Month: June 2023

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An Average Post About School

A Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Framework À La Hierarchy Of Needs - eLearning Industry

School has its issues. Everywhere you look, there is an imperfect school system. So does a perfect school system exist? I don’t think so, but we can get pretty close. In the modern world, kids are on their phones all the time right? Clearly we like our phones, so why not incorporate it into our schools? Here at Seycove, we do a pretty good job utilizing these tools to keep curiosity fresh and work a little more enjoyable. This is what I presented at our Spring Exhibition this year. We were tasked with analyzing our current school system, and coming up with ways to improve the system with the objective of creating more engaged and informed citizens.

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What is technologically enhanced learning?

Technology-enhanced learning refers to the use of technology, such as digital tools, physical technology and online platforms, to enhance teaching and learning experiences by allowing students to learn in a way that is more of their own. It encompasses various resources like online courses, educational apps, and interactive whiteboards that aim to improve learning outcomes and develop crucial digital skills.

What are the benefits of technologically enhanced learning?

Technologically enhanced learning benefits Canadian schools by increasing engagement, personalizing education, providing access to vast resources, fostering global connections, and developing essential digital literacy and 21st-century skills, ultimately empowering students to thrive in a technology-driven world.

 

My project is not only focused on technology, but also providing new, hands on learning environments for learners. This is similar to the field studies we do in PLP, but the idea was for them to be far more frequent and local. The main idea with this is to engage students by providing new environments, where a student will be invited to be aware of their surroundings and be engaged in the situation.

What are the benefits of experiential learning?

Experiential learning offers the benefits of active engagement, practical application, and personalized experiences, fostering deeper understanding, skill development, and increased motivation. By providing hands-on, immersive experiences, it enhances memory retention, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to transfer knowledge to real-world contexts, ultimately leading to a more meaningful and effective learning journey.

The biggest part that I, someone who has experienced technology in this way can confidently say that access to things like the internet in the classroom is an incredible tool for enabling curiosity. The other big part for me, is that I don’t have to use my awful handwriting, instead, I get to type, which is also faster.

No matter who you are, you probably have a phone or a tablet or maybe a laptop that you enjoy using for different purposes. That enjoyment does transfer to school or work to some degree, and this causes people to be more engaged in the activities that they take part in.

How does this all create more informed and engaged citizens?

I’m glad you asked. The way that you engage with society and gather information heavily depends on if you have the motivation or reason to do so. Someone who is determined to learn in school, is far more likely to have the drive to contribute to society later on. This also applies to curiosity. The current system does not foster creativity, as characterized by Logan in his project, School Kills Curiosity. Having technology that students are familiar with, and are more than willing to use helps boost engagement.

“Children often struggle to stay on task or interested, particularly if it is not interactive. One of the main benefits of technology is that it can make even the most mundane school tasks more engaging, which will help your students to stay focused. This is particularly poignant when we consider the earlier point of just how comfortable and normalized technology has become for young kids nowadays.” (Emma Cullen What is technology enhanced learning?)

Students who develop 21st century skills and are engaged in their community and school while growing up develop more sophisticated skills and thought processes, resulting in citizens who are naturally more active in society, whether it be as voters, or just developing humanity in one way or another.

Anyway, I think its time I give a little info about the exhibition now that you have an idea about what my project focuses on.

The Metaverse Is on the Way: Here's What You Need to Know - CNET

My project for the exhibition was a short Virtual Reality experience that I created using Unreal Engine. the idea of the experience was to give visitors a short insight into the experiences of many students who end up unengaged in class, with the experience designed to be bland, dreary, and have aspects of “zoning out”.

This is a screenshot of the Unreal editor showing the first scene that I wanted to show people at the exhibition. This scene is of an empty classroom, to show that the student is off in their own headspace, and there is white noise in the background to reinforce this fact within the visitor. The lights of the scene are rather prison like, showing the students attitude towards school.

The next scene worked while I was creating it, but unfortunately there were some fatal migraine-inducing visual bugs when running it off of the headset, so I had to cut it out of the exhibition product, but I still spent a couple of hours on it so I’m showing it here.

This is a frame you could see while wearing the VR set. This environment is designed to be a nice forest area where you can relax with the birds chirping in the background. This is a representation of a more engaging environment a student might find themselves in if this program was implemented.

I had two iPads on the desk next to me displaying articles pertaining to my project as well, the first being the aforementioned “What is technology enhanced learning?“, and the second being “The benefits of learning outside the classroom“. These articles were there to mostly serve as props for my spiel, but I pointed them out while talking so that the visitors could read more if they wanted to (this includes you, reader).

Overall, I think that the exhibition went over pretty well. I developed a pitch early on with my pre-established knowledge, and people clearly thought that my pitch was pretty good, because I came second place in the somewhat convoluted vote at the end. All in all, I think that creating this product and research was a test of my skills and perseverance, (especially the random errors while trying to import and export my project) and was a somewhat enjoyable experience trying to learn something new while under a tight time constraint!!!!

Thanks for reading this far,

Keenan

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An Average Post About TPoL 2023

Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.

This year’s TPoL, I basically changed my motto. In the past couple years, my PoLs were mainly focused on procrastination, but this year, I focused on new horizons. I feel that focusing on issues one at a time really helps me to really improve on myself and my work. This year I focused my attention on leveraging specific feedback on my work when I feel it has the potential to level up my work.

While preparing for this TPoL, I reviewed my learning plan as well as my MPoL to see what I had in mind for improvement at the start and middle of the year, and I think that overall throughout the course of this year, I have mostly achieved my goal.

Where I was

This year began with our learning plan, where I didn’t really set a direction for myself. I then had my MPoL, where I recognized my failure to set myself on a successful path, and I amended my learning play, chose a streamlined method of self improvement, which had a spotlight on ways that I could increase the quality of my work. I felt that throughout my thinking the best solution to help me grow as a person and a learner is to make use of the people around me and ask for feedback when I feel it may benefit me or my work.

Where I’m at

During this year, I do not feel that have achieved 100% of what I wanted from my goal for this year. While I have made efforts to engage with classmates or teachers to bounce ideas off of or to help me hone in my work, I do not believe that it has become a habit yet. What I mean by that, is that I have been utilizing the availability of feedback throughout the year, it has mostly been when I have been feeling kind of lost on an assignment. My goal was not to use feedback to get me back on track when I fall off of it, but to strengthen my work with new perspectives and thought processes.

Where I want to be

Although I got a start on my goal from my MPoL and learning plan, I think that in order to ensure that this improvement happens, I need to take this goal in its current state to the next grade level with me, where I can continue to push myself to implement changes within my everyday life with the objective of making myself and more effective and efficient learner. I think an example of this could have been my recent project on schools. Although I did feel that my final pitch and product were successful, I think I could have had a more holistic pitch if I had taken into account more peoples’ perspectives and what each person considers most important.

Why do you feel you are ready to advance to the next grade level?

I am ready to advance to the next grade level because I have made progress in my self-improvement as a learner. I have focused on leveraging feedback to improve the quality of my work and have made efforts to engage with classmates and teachers for their perspectives and ideas. Although I recognize that I still have room for growth in making feedback a more consistent habit, I am committed to continuing this goal in the next grade level and implementing changes within my everyday life to make myself a more effective and efficient learner. Additionally, I believe that my successful completion of my recent project on schools demonstrates my readiness for the next grade level.

Thank you for coming to my TPoL.