Tuesday 23 June 2015

The Elizabeth O'Farrell Story

Directed by Marcus Howard. The remarkable story of Elizabeth O'Farrell is recounted by her great grand-niece Donna Cooney. This video tells of her journey to Moore Street, the surrender with Pearse and delivering the surrender to de Valera at Boland's Mill. Elizabeth O'Farrell was an Irish nurse and member of Cumann na mBan. Filmed and edited by Marcus Howard and Jean O'Donnell.

Easter Rising Stories is a series of films by independent film maker Marcus Howard. The videos are not for profit but for educational purposes. The aim of the series is to capture the recollections of relatives of the Easter Rising of 1916 as well as to document events and stories relating to the Easter Rising. If you are interested in getting in touch please contact:
easterrisingstories@gmail.com

Monday 15 June 2015

Personal and Professional Development: Researching Colleges and Courses









1-Research a college course
2-Research facilities in the college
3-Find out what subjects and qualifications are needed
4-Find out date of application
5-Research similar courses in Ireland/Malaysia


What skills do you need for your chosen course?

Tuesday 9 June 2015


Level 5  Report Writing 

It may be based on any topic for example, based on the learner’s vocational area, or research done for another module. Use Primary (eg questionnaires, interviews) and Secondary research (referencing, bibliography) methods to obtain information for the report.
  • It must include information gathered from a variety of sources.
  • It should be well structured, detailed, balanced, use impersonal language
  • Reference should be made to Health & Safety legislation
  • It must contain relevant visual supports, i.e., drawings, charts, photographs etc.
  • All resources must be acknowledged through references and bibliography
  • It must be word processed, approximately 1000 words
  • Do not use personal language (eg No “I think…”)


Follow the formal structure of a report for example:
Title
Terms of Reference
Methodology
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
Assessment Criteria
o report well structured, detailed, balanced, uses impersonal language, good
interpretation of terms of reference                                                                                                                  3
o research is comprehensive, relevant, variety of sources acknowledged and
critiqued through references and bibliography                                                                                          3
o key issues discussed and explained with clarity, objectivity, evidence of
original thinking and supported with visual aids                                                                                       3
o findings presented clearly and in own words, recommendations/
conclusions show evidence of critical thinking and in depth analysis ·                                         3
o fluent writing, well expressed, extensive vocabulary,
freedom from minor errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation                                                  3


This assignment has the most weighting at 15%. The practical use of this crucial communications skill involves your next career step. In college or at work, employers and interviewers need to assess that you can write and create a piece of objective research. Adopting the correct methods of report writing is crucial to achieving higher grades in assignments  or business projects. A lot of the skills you learn about report writing are the tools you will also use if you decide to write a thesis.



One of the main areas an employer or interviewer wishes to see is can you back up your argument regarding the findings of your report with factual evidence. Why? Business decisions cost money to implement and arguments like “I think”, “I know” or “it’s obvious” do not carry as much weight as something like: “the research figures of 50 applicants between the ages of 18-25 shows that....which corresponds (or is at odds )with our secondary research. This leads us to the conclusion that.....”



This Assignment  involves the following:
Guidelines:

1.      This assignment will test the candidate’s information

 gathering and report writing skills

2.      It may be based on any topic using information

 gathered from a variety of sources and should 

demonstrate at least one practical use of social media to 

be documented in the report.

3.      Report could be based on research done for another

 module (eg work experience)

4.      Report may be handwritten or word processed


Assessment Criteria

·         Report should be well structured, detailed and balanced (3)

·         Uses impersonal language (3)

·         Good interpretation of terms of reference (3)

·         Research is extensive, relevant and sources acknowledged through references, bibliography and acknowledgements (3)

·         Discusses and explains key issues with clarity, objectivity and evidence of original thinking (3)

·         Findings presented clearly, recommendations/conclusions show evidence of critical thinking and analysis (3)

·         Fluent writing, freedom from minor errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation (3)

·         Report submitted on time (4)

Practical Use Of Social Media


90 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations while 14 percent trust advertisements. If you want to be heard, you have to have something to say. Social media is free to set up and in an  increasingly demanding jobs market, it is important to arm yourself with every tool you can to get your voice heard.

