Learning Twigs

What my kids teach me about elearning design

 

 

I reflected (or, more accurately, quipped) recently on social media about the benefits of being a learning designer for dads, as a follow up to the sharing of an elearning game I rapidly tossed together on a public holiday.

It was a quick sight words activity designed to help my 5-year-old daughter develop her reading skills, drawing on her passionate interest in the movie Frozen (and in particular her admiration for Princess Elsa and the song 'Let it Go!'). You can access the web version of the Frozen Sight Words game here.

This isn't the first interactive, media-rich game I've thrown together for my kids (my son, being a little older than his sister, has been lucky enough to get a few different customised Skylanders-themed games developed for him - one of which he did all the writing, image sourcing and audio-recording for and then blew his classmates away by presenting it at school for show and tell!). And, based on the fact that these applications were put together very rapidly (usually on a Sunday or holiday), in many ways I wouldn't be willing to say they represent my best work. The animations and media aren't always as high quality, smooth and as consistent as I would like, for example.

But then again, in other (perhaps more important) ways, these sample games for the kids may actually be some of my best work. I got to thinking about this recently, and here's why these quick home-grown elearning applications may have a lot more going for them than say the glossy, highly developed elearning activities I've developed as part of formal employment duties.

 

1. It knows its audience

You (hopefully) know your kids better than most other people in your life, and you know what makes them tick. Using themes like favourite console games and recent movies, the learning games are customised to their specific passions and they can't wait to try them.

 

2. It's rapid

Developed in less than a day, utilising media and themes popular this month, addressing learning needs and existing skills evaluated this week.

 

3. It's iterative

These applications are rapidly prototyped and tested and redeveloped several times in the course of a day or two. It's amazing what you can fix or add with such rapid here-and-now iteration.

 

4. It's personal

That might seem obvious in a game designed for a specific person - how can it not be highly personalised? And how could commercial, scalable elearning activities for large, diverse audiences hope to complete with that? Well, for the scalability factor (in terms of appeal), remember also that potentially (see next...)

 

5. It's social

What appealed to my son, and was developed personally for and with him, was a huge hit with his entire class. He not only promoted it to his 'network', based on their relationship with him they wanted to see and be a part of it as well. The Princess Elsa application also went slightly ballistic in a networked sense, using my social media circles. Via Facebook, Linked In and Twitter, it was surprising how many of my contacts jumped on the game and thought it would be great for a little girl (or little girls) in their lives.

 

6. Scores and grades don't matter

Take away the extrinsic motivational factors like getting a pass or a grade and it's quite interesting to see what makes a learner 'tick' and want to continue with an activity. It's also interesting to consider how much harder you have to think, plan and execute as a learning designer. In the case of the Princess Elsa game above, my daughter was caught up in the initial theme, but it was the gradual unlayering of a semi-secret (as in, she knew what it would be, but couldn't quite see it and desperately wanted to see it!) background picture that kept her guessing at each round of sight word prompts. The video of the theme song at the end was an unexpected but hugely satisfying reward for her. She wanted to play the game again, and again.

 

 

If you've followed the links above to the Skylanders and Frozen/Princess Elsa games, I'll bet more than a few of you will have thought one or more of the following:

- The microphone/recording quality could do with some improvement (bear in mind for the Skylanders game that my 6-year-old son at the time had no front teeth - an interesting challenge for any microphone!)

- Some of the question animations and formats are too monotonous

- It needs a lot more editing before I'd release this publicly

 

Hey, I know. Those were exactly my initial criticisms/concerns as well - as someone who 'does' the elearning thing for a living.

 

What's hopefully more than a little intriguing is that those criticisms haven't even remotely occured to my kids and their respective peer networks. They're too engaged to care.

That doesn't mean those sorts of issues ought to be overlooked or glossed over in professional elearning production. But it should prompt us to consider what really matters when it comes to genuinely effective elearning design.

 

I'm just thankful that, as a learning designer, I have such fabulous teachers right here at home!

 

 

;-D

 

          

Are ELT Publishers going to make it App'n?

 

There is a tremendous amount of talk about THE cloud, but for some time now there has been a cloud of a different nature hovering over the future of educational publishing. Combine the changing needs, situations and expectations of schools, teachers and learning with publishers' need to come up with some sort of sustainable strategy that allows them to continue to enjoy major profit, and it would fair to say everything is rather cloudy at the moment.

