Using new Technology as a vehicle to effect changes in teaching and learning

practice

8 April 2023

1

Colleen Hurley, James Mackay and Shane TaplinWellington Institute of Technology

Changing Teaching and Learning Practice

2

The Current Situation at WelTec

• Poor pedagogical practice - different Learning Styles - not interactive enough

• Student centred blended learning• Lack of engagement with our Learning

Management System• Lack of self confidence in using new technology• Lack of self confidence in using new technology• Poor reflective practice

3

Our vision of Teaching and Learning at WelTec

Student Centred

Classroom activity and/or problem based

Blended learning environment

Self paced mastery of material

4

Our Model for Effecting Change

Evaluating the use of technology

Improve reflective practice– Learn to use diagnostic tests to understand student

problems– Learn to initiate and become comfortable with change

Using Action Research

5

Why New Technology?

• Shifts the focus of the problem from deeper issues of poor pedagogical practice to a surface issue of mode of delivery

• Can then address deeper issues as part of a wider project

• Will help tutors think about the real problems in teaching and learning

• Small scale lead into much larger change

6

Making Pencasts with Smartpens

7

What are Smartpens and what do they do?

A way of recording handwriting and audio

Then allow digital playback of both

Saved as a Pencast

8

What are Pencasts and how do we make them?

Pencasts allow you to hear, see and relive notes exactly as they were captured

Saved in PDF format for use by students

9

How do we use Pencasts to improve learning?

• Help students learn trade calculations• Help engineering students learn how to solve

physics problems• Outline simple ideas for students• Collect data about how students think when they

solve mathematical problems

10

Integrating iPads into our Teaching

11

Creating blended learning courses

12

• Used in Automotive Electronics • Apps integrated with eBooks• So far variable response

Managing Teaching

13

• Organising their teaching resources• Tutor can access documents at any time• Students access information in class• Flexibility• Create videos in class• Apps available for use in class• “Teachable moment is always with us”

Assessments

14

• Recording assessments in workshop• Take photos or video for evidence• Show good and bad workmanship to improve

standards• Peer assessment

Using Visualisers to enhance our teaching

15

What we are doing with the Visualiser

• Horticulture using it to record video for botany and take still images of various aspects of demonstrations

• IT using it to record video for demonstrating hardware components and hard disk recovery

• Automotive using it to record video for demonstrating components and how they work

Progress to date

17

Progress to date

18

• Just finished a pilot with the Pencasts• Considering expanding in 2012• iPads in middle of pilot• Want more student use in 2012• Visualisers hardly started• Not a great uptake so far

Using new Technology as a vehicle to effect changes in teaching and learning

practice

8 April 2023

19

Colleen Hurley, James Mackay and Shane TaplinWellington Institute of Technology