So, that’s it, nothing more to see here… for this year anyway. Its now Toby Adams, CertHE, but this is not tobyscerthe blog, so we have a way to go yet. So what has the first year been like? Interesting, that’s all I can say. I came to all this with severe apprehension of higher education, but I now know that all bachelors are NOT equal. There are the institutions that adopt change and innovation with open arms and exploit it for all its worth in a learning environment and there are those who would have you writing with quills if they could. I am fortunate enough to be associated with the first of the two.
I can see precisely how this course has helped me and expanded my horizons in only the first year and how it really can map to any job role.
Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.
The word cloud is created from this blog, the larger words appearing more often. A great tool for visual reflection and presentation.
I hope to get this to its own domain and all sorts, but I would like to see the readers, hits and comments before I commit. Please do have a look and read, why not leave a comment?
Okay, so its all over now for Level one, and i await my results with baited breath, but how do i think it all went? I had done a SWOT analysis for one of my modules in the stitching, but this was mainly focussed the action inquiry. Below is a SWOT analysis that i have done for Level 1 as a whole:
Maybe i should have included this in my appendix??? Oh well, onwards and upwards!
So thats it, my first year of University study complete. It has been a real journey for me and i hope that my marks from the second semester of this year are okay. Now going to give myself a break for a week or two on the academic front, but we will see.
Here is a bit of an off-beat post to outline the components that I am so thankful for and could not imagine doing my studying / researching / learning without. First up its the underpinning element:
This is the framework on which I do 90% of my work (the other 10% is my learning journal which is a blue lined book, nothing special.) I have been involved in the IT industry for a while and without (hopefully) sounding like a bit of a bandwagon tag-along, Mac OS X has really facilitated the work I have produced so far with its simplistic file management, redundancy and time machine.
I suppose the enclosure for the previous (and all to follow) would be my fantastic laptop the MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 15″ The best laptop I have ever had. It keeps on surprising me with most things, could not recommend a brand/model as much as this!
This little gem would have to be the secondary framework. Doing a research / distance learning degree would be rather difficult without web access and Firefox allows me to access all I need to on the web with the ability to support plugins such as Zotero.
The common room / lecture theatre / tutorial space and everything else, FirstClass is the University. It brings the Cohort together to engage in a communal learning environment and also allows students to connect with other cohorts, past and present.
Another Apple product now, still not a fan-boy, iWork 09. I have only been using it really in Semester 2, really to try it out. I have had all versions previous to 09 (through site license) but never really ran with it. 09 has really been a saviour for me, alleviating the need for buggy, slow, putrid Office:mac 2008 that I am only using for my reference page for each module as it has interoperability with Zotero, a feature iWork has yet to support.
Oh, now my favourite, Spotify is a service like iTunes that provides all music in its database (around 2-3 million) for free, streaming and instant. See my previous post to see the love!
I suppose this would be another component of the mix. Zotero is a FANTASTIC premise, but not fully developed in my opinion, head over to their website to read all about it and see how it can help you.
Oh come on, not everything is good with hiher education, this is how the descrepancies are dealt with!
“How can I drive a sense of urgency and engagement in my students at both KS4 and 5?”
This is the question i will be using in the majority of my studies from this point forward until the end of the semester. I will apply an action inquiry to this question and perform reflective analysis. Im quite excited at this point, as this is so true to life and i have already started making progress with the area of engagement but hoping that studies will provide me assistance in formulating a plan. Will go nicely in the CPD evidence folder too!
Okay, so im not feeling too bad about this but looking at the prospect of researching three learning objectives and producing 3500 words conclusively on them all is pretty daunting. Im trying to stay on top of it all and not falling behind and im feeling okay about it. To be honest im really enjoying doing this work as i truly feel that my mind is really being exercised and im learning so much all the time. Lets see how the posts pan out over the next 14 days…
Looking over many a research article and journal, it is becoming clear to me that the best way that i can actually demonstrate ideas is through the use of models. Below is my depiction of how i believe artefacts play a part in the process of reflective practice. What i was also trying to demonstrate was that artefacts can be captured during or after the critical incident.
Next up is the way i have concluded an artefact would then fit within Schön’s model of reflective practice.
And lastly, my ‘brain dump’ of how i can see the Action Enquiry module panning out with my model of its place in reflective practice
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Whether these are correct or not is another thing, but this is just me putting my own learning style into my work.
