Learning Objects: A Quick Reflection

Scootle ‘Learning Paths’

http://blog.scootle.edu.au/2016/05/31/scootle-learning-paths/

This LO is ‘Learning Paths’ in Scootle and is used to streamline the delivery of online resources, increase teacher collaboration and curate and manage lists of resources for different groups. It allows teachers to create a list of resources to be viewed in a specific order for a lesson or unit, as well as allowing for notes and additional resources to be added to curriculum content.

I believe this LO would be extremely effective its purposes as:

  1. Students can access a teacher-created learning path directly to have immediate access to all of the resources used for a lesson/unit of work.
  2. Teachers can share ‘learning paths’ with other teachers, as well as modify and add already created learning paths to their own login.
  3. Resources can be annotated and notes added (e.g. Instructions for students or teacher use of a resource), as well as resources added or deleted as required.

 

COVID-19 Wellbeing Resources

https://studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/educators/covid-19/

This LO is similar to the previous choice as it packages a number of digital items to instigate a learning experience. It is a single website that provides a number of other digital services and resources to support student, teacher and parent wellbeing around COVID-19, as well as a great deal of extra information.

I believe it would be extremely effective in providing support to any member of a school community around concerns to do with COVID-19. The depth of resources provided in the LO offer multiple different avenues of support, strategies and links to additional services available to the school community. There are also a number of easily navigable menus, the site is well-presented and easy to read and there is a search function, all of which add to the useability of the learning object.

 

STEM Educator Resources

https://www.thegist.edu.au/schools/stem-educator-resources/

This is another LO that packages various digital items in order to provide a learning experience, although it is extremely effective.

The LO is aimed at supplying STEM programs and lessons for educators, providing a wealth and depth of resources for STEM teachers of Years 5-10 alongside other additional promotional posters. Again, the website is easily navigable, easy to read and follow, the colours are soft and there are handy search and sub-menu functions. It is an extremely user-friendly LO and the lessons/units of work provided are comprehensive and easy to replicate.

 

My Own Practice

I would certainly incorporate these three LOs into my future practice, particularly to assist STEM teachers’ with programming and resourcing. Two of the chosen LOs would be extremely effective in supporting the resourcing and programming of STEM units across various year levels of my current school and I would definitely share them with the Maths and Science faculties as they would be incredibly useful for teachers AND students. The other resource is incredibly useful for providing well being support for my current school community, as many parents and students struggled during online learning and are still struggling to live in this new COVID-19 world. I have since added it to our Wellbeing Website.

I use a number of different LOs in my current practice to support my delivery of curriculum in the classroom, some created by myself, some created by colleagues and others that have been shared or found online or in professional networks. I also use a number of LOs to support my current practice outside of the classroom, including in the library, as an early career teacher and as part of my current course of study! Although, in reflecting on my current use of LOs, I believe I am not being as collaborative as I should or could in sharing LOs I have created or found useful in my own practice, nor have I instructed other staff on how to use LOs I have found effective in the past. In future, I plan to be more proactive in my collaboration around LOs, both those that I have created and those I have found. I also need to work on my organisation and management of LOs, particularly digital learning objects as maintenance of a digital collection is extremely lacking in my current practice, although this also relies on my organisational skills in general…

 

 

References

Education Services Australia. (2020). COVID-19 resources. https://studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/educators/covid-19/

Education Services Australia. (n.d.) STEM educator resources. https://www.thegist.edu.au/schools/stem-educator-resources/

Hughes, D. (2016). Save time and effort with Scootle learning paths.  http://blog.scootle.edu.au/2016/05/31/scootle-learning-paths/