eLearning - Reflective Blog

This blog will reflect on the VLE that I have constructed for Sports Science students, which can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/sportsscienceanatomy/home. I will look at the different processes that were undertaken to design the VLE, alongside my reasoning as to why I have made the decisions that I have.

To begin, I had to decide on how to structure my course content. Using Bubbl.us, I created a mindmap allowing me to streamline my ideas into a more structured design. I decided upon three key learning objectives, with each objective being split into two sections. This left me me with six lessons that I had to cover, which I felt was enough to showcase a variety of different tools and techniques.

Following on from this, it was time to decide on the layout of my VLE. Firstly I chose a relatively neutral theme, with the majority of the VLE consisting of black text on a white background. I played around with a few different themes, but felt that keeping it basic was best as some of my pages were going to be text heavy and I didn't want anything too outlandish to detract from the information.

I set up my VLE pages in a logical way; I started with my homepage, created six pages for the each of my lessons, and finished by designing a scheme of work. The home page was an introductory area, giving a brief overview of the site along with the benefits of undertaking the course. I didn't want to overload this page with information, as I didn't want it to seem overawing even before any of the course content was taught. The scheme of work was constructed using the table widget, sharing key details and deadlines. As this VLE would be used solely for remote learning, I felt it important to list the key characteristics of the course with the students, as to make them feel involved.



Once this had been completed, I needed to create the pages where my learning and assessments would take place. As each lesson was a standalone topic, I felt that some form of assessment would be needed for each lesson, as opposed to a single formative assessment at the end of the course. This would ensure continual involvement for the students, which would be likely to stimulate motivation. I was very aware that this would all be taught remotely, so I wanted to make sure that students were not allowed to cruise through the course without doing any work. This process made me realise the need to continually assess learners to gain an understanding of their progress, but not to make these assessments overawing. Some of the assessments were structured so they wouldn't feel challenging to the learner, that they could have some form of enjoyment whilst completing them.


I utilised applications such as Pinterest and Kahoot, to add an element of fun to the assessments. I was very aware the a distance course needs to be engaging, as there is no physical presence to influence the learner. These fun activities would not only show progress, but keep the learner interested on the course. Likewise, I embedded a YouTube video into one of my lessons, to make a change from the learner reading all of the content. I used Hot Potatoes to create a missing words quiz, which allowed me to gain an understanding of how the students were finding the complicated terminology of the course. As it is anatomy based, some of the words can be very similar but have very different meanings, so I wanted to give the students a chance to be able to differentiate between them.


The construction of a scheme of work was something I thought was key to the VLE. I wanted to make sure that the learners felt part of a community, not just a lone person working behind a computer screen. The scheme of work was designed to make the learning feel more formal, with deadlines having to be adhered to. This not only allowed me to organise when things needed to be done, but students could work around their life yet know exactly what was expected of them.


Before the construction of the VLE, I was sceptical as to how it would work in a distance learning setting. I've used VLE's before, and have always only used them to submit assignments and look out for announcements. However, through considered construction of this VLE, I can see how learners who cannot physically attend a classroom can still have a fulfilling educational experience. Google sites was easy to use and adapt to what I wanted to design, with many functions allowing for a varied learning experience. I look forward to constructing more VLE's in the future, whether it be for private lessons or in an educational institution.

Social Media in Teaching - The good, the bad, and the boring

In every lesson I teach, I'm faced with the same evil; and evil which doesn't exist in body, but in the mind of nearly everyone in the Western world. Social Media. Not a lecture goes by where I don't catch someone Tweeting, or taking SnapChat of their mate doing a funny pose. However, is there a place for social media in teaching?

In my PCET course, we have shared Facebook page which helps me in every aspect of the course. From explaining how to tackle an assignment, to sharing helpful journals, it's definitely something which is a vital part of my learning. As a teacher, I encourage the students to talk about their work, and to help each other in their quest for success. Some of my classes have Whatsapp groups designed specifically to talk about college work, which can only aid their learning.

