October
31
October
17
Week 4 – Paas et al (2003) Cognitive Load Theory and Instructional Design: Recent Developments
Monday 17/10/16 class. To read article and blog.
Cognitive Load Theory and Instructional Design: Recent Developments (2003) by Paas, Renkl & Sweller.
This journal article was an interesting read, however, it was hard to read through in one sitting. The terminology used throughout this article, was very difficult to understand and keep in my head, in my working memory, to be able to continue reading through the rest of the article.
As mentioned in the article (& in my notes below), working memory can only process 2 or 3 elements, but ironically this made it difficult for me to keep reading the article; as the combination of terminology used and the depth of the information given, made it very difficult to process what I had read and was to continue to read.
The article’s text consisted of no paragraphs, which made the text seem really dense overall. If the text had included paragraphs and use of a larger text font, then I feel it would have assisted my reading.
So far, I have read it over a period of three sittings, but wiould need to try again to read through the rest of the article.
Paas et al discuss Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), it’s origination, cognitive processes and framework. Cognition can vary between individuals, as not everyone thinks and processes information in the same way. The process ‘varies on many dimensions,’ for example a ‘continuum from low to high in element interactivity’ (Paas et al, 2003:1).
Element Interactivity –
- Intrinsic Cognitive Load – Information being learned by element interactivity and the demands on working memory.
- Working Memory – All cognitive processing, but limited to 2 or 3 interacting elements.
- Long-Term Memory – Enables the expansion of the working memory and processing ability.
- Schemas – Cognitive constructs, ‘consisting of multiple elements of information into a single element with a specific function’ (Paas et al, 2003:2). Able to switch between long-term memory and working memory.
Extraneous or Ineffective Cognitive Load – ‘Unneccessary load that interferes with schema aquisition and automation’ (Paas et al, 2003:2). Working memory can be used for activities that can be considered ‘irrelevant for schema aquisition and automation’ (Paas et al, 2003:2).
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Paas, F., Renkl, A., & Sweller, J. (2003) Cognitive Load Theory and Instructional Design: Recent Developments. Available at: https://moodle.roehampton.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/370378/mod_resource/content/1/Cognitive_load_theory_and_instructional.pdf (Accessed: 17/10/16).
October
17
Week 3 – Learning From E-Courses
Monday 17/10/16 class. Introduction to Scratch.
This was the first time I have used Scratch. This introduction has been quite fun, however I did find that the given instructions were difficult to follow, as they were instructions for the previous version.
Being honest, completing this task did make me feel out of my comfort zone, even though I am digitally literate. When I reached a point of confusion, I was able to problem solve with two other students in my class and my housemate that is studying a computing PGCE, who also teaches Scratch to his students.
Below, I have included pictures of each stage of the game creation process.
Scratch Website: https://scratch.mit.edu/
Stage 1: Shows the left and right motion settings of the Witch, set to speed 5; and the setting for the Witch to bounce when it touches the side of the stage backdrop.
Stage 2: Shows the looped control settings, for the Witch to randomly hide (between 2-5 seconds) and re-appear a random time later (between 3-5 seconds).
Stage 3: Shows the event setting, for when the Witch is clicked with the mouse, it will hide and play a fairydust sound.
Stage 4: Shows the added setting for when the Witch is clicked, the gamer will gain 1 point to their score.
Stage 5: Making it more complicated, I have added 2 more Witches, each a different size.
This 2nd Witch is set at speed 8, and gives 5 points per mouse click, as it is the smallest Witch.
Stage 6: This 3rd Witch is set at speed 6, and gives 2 points per mouse click. This Witch is medium sized.
Stage 7: Shows the Stage setting, which sets the variable for a set time of 30 seconds, to gain as many points as possible.
The finished game can be accessed here: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/126057391/
October
11
Week 2 – Kahoot Mini Game
Guess The 90s Image
https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/0d5c62b5-965d-45e1-bf0d-805790787814
Pin: 735850
This week I unfortunately had to miss the class session, as I was unwell. Luckily, I was able to meet-up with a class friend and she filled me in about what I had missed. Following my friends instructions, I created this Kahoot quiz.
As I had missed the class session, I was a little unsure about what I should be including in the quiz but after a little research on google, I gathered some inspiration.
This was my first time using Kahoot and it was not like my original thought of what I thought it would be like. I found it easy to use and simplistic to build. The quiz provided a clear and friendly user interface.
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UPDATE: 18/04/17
Having created the Kahoot quiz for the session 4 e-resource, I experienced difficulties in sharing the quiz to the e-resources blog page. I came back to this blog post, to remind myself how I was able to share this first quiz. Looking back at the quiz on the kahoot page, I realised that the pin did not work and changed each time I logged in. Having asked my class friend and lecturer, I have since resolved this issue.