link to wiki
Sample, Taste, and Savor Some New Technologies
A workshop for Maricopa Community College library staff January 13, 2005 at Chandler-Gilbert Community College
By Tom Foster (Chandler-Gilbert Community College) and Alan Levine (MCLI)
Objectives
* Become familiar with the purposes and uses of new web based technologies
* Explore and analyze examples of how this technologies might be used for learning
* Know where to go for more information about these new technologies
topics included:
* Blogging
* Wikis / Collaborative Writing
* ePortfolios
* Photo Sharing
* Finding Free Stuff
* Google Maps
Findings from Case Studies - NCVER
full report in pdf
p6 There's a mixture of push and pull factors at play in why employers provide training
(image sourced from pdf)
p7 There's a substantial effect of employer size on provision of structured training: Small businesses (<20 employees) 38.5% vs large businesses (>100) 97.5%
p 11 reasons for not using nationally recognised training include dissatisfaction with the content and/or the providers.
What this means for us?
Potential for working with smaller enterprises on provision of structured training, this will raise questions of economy of scale I imagine.
Looking further at the internal/ external and push/pull factors may provide some insights into approaches we could use.
A Huge Learning Curve - TAFE practitioner's ways of working with private enterprises
Report for NCVER
Authors: Roger Harris, Michele Simons, Julian Moore
The key issue, then, is: In what ways and how effectively do public VET practitioners work with private enterprises? p12
Key to effective working in VET are:
- using the 'right' people
- understanding and adapting to cultural differences between VET and enterprises (working in different ways, recognising business imperatives etc)
- training and learning strategies - needs based, just in time and very interactive
- industrial background of TAFE trainers
p9
'The most valued characteristics that enable TAFE practitioners to be effective in these roles are seen to be their industry background and their ability to fit in with regular work patterns without disrupting the natural flow of work. Their passion and other interpersonal qualities are also evident, along with their ability to identify and fill needs, to form close relationships with their clients, and their willingness to learn.'
p16
'VET practitioners can therefore serve as links between the world of learning and the world of work. They have to develop a new role which, above all, requires the establishment of relationships and the development of a learning environment, both of which are viewed positively within a working environment.'
A case study approach was used for this report - case studies came from the following industries across a mix of urban and regional settings: wine-making, rubber & plastics for automotives, hospitalityx2,a cinema group and a wholesale distributor. p21-23
p 28 Summary of perceived culture differences
Perceived problems with TAFE
Administrative inefficiency, bureaucracy, paperwork-'awful administrative nightmare' (A, 40-41)
Costs charged on nominal hours rather than contact hours-'a rip off' (A, 41)
Relies too much on too few individuals who know industry's needs and can
meet them
Slow to respond-'doesn't cope well with anything out of the ordinary' (A, 33)
Staff keeping up with industry
Conflict between interpretations of training packages by TAFE and industry
TAFE managers not knowing what their people are doing out in industry
Lack of understanding about quality, initiatives
Need to provide professional development for their staff
Lack of, or old, technology-'hopeless' (B, 82)
Teaching methods-needing to 'change their game' (E, 197)
Fragmented functions-less 'personalised service' (A, 40)
Perceived problems with industry
Lack of people onsite who understand how training packages work
Poor relationships within the company
In many cases, industry leaving all the training to the external trainer
Perceived problems with New
Apprenticeships Centres
Bureaucracy with the New Apprenticeships Centres-'That's where the
problems come, that's what causes the hiccups' (D, 154), 'the diamond of
trouble' (D, 154), 'a three way thing' (D, 169)
p29
'The learning that is valued in the enterprises was variously described as task-oriented (A, 50), oneon-one on equipment (A, 51), on-the-job training (A, 37), hands-on (F, 240), 'training that helps them perform their job more productively, efficiently and safely' (F, 250), in fact, 'anything that will benefit the company ... anything that will help them be better than their competition' (C, 130).'
p31
'A significant aspect in overcoming their [the learner's] initial resistance was seeing others beginning to do the training, getting through it and gaining a certificate'
p42 - learners recognised and appreciated the need for upskilling for their current jobs and also for developing transferable skills.
p44 - managers in enterprises appreciated being 'freed up' to concentrate on managing, learning frequently is lowest priority.
p47-49
The TAFE practitioners' ways of working with enterprises may be most appropriately summarised in six roles: Bearers of glad tidings, Raisers of standards, Builders of learning culture, Coaches of learning, Bridges between TAFE and industry, and Models of learning.
