David Grainger : Bega Team
July 31, 2007
[image : begatafe ]
[ image : nswlearnscope ]
On the 24th July I had the privelege of travelling down to Bega, NSW, Australia with Jo Kay to meet up with David Grainger and the Bega TAFE & Southern Districts LearnScope team - http://nswlearnscope.com/wiki/index.php/015
In between our activities for the day David and I got to talking about what constitutes capability development and with a little bit of a push we managed to thrash out what things are looking for the team at the moment as they contemplate the read / write web and what it means for Bega TAFE learners.
Some of the issue become apparent in listening to the podcast below which may ellucidate for you where David’s headed with his team and the myriad of ways they engage their learners and move forward and beyond current and accepted everyday teaching practice.
Inspiring.
How many others find themselves in the same position is anybodies guess……..many I suspect.
The goal is to reach out to those who would otherwise switch off to traditional “delivery” - strike a balance between the organisation and the individual and imbed ways of working that area sustainable and re-usable elsewhere…..most importantly in learners lives when they leave our classrooms and learning settings.
Coversation - Part One
Paper Blogging
July 31, 2007
[image : mlearning ]
The image says a lot.
The article says even more - brilliant stuff from Leonard Lowe.
Podcast : Addition to NSW LearnScope
July 31, 2007
[ image : nswlearnscope ]
You may have noticed that our blog now also has a podcast feed - check the right hand top corner of our webpage !
Robyn and I have debated at times how we can encourage readers of our blog to also access the associated podcast ( audio ) with a post in the blog which serves as the central word in and out of NSW LearnScope.
Our Podomatic account has sufficed till now and yet we are running out of space and it’s going to cost more to maintain.
We have also debated and hummed and harred over the best ways to demonstrate to organisations that PHP driven environments with scalable , open-source and free alternatives with an internationally recognised accord and associated dvelopment community can and will make things easier for the management of content created by like minded individuals.
Hence, our extra efforts to show you ways in which you can reliablly bring into your organisation easy-to-install solutions which encourage open-web-publishing and networked learning economy.
This allows us to upload data from anywhere securely, tag appropriately, get onboard statistics, use of our existing massive bandwidth, generate cross-data appreciation from readers and most handy of all ……..”control” where and how our production looks to the reader - you ! …….our most prized associates !
So ………after much mucking around in the back end of WordPress ( this blog ) we have discovered how to integrate both and provide you ….the reader with the files whether for you to listen to ( pop-up ) or to download ( your own media player ) or to subscribe to - just add the feed URL to your feed reader ie. iTunes.
I’m now going to be able to interact with teams on the run, record interviews and upload them with ease, construct a post to ellucidate my experience and post them one-by-one into this space for your listening pleasure.
If you now go back a few posts you’ll see the associated podcast with each post…….
……and yes it’s a valid feed address and works on my iPod or iRiver or iGoogle or ……….perhaps you’d like to try Wordpress out for yourself before you attempt to host your own.
Here’s an email that’s being forwarded around from EduBlogger who also use Wordpress . ( ps. we are not endorsing their product rather pointing to yet another tool for your use as an Educator )
Dear Edublogger,We’re starting a new monthly newsletter, full of useful links, tips, news and information about edublogs and the ‘edublogosphere’.
We hope it’ll be informative and interesting, and help keep you in the know about the ways you can use your edublog in the rapidly developing world of web 2.0 software in education, of which we’re proud to be a part.
But our first big bit of news is to let you know that edublogs has just turned two years old! To celebrate we’ve introduced a brand new design and a whole heap of features that we think you’ll really like.
Check it out here: http://edublogs.org
And let us know what you think here:http://edublogs.org/2007/07/31/edublogs-20/
Some of the new features we think you might like include:- Over eighty themes.. many of them brand spanking new
- Completely customisable headers (upload your own headers!)
- Brilliant new spam blocking features
- Simple video embed tools
- Privacy, avatars, tag clouds, most popular blogs, and more…
Thanks for your time, and happy edublogging!
Cheers,
The edublogs team
–
We promise to keep the monthly edublogs newsletter informative and interesting!
However, if you do not want to receive any more edublogs newsletters, we’ll understand 
Authenticity : Web Wonderland
July 31, 2007
This post comes in two parts which are inextricably linked.
Part One - Identity Management
You have probably wondered why my dialogue with you ( those that I’ve visited ) has switched from last years enthusiasm with using web 2.0 web wide tools, spaces and places with learners………… across to this years banter on why identity is at the core of a learners experience who use these spaces / places as part of their educational interaction.
Some have said ” What has identity got to do with all of this ?”
