A year has passed since I completed my Degree and gained QTS (Qualified Teacher Status). I often come back to this blog and look back through the posts fondly, and reflect on what a delightful whirlwind the whole experience was. This year, I have just been a teacher completing the NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) program. I use the word ‘just’ as I do feel that it is quite a step down from the pressures and progress made last year. None the less, teaching is not easy, and when thrust into the absolute thick of it with no other distractions, it is rather daunting! Anyway, all is well and I continuously reflect back to last year and think I will always see it as being one of my life’s greatest achievements.
So here I am, three years from the crisis that was my dilemma about higher education and I am now at the end of a very successful degree course of study. I have submitted over 70,000 words (or equivalent with alternative medias) and very likley to graduate with Upper second-class Honours this Autumn.
It has been one of the best journeys of my life and I have probably learnt more about myself and my own capabilities than the course content itself. That is not to say I have not learnt much, its just the personal gains have been so great, I feel that I could conquer the world! It may be about 30 working days until I get my marks back, but I remain confident – one such attribute I have developed in this course.
From here, it is onwards to a career in teaching, knowing full well that I have the transferable skills needed to do anything I set my mind to.
P.S, My gift to those still on the course and fellow students joining me in crossing the finishing line, a spreadsheet programmed to work out your final grade, given the weighting of the modules and so on: Mark Calculator(This spreadsheet has nothing to do with Anglia Ruskin University, I made it myself and I cannot guarantee its accuracy. Use as a guide only)
Like the fanboy that I am, last night I queued for just over 2 hours to pick up a shiny new iPad 2, 32 GB, Wi-Fi model. I had never owned an iPad before and the feature bumps and quicker processor in the second incarnation of the device managed to persuade me to part with my cash.
So why am I putting this rather un-interesting news on a degree blog? Well, many people are calling the iPad a post-pc device, inferring that the device is like the next version of the personal computer to be used by the masses. Being an ICT teacher by trade, I obviously am wanting to get in on the action and see the devices application in the workplace / classroom. What I am proposing to do is to spend as much time on the iPad as I can and detach from my laptop. Is this possible with the current feature set and notable limitations of the device? That’s what I want to find out. Are the limitations of the device actually a new framework for using a device like this? These are all things I want to look into.
Now, I might be absolutely mad doing this now at the stage where there is only about a month to go until the work based major project is handed in, but that fits in nicely with the experiment, can I finish my work based major project on an iPad? That will be something to tell the grandkids…
The experiment has already begun, I am writing this post on the aforementioned device and I have already noticed how quickly I can type and also just how few mistakes I make on this keyboard!
So here we go, into the unknown, but the very exciting!
Throughout my previous study, I have learnt many skills that I do not have the space here to list. One specific I want to unpack here is the concept of using alternative media to present assignments. University is all too often associated with 3,000 word essays and the like, but it really does not have to be that way.
I have made use of a variety of media to present my assignments and I am lucky that I work with a University / Faculty that embraces this medium. I have used everything from Poetry to Animation. As long as the medium accurately meets the outcomes required of the assignment, what’s the problem? I would even go to say that my faculty would prefer to see a 5 minute animation than a 1,500 essay! Some examples I have used in past study:
Poetry – depicting a critical incident of a trip to China with Students, learning valuable lessons of pastoral care.
Vlog – talking freely, prompted by notes, about an event. Feedback on this is that it promotes deeper reflection. I have to agree.
Animated presentations – presentations done in Apple Keynote that allow the user to interact with the presentation and advance at their own pace.
Emails to a hypothetical freiend – encourages persuasive techniques around an academic subject.
These are just a few examples of how I have utilised alternative media in my studies, I look forward to a time where assignment submission in these media is common place in all levels of education, because lets be real here, when do you write essays in ‘the real world’?
When we learn anything, it can be broken down into four phases. To learn or teach anyhting, it is of benefit to know when each of these four stages are reached to gauge learning:
Unconscious incompetence – You dont know what a car is
Conscious incompetence – You know what a car is, but you dont know how to drive it
Conscious competence – You can drive a car whilst concentrating on how to do it
Unconscious competence – You can drive a car without thinking about it
Can you think of any examples for anything you have learnt recently?
The gown is not on me yet, but I can already smell it!
So its now Toby Adams, DipHE. Two years down the road from starting and I have a Diploma of Higher Education (Should I wish to “cash it in” now). Thankfully, the road does not stop here and one calendar year from now and I will be awaiting my third year results in high anticipation of becoming Toby Adams, BA (Hons). I am hoping on achieving a 2:1 overall at the end of next year as my results so far set me up perfectly for that, but aiming for a 1st if I can. It is not going to be easy, but it is certainly not out of reach, so why not!