Implications (taken from report)
p51-54
Implications for TAFE managers and practitioners
Understanding how work is undertaken and managed in an enterprise
Recognising that work shapes learning
Understanding tensions between different types of learning within enterprises
Recognising there are various groups with interests in learning, and they
are 'outsiders'
Accepting that TAFE practitioners in enterprises work within different parameters
Implications for both TAFE staff and company members
Acknowledging and accommodating differences between enterprises and institutes
Allowing time for establishing effective linkages
Recognising that both private and public sectors need each other
Acknowledging that partnerships require mutual commitment and that both can
derive benefit
Recognising that effective linkages demand considerable new learning
Considering good practice ways of working highlighted in this report
Implications for policy-makers
Recognising the new and different space being created between public and
private sectors
Dealing with perceptions about policies and practices that work against
effective linkages
Further educating about how to use training packages creatively
Ameliorating negative perceptions of TAFE in industry
"This site 'the Feed Factory' is an introduction to the RSS feeds that are available from bbc.co.uk. You can use the Feed Finder ... to find some of our recommended feeds from across the bbc.co.uk site. "
I've taken the idea of a feedbook, tested out various ways of implementing one in my context and come up with a working version. I came across the idea of a feedbook from Dave Cormier and it has also been influenced by various ideas from Leigh Blackall (networked learning) and George Siemens (connectivism) and many more...
Rather than using the same old resources with each cohort of learners, our teacher uses a 'feedbook'. There is a wealth of information about the topic "Audio in Education' on the web, and combining the use of RSS feeds, a bit of javascript (Feed2JS), and some 'social technologies', our teacher is able to create a movable feast of resources. At the base of the page there are some links to 'how-to', reference and tools that are continually relevant. These will always be here! The basic layout of the page is as follows:
A - (Top left, dynamic) - newly discovered and/or written items. These are fed into the section using SuprGlu
B - (Top right, dynamic) - items from the teacher's blog initially, and expansion to include student blogs also
C - (Base, static) - foundation items, permanent links to reference information etc
D - (Base right, static) - images sourced through Flickr
Before a new group commences
Our teacher reviews the static content of the page (located at C). Since the last time the course was run, there have been some great new resources appear on the web, so they are added to the How To section. Suprglu is still gathering various feeds about Using Audio in Educartion, so there is some fresh material in section A already. No work needed there!
To make the students feel at home, a welcome post is added to the teacher's blog so that shows up on the right hand side of the page (B). Handouts for learners on how to contribute to the feed and set up their own blogs are printed out.
When classes start
Learners are introduced to the feedbook as a critical part of their class website. They are encouraged and shown how to use del.icio.us and tag items using the shared tag of 'edaudio', how to create individual blogs and how to comment on each other's blogs.
To begin with some students feel most comfortable commenting on the teacher's
blog and are excited by how their comments appear in moments on the class page. Other students dive right into creating their own blogs and start sharing their reflections and discoveries straightaway.
3 weeks later
Several students are actively using del.icio.us, tagging items with the shared tag of 'edaudio'. When their items appear in the feed (A), the teacher facilitates discussion about the items - either in the classroom or online.
The other students are reminded in this way about using del.icio.us. Feeds from the students' blogs are progressively added to the right hand side of the page (B).
