Category: #crit101

Week 5 Assignment

Originally published here.

This weeks assignment included having to make a collaboration video in groups. I very much enjoyed this assignment as i took on the responsibility of putting everyone’s videos together and i personally had never done this before but realised how fun it was and i really enjoyed it. I learnt skills in that too, skills i never knew i had

I also feel that the way our group worked together to decide who did what, we worked extremely well and managed to sort things out very efficiently and it worked perfectly

It showed me that working in a team is more fun than working by yourself and making a video is a very fun and good way to learn.

Making a video was fun but also tricky as 30 seconds is a very short amount of time to speak in so it made me realise that picking out the important parts to a paragraph is very important 

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

here is the link to our video

#crit101 v2 – Week Six

In the final week of #crit101 the focus is on self reflection. The week six page has been updated with the video lecture, reading material and information about this week’s assignments.

The final Twitter discussion will be on Wednesday (17.04.13) between 6PM and 7PM (BST).

One of the key features of the final week is the end of course survey. Please take the time to complete it carefully. It is both an important part of your reflective process, and will also provide me with useful feedback about the course.

Week 5 : Synthesis and Evaluation

Originally published here.

Personally, I found this week quite difficult as I feel I am much better at breaking down sources finely than combining them to formulate and create fuller understanding. After tackling this task this week I definitely realise why this skill is such a valued quality seeing as it is hard to really grasp an understanding as to what is involved in synthesis and evaluation, but nonetheless most certainly it will be a key ability that will be needed as I continue through my education. We were asked to work in groups of three this week and create a short video reflecting on and synthesising our ideas on the chicken and the egg. I believe we managed to be co-operative and each took a different section to do, which was decided quite easily, which made the task easier to tackle. I found that I was unable to do a video as the technology I had did not permit me to film a video or at least add a commentary over some images. Despite being fraught with technical difficulties, I was able to create a powerpoint online to add to the video, to explore the responses to the dilemma and draw from various other reading and resources I had at my disposal. I think it was much more useful that we each had a specific section to do as we could focus much more individually on our areas, before coming together to gather all our ideas to create the video.
For my section I used an online powerpoint maker which cycled around the arguments and then came to a general statement which led to the conclusion provided by another member of my group. I combined ideas from the original article and then added to their ideas from other articles I had read and other websites that debated the topic. This weeks task was quite hard as it involved mixing some of the skills we already had and then being able to implement them as well as being able to present your findings, all the more collaborating as a group as well.
I found working in a group particularly useful this week as it is much easier to start once someone gets the ball rolling. We each managed to choose a section without any disputes which meant we could get started without too much worry on our own little bit. I think it was good that we just each got a specific part to produce in the assignment as it is much easy to work within constraints and knowing exactly what we needed to have in our sections than if what we had to do was ambiguous. It also means that hopefully the parts that we each bring to the assignment will not be too repetitive and provide a broader understanding.


Reflection on Synthesis and Evaluation – Week Five – Crit101

Originally published here.

I am much better at deconstruction than construction… at least, it is easier for me. After building a creative project for this course, I understand why synthesis is a higher level thinking skill on Bloom’s taxonomy. Creation is challenging.

We were asked to work in small groups with the goal of creating a short film. We were successful but it took quite a bit of work. We coordinated on our Google doc. I got more of a sense of collaboration this time around because there were three of us collaborating and we got to work on it earlier in the week.

I enjoyed checking in on the document to find responses to my input. We were able to hammer out a plan relatively quickly. Then it was time to get to work.

My responsibility was to explore the response to the question from the cyclical point of view. I was happily assigned this even though my first ideas were along a different line. It was nice to be assigned a specific task. It is always easier to work within constraints. I still added my original perspective because it tied in well with my assignment.

One of my partners posted her video first. This was a great inspiration because it was done so well. It was a great model. Ideas about what my product were solidified early in the week. Building the project was another challenge all together.

For my short portion of the project, I enlisted my son to help with art (he had a blast), and my colleague to help film chicken sex (Thank you Mrs. Felciano). I took a short video and a photograph myself, I wrote a script, learned a new tool (a piece of presentation software), narrated my film, and built the subtitles. Here is my script:

the actual question "what came first the chicken or the egg" demonstrates biases in thinking.

In many cultures, around the world, time, even existence, is perceived as cyclical. there is no beginning and there is no end. in these contexts, the question itself doesn't make sense.

The scientific perspective disregards the role of the rooster in the reproductive process. after all, chickens reproduce sexually. the question takes a gynocentric view of time.

Applying skills learned in the Crit101 COURSE leads me to believe that the age old question my not be worth asking.

It was a lot of work. I probably have three-four hours invested in my 45 second clip.

Synthesis is so high on Bloom’s taxonomy because all of the critical thinking skills that we have examined are implemented. I had to research my resources, read and write critically, evaluate my resources, and then build, present, and publish the project.

I am going to keep in mind that having students create projects demands that they engage all levels of the critical thinking process.

Tags: 

Week Four: Reading and Analysis

Originally published here.

This week’s assignment has been especially eye opening in terms of approaching a piece of reading. From taking part in the reading and analysis, I have been able to develop my analytic skills. Phoebe Ayers article on How to Evaluate a Wikipedia Article was especially useful as it taught me some valuable skills when using research from a Wikipedia article in the future and it also helped us to complete our assignment effectively.

Eleanor and I decided to assign a time when we were both available in order to tackle the assignment to ensure it was completed on time. I think this was especially important as collaborative tasks in the past have proven to be difficult due to the fact that the group members were never online at the same time and therefore could not discuss the issue at hand. The paragraphs were distributed fairly between us and we used the discussion section to give our thoughts on the sections and helped each other to add any extra information or to give feedback. The assignment was completed within a reasonable period of time therefore I feel that we worked efficiently together.

Overall, the course has made interdependent learning seem like a more natural and habitual method of learning to me and therefore I feel as if it has helped me in all aspects of learning. E.g. time management, analysis, independent research etc. 

Article Analysis:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jZxnBOopcQlczjDhJImejR-Q2Zt0rnV899y1-FoBB-A/edit