So Christmas is now merely a distant memory and work is now firmly back on the agenda. I’m now moving swiftly on with Semester two of my first year of University and first up its Reflection in the Work Setting. This module follows on logically from the IWS (Investigating the Work Setting) where the work setting was analysed and evaluated from many different perspectives. This module feels much more lucid than the last with less initial information which opens up the door for some more innovation and furthers the idea of a ‘curriculum free’ course. So, on with the reflection and Action Inquiry to follow soon.
I hope to post later on in the week with more ideas about RWS.
Maybe not the best graphic for the title, but what else could i use to objectify my new found heightened expectations of myself. I came onto this course not having studied at higher educational level before and I always knew i could do it. My feedback from Semester 1 has only confirmed that.
I really cant now wait for Semester two as i now know what to expect and i feel preety in the swing of things with some incredibly usefull feedback to use from Semester 1. Not to mention the continued invaluable community C9 that are all on this journey with me.
So I’m at the finishing line again for the second module of this course and 1/6 of the overall thing. Very pleased to have made it this far, but what have I taken away from it all?
Firstly, upon reflection I can see the value of the concept behind the ‘Original Ideas’ thinking. This is when you have a task presenting a learning outcome and deliverable. Traditional, you would set about forging together a load of text based upon reading materials to answer the question. I have been encouraged to challenge this idea and present work through video, audio, diagrams, charts, visual representations, imaginary letters and the list goes on. It’s all about the individuality of presenting an idea through whatever medium you like.
The biggest thing for me was to get the citations in order. To say something is so is not good enough and most of the time this must be backed up with material that has been published and cite the original author and the year the work was published. This was all very new to me, so it was a challenge to get into this mindset. This is one of the most pronounced points I will be working to improve next semester.
And finally, being critical. I have always been told that the whole part of doing a degree is about being critical in your thinking and analysis. This is something that I feel that I have fully identified with (I hope) and I feel that this has made me a more aware and engaged individual.
And the last word has pretty much been written. All that is left on the aegenda is a bit of self moderation and polish to interject into the mix and to do the wonderful refferencing that i have been putting off untill now. Heres to the 16th at 11:59!!!
Hurrah! I had the final task of compressing my work and finally uploading my final submission last night after a very long and very good Post 16 induction evening. The reaction from prospective and current students was amazing, i have never been so impressed in my life!
But anyway, 1/12th of the degree is now out of the way, and 1/6th will be on the 16th with IOCT on the way. Lets see how we do with that one!
Nothing brilliant this, just a brochure from my (eventual) teacher training provider. I somehow made it onto the main page of their brochure. I think i might print this and put it on my BALTR file, just in case i ever forget where im going with all this!
Not quite over the finishing line just yet, but most certainly on the home straight. My IWS module is now complete in (very) first draft form. Tweaking, word counts and citations are all now on the list to do over the next three days. Its encouraging to now think that I have 1/12 of my degree done!
Posted by Toby 
Posted by Toby 
Posted by Toby 
This is the framework on which I do 90% of my work (the other 10% is my learning journal which is a blue lined book, nothing special.) I have been involved in the IT industry for a while and without (hopefully) sounding like a bit of a bandwagon tag-along, Mac OS X has really facilitated the work I have produced so far with its simplistic file management, redundancy and time machine.
I suppose the enclosure for the previous (and all to follow) would be my fantastic laptop the MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 15″ The best laptop I have ever had. It keeps on surprising me with most things, could not recommend a brand/model as much as this!
The common room / lecture theatre / tutorial space and everything else, FirstClass is the University. It brings the Cohort together to engage in a communal learning environment and also allows students to connect with other cohorts, past and present.
Another Apple product now, still not a fan-boy, iWork 09. I have only been using it really in Semester 2, really to try it out. I have had all versions previous to 09 (through site license) but never really ran with it. 09 has really been a saviour for me, alleviating the need for buggy, slow, putrid Office:mac 2008 that I am only using for my reference page for each module as it has interoperability with 
Oh, now my favourite, Spotify is a service like iTunes that provides all music in its database (around 2-3 million) for free, streaming and instant. See my previous 
I suppose this would be another component of the mix. Zotero is a FANTASTIC premise, but not fully developed in my opinion, head over to their 
