Andrew Douch

Synopsis
Podcast of an interview with Andrew Douch by Michael Coghlan for the “Thought Leaders” series of interviews.

Andrew Douch is a practicing teacher of 20 years, and is a biology teacher and the ICT Innovations Leader at Wanganui Park Secondary College, in Victoria, Australia.
He has won a number of awards for his work with emerging technologies in education in recent years, including an Australian Government Award for Quality Schooling, the Victorian Education Excellence Award for Curriculum Innovation and the Microsoft Worldwide Innovative Teacher of the Year.

In this interview Andrew discusses how the use of online educational technologies have the power to transform traditional class interaction and teaching practice. He discusses the concept of the “flipped classroom” and how his own use of podcasting has enabled students to listen to content previously presented during class time when and where they want freeing up class time for learning support. He also discusses the importance of creating a sense of community, sharing, collaboration & digital literacy amongst learners and teachers.

The Thought Leaders Series comprises a range of interviews with Australian and international individuals who are leaders and innovators in fields relevant to flexible educational practice. The podcasts are part of the Designing for Flexibility program designed to support VET practitioners who are seeking to add greater flexibility to their learning designs and training programs.

To see the complete series of podcasts click on the podcast Thought Leaders Category or navigate to the program wiki page.

Network resources
Designing for Flexibility program
Andrew Douch’s website
Andrew Douch’s podcast

Remember the annual NSW Australian Flexible Learning conferences, well it’s on again this year but under a new name.
This years conference launches the new National VET E-Learning Strategy (NVELS); a strategy driven by the vision of a globally competitive Australian training system underpinned by world class e-learning infrastructure and capability.

eLearning11 is designed for VET managers, learning and development coordinators, trainers and assessors interested in new ideas and the design of effective e-learning solutions.
There are lots of exciting changes and some top level speakers to help you with ways to look at and work on the new goals and funding programs we offer.

• NBNCo and RTOs in lively discussion around what e-learning looks like in an NBN world
• Jane Hart ( UK ) on social media
• Dr John Buchanan on what makes the 21 st century workplace tick

Recordings are on the TAFE Connects website.

To continue the conversation on the eCommunities site:

You can also browse information on eCommunities – follow the links under Finding resources.

This week’s topic is: Moodle and Equella Together Forever
What’s a repository and why would I need one? This session will have some short demos of how to use Equella resources from Moodle. Our guest speaker, James Humffray of TAFE E-Learning Systems (TELS), will review some of the new features of Equella 5.1, which we will be using soon.

How do I attend?
On Thursday at 12 Noon, point your web browser at this online meeting room address:

http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects

Log in with your DEC username and password – or just enter as a Guest.

Start the discussion now
What’s your attitude to sharing resources within TAFE NSW? Post your thoughts on the eCommunities forum any time before or after the session. You can also browse information on eCommunities – follow the links under Finding resources

To catch up on previous sessions
Recordings are on the TAFE Connects website.

image from Ark Group Australia

Synopsis

Podcast of an interview with Nigel Paine, a strategic Adviser on Leadership and Talent Development by Michael Coghlan for the “Thought Leaders” series of  interviews.
The series comprises a range of  interviews with Australian and international individuals who are leaders and innovators in fields relevant to flexible educational practice. The podcasts are part of the Designing for Flexibility program designed to support VET practitioners who are seeking to add greater flexibility to their learning designs and training programs.

Nigel Paine was appointed in April 2002 to head up the BBC’s Learning and Development operation. He developed an award winning leadership programme, state of the art informal learning, and innovative approach to eLearning and a knowledge sharing environment.

In this interview Nigel discusses transforming organisational learning and culture to engender behavioural change. He also discusses his current thinking on building an innovative organisation through engagement and learning.

To see the complete series of podcasts click on the podcast Thought Leaders Category or navigate to the program wiki page.

Network resources

Nigel Paine

What’s Innovation got to do with learning?  - Nigel Paine

Designing for Flexibility program

Podcast

Click here to view the embedded video.

Synopsis

Podcast of an interview with Ewan McIntosh from NOTOSH by Stephan Ridgway, Workforce Development, Sydney Institute for the “Thought Leaders” series of  interviews.
The series comprises a range of  interviews with Australian and international individuals who are leaders and innovators in fields relevant to flexible educational practice. The podcasts are part of the Designing for Flexibility program designed to support VET practitioners who are seeking to add greater flexibility to their learning designs and training programs.

