|
PROFESSIONAL
KNOWLEDGE
PK1:
I understand how ICT can be used to transform what students learn, how they learn, and when and where their learning takes place
|
Title/Unit
BSBOHS201A: Participate in OHS processes
Year level and student context
The target group is aimed at vocational education students enrolled in Education Queensland under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) of the Business Services Training Package (BSBS07). This unit is to be delivered either online or a combined face to face and online approach. The materials are suitable to provide learning materials for all students from year 10 - 12 before their structured work placement.
How this item was developed (such as
individually, with colleagues or adapted from a book)
I developed the content of this unit two years ago after consultation and approval of my Business and IT HOD and other VET colleagues at Oakey State High School. I redesigned the learning materials while studying the subject FET8610 - Creating Educational Web Environments, as a unit towards my Masters in Education Technology. I used the latest educational learning theories to influence my approach to online course structure and collaborated with other online participants to gain feedback and suggestions for implementation. Following participation in Education Queensland's Mentoring Online Course, I included some valuable communication tools such as wikis, discussions, chats and blogs, with overseas OHS campaigner and professionals in the business and IT field, who were all concerned with safety in the workplace.
When this item was implemented
Evidence for this item comes from this unit which was implemented by another facilitator at my school for year 10 during Term 2 2008, and from the unit implemented by myself to Year 11 during Term 3 2008. This unit has been made available for all staff to use for Year 10, 11, 12 for students studying vocational education and training and for Year 10 work placement students. Teachers have chosen to use all or part of the learning materials for this purpose. The Learning Place will also make available this course for online distribution to teachers throughout Queensland.
Why is this item in my portfolio?
I included this example to show my continued desire to learn and apply new ICT knowledge, skills and teaching pedagogy and share these ideas with colleagues. It was my endeavour to provide worthwhile meaningful learning experiences and to inspire students to produce their best through intentional learning by designing experiences using contructivist and connectivist learning theory. My goal was to provide a variety of learning materials to cater for the individual learning needs of my students. I also hoped to inspire my teaching staff to integrate ICT into their teaching practice using sound teaching pedagogy.
This item demonstrates how I effectively:
- Used sound teaching pedagogy based on learning theories to support learning and meet curriculum goals
- Designed innovative learning experiences
- Catered for the individual learning needs of my students by providing a variety of ways to access learning materials
- Provided choices for students to contribute to the assessment process
- Provided access to learning materials in a managed online evironment as well as access on the school network when blackboard was not accessible
- Enrolled all students in the LP, managed passwords, negotiated network and access problems
- Used a variety of collaboration tools in blackboard to construct meaning and for students to gain a deeper understanding. These tools are used individually and in groups through all stages of the learning process and also used for reflection so students may refine, develop and gain further knowledge and information.
- Created a packaged learning unit in blackboard integrating a variety of ICT for teachers at Oakey State High School to facilitate with WHS and VET classes within the school. Teachers are able to choose items that satisfy the learning goals of their students.
- Received permission from video sources to use video content
- Initiated learning conversations to improve teaching pedagogy with colleagues while developing this unit
PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7, PV1,PV2,PV4,PR1,PR2
Evidence provided for this item
Tasks 1- 6 (Student work)
Transcripts of:
- chat
- teleconference
- discussions
- blogs
- emails
- teacher feedback
- input from colleagues from communities
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. On each page of this portfolio a link to the opensource web editor exe 1.4 is provided
PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PV3,PV4,PR1,PR2
Item description (i.e., what the students did)
The learning experiences in this unit encourage students to question
and research workplace health and safety laws and reforms in
Queensland, Australia and globally. Students apply this information to
their workplace context and relate this information to their role in
identifying, explaining, evaluating problems and justifying their
solution to ensure their workplace is safe. ICT use is integral to the
research, problem identification, interpretation and analysis as well
as in the creation of solutions.
Students accessed and manipulated:
- learning materials related to Australian WHS legislation
- audios and videos relating to WHS information, statistics, problems
- tasks which needed students to access company policies and procedures to respond to questions and fill out appropriate documentation
- Interactive tests linked with gradebook to self check understanding as they work through activities.
- Interactive audio/visuals with interactive WHS games.
