Margie's e Learning 07Podcast

Margie Fixter & Jason Darney valiantly represented the team at the e Learing event in Sydney.
The poscast of Margie's panel session on How do contemporary e-learning methodologies challenge the ’status quo can be found at http://www.nswlearnscope.com/elearning07-podcast-downloads
as well as all other sessions from the event.

Connected!

After a disruptive start the team successfully engaged in training with Jenny using Adobe Connect. We discovered some computers were unable to get the audio working without Flash Player 9, but with the help of our IT suport team that was soon corrected.

Most participants were keen on webconferencing for the immediacy and as a way of reducing travel to meetings. There will be a meeting conducted shortly using Adobe Connect to test its efficacy for management meetings.

Update

*Margie & Jason are representing the team on Thursday Nov 1 at e Learning 07 in Sydney
*Merelyn has submitted a team poster for the team
*Alex has placed all team posters into Second Life virtual world - doesn't it look funky!
*Webcams have been ordered and will be distributed as soon as they arrive
*Adobe Connect training session with Jenny Kingham is scheduled for 6 November
*We have asked Alex to present to the EDIG on 19 November re the visible web presence of the *WIT wiki http://www.wit.wikispaces.net/& MECAT blog http://mecat.com.au/western

*Marg Bell has posted some fantastic resources in the PINR space of the WIT wiki.

Fast and furious learning

Media wikis... Virtual worlds...podcasting to TVET students...webconferencing...blocked sites...

the examples and the discussion flowed on Friday.

Thanks Alex for leading!

Some questions found answers, eg:

Q: What is the difference between Second Life and videoconferencing?

A: Learners can develop their own avatar, can navigate through their own spaces and geography, can access learning from anywhere via the web.

Q: What is the difference between media wiki and Sharepoint?

A: Learners do not have access to Sharepoint in WI, only teachers. Media wiki is accessible from anywhere via the web. Media wiki can be used to promote the business to the world.

Q: Could Second Life be used to teach ESOL?

A: UWS is already using it for this very purpose.

Other questions were left for further rumination, eg:

Q: There are lots of blocked sites - Are we overprotecting our learners by not showing them the dangers of the web?

Q: Will WI need its own servers for Adobe Connect? Will our bandwidth cope with webcams?

Next steps...immersion in webconferencing and Second Life.

Multistranded multimedia presentation

Along with about 120 people Helen tinney & I crowded into the beautiful venue at Darling Harbour to hear Alan Levine. We were treated to a mind boggling multimedia multistranded presentation that involved:
face to face presentation with lots of pictures, sounds, videos and links to the web,
simultanesouly streamed live to the web via ustream.tv where a group of folk from round the world were attending, another group were participating via Twitter, yet another group was attending in Second Life, and we were all sent SMS messages through the presentation and our responses were collated in real time. Whew! What an array of media...
Alex has posted some of the sms responses to http://nswlearnscope.com/

Alan describes the day at his bloghttp://cogdogroo.wordpress.com/

Off and running

After a bumpy start the e Learning for Senior Managers LearnScope team is up and away.

Summary of the wide ranging discussion of web 2:0 technologies and social software include the following cogent points

Perceived benefits of new technologies:
-making personal and work life easier and more efficient
-improving delivery to younger students 15 – 19 year olds
-decreasing travel time for staff, sharing documents, storing and accessing information
-gathering data from stakeholders for compliance with AQTF
-has application both for education and communication
-eye opening to see new technologies at work – what to use and how to use it has expanded our -delivery options
-good to be moving into a more visual environment rather than text based

Benefits of professional development as a team:
-looking forward to seeing new concepts and how they are being used educationally
-excited by possibilities, and spending time professionally together revealing that we don’t know everything

Perceived Challenges:
- its scary
-providing the service
-how much money will it cost
-what is the future & how do I capitalise on where the future is heading?