My experience of Mobile Technology

My experience of the mobile technology is not particularly extensive in terms of ‘depth’, though I have used quite a few mobile technologies to a modest level. Some examples are listed below:

 

1.       Team Viewer – to share my computer screen with person abroad to share what I see on my screen;

2.       Tethering – to connect my computer with the internet;

3.       Dropbox / Cloud – to access my e-files while I am away from my work station as well as a backup;

4.       Laptop – used while travelling;

5.       Antivirus – to prevent e-hacking of and / or virus entering my computer via the internet;

6.       Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) – at my home to connect my laptop with the internet;

7.       Mobile phone (standard) – I have used it for texting and phone calls nationally and internationally;

8.       Smart phone – I have used to receive and send emails; satellite navigation during driving, etc.;

9.       Skype – for meeting with experts and family members too;

10.   Moodle – For various administrative functions as a lecturer to facilitate students;

11.   Lincs – To communicate with staff within the organization;

12.   Online shopping;

13. Online banking.

Personal Experience with Microsoft Applications

In the world of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) my experience has predominantly been in the area of Microsoft applications. I have used the four applications (listed below) and are still in use of them in different ways. Honey and Mumford (1982; 2006) identified four main learning styles including Activist, Pragmatist, Reflector and Theorist. In my personal experience, I understand that Microsoft applications together (if not individually as much) can be used to meet all the four learning styles in different combinations. In my teaching, I personally introduce all four styles as much as I can, as explained below:

Microsoft Word

I have used it both in my own work (in the past when I was employed in the Government / Public sector as a flood engineer and Commercial / Private sector as an environmental consultant). I have used during my own studies as well as while working as a researcher and lecturer in the academic sector. Particularly, in the context of teaching and learning, I have used this application to design coursework / assignment specification, etc. I also give feedback to students in a certain form developed and used in Microsoft Word. My students also use this application to produce their work for marking.

Microsoft Excel

I used it during my PhD to analyse data and present in tabular and graphical forms in order to support the demonstration of a computer model that I developed (details of the model are laid below in the Microsoft Access section). I have used it for statistical applications including maximum, minimum and average. In my teaching and learning experience, I use it to compile marks for students on a module. I also work out average mark as well as standard deviation in marks obtained by my students, in order to more objectively discuss teaching and learning experience of my students in the exam board meetings. Plus, when I supervise my students’ dissertation, I supervise its application on their data sets.

Microsoft PowerPoint

I particularly use it in my teaching and learning. I prepare lectures on PowerPoint. I use it for links to video clips. I also place pictures, tables and graphs on my lecture slides. It is also used by me to prompt me to ask set right questions at the right time as designed in my lesson plan, in order to activate, stir up and control students’ discussion in a workshop style in the classroom, rather than me lecturing in a conventional authoritative style all the time.

When I have my students deliver presentation, they generally use PowerPoint to do presentations. I give constructive feedback to them on their presentations and that how can they make it even more professional in terms of content and expressions on the PowerPoint slides as well as their body language in conjunction with the PowerPoint.

Microsoft Access

I have used it in my PhD when I developed the computer model of a holistic methodology of environmental risk assessment of landfill leachate. Access has VBA (Visual Basic Applications) is embedded in it, and that renders the application even more powerful. I also used this application when I worked as a research assistant (for the University of Wales Bangor) on a research and development project regarding Welsh Headline Indicators of Sustainable Development. I am to update the computer model I developed into newer versions / latest version of the Access, and then develop research proposal to further the research work by employing self-funded research students.

References

Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (July) 2006 (Revised edition), The Learning Styles Questionnaire 80-item version, Peter Honey Publications Limited, Maidenhead, Berks, England, UK.

Honey, P. and Mumford, A. 1982, The Manual of Learning Styles, Peter Honey Publications Ltd., London, UK.

Review of a Blog

In my academic activities I have consulted and referred to blogs. I inform my teaching from my research as well as latest developments in industry. For the latter, one way has been me using industrial contacts which can be accessed these days via their views expressed in their blogs. In my understanding, as at times we use ‘personal communication’ as a reference and citation in our academic works and publications. Nowadays, a reference to a bog of a person is not far from ‘personal communication’ type of reference.

In my latest research paper, I particularly referred to one blog which is authored and run by Professor Richard Ashley who has established a world-wide reputation and impact in the water environment. I have known him for just under two decades. His blog is contains information about flooding issues. One of my research interests is flooding and climate change. His blog has been useful to provide me up to date information from the industry and commerce regarding flooding. Research and technological advances reported in journals and books can not be as up to date as they could be falling a few years behind what is happening in right at the cutting edge of the industrial and commercial sector. However, authenticity of a blogger could be an issue, that is why I would prefer to follow blogs of well established names in industry, at least nationally if not worldwide.

Another aspect of blogs is that you can save ample time in terms of ‘personal communication’. For instance, I did not have to speak the Professor to collect his latest thoughts on flooding issues. I can simply consult his blog. However, if a blog is not kept up to date regularly, then that could be an issue and you might have to contact and speak to the blogger directly to gather his latest thoughts and views about a certain topic. In case of blog of the Professor, it is regularly updated. His blog’s link is given below as an example should one want to visit. I want to render my blog look like his when I reach his stage of career.

Another aspect of me consulting blogs is that I can narrow down my questions and queries, should there be any, to much much fewer. For instance, from the blog of Professor Ashley, I found that there is one specific aspect I need to talk to him and I contact him via his email for which I got the response and that informed my academic endeavor at the time.

http://www.engineeringnaturesway.co.uk/author/richardashley/

Feedback FROM Students

How I collect feedback from students

After the class I dispense post-its among my students asking them to give me feedback anonymously. I gather feedback from my students by stressing them to mention at least one worst aspect (and if more than one could be highlighted, then even better) and only one most best aspect. I advise them that if they identify negative / bad aspects of my lecture, that is rather a positive act as this will help me improve in future. Mostly students say in their feedback that they find my lectures most interactive, and therefore, motivating and useful (exemplary feedback below).