 

ELT (English Language Teaching) authors are certainly experiencing a walk in the fog, as are (no doubt) writers and experts from a range of educational fields.

 

When it comes to expertly designed learning materials, for me the answer has been reasonably clear for some time. As mobile devices become more affordable and ubiquitous, we won't be needing textbooks or even e-books; the future will be in apps.

 

A recent post on the OUP English Language Teaching blog comes closer to convincing me that this publisher, more so than its competitors (at least in terms of what it is publicly inviting conversation and ideas about), is probably the most on track when it comes to making a transition from dead trees to mobile devices, AND still having a business model that can be profitable.

 

Building learning materials in app form creates all of the functionality, flexibility, interactivity and currency that teachers and students are now starting to expect. They can be video and audio-rich, with built-in branching and automatic feedback and tracking. They can be updated on a regular basis. They can integrate with social media tools, and/or work with things like the rapidly developing Tin Can API to send descriptive learning reports to a selected LMS or LRS.

 

It also ensures that there is an app purchase per student (or at least device, or device set), which should make for a sustainable and profitable distribution process.

 

It will require different design methodology, layering and programming, of course - which is why I am rather vehemently against the idea of simply converting existing textbooks into e-books (that would be like putting a T-Model Ford engine inside the shell of a modern car and hoping people feel like they are now driving something state of the art), or chopping them into little parts to become dried up PDF or e-PUB potpourri (alongside ominously polite emails sent out to existing authors informing them that royalties won't be part of the future deal).

 

And while the call for granularity in future resources, with well-tagged small parts capable of being mixed and matched for specific courses, is a genuine one, for ELT in particular I think it would be unwise to dismiss the idea of a well designed integrated course with mapped out stages and progression (the sort of thing many teachers and students continue to like about most coursebook offerings). Yes, we do need the grammar, vocabulary, reading (etc.) skill-specific apps, but I think there is still considerable merit in the well-designed progressive course that integrates all of the relevant skills and facilitates creative iteration within rich contextual frameworks.

 

A clever approach to ELT course apps should allow them to be customised while still providing a core and a map. Selective elective/specialised apps can then be applied alongside or around them to create just the right course for specific groups of learners in specific contexts.

 

Forget the idea of trying to own/control the platform (and, by extension, all of the distribution). The publisher that tries that on will not only inevitably fail, they won't be doing their reputation as The (greedy shareholder-appeasing) Empire any good either.

 

Apps can still work with complete freedom of choice. They will thrive or fail based on the quality and relevance of their content and interactivity, which is exactly how it should be.

 

Probably the most exciting prospect for me as a teacher is the idea that well designed and accessible apps, rich in content, flexibility, feedback and tracking, can do more to flip language learning classrooms, so they can utilise that precious face-to-face time to apply the language more often for genuinely communicative and task-based purposes.

 

I don't think this automatically means that we have to do away with publishers, or professional ELT writers/designers for that matter. We still know a bit or two about how people learn and how to make appealing content and activities. Some of us even know a bit about learning online, mobile devices and apps!

 

We're all ready for change: it's really a matter of getting on with it now and making it App'n.

 

 

;-D

 

 

E-Learning Design Matters (3): Portfolio discovery as a path to more independent learning

 

Around the middle of last year I featured a post on this blog titled Literacy: Freedom of Choice can be complicated..., in which I demonstrated some of the tools and applications I was experimenting with to foster more in the way of learner-directed freedom of choice with a given course structure and content. This in turn was a follow up from related posts (and thoughts/experiments) The difference between a Syllabus and a Silly Bus, and Avoiding the Burn After Reading Reaction.

 

The basic idea? Show the learners a range of example 'profiles' (students with particular backgrounds and study/career agendas) with 'portfolios' (a step-by-step explanation of how they applied the course outcomes to match their own personal, work and educational goals). Learners choose one or more of these profile+portfolios and attempt to map these activities back onto a course outcomes grid, commenting on them critically and according to their own learning preferences and agendas.

 

A big difference this year has been a newly upgraded version of the Profiles and Portfolios tool (embedded above), with instructional video and embedded mapping documents, applied at the very start of the course rather than mid-way through. Bear in mind that last year the Profiles and Portfolios tool was developed as the needs of my learners became more apparent as the learner-directed course progressed. This is what makes the beginning of a new academic year exciting for me as a course developer: you get to reorganise and reapply the gems you've developed along the way the year before and put them to better use with a new cohort!

