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jbinkley — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 17:38:58 CST

Welcome!
This wiki is for all BRIT staff to share their experiences with using technology in education. Please feel free to add and edit content so that we can all benefit from each others knowledge and experiences.

Converge Geelong 2007

johnk146 — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:59:41 CST

Converge 2007 - Gordon Institute of TAFE, Geelong Victoria

The 2007 conVerge conference is designed to enhance e learning opportunities for the VET environment. This year the conference was hosted by the Gordon Institute of TAFE in Geelong. Presentations from the conference can be accessed on the Converge 2007 website.

Each of BRIT's E-Learning Mentors has provided a report on the conference below:

Cameron James
Converge 2007 was a very well run conference, Gordon TAFE did a great job of hosting the 280 delegates. The pre-conference dinner was one of the best feeds I've ever had.
I've put together a summary of all the sessions I attended:

Session	Facilitator	What I learned
Ways forward to a new E-learning environment	Nigel Paine Teaching and learning specialist	That unless the VET sector seriously embraces E-learning and moves quickly to embed it in training and assessment Australia is at risk of falling far behind the rest of the world and having a very serious skills shortage.
Lights, camera, action - e-learning with podcards, keepads and instructional video	Raymond Rozen & Russel Edis RMIT	Podcards are basically a picture file that can be viewed on an ipod. The podcards we were shown were for teaching advanced mathamatics and featured equations and graphs. These could be used effectively in fitness with pictures of exercises and instructions.
Creating online Auslan video resources	Julian Hurtan Kangan Batman TAFE	How easy it is to create a good quality instructional video and upload it to the TAFE VC. They were using a progressive download function that allowed the video to stream like you-tube.
E-learning trends at BRIT	Cam James & John Kellow *BRIT*	Only one person turned up to our presentation :(
Using E-portfolios	Deb Petty *Swinburne TAFE*	Nothing ...... ZZZZZZ
Strategies for E-learning within a whole of organisastion change	John Mitchell VET strategist *JMA consultanting*	Learning will need to be more stimulating, flexible and personally relevant than ever before. The VET system is going to need a significant overhall overhall driven by a lifelong learning agenda.
Voice and images - mulitmedia for engaging learners	Learning facilitators from *Morrison House*	These guys use the iriver MP3 player (Russian ipod) with an in built microphone to help people to learn how to speak english. They also used the voice tools on the TAFE VC for students to be assessed on their english skills.
Y-gen social networking trial	Vicki Rose *NMIT*	Vicki trialled using sms and blogs with pre-apprentices to help make their learning more interactive and to engage them with their class mates a bit more. What they elarned form the trial was that although the students uses sms and blogs in their spare time they did not like using them for work or school. Also what ever Blog site Vicki put together it was never considered "cool" enough by the students.
Wiki's and communication in and beyond the class room	Coonara *Community House*	Full amrks to these guys for having a go but my impression was that they were using wikispaces as just an easy way to make a website. They didn't seem to be allowing the students to actively contibut to the wiki by adding content. Maybe that will happen next?

Peter Verrion
What did I learn at Converge? A whole lot of things. I came away encouraged, but also with an awareness that I have more things to do! Some of these are listed here.

One of the highlights was listening to Nigel Paine. There were a couple of points that he made that I thought were interesting, one was that we need to move from 'Shaping' to 'Framing'. I gathered from this that some of what we do in VET tries to shape students into learning the way we think they need to learn, whereas we should try to provide a framework where the learning can happen, and allow the student to pick the best approach for them. This can be quite a challenge, but the proper use of the appropriate e-learning tools can make this easier.

I also liked the comment about the 'price of inactivity is greater than the cost of a mistake' (or something close to that - a quote from the CEO of E-bay, I think). It shows that we need to keep moving forward, and while we might get it wrong at times, its better to keep moving forward and have to adjust direction every so often, than to sit there and what for the perfect time to do something. I would think that there never will be a perfect time!

