Episode 11: Augmented & Virtual Reality Paul Hamilton
In this episode of The Staffroom, we were lucky to speak to talented Apple Distinguished Educator, edtech pioneer and author, Paul Hamilton (@PaulHamilton8) about Augmented, Virtual Reality in education. Paul also spoke to us about his popular coding picture book, ‘If I Were A Wizard’ and his app, Wizard AR and the way they enhance learning in his primary school classroom.
The Staffroom Show Notes
In this episode of The Staffroom, we were lucky to speak to talented Apple Distinguished Educator, edtech pioneer and author, Paul Hamilton (@PaulHamilton8) about Augmented and Virtual Reality in education. Paul also spoke to us about his popular coding picture book, ‘If I Were A Wizard’and his app, Wizard ARand the way they enhance learning in his primary school classroom.
Our chat with Paul gave us some real insight into the potential use of AR and VR and what future learning technologies have to offer.
Here’s a break-down of our chat complete with time-stamps:
Who is the character Hazel and how did Paul bring her to life? (4:50)
How does the character Hazel help students learn coding and what examples does Paul give? (6:15)
How does Paul believe primary school students have responded to Hazel and coding concepts? (7:40)
How does Paul explain the differences between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality and what examples does he give in the educational workspace? (9:00)
How does Paul believe the instructional experience should differ between the two (AR and VR) in the classroom? (11:10)
Does Paul believe that AR ‘fits better’ and is more practical in the classroom than VR? (12:40)
How does Paul believe AR (and his work with Hazel) has enhanced storytelling and literacy in primary school students? (14:15)
Does Paul believe Artificial Intelligence (AI) can have a positive impact on education? (15:50)
How has Paul been experimenting with AI in his own projects? What examples have really excited him? (18:10)
Where can people find Paul’s work online? Where is his book available to buy? (21:00)
If you’d like further information about Paul, you can check-out his website, www.appsbypaulhamilton.comand follow his posts on Twitter (@PaulHamilton8). Also, if you’re interested in coding with your students, check out ‘If I Were A Wizard’available to purchase on Amazon – we highly recommend it!
We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroom and found Paul’s innovative ideas and resources as inspiring as we did. We’re excited to dig into the world of AR and VR and explore its potential with our students.
Until next time!
Jamie, Michael and Tessa
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Episode 10: Retrieval Practice Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.
In this exciting episode of The Staffroom, we spoke about retrieval practice with Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D. (@PoojaAgarwal) an expert in the field of cognitive science. Pooja is the Founder of RetrievalPractice.org, a hub of research, resources, and teaching strategies based on the science of learning. Listen for her practical tips and ideas on the most powerful learning strategy - retrieval practice!
The Staffroom Show Notes
In this exciting episode of 'The Staffroom', we spoke about retrieval practicewith Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D. (@PoojaAgarwal) an expert in the field of cognitive science. Pooja is the Founder of RetrievalPractice.org, a hub of research, resources, and teaching strategies based on the science of learning – check this out!
Pooja’s work is being noticed more and more by teachers around the world as she offers practical tips and advice on cognitive psychological research and strategies can enhance and accelerate student learning.
Here’s our conversation with Pooja broken down with time-stamps:
Who is Pooja and how did she get involved with cognitive science? (3:35)
How does Pooja define retrieval practiceand why is it a powerful strategy for learning? (5:50)
What examples does Pooja use to illustrate retrieval practicein the classroom? (7:50)
Does Pooja think that it is difficult to engage students in retrieval practicestrategies? Why does she think it is important to keep retrieval practiceas a low or no-stakes approach? (9:40)
Does Pooja believe retrieval practiceworks better with older or younger students? (11:45)
How can educators implement retrieval practiceinto their teaching? What techniques does Pooja suggest are most effective? (13:20)
Why does Pooja believe that feedback is an important part in retrieval practiceprocess? (16:50)
Does Pooja think that there are any potential challenges for teachers when implementing retrieval practice? Does she believe it impacts on workload? (19:50)
What is Pooja’s upcoming book called and what’s it about? (22:15)
We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroom and found Pooja’s ideas on retrieval practice strategies as fascinating as we did. We gathered lots of practical tips and tricks on how to work smarter not harder – remember: retrieval practice is one of the most powerful strategies to use in your classroom – why not give it a go?
We wish Dr Pooja K. Agarwal all the best for 2018 and her continuing success of RetrievalPractice.org. Remember to buy her book once it’s released in June next year!
Until next time!
Jamie, Michael and Tessa
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Episode 9: The Science of Sketch-noting Oliver Caviglioli
In this episode, we were lucky enough to speak to Oliver Caviglioli about the power of learning visuals and its basis in cognitive psychology. Oliver (@olicav) is an information designer who is widely known as an expert in visualising educational concepts. In recent years, he has worked with lots of different teacher-authors in illustrating their books.
The Staffroom Show Notes
‘The Staffroom’ is back! In the first episode of Series 2, we were lucky enough to speak to Oliver Caviglioli about the power of learning visuals and its basis in cognitive psychology. Oliver (@olicav) is an information designer who is widely known as an expert in visualising educational concepts. In recent years, he has worked with lots of different teacher-authors in illustrating their books.
Our chat with Oliver gave us some real insight into the use of visuals (such as sketch-noting) to conceptualise, categorise and organise information to enhance learning.
Here’s a break-down of our chat complete with time-stamps:
How did Oliver’s background and interest in ‘behaviourism’ influence his work as an information designer? (4:04)
Why does Oliver believe his visuals are becoming more and more popular with educators around the world? (6:07)
Why does Oliver think sketch-noting should not be ‘artistic’ and individualised? Why does he believe it is important to keep it simple? (8:30)
Why does Oliver think that all teachers should know about cognitive psychology? (10:09)
Why does Oliver believe it is important for teachers to use a balance of cognitive psychological research and educational research? (12:15)
What is ‘precis’ and why is it an important way of learning? Why does Oliver think that summarising/sketch-noting is an effective method of learning? (12:49)
Who is Ruth Colvin Clark and what does she say about decorative visuals and explanatory visuals? (14:29)
What is the main tip Oliver gives to people who want advice about their sketch-notes? (16:08)
How does Oliver think teachers should practice sketch-noting effectively with students? (16:50)
Is Oliver an advocate of technology to support and accelerate learning? (20:20)
If Oliver could recommend one professional learning book to a new teacher, what would it be and why? (20:35)
Where can people find Oliver’s work online? Where are his books available to buy? (24:01)
If you’d like further information about Oliver, you can check-out his work with Dr Megan Sumeracki (@DrSumeracki) and Dr Yana Weinstein who are the creators of The Learning Scientists project. Their book is called ‘Understanding How We Learn: A Visual Guide’ – check this out now! Also, if you're interested in our colleagues' Apple book on 'The Science of Sketch'-noting, take a look at Jamie Clark and Daniel Budd's digital book here.
We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroom and found Oliver’s words as fascinating as we did. We can’t wait to make sketch-noting and informational design part of our practice!
Until next time!
Jamie, Michael and Tessa
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