Learning Styles Continued (M3)

Pragmatist people like to experiment with new ideas with practical application. They are down to earth, problem solvers. They are always keen to test things in practice and by getting straight to the point they are realistic thinkers. However pragmatic learners have a tendency to reject ideas and views without obvious application. They also are not very interested in theory or basic principles.

Activists are enthusiastic people who like to get stuck in and jump in at the deep end, looking for new experiences. They are open-minded and happy to have a go at anything without resisting change. They like to take the limelight and rush in to things without looking at other options or risks.

Reflectors are people that like to think about things, they are good listeners and rarely jump to conclusions. They are careful, thorough and methodical but are likely to procrastinate and hold back from direct participation leading to them being too cautious and slow to make decisions.

Theorists are logical thinkers with a disciplined approach; they are rational and objective and are usually perfectionists. They also have a low tolerance for uncertainty or disorder and are restricted in lateral thinking.

I have made a word search (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0eZg-JfH0HQUmowTlhPX212cWc/edit?usp=sharing) with a few of the key words from each learning style. This will help me and others think about the traits of each learning style allowing them to see which criteria they best fit.


When researching for myself to find out what learning style I am I found that I didn't really fit into any one learning style. To elaborate I feel I fit into the reflector learning style as I procrastinate a lot however I also like to take control of tasks and group activities and jump straight into things. I enjoy talking and listening to people’s ideas and views. But I also feel I need to understand a theory or science of why things happen and how to do things. So in conclusion I feel I cannot categorize myself into any one learning style and I don’t think I am the only person who feels like this, I think everyone has many traits from each style meaning no one is limited to these types of learning styles.

Personal Development Plan (P7,P8,D2,M2)

At the start of unit 1 I was tasked to create and follow a personal development plan (PDP) which I updated each week with my progression of tasks barriers including the following:

·         A description of the task

·         A date of submission

·         Any barriers and the deadline date

I tried to update my PDP each week but feel strongly against this task which I explain in the PDP how I did not like this task and how I would change it. I created my PDP Draft that was reviewed by a peer and I did not receive much positive feedback with this Feedback Sheet. I also reviewed a peers PDP exampling what needs to be improved. You can find my Review Sheet here where I explained the good and bad points of my peers PDP that they later updated. This also helped improve my reviewing skill of others work. However the feedback I received included:

·         Check my grammar

·         Add the correct dates for each task

·         Write about the obstacles I found in much more detail

·         Add the rest of the tasks

·         Write about the feedback I received

I acted on this feedback and improved my PDP to meet all the criteria and change the points of feedback I received. In my updated Finished PDP here I evaluate and review my PDP in more depth explain what I did and do not like about doing it.

My game pitch (P4, P5, P6, D1)

I achieved a merit on my games pitch that I am pleased with but feel I could and should have done better.

To find out how I could have done better I first have to look at what I didn’t do very well, my main problem was with use of terminology; I had written down the correct terms on my presentation but I did not say them when I needed to. This led to me not achieving a higher grade. If I were going to do this again I would ensure that I use the terminology consistently and correctly.

Another aspect I could improve on is when I related to the audience. I did say what my game wasn’t going to do for the target audience such as having blood and gore but I did not say what I was going to implement for the audience like having both male and female characters to apply to both genders of audience.

I felt my body language and hand actions were good without being too overpowering or distracting and my voice was clear and loud.

How The Use Of IT Can Aid Communication (P5)

Microsoft word

Microsoft word allows the user to make professional, business standard documents such as newsletters, letters and posters. It gives the advantage of easy textual input with a large variety of formatting choices such as font, size and colour. It has image compatibility to easily implement images, charts or tables into the document with a simple, self-explanatory menu options and UI. Another advantage to Microsoft word is the ability to have the document simple and plain or with as many colours, pictures and fonts as the user wants with instant help including spell checker and help search from Microsoft office online.

Microsoft PowerPoint

PowerPoint is the most useful an accessible ways to create presentations and visual aids allowing users to spend hours developing slide and animations. It is easy to create colourful, attractive designs using the available templates and themes. Compared to other visual aids it is very easy to modify with charts and images also giving the ability to reorganise the slide order. It gives the presenter the advantage to maintain eye contact with the audience by changing slides with a clicker or keystroke.

E-mail

Emails are easy to use with the ability to organise your daily mail send and receive electronic messages an even save them to your computer. They are the fastest way of distance communication with them being delivered as soon as they are sent as long as the sender and receiver have a broadband connection. Emails give the possibility to send automated mail with a certain text such as vacation messages and confirmation emails. Being environmentally friendly having to use no paper they also allow the sender to attach images, business documents or even the original message so the recipient knows what the message is about.