 Watch the following few videos and have a discussion in class about the advantages and disadvantages regarding social media.

Here is a clip below about how social media is being integrated in Ireland in 2011

Youtube Video:Social Media in Ireland

Uploaded by  on 16 Mar 2011


 “Social Media Stats in Ireland June 2011” gives the most recent statistics on how social media is booming in Ireland. Yet they have also stated that there is still a shortage of students applying for jobs in the I.T. sectors.
Youtube Video: Social Media Stats Ireland - June 2011
Uploaded by  on 30 May 2011

Here a clip about Ireland's facts and figures from 2008 going into 2009. It is important to show you why you need to get the most out of your work experience and your report.

Youtube Video Ireland's Economic Meltdown
Uploaded by  on 14 Jan 2009

Here are some 2011 facts about social media worldwide
Youtube Video Social Media Revolution Socialnomics 2011 
Uploaded by  on 2 Sep 2010

Youtube Video: What is LinkedIn?
Uploaded by  on 5 Apr 2010

Discuss in class:
The advantages and disadvantages of using various types of social media (Blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube)
Discuss how each type of social media could help your job hunt as well as your work experience.



How to write a report focusing on your work experience
Step 1 What do you know about the industry you would like to work in?
Step 2 What you would like to know (where are the gaps in your knowledge?)
Step 3 What have you learned when you have bridged those gaps through your research
Break up the report into manageable parts. You must decide on your research methods:

Research Methods
1 Primary Research-Information which you gather 1st hand eg surveys, questionnaires, interviews, experiments (tarilor your questions to your desired industry)

2 Secondary Research-Helps you measure and predict through material which has already been produced by someone else:  eg books, websites, magazines, newspapers

Here is a clip explaining the difference between primary and secondary research

Youtube Video: Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Uploaded by  on 2 Aug 2010

 Here's a video about how to  create a survey in Microsoft Word

Youtube Video:Creating a Questionnaire in Word

Uploaded by  on 8 Oct 2009

Here is a video about how to set up the Word 2007 function References and citations

Youtube Video Word 2007-References and Citations


Uploaded by  on 1 Apr 2009

Youtube Video: How to Use The Reference Function in Word 2010 

 Uploaded by  on 21 Apr 2011



How To Write a Good Report
1-Be Objective: Avoid using  words like “I”.  Instead use something like “research taken from...” or “statistics by X have shown...”
2-Research thoroughly: Use primary and secondary research to compare or contradict your point. This can lead to a more informed decision about the quality of the research provided
3-Structure the Report appropriately: Reports often follow a standard layout. An example of the structure of a report is included below. Headings should be arranged clearly and logically to make it easier to read and comprehend
4-Write Clearly, concisely and informatively


Have a look at Angus Morrison’s PDF document “A (Short) Report on Report Writing” from the Murdoch University for ideas regarding the layout of a report. Click the linkhttp://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~angusms/Teaching/reportwriting.pdf


Report Layout

The layout of any report is distinctive and is a valued 

document if implemented effectively. They can vary in 

length, content and style. A standard report will have the 

following:



Title:

Terms of reference: 

Methods:

Findings:

Conclusion:

Recommendation:

Bibliography 
Appendices


Title:

Terms of reference: 

this alludes to the purpose, subject and limits of the

 report. 
Also for whom the report has been written i.e. 

commissioned by will also be mentioned in this section.