Dick Hardt has something to say on identity two years ago…….it’s now beyond a hot topic.
Stephen Downe’s has also recently posted an article which also speaks to this musing on the importance of considering identity in What are you who are you and how do you - a Summary of a talk given to Jonathon Cave to the IFIPTM conference in Moncton.
This sobering switch ( from me ) has come about from the fact that in many educational organisations I visit, I see a profound lack of dedicated curriculum addressing the capability development of learners which centres on identity management…..or in more basic terms the importance of understanding cyber-safety and the core skills required to manage many differing online spaces……… BEFORE learners engaage with others using them online or offline.
We seem to have missed the boat on that one dont you think ? We happily enagage others and get them using a myriad of tools but how often have we contemplated issues emerging and our learners in the future pointing back and saying……..he made me do it !
We have a perfect opportunity here, with years of AFLF experience and hindsight, to critically appraise the use of web 2.0 online learning for it’s economy, ease of access and engagement ( current research ) AND to take into account the well being of our learners, who we continue encourage to engage with us using these online space and places.
Blogs used to be substantiated as places to record a project journey in report journalling style. We have moved a long way from that understanding now havent we !!!! Oh yes indeed.
I consider it critical now to conduct research into the business relationship that these web 2.0 companies are having with our VET educational organisations to ensure sustainability of continued use ( as respected and trusted educators ) of these amazing online tools in an age of cyber-safety and national security. Yes …….you were waiting for that term to come up I’m sure.
Some questions I’m seeking to answer…….
Are we seeing a meld of security protocols between online web and our respective employers emerging as quickly as we are seeing individuals scambling to protect their own web creations ie copyright / copyleft ?
Does you organisation know your using web 2.0 providers to conduct your organisations business ?
If not……. why not ?
How would you substantiate your use of these online tools considering authentication protocols and privacy policy that your organisation is sure to have developed in a time when web 2.0 was unheard of ?
Which web 2.0 businesses does your organisation have a working relationship with ?
Again…….if not why not ?
Part Two - Keeping It Real For The GateKeepers.
Robyn Jay and I are keen to assist those who make decisions on what is categorised ( as acceptable for use with students ) and we welcome your feedback and user experience whether you are part of the wider DET network or are private or community RTO providers interacting with team’s and colleagues who are.
That’s right….we are a mixed bunch us NSW LearnScopers and our interactions with others is in a global arena.
This is a call for those who continue to experience blockages to sites which they consider critical to the success of their interaction with learners and work colleagues alike. Many NSW LearnScope teams are also now experiencing web authentication ( identification ) before they are given access to web resources and sites used in everyday teaching such as wikispaces, Flickr, Blogger and so on.
This extra step suggests that these authentication protocols and web identity measures are being implemented to protect students and educators as they weave their merry way through web wonderland. To keep it real for those who watch our use of these onlines spaces with our learners could you please send us a list of those sites which you are continuing to use with your learners and /or which have proven successful over time for your own web wonderland wanderings.
Better still…….forget the emails.
Please continue to update our web office resource page and we can point out that this is an authentic list of what we use and why.
The history tab keeps tabs on those who contribute.
Podcasting : Mobile
July 30, 2007
[ image : iriver ]
Wondering what’s one of the better MP3 recorders on the market at the moment ?
I used one of these down with Jo Kay in Bega recently and I was impressed. That’s saying something as I use quite a number of audio recorders including my old trusty MP3 line-in / line-out. Has anyone else got feedback on how this model is holding up ?
Is $199 AUD per unit a fair deal ?
For those with a specification need………….check out these details below.
