October 2016 – UWS BA ePDPs

27.10.16

General Log Literacy and Numeracy Log Interprofessional Working – Task One

Student life at UWS is fun, exciting and also overwhelming. I can’t believe i have made it to university and i am now a full time student (with part time work on the side). Ayr UWS is a beautiful campus. I am proud of myself for making it to univeristy, and also happy that i made the choice to study at the School of Education, UWS Ayr Campus.

I have met a great bunch of friends here at UWS who have similar intrests . Its great to chat and hang around with a bunch of people who have the same career goal as you, and who also can help you with your problems on the course.

I am overjoyed that i am finally starting my journey of becoming a primary school teacher. I believe that one step at a time and being relaxed is crucial when studying. I will keep my eye on the goal, and one day, i will achieve my dream job. “Miss Gentles, the primary educator!”

Personal Response to ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue

Personal Response to ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue Reading has always been part of my life. Reading was enjoyable even from a very young age. My gran would always read me a traditional fairy tale before bed and my mum constantly … Continue reading →

Starting A New Adventure

Starting a new adventure in your life can be quite scary as well as exciting. After having started my own new adventure recently I can confirm this was the way that I felt. On my first day of university I … Continue reading →

Pre-placement nerves

learning Log 14th October

Theme: Interdependence Soil Farm Visit Key Learning: Soil: In the morning we had a lecture with Sammi Jones who is an Education & Engagement Officer for ‘Food for Life Scotland. She came to inform us of the work this charity does and to … Continue reading →

Theme:

Interdependence
Soil
Farm Visit

Key Learning:

Soil: In the morning we had a lecture with Sammi Jones who is an Education & Engagement Officer for ‘Food for Life Scotland. She came to inform us of the work this charity does and to teach us all about the life of soil.
The charity itself was formed in 1946 by farmers, scientists and nutritionists who campaigned for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use. The first activity we took part in was a quiz about soil which I done very badly in and so this highlighted my lack of knowledge in the subject. The most surprising thing I learned in the lecture was that healthy soils store more carbon than all the forests in the world and therefore help us to combat climate change. We are currently not helping this situation though as every minute we lose the equivalent of 30 football pitches of fertile soil through erosion which is linked to deforestation and excessive farming.

Farm Visit: After lunch we visited a dairy farm in Tarbolton. Here, we were able to see how the beginning stages of some of our food/drinks are made. The one thing which really surprised me about the farm was that not one of the dairy cows had been outside a single day in its life. When you think of a farm you think of cows grazing in a field but here they were all in the one shelter where they spent all of their days. The farmer ensured us that they were all happy, healthy and well looked after though. The technology used in the farm was quite outstanding as there were machines that done everything: feeding, milking and even backscratching! The trip here sowed me how important it is to help children understand where their food comes from.

These are some pictures of the cows on the farm, a newborn calf and a cow being milked by the machine:

Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice:

I was intrigued by the life at the farm. I am still in shock that the cows do not get to roam outside at all in their lives and I actually feel quite sorry for them although we were told they had everything the needed where they were. I hope to become further aware of where my food and drink comes from in the future.

Areas of interest to explore further/develop:

I would like to further my knowledge on the types of technology that is used in farms and such places as I found it quite fascinating seeing it all in action.

Daily Logs Master Copies

daily-logs

Climate Change PDP and Study Task

PDP I recently attended a lecture on climate change which was followed up by two workshops one which focused on the practical activities that could be performed to teach children […]

Learning Log: Disasters

Theme: Disasters Previous to this input, I was already very aware of natural disasters, especially with the recent Hurricane Matthew that devastated parts of Haiti, the Bahamas and Florida being all over the news and social media. What I was less … Continue reading →

Theme: Disasters

Previous to this input, I was already very aware of natural disasters, especially with the recent Hurricane Matthew that devastated parts of Haiti, the Bahamas and Florida being all over the news and social media.

What I was less aware of, however, was the varying responses by different governments, how some countries were more prepared for disasters than others, and how some governments were not as quick to help their citizens as others.

An example of this is the case studies that we looked at during the Political Factors and Economic Impact workshop.

When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010, it was devastating for the small, poor island nation. Much of the response for the people in Haiti came not from their own government, but from the US military and other UN nations who sent relief and aid from all over the world. This in itself had many issues, for example a language barrier between the natives and the aid workers as well as many countries promising financial aid but not fulfilling their promises. I found this awful as I had never thought of the government to not prioritise their people’s safety. I researched further different charitable organisations such as CAFOD who aided in Haiti to find out more about what they did in the aftermath. As well as helping to combat disease and give people food and water, they have also been helping with preparations for future earthquakes, such as training farmers to create natural barriers that can reduce the risk of landslides. I think it is vital for Haiti, as well as other less developed countries, to prepare as much as possible for natural disasters.

Alternatively, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan in March 2011, making it the 5th largest recorded earthquake worldwide since 1900.

Japan had preparations in place for the earthquake, but the shock was the Tsunami. The government had issued a tsunami warning 3 minutes after the earthquake and the Prime Minister had an emergency meeting to do what he could to minimise damage. Most of the relief effort was done by the Japanese government, and they did a lot for their people. Social media also provided a massive help using Twitter for updates.

References
Haiti Earthquake-Your Questions Answered (2013) [Online] Available: http://cafod.org.uk Accessed 3rd November 2016

Month: October 2016