Critical thinking

What is critical thinking?

From Monash University:

"clarify your thinking purpose and context
question your sources of information
identify arguments
analyse sources and arguments
evaluate the arguments of others and
create or synthesise your own arguments."

I think I have posted a link to this useful resource before. 

A staple in the tool box. Useful for everyone.

An illo I made in 2021. I used icons8 (called Mega Creator) to create this image - and also PhotoShop

Mindmap

crunching the ideas today

 Interesting to look around at other sources of edu information: A VCE VET Scored Assessment task type overview

Was looking at the Australian Curriculum

and Victorian Curriculum

5 minute procrastination

 

Seems there's time to explore several apps that are mildly related to what I am working on today. #Canva

Was actually looking into Microsoft Sway. It is largely taking all of the cool aspects of RISE 360 - - - and unhinging the design from an education context. Perhaps a rather slimmed version of what you'd wish for from Power Point. Limitations and choice points refined to give you a basic template  - you can't go wrong. 

 

Memory research: How and why we remember. Author, Charan Ranganath

Will write more about this later...

A podcast/interview that I think is worth a listen: link
Topic: How and why we remember.
The author, Charan Ranganath, has a new book, 'Why We Remember'
- this promotional Waterstones interview includes some really interesting conversation around learning. *If you don't use Spotify you'll be able to find it on any Waterstones related social media.

Educational Design

Sketching and thinking - making sense

Creating the conditions

 

Miro board

Links and tools

Drop of tools pertaining to LD

Investigating Vyond (animation tool for LD) - You can do a 2 week free trial.



Vyond looks like a useful LD tool. Maybe comparible to Powtoon?

For quality animation:
Adobe Character Animator has a great motion capture aspect - free trial
Moho Debut is a one off payment - $60
In combination with Garageband and/or Audacity you could create something great - probably even motion graphic intros for educator led clips.




Here are some useful links (lots pertaining to visual design).

When I was doing more User Interface design I would grab easy icons from here:icons8
SVGrepo
I believe Canva has dominated the market (free to a point) with a good array of icons now.

Free photo images for your course design: UnSplash (RISE 360 uses these images)
Shutterstock is not free but really worth it for quality images for a course build (if that is what you need)

LMS:
I use Moodle at work but used to use the LMS Canvas when I was teaching. I much prefer it. I subscribe to Instructure to tap into 'Canvas goss' when I can.

Other links:
ACMI has game lessons that may be a good resource for some.

Excerpt from Toots or Need a Miracle film clip - by me ^^)

First Principles of Instruction

Book First Principles of Instruction M. David Merrill. (2012).

M. David Merrill. (2012). First Principles of Instruction. John Wiley & Sons.

Thinking about principles.

Merril's First Principles of Instruction

Before he defines his first principles, Merrill clarifies his terms (based on Reigeluth (1999) defining basic and variable methods). 

Merrill quote:

"A principle (basic method) is a relationship that is always true under appropriate conditions regardless of program or practice (variable method). A practice is a specific instructional activity. A program is an approach consisting of a set of prescribed practices." (M. David Merrill, 2012)

Google 'research' ☺💪 states

Effective, efficient, and engaging instruction. What promotes effective, efficient, and engaging instruction? First Principles of Instruction: Activation, Demonstration, Application, Integration, and Problem-centered.

Link to book for further reading

https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/First_Principles_of_Instruction/6PQBV4LUMF0C?hl=en&gbpv=0

Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning - what is the Experiential Learning cycle? Kolb's theory and model and how has it been developed in a contemporary context?

Experiential Learning - brainstorming in MIRO

Would like to investigate this article more...

 

Some thoughts: Does a contemporary Experiential Learning approach aim to better prepare students for the world of work? - link

Cognitive Development Theory

 Also, today, putting this video here.

Thinking through ...

Design Principles, learning, and the immediate, personal, 'context-ghost'

Short version of below text

Merill’s First principles of instruction, in particular, the second point “existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge“, is really resonating with me as I am conscious of the contextualising that is going on in the back of mind as I read through.