In this interview Ewan McIntosh, NoTosh’s founder and CEO discusses some of the concepts behind “Design Thinking” which empathises the importance of project based contextualised learning, collaboration and placing the learner at the center of the educational process. Ewan also discusses the recently published Pearson & NoTosh report titled “Tweeting for teachers” which demonstrates the benefits of social networking and social media sharing as a capability development strategy.

To see the complete series of podcasts click on the podcast Thought Leaders Category or navigate to the program wiki page

Network resources

NOTOSH

The Design Thinking School, NOTOSH Blog post

Tweeting for Teachers: Improving CPD through social media [Pearson & NoTosh report]

Designing for Flexibility program

Podcast

Click here to view the embedded video.

Synopsis

Podcast of an interview with Tom Barrett  by Ewan McIntosh from NOTOSH for the “Thought Leaders” series of  interviews.
The series comprises a range of  interviews with Australian and international individuals who are leaders and innovators in fields relevant to flexible educational practice. The podcasts are part of the Designing for Flexibility program designed to support VET practitioners who are seeking to add greater flexibility to their learning designs and training programs.

In this interview Tom Barrett, from NoTosh discusses Designing for flexibility. Tom also outlines 3 key things teachers need to know about when embarking on flexible delivery.

To see the complete series of podcasts click on the podcast Thought Leaders Category or navigate to the program wiki page

Network resources

NOTOSH

The Design Thinking School, NOTOSH Blog post

Tweeting for Teachers: Improving CPD through social media [Pearson & NoTosh report]

Designing for Flexibility program

Podcast

CC licensed image on flickr by mylearning

In this two hour forum, Chaired by Denise Stevens, TDC Chief Executive Officer, 3 speakers addresses the issue of contestability and the impact that reforms have had on the TAFE/VET system in Victoria.
Held in Sydney on the 14 Nov. 2011

Links

TAFE Development Centre

TAFE Directors Australia

CC licensed image on flickr by mylearning

In this two hour forum, Chaired by Denise Stevens, TDC Chief Executive Officer, David Williams – Executive Director, Victorian TAFE Association addresses the issue of contestability and the impact that reforms have had on the TAFE/VET system in Victoria.
Held in Sydney on the 14 Nov. 2011

Links

TAFE Development Centre

TAFE Directors Australia

CC licenced image on flickr by mylearning

In this two hour forum, Chaired by Denise Stevens, TDC Chief Executive Officer, Pat Forward – Federal Secretary, Australian Education Union addresses the issue of contestability and the impact that reforms have had on the TAFE/VET system in Victoria.
Held in Sydney on the 14 Nov. 2011

Links

TAFE Development Centre

TAFE Directors Australia

This week’s topic is on Exploring e-assessment:

TAFE NSW teachers are using a wide range of digital tools to support the assessment process. In this session our guests will show you two examples – one for recognition, the other demonstrating practical skills in the workplace. We’ll also update you on a project focusing on supporting eAssessment in TAFE NSW.

How do I attend?

On Thursday at 12 Noon, point your web browser at this online meeting room address:

http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects

Log in with your DEC username and password – or just enter as a Guest.

How to catch up on previous sessions?

Recordings are on the TAFE Connects website.

This week’s topic: Social media –  identity and privacy
What are the things we need to be careful about when using social media in TAFE? There are many ways in which we can use Facebook, Twitter etc in our teaching to really enhance learning but we still need to be careful. This session will explore how teachers and Institutes generally have developed guidelines and protocols to safeguard the identity and privacy of both themselves and their students and how teachers are interpreting them.

How do I attend?
On Thursday at 12 Noon, point your web browser at this online meeting room address:

http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects

Log in with your DEC username and password – or just enter as a Guest.

Leesa Wheelahan, Associate Professor LH Martin Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Management, recording of opening address at Workforce Development Unit’s workshop held at Ultimo College on 21st October 2011 titled:

Emerging tertiary education sector and broad policy environment

Does mobile learning have the potential to drive innovation in education and training? What are the characteristics of mobile learning that teachers need to know to design appropriately for mobile learning contexts? Join us for a discussion with Thom Cochrane, Academic Advisor and Senior Lecturer in Educational Technology at Auckland University, who argues rather than specialist technology skills, teachers need to understand the mobility of learners and how learning takes place beyond the classroom. Thom will share his research and learning from having implemented 35 mobile learning projects, exploring new learning spaces and ways of accessing information, communicating and collaborating in the real world.

How do I attend?

On Thursday at 12 Noon, point your web browser at this online meeting room address:

http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects <http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects>  

Log in with your DEC username and password – or just enter as a Guest.

