sophia’s e-learning experience

QUILLING

Quilling is the technique of rolling small strips of paper into various designs. By seeing some of the visual designs in the scrapbook.com website, the quilling designs become a big focus within scrapbooks as they are 3D images and can be made in all shapes and sizes. This technique was applied mostly in theme 2 and three with shapes of love hearts and flowers.

While reading the step by step instructions assisted me in quilling, the instructional video helped me perform the technique effectively. I made some mistakes when the glue was dripping quite a lot but i was able to fix that problem. The first step when quilling is to make sure you have the right length of paper. For example the stem of a flower may be shorter length than the petals. After i cut the papers in the right length, i rolled up the strips using a little toothpick. By drawing up a picture of what i wanted, i was able to easily glue on what i quilled onto the paper.

The following is the URL to the instructional video of quilling.

http://scrapbook.com/university/stvol1/lessons/videos/19.html

EMBELLISHMENTS

Scrapbooking allows you to use random embellishments such as beads, buttons, ribbons, wires and charms to add onto your page. This not only makes it look interesting and fun but it also reflect what you find interesting.

After i matted and framed the photos, i attached them in different spots on my main paper. To make it more unique i didn’t stick the framed photos in just one area but a few photos and captions in random areas. Once this was done, the page looked simple and ordinary hence with the few accessories i found at home such as ribbons i glued these on to the border of the pictures.

WIRING

Wires are used in scrapbooking to design various things. According to scrapbook.com, wires are available in various colours and thickness hence they can be used to spell out various things and also to hang embellishments. This technique was applied mostly to theme 3.

Before i began wiring, i had a look at the instructional video on this technique and it showed a step by step procedure on how to wire. The things you needed for this technique are scissors or wire cutters and pliers. I decided to use wires as a second border around my pictures so i can hang little words off the bottom of the photo. I did this by using super adhesive glue to attatch the end pieces of the wire to the end of the border then attatching little embellishments on the edge of the wire with more glue. I found attatching the embellishments with glue quite challenging due to the small size of the embellishment.

Below is a picture of some of the embellishments i found and also given by some friends:

MATTS & FRAMES

This technique allows your pictures and captions to be the main focus within your scrapbook.There is also a significant difference between matts and frames. A photo is matted when the photo lies on top of the mat hence leaving a border around the photo. A frame has an open center and is laid on top of a photo. As both techniques portray similar affects, i chose to use both techniques.However this technique was mostly applied to theme one.

The difference between a mat and a frame is fairly minimal. A photo is matted when the photo lies on top of the mat, leaving a border around the photograph. A frame has an open center and is laid on top of a photo. Frames are especially helpful in cases where you do not want to physically cut your photo, yet still want to highlight only a section of the photograph on your page.

Matting

Before i began matting with photo one, i saw the examples of ‘matting and framing’ pictures on scrapbook.com. I found the pictures extremely helpful as assured me what i was doing wrong and right.The first step when matting (according to scrapbook.com) is to place your photo onto the paper that works as your border. I placed one of my photos onto the white shiny paper and glued it on with super adhesive glue. Once the paper was dry i measured approximately 3cm on each of the photo and using a paper trimmer i trimmed off the extra lining. I repeated this step with one 3 other photos. I found most challenging when i had to cut each side equally hence i used a ruler to measure each side.

Framing

I found this technique to be very similar to matting hence it was easier than i thought. My first step was to cut out a square hole in one of the paper so i can glue it ontop of the photo. This time i made the frame a little thinner so that the photo was the main focus.

The paper you choose when scrapbooking creates the type of mood you wish to make and colour coordinating papers can be a big assistant in making your scrapbook unique!

CHOOSING THE PAPER

Visiting the arts and craft store at westfield, i found hundreds of paper designs that suited different occasions. There was paper for wedding invitations, parties, engagements, letters and finally scrapbooking. In order to make 3 different designs i chose 3 different styles:

ELEGANT

FLORAL/WOODY

BRIGHT/ENLIGHTENING

When i chose the paper i also compared it to the type of photos i had. According to scrapbook.com, taking a look at the different colours within the photograph is best when choosing the right paper. I compared some of the colours in the photo with the paper and while there was a lot of comparing and rejecting some colour schemes i eventually chose 3 main colours that suited my theme and the photos. The pictures below show the papers i purchased:

COLOUR COORDINATING

After purchasing the papers i chose one more paper for each theme so i can colour coordinate. According to the online course, choosing colour is similar to painting your room. Once the room is painted you add furniture, accessories and picture frames that adapt to the colour of the room. Similarly, when colour coordinating your scrapbook it’s important to go with a colour that will suit the style. Hence i chose some colours that were opposing to the specific design. E.g. paper one with a white shiny coloured paper.