 

 

By having this up and ready right from the start of the course, the results with students have been very interesting. There is some initial bewilderment and frustration with the request to skim through example portfolios of work and use a mapping document to (a) align the activity choices to formal learning outcomes and (b) think critically about the content/activity choices, but it has faded relatively quickly as students start to engage with the application. The rationale appears to make sense to them.

 

 

 

More importantly, the speed with which learners have launched into their own self-directed content and curriculum has been much more impressive than comparable 'uptake' the year before. The Profile and Portfolio Discovery Activity (as I loosely term it) seems to have a real impact on students' capacity to not only understand the rationale behind a learner-directed program, but get 'stuck into it' relatively quickly. In turn, the learner-directed approach has resulted in more and better work appearing from students compared to previous years with a more lock-step teacher-designated course design.

 

Of course, the application here emphasizes literacy (which, being more along the lines of a mode or application rather than a specifically targeted content-based training course, makes it flexible to a variety of learning priorities). But this sort of case study approach incorporating noticing, critical thinking and personalisation might be a useful technique to consider in any course where a learner-directed portfolio is being considered as a valid and productive way to facilitate learning.

 

Or even just any course with a lot of complicated 'to dos'; so many learners become so bewildered and overwhelmed right at the beginning of their course, no matter how clear we attempt to make the introduction and guidelines. Rather than asking them to study and remember/absorb the course requirements and recommendations, a discovery approach like this one might help them build that understanding.

 

And the fact they built that understanding on their own could make a huge difference.

 

It certainly appears to be making a difference with my new learning cohort this year.

 

 

;-)

 

 

Related articles

E-Learning and a fresh look at Multiple Choice questions...

Taking your course online? Beware the belittling 'information dump'!

E-Learning Design Matters (2): Facilitating discovery learning and supporting language/ literacy needs

Towards Adaptive E-Learning using Decision Support Systems

Learner Autonomy

E-portfolios: evaluating the benefits of a reflective pedagogy, Kirstie Coolin bett 2013

E-Learning Design Matters (2): Facilitating discovery learning and supporting language/ literacy needs

 

In the learning material featured below (from a Physical Education course unit) you may notice and react to two key features--ones I personally think are extremely important--the notions of interactive discovery learning and embedded language support to cater to variable levels of literacy proficiency (in what is essentially content-based learning material).

 

 

 

Admittedly the facilitation of both discovery learning and language support in this particular resource is (at this early stage of development) a bit simple and limited (less kind readers with deep instructional design experience might even call it a little crude and one-dimensional). Then again, being geared at about Certificate II level, it's supposed to be reasonably simple and have an approachable 'rhythm' in terms of what learners are asked to do and show.

 

It is interesting (to me at least) how authoring tools for what are essentially 'pre-programmed' learning resources can be applied in ways to help the learners build and document their own learning about complex concepts from initial guesses to edited reports.

 

This online application, created in Articulate Storyline, was adapted from a more traditional paper + powerpoint resource at the request of the colleague who authored the core (content) material.

 

It was already set up as a limited 'discovery learning' activity, with learners looking at a table with three columns. The first column listed nine key aspects of fitness. The learners were asked to complete the second column (alongside each key aspect/term) with their initial guesses as to what they meant. They then watched a simple powerpoint presentation in class (or accessed it in self-paced mode from their Moodle course page) and wrote down the more formal/technical definitions for each term alongside their own initial guesses.

 

The online version applies this as well, with some important variations.

 

First, it begins with a visual guessing activity where the learners make as many attempts as they need to apply the nine fitness terms to appropriate pictures. I often like to start with something that is visual, guessing/trial and error, (inter)active and 'failproof.' Get the learners seeing things, doing things and experiencing simple success right from the outset.

 

Secondly, I thought there was too much pressure in terms of the request to 'punt' and then compare that punt to a very technical definition. I was also somewhat worried that learners might initially develop a 'relevance' resistance factor. So I built in some 'help' explanations to take the potential sting out of what the learners were being asked to do, and two more layers: (1) a chance for the learners to edit and improve their own definitions for the terms, and (2) a challenge to think about how the various fitness aspects could be relevant to their own work/work roles.