Students are also commenting on the teacher’s blog - making it more of a class space, rather than a teacher voice only. The teacher facilitates linkages between material in the feed and the learning activities that are taking place in the course.
Students appreciate the static links - the how to's, reference material and links to tools which are always there. The teacher is starting to see the students becoming aware of and excited about the availability of a lot of relevant information on the web about their industry. The learners are developing their information and media literacy further and a self sufficiency that will be invaluable in their working lives.
four-to-six minute tutorials
Exploring the Interface Design Basics
New Features and Enhancements
Assessments Media Library
Group Manager Learning Modules
Assignments Discussions
Grade Book Selective Release
This post had stuck in my mind but I had not blogged it until today when I went looking for it again. In it, Pete roughs out how you could use TiddlyWiki on a USB drive for passing resources on to students, who could then annotate or edit them as needed/ desired.
From http://informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=167600331
"instead [of coversation], wikis excel at collaboration. They are intended to maintain a series of unique documents as their content evolves and to provide an organic means of organizing that information." and "Content in a wiki can be updated without any real lag, without any real administrative effort, and without the need for distribution - users/contributors (with wikis, they're one and the same) simply visit and update a common Web site."
Comments:
The Tiddlywiki on a USB drive model could work really well for students who have quite frequent interaction maybe face to face, and wouldn't necessarily gain heaps from a more interactive online presence such as afforded by discussion boards. It could also work really well for students who are at a distance and don't have ready access to reliable internet services - rather than sending out a CD which is a lot more static, send out a flash drive with some pre-loaded content (maybe linking to the toolbox learning objects Pete refers to), and they can still have the convenience of 'go/learn/work anywhere' and be able to write to the device at their local online access centre etc. If you are using an LMS, then as a designer you wouldn't have to worry so much about media rich materials.
link to webpage
from We Learning: Social Software and E-Learning, Part II By Eva Kaplan-Leiserson for Learning Circuits
"Wikis make two assumptions. The first is that knowledge is transitory, not static. There's always some new piece of information to add, some old piece to delete or revise. The second assumption is that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Through each individual's contribution, the resulting product is made better and better."
and...
"As businesses and younger generations test out this technology, the education sector will follow - watching closely for successes and lessons learned. We learned with the first wave of e-learning that it's important to carefully evaluate the benefits of new technologies for our own individual needs, to watch carefully for obstacles, but not to be too cautious. Sometimes you just have to get in and muck around to learn how new tools can work for you."
Some people criticise the education sector as being behind other aspects of society, feeling we are constantly playing catch up with business. Perhaps the inherent conservatism is justified by some as "we'll wait until it is tested/proven/done elsewhere" when really what we need to be saying is, "let's try it and see what happens, be (considered) risktakers, just take a gamble."
link to webpage
from We-Learning: Social Software and E-Learning By Eva Kaplan-Leiserson for Learning Circuits
"Knowledge management was the darling of the Information Age. But social networks are the focus of a new age, the Age of Connection. In this age, workers are 'empowered only if they are successful at creating and maintaining personal social networks,' say the authors of 'It's Not What You Know.' They call that the 'necessary background labor smart workers take on' to perform their jobs effectively.
Learning activities for educational social software
Authors are Donna Cameron and Terry Anderson
Based around an ELGG install, but could be easily transferred to other tools, this list of activities for students to complete has a wide range. This could be a good launching pad for teachers who are unsure of how to tackle this for the first time.
"The following activities were designed for use by self-paced (continuous enrolment) students working at a distance to add a social component to their learning."
Walking to work this morning I listened to the introductory audio to the course I am taking with George Siemens "Social Technologies Part 1". One of the things that stuck with me (partly because I've used this line as well) was the statement that these tools have been around for quite some time, but it's only now that some are taking off because they are so simple to use. George used the example of email not becoming widespread until an 'average person off the street' could use it. When I've talked about blogs with teachers one of the key points is the ease of creation and updating the pages compared to using FrontPage or DreamWeaver, formatting them, checking them and uploading the pages and so on and so on...
