Hello from Newport campus.
First group of 6 pre-app students is busy building their houses. All v engaged, chose not to take smoko like last time.
Six boys, 16-17 yo. Nobody's a gamer. (Two staff are!) Don't do 3D, just Facebook etc. But all seemed to take to OpenSim - flying, walking, avatar creation straight away.
As far as building goes, ability varies. One guy is a whiz, the guy next to him much slower. Being helped by his neighbour. But by now (10.15 am, about 90 mins after starting) all are building houses on plans - not many questions being asked at all, getting on with it.
Should note that helping Dale today are Craig and James. Going smoothly for this reason - Dale not running around trying to snswer all manner of requests.
Teachers: Daniel wants to embed with all students next year. Justin and Mark (staff) v keen. Mark here too. Will be running new 'TradeApps' pre App program next year. Advantage - will know students, will have been working with them. Also working with Trade Colleges (TTCs), delivering at Keilor Downs (?)
Issues that have come up:
- Justin: not enough time to really work on this idea properly. Too much on.
- Dale: technology issues, getting system to work - only just really working properly this week. Has limited scope to do activities planned. Lesson: don't be too ambitious about scope.
- logistics: Hayden (teacher) quit half way through, delays meant not being able to deliver to previously planned groups (ie now preapps only) at end of year, so had to squeeze sessions into 2 hour blocks (students finish in 2 weeks). Also meant that not working with groups that Justin teaches, doesn't know students, what they've learned/been assessed for and when
- web in prim feature (putting webpages within OpenSim) still not available. So we're still using previous version of PushLMS (dialogue box). Web in prim has been promised by OpenSim OS developers by Xmas. This has menat we haven't been able to deliver everything we had planned in terms of activities.
- testing: after discussing activities in place, we have decided to only test for understanding of OH&S rather than Sustainability and Blg Docs and Plans as well, because the latter two activities are underdeveloped (other option is question/answer exercises, but this isn't really too meaningful since they do this on paper already...is basically sugar coating rather than truly new learning). SO giving all students OH&S question sheet at end of first general session (don't want to hit them with paper sheet as they arrive, [possibility of negatively influencing engagement), and then after OH&S session in Week 2.
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