Reading the ‘Scrapbook Basics’ section in my online course a scrapbook is a story book that i create in order to tell a story or display the things that i treasure most. This may be friends, family, sports, animals or travelling. Hence i decided to make 3 different scrapbook designs for myself, displaying photographs of my closest friends. So where do i start?

GETTING THE BASIC SUPPLIES

According to scrapbook.com, there are some MUST have items that scrapbook designers need. It includes:

• Paper trimmers
• Scissors
• Adhesives
• Acid free black pens

Thanks to my sister who once made a scrapbook for her visit to Japan and Korea, it was easy for me to find the basic supplies. Papers, templates and accessories all vary according to the type of style you like.

CHOOSING PHOTOGRAPHS

According to scrapbook.com, your photos are the first ingredient for a layout and will help you decide on all other aspects of your page. Hence today i looked through my computer and found 5 photos of friends and family that are the closest around me. These photos were from birthdays, outings and one of the most memorable time in my life, high school. Some photos i cropped and some i lightened. I already have an idea to make one page a theme of ‘black and white’ hence some of the photos are in black and white. The images below are some of the techniques used in editing photos.

So far i have visited ‘scrapbook.com’ at a regular basis to learn the basics as well as see some demonstration videos on how to scrapbook. Firstly however i have noticed the course objectives within this site and i have realized that there are hundreds of techniques and lessons that will assist me in achieving these objectives. While our aim is to part take in this course for up to 4 hours i have chosen interesting and relevant course objectives that will assist me in creating a unique scrapbook. They include:

• Organizing a scrapbook album
• Choosing photographs
• Creating titles and journals
• selecting papers
• How to wire
• How to add matts and frames
• coordinating colours
• Creating borders
• Journaling design
• Adding tags

While these are some of the course objectivs i intend to follow throughout this 4 hours course, i also aim to create a scrapbook design that will reflect my interest. As scrapbooking involves adding and designing photogaphs about your life i intend to create 3 major designs that reflect my interest. I also intend on gaining some skills within the arts and craft sector so that in the future i am able to share my skills and abilities to people around me.

I expect this learning experience to be exciting and different from the things i usually do during my spare time. As this course is more towards the arts and craft sector i believe it will be fun however by looking at some of the course objectives, some aspects of this course seem to be difficult. However, i expect the difficulties will help me create a more unique scrapbook. Furthermore there is also a community section within this online course, hence i will be able to ask questions about some of the challenges that i face during the course.

From the course i expect a lot of feedback from others who are also using this site to assist them in scrapbooking. The course is aimed at people of all ages and for people who are only beginners such as myself. I expect the feedback to be supportive and instructive as i am only a beginner. Already reading some of the comments and feedback from other people around the world, the feedback sounds very supportive and helpful, and this is what i expect to recieve. Furthermore i am also able to receive feedback from visual images that are posted up after every technique that instructors post up. Through this i am able to compare my work with what the visual depicts.

This week in class we had a look at a number of different things such as the readings from Paloff & Pratt and Watkins, module 3 and our next assignment which is a short online course that each of us must conduct to learn a new skill. We brainstormed some ideas on what online course we can take up. As a class we came up with some examples, they were:

• Arts/craft
• languages
• music
• software
• Digital skills
• Physical: sports, moving, dancing

According to my learning style from ‘vark-learn.com’ i am able to learn best by reading and writing hence when i look for my short online course, i will look for a course where the instructions are heavily based on writing so that i can read and learn. After looking for various online courses, i came across one site that caught my attention which was ‘how to scrapbook’. This caught my attention as i am interested in arts/craft and also because i have experience with scrap booking from my high school years in Japanese class.

