My MA in Learning, Technology & Education
The University of Nottingham
As a teacher, I always tried to use all technological resources at my disposal to make lessons more interactive and relevant for the kids. Out of class, I was forever looking for new ideas to incorporate technology into my teaching and learning. So, a master's in Learning, Technology and Education at a Russell Group institution was an easy choice and natural next step for me. It gave me an even greater awareness of how technology is revolutionising education - and a desire to work within the learning tech' industry.
So, lots of Powerpoint presenting?
I always enjoy giving presentations (a key skill of any good teacher), and can whip up a Powerpoint in my sleep. Yet Microsoft's program is still based upon a model from back in 1990. My MA involved the use and critical appraisal of various modern presentation software, and I found Prezi to be amongst the best alternatives. It's an online tool, and thus accessible everywhere, but its biggest strength for me is in its non-linear presentation structure. This means the structure itself can play a role in reinforcing points and relationships, in much the same way as a mind map.
The inclusion of sound bytes and embedded videos can further enhance the interactivity of a presentation, and broaden accessibility by removing the need for a presenter. Meanwhile, screencasting can be an effective means of previewing materials or demonstrating usage. I've created an example Prezi that incorporates all of these features whilst giving a layman's introduction to MOOCs. If you can't see it embedded on this page, try here.
What about Virtual Learning Environments?
We usually discussed and responded to given tasks via the university's learning platform of choice, Moodle. Occasionally, however, we would publish shorter assignments using Mahara, an open source ePortfolio system used by the university, which incoporated a very similar user interface and workflow. Working with this not only allowed me to share my thoughts with other students, but gave me valuable insight into web publishing and interface customisation, beyond the more simple drag-and-drop interfaces that other solutions tend to offer.
For a blast from the past, you can see more of my old Mahara page here.
What was your dissertation/thesis research on?
My dissertation project focused upon vicarious learning (in this case the observed learning of others via video recording) and how effectively it can benefit other learners in turn.