- Audio/video tutorials.
- an environment that adapts to how,when, where learning takes place.
- used scaffolding to build on and extend their learning
- learning materials to cater to their different learning styles
- opportunities for communication using Web 2 technologies in collaborative, wikis, discussions, chats, emails, teleconference
- blogs to provide opportunity for reflection on the leaning process
- solutions to WHS problems individually and in groups
Students had opportunity to contribute their own ideas to one assessment task. As this unit is competency based students must satisfy the competencies so most tasks had to be completed in a specific manner. Negotiation to RPL is always given to VET students to satisfy competencies.
Permissions obtained for use of video's from the source and all resources referenced on the resources and credits pages.
Opportunities are provided for staff to act as facilitators in a blackboard environment, experiment with the collaboration tools and discuss the pedagogy and integration of ICT.
PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PR1,PR2, PV3,PV4
What made this item challenging?
For my students negotiating the learning materials in the online blackboard environment was challenging in itself. Very few students had used blackboard so the learning curve was steep. For most students this was the first time they had used the collaboration tools and participated in discussion forums, blogs and wikis. Many are still quite shy with having their work on show for all students to read. However the majority enjoyed the opportunity to read what their classmates had to contribute and learned from this experience.
Students were in control of their own self paced learning. When it came to task 2 where they had to think of their own way of addressing the workplace ergonomics problem, many chose the most comfortable way of making a presentation using microsoft word, publisher or powerpoint. Some chose to work in groups where for others they worked individually to solve the problem. Students were reluctant to create a podcast or screencast at this stage. A more directed lesson for this purpose will be required in a future unit.
The online chat was a very different medium for students to work together to solve a task. Most had used chats before for social purposes and it was interesting to note their spelling, grammar and writing was definitive of "teenage chat" sessions. By examining the attached chat file, it is easy to see the social mixed with the problem solving. However as students used the chat for the planning stage of the WHS accident solution and the final printout used correct grammer, I saw the use of chat as a positive medium to use for this type of group activity. Group dynamics can be seen quite clearly in the approach to the satisfactory solution to the problem with some students very aware the solution could mean life or death to the employees involved.
This was the first experience for many staff teachers facilitating in blackboard. It was challenging providing the the behind the scenes support to staff and students. In particular the challenge to provide support to one year 10 class while I was still on extended sick leave, was a learning experience with both class teacher and students new to the whole online environment. I used both emails and the announcement area in blackboard for communication.
The challenge I set myself in this unit was to make what is often sited as a "boring" topic to teach, one that was unique and inspirational. I used the "death by powerpoint" experience of my transport students, to inspire me to provide learning materials to cater for all learning styles, be they visual, auditory or kinesthetic. I feel I made the unit interesting by providing contact with real people both online, teleconference and video, who had real life WHS experiences that had changed their lives.
Making a time for the overseas teleconference with Candace was challenging to find a time suitable for both our class and guest to suit the time difference. Students were shy and a little reluctant to ask their questions. I believe the next time I use this approach, they will be much more open. The first experience was a little daunting but they really enjoyed this approach. After the conference I was very impressed with the conversation about WHS laws within Australia compared to Canada and students were very appreciative of the stringent safety inductions required by Australian workplaces. This activity alone was a tranformative experience for my students and made the reality and severity of WHS accidents hit home. It also had students wondering about the laws in third world countries and changed their belief about the need for WHS policies and procedures in the workplace.
The discussion with Toby our computer programmer was challenging as students were very reluctant to participate in the discussion for fear of sounding "silly". I was impressed by the standard of questions asked by the students. My only instructions were to vary the questions and try not to double up. The face to face discussions within the classroom, added to the answers provided by Toby in the forums. It is hard to develop collaboration in online forums, when students can verbally discuss the topic within the classroom.
The whole blackboard environment was probably the most challenging following the June/July vacation when blackboard was upgraded. I returned to work only to be frustrated by exceptionally slow bandwitch and outages. Most days only 4 students could log on to blackboard and some of those students took well over 10mins to logon which was totally unacceptable.