Community of Inquiry reminded me of Vygotsky’s social development theory.
As I read through Robert Gagné’s Nine Steps in the back of my mind I ‘stepped through’ a class I had written. A lesson plan for a 2D animation class. I haven't taught animation for a long time, but it just popped into my head as a comparison when I read through the 9 steps.

Leads me to reflect on the consideration of existing knowledge in the varying aproaches of design principles.

Note - may be unreadable. It is a rough draft to capture thoughts. Coming back to edit later.

Design Principles, some little moments that I recognised. 

In particular Merill’s First principles of instruction, while reading through I have in the back of my mind Piaget, Vygotsky and (even) Froebel’s Gifts …some background knowledge of Cognitive Development theory (from an eLearning module I worked on a few years ago). 

This knowledge is helping me to mentally ‘place’ aspects of my learning as I read through these Design Principles. 

Merill’s First principles of instruction second point “existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge“ 

Robert Gagné's Nine Steps of Instruction reminds me of Piaget and also Froebel’s Gifts, 

Community of inquiry reminded me of Vygotsky’s social development theory. Which makes me wonder about underlying theories (or context) behind these Design Principles. What was the context for the design principles development and how does this inform…?

 I am also thinking about these design principles and applying them ‘gently’ as I read through, to my experience.

For example, teaching a 2 D animation workshop. 

I read through Robert Gagné’s 9 Steps and mentally ghosted what I had structured in my lesson plan for that/a session. And thought about what I was trying to cover with what I’d structured, and did it align to Gagné’s 9 Steps – feeling it largely did, as that is why it came to mind as a kind of immediate, personal, 'context-ghost' as I read through.

This experience is really described in Merill’s First principles of instruction second point “existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge“.

I find myself wanting to shape a blog post into a fugue. Not that clever though. Completely out of time.

By Roland Topor. Paris, France 1938-97

Revisit Bloom's Taxonomy

Revisiting Blooms Taxonomy (2022). This one by University of Utah - 2 Aug 2022.

Now I have context in regard to revised version by Anderson and Krathwohl's published in 2001. (Noteably: noun to verb)

Download University of Utah handout here

The video by Common Sense Education is from 2016. Gives context and focuses on what they term "Bloom's Digital Taxonomy" Duration 4:51mins

Three stills from the video that talk about different iterations and metaphors.

My next step here is to learn more about SOLO and its origins. 

Take on me #☺

 Is there a term that sits between epiphany and 'a-ha moment'?

Today's back-of-the-mind quandary. 

ADDIE is something I am looking at and indeed connecting to my knowledge or working thinking around UX and UI. +Agile. 

No time to place all of the frameworks I am exploring here - perhaps this particular post will be edited where I can.

With said 'betweener'-constructed-meaning moments.  ! 

(that last sentence is a bit like a myBib url) 👈 A 'ho-ho' moment, rather than 'a-ha'

Edit: I didn't write what I was thinking about here (perhaps connecting edu processes-thinking to Asimov's books being jettersoned into a streamed appleTV series - a selection of writers with specific writing styles to address certain aspects of (tvseries) story telling - allowing an enormous amount of freedom while still connected with the main concept. The principles of Asimov's Robot Wars books...

I'm tooo busy! leaving this for another time. Should delete - but there's enough to capture something (for me at least!!) #☺

Blooms Taxonomy

Blooms Taxonomy

"Bloom’s Taxonomy is a hierarchical classification of the different levels of thinking, and should be applied when creating course objectives. Course objectives are brief statements that describe what students will be expected to learn by the end of the course. Many instructors have learning objectives when developing a course. However, many instructors do not write learning objectives. The full power of learning objectives is realized when the learning objectives are explicitly stated. Writing clear learning objectives are critical to creating and teaching a course." 

- https://bloomstaxonomy.net/ accessed 12/08/2023