| Series | iriver X Series |
| Product | X20 |
| Model Capacity | 2GB, 4GB, 8GB |
| Continuous Playback Time | 22 Hours (Mp3, 128kbps, 44.1khz, EQ normal, VOL.20)6 Hours (AVI, 320X240@30fps ﾠvideo with 128kbps, 44.1khz Audio) |
| Interface | USB 2.0 |
| Equalizer | Normal, Rock, Jazz, Classic, pops, CustomEQ(5band) |
| Dimensions | Approx. 98.5 X 49.0 X 14.8mm |
| Weight | Approx. 71g |
| Operational Temperature | -5°C ~ 40°C |
| Audio Interface | Line in with direct encoding |
| Display | 2.2′ ultrabright QVGA TFT LCDﾠ(320*240) |
| AC Adaptor | DC 5V, 1A (optional) |
| Battery | Built in Lithium Ion Rechargeable battery |
| Audio Frequency Range | 20Hz - 20Khz |
| Headphone Output Power | 13mw + 13mw |
| S/N Ratio | 90db |
| Number Of Channels | Stereo (L+R) |
| FM Tuner Freq Range | 87.5Mhz ~ 108mhz |
| FM S/N Ratio | 60db |
| Antenna | Headphone/Earphone-Cord Antenna |
| Audio File Support | Mpeg 1/2/2.5 Layer 3, WMA, OGG |
| Audio Bit Rate | MP3: 5kbps ~ 320kbps /ﾠWMA: 8kbps ~ 320kbps / OGG: up to Q10 |
| Tag Support | ID3 V1 Tag, ID3 V2 2.0, ID3 V2 3.0 |
| Multimedia File Support | AVI, WMV, JPEG |
| Video Support | MPEG 4 SP, WMV SP/320×240/15-30fps/Video Bit Rate: 32-512kbps/Audio Bit Rate: 8-320kbps |
| Operating System Support | Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista |
OrangeTAFE : Earthworks
July 26, 2007
[ image : orangeag ]
It’s all go up here with Marg Bell’s group. Tonight we conducted one of the fastest initiations into the use of moblogging yet…..all over in twenty minutes.
Despite the race against time we raised some laughs and some awareness.
Check it out.
Dry Stone Walls
July 24, 2007
[ image : bawoodvine ]
I was speaking with Peter Skelton who is a Lecturer at Bega Campus who’s been using Audacity to create what you can listen to below.
Complete with a hip hop intro. / ending 
Enough to rattle the purists who say podcasts needed to be polished roadshows.
The significance of the stone walls metaphor will of course be evident to those who I’ve spoken to lately at team visits. Peter and I spoke what appeared to others to be in tongues. After all…… who would really want to build a stone wall or a mud brick house these days ?
Whats wrong with being able to reach up and touch the ceiling ? Drive for hours to sit in one spot, conversing in symbols with millions who for the best part of our lives remain faceless ?
We are so often lost in seeking ‘perfect’ walls in our communities, considering each angle and assembling things so that they will be secure, solid, polished and complete that we lose something in the process.
Perhaps we lose the magic of the process itself. In an effort to keep our sheep from migrating from place to place, in choosing the best pastures and sharing in the resource we build ever increasingly smaller confines within which to feed.
Caged chooks. Intensive feedlots.
Rememebering the key ingredients that makes education work for learners are bridges.
Lesotho : Capability Building
July 24, 2007
[ image : nswlearnscope ]
An impressive building indeed !
In fact Donna Hensley, LearnScope National Manager, showed me a hat today available for sale in the markets at Lesotho that closely resembles the form of this building above - apparently the Contemporary Arts building in the city of Lesotho.
I have uploaded our discussion today to give you an idea of the scope of Donna Hensley’s working repertoire and to further interrogate the concept of INDUSTRY - is it a verb or a noun ?
In fact what is it and how important are entrepreneurs to this action faction ? Have we integrated e-learning into our industry context or are we still “exploring” how remote and flexible learning fits into this new model for engaging and revving economy ?
Comments will be answered.
Race you there.
David Bartolo : Champion
July 24, 2007
[image : pierre lascott ]
David Bartolo and I had a most vivid and enlightening conversation despite numerous glitches with trying to make contact.
True to David’s tenacity with his efforts as an Educator we managed to flesh out the main issues he faces as an individual LearnScope Project recipient.
* Note - My apologies for the podcast below. I tried firstly to record our conversation through Discover-E in Gloucester but it fell over and then through Adobe Connect ……..it did anything but connect. I eventually resorted to the mobile phone speaker phone and my mobile MP3 recorder which hissed and buzzed and tried to kick me off also.
I hope you can glean some of what we spoke of yesterday.
I’m looking forward to catching up with David and the other NSW LearnScope Project participants soon virtually and where possible physically.
David your a champion !!!
Triangles : The Strength Of
July 24, 2007
[ image : nswlearnscope ]
Thursday 19th 2007 saw me arrive and connect with ‘The Strength Of Triangle‘, Hunter Institute , Newcastle , NSW.
It was a pleasure meeting again with Kate and Michelle who co-manage and facilitate this team spread far and wide between the Hunter and Sydney. We spoke of many differing things related to e-learning and in some instances team members had not even heard of the term ‘wiki’ nor ‘blog’ and least of all ‘podcast’
We conducted a brief …..there’s never enough time …..session with project participants , grabbed a team photo and reflected upon the small amount of things we investigated that morning.
Bega : Land Of The Cheese
July 23, 2007
[ image : prescott ]
Moo. Cold but del.icio.us.
