Observation Skills Test

How many types of Hello Kitty products in that room?

What do you think of Anonymous?

I've just learned about these guys. Bizarre. What do you think? Will they prove to be the saviours or destroyers of the internet as we know it?

You Tube video: Anonymous on Fox News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNO6G4ApJQY

Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_%28group%29

The night view from my old place was stunning...

Tunisia 2009 Trip - Photos Sharing

This is the first time to create a video using Movie Maker and has been uploaded to Youtube for sharing. Really, learning is by doing, so far so good!

A video about RSS

A simple presentation about RSS, it integrated traditional teaching "pen and paper" with technologies "video-making and blog" to make it more attractive and easy to understand for those who don't know what it is, like me. See this, so interesting!

http://blog.bobchao.net/2007/08/rss.html

Digital Storytelling - Movie Maker Trial

Here is the slide show video produced by a trial with Movie Maker with the materials from the Session 4 PowerPoint file.

Cognitive Tools Reference By Regina Chan

Check out this SlideShare Presentation about Congitive Tools:

Cognitive Tools

View more presentations from Martin Homik.

Tag Clouds fom RISAL as at 22 February 2010 by Regina Chan

A Learning Object for the 'Scientifically Challenged'

I have a confession to make.
Science, alongside math, is largely a mystery to me. As a school student, I believed I didn't have the type of brain for science so I put my efforts into history, law and English literature, which I found easier. One example of science I completely gave up on is the Periodic Table of the Elements. I was told how important it is by my teachers but the whole thing just looked too hard to understand or commit to memory. I wonder if this would have been different had I been able to access learning objects like this:

http://zircon.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/warehouse/00601-00700/00696/Chemistry.swf

It's an interactive webpage about the Table. The page gives definitions and allows viewers to see the Table's classifications, the relationships between elements and the nature of the elements themselves. It's very simple to use, a breeze to follow and can be accessed via a smart phone, making it portable and useful for when a laptop and web connection isn't handy. Pretty decent little learning object, in my opinion.

What do you think?

What do you see here?

The word TEACH reflects as LEARN.

Comment

How people Learn. Brain,Mind, Experience and the School

It is quite obvious that a number of factors provide a comprehensive perspective on the processes of effective learning and the environments in which learning best takes place, such as neuroscience, cognitive and social psychology, emerging technologies etc..

How the schools and classrooms can facilitate students' learning, perhaps we have to think it critically again, should it be learning-centred, demonstration of many examples to build factual knowledge for learning, development of instructional plans that students are engaged towards learning. Can we do that and is the direction of what helps children to learn most?

The implications for what is taught, how it is taught, and how learners are assessed are important for our reflection, as educators, teachers and learners. What we are doing I think is to explore the possibility of helping individuals achieve their fullest potential.

Anyway, this is a nice book on the important topics related to how people learn.

Regina Chan

Learning Object - Google Earth by Regina Chan

To me, learning object is a new concept, but after searching information from internet as well as Churchill and Mayer's reference about the definition of Learning Object, actually I came across some of them, for example the one I would like to share with you is the Google Earth.

I studied geography in high school and love travel. Before, I could only use books and maps for learning and information. But now, with the Google Earth, it can help teach everything from geography, science, maths or many more subjects. The core point of Google Earth is that it enables every person the singular opportunity of "going home." "Home" means different things to different people, using one application will touch everyone's life in an individualized way. What's more, the flash enable the 3-dimensional effect and allows us to see and interact with time, space, and other diverse types of data in one location. This make connections and participate in learning. I think students can come to this application of technology with a natural curiosity and are motivated to learn, who are not burdened with boredom that comes with some long-held traditional approaches.

More importantly, I have learned how to use the embedding function that is to insert a code into the operation system between Blogger and RISAL to share the information. This is just a start.

Sharing - TED about leadership integration with IT

Catherine: My previous experiences of either using technology for teaching or for learning

Since my last training project in Dubai Metro, I have decided to learn more about E-learning and teaching.

My duties included course design and course delivery of the “Induction about Dubai Metro”, “Communication skills” and “Customer services” to a group of 600 cleaning staff from 10 different nationalities. I had encountered some problems even with the support of local training institutions and translators/interpreters. How can I effectively delivery the messages to the trainees with different languages background and culture diversity?