Methods:
This is where you list your types of investigation methods. You do not talk about the findings in this section. N.B you should list your research methods in the correct order they appear in your report.
Eg the type of research you carried out regarding secondary research (books,websites, practical social media involvement, magazines, newspapers, libraries, etc) 

Pick one of the following social media options to include in your methods and outline why you have chosen it to help your jobsearch

-Outline how a blog with Blogger or WordPress will help your job search and future work experience 
-Outline how you will use LinkedIn to network and increase your chances of getting a good job 
-How can Facebook be used for your jobsearch or for the benefit of the industry you wish to work for
-How can you use Twitter to let people know about you or can you use it to communicate updates about your desired industry


Findings:

The results of your investigation must be in the same

 order as your described methods, i.e. chronological

 order. For example if the first thing you did was a survey 

then you must discuss the results of the survey first in

 the findings section.

Use headings and subheadings. Make sure the writing is

 impersonal eg “research states that...” as opposed to “I 

think...”

Regarding the social media option you have picked


 demonstrate in your findings: 

What new learning has occurred for you using social 

media?

What challenges did you encounter? 

If you have chosen a blog, document in your report findings how this was used to benefit your job search and work experience). Can you demonstrate the communication skills you have learned on your blog to help sell yourself?

If you have chosen to use LinkedIn to network for your job search, document how you did this?
If your option is Facebook or Twitter, outline the advantages and disadvantages you found from using this type of social media

Conclusion:

Usually just 2 or 3 paragraphs where you give a big

 picture of what the data is showing, and what should be 

done. You can communicate your thoughts and original 

ideas, but also compare and contrast it with your research..


What positive aspects did you experience?

What would you do differently in any future work experience?
Outline your future plans as a result of your workplace

 experience

Recommendation:
·   Practical suggestions about your thoughts on the business you worked for, based upon the findings from

 your research and conclusion. Display using bullet points.


eg eg How does the business use social media?


I    Is there any way the business you did your work

 experience for could utilise social media better?

eg
Bibliography

Authors name (Year) Title of website, Complete website

 addresses (copy and paste) website addresses 


Appendices

Include all your questionnaires

Monday 8 June 2015

Research project Part 1 External Factors affecting Personal Development

Class Discussion and Research Project

Analyse the factors that enable and prohibit personal success in
achieving medium to long term personal learning or career objectives,
including
  1. economic,
  2. social, 
  3. institutional, 
  4. cultural, 
  5. informational,
  6. dispositional (personal/situational), 
  7. educational








Write down under each heading what external factors you think may prohibit your personal development and learning

Where will you research for your information?

Make sure you reference your sources.


Sunday 7 June 2015

Cost analysis for a year at college


Make a list of the costs you will face in a year of higher education at college
Here are some websites that will assist you in helping you come up with your cost analysis.
http://www.studyinbritain.com/ireland/info/livingcosts.asp
Ireland: Find out what our international students say about studying in Ireland
 
Roots and Green Shoots - Patrick's Day Special 2012 
Uploaded by on Mar 12, 2012
 
Here is an interesting video link from 2012 to some interesting facts about Education in Ireland
  Education in Ireland 
Uploaded by on Sep 19, 2011
 


Research Project (30%)


Research Project (30%)

Use research skills to gather a range of relevant information and
materials for entry to and supports within further or higher education
or training provision, or within a particular career path

Locate the relevant required qualifications and steps to appropriate
qualifications on the National Framework of Qualifications and on the
European Qualifications Framework

Analyse the factors that enable and prohibit personal success in
achieving medium to long term personal learning or career objectives,
including economic, social, institutional, cultural, informational,
dispositional, educational

• present a personal timetable for the achievement of stated career/qualification goals
• supported by evidence of research both primary (e.g. interviews and visits) and secondary research
• present relevant material to show depth of research e.g. Career Guidance meetings, official
correspondence and official and online/published material

Students will have to give a presentation on their findings.

Research Project (30%)
• Wide range of sources of information explored                                    10
• Appropriate career path proposed                                                10
• Well researched profile                                                                        10