cc licensed image by verbeeldingskr8

After a successful pilot in 2011 “Designing for Flexibility” online professional development  program kicks off again from May – October 2012.

The Designing for Flexibility capability development program comprises of a series of topics designed to support VET practitioners seeking to add greater flexibility to their learning designs and courses. It coveres a range of concepts, issues and options for enhancing existing practice and was supplemented with a series of ‘Thought Leaders’ interviews with international leading thinkers.

The program focusses on ..

• Better meeting the needs of industry and 21C learners
• Building on our strengths
• Facing issues and challenges
• Connecting and collaborating with professional networks
• Integrating technologies to enrich our practice

Workforce Planning Australia
John Sheahan, General Manager, Workforce Planning Australia

Julie Sloan
founder and Director of Strategy – Workforce Planning Australia

Workforce Planning is a journey. No one is that advanced and experienced.
WP is a global issue. Relatively new discipline but an interesting, growing discipline around the world.

In the UK being driven by the Finance Industry. US by the Strategic Resource industry. Australia it is an issue of governance and boards and is essential at this level. Then the operational areas need to be placed in the appropriate area of the Organisation.

Headline news around the world is around workforce planning, workforce development is a part of workforce planning. Must be a result of the evidence based.

Considerations
Changing workforce dynamics – how and when people work
Productivity management – how we want to work, age etc
Governance and leadership – leaders often don’t admit to the skills they don’t have. executive need to be on board
Evidence – anecdotal evidence is not good enough. ‘I as an executive need to know about my staff and where we want to go”
What do we know about our projected needs, what are the skills gap. then we have evidence. What is our risk mitigation. understanding the ris.

Key elements of quality workforce planning.
Governance and Leadership
Strategic and operational
Systematic approach
Workforce engagement
Supply and demand analysis
Risk assessment of supply (engage with ABS)
Risk mitigation
Evidence base
Regional workforce development (industries that work collaboratively within a region for the community is a positive move – even if they are in competition)
Live active continuous process (workforce planning is not a static document it is dynamic

Quality Workforce Planning = Sustainable workforce development

Bob Huber
Chief of the Technical Cooperation Unit of the Division for Social Policy and Development, United Nations
Role of Social Inclusion in Workforce Planning

when govnments come together to think about where the world is going this unit is there. translate into the developing countries the goals and policies of the governments.

RIO + 20 Conference
twenty years ofter the Earth Summit
Achieve Sustainable Development – not just about economics etc what is the impact of this on human beings, are we able to distribute more equitably
sustainable Development Rio + 20
developing cou tries ask why can’t we do the same thing as you developed countries.
Is it possible to conceive other ways of doing businessincluding workforce planning. WP is a tool for social inclusion.

the World Summit of Social Inclusion
3 core issues
eradication of poverty
Social integration – attempt to create a society for all in which every individual, each with rights and responsibilities. social integration moves the focus from individuals to the dynamic relationships.

considering the whole person
The things that give our life meaning. how do individuals engage with others in Society and how do they combine factors, activities and resources for desired outcomes.

workforce Planning for Social Inclsusion
Work is integrating
Workforce as representative if it’s surroundings
what is an inclusive workforce?
deriving be fit from staff diversity

think about how life and work fit together and how well is it placed for the whole person.

Oldest old (>80) largest growing group in the world.

Promoting social inclusion
evidence based – are we giving people an opportunity to tel us what is going on and how is it going to work.
goal is to create voice and agency for all workers
Provide information
Develop knowledge familiarity with process.
create opportunities for interactions, sharing creativity and acknowledgement.

youth – once there was children and adults now we also have youth
school work transition
Impact of changing labour market
Insecurity of employment
Ingenuity and Adaptability ( we will always be digital immigrants
Work and family formation issues

persons with disabilities
alternative visions of employability
Accessibility of the workplace
Universal design
Use of technologies

Older People
Issues of pension reform
How do we balance mandatory retirement vs desire/need to work longer
alternative or continued engagement
Caregivers and recipients

representativeness – the diversity page
Offering opportunities
Reflecting the community
Integration not assimilation

workforce Planning for development (in the developing world)
can workforce planning apply in development
Can community resources be analyzed
What about planning for the Informal Sector
Or Poverty Eradication

Http://social.un.org/index

workforce planning is about those who are work and those who are not working? all of these are our ‘supply’