However, social media obviously isn’t just used to aid learning. In my class, due to a lack of resources the students sometimes have to do research on their mobile phones. As I walk around the class, at least 90% are checking Facebook, and quickly changing to another tab when I get near them. It’s frustrating to try and teach a vital part of an upcoming assignment, when the students are more interested in the latest funny cats video (which I admit, is usually hilarious).

The question is though, is social media much more interesting than my teaching? Once you’ve been on Facebook for two minutes you’ve seen it all, I often find myself aimlessly scrolling through my timeline for no reason. Would the students not find it more interesting (and definitely beneficial) to concentrate on me teaching them things that will help them succeed academically?...

...Probably not. Those videos are really funny I suppose.

Wordle - All talk but no action...

Wordle is an online program, allowing for the generation of word clouds to be designed. The size of each word in the cloud correlates with the amount of times the word appears in the text you've chosen, with the bigger words appearing more in the text.

A Wordle based on an article about tennis player Novak Djokovic

Whilst looking nice, I can't imagine that this is something I'd use too much in my teaching. I don't think my students would see the value of it, as they are mostly information driven. This program's only output is highlighting the frequency of words, albeit in the pretty fashion. In the PCET sector, I can't imagine many subjects that a Wordle would really advance learning. Perhaps in some form of Graphics degree, where the creativity would be useful. Apart from that, I don't see it as an appropriate learning tool,

Furthermore, it can't be used in Google Chrome. My personal laptop uses Google Chrome, and it also the preferred browser in the college I lecture in. This would mean that creating a Wordle would probably be more effort than it's worth.

All in all, it's a nice application to waste some time on, but not much more than that (in a teaching sense)

Most Appropriate Applications - What is best?

This course has been informative, working through a number of different pieces of software and working out which would be best to use in my teaching. This post will focus on a few applications which I have decided to use in my teaching, why I've used them, and how they've helped me create an effective learning environment.

Nearpod is an application which I feel is very useful to my teaching. It allows for presentations to be shown to students individually, rather than them all looking at one screen. Throughout a Nearpod presentation interactive questions can be added, to allow for student engagement.  I prefer this to asking students to put their hands up and answer, as that allows for some students to take a back seat and not get involved. Barkley (2010) notes that promoting student engagement can have a positive impact on exam results, which is why it's important to focus on. With Nearpod, every student must provide an answer before you proceed, promoting inclusion of all students in the learning process. Personally, Nearpod works really well for me in certain situations. Every Tuesday morning, I have to teach Psychology in a computer suite. Initially I wasn't happy about this, as my planned lessons didn't involve computers. I found that as I was teaching, some students would log onto the computers and look at social media, as they couldn't resist the lure of the computer in front of them. Since I've started to use Nearpod, I can make the most of the fact that ever student is in front of a computer. I go through the slides I've prepared, and set the students brief quizzes and questions as we work through the lesson. Ingle and Duckworth (2010) comment on the use of Nearpod, stating that if used effectively it can be a good way to interact with those students who wouldn't normally want to get involved. It wouldn't be an understatement to say that Nearpod couldn't be more appropriate for this lesson I have to teach.

Secondly, Hot Potatoes is an application which has worked well in my teaching. The majority of my lectures start at 9:30am, a time when most of my students do not want to do anything which is too labour intensive. Galloway, Rogers, Armstrong and Leo (1997) note that to increase a students motivation, the work should be made more interesting to increase their want to complete it.  Some of the modules that I teach are very heavy with content, eg Human Anatomy. I find that going straight into a difficult lesson immediately disengages the learners, and I've lost them for the whole lesson. Hot Potatoes has allowed me to find way in which to ease my students into the lesson, whilst also making it relevant to the content being taught. I like to start each lesson with a round up of key themes from a previous lesson, which I now do via Hot Potatoes. Using JQuiz, I often create small quizzes relating to previous work, which students have a few minutes to complete at the start of a lesson. I sometimes use JCloze to create a blank filling task, where students needed to remember key words and themes from a previous lesson to complete the sentence. I have found that tasks like these allow for the students to engage in a way which doesn't seem like work to them, and get into a working mindset for the content which is about to be taught. After initially being sceptical about Hot Potatoes, I'm pleasantly surprised that I've found a way to make it work for me and my teaching.

