Civen's comment

Session 1 

Group 1

Video Scribe

I haven’t used Video Scribe before. The video you created was a great display of the different functions and features. It reminds me of Goanimate! I agree with both the advantages and disadvantages listed. I think that it does help present the teaching materials in a creative and more attractive way for students. However, I definitely agree with the timing of the audio and animation. It can be time-consuming to get it right! I found your suggestions to be useful in creating videos for students.

Group 2 
Adobe Spark Video

Adobe Spark Video seems easy for students to create videos in a timely manner. I tried the app myself and found that it was very user-friendly. I could easily include pictures, text and videos. I especially liked how easy it was to include audio. I think students would have a blast creating their own videos that look really well done. In comparison to iMovie, I feel that it is easier for students to learn how to use the different functions to create their own video quickly and easily. I found using iMovie to be very time-consuming and required a lot of explanation on how to use it. I would definitely consider using Adobe Spark Video in my lesson for students to demonstrate what they have learned. I agree with the limitations you have mentioned. Considering what you have mentioned, I would probably ask students to export the video and upload it onto another platform such as Google Classroom or Seesaw.  

Group 5

Google Classroom

I have recently started using Google Classroom myself. I agree with some of the advantages and disadvantages you have indicated on the table. I really enjoy that it does create a paperless classroom and you can upload all of the teaching materials for the students to access. When reading about how it can be limited for learners to share their work, I was wondering in what kind of situation? I think that Google Classroom allows for students to share their work if they create their own post and upload their work. Also, they are able to comment on each other’s work once the post has been created. 

Session 2

Group 1

Your mind map was very informative. However, I feel that from cognitivism to constructivism it is not necessarily a shift from teaching to learning. In both circumstances, students are still learning. I think what changes is the role of the teacher. For cognitivism, the teacher organizes the information to be taught in chunks, so that students can easily assimilate and accommodate the new information. The teachers are responsible for the input provided. It does not necessarily take into consideration of what the students already know. In comparison, for constructivism, the teachers are facilitators helping students construct meaning from what they know and what is being taught. They help build new meaning with students.

Group 2

Your mind map was very colourful and organized the information about the learning theories clearly. You gave good examples to demonstrate each of the learning theories. I think that by allowing cooperative learning, you are using the constructivist theory. Students can discuss with each other and learn from one another. They are continuously constructing and reconstructing what they have learned with each other.

Group 4

You listed out the examples in a very clear manner. I agreed with your examples for behaviourism and cognitivism which were really detailed. For constructivism, I think that it is not only learning by doing. I feel that their interactions with their peers or teachers is what helps them enhance their learning.

Session 3

Group 1

Your digital narrative clearly met your learning targets. It was very attractive and appealing for the target audience. The scenarios you created to introduce the target vocabulary and phrases helped demonstrate when it can be used. By narrowing down on what you wanted to teach, I can see how it has helped your group create a concise video. The subtitles below really helped a lot to make it easier to follow for the target audience. In terms of the ADDIE model, I can see how you have followed the analysis and design phase. In terms of the implementation phase, were you able to implement this video in the real context by showing it to non-Cantonese speakers? It would have been great to have read about their responses towards the video. In addition, the responses received could help provide more insight for the evaluation phase.

Group 2

Your digital narrative was really informative and detailed. It was awesome! Whenever a new piece of information was introduced, it was clearly signposted with a question. This made the video easy to follow and I knew what I was about to learn. Your digital narrative clearly demonstrated the effort put in the analysis and design phase. You clearly outlined the learners, learning objectives and content. I really appreciate how your group broke down the design phase into several steps to show what kind of information would be included and the purpose for including it. I can see that everything in the video had a reason and purpose! I feel that it would have been useful to analyze the results from the 5 participants. It would have been able to help provide more insight into the evaluation phase. Through reading your group’s reflection, I can see how much using the ADDIE model has helped you in creating the digital narrative.

Group 5

Your digital narrative had a good start at grabbing the audience’s attention on why we should recycle. The digital narrative was separated into different parts and signposted with questions, which made it easy to follow. By the end of the video, I think students would be able to meet your learning outcomes. I think a summary of the importance of recycling can be included after the initial video. You may also include another outcome on students being able to explain how the paper, plastics and metals are recycled. You clearly explained how each are recycled really well by providing numbered diagrams. It would have helped to separate your questionnaire into different parts with one focusing on the content and the other on the design of the video alone. This would guide the audience to provide more detailed feedback.

Session 5

Group 1

The description and analysis for Treehouse was very detailed. Using Bloom's Taxonomy definitely gave an insightful analysis on its pedagogical benefits. It was useful to read about how it was structured and what level of content would be taught. Your reflection definitely helped me understand as a user what kind of experience I would get. I feel relieved to hear that I would be able to watch the tutorial videos again and seek help from the built-in community on Treehouse.

Group 2

I found the Dinosaur Ecosystems online elearning course to be very interesting! The analysis of the pedagogical benefits was detailed and clear. I clearly understood how the information was presented to the students. I was completely swayed by the advantages listed. I really liked how it is student paced and that they are able to choose the content to learn more about. I feel that this caters to learner diversity since students can choose which topics to start with. Having videos, quizzes and discussions for students provides various means for them to be engaged and interested with the content. I think that your suggestion on having “highly recommended” topics being listed students as an appropriate measure to the disadvantage you have listed.