Jo Kay and I have finally arrived in Bega. I left home ( Orange, NSW ) at 4.00am this morning and it’s now after 7pm at night.
It’s about 6 degrees outside - a little warmer than -2 degrees and frost this morning. My legs are wobbling and I’ve just eaten a Snicker bar in 30 seconds.
Jo Kay and I mused on the way down to meet the Bega NSW LearnScope team on all things Second Life, learning, issues with working in large organisations, weather, families and a host of other things which would make you laugh. I reckon Jo rocks !
It’s a rare moment in time that we actually get to speak with each other at this length usually assigned to the odd throw away in Skype or Twitter. Speaking of which, does anyone have any ideas as to how micro-blogging is assisting the development of digital literacies other than segmented self endorsement ? Any practical examples for use with teachers ?
Tomorrow promises to realise real examples of educators ( such as David Grainger ) effecting outcomes with learners using network e-learning technologies. I might even get the chance to find out why my email is still not getting through the DET portal ( nine days down ) amongst some avid blogging, podcasting, digital story telling and some other funky ways of getting in contact with clients.
ACE Connections : Tamworth
July 20, 2007
[ image : NSW LearnScope ]
Members of the ACE Connections Tamworth met with Alex Hayes for an interactive session focusing online learning and two new tools including podcasting and del.icio.us.
We also constructed a podcast which you can listen to below.
Joan and Wendy, ACE Connections team members.
Yarnteen Mob : Newcastle
July 19, 2007
[image : yarnteen ]
The other night I caught up with Leah Armstrong and Andrew Snelgar whilst I was in Newcastle with Kylie Rowsell from the Life Without Barriers Team
Leah and Andrew are keen to explore how to setup a blog with an integrated podcast similar to this one for working with their clients and disseminating the good news from Yarnteen.
I caught up with them both at the Ibis Hotel which this podcast will attest.
CTCA : Sunny Gloucester
July 18, 2007
[image : nswlearnscope]
The CTCA team and I explored the use of a number of web 2.0 tools, discussed the application of podcasting and wiki’s within the context of CTCA and it’s wider organisation base, engaged with other team members in Wagga using Elluminate and Discovere and spoke of the what this might mean in terms of capability development.
We also explored in conversation the issues surrounding digital identity, effective marketing for community based organizations using web 2.0 technologies, copyright issues, committees and structure.
The podcast we conducted is a quick whip-around of the team members present in Gloucester.
Copyright : Copyleft
July 16, 2007
Courtesy of Jeff Saul from NSW AFLF comes this email.
“…….As I mentioned this morning the Australian Copyright Council is conducting a series of Information Sessions aimed at educational institutions.
The Sydney sessions are Tues 31 July and Tues Aug 14. There are 4 topics that are particularly designed for Educational Institutions.
Each with session between 60 minutes to 2 hours. The 4 “educational” topics are :
| 1. Using text & images |
| 2. Using material from the Internet |
| 3. Using tv & radio programs, podcasts, videos and DVDs |
| 4. New provision for ‘educational instruction’ |
The Copyright Council also has a wider, ongoing training program, including session such as Copyright Essentials and Copyrights Issues for Websites……..”
IM vs Email
July 16, 2007
[ image : nswlearnscope ]
Robyn and I have been exchanging some Skype messages regarding the advantages of organisations adopting the use of instant messaging ( VOIP ) over that of tradional modes of packet exchange ie. email.
Interesting ….considering that at work we are restricted to email.
Some of the things which first come to mind are the speed and ease of quickly transferring information , files and URL’s to great sites .When I’m in Orange , at the airport or in the cab of the ute enroute to some far flung location I’m still able to Skype message and transfer with ease.
Makes life bearable and travelling to meet teams possible.
However……..yes it’s intrusive…….permeates your always on online presence……worldwide……global connector. Some would say this is it’s advantage. Others reckon it’s a security risk.
I think we should be conducting a careful business and pedgogical analysis of a control group of say 500 users and 500 non IM users. Do an assay of what gets done first and who’s incharge of the knowledge the fastest.
etc.
Your thoughts ? Are you using AIM, MSN , GoogleTalk, Skype, Gizmo or IRC ? If not why not ?
Is it part of your organisations planned or integrated communication systems ?
Email : Battling The Bulging Inbox
July 16, 2007
[ image : a little psychiatric by tookie ]
It occurs to me ( as I sit here trying to get my email login fixed for the fourth consecutive day ) that conducting business using email is becoming more and more outrageously expensive in human computational hours and information dissemination aggregation productivity.
Every morning ( except for this morning ) it’s groundhog day.