References

Barkley, E (2010). Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. USA: Jossey-Bass. 

Galloway, D., Rogers, C., Armstrong D., Leo, E (1997). Motivating the Difficult to Teach. UK: Longman.

Ingle, S., Duckworth, V (2013). Enhancing Learning Through Technology in Lifelong Learning. London: McGraw-Hill Education. 

Barriers to Effective Use of Technology - Are there any?

As stated in previous blogs, the use of technology in teaching has extended the way in which teaching and learning has progressed, However, is technology accessible for everyone? Should technology be replied upon as a primary teaching aid, when there are barriers to usage? This blog post will explore a few barriers to effective technology use, and the impact it can have on learning.

Even though technology has been around for a number of years, it can still be viewed as a needless distraction by some teachers, for a number of reasons. Ertmer (1999) noted that teachers can experience barriers two fold. Firstly, the understanding of how to effectively use technology is a barrier to usage. Teachers who grew up without the use of computers and tablets are often less confident in their ability to utilise technology, which results in minimal integration of technology into their teaching. This is known as an internal barrier, a barrier which comes from within the teacher. Teachers also experience external barriers, such as a lack of equipment. In my teaching, I have taught in classrooms with a single computer (which didn't work), making it difficult to effectively integrate technology. Butler and Sellbom (2002) comment that without adequate facilities teachers can't be expected to become proficient with technology, meaning the students experience of technological learning will suffer.

From the learners point of view, cost can be an issue. Tablets and laptops cost hundreds of pounds, making them a luxury that not all can afford. Keengwe, Onchwari and Wachira (2008) report that cost is the most important factor when looking at technology in the classroom, with it being the biggest reason for students not using it. Despite this, work from Christensen (2002) noted that as technology has advanced, the perceived need of technology from students and teachers has also increased. Nearly all lectures nowadays are put onto Moodle, with the expectancy that students will look over this at home. However, as I have found, not all students can afford a home electronic device, making it difficult for students to fully embrace the every growing world of technological learning.

To conclude, there are numerous barriers for effective use of technology. In my opinion, there are two stand out barriers. If technology cannot be afforded, then the influence of it in the classroom will be minimal. As more teaching moves online, students cannot be expected to learn in this way if they cannot afford access to the work. Secondly, if teachers do not feel confident using technology, how can they expected to teach their content using technology? Without adequate training and information, it would be better for a teacher to stick to their natural teaching techniques, so they do not run the risk of confusing themselves and their students.

References

Butler, D., Sellbom, M. (2002). Ertmer P. (1999). Addressing first- and second-order barriers to change: Strategies for technology integration. Educational Technology Research and Development. 47 (4), p. 47-61..Educause Quarterly. 1 (1), p. 22-28.

Christensen, R. (2002). Effects of Technology Integration Education on the Attitudes of Teachers and Students. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 34 (4), p. 411-433.

Ertmer P. (1999). Addressing first- and second-order barriers to change: Strategies for technology integration. Educational Technology Research and Development. 47 (4), p. 47-61.

Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., Wachira, P. (2008). Computer Technology Integration and Student Learning: Barriers and Promise. Journal of Science Education and Technology. 17 (6), p. 560-565.

How Technology Has Changed The Way We Learn - What did we do before computers?

No one can question that since the growing world of technology has emerged, the ways in which we learn has changed. However, what can be questioned is whether this change is for better or for worse. Anderson (2004) suggests that using technology can be timely way of imparting information, if used well. However, Clark (1983) disagrees, stating the the use of  technology is nothing but a way in which to present the information, that it doesn't give anything to the learning process.

The way that we access information has changed dramatically. When I first started Secondary School, it was very much textbook based, with lessons consisting of a brief period of teaching followed by copying a few paragraphs out of a book. This sufficed at the time, as it was one of the only way of getting students to have the knowledge that they needed. Now, things are very different. Textbooks and journals are stored online, available to find at any time of the day. Students can access information almost immediately, rendering note taking not as important as it used to be.

