DPM.me.uk – David Massey Online | Learning and Training | Coaching
Focusing on post-16 education, learning, training, e-learning, IT / computing and technology
I am pleased to announce I have been awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring qualification by Plymouth Marjon University.
The programme consisted of the following modules: Advanced Coaching & Mentoring and Coaching & Mentoring in Practice.
Please find below a selection of learners’ comments, feedback from learner reviews, surveys and course evaluations I have carried out and received during 2013-2014.
“The course has been extremely informative and fun and I have had a mass of valuable help throughout. As always everything has been explained to me clearly and I’m in no doubt of what to do next and know I’ll receive all of the help and support that I need.”
“Constant friendly support on areas where I occasionally got confused with questions. Helped explain questions when wording was confusing.”
“My tutor has helped me, the feedback I received was very helpful and pointed me in the right direction if I was stuck on something. I have also found the support very helpful.”
“I had very good support and feedback from my tutor, I’ve enjoyed the training I had been given.”
“Tutor has helped explain queries on how to look at things to make problems easier to work out and used feedback from tutor to enable me to understand some of the questions.”
“I was helped when needed and given clear instructions to enable me to progress through my course.”
“I have found my tutor very helpful and understanding.”
“Very good support and assistance when required.”
“My tutor has been really good and has helped me when I have been stuck.”
“I have had positive feedback on my course and help with things I was unsure about to help me progress.”
For further testimonials and references please visit www.dpm.me.uk/cv
In March 2013, whilst re-visiting and travelling around Florida I was fortunate enough to experience a rocket launch. The purpose of this rescheduled SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch was to replenish supplies and take equipment to the International Space Station (ISS). This was an unmanned cargo flight contracted to NASA that had been delayed after previous launch attempts carrying the Dragon spacecraft and launched at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on 1st March 2013.
Even though the weather was overcast it didn’t spoil the atmosphere and experience that was enjoyed by many including locals, space enthusiasts, media and press with everyone cheering the successful launch into orbit. I managed to drive to one of the nearest public viewing points available which is known for being one of the key watching spots and areas for seeing launches from NASA Space Kennedy. In the video I captured, the glowing exhaust trail of the rocket is shown in the distance, although unfortunately the video is not close up due to not having better camera / zoom facilities on the day to zoom in closer. In the background, you can also hear the numerous shutters clicking on the cameras of everyone else present as well as the film crews.
Due to getting this opportunity to experience a rocket launch, I feel I’ve fulfilled one of my all time childhood and life ambitions to watch a rocket in real life. If you happen to get the opportunity to see a rocket launch then I’d highly recommend it, even if it’s on a cloudy day as I experienced!
View the embedded video clip below:
Unfortunately, for the second time within two years I find myself in the unfortunate position of looking for work during these difficult economic times, due to being once again made redundant due to centre closure where I previously worked. I am a qualified post-16 Tutor / Trainer, learning practitioner, educator and IT specialist based in Plymouth, UK. If any prospective employers are interested in utilising my skills, experience, knowledge and qualifications in the areas of delivering, managing and supporting e-learning, learning and development, training, project based roles, IT and Internet or any other relevant vacancies then please view the following work related activities and content available on my website, blog and other social media that maybe of interest.
I thank you for your interest and look forward to hearing from you regarding any possible job opportunities.
UPDATE: Since this blog post was published I have successfully secured employment.
Please find below a selection of learners’ comments, feedback from learner reviews, surveys and course evaluations I have carried out and received during 2011.
“David was always available during my sessions and I found him to be very knowledgeable and approachable.”
“Willing to give time to any questions raised by me.”
“David explains everything whenever asked…was very helpful, very polite and very encouraging, nothing was too much bother, he was great. David’s support with additional help was outstanding, I struggled with some modules, but everything was explained whenever asked, excellent tutor.”
“Cheerful and helpful.”
“Great course – teacher very helpful and easy to talk to.”
