Individual Assignment Coversheet Psychology and Education units

DETAILS OF ASSIGNMENT Student name Email address Unit code and name Assessment title Word count Referencing style eLearning Advisor Kristy Snell 5851157@student.edu.au SLCO100 Learning and Communicating Online Assessment 3: Reflective Essay ID number Phone contact 5851157 0419893504

1389 APA referencing style

Benjamin Charnley
.

Date of submission

09/06/2013

DECLARATION

(the first four boxes must be completed for the assignment to be accepted)

I declare that: This assignment does not contain any material that has previously been submitted for assessment at this or any other university. This is an original piece of work and no part has been completed by any other student than signed below. I have read and understood the avoiding plagiarism guidelines at http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ltas/plagiarism/students.htm and no part of this work has been copied or paraphrased from any other source except where this has been clearly acknowledged in the body of the assignment and included in the reference list. I have retained a copy of this assignment in the event of it becoming lost or damaged. (optional) I agree to a copy of the assignment being retained as an exemplar for future students (subject to identifying details being removed).

Yes No Student acknowledgement

DETAILS OF FEEDBACK

Kristy Snell

Date

09/06/2013

Office Use Only Date received Total mark / grade Late penalty applied? Marker

Normally, you will receive feedback on an assessment within two weeks from the date of submission.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLCO100. ASS3: Reflective Essay

Assessment 3: Reflective Essay Kristy Snell Swinburne University SLCO100 Learning and Communicating Online Benjamin Charnley 9th June, 2013.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLCO100. ASS3: Reflective Essay Learning online involves the consumption of a vast range and variety of diverse informational and social media sites. Exploration of the technology that is available for publishing and sharing information in an online environment, involving the process of transitioning online information into writing with an academic voice. Learning and construction of knowledge with others, testing and evaluating the credibility of online resources, correct format for writing and referencing and the possible future implications for developing knowledge in an online environment. Fitting, altering and building information learnt through observing, experimenting, searching, engaging in dialogue and becoming producers of this information. According to the article: Power of Collaboration, technology can provide opportunities for innovative ways of sharing information for the development of knowledge. Social media involves collaborative projects, blogs, content communities, social networking sites,

virtual game worlds and virtual social worlds (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). The social media and informational sites landscape consists of social constructivism, an extension or sub category of constructivism which views social context and the role of actors as important in the knowledge construction process. Discussion allows the learners to test their ideas, synthesise the ideas of others and build a deeper understanding of what they are learning about. I am an avid user of the social media site Facebook involving my personal profile, adding people as friends, finding friends, joining groups and pages, exchanging links, photo and statuses. The technology available for publishing and sharing information online involves the process of evaluating the accessibility, non-sequential access, multi-modal information and interactivity. Researching the publishing tool Prezi involved utilising a values list from week six. I found it was important to me to be able to access the Prezi page easily from anywhere, using a number of devices such as a computer, mobile phone or tablet. Prezi enabled me to scan the information, move backwards and forwards through the content in order to go straight to the specific pieces of information I was publishing and producing. The possibility of using sound, video, images and text all on the same page appealed to me as everyone has different learning styles and the group felt this covered a variety of these. The transition of online information into writing academically involves using skills such as evaluating, analysing, interpreting and arguing or debating, citing and referencing of information. Engaging deeply with a variety of research sources in order to express personal thinking with authority contributes to the production of

Running head: Kristy Snell SLCO100. ASS3: Reflective Essay a critically written piece of information. In my research of Diabetes (assignment one) I found Wikipedia to be very informative and factual by adding new information to my pre-existing knowledge. I found there were a variety of references throughout the readings giving me the opportunity to branch out and research this information further. Citations help to identify the source of the information and locate its origins. I found the APA Format Citation Generator enabled me to use citations correctly throughout my assignments. The importance and value of collaborative work involves communication, dedication, patience, and understanding in order to be effective. My learning and construction of knowledge through collaboration created the joint effort and simultaneous creation of content (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). This content involved the use of a group wiki page enabling methods of communication, delegation of research, decision making, participation, implications of technical issues and appropriate deadlines. I found collaborative work to

be engaging, rewarding, practical, efficient and effective. The benefits produced from sharing a diverse range of skills and knowledge offered endless possibilities for assimilation and accommodation regarding information and knowledge to be learned and used by the group. The implications for collaborative learning can be detrimental to the outcome of the production of an online informational resource. In assessment two I took on a leadership role from the beginning and found the group members followed and responded to my interactions, emails and direction in a positive manner. Facing the challenge of a member not communicating and contributing offered the opportunity to pull together as a team and overcome this hurdle involving hard work and frustration. Evaluating and testing the credibility of online sources requires skills that are needed to determine the quality and credibility of online information. According to Metzger, accuracy refers to the degree to which a Web site is free from errors, whether the information can be veried ofine, and the reliability of the information on the site. The authority of a Web site may be assessed by noting who authored the site and whether contact information is provided for that person or organization, what the authors credentials, qualications, and afliations are, and whether the Web site is recommended by a trusted source. Objectivity involves identifying the purpose of the site and whether the information provided is fact or opinion, which also includes understanding whether there might be commercial intent or a conict of interest on the part of the source, as well as the nature of relationships between linked information sources. Currency refers to whether