I would like to design an e-learning programme or digital- game learning activities which has no language barrier with visual representation and multimodalities to attract the attention and enhance the motivation of the trainees. Also, without time and venue constraints that the e-learning programme can run 24/7 to meet the tight training schedule.

Though this is not an experience of teaching and learning with IT, it becomes my mission to learn e-learning well!

Mindmeister by Regina Chan

http://www.mindmeister.com/41503938/learning-theories-education

Multiple representations, Modalities and Multimodalities

Multiple Representations
We have learned Visual Representation in “Interactive representations of information and knowledge” (MITE6323) and this is one of the representations that we can use in Learning & Teaching with IT.

Multiple Representations is more than one representation. It can be the following:
Verbal Descriptions
Pictures
Graphs
Mathematical
Motion Diagrams
Free Body Diagrams and others

Reference: http://paer.rutgers.edu/scientificAbilities/Downloads/FormAssessTasks/MultRep.pdf

In “Using multiple representations within a viewpoint” of Stanger, Nigel James (1999), he suggested that we can use a wide variety of modeling approaches or representations to design an information system. This reminds me the study of Liberal Studies for those high school students, there are different sources of information about the subject matter has been presented in different representations. Students have to use their critical thinking, logical mindset to comprehend the topics.

Reference : http://eprints.otago.ac.nz/26/

Modality & Multimodalities
According to H. J. Charwat. (1992) modality is defined as follows:
"Perception via one of the three perception-channels. You can distinguish the three modalities: visual, auditive, and tactile (physiology of senses).''

The idea is similar to the interpersonal communication skills from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that the five senses will be involved in an effective communication.

Reference: http://www.ai.rug.nl/~lambert/projects/miami/taxonomy/node6.html

Limitation of Short-term Memory and Dual Coding

Regina Chan to share :

Limitation of short-term memory
Short-term memory, contrary to long-term memory, is also referred to as primary memory, which is the capacity for holding a very limited amount of information in mind for a short period of time. It is believed to be just a few seconds, often stored as sounds, especially in recalling words, but may be stored as images. It works like a computer’s RAM in that it provides a working space for short computations and then transfers it to other parts of the memory system or discards it. According to Mayer (2003), short-term memory is that part of memory corresponding to your active consciousness or awareness. Also, “Short-term memory is the work bench of our consciousness, and includes our awareness of the sensations, feelings and thoughts that are experienced”. To know more about the short-term memory, please see the reference links at

http://library.thinkquest.org/26618/en-5.2.3=Short-term memory.htm and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-term_memory

Reflection
The short-term memory store is very limited and STM is vulunerable to interruption or interference and loss very quickly. In education, it is important to improve short term memory of students, we have to focus the attention of our students or learners, try to maintain their interest. The way how we present our information is important, whether it is organised, structured, elaborated will enhance the short-term memory capacity. But how the short term memory can be improved with technology integration? How’s about mind maps? A mind map is an intuitive arrangement of concepts and ideas that all relate to one central idea. It may help us to organize information in a way that is similar to how our mind stores and associates things. When we learn things in a way that is compatible with how our mind makes associations, it is easier to recall them to short term memory. Certainly, the mindmeister the one I learnt is a good option. Anyone can share more your experiences?

You may try this short term memory test for fun :
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/stm0.html


Dual Coding
The dual coding theory, a theory of cognition, was first advanced by Allan Paivio of the University of Western Ontario. The theory postulates that the human cognition consists of two subsystems that process knowledge simultaneously, one processing the verbal objects and one dealing with visual objects. The two systems have different functions; the verbal subsystem processes and stores linguistic information whereas the visual subsystem processes and stores images and pictorial information. While the two subsystems can be activated independently, the interrelations and connections of the two systems allow the dual coding of information.