“Knowledgeable and friendly.”
“Assessor always helped identify any additional help…a well run and supervised course…excellent tuition.”
“Very patient.”
“David was really helpful, friendly and made me feel at ease.”
For further testimonials and references please visit www.dpm.me.uk/cv
I recently received the following testimonial of my work from Pipex Limited, who I have been working with since November 2010:
“David Massey has been working closely with the staff involved from Pipex since November of 2010 in his role as tutor and advisor on the training involved in the E.C.D.L computer literacy courses. David has made a great impression on all members of staff with his dedication and attention to detail he is always available when help or advice is required and has been invaluable to the students involved, it has been a pleasure to work alongside David and in no small measure his endeavours have resulted in many of the students achieving their targets. We have found David’s flexibility and problem solving to have been a great help during our time working together and would have no problem recommending him for any future or similar positions.” Quality Control Inspector, Works Director and Operations Manager
I have been working with this employer on site at their Head Office based in Plymouth to advise about the best solutions for their training and learning needs, deliver, support IT courses and qualifications as well as carry out testing. Training and learning opportunities delivered include the BCS ECDL Essentials, ECDL Extra, OCR ICT Skills For Life: Entry Level Certificate and Adult Numeracy: Level 1 and 2 Certificates utilising a flexible approach to suit the workload of staff.
Pipex Ltd is a successful award winning innovative company who design, manufacture, supply and install a variety of products from warship piping to wastewater products. They recently published a news article on their website regarding the first members of staff to complete the qualifications I’ve been delivering and supporting, as shown below.
I still continue to work with staff at Pipex and the positive relationship continues. I wish them continued success with their course and working towards the qualifications.
To view further testimonials and references please visit www.dpm.me.uk/cv
The first HP webOS OTA (over the air) update is now available for the TouchPad in the UK and elsewhere in the world. The update was originally promised to be released before the end of July and has finally been released on 1st August, which isn’t too long after the original date! The 3.0.2 update includes the following improvements:
An update notification should appear on your TouchPad device alerting you of the update or you can alternatively manually check and start the download and installation by accessing the System Updates app.
Other enhancements include the inclusion of a Clock, which includes different clock themes and alarms and Calculator apps. OTA updates remain an innovative and excellent feature of the TouchPad as well as other electronic devices available today, where the user is able to update the device software, allowing new features, applications, improve performance, important system and security updates as well as further enhancements to be added.
Below I have included a brief walkthrough of the stages involved in the OTA update:
Finally, although it hasn’t been included within this update, I would like to see the ability to create individual launcher pages added in a future update, which I feel is a useful needed feature and would work like the original Palm OS launcher pages, where you are able to name and group applications by their category, for example: productivity, utilities, personal, multimedia, games, social media, downloads and settings. Another improvement that could be made is to be able to manage web bookmarks more efficiently within the browser, for example being able to create folders to categorise saved sites rather than just one long bookmark list at present.
Other blog posts of interest: Using Tablet Devices in Learning, Teaching and Education
Having completed the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching Mathematics (Numeracy) in the Lifelong Learning Sector course which I have attended at Cornwall College St Austell, I have now been awarded this qualification as a qualified numeracy subject specialist tutor / teacher. This is awarded by University of Plymouth.
Below is a Wordle word cloud, which features a variety of key words from testimonials and references about my work. A word cloud is a visual illustration containing words from a particular source and the bigger the word the more times it has been mentioned within the source. This provides a quick way of seeing a selection of key words featured on the references received. To access my Online CV click here for the full list of testimonials and references from a variety of sources, colleagues I have worked with as well as comments from learners. Click on the image to enlarge the word cloud.
This blog post article discusses using tablet computing devices within learning environments, with a particular focus on the new HP TouchPad, which is the first webOS tablet from HP (formerly Palm). When referring to learning environments within this article, this can be in relation to teaching, learning, e-learning and other educational settings. I have focused on the HP TouchPad to give this article a single device to feature and feel the TouchPad is an excellent tablet device 
solution for use within learning as well as other personal and work related settings for a variety of Internet, email, entertainment, gaming and other uses.