Start the discussion now

Have you tried mobile learning? What did you do? Were students more active in their learning? How did it go? Post your experiences on the eCommunities forum at: <http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/mod/forum/view.php?id=612>  at any time before or after the session.

You can also browse the mobile learning resources <http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/course/view.php?id=80&topic=1>  on eCommunities.

To catch up on previous sessions

Past recordings are on the TAFE Connects website <http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/course/view.php?id=99> .

In summary, the sessions are:

Thurs Oct 20: Language, literacy and numeracy
Thurs Oct 27: Adobe Connect for learning
Thurs Nov 3: Design for mobile learning
Thurs Nov 10: Social media: identity and privacy
Thurs Nov 17: Exploring eAssessment
Thurs Nov 24:  Moodle and Equella together forever

Sessions are at 12.00 Thursdays at https://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects

Google has announced that its social networking site Google+ is now public and open to anyone (no invitation required). So Google+ can now be used as a tool to support teaching and learning. Key Features of the SNS

Circles: allows you to categories your followers (for example: friends, family, colleagues, students, classes) you can then share information with certain ‘circles’.

• This is good for teachers as they can create a class circle and share information: media, links, documents only with their students. Student will not be able to see information shared with other circles.
• Students can create study group circles to support each other’s learning

Hangouts:  allows up to 10 people to video chat with one another.  You can invite specific people to join a Hangout with you, although it’s worth noting that anyone who joins can in turn share the Hangout’s URL and invite others. As being in a Hangout appears in all the participants’ Streams, it does mean that these are public gatherings. Google’s Hangout technology recognizes who is speaking during a session and that person’s image takes the “big screen” while other participants appear in small tiles below. Hangouts is a way for other Google+ users to connect in real time using their phone’s front-facing camera.

• Guest Speaker
• Teacher access to student in remote locations
• Meetings
• Group discussion or  project collaboration

Mobile App: Google+ has a mobile app that can be downloaded to a smartphone or tablet.  Great for mobile learners.  However at the moment the Hangouts feature is only available on Android-based smartphones with the same functionality expected soon on the iPhone.

• ability to learn any time, anywhere

+1: +1 is Google’s version of the Facebook’s ‘Like’ button, the +1 is stored in your profile page , you can show your +1′s tab publicly or choose to hide it.  +1 can  be shared with specific circles. they also become a factor into Google’s search algorithm.

• Teachers can good resources, websites, links with students
• Students can also contribute great resources to class circles
• A place to store and manage your favourite sites

useful resource: 21 ways to use google+ to support learning

In March of this year, the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE) decided to wind up the ministerial company model for TVET Australia and to transition to alternative arrangements.

From 16 September 2011, in accordance with the decision to suspend all operations of AEShareNet , no new licences or material registrations will be accepted on the AEShareNet website.

Users of AEShareNet will need to make alternative arrangements for the ongoing management and licensing of intellectual property that is currently managed through the AEShareNet. Users are encouraged to explore the available options like Creative Commons as soon as possible.

It is anticipated that:

• holders of mediated licences will need to maintain their own records of licence terms and conditions; and
• holders of instant Licences should be able to access an archived version of the relevant Licence Protocols and supporting information.

NOTE: If you choose to download copies of your licences from AEShareNet for your own records, please contact them to see if they can assist you with this process. Existing licences will still be valid notwithstanding the suspension of service. This applies to Commonwealth owned materials as well as those from other sources.

This week’s session is: Creating, editing and sharing video

Video is a powerful teaching medium that appeals to many different student learning styles. Join us this week as we examine different ways that video can be used in teaching. We will explore how you can use videos found on the web in your training. We also look at tools and resources to get you started in making and editing videos and sharing them online.  

How do I take part?
On Thursday at 12 Noon, point your web browser at this online meeting room address:

http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects <http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects>

NOTE: We are now using Adobe Connect Version 8 – log in with your DEC username and password – or just enter as a Guest.

Can I catch up on previous sessions?
Recordings and resources are now available through our eCommunities website – follow the link on the front page to TAFE Connects: http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/
 
TO LOG IN TO ECOMMUNITIES: Use your regular DEC Username (firstname.lastname) and Password. To learn more, take a look at the movie called “First time here?” on the eCommunities homepage. If it asks you to “Enrol”, go ahead – there are no assessments!