Sugani Leman. (engineer)
FEDEX
Senior workforce Planning Specialist

Journey of Workforce Planning and Analytic at FEDEX

workforce Planning deals with the different type of workers in different divisions; eg one division is contractors; another permanent. still needs to be part of the overall governance

why are we doing workforce planning. one company that is still growing. however didn’t know what competencies were required for promotion as people start from baggage handling. It is not about promoting the best people simply because they do a good job. You get promoted to your level of competence.

rapid growth
Succession planning
talent growth

resources must be put to the jobs that are critical

WP&Analytics will enable proactive human capital management and planning the is driven by the business strategy. Helps the company make better business decisions.
Access – function people and structures. ability to build, buy, rent, redeploy and or maintain PEOPLE in an OPTIMAL structure that best support the FUNCTIONs necessary to fulfill the overall strategy.

WP&ANALYTICS will lead and leverage data and application infrastructure to generate human capital Analytical in support of Assessment activities.
INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYTICS ASSESSMENT
infrastructure – provide structured systems and process
ANALYTICS – publish impact foul data, metrics, analysis, insight, actionable capital – assess internal external metrics and factors that impact human capital
ASSESSMENT – projects are chartered in support of overarching business strategy

WF&ANALYTICS steering Committe is responsible for chartering prioritizing dispositioning and managing the life cycle of WP&ANALYTICS projects.
Taking a small step at a time.

structure
manager
Senior specialist
Specialist x 2
Analyst x 2
this will help give small measurable impact.

WP&Assessment
done in terms of function people and structure
the Organisation assessment process is based on FPS framework is used at current future and transition state of the process.
Future state is about thinking strategically. what functions do you see this company becoming. will our people be able to do what we need for the future? what roles? How are we going to get there?

Org Assessment
1 pre assessment initiation phase
2. Discover
3 Assessment
4 Transformational

FEDEX is moving from conceptual discussions to implementation

challenges
everyone get involved
some say too difficult to change
Burning platform eg recession
Lack of support by senior leadership, need a champion.
Increasing maturity of WP&ANALYTICS

workforce planning Conference

Robin Shreeve
CEO, Skills Australia
from 1 July
Australia WD Productivity Agency

why all the fuss?
skill shortages
Experience shortages eg experience or graduates
Productivity
Participation
Unemployment

Australia – the challenge of prosperity
terms of trade – we can sell things quite expensively and buy them cheaply
employment change in industry
matching skills and jobs in a fluid market

3 conceptual pillars in our response to aligning skills, Quals and the economy’s needs.
concentrate on the high risk areas
1 specialized occupations
2 scenarios for the future different futures to achieve flexible policy responses
3 demand driven funding

Planning for specialized occupations
criteria
1 long lead team
2 high use. – good occupation fit
3 significant disruption

Scenarios
Open doors, low trust, flags used by Skills Australia

qualifications and skills demand

Australian Workforce Futures see the key findings

critical issues facing Australia – paper
4 new scenarios

new Workforce Development Strategy Nov 2012

Wesley Schwalje
independent World Researcher
business and International Development Strategists

Rethinking how establishment skills surveys can more effectively identify workforce skills gap

skills shortages definition – hard to fill vacancies due to required skills, experience and is external to the labour market, ephemeral
skills gap is internal to a firm
How to define a skill gap (see paper)

what are the caused os skills gaps?
1 market and institutional fails
HR Management related skills gap – many poor hr practices
Structural skills gaps – changes in operation
staff not completed training

firms are systems and any deficiency stops progress

Tom Lawrence
World Health Organisation
Independent Researcher
Health Workforce Planning Model in UK and EU

1.3 M staff 70% spent on staff wages
Complex industry – over 300 different kinds of jobs
Budgets have been slashed
Workforce that needs to be flexible with perm and semi perm staff
Demand continues to grow
has been under researched

how has this been dealt with in the past
Slash and cut
Get rid of people
Planning on a single professional basis without linking professions
It’s a HR issueReview by govt required a big review and developed a WD federation. Developed and abolished in 3 years

what’s been done to improve Workforce Planning
It is a profession of its own not part of the HR – need to increase workforce planning capacity
Better integration of workforce planning
the delivery of a more productive workforce
The delivery of a more flexible workforce
Changes made to improve partnerships
Changing demographics – an aging pop will need a different workforce
just getting more staff is the easy part , changing cultures is much more difficult
The need to get more value – but this can’t be done overnight
Politics – changes everything overnight

key challenges to move forward
need quality data
Lack of well promoted best practice
Huge variations in how WP is completed

