Blog Review

The blog that I have chosen to review is the “Webs of Substance”. I have chosen to review this blog because it’s an educational blog and also the writer looks at educational research.  I think the writer of the blog captures the audience very well by the use of language for example “Am I the only one who is a little uneasy about the new fashion for promoting a growth mindset?” Through the use of a rhetorical question the author makes the readers question themselves and makes them think about the topic in more detail. I also like this blog because of the layout and background. The layout makes it easy to use and the background and colour schemes are pretty simple but make it easier to view. Also, this blog uses pictures and videos to keep the viewers interested and this can also make information easier to digest. This blog is also regularly updated and this is another advantage because this means viewers will not lose interest because they will want to keep updated on the writer’s opinions and any new educational research which they may not have seen yet. Overall I think this blog is valuable enough to be on my blog because it is full of information and is easy to read.

An Aspect of Web 2- Facebook

Facebook is a very advanced aspect of Web 2, however with it being advanced there are also many problems that come with this. An advantage with Facebook is that it’s a free way to communicate with people all around the world and it’s also easy to use.  A disadvantage with Facebook is that it helps cyber bullying because lots of children have been cyber bullied through the use this aspect of Web 2. Another advantage of Facebook however is that it can enhance social skills by them talking to their friends and seeing what they’re up to this can help increase their self-esteem and make them more confident if they start talking to new people. Another disadvantage to Facebook is privacy because not everyone has their privacy settings enabled so anyone can look at the information that someone puts on their page. Through this, identity theft can happen because of all the information that is on there such as a person’s name, date of birth, where they are from etc. Another disadvantage of Facebook is that it can make children inactive and antisocial; this is why the number of children becoming overweight in Britain has increased. Overall, there are both strengths and weaknesses to this aspect of Web 2 but millions of people use it and therefore is one successful Web 2 aspect.

Picture from: http://www.llow.it/2011/02/15/how-to-manually-integrate-facebook-like-button-into-wordpress/

Picture Movie

To create my movie I used Windows Movie Maker. I found this software easy to use because I have used movie maker before in secondary school when doing an ICT course. I chose to make a movie on art work around the university because I found some of the work inspirational and there are lots of different sorts of art. I also find art to be a creative way to help people learn. I also chose to do a movie on art because art has been an interest of mine from a young age and sometimes you can find a story in some of the art work and considering our task was to tell a story through pictures, I thought doing art would be a great way of doing this. Some of the art work has been made by fellow students and others have been made by children. I thought this would be a nice touch because I’m doing an educational course and any art work by children shows ways of creative learning. Also some of the art work is by students doing a PGCE degree so I thought it would give me some idea what to expect to make if I go on to do a PGCE degree.

What Is Reflective Learning?

Through my research, I have found what reflective learning is. Reflective learning is a way of helping you learn information which you have just been taught. Reflective learning also helps develop a person’s critical thinking, their self-awareness and their analytical skills. This method of learning can be captured in a numerous of different ways such as in the use of journals, logs, essays, diaries and portfolios. The best time to use reflective learning is after note making sessions this includes lectures, readings and discussions.  Reflective learning diaries are useful because you can make brief notes of what you did and you can record what you did in a lecture or a seminar, or they can be used to make notes on any reading that you have done. By making notes on what you think you have learnt from the lecture this improves the quantity and quality of our learning. In my opinion reflective learning is a good way to learn because you are recapturing what you may have already learnt and by using this technique you can go through things that you may not understand or have forgotten. This enables you to recap the information you have learnt. Reflective learning can also help you notice the correct learning styles which suit you best.