Presentation

Emerging Technology for Accountants KAREN RANDALL from kjrand

REFLECTION 4

 WHAT DID I LEARN FROM MY FEEDBACK?

FEEDBACK FROM PEERS

I have had positive feedback from other staff members.  I have asked them to introduce Google Docs to all first year students by asking them to create a Gmail Account.  This would help them during their duration of study.   This can prevent them of being exposed to Google Docs only at third year level as I discovered.   I would like to introduce Google Docs to first year Accounting lecturers and explain to them how they could use Spreadsheets in Google Docs to assist the learners with their Accounting Exercises.  

We should never make assumptions about students knowing things.    Students should be encouraged to collaborate and share ideas freely with fellow students.  This encourages them to respect and value other opinions but at the same time they can also disagree and thinking critically about the content they are engaging in with one another.    Encouraging group work amongst students is important as they will not be working in silos in industry.   Adopting an attitude of two heads is better than one and we could help one another and get things done quicker and learn during the process.  This is one of the things I learnt.   I am finding that our students have difficulty in expressing their views and reluctant to share as they fear being incorrect and embarrassed in the presence of their peers.

I will be setting up a different Google Account for Business Information Systems Lecturers where we can share information.  This is a way of introducing other staff members to using Google Docs.   Only problem for me is that I would need to be creative in remembering all my passwords.  We discussed using Google Docs for sending Question Papers to one another and making changes and updating would be so much easier but we need to look at the security features.    Important thing is that other staff members are thinking about it.  I found it beneficial to storing information as I need to move between home, office and lab.

FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS

Students were excited and positive and appreciated the exposure.   Their comments were:

 

Why did we not use this in first year

 

User friendly

 

Made me work more productively and accurately as I had to share my work

 

Fellow students are more critical and can pick up my errors quicker

 

Enjoyed the freedom of expressing what I did not understand

 

Working in groups made us get to know other students, developed better understanding of concepts and content

 

Social interaction – easier to communicate with peers

 

Made me think more about what I was learning and doing – forced to concentrate

 

Learning independently and helping others

 

We can work at any time not restricted to class time

I don’t  want to share my work, work better on my own

90% of students had smartphones

Alternatives to flash drives on campus – sharing information online

DISADVANTAGES OF GOOGLE DOCS

Must have internet connection

Privacy Issues

Limited Application functionalities

  

WHAT CHANGES CAN I MAKE TO MY LEARNING INTERVENTION BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM ROLE PLAYERS

I know that Google Docs has been beneficial to my students and to me and I would like to explore the use of the tool in greater detail.  It is time consuming ironically for the lecturer but it saves time in long run with the students.  Due to time constraints I have not been able to explore whether Google spreadsheets has all the functionalities I require for my subject and this   my step.    This has been a learning curve for me as well as the students but I have learnt unless you implement and use the tool in your environment and context you will not see the benefits but  I would like to take an in-depth look at the disadvantages of the tool.  I have learnt that reflection is important and I often tend to avoid reflection.    I will use the feedback  and  try to use Google Docs continually as a tool that will complement the current learning management system.

 

 

 

REFLECTION 3

ESTABLISHED PRACTICE

I am currently teaching Pastel, SAP and Advanced Excel Topics that Accounting students need to be exposed to.  The students are expected to apply and transfer their theoretical knowledge into practice.  My classes were purely of a lecture and demonstrative nature, however, I found that they became mere recipients of knowledge with little engagement. I was guided by a constraint, time which is still prominent as I have content to cover and exam deadlines to meet. Previously I lectured and demonstrated the content with powerpoint presentations and many students tried to follow but with difficulty. 

The emerging technology tool that I have selected is Google Docs as I can see the value of the tool for Accounting learners.  Buchanan (2011) states that there is an emphasis on higher education institutions to produce digitally- literate and technologically- able graduates who are employable in the global information economy.  

I make use of problem- solving case studies that will promote critical thinking.  I have decided to make use of group centered approach.  The case studies are discussed, analysed and interpreted by group members.  The group members share their ideas, and are now sometimes able complete their task, this was previously not the case.  If they do not complete their tasks in the allotted time, however, they can use Google docs.  This entails sharing, adapting, discussing and commenting and updating of their work without the group having to be in the same geographical space.  This involves collaborative learning but on a distance level.  It encourages students to continue their learning at any convenient time.  Crook and Garrison (2008) points out that the effective use of web applications in classroom can make learners outperform those who only attend traditional lectures.   The implementation of and exposure of Google Docs to students would lead to the encouragement of better learning, more motivation, higher performance and  increased responsibility for one’s own learning.   