In the EU
Major issue
2020 2 m shortage, 230000 physicians, 600000 nurses

WHO and their role in WP
Diverse needs in countries, provides advice,
Need to work collaboratively to tackle international mobility and migration

To move forward
Improve quality of data
Build capacity
Facilitate exchange of country experience

Workforce Modelling in Health
Tools
Workload indicators of staff needs
Simple to use
Comprehensible to staff not in hr
Realistic providing practical targets for budgets and resource allocation
Only complete basic Modelling, still need to have great data

Regional Workforce Modelling Tool in the UK
Scenario based Modelling tool
Very detailed
Linked whole of health economy together
Very few people new how to use it
Suffers from IT issues
Unreliable
Cloud based system

what type of Modelling to use
understand what the tools can do
Be realistic, how good is your data. Need data before get sophisticated tool
Capacity and capability within the Organisation
Pick a tool that is reliable and user friendly
Be patient

The future for WP in health care
Better integration
Emphasis on quality data
Better promotion of best practice
Learn how to cope better with changes
Educate staff to realize workforce planning is a continuous process.

Natalie Jackson
international Demographer (NZ)

Gen TGYH Thank God Your Here
Largest cohort will enter the market force at the same time the others leave

generation analysis
sociological
- observes generations as mental entelechies
- interpretive/predictive of attitudes, aspirations, behaviors
Demographic
- Observes generations os comprised of cohorts
both provide basis for future planning

Generations
Veteran generation 1920
boomer 46 – 65
gen x born 65-79
gen Y born 1980 – 2002
Gen TGYH 2003 – 2010

where we used to get our pop from eg Europe now has similar problems so this will be more difficult. we need around 180000 per year

every year for the next decade more people will retire and there are less people to replace the labour market.

waves of age structures filling classrooms at different times with schools closing at different times depending on the wave.

Neil Plumridge
managing Partner, Advisory – Ernst & Young (AUST)

Productivity – making organizations more productive today.
productivity is about efficiency
Our people are the most important asset we have but do we know how efficient they are.

employed labour force 11.5 m
av weekly hrs worked 32.7 hrs
av weekly earnings $376
2/3 of workforce are employed in firms with less than 100 employers

labour productivity over last 10 years has been in decline.

4 areas can make a positive difference in lifting productivity in our enterprises
Technology and capital 8 percent
Innovation 15 percent
Organisation model 23
People management 54 percent
( all this on the Ernst and Young website.

what motives works
Income
the work I do. – is the work meaningful work. this is the number one reason staff leave.

positives about management of the workforce
I am proud to work for my employer 68 perc
I am clear on what is expected 78 perc

areas to work on
clear direction for my career. 26 percent
My performance is not regularly reviewed 28
I don’t have right access to learning and development pop 22 perc

Takeaways
Productivity has declined
One way of arresting the decline is to better manage our workforce
A much deeper level of analytical insight of the linkage between productivity and people.

summary
Skills sets for workforce planning
Business acumen
Ability to manage upwards
wisdom
know the business
understand mission
readiness for change
finding the best practice
Prepared to take risks

the lead time for workforce planning is the time to build capability
Build capability as a by product of doing a job. Formal training is too expensive.
Retention strategies for key workers.

DAY 2

Julie Sloan
workforce Planning Australia

Challenges
Executive engagement
who owns it HR WD Finance??
confidence with analytics
Keeping a complex issue simple
Integrating into normal business
resourcing

What is the cost of not doing the task

Opportunities
Global demand
Emerging discipline (requires post studies)
Strategic link: Business and workforce planning
Evolving economic and business environment
Work and social economic change – Social inclusion – labour market
Population ageing – once in a generational opportunity
Environmental pressures
Support from Government and industry policy
Priority industries – short, medium and long term
Case Studies. – write your story around workforce planning

Workforce Planning Australia

GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP
Using workforce planning for business
Growth
Downsizing
Seasonal variations
Project based
Amagamations
Acquisitions
closures
Ageing workforce

Working life stage – what stage is your staff at at the moment. this may change but it is a point in time. also understand the language around workforce planning. (Did you know that Florence Nightingale produced comparison gaps to demonstrate connections).

The Future of workforce planning
Apps
Aggregated transferable data
Interactive mapping
24/7 accurate workforce information
Active involvement of WP
CEO, CFO, CWFP
Who knows?

