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Personal Interest Projects (PIP) A personal inquiry project is a research project where the topic is driven by student interest. This term I have had the pleasure of taking over a year 10 IST class. With reports and assessments completed I decided to trial a PIP with a secondary group. I will be dedicating the next few posts to how the PIP progresses in a secondary setting. The theme that was set for the term by the previous teacher is "The future of technology".  Communication All communication, links and the assignment sheets are delivered via Google Classroom. Introduction I introduced the unit by giving a guided tour of our school makerspace . It has: Oculus Rift Makerbot Digitiser Makerbot 3D Printer Makey Makey Little Bits GoldieBlox Leap Motion Chromeboxes Formatted Desktops Old computers to pull apart We watched and discussed the future of technology from the perspective of the mid 1900's through to the current day. Jetsons S

Recently I have noticed MOOCs being discussed, more frequently, within my professional learning network (PLN). This year I heard @NatalieGoldman speak on MOOCs and I completed my first MOOC so I thought I would examine what they are, why you would use one and the benefits of them for personal development. What is a MOOC? MOOC is an acronym for Massive Open Online Course. They are often free and run with flexible completion times. To date they have been facilitated by large education groups often universities. Many offer a certificate at the conclusion.  Completion Rates The completion rate of MOOCs is quite low. Wikipedia (I know not a very good source, but easy) claims w hile many people enrol in MOOCs  only 10% of participants complete the course. EdCentral claims a 4% completion rate. This could be because of several factors. Time - MOOCs are often completed during non-work time. Many things compete for this time including family and friends. Finding dedicated uninterr

What is social learning? This week I attended the Learn@Work conference, Learning and Development conference. The major theme was social learning. Social Learning is using the natural desire to socialise to enable learning in the work place.  Social learning is when learning occurs in a social situation. Social learning is often unstructured and an informal learning process where you receive just in time training from a colleague or you learn together how to solve a problem. Social Media may form a useful tool for social learning however it can not be forced onto learners. It is up the learner to make effective use of social media as a tool for learning. Forcing a learner to use a tool they are familiar with is not helpful in the learning process. Many people have now started to develop virtual connections using social media. Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) can enhance learning. They provide an opportunity to learn from people with different experiences. It can