References:

http://www.english-online.at/media/emails/advantages-disadvantages-of-electronic-mail.htm

http://uk.ask.com/question/what-are-the-advantages-of-microsoft-word

https://www.boundless.com/communications/preparing-and-using-visual-aids/using-powerpoint-and-alternatives-successfully/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-powerpoint/

VoIP Software (P5)

VoIP software stands for Voice over IP software and is used to have telephone-like conversations across IP (Internet protocol) networks. It is usually cheaper for residential customers. Common, well known VoIP software include Skype, team viewer and Ventrilo.

The reasons why businesses use this software is firstly because of cost when comparing with normal telephone calls VoIP offer several advantages. It is much lower than the tradition phone companies which allowed industries to remove the costly to maintain phone infrastructure meaning VoIP users could charge must less than their competitors with lower expenses.

Latest technology allows customers to use their normal mobile phone to make VoIP calls and makes the whole system more flexible. For example all the customer needs is a broadband connection and they can take their phone with them to make a call or even use desktop computers and laptops to talk to the business.

With this easy implementation of VoIP software for businesses it will increase productivity with VoIP phone numbers having the ability to ring on multiple devices. However with this growing use of this software will attract hackers so to stop this from happening the business should make sure their network security is up to date an secure.

Refrence: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/79842

Reviewing documents (M2)

The Amended Document


I have amended this game design document because it was hard to read with small line spacing and unclear heading and subheadings, it was also boring with small writing and simple font. The structure also didn’t break the writing up into sections and paragraphs.

I first started with the title, I used styles throughout this whole document and stated with modifying the title; I made it much larger with a blue colour and Arial font this allowed the reader to clearly see the title and recognize where the text begins. I also added a border to the title along the left side and top this gave it and edge and made it look more unique and professional.

After I moved onto the heading that I styled to also make the font blue and use the Arial typeface. I also formatted it to have a small space above and below each heading to break up the text and show the clear paragraphs.

The actual text I changed into justify format to make the document neater I also specified the line spacing to be 1.5 which made the text stand out making it easier to read. Changing the font to Arial I also sized it appropriately and ensuring the color stayed automatic and breaking the text up into paragraphs.

The next thing I did was add a footer where I put a field to display the page numbers out of how many pages altogether that automatically updates when changed.

Finally I split off to create a front page that included a table of contents that also automatically updated when the document is changed including the page numbers and already specified titles. The last thing I did to make the whole document look more professional was to add a confidential watermark that would relate to a real document in the business industry.

Evaluate Written And Interpersonal Techniques (D1)

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0eZg-JfH0HQRERPbUxkRWRwZUU/edit?usp=sharing

How awareness of a learning style can aid your personal development (M3)

Awareness of a learning style

 

 

 

We were set a teambuilding exercise to create a paper ring out of an A4 piece of paper and put it round all of us. Within our group of 3 and being winning team without an advantage we had me a visual learner, Dan an auditory leaner and Connor a kinaesthetic learner. We had someone from each learning style and I feel this is what led us to our victory.

First of all I read the instructions and told the team what to do being the visual learner then Dan did as I said to create what we needed while Connor and I watched and guided him. I think because we had such good communication and teamwork skills this helped us to create the paper chain so quickly and I feel that you need a mix of learning styles when working in a team.  

Barriers to Effective Communication (P3 +M1)

Language Barrier

The obvious barrier to effective communication when it comes to international communication is the language barrier between different dialects. if someone speaks a different language to yourself then you will not be able to communicate without any trouble. in addition even when communicating in the same language, the terminology used in a message may act as a barrier if it is not completely understood by the audience.  For example, a receiver who is not familiar may not understand a message that includes a lot of specialist terminology and abbreviations. Some regional expressions may be misinterpreted or even considered offensive. As an example we use a thumbs up expression to represent something that is good but in Greece the sign means a great offence basically asking someone for a fight. In the gaming industry you may need to have meetings with someone from the business who is from a different country and may speak a different language from you and the rest of the team.

Solutions

A possible solution to this communication barrier is if it is a corporate face-to-face meeting you could hire a translator who could translate what they say and repeat it to the other person. If it is a written or typed documentation that is going to be read by someone from a different country you could use a program like Google translator to change what you have written into his or her language. A solution to the people not understanding your own language would be to know your audience and use the correct terminology so you do not confuse them.

Physical barriers

Physical barriers are usually easy to see for example doors that are closed, walls that are erected, and distance between people all work against the goal of effective communication. Electrical equipment such as phones and emails can also be a problem if they stop working or get broken.

Solutions

While most agree that people need their own personal areas in the workplace, setting up an office to remove physical barriers is the first step towards opening communication. Many professionals, who work in the games industries that thrive on collaborative communication, purposefully design their workspaces around an “open office” plan. This layout places cubicles in favor of desks grouped around a central meeting space. While each individual has their own dedicated workspace, there are no visible barriers to prevent collaboration with their co-workers. This encourages greater openness and frequently creates closer working bonds.