Ben Di-Lorenzo, National Australia Bank
Senior Manager, Workforce Planning
Group Business Services

Why NAB Invested in WP?
Workforce is a critical part of our operating model
clear sight of the changes to the whole workforce
effective & conscious decision-making

Stakeholder Engagement is Key included:
finance
Strategy
Business
Transformational projects
HR
workforce planners
Centralized resource pool

the process NAB

Links to the business strategy and include in business plan
workforce Planning Process – Develop a framework of what you’re going to do and when, include scenarios and plans with costings, strategic analysis, sign off, demand and supply, internal scan, capability gaps, risk analysis, external scans, model costs and impacts,
WP Initiatives

delivered benefits
Strategic decision making required to protect for the future
Line of sight of impacts to workforce
Reshape operational model construct for the future
Hr solution Modelling
Informed annual people strategy

Sandy Semmens, Local Govt Associations of SA
Program Manager, Training Development and Research Scheme

Provided an overview of the process to gather data for 6 SA local govts to inform a state-wide Workforce Planning process. they collected data from 6 councils, analyses data, identified mission critical job groups (ech council identified these), identify gaps, prepare workforce development strategies and prepared workforce plans.

The survey required demographics, occ profile, work exp Quals, current and future trends, work life aspirations, recruitment, retention.

workforce Development strategies

retention strategies, phased retirement, flexible working arrangements
Internal communication strategies
succession planning, knowledge management
attraction and recruitment strategies
Training needs analysis and training provision
Buddying, coaching, mentoring
Cadetship and traineeship

Tony Wallace, Workforce Planning Australia

The Art of Winning the Unfair Game: lessons in Workforce Planning Data
(Moneyball)

why data is important?
Possible to develop compelling arguments
Understand performance is critical
how and where to improve
Data rich, information poor
Measuring the right thing
Longitudinal versus cross sectional data
Is Organisation prepared to compete on analytics

considerations
How are people deployed
How competitive, why wld people want to work here
Homogenous workforce is unlikely – how value or critical workforce groups
How open closed is your workforce
What are special features of your workforce

Lessons from Engagement
is it workforce management or workforce planning
Data quality is poor – has the data got errors and how might you fix it? get into it.
simple Analysis Yields Insights
Use data to enhance the story and gain support
Highlight differences in segments
Modellers paradox – assumptions are fine
Use data to think differently about a problem

Key lessons
Executive and Workforce Planners work together
business environment is competitive
Use data to Your advantage, be inquisitive and ruthless in the pursuit of knowledge
maintain focus on ultimate goal
Plan the change and get everyone on board
Be prepared to take tough decisions

“Competing on Analytics The New Science of Winning”

Fiona Hogarth, Senior Manager, Workforce Capability – Power and Water Corporation, NT

challenges the Territory faces when employing staff.

Karen Sheldon, Owner/Director – Karen Sheldon Catering, NT
think Strategically, Look Locally. tomorrows workforce is right here in front of you!!

indigenous employment and particularly disadvantage people.

Kit McMahon, General Manager, Service Skills Australia
with Workforce Development

about the Service Skills
Kit described the industry as mostly small business. She stressed the importance of keeping the process simple when talking with these industries to…

Where do you want to go?
what do you need your people to do to get there?
where are your people now?

set out the find the Readiness for Workforce Development
senior leadership buy in
existing language – indication of the knowledge on the workforce
agreed plan – goals, direction is clear
Positive relationship between the parts

tourism and Hospitality – Workforce Strategy Plan – Journey to implementation
AUST. tourism Labour Force Report. labourforce profile. (part 1)

Retail: Strategic discussion on workforce development

National Workforce Development Funds
On the evidence of directions and goals of the Organisation

wD is a practice of change management
WD needs an advocate and to be considered before capability development strategies are considered.
As a nation we are still learning…

WD is:
A broad concept
Needs clear goals to work to
a lever for leadership to improve productivity
starts with a clear evidence

Paul Gale, Dept of Training and Workforce Development, WA
examine Sustainable Workforce Planning – The Western Australian Experience

interesting presentation with lots of stats on employment growth and demand. Almost 300000 needed over next few years. at least 50000 shortfall.

skilling WA A framework for Workforce Development Planning. (on Internet)

strategic Goals

GGrowing the workforce participation
Growing the workforce – migration and population
Attraction and retention of skilled workers
Skills development and utilization
Planning and coordination

Idea re capability development…
what can you do yourself eg as a faculty
what can be done internally
What do you need to go outside for?
check Industry Workforce Development Plans

State priority list for employment
To get on the list…
Valid data
High level of skill (higher level of skill or specialization)
Career pathways
Skills shortage or risk of a skill shortage

John Furness, Local Government, TAS

Workforce plan People Directions – On the Internet

Roweena Allen, Hume Region, Victoria
Regional workforce planning requires the engagement of existing community groups. a very sound process. a great collaboration example of a regional workforce plan.