Then it descends into dejavu’.
I consider that at least 40 percent of the email I have in my inbox to be absolutely of no concern nor relevance to me. Faxes out in Belconnen. Lost earings on floor 4. Funny jokes with inappropriate and sexist content attached.
Of the remaining 60 percent I would hazard a guess that at least 20 % would have been constructively been reduced to a short question or re-considered entirely.
ie. What time are you arriving on Tuesday in Tamworth ?
That leaves the 40 % that bears relevance to a “conversation” which is disjointed and often easily misenterpreted.
A day or so old. With expectations of completion immediately. Lacking context and compassion.
Maybe I need to better articulate how asynchronous wiki’s and other synchronous interactive chat media such as Skype can lessen this burden. Maybe you’ve got some ideas on how to thwart the bulging email inbox.
If you do could you add some simple and easy to follow hints in the comments feature to this post.
I promise I’ll compile them all and distribute them.
By email………( that’s the cultural addiction we’ve yet to beat )
Pedadogy Of The Oppressed
July 16, 2007
[ image : Bill & Ted by Taniwhaiti ]
Welcome back to those of you fortunate enough to have an employer who pays for time out.
It is indeed a privilege to have the opportunity to spend time with children which may be labeled as “holidays”. Other’s would denote this as a luxury and push for workers to be nose-up against the grind wheel sooner than later.
I firmly believe that our lives and our families need time with us. It allows us to give more when we return to the timetabled existence we have as Educators.
Take heart if during that time out you have cast your thoughts back upon your NSW LearnScope team experience and feel a lack in progress towards project outcomes.
This perception often occurs at this mid-way point in LearnScope projects. This time is when it gets interesting.
Take stock also of the manner by which you are engaging the individuals within your team, being conscious to the bureaucratic pressure that seeks to find leaders amongst it’s professional assemblage to conduct activities as guest speakers in foreign locations. It’s time to focus and look back over those project plans and truly and honestly determine whether the plan now reflects the direction of the project.
If not…….not why not…….change it. In fact do so URGENTLY as your project payments depend on it !!!
It’s also a sobering thoughts for those engaged in leadership teams or courses - mlearning, pedagogy and virtual worlds.
I’m re-re -reading “Pedagogy Of The Oppressed” by Paulo Friere ( translated by Myra Berman Ramos , Penguin Books, 1996 Edition ) who speaks of many things including his perception of oppressive cultural action of dedicated but naive professionals who place an emphasis on a focalised view of problems rather than seeing them as dimensions of a totality.
Paulo also speaks critically of leadership courses where individuals are singled out as different, imbued further difference otherwise known as status and then allowed time to inculcate and manipulate the very people whom they had set out to assist in the first place.
Leaves little room for those of us who speak of colleagues rather than comrades.
More than light reading……. for a chilly winters morning…… on the bus……..as I venture into the cacophony of the city to find out whether I’ve been unlocked from the web portal nightmare of my digital identity.
Critical Pedagogy
July 15, 2007
What IS VET’s role in community development?
July 13, 2007
Firstly I direct you all to the post I made on our NSW LearnScope blog - Life skills= work skills = life skills . I encourage you all to post a comment - I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Also while up in Lismore over coffee Melanie Doriean who is ACE rep on our Framework reference group, we chatted briefly about VET’s real (ie. potentially most useful) role in a community based e-learning model.
We’ve been driven by the notion that communities and individuals need training/ courses. That has been the priority and focus.
In fact a huge amount of learning goes on informally, in lives, in organisations, in networks, in communities. Our jobs (and certainly NOT our lives!!) do not usually fit neatly into a VET qualification. Employers seek capabilities that are far more difficult to capture/assess than the VET sector would like.
So…. should we be directing our attention far more to capturing, mapping and recognising the capabilities that individuals possess via a brokerage recognition model? How do we get around the requirements to demonstrate completions of full qualifications in a world where people require a packaged suite of Units? How do we support community members to capture that evidence? via some form of e-portfolio?
Recognition of course requires firstly, that an individual can identify their strengths and expertise. In his book, The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki suggests that this is often not the case. This has also been my experience…..
About 3 years ago I sat with a group of colleagues in a career guidance workshop completing a personal strengths checklist (I really must dig it up - was very interesting). We went through the results as a group. Without fail the group identified skills and strengths that each individual did not. Why? Maybe we take things for granted? Modesty? I don’t know. But there are clear implications for our Recognition assumptions and processes.
Recognition, on the whole, seems to have failed badly as a core component of VET practice. Why? What makes it work? What models have you seen to support its effective implementation and how could technology support that?
