Portfolio 1
Lorikeet Lodge
Your getaway in the Treetops
Webquest ICA 20105, BSB20101
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This webquest was designed as an assessment item for my Masters in Education Technology subject FET5621- Introduction to Web Production. Designed around units of competency from the Business Services Training Package BSB01 and Information Technology Training Package ICA05, it is used as an integrated project for year 12 in Semester 2.
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Title: Lorikeet Lodge Webquest.This unit of work was designed to develop a portfolio of Business documents using a variety of computing packages to upload to the internet. Students build upon and develop new skills towards competencies in their Certificate II in Business and Certificate II in IT from the training package BSB01 and ICA05 Year level and student context
Units of Competency
How this item was developed ?I included this example to show my continued desire to learn and apply new ICT skills. It is my endeavour to provide worthwhile meaningful learning experiences and to inspire students to produce their best through intentional learning using contructivism principles.
PV1, PV2,PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PR1 When this item was implemented?Term 3, 2007 Why this is in my portfolio?Lorikeet Lodge Webquest is an example of the integral use of ICT for students studying the Business and IT curriculum. Students in my course plan to enter the workplace on completion of Year 12. It can be an exciting but anxious time for them. It was my desire to inspire them and give them the confidence for their future. The integrated project is designed along constructivism principles to improve and revise skills learned during the Certificate courses. It encourages students to:
In the design I attempted to make the business as authentic as possible by combining attributes of two well know ecotourism retreats Binna Burra Lodge and O'Reilly's Mountain Retreat that operate in The Lamington National Park region. A conference interview with Shane O'Reilly, manager of O'Reilly's was used to create an authentic backdrop. Students became involved in the wider community by writing emails to employees at O'Reilly's to find out more information about working at such a high profile tourist retreat. They also researched globally the ecotourism ideals becoming popular for sustainable tourism throughout the world. The tasks presented students with a case based learning situation which allowed them the opportunity to consider steps involved in promoting a new business and to develop the skills to make it successful. I believe small businesses are the backbone to the Australian economy and regularly use my experience as a small business owner/operator to promote my beliefs. As businesses become more and more global and decentralised, the very nature of employment changes. This ecotourism business reaches out to the rest of the world in its appeal to clientel. Students studying vocational subjects have the aspiration to enter the workforce following secondary school so I encourage all my students to consider the possibility of business ownership. Business ownership can exist more easily these days on a national and global scale through internet marketing. Market competition can be on the world arena, especially in a niche business such as ecotourism. The realistic integration of ICT were integral to the webquest activity just as they are integral to any authentic business. All learning tasks were relevant and engaged the learner with student-centred learning activities. PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PV1,PV2,PV3,PV4 Evidence provided for this itemAll students at the end of the course developed an e-portfolio to enable students to provide an electronic method to record and control access to evidence of their learning. Current trends indicate e-portfolio use within higher education and the VET system is growing. E-portfolios have the potential to provide a system for learners to record and control access to evidence of their learning for a variety of purposes including:
Links to individual items from different students is provided on the left menu under Resources Links. Also included are links to university assignment collaboration and planning documents. Each page of the webquest having W3schools validation will show a validation image. All permission slips from parents for work and images displayed as evidence have been obtained and are on file with Oakey State High School registrar. PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PV4 Item descriptionThe process began with students establishing groups of three however this was adjusted for groups of four when needed by creating two assistants in one of the areas and negotiating the tasks. Students contributed to discussion wikis about working in groups. They are required to list
Students had a choice of roles: Each role had a range of computer generated business documents included in the tasks. As a class, in small groups and individually students explored designs of logos, letterheads, menus, brochures, business cards etc that were used in business. They incorporated aspects of design in a group portfolio to be presented to the class at a "board meeting". Included in the work tasks were updated resumes and mock class job interviews. Once groups were formed and roles designated:
Each group added to the discussion wiki on Blackboard. This helped clarify group goals. All students were invited to contribute to the questions. An important part of the webquest was not just to teach a block of content but implicitly help students think more productively by combining:
By using the wiki area in Blackboard, higher level thinking skills using Edward de Bono's "Six Thinking Hats" were used. They were asked to comment on an ecotourism newspaper article and improve their knowledge about the industry in which they were working, by contributing to group discussions using the six hats. Students accessed global discussion areas and forums for relevant information about the principles of ecotourism and impact on the environment and surrounding urban and industrial locations. These discussion areas did not allow students to participate unless they were citizens or group members. Students used the blogs in Blackboard and later word.doc diaries, to plan and work through tasks over the time frame. They filled out daily work plans, as these contributed to evidence for how they organised and planned daily work activities. Some of the tasks were very specific and had to be completed as stated in the question. Some tasks allowed the student scope for their own interpretation and creative flair. Their own contribution to the portfolio was open ended. I encouraged the use of the wikis and the blogs in Blackboard for all groups to share ideas and for the teacher to direct debates. These wiki's were designed by the teacher and depended on the information flow within the class. Due to technical problems with the school internet access, delays were overcome through face to face collaborations and diary entries. The timeframe for the webquest was 8 weeks with 3x70min periods per week. The final week included the group presentation to the class and the principal. PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PV3,PV4 What made this item challenging?Students needed to work together in a group and develop a business proposal to present to a board of directors. They were given some direction, however overall they were competing with other class groups to achieve their goal which was the best business proposal leading to further employment beyond their contract. Each group was looking for a competitive "edge". They were encouraged to use their creativity and build on their previous knowledge and skills to achieve this aim. ICT resources such as cameras, microphones, video, scanners were shared on a book it bases. Assessment was negotiated between group members and teacher. For what purposes were ICT used in this item?ICT was used to present a variety of business organisational documents and promotional material to expand a new business. Students were required to integrate a variety of software programs, computer hardware and peripherals, to achieve this goal. Communication tools such as wiki's, blogs, discussions emails and telephone conferences were used. Audio equipment was used to record photo-stories. Research was conducted globally to discover what other kinds of ecotourism resorts existed and the effects on urban, rural and industrial areas. Students were encouraged to read discussion groups promoting the ecotourism ideals. Unfortunately contributions to these discussion could not be made due to country and member restrictions. PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PV3,PV4 Curriculum linksTo view the planning and mapping of tasks to competencies: http://clewett.net.au/lorikeetlodge/html/evaluation.html http://clewett.net.au/lorikeetlodge/html/criteria.html Group tasks http://clewett.net.au/lorikeetlodge/html/questionaire.html LAS strategies are attached under Resouces links. Central focus of the student learningThe central focus of this unit was for students to work in a group to design and develop skills to produce organisational and promotional material for a new business. The goal was to acquire a long term position within the organisation. Students were competing against others for the position.
Teaching or learning approach used and why.My approach to this unit of work was as a facilitator. This integrated project was designed for students to extend themselves in the areas they showed talent and interest. The level of learning was building on their prior knowledge and skills acquired during the first 18months of their course. It was up to them to hone and refine these skills, integrating their use of ICT in a real life learning experience. A clear focus for learning was established in the opening story of the webquest. Tasks were designed to meet the individual needs of each student to allow them to satisfy the competencies being assessed. The task was to develop an understanding of the high expectations industry requires from it's employees. Support was provided for students needing extra assistance to gain competency by providing examples and links to "how to" tutorials online. In this project there were plenty of opportunities for extension for high achievers. Scaffolding was provided with links to examples of online content, providing modelling for constructivist learning experiences. Many problems were negotiated and solved within each group discussions. The teacher/facilitator had the role of advisor and mentor, pointing students in the direction to solve their own problems. The group as a whole provided valuable support and assistance to help their team have a competitive edge. The students blogs and diaries provided continued reflection. During this whole process we were all learning together. I was constantly reflecting on the way I had designed my learning materials to fit the needs of my students and things I could incorporate in the future. In this unit I acted as a facilitator to this self-paced student centred learning approach. Students require little input from the teacher but use their group learning skills to plan, negotiate, organise, produce and solve tasks connected with the integrated project.