Wayne Bishop, Activetics
the Aging Workforce
Deloitte Research: Blg the Lucky Country. where is your next worker.

Competition will be for workers not for jobs
An employee already working for you will be more valuable than someone new
Allowing an employee to retire without exploring options to keep them for longer is a lost and sometimes costly opportunity

 Program: Term 2, 2012

Sessions will run from 12:00-1:00, Thursdays starting on May 10.

1. Thursday May 10: Overview of eHub 2011 Institute projects
2. Thursday May 17: Exploring content curation tools
3. Thursday May 24: Virtual worlds
4. Thursday May 31: Communication strategies used by teachers in online/blended learning
5. Thursday June 7: Getting the most out of Equella
6. Thursday June 14: Mobile learning trials.

How do I take part?

On Thursdays at 12 noon go to this online meeting room:

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

There’s no need to register, just join in!

For more information go to the TAFE Connects website. (NOTE: you will need a DET NSW identity)

http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/course/view.php?id=138

Also in May on Tuesdays!

There is also a TAFE Connects Learning Design Series every Tuesday from 12:00-12:30. To find out more go to the TAFE Connects Series site on eCommunities.

http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/course/view.php?id=139

What about past sessions!

To access all recordings from this series together with all TAFE Connects in 2012 through to 2011 go to the new TAFE Connects Collection http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/mod/data/view.php?id=2223

cc licensed image by mylearning

Podcast of Kevin Heys, president of the TAFE Managers Association opening presentation at the TAFE Mangers seminar “Building TAFE Higher Education Capability” held at the See St. Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE campus, NCI on the 4 April 2012.

Overview

Hear how Higher Education can impact on your work and help improve business sustainability.

• TAFE Higher Education Degrees
• Opportunities and challenges in the Higher Education space
• On the ground – leading the change
• University Partnerships – The journey

cc licensed image by mylearning

Podcast of Kathy Rankin, General Manager, Training & Education Support at the TAFE Mangers seminar “Building TAFE Higher Education Capability” held at the See St. Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE campus, NCI on the 4 April 2012.

Facilitated by Russell Scott, College Director, TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute

Overview

Hear how Higher Education can impact on your work and help improve business sustainability.

• TAFE Higher Education Degrees
• Opportunities and challenges in the Higher Education space
• On the ground – leading the change
• University Partnerships – The journey

cc licensed image by mylearning

Podcast of  Martin Brown, Director, Higher Education presentation at the TAFE Mangers seminar “Building TAFE Higher Education Capability” held at the See St. Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE campus, NCI on the 4 April 2012.

Facilitated by Russell Scott, College Director, TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute

Overview

Hear how Higher Education can impact on your work and help improve business sustainability.

• TAFE Higher Education Degrees
• Opportunities and challenges in the Higher Education space
• On the ground – leading the change
• University Partnerships – The journey

cc licensed image by mylearning

Podcast of Dr Jeffrey Crass, Dean TAFE NSW Higher Education presentation at the TAFE Mangers seminar “Building TAFE Higher Education Capability” held at the See St. Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE campus, NCI on the 4 April 2012.

Facilitated by Russell Scott, College Director, TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute

Overview

Hear how Higher Education can impact on your work and help improve business sustainability.

• TAFE Higher Education Degrees
• Opportunities and challenges in the Higher Education space
• On the ground – leading the change
• University Partnerships – The journey

cc licensed image by Radar Communication

Following the successful launch of their TAFE Connect series in term 1 2012 themed around Social Media in education the ehub are planning a new series for term 2 on Learning Design.

They are seeking input from institutes on examples of blended learning.

If you would like to present your online course at the session contact Barry Reeves from the ehub.

TAFE Connects Learning Design Series

Uhub have lined up Gilly Salmon to present in the Learning Design TAFE Connects Series coming in May. Gilly is well known for her 5-step model for e-moderation and we are very excited to have her. We have also approached Ron Oliver to present on the Tasks-Resources-Supports approach to learning design.

They planto mix these external speakers with people from Institutes who can ‘show and tell’ good examples of blended learning. Blended learning examples (rather than entirely online) are useful because we can draw out points on how to get the best from various delivery modes.

