Onenote - resources for getting started

After Travis Smith's presentation, we field a few staff keen to get started on onenote as a learning tool. The current onenote has improved in terms of usability and its main advantage is the ability to use it on various devices.

I have archived here some guides / resources to using onenote:

A good way for our tutors to learn about how to use onenote and its possibilities is to actually use it for their own work first. So, first up, a guide to using onenote for beginners vis PC world and another one via lifehack on using onenote in a work.

Then some 'non-conventional' ways to use onenote via blogs.office com and makeuseof.com 

The best way to deploy onenote in an educational setting is to leverage off notebook creator. Unfortunately, we need to await the installation of Office 365 on to our network before we can use notebook creator. The official guide to notebook creator is offered via office support.

A youtube video offers good step by step guide (10 minutes). Pros and Cons and discussed by broadeneducation.com. I hope to start a pilot with one or our engineering tutors to find out possibilities and test usability next semester. This will then feed into any work we do with other tutors when Office 365 is installed sometime next year.

Preparing for a digital university - report and new learning management system alternatives

This came up a couple of weeks ago and I have been dipping into the report off and on to glean items relevant to my various projects.

A review of the history and current state of distance, blended, and online learning

2015 edited by Siemens, G., Gasevic, D. and Dawson, S.

Publication supported by the the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Overviews the history and state of distance education, blended learning, online learning, credentialing and assessment (with discussion on badges), massive open online courses (MOOCs) and a final, wrap up chapter, on future technology infrastructures for learning.

Background to the report is provided on Siemen's blog along with a reply to critique from Stephen Downes. There is also review and overview of the above discussion here from Geoff Cain.

As usual, there is no definitive way to approach the review, but as brought up by Downes, there are some omissions in the chapters on distance learning / blended learning which should have been part of the report. However, the report does provide some updates on alternatives to learning management systems, worth further exploration.

The last chapter – indicates some movement towards assisting learners to form their own personal learning environments. Tools / apps / platforms profiled include:

prosolo – has a support framework towards assisting learners to become self-directed – self direction and competency.

Others include Knewton, SmartSparrow, 

OLI - Domain of one’s own/reclaim, open learning initiative

 

LoudCloud - provides measured control, ownership between learner and institution, integration as loosely coupled or enterprise level and structure as decentralised or centralised

TEx - from the University of Texas to bring competency based education into the mix

Unizin  and Apereo

Research projects exploring the PLE landscape include Athabasca University's The Landing, federated wiki, gRSShopper, Learning and perfomance support system (LPSS) with  Canadian example, and Known - an open source social publishing site.

So there is movement across various countries at PLEs. something to keep an eye on.

  

Travis Smith - Microsoft specialist - notes of presentation

Notes from presentation with Travis Smith - microsoft specialist -education - held morning of 7th May 2015 at CPIT.

Mark Marshall CPIT ICT manager and Ann Taylor from Microsoft introduced Travis.

Mixed audience of schools and tertiary educators, administrators and IT.

A focus on using technology to achieve good learning outcomes for learners.

Went through 'high impact gradualism' - why education moves so slowly in the adoption of technology and things to prioritise to maximise impact of TEL.

Issuing hardware has not changed pedagogy - still content focused rather than learning focused. Deploying technology should lead to 'better' learning not replicate learning activities already common.

Need to have evidenced informed strategy, shift to collaboration platform, choice of device is actually critical, be deliberate in developing skills you think you are developing in students ( 21st collaborative learning design - 21CLD) and used data (learning analytics) better (see new line school use of customer relationship management CRM).

Need for institutions to align innovation to strategy and prioritise TEL that works (as per research informed) in the context. What are we trying to improve by using technology??

Need to establish pedagogical framework - and innovative teaching and learning is more likely to occur when there is a shared understanding of what it looks like ....

BYOD is NOT an approach to learning or pedagogy ... it's just how kids get device. Difficulty for pedagogy to be fully utilised if devices are to varied. Learning so often messy, multimodal and subject specific.

