PDP Blog for Group work

PDP Blog for Group work

Description of Work Done.

The task for this assignment was to look into usability testing and to perform some our own usability task. We all did some of the work in all areas of the task. This way all our strengths would be evident in each section, but also each person’s weaknesses would be covered by other people doing the work as well. I feel that this has given us a very strong piece of work, as everything is thought out throughout the assignment well and we all knew exactly what needed to be done. This organisation was helped by having a single group leader throughout the work. As Kyle was overseeing what we were doing and was there to answer any questions that people had, it gave us a firm leader ship. The most important area of the work to do was the actual testing. The testing was completed in a set environment that was the same for each of the testers. This gave us a more professional feel to the work as everything was controlled by us and it also allowed us to receive very accurate data throughout the test.

Reflection and Issues Identified (SWOT)

Overall the project went very well and there was no real problem that we had throughout the whole assignment. This was due to the amount of planning that we did at the start of the project and the constant meetings that we had throughout to be sure that we all knew exactly what needed to be done, and the exact things that we all had to produce. This really meant that we wouldn’t have a problem and really we didn’t. The biggest strength in the whole project was the planning. Because we thought about everything we would need to do in the project and even planned solutions to problems that could occur and had a backup plan, such as where to stage the tests, we were much organised as a whole.
Plan of Action (SMART)
Our plan of action was to spend a set amount of time at the start of the assignment and look at making specific goals and make sure they are realistic for us to achieve. This gave the project a great framework for us to work within as we did more and more work for the assignment. We gave us a rough time limit in which to get the work done as well. This meant that we would be getting through the work at a nice relaxed pace and wouldn’t have to spend a couple of days at the end simply trying to get the work finished. This also meant that the work would be at a higher quality as we would have time to think through what needs to be said in the report and to also get everything structured correctly so that it all read well and the English was at a high quality.

Completion / Review / Conclusion

Overall the assignment went very well. There were no real problems in the assignment and this allowed everyone in the group to get through the work at a good pace and know what has been done and what still needs to be done. I feel that in the future when completing group work it will be well worth getting everyone in the group together and to plan everything out well in advance and to be sure that everyone is contributing and to be sure to keep contact with each member of the group to be sure that they are getting work done and that it is at a great quality. I feel that one of the best parts about the group was that everyone is able to produce good high quality work. As we didn’t have anybody that struggled to get across what they mean in a word document it meant that everyone could get there work done and not have worry about everything being changed beyond recognition to get the work into the document as a whole.

Learning Styles

Introduction

This assignment is based round Kolb’s theory of learning styles. This theory is very widely used and it is very uncommon for someone to not have filled it out at some point or another. Because of this I have decided to use Kolb’s theory and then compare the strengths of it against the principal of other learning style tests. This will allow me to see the strengths of each style.

Kolb’s Theory

Kolb built his theory (with his partner Roger Fry) around the idea that everyone will learn in one of only four ways. They will either learn from actually doing the work. This is referred to as Activist. The second way of learning is by watching how something is done in detail. This is referred to as Reflector. The third style is forming abstract concepts; this is based around the idea that people will see something and then think of it in another way as to fully understand what they are learning. This is referred to as Theorist. The final way of learning is based around the idea of actually doing the work and getting stuck in, thus learning from mistakes. This is referred to as pragmatist.

Other Learning Styles

Gardner

Gardner report on learning styles outlines the ways that we may in fact have seven ways of how to learn. This would be a big finding and would allow teachers to cater to everyone, making sure they can learn in the best way they can. In the report Gardner outlines the fact that not every style of learning is catered for in education. He says that education figures tend to believe that everyone is capable of learning what is being taught in the same way. Gardner makes the notion that this various learning styles could all be catered for with lessons being taught in multimedia. This would give students a large way of learning and ensure that everyone would be able to find a way of learning

Comparison

The way that the Kolb test is structured and asks the questions I felt was better. The Gardner test seemed to be more about getting the results of the test rather than asking the right questions. However due to the fact that there are another three possible learning styles I feel that if basing this around the results only then the Gardner test would be the better of the two. I feel that this is very important because it narrows the amount of results that the student could get which means that it should generally be more accurate. However going back to my original point of the questions seeming more appropriate in the Kolb test I feel that this one is the better of the two and I would rather take this test.

Kolb’s Theory: Results

These are the results that I received when I took the test:

I found that I am a reflective learner

REFLECTOR ( Reflective Observation

focuses on understanding the meaning of situations and ideas by careful

observation and description

approaches learning in an impartial, tentative way

seeks understanding as opposed to practical application

good at seeing implications, at appreciating different points of view.

patent, impartial, thoughtful

This is the summary of the results. I feel that this is fairly accurate to how I learn while in the classroom.

Gardner’s Theory: Results

This is the result that I received after doing the Gardner test.

Bodily-Kinesthetic:

body movement control, manual dexterity, physical agility and balance; eye and body coordination

dancers, demonstrators, actors, athletes, divers, sports-people, soldiers, fire-fighters, PTI's, performance artistes; ergonomists, osteopaths, fishermen, drivers, crafts-people; gardeners, chefs, acupuncturists, healers, adventurers

juggle; demonstrate a sports technique; flip a beer-mat; create a mime to explain something; toss a pancake; fly a kite; coach workplace posture, assess work-station ergonomics

physical experience and movement, touch and feel

At first I was very surprised by these results. They were not what I expected to receive. However as I continued to read on and noticed some of the things that I do while bored where in there. Flipping a beer-mat for example is something I have done very often. This surprised me because I feel that this test has got the right physical traits for me but the learning style is more appropriate in the Kolb Theory.