So what's the point of attending an institution to learn? All of my lectures end up on Moodle, in PowerPoint form. When I was in University my lecturers often recorded the lectures, allow for remote viewing of any important lectures that were missed. Ally (2009) comments that although remote learning was initially designed to allow students who lived far away to learn aswell, it has now been adopted by those who simply don't value attending lectures.

Universities charge extortionate prices for courses, the content of which could be put onto a Moodle/Blackboard page for students who don't make it to lessons. However, learning is more than just reading words on a screen. Learning is making sense of something you're not sure of, which is far easier to do with some help from a teacher.

To conclude, technology has definitely changed the way in which we learn, and for the better in the most part. It's made information a lot more accessible for individuals who maybe wouldn't have had the opportunity 20 years ago. However, technology will never have that personal aspect, one which people all crave on a certain level.

References

Ally, M (2009). Mobile Learning: Transforming the Delivery of Education and Training. Canada: AU Press.

Anderson, T (2004). The Theory and Practice of Online Learning. 2nd ed. London: London.

Clark, R. (1983). Reconsidering Research on Learning from Media.Review of Educational Research,. 53 (4), p. 445-459.

The Value of Mobile Technology in Teaching and Learning - Is there any? (*SPOILER*...Yes)

Whether you like it or not, as a teacher in 2016 you cannot escape from technology. In nearly every classroom is an interactive whiteboard, the majority of students have access to computers and tablets, and no lesson is complete without the obligatory PowerPoint presentation. However, is there any value in using technology? Or is it just a tool that is being used to replace teachers?.

Ivers (2003) notes that using technology in the classroom can be an effective aid to teaching, if used appropriately. I agree with this statement, as a number of teachers nowadays seem to be too reliant on using so many pieces of technological software, as opposed to cocentrating on actually teaching their students. I use technology in nearly every lesson, as an aid to my teaching. I feel proficient in the use of technology, which allows me to pick and choose the correct platforms to enhance my teaching, rather than replace it.

I feel that they way in which technology has been dumped on teachers says a lot for how it is used. Reeves (1998) states that technology is used most effectively in the classroom when the teachers are allowed to implement it in their own ways rather than use prescribed pieces of software, which can cause confusion in the way students are taught. Personally, I have to mark all of my students assignments through Moodle, which I find a very time consuming process. I do not have access to a tablet, where the marking is apparently "so easy like" (said in a rich Swansea dialect). Instead, I have to spend hours struggling through one assignment on a laptop, only to find that the session has "timed out" and I have to do it all again. Frustrating to say the least.

Despite my criticisms, I'm all for using technology in teaching and learning. Bull (199&) comments how technology can allow for a bank of information to be collated online, which can aid students in revision. I always put content on Moodle for my students, which they can refer back to when writing assignments. Online journal banks are extremely useful for University students, allowing for easy access to detailed work to supplement assignments. In my teaching, every student having their own smartphone can make up for the lack of computers available. I can set a short research task, and each student can find the relevant information within seconds.

To conclude, I'm a big advocate of technology in the classroom, if used effectively. As someone who has grown up with technology, I feel confident in using differing types of technology to aid my teaching. But fear not, the age of the pen and paper is not over just yet. Those who don't feel comfortable with technology need not worry just yet, but I'd start taking beginner courses in Microsfot Office if I were you.

References

Bull, G. (1997). Technology in Schools. Emphasizing Parallel Programming Techniques. 45 (7), p. 321-356.

Ivers, K (2003). A Teacher's Guide to Using Technology in the Classroom. London: Greenwood.

Reeves, T, C. (1998). The Impact of Media and Technology in Schools. Bertelsmann Foudation Report. 1 (1), p. 1-43.

Ted Talk - Seeing the bigger picture

This blog post is supposed to revolve around a Ted Talk that inspires us, and out views on it. I presume that the majority of people will look for something academia related, to show how they are inspired to improve as teachers. However, this is not the case for me. Truthfully, teaching is not a passion of mine, therefore I find it hard to be inspired about someone talking about education or the like. Instead, I've chosen a talk by the late Sam Berns, on his take on how to lead a happy life.