There are 2 x 20 minute presentation slots for the Institute speakers. Tentative dates are 15 & 19 May.

Some possible talking points are:

• What delivery modes does your course use? (eg face-to-face, moodle, Sakai, video conferencing, Adobe Connect, workplace, mobile devices, social networking, other) What do learners do in the different delivery modes?
• How did you work out what would be the most effective activities/content for your course?
• How did you decide what activities/content would be done in the different delivery modes? (factors might be learners’ needs, learning outcomes, information in unit of competency, assessment requirements, familiarity with technology, cost or time factors, other)
• Did you use any particular approach or any planning tools when you were designing your course?
• What is working well?
• What would you do differently?
• What advice could you give to other teachers designing a learning program?

barry.reeves[at]tafensw.edu.au

For more information of the program see the TAFE NSW ecommunities site @ http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/course/view.php?id=139

On the 16th March, 2012 the Leadership Forum 1 was held at St George College.  The theme of the event was ‘Student Learning Journey’ The day was a great success, thanks to all who attended.  A special thanks to the main speakers:  Dr Michael Sankey  USQ Student Learning Journey & Alison Wood Associate Director Ultimo College - Podcasts have been posted.

Objectives:  Explore Sydney Institute’s readiness to improve Customer Service by

• Providing a customer service that will continually exceed customer expectations
• Improving Student Experiences
• Improving the range of student services
• Continual engagement

cc licensed flickr photo by mylearning

Alison Wood – Associate Director

Blog: http://sydneyinstituteonline.net/ukventures/

Dr Michael Sankey, USQ Student Learning Journey

cc licensed flickr photo by mylearning

Resource: Discussion PowerPoint

Are you struggling with learning all the new skills and technologies in online teaching and learning? Are you curious about how you can use learning design, Moodle, FaceBook, Captivate, Online communities to improve the learning experience and outcomes of your students? If so, then TAFE Connects is for you!

Join us for weekly live sessions that you can attend from any computer.

In these sessions you will be introduced to new ideas, resources and people.

You will interact and engage with your colleagues.

Sessions will run from 12:00-1:00, Thursdays starting on March 1 2012

Program: Term 1, 2012

1. Thursday March 1: eLearning and the changing VET landscape
2. Thursday March 8: Moodle for learning – Beyond the basics
3. Thursday March 15: Numeracy skills for work
4. Thursday March 22: Structure documents for accessibility
5. Thursday March 29: Developing digital literacy
6. Thursday April 5: Building Online Communities How do I take part?

TAFE Connects Social Media Series – New to 2012

cc licensed image by fredcavazza

There is also a new TAFE Connects Social Media Series every Tuesday from 12:00-12:30.

The TAFE Connects Social Media Series is four 30-minute sessions focussing on social media for teaching and learning. Whether you are new to social media or an old hand, the sessions will help you maximise the benefits of social media tools.

Sessions will run from 12:00-12:30, every Tuesday in March.

Topics

1. Tuesday March 6: Customising Facebook pages
2. Tuesday March 13: Learning design for Social Media and Twitter
3. Tuesday March 20: Personal learning networks
4. Tuesday March 27: Libraries and Social Media

How do I take part?

On Tuesdays at 12 noon in March go to this online meeting room:

https://webconf.det.nsw.edu.au/tafeconnectseries/

There’s no need to register, just join in!

For more information go to the TAFE Connects Series website.

http://ecommunities.tafensw.edu.au/course/view.php?id=139

[image from mollybob.amplify.com]

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

Shelley (a.k.a. @mollybob) is an Online Community Management Specialist with qualifications in HRM and e-Learning. She is currently studying Masters degrees in Adult Education and e-Learning at the University of Technology, Sydney. Previously Shelley was the Learning and Development Officer at Coates, a role which is centred around increasing the access to learning opportunities for the Coates workforce. She has responded to this challenge by introducing a socially focussed e-Learning strategy based on the needs of geographically dispersed learners with a limited level of digital literacy. A case study based on her work at Coates was published in The Australian newspaper this year.

Shelley is also an active member of several online communities based around e-Learning and other interests, and has been a moderator for the Australian Business Women’s Network MentorNet program.

In this interview Shelly discusses her experience working with organisations to facilitate change. Drawing on her own learning journey with elearning and educational technologies she discusses how to shift peoples mind set from control and content to engagement and interaction. Shelly outlines what inhibits people from taking up educational technologies.

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

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