Download - Educ1751 assignment 1
- 1. Digital Artefacts
EDUC1751 Assignment 1
2. Artefact One: Meaning in Context
REAL WORLD CONNECTIONS
Quality lessons constructed around the Quality Teaching Model
should have strong real world connections. These connections make
the content of the lessons significant to the students as well as
engaging. This first artefact definitely does this as it explores
the modern use of language the students will be familiar with.
There is an exercise based around the use of text message and email
language, as used by students throughout Australia. In this
exercise the students are exposed to two differing points of view
or opinions on this contentious subject, and must identify these as
they are inferred in the text.
The layout of this artefact is also an attempt to connect the
learning and knowledge to the real world. The home page is based on
a messy room, similar to that of your typical teenager.
Unfortunately I think this is a transparent attempt at making the
quest significant and detracts from the otherwise successful and
authentic learning produced here.
3. Connections to syllabus and curriculum
All of the syllabus documents related to English in a High School
setting include outcomes focused on students understanding and
using the English Language effectively. For example this quest
takes an historical focus on the changing of language overtime. The
students are exposed to exercises based on Old English as compared
to modern 21st Century English. This exercise and others like it
work to give the students an historical context for their language,
as well as showing them how language was once used.There are also
opportunities for students to develop their vocabulary and
experience some of the most commonly used language techniques. At
the beginning of the quest students are introduced to terms and
concepts they may not have had previous experience with, such as
deterioration and ameloriation. The exercise completed here helps
the students to understand these concepts; as well as developing
the skills to identify these in language. The students also
complete an exercise based on alliteration, and hyperbole in which
they must be able to identify these techniques in text. This
exercise would present a challenge to most students, based on the
year level this artefact was recommended for. To construct new
learning and knowledge there must be a challenge, in this case
there are two identifiable challenges, the limit to the students
background knowledge and the students ability to identify these
techniques in text.
4. Pedagogical implications
Although this quest could be used as an individual exercise there
are opportunities for discussion between students and teacher. For
example the assumed knowledge within the quest offers an
opportunity for the students to co-construct, if there is no
background knowledge. The students and even the teacher are able to
assist with the development in a collaborative manner.
This quest is definitely useful in relation to achieving outcomes
concerned with the use and understanding of the English Language.
By showing students the development of language overtime they are
able to see and experience valid uses of the English language, as
well as their own use and experience of language. This quest also
offers the students an opportunity to refine and build on their own
ICT skills. This quest could even be used a whole class exercise
utilising a Smart Board and collaborative learning strategies
within the classroom. Much could be gained from this quest by
utilising it at the beginning of a unit of work, or even as a
revision exercise, however, I believe the final product constructed
by the students from this quest needs refinement and development.I
believe the teacher would need to take control of this particular
element and be explicit about what it is the students need to
produce, as the outline provided is not explicit enough.
5. Connections to future and current learning
There is much discussion in relation to technology in the classroom
and how this relates to effective learning in our students. This
quest provides students an opportunity to learn in a context and
manner in which they are familiar and comfortable. It also fulfils
the need to differentiate and diversify the exercises and
presentation of information and knowledge in a unit of work.
STRUCTURE
I did find there were a few structural issues with this quest. Once
participating in an exercise you could not return to the main
screen and swap exercises. This is also true for the final part of
the quest. Once engaged in this exercise you could not back track
to previous sections if having issues with some of the language
features used. I also found that you could complete a few of the
exercises simply through trial and error. I think it would have
been worthwhile to find a way to record the answers of the students
and show the number of correct and incorrect answers. However, this
way of answering questions based on trial and error or button
mashing would be an issue with all webquests and the like and it is
difficult to see how this could be rectified.
6. ARTEFACT 2: ESSAY WRITING
The focus of this digital learning resource is to help students
develop their essay writing skills. The information is
presentedusing a common experience shared by those engaged in the
writing of essays. However, it is hard to identify any other real
world connections. The blurb at the beginning does explain that the
tips and strategies delivered through the resource will help make
the essay writing exercise much easier and less stressful, even if
all the essays are due at the same time. There is a more implicit
connection to the real world expressed through the language used.
The definitions of key words, as well as the language used in
general is very similar to that used by people during their
everyday interactions. In this way the language actually supports
students learning.
7. This Digital Learning Resource can be made to fit within the
outcomes related to the effective use of the English Language
during the study of the Subject English. However, seeing as there
is nothing produced or constructed by the student there are no
assessable outcomes associated with this resource. Rather this
should be used in a scaffolding or summary exercise, to help
students reinforce and further their understanding of essay writing
skills and the appropriate format associated with this text
type.
Every student experiencing essay writing for the first time finds
this skill very confronting and challenging and this artefact
presents a great opportunity to learn the theory behind these
skills.
CONNECTIONS TO SYLLABUS AND CURRICULUM
8. Structure
The resource is easy to navigate and very user friendly, I can not
see any limitations in relation to layout or delivery of
information. The only issues associated with this resource come
from an education stand point as the students are not asked to
develop or construct any work with the information from the
resource. I believe the teacher would need to take charge here and
develop an exercise to help the students in this area.