Personal Learning and reflections
Since the start of the project I have been
enlightened to so much technology that can help to create all manner of
presentations, projects etc. I have gained experience in Gantt project planner
in Microsoft Excel, in terms of editing software I have used Microsoft Live
Movie Player and Adobe Photoshop, though most editing tools are very alike. The
most enjoyable piece of learning was trying to use Articulate Storyline without
any training or classroom time.
Managing a project and interacting with
users of a learning tool was also very interesting. I used my time with my
audience to establish what types of activities, resources and images would be
most beneficial to their learning. As I was using the RAPID prototype
methodology I was fortunate to be able to put my prototype design in front of
the audience to assess and gain feedback before implementation. At this stage I
was able to establish there was too much content and users felt it would be
better to have 2 guides, one of jet aircraft and another for propeller
aircraft. The changes obviously affected the storyboard, as these slides where
removed, by removing these slides made me able to concentrate more on making
the learning object more user friendly and less cluttered.
I decided to make a further change to the
content, I added an additional layer for a further tool to identify differences
in aircraft, I added a section regarding APU design. I felt this was an
important piece of information that could further distinguish aircraft.
Project Plan
Below is a screen shot of my project plan,
I achieved the project on time.
I completed the first 3 stages on time,
confirm on learning object, confirm template design and load text content. I
had issues around photos that I wanted to use so I went over plan on this
section, I needed to take some more photos whilst in Auckland, but project
completion date was not affected.
Source Logos and videos, along with prepare
flow charts where all completed on time. Due to the delay on sourcing the
photos, combining all the elements section was delayed. I presented the
prototype to audience 4 days earlier than planned. The prototype was then
updated and changes made to the final design. Final design was presented to
audience on 14th May.
Work then started to the blog, poster
before submission and presentation to class.
Possible Improvements /
Extensions
Reflecting back on my learning object,
I believe possible improvements could be made around the video, as well as few
of the images could have been more suitable (I wanted to use as few images from
the internet as possible). I would also consider looking at what other
instructional design software where available and possibly trialling this into
a blog.
As mentioned during the reflection
sections above, I made changes to the initial design, based on the fact the
audience felt there was too much content and they would like to have got a
better understanding of jet and propeller aircraft separately. Further
extensions to this learning object could be one designed
for propeller aircraft only.
Technology and Technical learning
I
used a variety of technology to create my learning object, various pieces of
software and hardware as well as cloud technology. Previous to this project, I
had never used cloud technology for storage and had never used video editing
software either, so this project has highlighted a huge amount of technology I
wasn’t aware of.
The
below diagram shows all the technology I used during this process, as you can
see from the below all of the technology are intertwined and related. The
digital camera operates hand in hand with the Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft
Windows Live Movie Maker which were operated on my laptop, my laptop was the
central point to the whole technology map. I used Articulate Storyline, Blogger
and PowerPoint to create the various parts of my learning object and reflective
work, the printer was used to print the posters. EIT Online was used present
the learning object digitally along with Dropbox to store the files.
The
only problem I experienced was discovering once 85% of my project being
completed that Articulate Storyline was unable to post to blog, it was
suggested that I create a website, but that was not the brief, I looked at
Share Point and Dropbox, but both of these were no longer viable options as
they were not support functions. I remember we received a guest speaker called
Stephanie Day, EIT Staff, who offered to assist putting projects onto EIT
Online, so I have used this option to present my learning object.
My
learning object of aviation would only need minor changes, if and when new
aircraft model are manufactured. In terms of the technology used I don’t
believe any of the technology used would require any form of updates, if anything
technology is moving so fast that there would be new technology options
available that could enhance and change the design process.
Teaching and Learning effectiveness
As my learning object was aimed towards a
broad audience, from children over the age of 10 through to adults of any ages.
I needed to take into account all the learning styles, I therefore had to use a
range of ways to keep users engaged and learning. I opted to include logos,
images, flowcharts and videos to interact with the younger audience as well as
text and bullet points to further the learning. I also needed to consider that
the users may have limited computer skills so needed to make sure it was easy
to use and that any instructions where clear.
I tried to make the learning object as user
friendly as possible, therefore enabling anyone who used it would only need
basic computer skills.
Ethical and
accessibility issues
There
were not many ethical issues regarding my project, though taking photographs of
planes in some countries can be a criminal event, I am lucky New Zealand, the
UK and other places I have been have no issues. I have ensured all my content
is culturally sensitive.
With
regard to accessibility constraints, initially I had hoped to post my learning
object to my blog but this wasn’t possible, it therefore restricted where I was
able to present this in an online environment. I considered the use of
Slideshare and Dropbox but both don’t support Articulate. This therefore has
limited its use. I am pleased I was able to have the learning object supported
on the EIT network as it proves it could still be used on a Moodle or an
external LMS if this was to be used as a learning tool in aviation industry or
in a classroom environment.
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