Welcome to technologyenhancedlearning.net, the home of learning technology development at Plymouth University. You'll find details of all our Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) projects, developments and support activities on this site.


Introducing PebblePad3… (updated 2013)

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Flea Palmer 1 Comment

PebblePad3, due to be launched in July this year, combines Pebble+, a revamped version of the personal learning space we’re already using, with a new institutional environment, ATLAS, which replaces the current Gateway system to support active teaching, learning and assessment. There are also plans to launch a brand new Community/ Social space in 2013 , where users will be able to access a global resource centre across all institutions – resources being displayed in terms of popularity of use through users’ rating. PebblePad will now also be hosting the service which includes storing video – therefore there will no longer be an upload limit of 10MB per asset.

Pebble+

Pebble+ has been completely redesigned as a website with the menus at the top of the screen. The ‘Create New’ menu has been condensed and includes the ‘Upload File’ option. There are a range of generic inbuilt templates for recording (action) plans, experiences and reflections. Templates, including forms and profiles, can now be created by all users and customised for different scenarios – you could create your own course ‘workbooks’. They can also now contain confidential fields, a requirement for many Health-related courses. You can also select from a range of banners to change the appearance of your template, or create your own. The end result looks less cluttered (and therefore more professional) than what is currently available. Templates can be ‘favourited’ and added to the ‘Create New’ menu.

Other changes include the ability to submit ‘Assets’ directly to the VLE, although I’m not sure whether this would work with SharePoint. Also users can create extensible CVs through dragging chosen assets onto a Folio page (available in addition to the Webfolio) – this could be good for showcasing achievements using a range of media to illustrate, for example, the process involved to achieve The Plymouth Award.

PebblePad+ is still Flash-based, although the back-end is ready to convert this to HTML5 when this has been standardised. Those accessing PebblePad via an iPhone or iPad will be directed to the mobile (HTML) version, which currently does 95% of what the Flash version can do.

PebblePad+ showing Asset Store & Workbook in PebblePad3

 

ATLAS

ATLAS is the new institutional workspace where students submit their assets for feedback, peer review and validation – it supports blind and double blind marking, moderation, external review and grading. It is HTML-based so can be accessed via any device.

A typical Workspace (the new name for Gateway) contains 4 pages: – About, Submissions, Resources and Conversations. The old Gateway structure has been flattened and multiple assignments can now be submitted to one Workspace. Owners and tutors will be able to see all submissions to all Workspaces they are associated with through a new ‘Dashboard-like’ screen. Assignments can be ‘paused’, so that feedback can be given to a formative submission while the learner is able to carry on with the piece of work. Assignments can then be ‘played’ again to continue for submission to a summative assessment – this way a learner’s progress can be tracked throughout their course. Templates can be customised for feedback and feedback collections of common statements can be collated and reused. You can also now annotate directly onto submitted work. Institutional resources such as referencing guides can be hyperlinked. Conversations can be saved as assets, with all participants being anonymised.

In response to meeting the new demands for auditing, there is much more recording available in ATLAS, including the performance of teaching staff.

ATLAS Assignment Management Area

 

In addition you can now create custom help sheets by selecting pre-defined areas within PebblePad Help in order to support introductory tutorials and/or specific tasks.

Notifications in the future will be better as students will be able to select how they want to be notified – SMS, Facebook, Twitter and/ or email.

All elements of PebblePad3 are designed to link to other systems – staff and student data, VLE, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr and YouTube, enabling users to create and publish directly from PebblePad+.

 

Summer 2013 Rollout

PebblePad3 will be rolled out during the summer. There will also be a masterclass at the VC’s Teaching and Learning Conference on the 28th of June, with workshops available shortly afterwards. If you would like to discuss how PebblePad could be used to support your curriculum, contact your local Learning Technologist. In the meantime, you can get more information, including videos of the new workspaces and features, from the PebblePad website.

 

Posted in Mobile, Tools | Tagged , , , , ,

The Flipped Classroom

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Joan Gavin Leave a comment

What is the Flipped Classroom?

To define what the flipped classroom is first let’s consider traditional teaching methods where the teacher gives a student a task, for example, reading a chapter of a book.  This would then be discussed the next day in class and then the student would be given an assignment based on the knowledge that they had gained.

The flipped classroom simply changes the order of how things are done, putting the emphasis on student centred learning. For example, initially the student is given access to learning material, such as bite size video clips. In the next classroom / lecture session, the student would then be given tasks based on what they had learned by studying the videos. The tutor would spend the time facilitating and giving support when needed. The idea behind the flipped classroom is to encourage peer to peer learning, problem based learning and the discussions that ensue between students during the lesson that are thought to contribute to deeper learning.