There were also a couple of comments Nigel made in response to questions. One was to 'show people what you do'. we cant change everything overnight, but we can show others what we do, and this may lead to incremental change. Small changes perhaps, but changes none the less. The second related to LMS having limitations - recognising this would mean that we would look for the best tool for the student/client, not the one we use all the time. Framing rather than Shaping! (See Nigels website here )

I went to a few different sessions covering different topics. Most of the ones I attended related more to the implementation of strategies, as that is part of my role at BRIT. It was interesting to learn about the different ways people were approaching this. An added benefit was learning about the different types of software being used.

The networking was good, it was nice to see some familiar faces, and good to see some new people as well. Overall, I enjoyed it and got a lot from attending. Now I need to spend some time looking at what we are doing/going to do at BRIT, and make sure it all lines up with what I learnt.

James Binkley

I enjoyed conVerge 2007 immensely. I had no idea what to expect, as this was my first conference, but I thought it ran very smoothly and had much to offer.

It brought e-learning facilitators from across Victoria together for 2 days of learning and networking. It exposed us to new ideas and put a new spin on old ones. There was a variety of technologies and tactics presented. I found that many of the technologies at various TAFEs around Victoria are being used at BRIT in one centre or another in one way or another.

That knowledge is a very good thing and I think it shows that we have people at BRIT who are flexible and willing to use whatever technologies we can offer them if it suits their needs. This is part of what we need to become more flexible (not to mention responsive) in our delivery.

Some of the sessions that stand out in my mind:

Elfchemy:

The Holmesglen ELFs talked about where they are and how they got there and seemed to have their act together, being very proactive in embedding e-learning within their departments. They stressed the need for E-learning Champions in each sector who were skilled, enthusiastic, excited and supported. The need for committed, visionary supportive management was also imperative.

Media on the Move:

Michael Coghlan talked about the history of Media on the Move and showed us how to put together a podcast. I came away with a great number of applications and sites to research online to determine the best way to get our podcasts out there.

Facebook; Twitter:

Howard Erry from e-Works gave us a good intro to these two apps. It was hands-on for about half the attendees and he walked through each application online using a laptop and projector and possibly a smartboard. I’m not sure, it was hands-on, I was busy Twittering with Sue.

John Kellow

Converge was an opportunity to meet other like minded teachers and see what they were doing. The stand out session for me was Nigel Paine's key note address. It was both informative and thought provoking. It has lead me into analysing the way I teach. Am I using my thirty years teaching experience? or am I just teaching the same way for thirty years? Seeing how podcards operate was interesting as was the uninteresting ways various presenters chose to present their their work. If we are to be leaders then next year why not challenge everyone to find more interesting and creative ways of presenting. If we are boring each other what is happening to our students?

TRIC 2007

camjames — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:08:19 CST

TAFE in Rural and Isolated Communites conference 2007
Launceston, Tasmania

Cameron James
Interesting conference featuring presenters and delegates from all over Australia. It included some sessions on e-learning.

Conference/workshop reports

camjames — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 21:56:36 CST

Been to an e-learning conference or workshop?

Tell us all about it by adding a new page and writing your report.

Include any photo's or videos you have from the event.

Converge Geelong 2007

TAFE Virtual Campus

pverrion — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:49:02 CST

TafeVC Vista is the online delivery platform used here at BRIT ( TafeVC stands for 'Tafe Virtual Campus', 'Vista' is the name for the current version of TafeVC. We just call it TafeVC) . It is funded and supported by the Victorian Government. The website is http://www.tafevc.com.au/tafevc3/

The TafeVC is used by many different sectors at BRIT, with Fitness and Nursing probably using the most. We are going to develop some case studies on how the TafeVC is used at BRIT. For now, start a thread below outlining how you use it.

For more information on the TafeVC and how it can be used, contact Peter (the TafeVC adminstartor) or one of the E-learning team

Second life

pverrion — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:44:47 CST

Second Life is one of many 'virtual worlds'. They are computer generated, and everything that happens in them is really just ones and zeros. However, they are huge, and some commentators think that in the future everyone will interact this way! (Not all commentators get telling the future right!!)

What the educational value is remains to be seen. Central Gippsland Tafe have started to use it with some of their students. Some universities (such as Monash) have purchased 'land' in Second Life.

