HG.51

=Welcome to the wiki page for HG.51.= Please use this space to contribute to the USC learning spaces project.

The questioning acronym PHOTO can be used to contextualize the meaning of your photographs. You may like to use the PHOTO acronym table below. Cut and paste the table below in "Edit" mode. The last column is for your response to your Photograph. Click in the box and start typing.
 * P || Describe your Photograph ||  ||
 * H || What is Happening in your photograph ||  ||
 * O || Why did you take a photograph Of this? ||  ||
 * T || What does this photograph Tell us about the space? ||  ||
 * O || How can this photograph provide Opportunities for us to improve the space? ||  ||
 * || What is missing from this photograph? ||  ||

I think HG.51 is great! **Discussion**: The majority of my activities are discussion based. One of myclasses had about 35 people enrolled, so I had another tutor to assist. It worked really well because we could both circulate among the discussion groups. **Furniture:** We re-arranged the furniture easily to suit the number of participants and the activity. **White Boards:** I love having enough whiteboards for several discussion groups. I often used the objective of reporting back to the rest of the class to get them to work together around the whiteboard to develop their ideas as well as the presentation. It seems to be better for engagement than sitting around a table with one or two people taking notes. When it comes time for the reports back to the whole class, having it writen large on the whiteboards mean they share the reporting, rather than one person referring to their notes. **The Smart Board** is good too, once you’re used to its idiosyncracies! The only issue I had to work around was the fact that my lectures couldn’t be on media site, so I recorded and uploaded to our course Blackboard. The colours in the room are vibrant and exciting, just like my classes.
 * Response from an Academic working in HG.51**



There is no one focal point in the room and is very student centred. ||
 * P || Describe your Photograph || Small group presentation ||
 * H || What is Happening in your photograph || A student is presenting to the group on the weekly topic. This is happening across the room in four different locations. One presenter is using the technology board, some sit around tables. ||
 * O || Why did you take a photograph Of this? || This exemplifies the potential of this space where four presentations are working together. There is space to move around and use the technology. The whiteboards are ready for the next activity - PMI and on the top right hand side of each board are the group codes for designating groups in class. ||
 * T || What does this photograph Tell us about the space? || There are 34 people in this room and 4 presenting however it looks relaxed, comfortable and happy. The potential to use the space for group work and activities extends the learning environment.
 * O || How can this photograph provide Opportunities for us to improve the space? || An issue to start was the over use of chairs and tables - i removed quite a few after Week 2. It has allowed the students to take over the space. The technology is being used but so far I have had no need to use two screens. I think there will be a need given presentations are regular occurrences in this class. They are not easy to move around and some weeks it has taken a hour to set the room. ||
 * || What is missing from this photograph? || Are the other groups - however see below ||



The room is easy to navigate and manage for users in a wheelchair. The height of the interactive whiteboards are appropriate and the furniture being height adjustable means extra comfort. It would be great if there were self-opening doors to assist with ease of entry into the learning space.

Week 9



 * < P ||< Describe your Photograph ||< Welcome to the class. This is how I found the class room set up this week with all the tables up and placed in rows. ||
 * < H ||< What is Happening in your photograph ||< We had a presentation by an Aboriginal Elder this week on how to Communicate with Aboriginal Communities. This photo shows how the classroom was organised when students arrived. ||
 * < O ||< Why did you take a photograph Of this? ||< I took this photo because it displays how difficult this space can be if there is too much furniture. It was difficult to rearrange the classroom layout with students and the presenter in class. It is also obvious that from the chairs in the foreground it would be very uncomfortable to sit and view the presenter where ever they were situated in the class. My impression of the layout on arrival was that it looked like a conventional classroom more so than the active classrooms utilizing the flexible space as seen above. ||
 * < T ||< What does this photograph Tell us about the space? ||< It tells me that the space is not being used in innovative ways but more so in conventional teaching - rows of students, factory like, squeezed into spaces, backs to others, no room for moving and an emphasis on the technology. It also says that the flexibility is limited when it is so busy with furniture. It can take one person at least 30 minutes to rearrange the room from this set up. ||
 * < O ||< How can this photograph provide Opportunities for us to improve the space? ||< Again, i think less furniture helps to keep the space flexible, open and less conventional. The tables are easy to fold down but this is heavy, awkward work at the start of class especially when so many need removing. ||
 * <  ||< What is missing from this photograph? ||< What's missing? The important reflection from our guest today who was talking about Indigenous ways and respectful ways of meeting and conducting business. She reflected that in Aboriginal ways circles are where people meet so everyone can see the others on equal terms and this class looked very much like a conventional university classroom. I was hoping that it would not! ||