Socrative or Nearpod would prove difficult.

Kennewell, S. (2010) Analysing the impact of information technology on activity and learning. Edited by Anne McDougall, John Murnane, Anthony Jones and Nick Reynolds, Abingdon: Routledge.

Barriers to the effective use of technology in education

There are many factors that can create barriers within learning. 'Negative perceptions from teachers reveal barriers which limit the use of ICT. These generally include the lack of facilities, knowledge, time, support, materials and training' (William et al, 2000). A lack of funding for facilities and insufficient number of computer is a main concern. With this lack of facilities comes a lack of access, that can prevent teachers and students from growing their knowledge of ICT. Time can also be an issue, and many teachers feel they have little of this to spare for mastering new software or integrating ICT into their lesson plans, or have had minimal guidance. On the other hand, some teacher can become too reliant on using technology, resulting in uninspiring lesson content.

Whelan (2008) also identified more barriers from the student perspective, including: 'subpar technical skills that reduce access to ICT in classrooms; an insufficient number of academic advisors and lack of timely feedback from instructors; and reduced interaction with peers and instructors' (Shan Fu, 2013, p.115).

In my own experience whilst teaching I have noticed that a majority of the students have engaged with technology and feel confident with using a variety of different programs and devices. There is a small percentage of students who have limited prior knowledge of using computers, and though they require additional support, they are always appreciate of learning new skills and applications.

Shan Fu, J. (2013) 'ICT in Education: A critical Literature Review and Its Implications', International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 9(1), pp. 112-125.

Silviyanti, T. (2014) 'EFL Teachers' perceptions on using ICT in their teaching: to use or to reject?', Teaching English with Technology, 15(4), pp. 29-43.
 

 

 

 

How technology has changed the way we learn

For this blog post I am going to concentrate on how technology has made an impact within art education, and to consider the positive and negative effects on encouraging creativity. Art and Design as a subject, lends itself to learning through experimentation, making mistakes, visual references and experiences. Students are often encouraging to take control of the learning process and gain knowledge through active engagement. So can information and communication technology improve creative learning?

The internet has definitely revolutionised how information can be accessed and increased communication channels for social and business purposes. I found this quote by M.Selinger describing his view of The Web, he states 'The Internet is the world’s largest library, but it is also a huge junkyard, and has been described as a library where all the books have been thrown on the floor' (Selinger, 1999). It's an interesting view and one that I would agree with, though this resource can be beneficial for learning, it might not always be positive. Teachers have to be mindful that students gain knowledge from a wide variety of options and not just solely relying on the internet.

In the context of art education, The Web has become an integral resource and provides an opportunity for students to access 'a rich and diverse range of material' (Ash, 2000). Students are often encouraging to keep sketchbooks and diaries as a way of gathering and recording findings, and ideas. This process can help to promote creative thinking skills and also provide an opportunity for the teacher to assess their groups understanding of a brief or project. The ICT resource has become a great place for conducting research and is easily accessed on a variety of digital devices.

It has been interesting to see how technology has been implemented within the Foundation Art and Design course, where I am currently completing my teaching placement. The students who have selected visual communication for their specialist subject, have created some fantastic projects that combine photography, video, sound, graphic design and music. The learners have really grasped technology and used the resources to be creative and individual. Other areas of the art department including 3D, fine art and fashion/ textiles use computers, photocopies and phones for researching, creating digital illustrations, posters and repeat patterns. It is really exciting to see how technology can be used in a creative and innovative way.

Art will always be led by discovery, whether that be through some practical mediums such as painting, performance or clothing design or through working with interactive possibilities such as wearable tech, videos or digital installations. The possibilities are endless and there is no right or wrong, art can be whatever it wants to be. Technology certainly opens up opportunities, especially for teachers to 'support creative thinking, promote critical thinking, foster problem solving and enhance understanding' (McDougall et al, 2010, p. 51). Technology has without doubt changed how lessons can be taught, how information can be reached and open up an abundance of opportunities for learners to engage with.  But I do also feel that students benefit so much from direct experiences, and become more empowered with opportunities 'to be active in the creative process of art making' (Ash, 2000). 


With Technology progressing at such a rapid rate, it will be interesting to see how Art and Design education responds to this, and whether more emphasis for the integration of IT modules will be including within the curriculum.

Selinger, M. (1999) ICT and classroom management, in Hickman, R (eds) Art education 11-18: meeting, purpose and direction. London: Continuum, p. 84.

Ash, A. (2000) Bite the ICT Bullet: Using the World Wide Web in Art Education, in Hickman, R (eds) Art education 11-18: meeting, purpose and direction. London: Continuum, p. 93.

McDougall, A, Murnane, J, Jones, A and Reynolds, N. (2010) Researching IT in Education: The theory, practice and future directions. Abingdon: Routledge.

Ash, A. (2000) Bite the ICT Bullet: Using the World Wide Web in Art Education, in Hickman, R (eds) Art education 11-18: meeting, purpose and direction. London: Continuum, p. 86.

Life zone - interactive audio visual art exhibition

 

What is my experiences of mobile technology and learning

My experiences of using mobile technology consist of using a laptop and a smart phone. Before embarking on my PGCE course, I had no clue of the range of free online teaching resources available. During the ICT module, Jan opened my eyes up to many applications, the uses and how these can be beneficial within a classroom setting.

Here is a selection of the App’s that I used, and my thoughts to how these can or may not support my teaching:

Kahoot – game based learning app that can be completed by students on their individual devices, whether than be a smart phone, laptop or desktop.

Advantages – it’s a fun and colourful App, and easy to use

Disadvantages – maybe targeted at a younger audience. I wouldn’t use this application as a teaching resource

 

Poll Everywhere – Another application that can be used to assess students. This ‘audience response system’ can be accessed on a mobile phone, via twitter and the web. The teacher can design a number of poll’s, and the students can share their opinions on the posed questions. All results are recorded in real time, and presented in charts.

Advantages – A easy to use App, that can be accessed anywhere and at any time.

Disadvantages – Think this would be more effective for larger groups of learners, possibly in a lecture scenario.

 

Padlet – This application allows teachers to create image or work boards that can be accessed by students, who can then also contribute. This collaborative process encourages engagement and creativity.

Advantages – get way to encourage collaboration, especially for Art and Design. I definitely would like to use this at some point within a lesson.

Disadvantages – Though the application is very well presented and has some nice illustrated feature, it did take me a while to work out how to use it, and how this could be beneficial to my teaching.

 

Internet detectives – An online tutorial that guides the reader through a series of pages for using the internet for academic referencing.

Advantages – Informative and fun concept

Disadvantages – Long winded, found myself losing interest after the fifth page.