Thursday, October 27, 2011

SS 11: 28 October, 2011

AUTONOMY LESSON

1. You should go to YouTube to view the 11-minute tutorial on the growth of Canadian autonomy in the 1920s.  You will be required to write a well-developed paragraph at the end of this activity.  You will find the video at:
Autonomy Video Tutorial

2. You should review the workbook/text reference pages.  You can also review the slides via the SlideShare. This will be especially useful because it has examples of how to go about writing the paragraph. 
SlideShare PowerPoint


3. When preparing for a test on this topic, use this link to access the Quizlet I created covering the steps to Canadian autonomy from 1919 to 1931.
Autonomy Quizlet

4. Write a 200-word "what/so-what" paragraph to address the following prompt:

                 "Canada did not achieve independence in a single step."

5.  Finally, post a comment to this post telling what you thought about the on-line format of this lesson.  You may wish to address some or all of the following: independence; review; clarity; accessibility; ease; variety; learning styles; frustration; enjoyment; understanding; technology.  Your comment should try to give a pro and a con and should be no less than five sentences long.

11 comments:

  1. Ya these were good eh? and they were easy to use just next time don't like do two videos on the same thing that was very confusing.

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  2. I think the video was helpfull because we can watch it at home. one thing I dont like though is that I couldnt ask a question so i didnt understand as well. i I think it would be helpfull to have these for home but not for class. The video would be also be good for if someone were to miss a class. Overall im happy teachers know how to use tecnolagy now :)

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  3. I also believe that the video was a helpful way to learn about the new topic. It was easy to watch in class or at home, that is if you have internet, which I don't so that creates a problem for using technology to teach. It was also a bit quick, so i wasn't able to copy down the notes to achieve a good understanding of the slide before we moved on. The video itself was fairly clear, so it was a good way to learn the information, especially since you went into great detail about the topics. I believe that it was a good way for you to teach our class while you are away.

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  4. Thanks for your comments Angus, Brad and Ryleigh. I anticipated that the speed of the video would be too quick - YouTube dictates about a 10 minute maximum and I didn't want to make it a two part presentation. For that reason, I also posted a link to the static version of the PPT so that you could access the notes and copy them down at your own speed. When you access the PPT on SlideShare you can additionally access my presenter notes (extra info) under the box that shows the individual slides. There is no doubt that students who live in rural locations outside of high-speed Internet access have a disadvantage - that is a problem that is yet to be answered. I have been checking the blog so that I would be able to answer any questions that you might have posted. One of the ideas of digital learning is that it permits easier collaboration. That means that if you post a question to the blog, you are as likely to have a response from a peer as from a teacher. Good luck with the next unit.

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  5. I thought the video was okay and I would watch it at school, but I can't really picture many of us going back and watching the video at home (for the same reason some us haven't been commenting or took awhile to comment). I think I would prefer learning the information on a powerpoint. So the pace can be adjusted. Also for some going on the internet is a large hassle, I would rather learn what I can in class and then review my written notes at home.

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  6. The video was a good method for a teacher that is away, although I thought at times it was a bit fast, and I rather have you there to explain things more throughly in a way which I understand. Notes for the video were quite hard too. The fact we can access the video anytime on the computer is great! since those who are away will then get a basic understanding on what was done in class :D Overall it's alright, but honestly Miss you Mr. Marshall! Come Back!!

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  7. Thanks for your comments Charlotte and Arhea. I will be doing a few more of these tutorials. I will consider doing them in two parts and speaking more slowly. I will also pause after each slide description/explanation so you can pause the video and copy any notes that you wish to copy. When I watch short tutorials on YouTube, I often re-watch the ones I think are useful. By making a video tutorial and posting the PPT to SlideShare, I was hoping to address different learning styles. Thanks for your feedback; it has allowed me to think of ways to better serve your needs/preferences. I'd like to say that in today's learning landscape, I think it will be important for all of you to move beyond the idea that the instructor of a course that you are taking will have all of the answers and present to you all you need to know. Especially those of you who are going on to college or university, will have to start to seek additional information outside of classroom sources, in order to discuss topics in a more competent fashion.

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  8. Excellent discourse. I think that the use of technology in your practice brings up some really interesting points. Hopefully we will be able to bring more students and teachers into the new age.

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  9. I think the videos were very helpfull because i missed that class and now I can watch it at home.

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  10. I do think that the videos are useful and I like to be able to look at the videos at home. I like it because I can take my time writing notes and if I have missed a class it is easy for me to catch up. On the other hand I like being able to directly ask you questions about a certain topic that I may have trouble with. I agree with Charlotte when she mentioned that it is better to learn what you can in class and then review all the notes at home

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  11. Thanks for your comments Savannah and Shaylen. The over-riding view seems to be that the technology is useful, but direct instruction with a live teacher is better. It would be useful to ask ourselves what about the teacher's presence is most desirable. Is it the immediacy of a source to answer questions, or something else. Is the "personal" connection tangible? How important is the connection a student has with a teacher to this equation? For example, are all teachers, or presenters who are strangers to you, valued over a digital source? Regardless, it seems that you are suggesting there should always be a place for living, breathing teachers in the educational process. What does this say about your feelings towards "distance" education?

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