I guess I'm going into the course with my 'big' questions of 'how I can assist teaching staff to adopt and use social software tools?' and 'what value does this add to the learning process?'
Adina Levin, of SocialText, via Christopher Allen:
"Many of the attributes of social software - hyperlinks for naming and reference, weblog conversation discovery, standards-based aggregation - build on older forms. But the difference in scale, standardization, simplicity, and social incentives provided by web access turn a difference in degree to a difference in kind.
These forms grew without any forced discussion "how to incent participation". People are compelled to write blogs and journals to show off and to share, to contribute to wikipedia and open source software projects for the joy of building things with other people. There are some lessons about social patterns and social affordances that this generation of social software communities and tools get right, are worth understanding and building on."
link to website
from Stephen Downes:
"MyGlu solves all that. Using code from Edu_RSS (which was way ahead of SuprGlu in this sort of thing, in case people have forgotten), MyGlu allows you to define your own list of feeds (including your own del.icio.us feeds), merge them into a single feed, and place the results on your web page (in a few days I'll add RSS and Javascript output as well).
MyGlu not only aggregates feeds, it also filters them according to your specifications. So, for example, you could aggregate your posts, photos and bookmarks with the term 'Amsterdam' in them."
Comment:
This could be an answer to some of the quibbles I have had with Suprglu in trying to use it in my Feedbook example. I would like to have more control over the content of the RSS feed that comes out of Suprglu. When the RSS or Javascript output version is available, I'll try this as another feedbok version and see which I prefer. Hopefully the RSS feed will get over the problem I was having before with the iframe from Suprglu in which the links were opening within the same window, when I really would like the 3rd party sites to be opening in a new window.
I guess one thing that would help decide whether to use this in preference to SuprGlu will be the loading time for the resulting page.
X4L Staff Development Resources
from FERL this website includes the plans for what looks to be a solid workshop on social bookmarking and how that can be used with students. I think if I am to entice some use of the feedbook concept, presentations of this ilk would be very useful. Must come back and have a look through some of the other resources here too.
lik to website
from Joshua Porter "From now on I'm going to call this idea the 'Del.icio.us Lesson'. This is the lesson that personal value precedes network value: that selfish use comes before shared use. We're seeing it more and more everyday in services like Del.icio.us, Flickr, and is an interesting aspect of networked applications. Even though we're definitely benefitting from the value of networked software, we're still not doing so unless the software is valuable to us on a personal level first. "
Comment: I suspect this will be the stumbling block for participation in the feedbook model where use of services such as Flickr, blogs, del.icio.us and so on are not part of their world yet.
I've put together my thoughts about the feedbook here 
[click thumbnail for larger image]
UPDATE:
A semi-working example is at this location. This version uses css for layout and suprglu to make the mixed feed on the left hand side.
It's more complex in the building than I would like but fulfilling the end purpose better than some earlier versions.
StripGenerator Gallery
Flash Based Comic Strip Generator
an alternative to Gnomz
Hmmm. I've been mulling over and fiddling around with the concept of the feedbook (eg Dave Cormier) and come up with more questions than answers:
1) I want to come up with a model that will be fairly easy for other teachers to pick up and customise to their own areas of interest. Obviously they will need to know the location of 'good/relevant stuff' on the web as a starting point.
2) I want to be able to mix information that has been newly added to the web with articles or posts that have survived the test of time - so a mixture of static and fluid content to be accommodated.
3) I'd like to encourage teachers and students to participate in the life of the feedbook - this could be through tagging items using del.icio.us (or other social bookmarking tool), writing in their blogs and commenting on each other's blogs.
4) In a lot of ways, having the feedbook within a WebCT course as a standalone page would be good, but I think this will change as I experiment more. Also in the new version of WebCT(v6) there seems to be a greater use of popup windows, so using an external site (eg Suprglu) could do the trick without being obtrusive.