Fortunately I had all learning materials as a html package that I had loaded onto the school intranet as well as my own internet site. We dispensed with blackboard (which I must say was incredibly disappointing given the time I had put into the unit) except for trying to use the collaboration tools. This was by far the most trying experience I have ever experienced using blackboard, which disappoints me as I have been using the CMS for over 2years and it has been wonderful. I can only hope that Education Queensland solves the problems of this consistently slow bandwitch to country areas although the extensive enquiries I made regarding this problem have shown that it is not confined to only regional areas.
PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP6,PP7,PR1,PR2,PV1,PV2,PV3,Pv4
For what purposes were ICT used in this item?
- Deliver all learning materials in a 21st century way
-
Communication tools such as wikis, blogs, discussions, chats, emails and a teleconference have been used for students to respond, question, discuss and reflect on local, national and global Workplace Health and Safety policies and reforms. Students apply this knowledge to analyse, predict and solve safety problems in the workplace.
- Students used these collaboration tools to work as a class constructing a variety of questions for experts.
- They integrated oral and written communication skills, comprehension, listening skills and problem solving skills
- They learnt together and from each other, collaborating within their group, class and online experts to clarify their understanding of WHS
- ICT were used to complete tasks, research with web resources, download, edit, submit using the dropbox, complete online quizzes, provide marks and feedback
- monitor their own progress through the evaluation sheet provided and the gradebook
- provide an exemplar for teaching staff to facilitate for their classes
- provide opportunities for pedagogical discussion by colleagues
PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP6,PP7,PR1,PR2,PV3,PV4
Curriculum
BSBOHS201A Participate in Occupational Health and Safety Processes
Core Unit from the Business Services training package.
View competencies
Central focus of the student learning
This unit covers the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to participate in workplace occupational health and safety (OHS) processes to protect workers own health and safety, and that of others.
The competencies being assessed are as follows:
- Students Work safely
- Implement workplace safety requirements
- Participate in OHS consultative processes
- Follow safety procedures
Teaching or learning approach used and why
I have based this course on constructivist learning theory, providing all learning materials in a situated learning environment. I use scaffolding to support learning, building on students prior experience and adding to it as they work through the lessons provided.
The web 2 technologies promote a connectivist approach to learning, connecting students to online materials, each other and outside experts locally, nationally and globally. This enhanced the meaning of the WHS unit by providing real life experience. The experience to connect with the experts, transformed their learning as they developed higher order understanding and they changed their beliefs about WHS in Australia.
My practical experience with different children's learning styles and knowledge of Gardner's knowledge theory, have led me to develop learning materials to cater for all my students many ways of learning. By providing materials in alternate formats, a greater variety of students learning styles are being catered for.
Online courses must be supportive of all learners, especially students with low literacy. I have presented all materials using good layout and navigation web design principles, which help not only those students new to the online learning environment, but also enhance the experience of all web users, no matter what their abilities.
These learning materials provided to other teachers enabled them to experience a well designed online learning environment through "active participation". Teachers learn best by being involved and sharing. Staff at Oakey could experience online collaboration tools and new ideas using ICT in learning through facilitating these learning materials with their students. Teachers could also become involved in pedagogical discussion through trialling learning materials.
All permission from copyright owners of video and audio material was obtained and displayed on the resources page with references to online material. This exhibits "good practice" and encourages students to do the same in their presentations.
PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PR1,PR2,PV3,PV4
How individual learning needs were met in this
item
- Learning materials were provided in both audio and visual format to cater for the needs of reluctant readers. Students had a choice to listen or read the content in much of the learning material provided.
- Interactive WHS games were provided for students to understand the cause and effect, of accidents in the workplace.
- Learning materials were clearly set out for ease of reading in size 14 font, dark text on white background with plenty of whitespace. Images were used sparingly but used to add to meaning.
- Navigation was simple, with three navigation bars to allow easy access to learning materials with hyperlinks and arrows to external and internal links to direct learners to appropriate areas
- An overview page provided the necessary links to all learning material and assessment tasks
- and evalualtion sheet setting out clear expectations for students to gain competency was provided.
- All of the above allow students to be independent in their own learning pathways through the content materials
- Teaching staff could experiment with a variety of ideas used in these learning materials to adapt for their teaching practices.