To put it frankly, this talk inspires me as it's not pretending something that it's not. It doesn't preach about something hollow, such as why we should reflect as teachers. There's no pretence, no shock tactics, no gimmicks. It's a man talking about ways to be happy, which is something I can definitely relate to. My overall goal is not to become a teacher, or to change the lives of my students. Somewhat selfishly, I simply want to be happy.

Sam was a 17 year man who suffered from progeria, a genetic disorder which affects around 1 in 8,000,000 people. He died in 2014, leaving behind him a legacy devoted to spreading happiness and raising awareness of those less fortunate.

The talk itself is very inspiring. Sam lists a few things that he does to try ensure that his life is filled with as much happiness as possible. These are things that can be done easily, such as surrouding yourself with the kind of people you want to be around, and accepting (and learning to love) your limitations and imperfections.

This video is fantastic on a number of levels. In a world where it is easy to get caught up in horror and sadness, it is a reminder of several logical steps that can help bring happiness and joy. So many people are focused on what people think of them, making sure they give a perception of a person who is a certain way, thinks certain things. Sam reminds us that these things are a waste of valuable time and energy, to focus on the bigger picture. You can have the biggest car, the best job, live in the best house, but without being happy, is there any point?

The notion of happiness translates into teaching. Teaching is profession notorious for elevated levels of stress and worry. There are many aspects of teaching that can cause unhappiness, and I have realised that only a few months into my PGCE!

Everyday, I'm surrounded by people who want to let me know how great their last assignment was, how brilliant their new car is, how expensive their new jeans are. Talks like this from Sam help show me the bigger picture, that I don't need to worry myself with anything but being happy.

Content Evaluation - Too much software, too little time...

Through this ICT course, I've had a chance to look at a few different applications and understand their functionality. This post will talk about a few of this programs, and whether I'd ever consider using them in my teaching.

Kahoot is a free online program, which creates "fun" quizzes on a subject matter of your choice, which your learners can use to reinforce key points. In this PCET course, I can't ever imagine an appropriate occasion to use Kahoot, as I feel that it's aimed more towards younger students. I think that my students would find it quite patronising to use such a childish quiz with them, which would make me lose credibility in no time.

Nearpod is a piece of software which I really like. It is a program which shares teacher content with students, over technology. A PowerPoint/Video etc is loaded on an iPad, which students can see when they log in via a computer. It allows for streamlined learning, with all students being given the same information at the same pace. It offers real time questioning and feedback, requiring the involvement of all students. I have since used Nearpod in my teaching, and it has gone down very well with all students. All students must concentrate, as they have tasks to complete as the lesson goes on. It is something I definitely plan on using in the future, as it allows for more student interaction in times where students usually just want to sit back and relax.

Hot Potatoes is a program that contains a few different aspects that create crosswords, quizzes and the like. There are certain parts of the software that I might use, but not all. JQuiz creates small multiple choice quizzes, which I could use as an introductory task, or to check the understanding of content taught in a previous lesson. JCloze is a blank-filling task, where students must select the relevant word. This would fit into the lesson in the same way as a JQuiz quiz would, as a brief task to give the students a break from learning. Apart from these, I doubt I would use Hot Potatoes in my teaching. I feel that the level of teaching I deliver would be too high to use a jumbled word task, as my students would not be receptive to it. Hot Potatoes is clearly a very useful piece of software, just not so much for my teaching.

Padlet is seen as an engagement application, an app which I fail to understand the need for. In my teaching, allowing the students to add words to a blank screen in front of the whole class is asking for trouble. I had rude words and phrases initially, followed by bemusement as to how this would help them. I can't imagine a situation in my teaching where I'd ever want to use Padlet, and can't really see the point of teaching it to PCET students. It seems like a childish app, one which would waste time actually recapping/teaching information. It's a piece of software that I feel has been designed forgetting that teachers can do exactly what this app offers.