 

Third, there was the challenge of the technical definitions being not only miles away from learners' initial guesses, but also potentially intimidating based on the level of language used. From the language and literacy angle, rather than just 'dumbing it all down', I felt that--on the condition that the language was adequately explained and supported--this could be a chance to extend and consolidate language and literacy. Hence mouseover functionality was applied to difficult words to trigger simple definitions and explanations, drag-and-drop activities were added to reinforce those words and their meanings, and a help prompt added to the edit/improve layer to remind them yet again of those complex words (and to encourage the learners to try and use them).

 

So exploring ways to cater to variations in language and literacy proficiency or confidence was a priority, with the important condition that those who need it can access help and scaffolding, while those who don't can basically 'get on with the job.' There was also some deliberate restraint: despite all the different language and literacy highlights and interactive activities possible, it was important to keep things reasonably quick and short. Leading the learners into a forest of literacy with/after every slide could not only cause them to lose all sight of the fitness aspects, but also erode their willingness (or belief in their ability) to try and complete the overall resource.

 

Finally, I wanted more in the way of overall consolidation to show the learners their own work and development. A 'Learning Stage' summary was added after work was completed with groups of three fitness aspects. This summary lists the learners' own input in a sort of report documenting initial guesses, edited/improved explanations and their thoughts about how that particular aspect of fitness applies to real working life.  This in turn becomes excellent outlining/drafting material for a follow up written report.

 

 

So there you have it: some simple content and activities to address basic applications of discovery learning and language/literacy support and/or development. If you haven't already done so, you might like to work through the sample embedded above and look for some of those features in the learning material.

 

There's also a YouTube video about somewhere (at the time of writing, currently lost in the lands of uploading and processing) which demonstrates how I built out this particular resource and what I was thinking with each stage/tool. If you're interested, leave me a comment and I'll come back to the post later and embed that particular screencast.

 

 

 ;-D

 

 

Interested in (E)Learning Design and want to connect? Find me on LinkedIn 

 

 

Related articles

10 Tips for Effective Digital Instructional Design

Don Tapscott: Discovery Learning Is the New Higher Learning

Literacy: Freedom of choice can be complicated...

E-Learning Design Matters (1): Creating an Experience using Scenery, Sound, Self-Awareness and Scenarios

Taking your course online? Beware the belittling 'information dump'!

E-Learning Design Matters (1): Creating an Experience using Scenery, Sound, Self-Awareness and Scenarios

 

 

 

When it comes to E-Learning, there are certainly levels and layers in terms of how well the material and activities add up to become a memorable experience for learners.

 

For many developing E-Learning Designers you can almost follow a trail that begins with downloadable assignments, works through the introduction and integration of rich media and quizzes, moves on to more in the way of interaction and personalisation, and then onwards and upwards towards the creationof more intricate and genuinely absorbing online learning experiences.

 

It's true that any E-Learning activity is, in some way or another, an 'experience'. However, how rich and meaningful that experience becomes for the learners depends a great deal on the layers of design underlying the resource and the versatility of the tools drawn on to facilitate the final product.

 

In terms of tools, getting your hands on (and head around) a tool like Articulate Storyline (generally my tool of choice) or Adobe Captivate can make all the difference. It's also worth looking at options for image and sound purchasing (I'm pretty happy with what I get access to with a service like iStockphoto and iStockaudio).

 

From the design perspective (when it comes to generating a richer overall experience), I like to remind myself of four 'experiential' Ss:

Scenery, Sound, Self-Awareness and Scenarios.

 

Below you can watch a presentation of an E-Learning resource that demonstrates both the tool (Articulate Storyline) and the four Ss of experiential design.

 

 

 

Please note that I am not pretending that these four Ss are the only aspects or criteria for creating richer online learning experiences. But personally, I find it helps to remind myself of those four considerations in the design process.

 

Note also my point in the video that generating the extra wrapping and framework for a richer overall experience takes as much (if not more) time as putting together the basic core material and quiz items. It does for me, anyway, and it can be an interesting quick assessment tool: if I haven't invested as much time into these aspects, I could very well be detracting from the overall experience for the learners - even if I might be checking the boxes in terms of basic content objectives and performance criteria.

 

 

 ;-D

 

 

Interested in (E)Learning Design and want to connect? Find me on LinkedIn

 

 

 

Related articles

Taking your course online? Beware the belittling 'information dump'!