The students are highly motivated to do well as they are competing with other groups for a permanent position in the organisation. When you
offer the on-line environment to assist them with a competitive goal, their
navigation through the links and materials is highly directed and
purposeful. This project is based on constructivist methodology and intentional learning. Students were encouraged to use connectivism principles to reach the global and national world ecotourism stage with access to ecotourism discussion boards in other countries. Students worked individually and in groups to transform previously learned knowledge through research and collaboration. The portfolio to showcase their skills will benefit them when they enter the workforce. This project encouraged students to invest extra mental effort and time to achieve personal goals. I used Blackboard CMS to store and provide access to learning materials at school, at home and at work. I enrolled all students as a member of the Learning Place and further enrolled them in the course. It was my role to upload learning material and construct the framework for the wikis, blogs and discussions used within Blackboard. Blackboard provides a safe environment to conduct collaborative learning. During the learning unit I had to ensure that our class had access to computer rooms through the school bookit computer program. In my classroom I have a seating plan so I can keep track of student useage of computers in my own class and in other classes to ensure reliability of ICT. I develop procedures for fault finding to ensure computers are operational and students can fault find simple problems. I have a procedure in place for reporting problems and ensuring technical support can follow through. PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PV1,PV2,PV3,PV4 How were individual learning needs met in this item?Students were allowed to choose their group members. Within each group they were given the choice to explore one of three areas to "work" in the business where they enjoyed working and so capitalise on their stronger skills. This gave students the opportunity to work on their strong points. Just as in the workplace. Some students who studied hospitality selected the restaurant position and integrated skills used from their Cert II in Hospitality to develop their final product. Students were given open free choice tasks to achieve competency. I ensured students from the Special Education unit had the necessary assistance during their lessons and tasks were adjusted accordingly. During the unit I managed access to Blackboard and all ICT, ensuring they were available and in good working order. I have mini "how to" sheets available for students to track down minor technical problems with ICT to ensure computer room can be functional in the event of my absence. The learning materials provided were designed along good website design principals. Poor site design can interfere with students ability to read and take in information. I designed for low literacy learners, as research shows all able body people read web materials quicker and enjoy them more when designed in this way. I included the following best design principles:
By taking into account all these important aspects of design, the website was user friendly, even for students with low literacy and limited ICT skills making interaction enjoyable with information easy to uptake. How was the assessment for this item negotiated with students?Within the Certificate courses I teach, all students are given the elements of competency comprising each unit studied. They are aware of the skills required to gain competency in the unit and are aware they can submit work to gain recognition of prior learning (RPL) for any units they feel they already have the required knowledge and skills. Negotiation of skills and assessment is standard practice when teaching and learning in the vocational education and training sector. As long as students can justify they have the competency needed to be classified as competent, then they will gain credit for that unit. In this integrated project their were 10 items students could submit as part of their portfolio. Negotiation could be made on quantity if they could justify they possessed the competency. Each group were given a rubric to assess whether their submission satisfied the criteria for competency. They were given the opportunity to resubmit work if competency was not achieved.
PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PV4 Skills I developed by doing this itemLast year I began my Master's in Education Technology. (Just over two years ago I didn't know how to add a header and footer in word). I told my students and they sort of looked at me as if "don't you think you are a little old miss?" Quite comical really. Earlier in the year, while the students were working on a unit about "Communication in the workplace" they learnt the skills of simple xhtml programming of web pages for businesses. Most businesses have online links to their products and knowing how to upkeep a website is a valuable skill. I began to share the work I was doing at university with them. I learnt webpage design principles and they learnt to integrate them into their design too. During this time I talked about the learning unit I needed to design for my university assignment and asked them what they would like me to include to make it enjoyable. I sought, valued and utilised their input, opinions and perspectives. In doing so I provided opportunities for them to be active participants in the learning process. They responded and were soon giving me feedback as to what ICT they would like to use, what they enjoyed doing online, what they disliked, what software programs they were using or would like to use. I kept thinking of ways I could integrate their ideas into my teaching unit. We began collaborating about xhtml, CSS, javascript, and many extra tools available to web designers. We compiled a list of weblinks together that would be useful for their current unit of work and for future units they were yet to begin. They were helping each other with code, animation, video and audio, some were making their own website at home and had attached jukeboxes and video players. My students were just totally engaged and learning so much outside the classroom in their own time for their own enjoyment. We were also forming relationships through sharing ideas, helping each other and valuing opinions and contributions of other class members to their final business webpage design. During these discussions we were making informed decisions about a variety of ICT we were using at school, at home and in the workplace and critically evaluating current trends, new technology hardware, software, availability and design. These students were now involved in their own learning and felt empowered.
