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Using WordPress for E-Portfolios

By Michael Seery On January 6, 2012 · 3 Comments

Overview
The Resource Pack aims to show how WordPress web publishing platform (WordPress.org) can be a useful tool in creating and presenting e-portfolios. It aims to show what can be done technically to integrate various elements of an e-portfolio: the documentation of learning, conversation with peers and tutors, and presentation of the ‘product’ for assessment and/or feedback.[Jan 2012]

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The rise and rise of clickers in chemistry

By Michael Seery On September 19, 2011 · 5 Comments

As recently as 2008, a review of clickers in Chemistry Education Research and Practice had difficulty finding reports of their use in chemistry lecture rooms. In the intervening years, the increase in usage has been nothing short of meteoric. It’s interesting to survey the recent literature to consider how clickers are used in [...]

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UnimPrezi

By Michael Seery On September 8, 2011 · 5 Comments

Prezi arrived on the scene about two (maybe three?) years ago. Since its introduction, conference attendees’ snoozing during a succession of PowerPoints has been interupted by a sense of sea-sickness induced by well-meaning presenters and their carefully crafted Prezis. All Prezis I have seen are like a PowerPoint presentation riding along a rollercoaster. They are [...]

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On the general wonderfulness of the Learning, Teaching, and Technology Centre at DIT

By Michael Seery On June 24, 2011 · 5 Comments

I’ve done a few courses at DIT’s Learning Teaching and Technology Centre (LTTC) and am just finishing my latest, the brilliant MSc (Applied E-Learning). It’s proof, yet again, of the diversity of talent, the pragmatic inspiration, and the extent of expertise of the staff at the LTTC.

Not that more proof is needed. The Centre [...]

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Pre-Lecture Resources Webinar 26 Jan 2011

By Michael Seery On January 24, 2011 · 3 Comments

I’ll be giving a webinar as part of the fantastic Sligo IT webinar series this Wednesday at lunchtime. You can register and find out more here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1135441135. The webinar will cover some of the work I’ve done on my Teaching Fellowship on the area of pre-lecture resources. It’ll be my first webinar – [...]

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PreLecture Resources: Literature Examples

By Michael Seery On September 22, 2010 · Leave a Comment

This post provides some short annotations to literature involving prelecture resources/activities – the annotations are a brief summary rather than a commentary:

Online Discussion Assignments Improve Students’ Class Preparation, Teaching of Psychology, 2010, 37(2), 204-209: Lecturer used pre-lecture discussion activities to encourage students to read text before attending class. It had no direct influence on [...]

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Cognitive considerations… in practice

By Michael Seery On September 16, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I posted a summary last time of what best practice from cognitive science research preached about designing online resources. Putting it into practice threw up some interesting considerations. I’ve summarised these below in light of developing my first pre-lecture resource, as well as reflections stimulated by conversations about it with my colleague Claire.

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Cognitive Considerations in Designing E-Resources

By Michael Seery On September 8, 2010 · 4 Comments

This post aims to consider cognitive load theory and what considerations should be drawn from it in the design of electronic instructional materials. Sweller (2008) discusses several strategies for harnessing the principles of CLT in e-learning design. Several of these strategies are described by Clark and Mayer (2008), so overlap between both are discussed in [...]

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500 Years of Science Infographic

By Michael Seery On September 5, 2010 · Leave a Comment

This is a great way of representing the contributions to science over the course of 500 years. The chemistry line (tan coloured) begins with origins in alchemy and starts as chemistry proper with Robert Boyle, followed by Black, Cavendish, Lavoisier and Priestley. The station intersections show where one scientist had an impact on two or [...]

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Interview with John Biggs

By Michael Seery On August 11, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Found these on iTunesU from La Trobe University (Australia) – interviews with John Biggs (constructive alignment and problem based learning); Vaughan Prain (teaching science);  Chris Scanlan (New media for journalism students); Lorraine Ling (future of education). Nice, listenable, relatively short podcast interviews.

Link to Biggs interview is here – this will open iTunes [...]

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Three useful things to know about E-portfolios

By Michael Seery On June 26, 2010 · 5 Comments

At the DRHEA E-learning summer school this week, we had a useful session on E-portfolios. The conversation very quickly diverted to discussion about lots of complicated things that I had never considered or worried about.

E-portfolios are simple! I decided to repay the DRHEA sponsored headset costs by making this short video explaining [...]

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Supporting Virtual Communities: Reflection on Module

By Michael Seery On June 6, 2010 · 1 Comment

As we complete the Supporting Virtual Communities module, we are asked to reflect on our learning during the module, by replying to some of a range of prompts given. Two prompts are considered in this report: “The Muddiest Point” and “To the Future”. While they draw on different aspects of the module activities and my [...]

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