How the assessment for this item was negotiated
with students
Students are not required to complete all activities but need to show
they have the competencies needed to pass the unit. Negotiation on
presentation of the last part of the ergonomics activity - Task 2, was up to the students. They could work individually or as part of a group, to present the ergonomic professional development to their staff. They could choose to do this is written, audio, video or dramatic format.
Unfortunately most students chose the type of format with which they were familiar ie word processing, powerpoint and publisher to present their material with a projector. As we had been using so many new tools in this unit, we will work together to develop skills and use other presentation methods in the future.
Skills I developed by doing this item
As I used this unit as an assessment item for FET8610 Create Educational Web Environments, I developed knowledge, skills, abilities and the teaching pedagogy for developing engaging web environments for learning. This subject is all about providing 21st century learning environments for students and supporting young students in having ownership of their own learning. It supported and enhanced my belief in providing engaging online learning material to what Marc Prensky terms our "digital natives", because that is the environment where they work best and that is the type of environment they expect. If learning materials are not well presented, easy to navigate, easy to access and find what students are looking for quickly and effortlessly, then they are likely to lose interest. I take ownership in my teaching to provide content that is engaging and inspirational.
The skills I developed during this unit included editing and manipulating software such as:
- audacity
- wavepad
- Voice changer software
- Articulate Engage
- Artculate Quizmaker
- Camtasia player, producer and recorder
- Jing
- Sitepal avitars
I developed and further refined my skills using blackboard and technical skills in locating problems, assessing bandwitch, contacting technical staff with problems to do with blackboard student access.
I developed my Mentoring Online skills (while studying the Mentoring Online Course) with staff in their usage and pedagogy of all learning materials and blackboard.
PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PR1,PR2,PV3,PV4
Why this item was worth doing?
This item was worth doing in this way as it made what is often a very boring topic more interesting and real. The focussing ABC audio and 60 Minutes video awakened students to the frightening statistics of workplace accidents. The follow up teleconference with Candice Callaghan allowed students the opportunity to talk to a workplace victim and compare WHS legislation in Canada to Australia. The frightening Canadian WHS statistics awakened students to the positive effect of Australian stringent WHS laws. Students found this teleconference enlightening and talk endlessly about the event for days afterwards.
This was the first time students in year 10 and 11 had used blackboard. The unit was well organised and easy to navigate so students initial experience interacting with the environment was positive. Students interaction with the collaboration tools was still stilted but improved as time went on. This was new and I would expect with repeated use in future learning experiences it would improve. The group chat session achieved the goal of solving a WHS problem.
It allowed OSHS teachers to facilitate an online course using blackboard and participate in professional dialogue integrating ICT within subject areas.
Further reflection or other information
My further study this year at USQ and in particular the Mentoring Online Course, have allowed me to improve my teaching pedagogy to include ways of making ICT integral to my teaching practice. I have seen how valuable the inclusion of the overseas teleconference and the discussion with an expert was to my students understanding to the concepts involved in this WHS course and will have no hesitation in including them in future courses I create.
I enjoy all opportunities to develop and share new knowledge and beliefs about learning, teaching and pedagogy. It was during my university studies I came across exe 1.4 and saw the potential for teachers to create learning materials and e-portfolios for themselves and their students. I used exe 1.4 to create this e-portfolio. This program is exceptionally easy to learn and modify. By using it I can see teachers can integrate e-portfolios for their students easily into their classroom practices. The program needs no programming skills and can effectively be mastered in just 30mins by teachers with basic computer skills. I have shared this software with all teaching staff, with ideas on how this tool may be integrated into their teaching practice.
Participation in the ICTPL Advanced community provided another valuable opportunity to connect with like minded colleagues to focus and hone my teaching practices for the improved outcomes of my students.
PK1,PP1,PP2,PP3,PP4,PP5,PP6,PP7,PR1,PR2,PV1, PV2, PV3,PV4
|
PROFESSIONAL
RELATIONSHIPS
PR1:
I initiate professional learning conversations and seek learning opportunities to improve my pedagogy when using ICT
Further elaborations
PR2:
I take responsibility to contribute to school planning and decision making processes influencing the standard of pedagogy and ICT use in my school
Further elaborations
|