Monday mornings many of my students would burst through the door eager to share their new found ideas after working on their own projects on the weekend. Some joined their own forums and discussion groups to find answers, some needed that face to face contact and guidance to work through their problems. When the time came to attack their final integrated project "Lorikeet Lodge" that I had designed for them, they just loved it. That was one of those "ah ha" moments for me. I combined sound educational pedagogy learnt from the ICT Pedagogical Licence with the critical aspects of good web design mastered in my MEd course "Introduction to Web design", to make Lorikeet Lodge Webquest. The ICT Pedagogical licence improved my skills designing learning material around a constructivism framework. I mastered xhtml programming to make these materials visually appealing to engage the learner. Good web design principles allowed me to fully appreciate the need to create learning materials that are well organised, logical, and cater for different learning styles that will hopefully unlock students "hidden talents". Through collaboration with my online USQ university colleagues from around the globe, I developed knowledge and understanding of the benefits of sharing ideas and pedagogy through online discussions and forums. During the semester web design course, I integrated these inspiring, motivational ideas and successful pedagogy into my classroom for the longterm benefit of my students. While creating this unit of work:
I also learnt some valuable business communication skills working together with Mr Shane O'Reilly, to "create" the experience. It reminded me that opportunities knock at many different doors, something I hopefully passed on to my students. PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PV1,PV2,PV3,PV4 Why this item was worth doing?This integrated project was worth doing as the tasks built on students existing skills and their interests. It was interesting to see the group dynamics in operation in the classroom with limited teacher input. In particular the planning activities were interesting to monitor and to compare with group output. All groups could read other groups work blogs and compare their output. For some students the blog activities proved very challenging as they struggled to write down a plan. The challenging aspect to use Blackboard for the blog fell by the wayside due to slow speeds, which made it sometimes totally unusable. We changed to a word.doc as it was much quicker. Internet speeds at Oakey High School can be exceptionally slow. We have had Ed Qld technical staff looking at ways to improve our access with little to no suggestions. My work around for this problem included having the site on out school network. Unfortunately there came a time when we abandoned many features of our Blackboard site because of technical failure. The most enjoyable aspect of this whole learning activity was the exceptionally high engagement of all students in all the activities. They really took their job responsibilities to heart and all groups provided encouragement to their peers which was enlightening. As the project developed, many students were working at home and coming to school well prepared for their work tasks. Students were often checking the self assessment rubric to ensure their group would achieve a good grade. This tool was very effective. The offer from O'Reilly's manager to respond to student's emails, made the experience of Lorikeet Lodge go outside the boundaries of the classroom to the real world.Further reflection or other informationI began a Self Reflection Blog on my server http://www.clewett.net.au/blog to reflect upon the success of the webquest. I had spent considerable time and effort constructing these learning materials and I wanted to look back on ways I could improve them in the future. The unit was interrupted at times by a severe medical condition that I developed during this project. Fortunately I was able to contact students while away through Blackboard and emails. At one time with my help my students solved a network that had the computer room down for two days. I am really satisfied with the enthusiasm students showed for the project. I feel I achieved my personal goal as all students were highly engaged in intentional learning and working in their own time to improve the quality of their portfolio. The fulfillment I achieved in spending so much time developing and improving my own skills to influence the learning of my students was so worthwhile. I received an email from one of my students following her new job at a local tourist attraction in the Oakey area. She was elated. These were her words:
He (her boss) seemed amazed at everything I knew regarding computers and basic reception skills, which I just consider common sense. These are the rewards of continually improving your knowledge and skills as a teacher to provide worthwhile learning experiences. PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PV1,PV2,PV4, |
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RESOURCES
USQ EVIDENCE: Collaboration Planning of Lorikeet Lodge Webquest 
STUDENT REFLECTIONS |
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| Lorikeet Lodge webquest| Jan's Reflections | ICT Ped Lic |Guestbook | Business IT website | USQ | OSHS |
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Jan Clewett