Imbedding Innovation : Champions At Work

[ image : mobology ]

I’ve just been bailed up by a bunch of bricko’s and thanked for bringing to the bricklayers team in TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute, Wollongong a differing perspective to their traditional classroom delivery mode as well as their scope for online delivery.

When I was down in Canberra at the CIT Construction Workshops two weeks ago I came in contact with a number of bricklaying teachers who were trying to find ways to “see” students at work in the field without having to travel vast distances sometimes to no avail with a tetchy student base.

As part of my mobile technologies presentation I pointed to a few core examples of moblogging at work – point, shoot, save, send – and the result has been a great engaged use of the concept with this crowd of now enthusiastic students.

They’ve promised me the links next week so keep posted on that one.

I’m parked here in Sydney airport awaiting my flight to Coffs Harbour – regional event 4 which is looking great thanks to the extra hard work of Alex Miller and the Hub who I managed to get two words in via the wireless connection before Adobe Connect died today.

Alexandra Miller is a shining light and revered innovator who deserves awards for her extra efforts this year to pick up a LearnScope project, a national virtual worlds Leadership project no less and run with it . This selfless and inspirational person who’s contributions to the VET sector are no less than exemplary is highly respected by myself, Robyn and all who have come in contact with Alex.

Your continued efforts to keep an open dialogue occuring with the world Alex are honoured.

I’m reflecting also on an inspirational presentation by Marg Bell of the Earthworks team in Western Institute after lunch who unfolded an array of amazing engaged use of web 2.0 and mobile technologies with students and staff, stepping out from closed doors and into the use of globally connected learning spaces. I’m inspired that there are pockets of real innovation occuring , buried in the psyche of some and in the hearts and actions of others.

Some core exemplars are emerging….slowly but surely people realize it’s always a work in progress, never a polished stone and all about connection and conversations.

I’ve also sent an SMS message to Marie Jasinski telling her to go read Robyn ’s excellent last post which sums up the reasons we have pushed the NSW LearnScope teams to the brink this year with new ways of working and a refusal to accept anything less than a 100 per cent effort with clients and other staff. The biggest hurdles seem to be finding ways to step back a little and reflect on the progress made by those champions who are progressing, engaging, imbedding innovation and new ways of connecting others in their respective work settings.

Brilliant stuff. I feel happy.

Exhausted but happy

PINR Full Faculty Forum : Dubbo 2007

Sitting here listening to the Welcome To Lands introduction and scouring through my show bag for goodies amongst other primary industries and natural resources information.

Some key things coming out of the main introductions byRod Towney, Marg Bell, Lou Baker, John Maginnis and Lloyd Dolan;

1. Unyielding amounts of emails and compliance based documentation holding up course ware delivery and teachers time
2. Changes in uniforms for staff
3. NSW Training Awards 2007 – DG presentations, Bemax, Visy Industries Agricultural Awards….interesting mix of contacts occurring.
4. Lindy Wellsmore, Quality Teaching Award.
5. Richard Ingham, Western Institute Award
6. David Chapman, Meritorious Award

Forest Road Campus is almost complete. ISO audit. Sharepoint. EI. Staff changes. Etc.

Spoke with Marg Bell re: presentations. Got booted out of the Museum for taking photos.

Looks like I’m in for another tough sell on web 2.0….thats the good part. What I am getting a good sense though is the diversity of working knowledge with e-learning and the scope which is evident in working globally.

As always there is the odd gem here and there amongst these quarter sandwiches, luke-warm coffee and localised anecdotes – Marg Bell’s userpage in the soon to be expanded WIT wiki

Workers : Ethics : Time Shifts

Iranian Workers

Originally uploaded by HORIZON

I’ve worked out that using Flickr account encoding we ( all four of us ) can directly post from Flickr with the inherent encoded attributions already in place. This indicates that these applications are becoming ever increasingly more robust and interoperable.

Fifty years ago such small findings would have been undreamed of.

Likewise the working lives of my children will be immensely different to what I’m thinking of what possibly lies in store for them now.