Some good Instructional Design reads

E-Learning and a fresh look at Multiple Choice questions...

Your eLearning Design Principles compared...

Learning in sponges and sparks

 

 

Today my son put together a presentation for his Grade 1 class show and tell session tomorrow, in response to a theme chosen by his teacher: TECH (technical and/or technology).

 

With a little help from his mum, he put together a nice little powerpoint demonstrating some of the basic functions and challenges involved in Droid Machine Pro, a sort of construction and physics app he loves to play on our Galaxy Tab. For his final slide he made a video demonstrating how to make your own level:

 

 

 

 

I found all this to be interesting and very thought-provoking, beyond just a father's infatuation with his son's creative and cognitive growth, for a couple of reasons.

 

1. This is an android app I found in my search to help Jamie develop CAD-like skills, feeding off his love of 3-D sketching, making plans and models, etc. He gets the 3-D interaction with another app called 'Cogs' (and now as well with Google Sketchup), but in this one ('Droid Machine') he works primarily in 2-D designing terrain and machines, part by part, which he can then animate to see what happens based on which parts he motorised and how they are connected, placed, etc.

It amazes me what's out there now in the way of really creative apps for kids that can feed their cognitive development alongside their natural kinaesthetic interests, and how rapidly they pick up (on) and go with the technology.

 

2. As many readers of this blog know (and have probably come to regret!), I make a lot of instructional screencasts. Jamie is usually sitting next to me in the office when I make them, keeping quiet as he draws/designs/creates.In his presentation above, it's flabbergasting how much 'screencasting etiquette' he seems to have picked up (they're sponges, aren't they?). As an educator friend on Facebook observed: "he's a mini-raven!"

It never really occurred to me that my work, in this case with video/screencasting would be something he would pay much attention to, nor for that matter want to emulate. How wrong I was! And aside from the natural sponge factor, it's amazing how presentation skills have helped him come out of his 'shy shell' around his peers at school. The interactive Skylanders presentation we made using Articulate Storyline a few months ago was a huge hit with his classmates and gave him so much confidence when it came to sharing his creative ideas.

 

3. One of the things that really impressed me about this was his basic awareness of audience, and preparing something for a specific audience. He deliberately focussed on putting together something simple. He has made other levels that are incredibly complex, with all sorts of machines rolling around and through buildings and platforms hanging in the sky, knocking balls and blocks around for various effects. But he went with a simple demonstration, because he apparently wanted to make something his friends could easily understand and apply on their own pretty quickly.

Something tells me that this awareness of audience is really important for learners to pick up, and I'm happy to see my son start developing this early on. It's great to have great skills and creative ideas, but it's even better if they can be fused with social awareness and interactive nouse.

 

 

But above and beyond all of those points above, I was both motivated and sad when I saw Jamie putting all of this together...

I can't help wondering how we (and so many of our learners) come to lose this essential creative spark. The urge to experiment, share knowledge for the sheer joy of it (in a way that is palatable and enjoyable for our peers), and just be creative.

I wonder more about how we can prevent our 'older' learners from losing it, or help to re-spark it. Surely this has to be one of the most important and fundamental challenges facing us as educators, irrespective of who/where/what/why/how we go about what ought to be the greatest gig in the sky.

 

Learning. 

;-D

 

 

 

E-Learning and the increasing cost of less education

 

 

When it comes to education and training, to say that e-Learning is all the rage would be to utter one of the understatements of the decade. But there is a bit of an explosion going on at the moment; paradigms and principles are appearing in the field and particular e-Learning roles are becoming increasingly consistent. Job boards are full of exciting new opportunities for people experienced and interested in applying their e-Learning expertise.

 

Whether it's to add to the increasing number of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees offered partly or wholly through the lens of a tablet device or to revolutionize the time and expense associated with training compliance in the training and corporate sectors,  certain patterns are emerging.

 

And, I have to say, not all of these patterns are as progressive or valuable as I think many people in the 'industry' might be trying to tell us they are.

 

Take, for example, the following 'infographic' (I use the term loosely here, because I haven't seen the word 'promographic' used yet):

 

Source: LeanForward.com

 

 

This infographic/promographic is interesting on a variety of levels.

 

First of all, as Edudemic quite rightly points out, the word 'teacher' is very prominently missing in action from this picture.