Join us for the latest online TAFE Connects session this Thursday at 12 noon.  It’s free and it is for any TAFE staff or teachers interested in elearning and teaching with technology. See the attached Term 3 Program for details

Topic: Social Media in TAFE

Date: 12pm 1st September, 2011

Location: http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects

Overview:

The rise of social media on the web is one of the major themes in communication over the last few years.  Join us this week to get some great ideas for how social media can be used to make an impact in TAFE training.

Some of the social media services we will explore include using Facebook with students, using microblogging services like Twitter and Maang and sharing and accessing resources through cloud services like Flickr and YouTube.

Can I catch up on previous sessions?

Recordings and resources are now available through our eCommunities website – follow the link on the front page to TAFE Connects: http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/

TAFE_Connects_Program_2011_Term3

This week’s session is: Facilitating effective forums

One of the key requirements for successful e-learning is to encourage online student participation. Forums can be a simple and effective way of achieving this 

 This seesion will take a look at strategies for facilitating effective forums.  Guest speakers are:

• Jane Lally, Learning Technology Officer, New England Institute. Jane will outline the four elements of an effective forum – Communication, Dialog and motivation, Group dynamics and leadership, and Knowledge construction. 
• Vicki Marchant, Manager Teaching & Learning Initiatives, Illawarra Institute. Vicki will demonstrate how she implements those four elements in her eLf course.
•  Alison Roberts, Teacher, Management & Small Business, Northern Sydney Institute. Alison will show how she uses forums for different learners in Project Management and Environmental Sustainability units.               

How do I take part?

On Thursday before 12 Noon, point your web browser at this online meeting room address:

http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects <http://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnects> 

NOTE: The session will be using Adobe Connect Version 8 – some features may look a little different. Log in with your DEC username and password – or just enter as a Guest. Allow yourself a few minutes to do the sound check.

Can I catch up on previous sessions?

Recordings and resources are now available through our eCommunities website – follow the link on the front page to TAFE Connects: http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/

Just under 4000 items produced by the Centre for Learning Innovation and the Australian Flexible Learning Framework have been added to the TAFE-wide Learning Materials collection.

Each item includes comprehensive metadata and access to the resource content is via the View and Download links.

The View link can be used by teachers to link to the resource from a Learning Management System. Download links to a zipped version.

To access all the TAFE learning resources available in Equella:

Log in to Equella: https://share.tafensw.edu.au/share/

Click on the TAFE-wide Learning Materials collection

·         Adobe Connect go-live reminders and tips

·         LMS Trial for TAFE NSW Institutes

·         VLE Tools for Information Technology Training Package ICA11

·         Equella Certified training for TAFE NSW Librarians

·         TAFE NSW well represented at Moodlemoot au 2011

CC licensed image by myLearning

Synopsis

Presenter: Julian Gravatt, Assistant Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC)

Facilitator: Martin Riordan, National Secretariat, TAFE Directors Australia

Podcast of the TAFE Directors Australia and TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute seminar with Julian Gravatt, “Always thinking on the bright side of life” – UK Tertiary Education Governance. Held at TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute Ultimo Campus Tuesday 19 July 2011.

Julian Gravatt is Assistant Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC) which represents 350 English Colleges, with a combined total of over 3 million annual enrolments. Julian’s AoC role includes managing analysis for the College case to the UK government and providing advice to College principals on policy, finance and regulatory issues.His book Guide to Financial management in FE, Julian Gravatt, 2007, demystifies college finance and provides insights for VET sector management.

Links

TAFE Directors Australia

TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute

Association of Colleges

images from the seminar

The enable 2011 Adobe Connect Sessions will showcase 15 diverse and innovative Institute projects that support the implementation, uptake and effective utilisation of the TAFE NSW Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Given that the enable 2011 projects cover everything from high-level plans and strategies to stories from teachers on the ground using technology to develop new ways to deliver content to students, you may wish to promote specific sessions to targeted staff.

The sessions provide a great opportunity for teachers to get new ideas and to network with peers in other Institutes as well as to inform key stakeholders and senior management for future planning and projects.

All Adobe Connect Sessions will be recorded and available for individual review.

All resources created through the enable 2011 projects will be available for download via EQUELLA Learning Content Management System.  Resources are FREE and can be customised to suit individual requirements.

Attached is a program to assist you in choosing what sessions you might wish to attend:
* enable 2011 Program

So grab your headphones and get on to a computer!

Flickr image by myLearning

Grant Harbor is a Moodle administrator at a high school on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Importantly, he is also a degree graduate of digital design.

He loves getting down and dirty with images and the look and feel of anything. He hates ‘The Scroll of Death’. Any user of Moodle has experienced it. It’s that looooong list of resources, links and text that looms towards the end of a semester/ course. Navigation is akin to piloting an A380 into a London airport on a foggy day.