When reviewing examples where this theory was applied, one can clearly see the importance of presenting information in both visual and verbal representations. When designing instructional interfaces, the designer should consider that proper application of this principle could result in enhancement of recall and recognition of content.
The dual coding theory also discusses limitations of the verbal and visual subsystem processes. Humans have difficulty simultaneously attending to multiple auditory or visual cues, depending on expertise with the task or prior knowledge with the subject area. A multimedia presentation that shows multiple visuals such as an image of a speaker as well as the text that the speaker is reading could overwhelm the viewer because he/she must now attend to two images. On the other hand, an eLearning module that shows images of person using a digital camera or iPod while also simultaneously providing narration that describes the images could potentially provide for improved learning because the visual and verbal information does not compete with each other.
Reference : http://www.dualcode.com/about/dualcodingtheory.htm

Reflection
The educational applications of DCT, I think, firstly, is emphasis on our nonverbal system that will facilitate our cognitive skills at later development. How to promote our cognitive growth is the integration of verbal and visual systems. Unlike the traditional education, we were taught in a more verbal-oriented learning setting in that rests on verbal communication between the teachers and students. With the advent of technology development, the importance visual experience is essential for the development of normal perception and promotes learning and memory. For example, we are used to use PowerPoint to support as a medium in a course delivery and presentation. The interplay of verbal and nonverbal systems should be demonstrated in school setting in order to promote learner-directed education. Why do you think?

END

Report on my previous experiences using IT for teaching or for learning

Regina Chan

I am neither a teacher nor engaged in the field of IT or IT-related industry. I am working in Hong Kong Sports Institute, with major responsibility to provide education and career support for personal development of elite athletes of Hong Kong. One of my major duties is to develop and provide an e-platform for them in order to facilitate their learning. Indeed, the world of technology is affecting every facet of our lives, and technology & learning can help education professionals and myself make it a vibrant, important part of curriculum development and learning. Everyday I used email, word processing, spreadsheet, the Internet and Intranet, graphic and PowerPoint for communication with athletes and coaches, creating reports and making presentation for management and teams at workplace; electronic journals, database, audio and video for study and leisure.

Since two years ago, working with IT department, I started to get involve in IT-related communication and education projects for example the set-up of mini Multi-media learning centre, set-up emails accounts, development of Athletes’ Portal project and interactive teaching and learning platform for our service targets. My role, as provider’s perspectives, is more focusing on development direction for what, why and how to address the learning needs of athletes with the technology integration, less hands-on experience on software operation. I think it is not enough. I experienced that as long as we are actively exposed to the applications of computer network technology, we become real learner and discover and construct our own learning experiences and the on-line environment also enhances communication between teachers and learners, between individual learners, perhaps peer communication and parent-and-child interaction.

That’s why I enroll this course. Ha Ha!

Gestalt Principles

Gestalt principles, for our purpose, are those which guide the observer to see something as a whole. The opposite would be to see only the parts.

So, if gestalt principles are followed, educators see an overview of IT in teaching and learning and can relate to how each part (whether that's lessons, hardware, software- LOs and others- school policy, staff CPD and, of course, the needs and interests of the learners themselves) works in relation to the others and to the whole.

Read more at (first par included unedited):
http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Gestalt_principles

Gestalt principles, or gestalt laws, are rules of the organization of perceptual scenes.

When we look at the world, we usually perceive complex scenes composed of many groups of objects on some background, with the objects themselves consisting of parts, which may be composed of smaller parts, etc. How do we accomplish such a remarkable perceptual achievement, given that the visual input is, in a sense, just a spatial distribution of variously colored individual points?

The beginnings and the direction of an answer were provided by a group of researchers early in the twentieth century, known as Gestalt psychologists. Gestalt is a German word meaning 'shape' or 'form'. Gestalt principles aim to formulate the regularities according to which the perceptual input is organized into unitary forms, also referred to as (sub)wholes, groups, groupings, or Gestalten (the plural form of Gestalt).

These principles mainly apply to vision, but there are also analogous aspects in auditory and somatosensory perception. In visual perception, such forms are the regions of the visual field whose portions are perceived as grouped or joined together, and are thus segregated from the rest of the visual field. The Gestalt principles were introduced in a seminal paper by Wertheimer (1923/1938), and were further developed by Köhler (1929), Koffka (1935), and Metzger (1936/2006; see review by Todorović, 2007). For a modern textbook presentation, including more recent contributions, see Palmer (1999).