 

While LeanForward and other e-Learning service providers might be quick to point out that teacher/educator roles are implicit in things like the instructional designer, e-Learning Developer and Quality Assurance sections of the team, basically the teacher (a human being who gets to know the learners and hones and adjusts content and delivery to their learning needs and interests in an ongoing fashion, alongside very important considerations like personalised feedback and motivational interventions) is still -- in terms that matter to me -- very absent from the overall paradigm.

 

What we are essentially looking at in the info/promographic above are criteria for automation, with the whole notion of 'interaction' becoming a series of design-based pathways and button clicks opening a variety of different but wholly pre-loaded layers. There is still some humanity in the educational 'delivery', but it stands at the front and end of the process and is almost wholly removed from direct interaction with learners.

 

Second, to some degree this info/promographic helps to clear up some of the confusion you might be having when it comes to distinguishing between the roles of instructional designer and educational or learning designer. Interestingly, the trend across the job boards at the moment is calls for instructional designers (from corporations and e-learning companies - offering salaries somewhat below what you might expect as a qualified teacher) as opposed to educational or (e)learning designers, or even 'educational technologists' (predominantly advertised by universities and colleges and paying somewhat -- but not too much -- above the rate for a qualified and experienced teacher). 

 

However, where it gets really interesting is the part that relates to cost, in terms of both time and dollars.

 

According to the info/promographic there, effective, interactive e-learning [requires] approximately 200 man hours per instructional hour of enhanced elearning.

 

Quite aside from the fact that these are 'man' hours (which some could argue equate to 0.5 'woman' hours), bear in mind that this figure of 200 hours only includes the average hours for the designated roles on the chart. Senior managers, salespeople, IT servicing, hosting, etc. aren't included in the equation.

 

But let's do the math...

 

If we assume that an e-Learning company charges in the realm of $100 per hour for the design and delivery of its courses (which is about what it would cost to pay the relevant personnel -- even on their less-than-qualified-teacher rates -- and still turn a reasonable profit, it would seem), you're looking at about 2 million dollars for a 100-hour online course.

 

That might sound staggering and unreasonable, but consider companies with 10,000+ employees. To deliver 100 hours of quality F2F training to them all would easily cost more than the figure quoted above. Not to mention how long it would take.

 

No wonder we are hearing so many win-win stories of big companies (providing more training and meeting more compliance goals in shorter timeframes at much reduced costs) and specialist e-Learning providers (making a very nice margin on the courses they produce for 'clients').

 

Perhaps I ought to tip my hat to e-Learning companies who provide 100-hour online courses to companies, built in say 3-6 months, because to do so would require them (based on the math) to hire something like 20-40 staff to build an effective and enhanced elearning course (based on their unqualified terminology) in that sort of timeframe. 

 

However, to me, as an educator who does many if not most of the roles described above as part of my regular teaching and online educational design duties, the 200/1 ratio is staggering.

 

That equation suggests that, for one hour of quality online learning, I would need a month and a half (of weekly teaching hours) to project manage, design, develop and quality assure what I produce for the learners. For a course with 100 nominal (effective and enhanced) hours delivered online, I would need 150 months to effectively design and deliver it -- or about 12 and a half years.

 

And remember, this is for online coursework that is almost entirely pre-loaded, with interactivity being for the most part between mouse-wielders and a ghost in the (learning design) machine. If I attempted to add in the time it takes to check students' work, respond to it personally, motivate the learners, make suggestions and observations, answer queries, etc., we'd be looking at something close to half a lifetime to get an hour of eLearning done.

 

It doesn't take me that long, thank goodness. And while I'm not trying to suggest my e-Learning programs are perfect or beyond improvement, some things in the picture and arithmetic provided by that info/promographic above just don't add up.

 

Do you think the info/promographic is a fair and accurate insight into effective and enhanced e-Learning?

 

Do you think the depiction shows progress and value in education?

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Taking your course online? Beware the belittling 'information dump'!

 

 

The rush to capitalise on online learning has been with us for a long time now, but across a number of contexts I am involved in currently it would be fair to say the surge has increased significantly. Educational providers and companies appear to be in an almighty rush to get courses online, capitalise on reaching a wider audience of students, and reduce the costly or inconvenient processes associated with F2F learning.