How I respond to students’ feedback

After I have read comments of students, I give students my response on their comments in my next lecture to them. I thank them for their feedback. I learn from positive comments which positive aspects of my lecturing can be enhanced. As for negative comments, I let students know what actions I can and will take to resolve in my futures to them. This way, they feel valued, respected and even more motivated too. As examples, I have listed below students’ comments for one of the modules I have been teaching.

An Example

For instance, one negative comment was that my lecturing pace gets slower in places. I told them that in my class students are coming from different nationalities, backgrounds, languages, etc. Therefore, it is necessary for me to sometime repeat and / or rephrase to describe the same point (which is particularly crucial) so that I make sure the whole class is following. I did not say this to students but there are some students with disabilities such as dyslexia and hearing impairment in my class, so my repetition and slowing down at times during my lecture helps these students too, who have appreciated this in their feedback.

Introduction - Reflective writing

My job role

I am a lecturer in the Built and Natural Environment based at the Faculty of Architecture, Computing, and the Environment (FACE), Mount Pleasant Campus, University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). My role is specifically around teaching in the built environment and the natural environment.

My lecturing style and reflecting writing

Facilitation of reflectivity is vital in education (Pultorak, 1993; Hatton and Smith, 1995). Furthermore, reflective writing is associated with reflective thinking (Kennison and Misselwitz, 2002). In my lectures and tutorials, I specifically focus on the aspect of igniting and reflecting on innovative thinking (and subsequently, writing) of my students. I do this in a number of ways, for instance, during my lectures I would always ask students about their existing views about a concept or topic e.g. what the built environment and the natural environment are. If they are not actively participating or struggling to think and / or express (generally after they have run out of their thoughts and points), I shall put up some exemplary photos e.g. buildings, bridges, rivers, woodlands, etc. This will stir up their thinking (even further) and they start to mention more points. I capture students’ points on a white board and / or flipchart and then put the definition up of the built environment and natural environment from my PowerPoint slides. They feel a sense of creativity, gratification, and accomplishment when they learn that they all together almost defined the concept (I am lecturing on) by themselves. This also helps in keeping my lectures more like a workshop style rather than a conventional authoritative one way lecturing. I have learnt from my personal experience that a lecture can become a means of reflective thinking and writing more effectively via interactive style of lecturing.

My coursework design

My more than usual interactive lecturing style, assists my students on meeting one of the most crucial criteria (i.e. reflective writing) in the coursework assignments that I design for them. The reflective writing criterion is generally addressed under the headings analysis, synthesis, conclusions and recommendations in the coursework designed by me (which cover a range of elements listed in bullet points, below). However, the mark weight allocated to this criterion varies across learning levels from the first years (Level 4) through second years (Level 5) and third years (Level 6) to MSc (Level 7). Generally, the allocated mark weight at Level 4 is lowest and highest at Level 7.

Experts of education

In my understanding and belief, without analysis and synthesis be it on an experience, observation or even a case study, learning can not be consolidated, at least not to the point where a learner is able to apply the learnt to real-world situations. Gibbs (1988) nicely sums up the significance of reflective thinking and writing as follows: “It is not sufficient simply to have an experience in order to learn. Without reflecting upon this experience it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost. It is from the feelings and thoughts emerging from this reflection that generalisations or concepts can be generated. And it is generalisations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively.” Furthermore, Gibbs (1988) outlines the stages for a ‘Structured Debriefing’, which are based on Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle and which encourage deeper reflection and are accommodated varying degrees in the coursework designed by me:

·         Description: What is the stimulant for reflection? (incident, event, theoretical idea) What are you going to reflect on?

·         Feelings: What were your reactions and feelings?

·         Evaluation: What was good and bad about the experience? Make value judgments.

·         Analysis: What sense can you make of the situation? Bring in ideas from outside the experience to help you. What was really going on?

·         Conclusions (general): What can be concluded, in a general sense, from these experiences and the analyses you have undertaken?

·         Conclusions (specific): What can be concluded about your own specific, unique, personal situation or ways of working?

·         Personal Action plans: What are you going to do differently in this type of situation next time? What steps are you going to take on the basis of what you have learnt?

Evidence of my reflective teaching and learning

Last Friday (15 January 2016), I was marking presentations with my colleague for a module (titled, Project Design; Level 6) which is not taught by me but the colleague. It was a pleasure for me to see that the students applied quantitative risk assessment approaches in their presentation (at Level 6) while they were taught these by me at Level 5 in a different module (on Health and Safety). I discussed this aspect with my colleague and we agreed that it was a living and gratifying proof of my teaching, which employed reflective thinking and writing in my lectures and coursework design at Level 5, had effectively worked and demonstrated by students even at Level 6 (one year later in a practical project).

References

Gibbs, G, 1988, Learning by Doing. A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods, FEU.

Hatton, N. and Smith, D. 1995, Reflection in teacher Education, Teaching and Teacher Education, Vol. 11, pp. 33 – 49.

Kennison, Monica M. and Misselwitz, Shirley. 2002, Evaluating Reflective Writing for Appropriateness, Fairness, and Consistency. Nursing Education Perspectives: Vol. 23, No. 5, pp. 238 – 242.

Kolb, D. 1984, Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA.

Pultorak, Edward G. 1993, Facilitating Reflective Thought in Novice Teachers, Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 288 – 295.