ElaineL

ElaineL




 * __Assignment #2 - Reflection__**

I really like the idea of using technology to assist in the classroom. I have even taken the first step myself towards this goal. While I do see the benefit of learner-centered learning while using technology and as the article says "help students take ownership of their learning", I am concerned that most students I see currently wouldn't even log in to the program. There is a huge lack of drive in students to teach themselves or even help themselves understand something they may not be grasping in the class. I think one of the only ways to make this technology effective would have to be making it a mandatory part of the course. That would ensure that the students then actually take the time to work through the material. That being said, with most students not having access to a laptop for the classroom setting, putting the course material and assignments online will not work when it comes time to working on it in class.

I see this as needing to be implemented one of two ways: first, this support through technology would be strictly for homework assignments, which is very limiting as my course does not have many homework assignments. Anything that isn't a mandatory assignment, that is simply there for the students to self-teach would most likely be ignored.

Second, if it was made mandatory for all my students to have a laptop, then I could see my classroom taking on technology to the extent this article talks about. I would actually very much like to get my course to the point of being supported with online tools, but realistically it isn't possible right now.


 * __Assignment #4- The Flipped Classroom__**

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This article, titled //7 Things You Should Know About Flipped Classrooms//, discusses what the flipped classroom is, how it is implemented, why it is used, who is currently using it, where is it going, what are the downsides and the implications for instructors. The flipped classroom is taking the lecture portion of the class and presenting it to the students as videos that they must watch as homework the evening before class. Class time is then spent on activities to strengthen and expand on what they have learned. Instructors can either find existing videos that cover their topic or they may be required to make their own. The instructor would then need to come up with classroom activities that go along with the subject to guide learning. Students would benefit from being able to work through the video lectures at their own pace instead of trying to understand and retain all the information as it is delivered, without a chance to pause and absorb or figure out things they may not grasp fully. Class time would now be spent working with the students instead of lecturing to them. That will give instructors more time to guage where the students are at and correct anything that the students may be learning wrong. Unfortunately using a flipped classroom can lead to more work for the instructor, especially if there are no videos available to cover the lecture topics and the instructor must make their own. Some students may wonder why they are paying to watch videos at home and teach themselves, while others may decide that they don't need to attend class because they have understood everything from the video. If a student chooses to not watch the videos, that student will be ill prepared to tackle any of the classroom activities the next day in class and could become a burden to any group members they may be working with, as well as to the instructor.

When I first read what the flipped classroom was I thought it was a brilliant idea. This article does point out some of the problems that may arise with it, such as students not watching the videos before class, and I could see that being an issue. If I were to implement this in my class, there would have to be an understanding with the students that if they failed to do the assigned learning, they would not be allowed to join in any group activity because they would just slow down that group's project. It wouldn't be fair to the students who have taken the time to learn, to then have to explain it to someone who hasn't. Also, those students must also understand that I wouldn't spend any class time going over what had been covered in the video with them because this would also take time away from the students who did the work.

I like the idea of removing some of the lecture from the class as I find some days drag on for both the student and the instructor when they are too lecture intensive. Unfortunately the information must be taught to the students before they can start some of the activites. Having a flipped classroom, even for a couple topics, would solve this problem and make it possible to reduce the amount of lecture and increase the activity time. This would be much more enjoyable for the students and would improve the classroom attitudes and engagment.

I would love to start using the flipped classroom for some of the topics I teach. It would take a great deal of work as good tutorial videos on specific automotive topics can be hard to find. I would first need to search for as many videos as possible and then make a list of what videso I am lacking. The next step would be to then learn how to put together a video or a lecture that the students could then watch. After that is done, classroom activities would need to be picked. This isn't a project I would start at the end of the school year. It would also have to be done once I have taught the subject a few times and know how I want the course laid out. I will definitely make note of the flipped classroom and keep it in mind for classes I teach down the road.

__**Assignment #5- PBL**__

Peer Feedback:

Michele: It's great that you were able to find a place that would help you learn how to do this, instead of trying to figure it all out on your own. I am sure making wine can be a very finicky process and a difficult one to tackle completely on your own for the first time. Nice dual-purpose topic. Congrats on your engagment.

Marnie: I really like the idea of a crafting hour at work, that is brilliant. There is quite the visible progression in your learning. I can understand the frustration of trying something from a youtube video that doesn't work for you and having to go back and find another resource.

Melodie: It's great motivation to learn something that your students are doing. I love the picture of the kid with the raised fist. Your presentation was a neat glimpse into the technical side of something I know nothing about. As the 31 year old mother of a two year old and currently 7 months pregnant, I am very drawn to your blog idea, it is something I would like to read.