5) It would be nice to have the sources and the commentary from the participants about those sources on the same page.
6) I can see how I can use this with a LearnScope group for teacher professional development, however application to some VTE (we are no longer VET apparently) areas may not be really feasible.
Thoughts -
Suprglu is looking good as a means of gathering together del.icio.us and flickr feeds.
One issue with using Suprglu to combine many feeds from various authors is that within the feed that suprglu produces, the sources are not identified. They are on the actual Suprglu html pages, so maybe that is pointing me there.
Could Elgg do the trick? Another angle to explore.
Feedbook Use
I am thinking my application of the feedbook concept would be in the context of a cohort of students, in which there are some "set readings" that would form the basis of some activities. In addition the feeds from various blogs would introduce participants to the current (that day's) thoughts and permutations about the field of inquiry. Participants could use del.icio.us with an agreed tag to flag items of interest that they discover during the course. Participants would be encouraged to comment on items in the feeds populating the feedbook, and be able to add to the feedbook themselves through the tagging. Where appropriate, Flickr could be used as well with the same shared tag. As part of the feedbook, teacher's and students' blogs would also be fed in.
What I need to do next...
1) make a working feedbook using Suprglu and Feed2JS as a standalone webpage
2) look at using suprglu by itself
3) investigate Elgg (could be barking up the wrong tree totally, will let you know)
ITS Center for Instructional Technology
from the University of North Carolina...
a useful checklist for teachers preparing lists for students of relevant websites.
"* Who is the author/source?
* What are the author's reputation and qualifications in the subject covered?
* Is the information on the site accurate?
* Is the information presented in an objective, balanced manner?
* How does the site compare with other sites on the same subject?
* Does the site contribute something unique on the subject?
* Is the material on the site covered adequately?
* How current is the information?
* Is the site appropriate for the intended audience?
* Is the information well-written?
* How stable is the connection to the site?
* How well is the site maintained?
* Does the site tell you when it was last updated?
* If there are links to other sites, do they work?
* Is it easy to move around and locate information on the site?
* Does the site require additional software or hardware?
* Do illustrations, video, or audio add value to the site?"
From the Emerging Technologies Network.
https://www.elluminate.com/site/pmtg.jnlp?psid=d983222445.348446
"Learning with Emerging Technologies in Industry"
17 November, 2 - 3pm (Elluminate)
* Peter Robertson (Kangan/Batman Institute): E-Learning Onsite (TAFEVC) in Light Manufacturing Industry
* Jackson Long (Gippstafe): E-Assessment with Apprentices
* Paul Anderson (MPMSAA): E-Learning Industry Advocate
Since this session took place, I have shared it with some teachers at work who found it very interesting - especially Jackson Long talking about using photo evidence and workplace training and assessment in the Motor Body industry.
Elluminate can take a while to start up and requires a fairly recent Java install.
NCVER - Workplace training practices in the residential aged care sector
Title: Workplace training practices in the residential aged care sector
Authors: Robin Booth, Sue Roy, Helen Jenkins, Berwyn Clayton, Sarah Sutcliffe
"Personal care workers in residential care facilities, who make up one in two of the workforce, are the focus of this research. These workers require training because of new work roles linked to new policies and national accreditation standards for residential care facilities. The report identifies how effective skills recognition and training might be provided, drawing on case studies."
From Paul Graham
"In his famous essay You and Your Research (which I recommend to anyone ambitious, no matter what they're working on), Richard Hamming suggests that you ask yourself three questions:
1. What are the most important problems in your field?
2. Are you working on one of them?
3. Why not?
Hamming was at Bell Labs when he started asking such questions. In principle anyone there ought to have been able to work on the most important problems in their field. Perhaps not everyone can make an equally dramatic mark on the world; I don't know; but whatever your capacities, there are projects that stretch them. So Hamming's exercise can be generalized to:
What's the best thing you could be working on, and why aren't you?"