The video below is an ad for Second Life

Myspace

pverrion — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:36:25 CST

MySpace is a popular social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music and videos internationally.

To go to the Myspace website :-Myspace
To find out more about using Myspace, click on the relevant link in the navigation panel (to the left!)

SMS

pverrion — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:13:28 CST

We can make use of SMS technology as part of our communication with students. Several sectors are already using it, such as Fitness, CLM, CWE and others.

It's used to remind students about upcoming events, tell them they have emails and to remind them what they might need to bring to class. It's easy to use, its a web based application where the teacher types up the message using their computer keyboard, chooses who to send to (it can be one, two or the whole group) and clicks 'Send'.

One other TAFE sends out an SMS the night before a block to remind apprentices to bring their safety gear to class that week. It has dropped the rate of those who forget to do so markedly.

If you would like to look into this further, contact Peter Verrion on 602

E-learning Mentors

pverrion — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:01:02 CST

Where can you get some help with E-learning at BRIT? There are several options, including the E-learning Coordinator and the E-learning Mentors.

Their role is to provide support to staff in accessing, using and adapting content so that it can be used via e-learning delivery methods. There is a lot of existing content that can be easily accessed free of charge (see the section on E-learning resources to the left for more information). There are also many different delivery methods that can be used. Skills development is available through the E-learning Workshops, as well as one-to-one help when required. (Please note that the roles are to support staff, not to do the development work.)

Please dont hesitate to contact any of the people below about how we can support you in any aspect of E-learning.

Peter Verrion is BRIT's E-learning Coordinator.
Location: IDSU, Ground Floor - Building C, City Campus
Phone: 602
Email: pverrion@britafe.vic.edu.au

There are also several E-learning Mentors. They are:

Cam James
Location: 3rd Floor Building P, City Campus
Phone: 441
Email: cjames@britafe.vic.edu.au

Helen Kranz
Location:
Phone:
Email:hkranz@britafe.vic.edu.au

James Binkley
Location: Electrical & Mining, 2nd Floor - Building C, City Campus
Phone: 690
Email:jbinkley@britafe.vic.edu.au

Jonathon Ellis
Location: Loddon Education Centre
Phone: 5471 1255
Email: jellis@britafe.vic.edu.au

John Kellow
Location: HACS
Phone: 0407193531
Email: jkellow@britafe.vic.edu.au

Michael Flett
Location: Echuca
Phone: 5480 2695
Email: mflett@britafe.vic.edu.au

Twitter

camjames — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 20:59:11 CST

More information to come...

Twitter seems to combine blogging with SMS to introduce microblogging.

http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2007/edition-15/soapbox-sue-waters-and-friends-twitter/

The 'useful links' at the bottom of that article will tell you more.

Adding friends to Myspace

camjames — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:11:08 CDT

To add a friend your profile go to their Myspace page and click "add to friends":

Now see how many friends you can make!

Adding music and video to myspace

camjames — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:44:19 CDT

You can easily add music and video to your Myspace. Simply by searching for a song or video that you like and then clicking the "add to profile button". The video and music palyers will appear in your profile like this:

It is also easy to add a You-tube video. Simply search You-tube for the video you want and copy the code from the embeded box.

Then you just paste the code into one of the boxes in your "edit profile" screen.

It ends up looking something like this:

How to change the layout of Myspace

camjames — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:39:40 CDT

Go to Pimp my profile and choose a layout you like.

Then click on "details and code".

Copy the code from the box at the bottom of the screen.

Go Back to your Myspace and click on "edit profile" then paste the code into the "About me" box. Click "save all changes" then go back and view your profile.

The layout of your Myspace should now be changed to the new one you have chosen.

How to create your own Myspace

camjames — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:12:44 CDT

How to register Go to www.myspace.com.au and click on the “SIGN UP” button.

Then complete your details on the “Join Myspace here” page. You can make up your details if you like. It’s also a good idea to enter a web based email like Gmail or Hotmail so that you don’t get spam sent to your work email.

