Author: ellamaher

Originally published here.

What challenges did you face and how did you respond to them?

One challenge I faced throughout the course was uploading and sending my video (week 5) to my other group members. I found this difficult as editing and uploading videos is a totally new skill. I responded to this difficulty by asking my teacher for help and then googled the advice they gave me. I then watched a you tube clip on how to convert videos. This helped me as I was then able to upload my video clip and I learnt a skill for the future. 

What obstacles got in your way and how did you get around them?

An obstacle I faced was I was away for one week and it was difficult to still participate in the activity whilst being away. I overcame this difficulty by managing my time and prioritising the task. I completed the task by doing little bits at a time. 

How much effort did you put into the course and what did you get out of it?

I put a lot of effort into the course and tried to make every weeks assignment the best i could make it. From this I have learnt lots of new vocabulary and learnt to read much more complex material. I have also learnt to be adaptable to every task I come across

What feedback (criticism) did you receive and how did you take it?

I received criticism that in week two we didn’t have any secondary knowledge. We lacked secondary knowledge as we lacked teamwork. Overall, I did most of the asssignment and I though that another team member would have added to my work. Instead, one member of the team just put my primary evidence into a table. I found that week 2 in particular I did majority of the work. I responded, to this criticism by reading articles on triangulation and the best ways to find and attach secondary evidence. 

What success did other participants have and how did that make you feel?

In week 5 Nadia edited our groups video extremely well and to a very high standard. As I was so impressed with the final video i sent her a message on the group document saying how good I thought it was and telling her how well she had done.

Your progress as an in(ter)dependent learner?

Overall my progress as an independent learner has been good as i have had to manage my own schedule and complete all of the tasks to my own accord. Although, the first few weeks i found the in(ter)dependent aspect difficult as I wasn’t very confident in starting the discussions. Instead, I would just wait for other team members to start it. Although, in week 5 I made a great effort to get involved in discussions as give some ideas. I found this really helped my confidence and my input into the group task. 

What you believe you gained out of completing the course (skills, attributes…?)

I think I have gain a sense of self motivation and my confidence levels have improved in teamwork situations where I do not know anybody else. I have also developed my reading skills, as I have read different genres of writing. As well as that, I have expanded my vocabulary as majority of the articles were more sophisticated then ones I would normally read. 

What you will take away with you and how/where you think you will use it?

I will take away with me the self motivation and determination to find my own answers. I think I will use these skills in A levels or work life where independent learning is key. Also, I have learnt how to work in teams with strangers and be confident to voice my own views. I think I will use this is later life when applying for a job or when I am in a working environment. 

Originally published here.

The process of creating and editing the video?

I found the process of creating a video fun as it was a creative and collaborative way to learn. I found that thinking of what section I would do in the video as I wanted it to be appropriate and worthwhile (for me and my group.) However, I found creating the video clip good fun as it was creative and gave me independence as I could do what I wanted within my section. Although, I found sending my video clip to my partner hard as I was unsure how to export the click. Despite, a slight delay I asked my teacher and he helped me. Then I emailed my section to our group editor (Nadia.) Nadia was very good at editing the clips and I believe that our final outcome was really good.

How this activity has contributed to your development as an in(ter)dependent learner?

This task has helped me to become independent as I got to design my section myself and I had complete creative freedom. This task has been the first so far that I have developed my in(ter)dependent learner skills as I made an effort to contributed to the team discussion and give key points and ideas. So far this task has helped me the most with confidence and team building. Although, I did have to rely on my teacher for an uploading query as I tried to find the answer but I couldn’t find it.

The link to the finished video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgbeVeUOF9I&feature=youtu.be

Originally published here.

How has this week’s assignment improved your skills of reading and analysis?

This week has improved my reading and analysing skills a lot. It has improved my reading skills as the assignment made me read an article that I would never normally read. Also, the sentences and words were complex and sophisticated. These helped me develop my vocabulary as I learnt new words that I will be able to use in future tasks. It has also helped by analytical skills as I had to read the article whilst constantly analysing. It helped to put my previously learnt skills of analysing into practise. Moreover, as the project was a paired task when analysing the article I had to ‘think out side of the box’ so that my ideas and comments didn’t clash with my partners.