Group 4

I found the analysis done by Philip on the Smart Cities online elearning course to be critical and reasonable. You have clearly identified what is missing and gave a sound suggestion on how to rectify the problem. A form of assessment would be beneficial for students to ensure that they have completely understood the content covered. This would also allow students to identify which topics they need to revisit before taking part in the discussion. Perhaps for the discussion, it would be beneficial if there were experts monitoring or taking part in it to provide some sort of feedback. I think that feedback is key to ensuring that students are on the right track given that it is an online elearning course.

Session 6

Group 1

I think that the interaction between teachers and learners is one of the most critical factors in making an online course engaging. The teacher still needs to have some sort of presence in the online elearning course. I feel that the teacher is essential in creating and guiding discussion among students online. They can push students to move beyond their comfort zones when taking part in online discussion. They can ask critical questions which challenges students’ understanding and allows for meaningful learning to occur. This is something that cannot occur without the teacher monitoring their progress and taking on the role as a facilitator.

Group 2

I find your point on having a gamification element to be an interesting factor. I feel that this would be more directed towards younger students or perhaps students with lower motivation. I feel that gamification does make a difference when it comes to younger students. They enjoy collecting points in order to level up and are more receptive to reading the online content and completing online tasks or quizzes. It also motivates them to continue visiting the online elearning course. However, I think that gamification does require a lot of time and effort. I feel that it has to constantly keep on changing or updating in order to keep the students’ attention.

Group 4

I agree with most of the factors you have listed. I think that interaction is the most important in making the online course more engaging. I feel that number 7 is not a critical factor in making an online course engaging. Students can still learn whether they have the autonomy to choose the topic or not. Some content might be needed to be taught in sequence in order to scaffold students to better understand the information. If students were given autonomy over the elearning course, they may neglect the sequence and choose what interests them the most and miss the fundamental information. A younger target audience may need more structure and direction as to how they should cover the learning content in order to ensure learning occurs. In comparison, an older target audience would have a better understanding on their strengths and limitations and be able to manoeuvre around the various topics according to their needs.

Session 7

Group 1

You gave a really clear introduction to both of the language learning apps. I found “HelloTalk” to be a really interesting app. I was drawn to how it allows you to not only chat with different members, but helps you find language partners within your area. I feel that the interactive features does make it very useful in enhancing the language learning experience. I especially liked the function on how they could correct each other’s mistakes in their messages. I feel that this app’s interactive feature is what sets it apart from Liu Lo Shuo.

Group 2

You provided very clear and detailed tables showing the differences and similarities between the two apps. The video identified important differences between Duolingo and Learn English Vocabulary 6000 Words. I think that for a language learning app it is important for the learner to be able to track their own progress and the gamification aspect does motivate and engage the individual. It also encourages them to keep on visiting the app. Moreover, follow up exercises does make a difference as it provides a form of feedback to the user and they are able to identify where they are in their learning.

Group 4

I really liked how you highlighted the points that were similar in both apps in the advantages table. I was wondering how users in” Bai Ci Zhan” compete with each other. Is there a ranking system based on their scores? Or can they compete against their friends? I found it interesting that in “Shan Bei” users could take their own notes and set a daily goal. I am interested in how they are able to indicate that they have met their daily goal. I feel that this gives the learners more ownership over their learning and engages them more in the learning process.

Session 8

Group 2

Your Upcycling Workshop definitely had a great message behind it. I thought that the Powerpoint engaged the students by presenting though provoking facts that made you want to take action. This provided a nice lead in towards introducing “Upcycling”. Creating the lantern gave a clear example on how we can upcycle in real life and how it is not difficult to start upcycling. The video was useful in teaching how to make the lantern. However, it would be better if there were signposts indicating the different steps and what needed to be achieved at each step. The homework given was appropriate in having students explore the topic and the use of Mindmeister would definitely help students organize their thoughts and ideas in a clear manner.

Group 4

I loved the design of your powerpoint. It was very bright and colourful! As a young student, I would be attracted to the design. You made great use of the video, Powerpoint and Kahoot to scaffold and consolidate students’ understanding. It was great that the Kahoot tested students on the vocabulary that was introduced in the Powerpoint. It would certainly engage students and allows the teacher to check the students’ understanding. I think it would help if the vocabulary introduced was shown with pictures. The Powerpoint layout would be more like a flashcard when introducing the vocabulary, by having a picture on top and the word at the bottom. I feel this would help to better reinforce the meaning of the word.

Group 5

I think that your lesson was a great example of a flipped classroom. It was interesting to learn that your students are shown an introductory video before attending the lesson on Google Classroom to familiarize themselves with the app. Then in class, they are engaged in completing the worksheet using the app. It must be a very interactive and engaging lesson as students are immediately given a task to complete! I found this app to be very interesting as I could move around the universe and look at the different planets. I feel that it would engage students because they are able to have some sort of interaction with the different planets and learn more information about it. Instead of searching on the internet, this app ensures that students have access to the relevant information and they do not have to spend time reading and finding information from numerous websites.