Professor Eric Mazur was thought to be one of the pioneers of the flipped classroom in the work he did at Harvard during the 1990s. Mazur felt that by using computer aided teaching artefacts, he could concentrate on being more of a guide or coach as opposed to someone just standing in front of students talking at them.

Benefits of the flipped classroom:

By using video, or other media accessible via a computer (be it on a CD or USB drive) the students have full control over the media. They can watch key parts over and over, and can fast forward any parts they don’t feel the need to dwell on.

Using contact time to discuss and apply ideas and concepts gives teachers more opportunities to detect if any students are misunderstanding, allowing them to provide coaching and guidance as needed.

Using classroom time to discuss ideas can encourage collaboration among students which forms the basis of peer to peer learning and problem based learning.  The students with higher levels of understanding can teach those who are struggling and the tutor can be on hand to ensure that the right information is being imparted.

Disadvantages of the flipped classroom:

Although it sounds like it might be an easy option, flipping the classroom needs careful thought and good preparation. Time must be devoted to the planning and recording of any video materials to ensure they are of good quality and get the message across to the students clearly and concisely.  This could mean the teacher having to learn these new skills, which again, would take time.

Students need to be fully aware of the model, how it works, what is expected of them and what they can expect from their teacher.

If you would like to find out more about the flipped classroom here are a couple of good resources to give you some insight.

Educause learning Initiative document, 7 things you should know about flipped classrooms. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-flipped-classrooms

You tube video showing Professor Eric Mazur using electronic voting systems during lectures  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wont2v_LZ1E

Pearson has recently bought out a system called Learning Catalytics which helps anyone new to the notion of the flipped classroom to create suitable materials.  There is a cost to using the software, but you can sign up for free for 30 days and give it a go.  https://learningcatalytics.com/

Flea has also created an excellent blog post on the flipped classroom with a cool infographic and case study from UCL.

 

Posted in Open Educational Resources | Tagged ,

Social Media for Employability

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Flea Palmer Leave a comment

In an increasingly competitive job-market, using social media effectively can really help our students stand out from the crowd.

What is social media?

Social media refers to websites and applications where users create and share content, networking across like-minded communities. The most popular in the UK are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Why should my students use it?

Networking is crucial when you’re searching for work. Most companies advertise vacancies online and your networks can inform you about positions as soon as they appear, as well as keep you up to date with the latest industry news. They can be used to find out about a particular career, what it’s really like to work for a company or to find inspiration from someone’s career progression route. Alternatively, students might be interested in working for themselves…

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Posted in Digital Literacy | Tagged , , , ,

Introduction to Podcasting – new dates available

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Mark Lyndon 1 Comment

Have you ever wondered what a Podcast is and how you can create and use them with your students?

Podcasts are bite-sized chunks of audio and/or video content that are designed to be played on computers or mobile devices.

Come along to the 2 hour University staff session to learn about:

  • Scenarios where you can use podcasting
  • Equipment & software you need to record a podcast
  • Planning and recording a podcast
  • Distributing your podcasts to students
  • Copyright, good practice and hints & tips

Sessions available on 15 May, 12 June, 24 July and 21 August.

For further details on the session and how to book a place see University Staff training course page.

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Being Productive with Tablets: A Glimpse of Google Drive

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Edd Leave a comment

Are tablets just shiny toys or can they be used in a professional work environment? Google Drive, a free cross platform mobile and desktop application, provides way for people to take work with them without the hassle of emailing copies. This software also boasts a synchronous collaborative work environment.  Above all tablets should provide functionally and convenience whilst on the go, but does Google Drive provide what you need? Try Google Drive for yourself and search “Google Drive” in the iOS and Android stores.

There has been much debate about the functionality of a tablet and if it is appropriate for work life. The main issue with tablet devices is being able to access and edit documents particularly when later accessing the same document on your desktop. This is important when a user is away from their desktop, typically at a meeting or traveling. A way of getting around this was to email the documents to yourself, edit it on the tablet and email the edited version back. This usually results in time wasted managing versions and clearing one’s inbox. Utilsation of cloud services would provide users’ access to their documents regardless of their location and device.  There is still a lot of development regarding connecting these cloud services with mobile editing applications.

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Posted in Collaboration, Mobile, Tools | Tagged , ,

Introducing the MOOC

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Edd 4 Comments

MOOC Wordle

Massively Open Online Courses, or MOOCs as they are better known as, are becoming ever more popular.  Academic institutions offer course materials at no cost to the students over the Internet.  This has lowered the threshold for attendance, bringing education to the masses resulting in tens of thousands of students registering and attending these online courses.

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