Prezi is a presentation making software, which allows for fluid and dynamic presentation of information. Similar to PowerPoint, it offers content in a slide form, with each slide usually being specialised to a certain aspect of the topic. I feel that once you've gone through one Prezi, and calmed down after being in awe of the frantic movement between slides, there isn't much between Prezi and PowerPoint. Personally, I would use PowerPoint more, purely because it's what I've grown up using and know that it does what I need it to do. Prezi is fine, but I don't really think the added bells and whistles it offers are substantial enough for me to consider using it in the long term.

Mobile Technology and Learning - Where did it all begin?

Throughout my learning, technology has always been there in some form. I still remember the excitement of the computer suite's grand opening in Primary School. I used to love going in there, and it's the place where I first realised my affinity to technology. In Secondary School, nearly everything was computerised. The registers, timetables, our exam marks, if they could put it online they would. This allowed for a more streamlined learning process, with the amount of stray pieces of paper being crumpled at the bottom of my bag diminishing every year.

However, University made me realise that technology wasn't always conducive to good learning. Nearly every lesson was "death by PowerPoint", boring most students into choosing a lie in over a 9am lecture consisting of a PowerPoint on the angular displacement of the ankle joint in high impact exercise (not the most riveting topic when taught well).

The use of academic journals was first introduced to me at University. Owing to the lack of interaction in lectures, I soon realised that sourcing my own information would be the best way to learn. Soon after, it became apparent to me that although the online journals were giving me the information that I needed to know, I was missing the aspect of someone teaching it to me.

From here, I understood that technology should be used a tool to supplement the teacher, as opposed to taking the place of a teacher. Teachers teach and inspire, they make sense of tricky subjects, they create excitement out of a topic that may initially seem mundane. This is something which technology can never do. Whilst a good PowerPoint presentation will tell students what they need to know, it will never make a student want to learn it.

Microsoft Office - Resistance is futile...

When I think about Microsoft Office, no positive connotations come to mind. Powerpoint is always linked to feelings of nervousness, before a presentation in cold room on a rainy Monday morning. When thinking about Word, I can't help but think about the countless hours spent writing my dissertation, hours spent slowly realising that any social life I once had, was now gone. Arguably, Publisher provides the worst memories. Opening Publisher has always been related to feelings of annoyance, that what I was about to do will be completely pointless, as it always seemed to be a leaflet on healthy eating (or something just as mundane).

Microsoft Office evokes different feelings from different people. This woman has just worked out how to italicize her writing.

However, despite my negative outlook on Microsoft Office, it does have its pro's. The functionality on most programs is simple, once you've had a play around with the software. Most importantly, in academic terms, Office is vital. When presented with a piece of work, regardless of what format the work is, Office can do it. Dissertation? Office can do it. Leaflet on the health risks caused by smoking? Office can do it. Presentation on how the Battle of Hastings was won? Office can do it. Advice on what do to once you've graduated? Office can do it (probably).

There is nothing that Microsoft Office can't do (probably)

This blog is supposed to highlight my perceived competence with Microsoft Office, talking about my usage of the software, and when I use it. I've used it pretty much non-stop for as long as I can remember, in some capacity. The majority of my life has been in education, in institutions where Office is unavoidable. It has aided my learning, and allowed me to streamline the creation process. In employment, it allowed me to collate and store information effectively, leading to a far easier working day for me. In teaching, it has allowed me to construct assignment briefs and guides, making it easier for my students to achieve good grades. At this moment, I probably couldn't complete my PGCE without Word, which is the highest accolade that I could give to it.

In terms of teaching, Office is an all encompassing package which can aid many facets of teaching. As previously spoken about, Word allows for documents to be created, from assignments to feedback forms. Publisher can create module leaflets, to be given to students when they start the course. 

PowerPoint enables course content to be presented in an attractive manner, engaging students more than having them read off a piece of paper. Most lessons, I utilise a PowerPoint presentation, taking the pressure off me talking for 90 minutes. Excel allows for detailed mathematics functions to be undertaken, and vast spreadsheets to be created. When marking work, I record all of the students marks in a large spreadsheet. From this, I can quickly work out their average marks, and inform them of what grades they need to obtain a certain amount of UCAS points. 