Tom: A nice way to teach yourself something that you will be teaching next year. I like your little "I was mad" picture. Nice use of humour and attempted use of students. I like the way you word things, very laid back and true to how you speak. Excellent Prezi. Very nice finished product.

Michael: Very informative presentation. I like that you detailed all the different options you could have gone with and then explained why you chose the paths you did. I agree with Melodie, the pictures were very nice.

Donna: I like that you did the price comparisons of replacing the hardwood as well as switching to carpet. Cost can be a great motivator to get something done. A perfect example of how a project that may start off seemingly small can quickly turn into a monstrous undertaking of learning.

Gil: Nice short videos that help illustrate the point without dragging on. Very detailed presentation, explains everything from what the racing is to why you are grinding.

Stefan: Very smart checking if it is legal before even starting the job. Handy breaking down the project into four sections to make it more manageable.

Bryan: I like the thought process of picking the topic. Using forums for what not to do is a nice way to avoid making the same mistakes other people have already learnt from. I understand the frustration of learning how to do it, getting ready to do it, and then being unable to find the product at the store you need to do the job.

David: Any motivation for the project is good motivation, even if it's just to "beat the wife". Very nice pictures to demonstrate aperture and other picture settings. Very realistic realizing how much more is involved than what you have time to learn. At least you do have some improvement to show for it and a better understanding of the subject.

Debbie: It seems like our husbands were on the same page for this project. :) I like your idea of starting with medical experts instead of the internet for medical things. I like that your presentation involves actually getting the procedure done and your follow up thoughts.

Wade: Too much coordination for me! It sounds great though. I like that part of your learning involved having to do maintenance on the drum kit and not just playing it.

Roxy: I like your style! (taking any classes that interest you). Nice use of humour for your slide headings. Very practical learning to do incase you ever get a flat again on the side of the road.

Brenda: Your pictures of the grainy texture henna versus the sugar added one illustrate the difference very well. Very interesting that the colour will darken over time. I like that you show where you made mistakes you will have to correct for next time.

Barry: Very interesting topic that could probably lead you on quite the in depth learning journey if you started to go far into the electrical theory behind it all. I like that your research and trial and error has proven this to be completely useless.

__Learning Objective__ My learning objective for this assignment is to be able to re-finish a canoe paddle that has been branded so it can be mounted on a wall for display.

__Picking the Topic__
 * Asked husband what I should do this on
 * Listed all my interests to him, which I already know how to do and don’t need to learn
 * Shot down all his ideas as he suggested everything that interests him that he would do the project on
 * Argued and became mad at husband
 * Husband turned to google and typed in “how to…”
 * Husband found "how to varnish a table" and suggested I do that
 * Was about to scoff at him when I remembered our old canoe paddles needed to be refinished after being branded at the end of a long canoe trip
 * Found topic, keeping husband

__Researching theTopic__
 * searched "refinishing branded paddles" with very little luck
 * found out that the art of burning images into wood is called pyrography
 * searched "pyrography finishing" and was deluded with websites on my topic
 * after looking at many of the images I realized that it is a hobby I would like to try my hand at one day (PBL for another day)
 * found a couple sites that suit the type of wood, brand and finish that are on the paddle
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * made a list of the supplies I will need to prep and varnish the paddle
 * polymerised tung oil (Lee Valley) or Ronseal quick drying gloss varnish
 * brown paper bag
 * fine wire wool
 * rags
 * paint brush
 * purchased tung oil
 * pulled paddle out of storage and took pictures of it for my starting point
 * noticed that the paddle is in worse shape than I remembered; lots of finish peeling and both sides split
 * decide to refinish the whole blade and fix the splits instead of just finishing the brand spot



__The Process__
 * try sanding paddle with rotary tool
 * tool didn't remove finish evenly
 * stopped using sander and sanded by hand with emery cloth instead
 * decided to do whole blade on front and only edges of blade on back
 * decided to stop sanding before the black marks in wood were buffed out otherwise too much material would have to be taken off
 * scrapped out flaking burnt wood from brand but didn't sand so that brand stays dark looking




 * with wood sanded, applied wood glue to split sides where paddle has started to come apart
 * use a rope to hold it together while it dries
 * wait for glue to dry...


 * Applied first coat of tung oil using paint brush
 * instructions said to let dry 10-15 mintues then buff with a lint free cloth
 * tried buffing after 10-15 mintues and cloth kept sticking to oil
 * decided to let it dry and see what it looks like
 * wait for oil to dry...




 * Apply second coat of oil
 * wait for it to dry...