So it has been 597 days since the first semester started, the first assignments were set and the adventure began. Since then I have identified with UK Higher education, the good and also the bad. I first started with trepidation of the thought of studying at Higher Educational level, but I see now that it was a step worth taking. In a years time I should be submitting my dissertation, the most important document I will have created to date. The adventure for this Academic year is over, but the final chapter and hopefully the best, is still yet to come.
This year I was lucky enough to attend the Apple Teacher Institute where I engaged with 4 days of activities at Cheltenham college, all centred around using Apple creative products in Education. I met some wonderful people there, all wanting to develop their skills. There was a representative from Hull University there that offered delegates of the event the opportunity of accreditation through reflection, this was something I jumped at! Not quite the structured reflection I was used to as based on the guide, it was more like a learning log. I chose to produce it as a blog post, which can be seen at my departmental blog here.
It was a wonderful event and I strongly recommend future events to anyone looking to use technology in their teaching.
This year I was lucky enough to exhibit at the BETT (British Educational Training and Technology) Show. BETT is an annual trade show in the United Kingdom that showcases the use of information technology in education. Founded in 1985, it has expanded to fill both the National and Grand Halls at the Olympia exhibition centre in London, England. BETT celebrated its 25th anniversary at the 2009 show.
This year I took two students to podcast the event for one of my academies wholesale partners; Misco.co.uk The aim was to bring students to the show and report from it using technology to transfer their findings. The themes were:
Wednesday:
International Day
Interviews with technology providers that produce language software and hardware to facilitate language learning in a 21st century style.
Future Learning Spaces
Looking at how classrooms have evolved and where they are going in the future with regards to how technology is driving engagement in the classroom.
Thursday:
SEN (Special Educational Needs)
Interviews with visitors from around the world on how technology facilitates inclusion of SEN students in the modern curriculum.
Playful Learning
An exclusive interview with Professor Stephen Heppell discussing how ‘playful learning’ is the next big thing in education and how technology drives engagement in a ‘playful’ environment.
Friday:
BETT 2010 Award Winners
Interviews with a select number of 2010 winners of various awards to see how the title affects their businesses.
Misco Stand
An afternoon spent at the Misco.co.uk stand interviewing exhibitors about the technology on show and showcasing its application in the education sector.
This event helped the students understand the power of technology in education, interview skills, podcast planning, podcast production, teamwork and of course bartering for freebies!
The tables turned for a brief hour or two on Thursday afternoon, when both Kathryn and Marcus were interviewed by Hexus about the impact podcasting was having on their learning and how it was being used commercially at the BETT show.
The event was enjoyed by all involved and this is clear by the quality of materials produced. A repository of the coverage can be found at http://web.me.com/umisco where the final collection can be viewed.
We thank Misco.co.uk for the opportunity and look forward to even more exciting events in the future!
So it was as though it was only yesterday when I was trawling the web for a course that suited me and now, I am half way to completing! What a ride so far, one of the most exciting of my life. Very much now looking forward to the next 18 months towards my graduation and what I can accomplish beyond it.
Oh, and a very Happy Christmas to all who find this!
p.s. The tortoise was the best representation I could find of ‘half way’…
It has been a fair while since I have posted anything here, but I am feeling the need to get something down and note just where I am in amongst all this.
Today I have started ‘honing the product’ which means for me I was totalling word counts, looking at remaining assignments and briefly planning them in my trusty notebook. I think that there is always a need to have an awareness where you are as if you are ever flying blind, I find that this detracts from self motivation as you cannot see the end of the tunnel.
One month to go and I will (results pending) have half of this beautiful beast complete…
Fun and games are rife at the moment as we have just had the call ‘advising’ us that Ofsted are in this week to do a full inspection over Wed & Thur. A document circulating internally to calm everyone down opens with this:
“Outstanding teachers continuously reflect on their teaching, they analyse particular aspects of their work and find ways to develop. The main purpose of lesson observation is to provide a focusing tool for reflection and improvement.”
This struck a chord with me and really highlited the value of what were all learning here. I know we are not all working in education, but does that really make a difference?
A title and image shamelessly stolen from a great thought provoking video on YouTube that really gets you thinking. It covers many points that go perhaps a bit out there in the grand scheme of things, bit the first 1:13 of the video really hits the nail in my opinion. What do you think?
Now being used by the Universal College of Learning in New Zealand for an undergraduate course on Nursing, this is one of my assignments from the Reflection in the Work Setting module.
Thought I would share as I have not posted this here as yet.
Posted by Toby 
Toby's BA 