Images and icons are the key to his solution – that and the use of the ‘webpages’ instead of a long list of individual files. The webpages collate relvant content together. They my be files, weblinks, movies, audio etc: Interactive material such as quizzes and forums may also be linked. He then hyperlinks the webpages to images.These images are then prominently and logically featured on the ‘face’ of Moodle.

Behind the scenes are all the usual resources in their familiar places. It’s just that users don’t see them. In ‘settings’ all that is not hiden is the very first topic. Linking is done back to the library of already uploaded resources. Otherwise, it could be to urls which introduces an outside web page or (and this is the most useful revelation) to a page within moodle. Since Moodle is web based, every piece of content has a url address. This includes quizzes, forums, assignments etc> Ah ha!!!! Now activities don’t need to be stand-alone or in lists. The teacher can start to collate them into web pages in Moodle.

Flickr image by mylearning

Michael Coghlan gave an interesting piece on content and the misconceptions that go along with it.

Some people argue that Moodle is all about content. His starting point was asking the question; Can you teach a course without content? The consensus was that it is possible, indeed preferable, in theory. However ,the debate rages. Most students still need to be facilitated and supported (does this translate into spoon feeding @ TAFE?). Of course, teachers still need to deconstruct the curriculum.

Is it a question of journey v destination? In other words should the content be there at the start as a restrictive band of knowledge OR should content development be a process. That process could be the journey in which teachers and the cohort participate. One of the reasons TAFE feachers restrict themselves to existing content is their imperative to adhere to training packages. Michael implores teachers not to be controlled by the packages but rather stick to their values and creative instincts.

Quizzes in the context of content raise the hackles. Michael asks teachers not to get students to answer questions. They will only regurgitate what they learnt 10 mins ago – and then remember it for just as long. Rather, he proposes, students should ask the questions. For example, they could pick up the phone in a quiz session and interview an expert. They could then post it on a Moodle forum or quiz. Similarly, they could phone a supplier about an OHS issue, take a photo and discuss issues around it, solve a problem collaboratively (with other quiz candidates) etc:

Michael and industry based surveys argue that employability comes from the following skills:

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Problem solving
• Initiative
• Planning
• Slef-management and discipline
• Self Learning
• Technologically savvy

If content can be formulated around the above principles then TAFE has done its VET related job. So it should be about understading, personal instruction, collaboration, competition and creativity. Gone aree the days where content can be designed around a ‘one size fits all’ box.

Flickr image by mylearning

Interestingly, the engaged 21stC citizen is learning more form PLNs (personal/proffesionlal learning networks) than traditional forms of instruction. According to Francis Kneebone, this is due to a quest for life long learning and demonstrable and relevant employability skills. Eportfolios and platforms such as Linkedin are high profile tools for PLNs.

Intro Moodle. Francis maintains that it is necessary to build social media into Moodle so that learners become natives of it They are able to go out into the big wide world (read industry) as in-touch and capable.

Chad Outten continues the theme. He advocates the use of forums (asynchronous) and chats (synchronous) as well as discussions boards and calendars. He says they are popular and engaging. More so he says students find them empowering. It gives them the freedom to be creative and have control over their own learning. They are able to be ‘constructive’ by sharing and asking for help. In addition, they can develop and build learning through others.

Why Moodle though? it’s a one stop shop. All the above features and tools are available under one login. It”s safe, secure and able to be moderated. That said, Moodle is a LMS – anything posted or contributed is able to be used for grading etc:

Flickr image by mylearning

Annabelle Palfreeman from the elearning hub talks about 6 Cs around the main elements of what works in Moodling. These elements are:
Tasks – clear learning pathways and interaction
Resources – see Equella
Support – How to retain students and engage them.

The 6 Cs are:
Contact – establish rapport.
Communicating – The big one. Forums, chats, calendars and messaging. Staying in touch.
Contribute – teachers and students
Collaborate – teachers and students
Compete – quizzes, grades,uploading creatively.
Collect (evidence)

Flickr image by mylearning

Inspiring Moodle guru, Mary Cooch talked about the LMS as a time saver. The hours put into the design should be repaid in spades by the students who are excited and engaged by their interaction with Moodle.

How to do this?
Try the 4 Cs of a Cool Course:
1. Captivate – design, appearance
2. Create – hands on activities
3. Collaborate – not just a repository
4. Chocolate – bribes: competition, grades, quizzes, creativity