It was surprising to see that many students had either little or no exposure to  Google Docs.  This has indeed been a necessary and learning curve for them.  This tool enables them now to extend their technology knowledge beyond the boundaries of their classroom environment.

BENEFITS OF GOOGLE DOCS
 

An easy-to-use document with the spreadsheet editor enabling you to create, store, and share instantly and securely.

Promotes and encourages group collaboration, enables students to coordinate their collaborative effort and document changes occur in real time.

Encourages group work, peer editing and brainstorming.

Work can be accessed and completed from anywhere at any time.

Free software programs - Word, Spreadsheet, PowerPoint programs requires no purchasing of Microsoft licenses.

Innovative way of teaching and learning independent of location.

Alternative modes of assessment and feedback.

Improves the relationships between students and lecturers and the relationships of students with their fellow peers, with convenient communication.

It can be viewed as an alternative to LMS as it can be used as a platform for Announcements, sharing of notes and learning resources.

Useful application for Office Management and day to day organizational activities.

Research tool - surveys and forms and questionnaires they could develop

Social interaction

Research and performance tool

User friendly and training is easy

Use this technology tool to teach technology

  

AFFORDANCES

Law, Lee and Yu (2010) states that that technology tools engage students in meaningful learning contexts with the ultimate goal of enhancing teaching and learning for both lecturers and students. My students have been exposed to the blended learning approach. The blended learning approach is the combination of face to face teaching and online learning. This allows me to be more of a facilitator than a purveyor.  
Each learning area has a unique environment and context and thus the learning context needs to be authentic. The case studies and problem solving cases chosen need to reflect the relevant career content and real life experiences.

Wells (2002) further defined affordances to be “…subsumed within a framework that focuses on the following seven features:

·         affordances are ecological

·         they are relational

·         they are facts of the environment and behavior

·         sets of them constitute niches

·         they are meanings

·         they are invariant combinations of variables

·         they are perceived directly.

Gaver (1998) emphasised that affordances could be obtained even though the user does not receive the right information (i.e. actionable properties of the object) in the beginning. Both perceptual affordances and hidden affordances are important in explaining conduciveness of e-learning and the nature of blended learning environments through ICT affordances.

Pedagogical Affordance

Kirschner et al (2004) found Google docs to have the following pedagogical affordances

platform useful for sharing ideas and resources.  It was used as a platform for sharing files and group collaborations. It supports collaborative reflection.

It enables the lecturer to monitor the learning process – Lecturer can ascertain problems and change his or her teaching strategies to make their teaching process more effective.

 Educational Affordances

Google Docs is an educational application that can be used to setup quizzes to test students learning progress.  Used as a tool to Setup Assessments for students.  Encouraging problem solving skills, critical thinking and reflecting.  Google docs can be used in their Calculations and Report Writing.

Transforming Affordances

Google Docs in my situation was a transforming affordance.  A transforming affordance can be changed into a perceived performance.  Google docs was never considered in my teaching and thus it could be considered as a hidden affordance which I have transformed into a perceived affordance. Google Docs was also considered a negative affordance as I was resistant to using this technology tool to enhance teaching and learning.  Both these affordances were transformed in my teaching and learning context until three weeks ago.   

Social Affordances

Google Docs encourages social interaction amongst students without them being monitored by lecturers.  Freedom to express their ideas and comment freely.  Share documents and post comments.  It provides for discussion and comment outside the classroom environment at any time.  It encourages all students to participate and to respond, to think critically and to stimulate healthy competition.

 

Technical affordances/ Reliability Affordances

It is user friendly.   Software and storage space is free.  Able to download your documents any time and anywhere.  No flash drives – do not lose your data. Speed  is fast and real time environment.

 Usability affordance

For office duties and calculations, graphs and pivot tables .

Google docs can manipulate and execute various functions effectively and efficiently.  Especially useful for students.

  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Gaver, W.W. (1991). Technology affordances. Proceedings of the Conference on the
CHI 91Human Factors in Computing Systmes Conference, ACM, p.79-84

 Gibson, J. (1979). The ecological approach to human perception. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

 

Kirschner, P., Strijbos, J.-W., Kreijns, K., & Beers, P.J. (2004). Designing electronic collaborative learning environments. Educational Technology Research & Development,
52(3), 47–66.

 Law, M. Y., Lee, C. S., & Yu, Y. T. (2010). Learning motivation in e-learning facilitated computer programming courses. Computers & Education, 55(1), 218-228.

 

Norman, D.A. (1999). Affordance, conventions, and design. Interactions, 6(3), 38–43.