CGLearner

Sitting down with Ed and Ben for our first crack at using the web based Learn by Design tool was a good experience.  Transfering our placemat into the learning element format made us realise that we had left a fair few gaps in our planning.  This was made really evident through the linear overview display that CGLearner has.

It is great to be able to drag components of the element and change the order of them from that linear overview.  Unfortunately when we tried to do this a couple of times it would freeze and not allow us to drop the section where we wanted it.

Normally in the past when writing out an element I have been reliant on someone else, in most cases Ed, to do the documentation and make sure it is written and formatted correctly.  With CG Learner I was able to take more control of the input. And effectively that’s all it is.  Just inputting the information you need and the formatting is automatic.  Saves a lot of time.

We ran into some obstacles.  The ability to put in tables and pictures wasn’t impossible, but not the most user-friendly way of doing things.  With experience and knowing how to access the features you need, especially with tables, will come.

When pasting into CG Learner from other programs, web pages or word, we had issues getting the formatting how we wanted it.  It would always paste at a much smaller font and within a text box which made it tricky to use.

All in all The CG Learner is a great advance into the freedom of documenting using the Learning by Design model.  It was easier to use and more accessible to the average joe.  I can only assume it will get better and easier still.

Inclusivity

After discussing inclusivity in our lecture Bill brought up a really good point that made things a bit clearer to me.  I guess I had been a little superficial in regard to what is inclusivity in the classroom.  I had the idea that it was grouping everyone together and providing an education that caters for them.  I hadn’t considered it more intimately where it is purely catering for and meeting the needs of the students you have.  Be it in a large classroom of students with different needs, or a selective group of elite students, or a group of special needs kids, inclusivity is making sure everyone in your classroom has the opportunity to learn and develop with the content presented and experienced.  That a range of work and ideas need to be covered that each individual in the setting can relate to and gain from.  Reach is a great word in educating.  If you can have a greater reach in terms of including as many students as possible, than that is the real power.

I think creating an inclusive learning environment can be difficult, but as they say – Nothing good comes easy…

Blog 2 – Tuesday 25th November

LbD Placemat

Ben, Ed and I sat down this afternoon to finish off our placemat.  “Lanyon Cribs”, as it has been named in honor of the great show MTV Cribs, will have the students learning Measurement, Scale and Area through the overarching activity of researching houses from around the world and eventually building a model of one they design themselves (Only a Maths/PE teacher could be happy with a sentence that long!).  Once we finally got into our heads that the placemat is a real over view and basic structure for the eventual Learning Element, we plodded our way through the task.  We were able to create a really great unit that will be exciting to teach.  Already I am looking forward to meating out the placemat and being more specific with the tasks and activities that the students will experience.

Amidst reports and just generally approaching the end of the year it required every bit of our concentration (and bad jokes) to keep our heads in the right space but was definitely a worthwhile activity.

Now I have to go and build a retaining wall!

Blog 1 – Monday 17th November

Well here is my debut blog… I’ll try and keep everything short and sharp so anyone who is reading will get what they need straight away.

Tonight I’ll have a crack at completing the Wiki entry on Authentic Education.  I’m determined to find a good example of it in either a current television show or recent movie.

Ed, Ben and I have had a quick chat as to what topic to do our LbD place mat on.  We’re all Level 3 (lower ability) maths teachers so we might tackle a unit on measurement that would require the students desiging and building a house (scale model of course, not sure the school budget could cope with the real thing).  Another option is to record using a learning element a task that Ben and I just completed with our Level 1 Maths groups (the higher ability kids) that was very student centred revolving around rates and travel graphs.  We’ll see.  The beauty of the first option is we’ll be able to implement it in 2009, where as the other would be recorded in hindsight - unless we’re lucky enough to teach it again next year.

The task that Ben and I just completed in class was a great example of Authentic education.  Very student centred the kids were given a list of what was required of them and then left to their own devices, working within a group to complete the task.  It was great listening to their discussion and seeing leaders come t the fore and really take control.  Especially witnessing some very confident boys finally acknowledge that they really needed the girls input and wisdom.  Part of the task required them recording the time it took for one of the students to complete a track on a bicycle.  Hearing the complicated ways of getting the data they needed from each check point was interesting, then comforting for the, with each others help to simplify the whole process.  Ben and I were able to almost sit back and let them take control without our input.

Anyway, too much blog and no play makes Glenn go crazy… so in leaving I’d like to announce that if I were part of the final three of Australian Idol that was on last night, I would have sung “I’ll Be Gone”.  Its an Aussie one hit wonder sung by some hippie in the 70’s.  Youtube it – it would have guaranteed me a spot in the final two at the Sydney Opera House!

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