Used notetaking as an example - Mueller, P.A. & Oppenheimer D.M. (2014) the pen is mightier than the keyboard: advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Psychological Science.

Choice of notetaking method and device, has impact on learning factual or conceptual facets.

Used OneNote as an example of annotating diagram to take notes. including embedding audio notes. and tracking of 'making thinking visible' through maths problem. Also uses onenote as his presentation tool. - see possibilities of onenote

Mangen, 2008, Mangen & Velaym 2010, Oviatt, 2006 - annotation on digital texts leads to depth of processing, reflection on meaning, ability to integrate and critique knowledge.

version one learning implies the cogitative process and version 2 is the 'final version' encapsulating concepts.   2 is high fidelity, version 1 is low fidelity. Onenote provides capability to bring both together.

The design of educational interfaces - Sharon Oviatt - thinking tools require stylus.

Paper is not going away, just getting smarter - how do we use to help learning?? embed animation? making concepts visual assist with supporting abstract thinking. = using fluid math app

Provided example of Adobe's latest application to make editing of images intuitive and 'instant'. see creative cloud

Monash University intervention by asking lecturers to include 40%  ppt slide which require annotation. Use ctrl P to bring pen into ppt. Add / sketch in - on the fly, allowing for better narrative of how thinking occurs. Provide the version 1 not just the version 2 as a completed ppt slide.

Need to remember, digital collaborative problem solving is a specialised skill. Collaborative problem-solving over distance using real world tools a developing field. Use white board feature on Lync.

Future possibilities being build with surface table, allowing sharing of artefacts across distance or augmented reality through hololens.

Preparation for working in a digital environment requiring collaboration at a distance now a 'must have' skill. Demonstrated real time authoring / collaboration on word online.

Discussed capabilities of office 365 for education. Provides access to 5 iterations of the software for students. Provided example of how to set up onenote to share folder with students. office 365 has a onenote class notebook creator. Demonstrated how to set up a 'course' onenote folder, allowing teacher to see all students' work. Teacher can provide feedback and students will see latest version of their work - with feedback.  opens possibility of using onenote as a form of LMS.

Finished with demo of office mix. (see my first attempt - from learning a trade project)

two other presentations from Travis - on collaboration and onenote for schools.

Motor skills learning – key factors

Another more recent article by Wulf:

Wulf, G., Shea, C., & Lewthwaite, R. (2010). Motor skilllearning and performance: A review of influential factors. Medical Education, 44, 75-84.

This is a shorter article than the one on last weeks’ blog. The article discusses motor skills learning as contextualized to the learning of medical / surgery skills. Observational practice, focus of attention, feedback and self-controlled practice are all summarized.

A very useful article providing the salient findings from the large volume of work on motor skills learning. As much research on motor skills learning in based on laboratory studies, this article, providing examples / applications warrants study. The article from last week’s blog provides greater detail and much more in-depth discussion for those who are interested in pursuing the topic further.

To summarise:

Observational practice, especially if combined with physical practice, is an important component of mimetic practice. Observational practice not only important as a visual introduction to the motor movements, but also of the goals of movement, the subtle and coordinative actions that are part of complex task completion.  Observation provides time for the learner to undertake some reflection on the tasks, before actual trial / performance.

Recommends the use of dyad practice – i.e. practice in pairs as it generates opportunities for both to observe and to practice while observed. So learner not only tries motor action, but has someone to provide timely feedback on performance.

Focus of attentions should be ‘external’ on the goal / task rather than ‘internal’ on placement, movement itself. So, for baking example, when piping out cream rosettes, focus on producing the rosettes to requirements (size, shape, each rosette the same, etc.) rather than amount of pressure exerted from hand holding the piping bag.

Positive feedback much more effective than negative. So learners’ goals become focused on good practice rather than trying to correct ‘mistakes’.

Self-controlled practice refers to learners setting their own goals, rather than trying to meet instructor-set goals. Learner choice as to how to practice and what to practice, leads to better attainment of motor skills in the long term.