Other reasons why I have chosen this device include being a long time user of webOS operating systems (OS) ranging from the early Palm OS to the latest webOS version and feel given the background and experience of the OS it has the edge over other rival tablet devices. The article features an introduction to tablet devices, the benefits, a few brief comparisons and summary, whilst focussing on their use within a learning environment.
Introduction to tablet devices
As a definition of a tablet, slate, tablet computer or device, it is the term used to describe a type of portable all in one computer in a form factor similar in size to a notebook or netbook computer. Due to this, the device resembles a ‘slate’ or ‘tablet’ and features a touch-screen interface and on certain models a stylus for input purposes.
Benefits and uses within learning
As an educator and advocate for using various technologies, I feel there are a variety of benefits of using tablets within a learning environment both from a teaching and learning perspective, as featured in the list below:
Brief comparisons
Although the HP TouchPad is a late arrival to the tablet market sector as other major companies already have their established tablet devices available. One of the biggest benefits compared to the main rival iPad is the Adobe Flash Player support, which will allow the user to view a variety of Flash based content and sites. This is an important factor within a learning setting, as it allows access to a variety of e-learning content and learning modules, Learning Management Systems (LMS) and testing systems. By supporting Flash content, it makes using a tablet device within education a real, practical option, making a variety of learning related content and systems usable.
Due to the TouchPad supporting Flash content, this is a major point compared to other rival devices, such as the iPad as this doesn’t support Flash content. Although my personal opinion of this difference is that Apple is such a big company and has a big market share that eventually it will need to support Flash content or there will be a shift by websites and developers in how content is made available in a variety of formats to accommodate users of the iPad. In addition, it also must be noted that Android operating system based tablets support Flash content.
Another benefit of using the TouchPad compared to other tablets is the multi-tasking capability, enabling you to have a variety of windows or ‘cards’ (as they are called in webOS) open for all your active work. For example, email, Learning Management System, attendance and learner tracking spreadsheet could all be open at the same time.
Other features and benefits in-depth and explored
Although it is possible to type using the on screen virtual keyboard, I personally wouldn’t want to type for long continuous periods on a tablet touch screen. However, if it is necessary to type for such periods, then a wireless keyboard is available for the TouchPad with a predicted battery life to last up to several months. A big benefit of the wireless keyboard is that it allows you to type comfortably whilst being able to view the entire TouchPad screen. Again, accessories such as a keyboard are available for other tablet devices. Another feature is the ability to print wirelessly as long as you have a compatible printer.
In terms of accessibility, due to a disability or other difficulties, then the TouchPad tablet is flexible in being able to resize the on-screen keyboard to your own preference (extra small, small, medium or large) or alternate between settings depending on the task being carried out. For example, if replying to an email you may want to view most of the screen and have a small keyboard displayed.
Through a variety of apps you are able to expand the use of the TouchPad further. When more apps become available, such as dedicated apps specifically for use within teaching and learning environments for a range of tasks, that could include: recording attendance, links to resources or interactive whiteboard materials as well as being able to access resources such as Moodle.
In addition to the TouchPad tablet, the Pre 3 smartphone will shortly be available following the launch of the TouchPad which runs the same OS and through Touch to Share technology, the devices link together in order to continue working on a smaller screen if access is required on the go via the phone. The useful Touch to Share feature works by tapping the phone onto the TouchPad to allow the content on screen to be instantly transferred to the other device. Due to tablet devices being extremely portable and the Touch to Share feature, they are convenient to move between teaching rooms, providing the ability to take email, calendar and other work with you to continue working and receive notifications.