Running head: Kristy Snell SLCO100. ASS3: Reflective Essay

the information is up to date. Coverage refers to the comprehensiveness or depth of the information provided on the site. Employing these points of research in the assessment of the internet based information I researched enabled the development of knowledge in an academic environment. According to the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework (2004), informational literate people recognise a need for information. They determine the extent of the information needed by accessing the information efficiently; are able to critically evaluate the information and its sources, classifying, storing, and manipulating the information. Incorporate selected information into their knowledge base, using this effectively to learn, create new knowledge, solve problems and make decisions. Using a checklist approach I created in week seven to test the credibility of online information I ranked five main areas of importance: 1. Author identification, qualification and credentials. 2. The ranking of results in the search engine output. 3. The objectivity and nature of the source. 4. Currency. 5. Source citations to scientific data, references and links. I found this to be very useful when researching information on the assessment two topic, fishing. I believe this tool enabled me to sort and classify information that was credible and reliable. Fitting, altering and building information I learnt through observing and searching different web sites, experiencing working collaboratively, engaging in dialogue and communication enabled me to research and respond accordingly using the Feedback Sandwich Model from week ten readings. According to Moon we reflect in order to learn something; or we learn as a result of reflecting something. Reflection usually involves the sorting of bits of knowledge, ideas, feelings and self-awareness of behaviour. We shape and model the context of our reflection according to a mass of influences. Reflective thinking builds the foundation for the furtherance of democratic principles, helping adults cope with and learn from ill-structured, complex problems in social settings and the workplace (Kolb and Schon, 1993). I found myself reflecting in-action and on-action throughout this unit. Becoming a producer of an online informational resource, using Prezi lead to the dissemination of information regarding fishing and its related sub topics. Using my academic voice, technology for publishing and focusing on credibility and reliability of information allowed me to develop confidence within my online learning group. As a learner I believe the information I have accumulated regarding online learning, online sources and working collaboratively is a cumulative and continuous process. According to Dewery, prior learning becomes

Running head: Kristy Snell SLCO100. ASS3: Reflective Essay the fodder for further understanding and insight. By engaging in a variety of sources, choosing, deciding, judging, prioritising, structuring, surveying, organising, distinguishing, questioning, debating, explanation,

definition and clarification all play an extremely detrimental role within the online learning environment. In my future learning and studies I believe I now have the correct tools to select appropriate online resources. I feel I have acquired the skills and confidence to gain the most from every learning and collaborative experience. I have now become more familiar with reflection as it contributes to the development of valued human capabilities (Schon, 1993). As stated in The Art of Reflective Writing, all human beings make interpretations of events, have opinions about events, possess a range of knowledge and make decisions in response to these events. Reflection from this point of view is a process of making new links between our many different theoretical resources. Personal, cultural experiences, values and knowledge contribute to the processes of our own thinking. Using these processes to become explorers, consumers and producers of online information provides opportunity for learning, sharing and creating information and harbouring the development of knowledge.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLCO100. ASS3: Reflective Essay References Buck, A., Soblechowska, P., Winter, R. (1999).

The Reflective Writing Course. Professional Experience and the Investigative Imagination: The Art of Reflective Writing. Dewery, J., Kolb, D., Schon, D. (1993). How to Use Reflective Writing for Effective Learning from Experience Learning Theorists. Haenlein, M., Kaplan, A. (2010). Users of the World, Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media. Business of Horizons, Volume 53, issue 1. Pages 59-68. Metzger, M. (2007). Making Sense of Credibility on the Web: Models for Evaluating Online Information and Recommendations for Future Research. Journal of the American Society for Information Science & Technology. Moon, J. (2004). A Handbook of Reflective and Experimental Learning. Theory and Practice. States News Service. (2010). The Power of Collaboration. Academic Online. Web.26 May 2013.

Running head: Kristy Snell SLCO100. ASS3: Reflective Essay

Running head: Kristy Snell SLCO100. ASS3: Reflective Essay