Term 1
In Term 1, we covered a lot of learning theories, got introduced to the notion of research (new to me) and got into the nuts and bolts of making web pages (familiar to me). Read my general reflections on the term.
Below are the assignments I had to comlete during this term. With each one is a link to the artefact itself and to reflections on the assignment.
Assignments
Vision Web Site - Global Perspectives on ICT in Education
The aims of this assignment was 'to allow the users to familiarise themselves with the principles and practice of good web design'.
The task was to 'create a web site consisting of two or more pages that are linked together'.
There were further requirements and criteria such as making the site accessible and having a clear and intuitive navigation scheme. I wasn't too worried about this one as making web pages is part of what I've done for a living for several years. I've also taught the subject but this was the first time my skills were going to be evaluated in this type of context. Being not too long back from Ethiopia and still thinking alot about it, my vision was based around how ICT could benefit education in developing countries.
As I already knew HTML and the ideas of web design, I set myself the challenge of using this as an opportunity to add to my skills and start learning how to use CSS for page layout. As evidenced on this portfolio site, I've made progress in that!
My Vision Site and my reflections on doing it.
Research Paper - Shared ICT Resources for Distance Learning in Developing Countries
The brief for this one was short and simple - to write a research paper of 1500-1800 words on a topic in the wider area of technology in learning. This was a new thing for me and I found it tough, particularly finding the time to read lots of papers in my area of interest.
The image to the left is of a mindmap I drew on paper in the early stages of thinking about what I would write this paper on. Click on the image to see a larger version.
My paper (PDF document) and my reflections on this assignment.
Lego Mindstorms Group Assignment
The main idea of this assignment was to 'build and program Lego Mindstorms devices, (“objects to think with”) that interact with their environment', in groups. I was in a group with two of my class mates, Mary T Lynam and Nicola White. Apart from anything else, this was a good opportunity to get to know at least two of my class mates better.
Lego Mindstorms is Lego with wheels, axles, arms, legs and motors...you can build a car, a robot or whatever you can conjure up from the supplied parts. Then you can program it to do things, using a simple programming tool on an PC.
Our group's web site, Daisie in the Maze, was our presentation to the class and lecturers at the end of this project. This site contains our group reflections on the project.
My personal reflections are separate.