Other accessories, such as the Touchstone charger offer additional flexibility of simply placing the tablet down on the stand and will charge and top up the battery wirelessly via conductive technology. This avoids the need of physically plugging it in when in a busy environment and ensures it is ready for the next session or use. E-book reader apps, such as Amazon Kindle can also be seen as a learning tool, as you are able to access reference books for your studies or read training books on the tablet whilst being able to perform actions away from the TouchPad. Due to them being e-books, some books may contain interactive features, such as demonstration animations and video to be fully immersed than a traditional book.
Past experience of similar tablet devices used in a teaching, training and learning setting, include the ‘el-box’ which is a service offered by ThirdForce to offer ‘E-Learning in a box’, allowing e-learning to be delivered conveniently via a hardware and software solution using tablet devices. This is an ideal solution, when having to travel to different sites and deliver sessions as well as in workplace learning, where space maybe at a premium.
From a learning point of view using a tablet could be seen as being more flexible, portable, convenient and enjoyable, allowing learners to continue learning where traditional computers and laptops aren’t possible. Due to the compact size it allows learning if space is restricted in a learning area and is ideal for m-learning (mobile learning).
Tablets can also be used for the basis of the actual session topic. For example, I’ve delivered sessions allowing learners to be aware of the various benefits of Social Media and seeing how it is relevant for their particular lives. By utilising tablets, you would be able to cover the same topics of VOIP such as Skype, using the camera when covering Social Media, IM (Instant Messaging) and conferencing topics with learners. By integrating tablets within the sessions and learners using them, it allows them to become familiar with this new technology and continue to work towards bridging the digital divide.
As mentioned within this article, there are a variety of uses from a teaching, administrative point of view as well as learners using tablet devices for their own learning. Other uses could include being able to conduct enrolments flexibly and unobtrusively, especially when present at an open day promotional event away from the main campus site. Another idea could be to use tablet devices within class as voting tools for a variety of educational quizzes, ice breakers, assessments and other activities.
I believe tablets can be used in all sectors of education, whether primary, secondary, post-16 or workplace learning. Especially convenient for training and assessing in the workplace for recording actions of the learners whilst being able to move around with it, due to its space saving size and form factor. It is also a useful flexible tool for assessment purposes and to record progress, as the included camera could be used for evidence purposes, where as compared to using traditional methods, you would need to use a computer, which is probably away from the required work area, separate camera and then upload pictures to record assessment evidence.
Tablets can be useful in a variety of different contexts, however still continuing the learning theme, another idea could be to use the tablet as a guide. For example, tourist information, museum guides incorporating audio, visual, text, flash animations and even augmented reality content (ability to look at something on tablet through camera and view a variety of information and additional content) which makes learning more fun, relevant and memorable. Due to being more interactive than traditional paper guides, it would be a preferred choice allowing a range of leaning styles and preferences to be accommodated.
Conclusion
The HP TouchPad represents an innovative user interface and experience, due to utilising the webOS operating system and is a pleasure to use and navigate around whether using it for entertainment, personal or work use. However, when considering its use within learning and teaching settings then it makes learning convenient, as you can continue to access and engage in activities anywhere due to Wi-Fi and even more so once the mobile connected version is released at a later date. It offers a true mobile and non-mobile learning experience, that through using the tablet adds to the learning experience.
Through a variety of educational apps the possibilities are endless in terms of being able to support a range of learning tools and resources. Over recent years, tablet devices have become a popular new market area and in the future I believe they will continue to grow further for general use as well as within specialist areas such as learning, teaching and education as discussed in this article. Although webOS tablets are imminently about to launch and enter an already established competitive market, I highly champion the OS and believe eventually it has the potential to have the edge over other rivals.
As the webOS platform continues to develop I will continue to publish a series of articles focusing on its use within education. Finally, I hope this article has been of interest to anyone interested in using technology from a learning and teaching perspective as well as exploring the potential impact of tablet computers in education.
DPM.me.uk - David Massey Online | Learning and Training | Coaching