Verify account Type in the code you are given to verify your account

Profile photo You will need to upload a photo for your profile. You can upload one of yourself or you can use Google Image search to find another picture.

Account details Now you need to specify some account details. The first thing you should do is verify your email address and specify a URL for you MySpace so people can find your MySpace easily. You will receive an email from MySpace asking you to verify your email account.

Account settings This is a good opportunity to change some account settings. Click on “account settings” in the top left box. Here you can alter who can see your profile, comment screening, password setting, user blocking and more.

Profile information Now you can add some information about yourself. Click “edit profile” and fill in the boxes. You can give as much or as little information as you like.

Facebook

camjames — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 23:31:42 CDT

Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

Digital recording devices

camjames — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 23:04:19 CDT

An ipod can easily be converted to a digital voice recorder with a microphone attachment like the one pictured here. For something so simple it records good quality sound in MP3 format.

Pod-casting

camjames — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:46:00 CDT

The use of 'pod casts' and audio/voice tools is an exciting addition to the tools teachers have at their disposal to engage and inform clients. Many of Generation 'Y' seem to always have their mp3 players on and their earphones plugged in - why not explore whether this is a way to reach these clients.

What is 'pod casting'?
The Wikipedia definition is found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast The term can also refer to the use of audio files that are downloaded and listened to on any mp3 player (not just an i-pod!) or computer.

Recording audio
Sound Recorder is a free program that comes pre-loaded with Windows. It can (generally) be accessed by going to Start - All programs - Accessories - Entertainment and then clicking on 'Sound Recorder'. It has simple controls and will save the audio file in .wav format, which can be used in most other programs such as Movie Maker and PowerPoint.

Audacity is free audio recording software. It can be downloaded from http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/
The program has more options than the 'Sound Recorder' and can also save files as mp3. Great online tutorial on how to use Audacity: http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/17-audacity-tutorial.htm

A .pdf manual on how to use some of the features of Audacity is available on the BRIT Intranet at http://britnet/Teaching/Elearning/PodcastingandAudio/tabid/219/Default.aspx?PageContentID=62

E-Learning Legends

camjames — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:31:32 CDT

This page pays tribute to BRIT staff who have become true LEGENDS of
E-Learning

Name: Matt Pinniger
Centre: Primary Industries and Hospitality
Unit: Fitness, Sport & Recreation
E-learning tool: Pod-casting
How it works: Pod-casts are downloaded from the internet onto your PC and then you download them to your MP3 player.
What are the benefits? Matt is able to link pod-casts from SEN radio’s “High performance program” (a sports science chat program) to the Tafe VC for his personal training students to listen to on their MP3 players. Note: All Personal Trainers have MP3 players, it’s all part of the super cool image.
Want to know more? Check out the Pod-casting page

Name: John Giudice
Centre: HAC’s
Unit: Nursing
E-learning tool: Tafe Virtual Campus
How it works: The Tafe VC is a tool that can be used to enable students to access learning resources and assessments online.
What are the benefits? The Tafe VC has enabled John to run the medical terminology course online. Students can begin and finish the course at any stage of the year and at their own pace to fit in with work and family commitments. John says that he is able to provide a huge variety of resources to his students in the form of notes, web links and toolboxes. The students are able to test their knowledge by using the online quiz tool which gives them immediate feedback. John also likes using the Tafe VC because it keeps his computer skills up to date and he now spends a lot less time photocopying paper based resources.
Want to know more? Check out the TAFE VC page

Name: Rob Rossiter
Centre: PIH
Unit: Bakery apprenticeships
E-learning tool: Digital voice recorder
How it works: Rather than giving himself RSI form taking notes during an assessment Rob simply records the verbal answers given by his trainees with a digital voice recorder.
What are the benfits: You don't have to write anything down. The trainees answers are recorded accurately. You can give your full attention to what the trainee is saying.
What are the challenges: You just need access to a digital recording devise and some training on how to use it.
Want to know more? Check out the digital recording devices page

You-tube

camjames — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:07:24 CDT

A good example of how to get your message across using youtube.

Web 2.0

camjames — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:00:30 CDT

Please feel free to change this video to something less "geeky"