__Thoughts__


 * I don't care for the finish with the Tung oil and will try the varnish instead on the next two
 * The surface was very rough and not smooth, perhaps a result of not buffing with a cloth
 * I think I would sand the paddle down much more on the next one to make the YF more defined, there is too much burn left on the wood outside the brand
 * The finish seems nice enough for a wall display, but not something I would trust to coat a paddle that was going to be used in the water still
 * I would also probably sand the entire paddle down, handle and all next time




 * __Assignment #7- Role Play__**

//Using Role Play Simulations to Promote Active Learning// article: During the last two CAE courses I have taken I have found myself excited to try and implement new ways of teaching that get away from the lecture with powerpoint. I read this article on role play and after re-reading it, am still not sure if it is something that I would be able to use in my classroom. I understand where it would be beneficial if it could be applied, but am unable to see a practical way of using it. I cannot ask my students to role play and pretend they are a car, that wouldn't get us anywhere. Nor would we accomplish any work due to all the laughing that would be taking place. I am assuming that role play means the student would take on the role of a person. Our jobs are very independant, it's us and the vehicle. One area I could see it being used would be for one student to pretend they are the technician, and have another student pretend they are the customer. The techinician would then have to explain to the customer what they found on their inspection of the vehicle, as well as how they repaired it. To take it one step further, one student could also take the role of a service advisor. The technician would have to explain to the service advisor what is wrong with the vehicle. The service advisor would have to try and sell the repair to the customer, using terms that the customer could understand. In the courses I teach, we focus on the techinical aspects of the job and don't take time on the interaction between techs and service advisors or customers. That is covered more in their communication classes. Perhaps it is a part of the trade that should be included in what we teach, but right now we don't. If I have a group that is way ahead and I have some extra time on my hands with them, I could use this role playing to start introducing to them that there is the customer relation side of the trade they will have to deal with and do some role playing for fun. As it stands now though, I can't think of a way were this would make any sense to use. Other than this article however, I have not done any reading on role play, and it could be there are many other ways of using it that I am not aware of.


 * David** I after reading your reflection would have to agree with you, it would be unlikely that you could use it in your program, It would be more of a hinderance than a benefit. It shows me that the learning styles don't have a place in all aspects of education but it is nice to know about them and understand which ones work and which ones don't

To reply to your questions Elaine, it is in one of the assignments Student Centered Learning so hopefully that will make it more clear then.

Donna- Elaine I think that customer service skills are lacking greatly in this era and the ability to communicate effectively is also a weakness. You thoughts on creating some role playing in that area are bang on in my opinion. I would certainly try and step out of the box and give it a try.

Michele D I was also having difficulty finding a way that I could use roleplaying in my teaching. At first I thought I could possibly have one student as the client and another as the caregiver but then I thought this was more along the lines of demonstration rather than role playing. I then considered possibly having the students divide up into different health care professions such as one being a case worker, a PSW, a physiotherapist, and another being the client. However this would take up a lot of time and I don’t think that it would be worthwhile within our time constraints.

BryanL I feel the same way as you Elaine. I think with the trades it becomes difficult as we are either working with large objects or building them. I think we may be missing something on the interpretation of the Role Playing which through our classroom discussion we just may be in for a surprise and through our active learning class with Eva we will find out how to manipulate this role playing to our class. So looking forward to learning the way!

Gil R Elaine I have tried role playing and had students sort of act out the parts of a transmission. I did ask the students how they felt about the roleplaying and their response ranged from just OK to the most fun we had in class. I am planning on using this as one of my examples in my presentation.

Marnie-LeighB - Hi Elaine, I would tend to agree with you on the fact that role-playing would be difficult in your course. I teach a programming course and it is done all individually so there is really no option for me to do role-playing. So you are correct that all courses might not be able to use this type of learning-style might not work in all situations.

Eva - Great conversation and reflection here! Learning about a method and knowing that it is not the method for you or in certain areas of your program is as important as using methods that don't work and don't meet the learning outcomes. This is the learning that needs to happen for us as educators to know **when** to use **what**.

__**Assignment #8 - Learner Centered Approaches**__



__Feedback__

Michele: I agree that it is very important that the evaluation reflect the learning outcome. Also agree that it helps the students if they know how they will be evaluated.

Marnie: I liked that the previous method and time was included in the presentation as well as taking the time to list issues that may arise with the new way of teaching. I could see where the auction role play would be fun for the students to do and much more engaging than a lecture.

Melodie: I really like the abilty for you to keep your students up to date without you having to do all the leg work. I had never seen a Prezi before and found your presentation really engaging. Prezi looks like a neat tool.