The following is the website which i have tagged on delicious and netvibes and it will guide me and teach me how to create a scrapbook!

http://www.scrapbook.com/university/stvol1/

As part of the homework for the mid-semester break, we were asked to complete a number of things such as reading articles from Pallof & Pratt as well as Watkins as well as performing a learning strategy test from ‘www.vark-learn.com’. After reading the articles there were a number of questions that i had to answer such as:

• What can a teacher do to prepare each student to get the most out of online learning?

After reading Pratt and Watkins, i was able to find that in order for students to learn, teachers must do some of the following:

- Create a warm and supportive environment so that students can learn

- Log onto the online classroom 3 or more times a week in order to keep the discussion flowing

- Stay alert, present and responsive to students needs and concerns

- Create opportunities for learners so they can assess and improve their technological skills

- Provide learners with necessary information for getting in touch with technical support and other useful resources regarding e-learning technology

• What can a teacher do during an online learning experience to enable each learner to feel motivated to participate, and to maximise learning?

Paloff & Pratt as well as Watkins suggests that a teacher should do the following to enable learners to feel motivated to participate:

- Use the face-to-face learning technique to promote participation online

- Ask broad questions that give students the opportunity to think and participate within discussions

- Involve learners in online activites as a mean of ice-breakers as this will help them create a relationship with what they are learning

- Distribute various internet links that can help prepare them with the specific skills required for accomplishing the learning objectives. This includes links that provide learners with specific learning styles (vark-learn.com.au), management skills, managing group dynamics or applying critical thinking to online learning.

- Encourage learners to interact with other learners whether this is through email, networking sites or any other technologies that will allow interaction between number of learners.

After reading the articles by Paloff & Pratt and Watkins, i wanted to discover my learning style and how i would best learn whether it’s in e-learning or any other subject. Hence i went on to the site ‘www.vark-learn.com’ to discover which type of learning style i best adapt to. The following is the result from this test:

Visual: 6

Aural: 6

read/write: 14

Kinesthetic: 5

From the results, it is obvious that i learn best from reading or writing. This can include reading from handouts, books or notes that teachers give me. After recieving my results from ‘vark-learn’ i was able to discover some of my read/write study strategies. the following represents how i am able to learn best:

• lists
• headings
• dictionaries
• glossaries
• definitions
• handouts
• textbooks
• readings – library
• notes (often verbatim)
• teachers who use words well and have lots of information in sentences and notes
• essays
• manuals (computing and laboratory)

As part of the next assignment which is finding a short online course, i will use the vark-learn strategies to learn a new skill and perform it.

This week’s class was the last class before our mid semester break hence there were a few things done in class. I think that the first part of the lesson was quite uesful in refreshing our memories on the features and meanings of some e-learning tools. We were told to gather information on one specific e-learning tool and research some key features as well as examples of this tool. I was given the tool ‘slideshows’ and i found some useful information on e-learning blogs and websites. The following depicts what i found:

The second part of the lesson was focused on our 2nd assignment once again and this time we were given a brief criteria as an example to follow when researching. As i was not able to find too much information on the topic ‘geographically dispersed learners’ last week i was given some help by Janet as she suggested i use the tags on ‘delicious’ which had some interesting case studies. Eventually i chose the organisation ‘NSW Ambulance Service’. I found various information online but the main starting point was from the tag on delicious. So far i have gathered the relevant information and posted it up on our group wikispace. This week, i plan on gathering more information about the NSW Ambulance service and it’s relevance towards e-learning. The final part of the class was a brief outline of what must be done during our 2 week mid semester break.

This week’s e-learning class was different to those of other weeks as we started our next group assignment which involves looking up new case studies as well as using new programs as a group. We discovered the new ‘wikispace’ which allows us to manage our group work within our personal wikispace. So far we have gathered some information about the topic ‘scalability’. So far having 4 people in our group i have first researched the term ‘scalability’ by looking up definitions on the net, and by following Janet on how to use the library catalogue on UTS online, i was able to find some case studies relating to scalability. So far, the information presented by the catalogue is quite limited but i hope to find more as the group assignment is due next week. I find the wikispace easy to use and it does make it easy for me to contact the people in my group however the UTS online library is quite complex to use at the moment.

Also in class we were given feedback on our blogs which was useful for me because i can see what i need to improve on as well as some of the positive things about my blog.