POST TWELVE - Assessment

The definition of assessment is the following; process of developing in manageable terms, knowledge, skills, attributes and beliefs. It is an on-going process arising out of the interaction between teaching and learning.

An asessment can be a mix of modular, end of course and periodic.

End Assessment: Summative; summarises learning upto that point.
On-Going: Formative; carried out during course e.g. self/peer assessment.

Without assessment teaching is not possible because there is no evaluation of whether or not students have actually learnt anything. They are also in place to improve students learning and teachers teaching as both respond to information assessment it provides.

An assessment can be either objective/subjective or informal/formal. Formal assessments are often in the form of examinations, assignments and coursework. They often provide feedback in the form of a numerical grade. Informal assessments can appear in the form of discussions or self/peer assessment.

A subjective assessment, is topic bases and does not have one correct answer. An example of this is an examination question where you can justifiy your viewpoint. On the other hand an Objective assessment is built up of right and wrong answeres, for example a multiple choice quiz.

POST ELEVEN - Storyboard

Storyboards are an essential aspect of planning a project but exactly what are they and how can we benefit from using them in work.
A traditional storyboard is a graphical representation usually built of squareswith illustrations andf captions, illustrating and brifely explaining what is happening. They flow through chronologiclaly step by step. Storyboards can be created using pen and paper or of course digitally.

Visual Aid 
A visual aid is more ffective in exlpaining you concept to peers. When trying to pitch an idea or discuss a particular topic with a group, often we 'hit a wall' when they are unable to picture our vision. With a stopryboard we can easily map oput the entire project scope and help others understand as they can see the project concept themselves.

Easier production
By creating a storyboard, essentially a production plan is generated, in the correct order, covering the scope of the proposal and how it shall function. A storyboard allows easier integration for further developments, as new ideas can simply be slotted between phases.
 
Time Consumption
The initial explanation phase will be completed quicker as you will have less struggle explaining your concept. It shall save plenty of time when attempting to make further developments.



Important reasons for storyboarding before finalising concept and developing the project.

1. Storyboards help determine whether or not the concept shall work. The project faults and potential pitfalls can be addressed coherently.
2.  Storyboards are a combination of notes and images, the development team can determine whether or not the intended storyboard image will achieve what is required (notes). The storyboard acts as a blueprint for the project.
3. The visualising of the final project can help determine the timeframe and the cost of the project.
4. Error determing at this early stage shall save production time, effort and cost at later stages.
5. Is it appropriate? Storyboarding can help determine whether or not the proposal is an appropriate and relevant one.
6. The storyboard shall help generate a complete project report (using captions) which can then be used to create a project guidebook and user guide documentation.
7. Storyboard updates can be easily slotted in without having to edit extensive documentation, potential updates can be pushed out to peers who can 'self-explain' through the use of visual aids.
8. Storybaords are images with a few basic captions to explain, therefore any languiage barriers can be overcome.

Overall
Essentially storyboards produce foundational yet fundamental planning doccuments and reduce the risks of producing the concept. Storyboards allow clear communication between all parties invlved, whilst clearly presenting the work concept. It is an easy tool to update the work and manage the scope of the project without complexity.

POST TEN - Incorporating 'Space'

How can 'space' be incorporated into the learning environment?

Technology will allow seamless personal learning for students. When technology is integrated into the classroom, teaching can be revolutionised.

The teachers approach needs to be adaoted and the classroom's physical seup may need to be adapted to fir the the digital platform. "The myth of the digital native", students use technology at home to play games and social media but this does not mean they know how to utilise them for educational means.

Whiteboards and Projectors

•  Interactive websites
• Whiteboard excercises
• Online Videos and collaborative games
• Virtual learning
• Video conferencing guest speakers

Computers

• Taking notes
• Blogging
• Accesss material for research
• Create collborative resources like VLE
• Record Screencasts 
• Create digital storyboards
• Use Moodle to provide traditional lesson plans and structure on a digital platform
•  Present their work in Animation e.g. Moviemaker
• Students work at their own pace
• Live classrooms
• record group discussions and place on VLE
• e-Books
• Online work submission

Integration

 For integraton and icnopration of computerise systems the educational institution shopuld consider the following;

1. What pre-existing skills shall the students need to hacve mastered?
2. How many tools are you going to use?
3. The level of digital classroom integration that you find desirable.

The physical setup can also be a challenge. The resources need to be shared effectively;

• Introductory sessons for new enviroment
• Teachers practice before teaching
• Retain teaching plan
• Communicate with others using the same resources
• Technology fails - have a 'non-tech' backup
• Teach troubleshooting
• Proper problem reporting procedure
• Use the IT department for support

Feedback and Assessment

Teachers can create short quizzes at the end of lessons to evaluate yhe students understanding and any areas that they may require to reiterate in the following lesson. Personalised feedback can also be presented to the students via platforms such as Moodle where one-to-one communication is possible. Screencasts allow the teacher to monitor that the student is foccusing on the work but they can also type in helpful notes on the students page. Freedback can be provided in Audio form also using applications such as Evernote.

Digitial Citizenship
 Students are constantly engaing with technology in this increasing technological world but this does not mean that they know how to use it for learning. They may also use it improperly such as cyber bullying and plagarism. Therefore when usng the online platform teachers need to teach children how to report and avoid cyber bullying, copyright, plagarism and understand the concepts of footprint and online conduct. However each of these needs to be taught in a relevant manner to the relevant age group, a lecture on cipyright will not go down very well with nursery students.

Overall
The question truly is how best to integrate technology into the classroom and no longer whether they should nor should not. Technplogy in the clasroom shall bring mutual beneficial for both students and teachers. The process does not have to be long winded and difficult but can be structured in a manner that provisions the required technological resources. This concludeds the blog on how to integrate computer systems and the online space into a traditional classroom.