Michael: I could see where role play would be very beneficial for the students from both the patient side (needing to know the symptoms of what they are claiming to have), as well as for the nurses (needing to ask the right questions and draw a conclusion based on the answers).

Roxy: I like the digital storytelling you do with your students; each of them getting a different era to research. I bet they uncover some very weird and interesting historical facts, things that were considered normal for the time but absurd now a days. I like the three day rotation where they get to be on the table once, but more importantly get to try the hands on two times on two different people. It's very true that the expectations of the designated task must be clear to the students.

Donna: I like the Think, write, pair, share. It kind of goes hand in hand with the video we saw on introverts where it mentioned we should be letting people work alone first, and then get them together to collaborate and share their answers.

Barry: I like that you have addressed the issue of a search that may pull up unwanted webpages and how to handle it. I can see your role play with switching roles and assigned tasks with guidlines being very helpful to students.

Gil: Great humour. I like the different levels of the role playing that can be used depending on how the students are doing. Great that you are aware that students will have to be graded differently at the beginning of the year compared to the end of the year.

Stefan: Loved the opening to your presentation with your quote. Great humour, very true about the video game reference. I liked your case study with all the support information.

Bryan: Safety picture of the ladder in the pool will really engage students and get a discussion started. I like that students pick questions based on their own experience and then discuss a better way to go about it.

David: I like that students can come up with their own way of acomplishing something and then compare/defend their ideas to another group. I agree that there is too much regurgitation of information without proper understanding. Something that would be solved by your case study. 100% true that on the job they will not be told what to do but will have to think for themselves.

Debbie: I like that you can use the K-W-L to tailor what you teach to what the students want to learn.

Tom: I like that each group works on part of a puzzle that must all fit together at the end. Your prezi was making me dizzy!

Brenda: Excellent way of drawing a mental picture of what tourism is. I really like the game you have that gets into economics of tourism. I really like your use of the popplet, I didn't realize it could be used that way.

Wade: I like how all your learner centered approaches are on subjects that prepare students for enterning the workforce. Very practical use and they must see the benefit of putting some effort into it.

__**Assignment #10 - Webquest**__

[] Automotive braking system webquest (I really like this one) [] Automotive safety webquest

__My Webquest__: I would like to make a webquest where the students learn how a specific automatic transmission upshifts and downshifts through its gears. The task would then be to read over a case study and diagnose what the problem is as well as detail how they would fix it. I will pick a specific transmission because they are all controlled differently and I don't want students to pick one that is more complicated than they have time to learn about. I want them to end up with an understanding of how a basic transmission works so that they can then apply that knowledge to more complicated ones when they are in the trade. I will have covered off certain parts of the transmission already, such as torque converters, holding devices and planetary gears as well as how mechanical, non electrical transmissions were upshifted and downshifted.

__Websites:__ (It is very difficult to find reliable information online about transmission operation. Mostly forums come up and the advice is usually wrong) [] Mitchell On Demand (online service manuals) [] All Data (online service manuals) [] Overview on how automatic transmissions work [] CDX electronic shifting control

__Additional information required__:
 * Information || Purpose ||
 * Electrical schematic of the transmission selected || Students can see everything electrically that is involved ||
 * Hydraulic schematic of the transmission selected || Students can see all the hydraulic passages involved in shifting ||
 * Mechanical schematic of transmission selected || Student can see what bands and clutches are used ||
 * Write up of description and operation of a shift valve || Student can learn how the shift valves specific to this transmission work ||
 * Video //Automatic Transmissions// || Give students an overview of how all the parts work together ||

__Additional thoughts:__ I would need to find or write a case study that matches and tests the learning the students have done. Depending on how realistic I want it to be, I may have to incorporate some learning on scan tool data, diagnostic trouble codes and component testing into the webquest. The case study may need to be written in several steps where depending on what they "test" on the vehicle they will then be given that information. If they fail to test something they will not be given the information the test would have discovered for them. For example if they never scan the vehicle for codes, then they will not be given the information that there is a DTC for shift solenoid performance. Only through doing all the proper testing will they uncover all the information they need to properly diagnose and repair the vehicle. I would have to think about how to make this work with a case study. Another thought would be for their final task to diagnose a live vehicle that I have bugged to simulate a no shift complaint. That is when the students would really be put to the test.

I think it would also be wise to have several small presentations along the way or projects they have to hand in as groups to ensure that they are on the right path. There is a lot of learning involved in this webquest and it wouldn't work well if a group didn't learn something properly right at the beginning of their learning that then causes them to misunderstand other things along the way. Having some sort of evaluation at strategic points throughout the webquest will ensure everyone is on the right path.