Looking at Office as a whole, it seems that it has made my life a lot easier, for as long as I can remember. Despite this, it is ingrained into my brain that I severely dislike Office. For something that has helped me so much in my learning, I can't help shake the raging hatred that I have for the software. To be clear, this is not an attack on Office. This is an attack on me. 

Hopefully, this blog makes clear just how useful Microsoft Office is, whether you want to believe it or not. Writing this blog has made me realise that my feelings are completely unjustified, and that I an certainly inferior to Office. That isn't a surprise really, as Office is the best thing ever (probably).

Blog Review - Drawing "inspiration"

Whilst searching for inspiration for this blog, I came across another blog by Ross Tucker and Jonathan Dugas, both of whom have PhD's in Exercise Physiology (a link to their blog can be found at the end of this post). At first glance, it seemed very relevant to the content that I would teach, so I decided to delve deeper into it, review it on a more detailed level.

The blog content is extremely similar to the level that I would teach my students, which they can sometimes find unrelatable. What Tucker and Dugas have done well is integrated the content into real life settings, using current news stories to give some context to their information. For example, they have written a blog post on blood doping, a topic which is covered in the syllabus that I teach. From my own experience, this can be a laborious topic to teach, as it is very heavy with physiological and mathematical terms. However, Tucker and Dugas have remedied this by using the Lance Armstrong doping scandal to give the topic some context. It makes it easier to learn about something interesting, a scandal which shocked the entire sporting world. This means that their blog moves from a content-rich prose about physiology, to an interesting piece of work on how real life affects sports science research.

Throughtout the blog, their posts are written in series, with each post extending on from the last. Their series on running shoes is one which caught my eye. The title of "Do shoes cause injury?" suggests a blog post that culminates in a yes or no answer, answering the question in the title. However, it ends with more questions, allowing for further posts to be written from it. This encapsulates the reader, and brings them back to read the following posts. I feel that this is a good technique in blog writing, to engage the reader and ensure that they want to keep coming back to read your posts.

In the critical aspect of the review, I have looked for areas in which to offer constructive criticism to. However, the blog is so well written, structured and layed out, that I can't find areas in which the blog is lacking. From the biographies of each writer which makes the blog more personal, to the slick layout that makes the blog easy to navigate, this blog is the level that sports science blogs should aspire to be.

Tucker and Dugas's Sports Science blog - http://scienceofsport.blogspot.co.uk/

Introduction - Why reflect? (Because I've been told I have to)

The idea behind this blog is to look into how using ICT in lecturing can aid my teaching, and the learning of my students. A lot of varying software will be analysed, no doubt offering varying degrees of success.

To start, it might be useful to give a bit of background about myself. After college, I studied a degree in Sports Science at UWIC, achieving a 2:1. From there, I was unsure which way to go, whether to move into further education, or a job. I decided to get a full time job, working in a finance job for a year

As a new lecturer, it is important that I find ways to ensure that my teaching is effective, meaning I need to explore as many techniques as possible to find the ones that suit me. The following blog posts will aim to cover a number of points, analysing differing aspects which may or may not be helpful in the world of teaching. Through these posts, I will try and determine the best way that I can teach, selecting tools and techniques that can best supplement my natural characteristics.

Reflection is something which is done in everyday life. People reflect after a job interview, after a big sports game, even after choosing which brand of shampoo to buy. Often, it's done without real consciousness; people reflect naturally, without deciding to reflect. However, it's the value of this reflection that is important. If reflection is carried out objectively and effectively, it can be a good tool in the continual improvement of a teacher.

Teaching is a job where there is no quantifiable marker of being the best you can be. Students exam grades can be an indicator, but there are too many variables to suggest that the grades are solely down to the teacher. By constantly evaluating your teaching, areas of strength and weakness can be noted, allowing for an action plan to be constructed.

A lazy teacher may think that a lesson went well, and leave it at that. A teacher who can effectively reflect will understand why it went well, and how to ensure lessons go well in the future. Conversely, a lazy teacher may feel that a lesson went poorly, and decide to never do that lesson again. A reflective teacher will look at each aspect of the lesson, and note the areas in which the lesson struggled. This allows for a more informed understanding of how to get the best out of the students, which is the ultimate aim of teaching.