Discuss how you and your partner worked together to complete the task.

Overall me and my partner created a good document that I believe was very relevant and valid. Although, we didn’t work great as a team. I think this was because we were both shy to initiate the project and we both were waiting for the other one to start the discussion. Due to this we had a lack of communication and a lack (none) discussion. In the end as I waited until later on in the week my partner started the task and wrote all her ideas and then I developed some of her ideas ad added my own. Our overall result was a success although we had little to no teamwork.

How is the course helping you to become a more in(ter)dependent learner?

Overall I think that the course is helping me to become a more independent learner as it is helping me to schedule my time and organise my week better. Also, it is helping me to be more self sufficient as I am having to research things that I don’t understand in more detail myself instead of just relying on a teacher to help or give me the answers. Although, I still think I need to become a more in(ter)dependent learner as I have found the group tasks hard to start a discussion.

Here is the link to our completed document:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qUJvlKmtl07T5Xa727wC96l3enHmcT2wnlbZj59iWBk/edit

Originally published here.

How did this week’s reading and assignment build on last weeks?

This weeks reading and assignment has given me a better all over all knowledge of the best way to research a chosen topic. It has also showed me a more structured and detailed way to research things. This week has really deepened my knowledge on how to research properly to get the best results possible.

How has it added to your understanding of conducting effective research?

This week has added to my understanding of how to conduct effective research as it has given me a effective way to structure my approach. I have found reading about the Harvard system very beneficial. Also, I found that combining my last weeks reading and this weeks reading I have been able to understand the Harvard system in better detail. I think with a bit of practise I will be able to use the Harvard system in a research task in the near future.

How much progress do you believe you have made as you approach the halfway point of the course?

Overall I think I have made quite a bit of progress as it is the first time I have worked on a collaborative piece with people I have never spoken to in real life. Not only has this helped my communication skills it also helped to make me more confident as during the task you had to be confident to put your points across and give your ideas. Also, it has helped me developed my independent learning and time management. I think this will be beneficial in all of my school life!

Originally published here.

1. Read and critique the #egg research project conducted by your group. Analyse and evaluate the validity and reliability of your research.

 Validity:

 Overall our project was quite valid as the conclusion that we came to was supported by the main pattern created within our results table. The main pattern that was created was that the younger people are less concerned about health factors when deciding on the best way to cook an egg. Whereas, middle aged people are more health concerned. Although, when analysing the elderly (over 70) we realised that they were less concerned then the middle aged. We came to the conclusion that this could be due to the lack of knowledge of health when they were growing up. Also, if they lived in uneducated times it would be extremely difficult to change their lifestyle (eating) choices at an older age. Although, we came to a clear conclusion in our results table we did have quite a few anomalies. This shows a lower level of reliability!

 

Internal Validity:

 Personally, I believe that the method we used to collect the data was relevant to the task. This was because we collected primary evidence (questionnaire.) This was relevant because we individually designed the questionnaire so we could get detailed information and we could direct it in the direction that we wanted the project to go in.  

 

External Validity:

Although, the project was not very externally valid as only a small group of people were asked and 85% of them lived in a 20 mile radius of each other. This shows that the results could only represent a small area as certain health campaigns may be in place. However, a few of the results collected were from abroad. This helps to make the results a little broader.

 

Reliability:

Overall our project was quite reliable as a steady pattern was created in our results. Although, there is no definite evidence that if we repeated the experiment the same results would arise. This may be due to our lack of secondary evidence, showing that we had little knowledge of whether this questionnaire had been asked before. To add to that, we had little explanation on whether anyone else had ever found this pattern or whether it was just a one off. Furthermore, when conducting the research I asked all the people on the same day at the same time. This would alter people’s answers as some prefer to eat healthy during the week but treat themselves on the weekend. Also, people have different time schedules (work) on weekdays to weekends.  Moreover, when collecting results the results were very basic one word answers so despite it was easier to make a conclusion from this the results didn’t give information if they cook eggs differently on the weekend.

 

Harvard system:

 Although, our research didn’t coincide with the Harvard system as we had no secondary evidence, making it less reliable and harder to compare our results to see if there was a definite pattern. It also makes our project less reliable.