I've always maintained the position that if you are going to run a course online it should be designed from the ground up to fit and maximise learning opportunities according to the characteristics (sometimes of the enhancing nature, other times limiting) of the online environment itself.

Realistically, however, most institutions and companies already have a plethora of training materials that have been developed for F2F programs, and I can see the sense in drawing on (as much as possible) already existing good-quality content as they build their online courses.

 

Content is King, after all?

Yes, but without a Queen you are only providing half a learning realm. If Content is King, then Communication is Queen. Facilitation or interaction might have been better words for it, but it didn't alliterate quite as well... 

Basically, for courses to come across well to learners, you need both good content and effective communication and interaction with that content.

Let's look at it this way. In your F2F offering, would you go into a classroom, distribute a heap of handouts, turn on your powerpoint (setting it to auto slide), play a couple of videos, and throughout sit in the corner with a bag over your head, until the end of the session when you hand each learner a piece of paper with an assignment to be completed?

The answer to that is "of course not!" but in 'translating' F2F courses to online ones, that is exactly what so many programs are basically doing.

The online rendering of the F2F course becomes an information dump where all the actual materials and resources are put on a site or LMS and learners are presumed to be able to study/learn it with barely any interaction with a real teacher at all. 

 

In the title to this post I call this 'belittling', which may sound a tad harsh or over the top, but here's why:

 - It belittles the overall course and the teachers behind it because all of that excellent presentation, discussion, problem solving, elaboration and contextualisation a good trainer provides in a room with people is almost completely cut out of the equation;

- It belittles the learners when they feel like they are being taught by a series of powerpoints and documents rather than qualified, expert human beings who are sensitive to learners' needs;

- It belittles learners who can't cope with the swamping effect of massive amounts of decontexualised information and yet are asked to absorb and analyse it all for one overarching assignment at the end of the unit or course - many will drop out and leave the experience feeling like failures (or that online learning in general is a failure).

 

I'm seeing a lot of online programs that turn out this way. In addition to what I see teachers and programs doing, I've experienced it myself as a student. Online certificate and Masters degree courses in particular would have to be the worst culprits, and I might even go so far as to say that the hasty, slipshod approach to instructional design in these courses is quickly eroding their overall value.

 

So what can you do about it? How can you avoid the belittling information dump when you attempt to move a F2F course across to online delivery?

In essence, the key thing is to find ways (via both design and relevant tools) to provide those teacher and communication aspects we associate with quality F2F coursework within the online environment.

 

Here are some key applications to consider:

 

1. Scenery

This may sound like a strange or unnecessary consideration to be raising in this sort of discussion, but personally I think it becomes extremely important.

When we attend good quality F2F classes, we get to sit in clean, well-appointed classrooms. Hopefully there is comfortable furniture and good classroom layout to create a sense of both space and intimacy. The environment, while comfortingly regular, features variables like the weather outside through windows and the different clothes people wear to class.

The information dump (into template-based LMS) technique is, for many learners, the equivalent of putting learners in a featureless white room without windows, with chairs and tables bolted to the floor in an invariable pattern, and a whiteboard fused to one wall with the same black and white text appearing on it day in and day out.

Online LMS and materials can and should incorporate something in the way of comfortable and variable scenery. We don't want to create a sense of chaos or confusing irregularity, but I think a variety of colours, formats, spatial arrangements and images can make a world of difference. We are not limited by the F2F print-based environment's requirement that materials be limited in page number (and therefore usually crammed) and black and white versus colour, so just reapplying those materials in an online interface is both lacking in imagination and missing an opportunity to liven up the whole experience.   

 

2. Pacing

When you present and interact with material and activities in a classroom, you plan them into sessions and often some sort of schedule. It's important to do the same thing with your material in the online environment, by organising the course into units or study sessions that work through particular objectives.

As a general rule of thumb, with online courses I always try to feature content and activities in units that would take the average learner about 60-90 minutes to complete. This maintains a rough correlation with classroom timing, but also gives learners a feeling of accomplishment as they manage to complete things from one session to the next. When you don't have the womb of a classroom and a teacher, that sense of progress (and 'manageability') can be really crucial.

In addition, professional presenters often feature a menu or overview of what they are going to cover in a session along with the overall goals or objective. This element can also be featured in our online delivery. 

 

3. Teacher presentation

This pretty much vanishes in the information dump online course approach, unless you consider extensive written documents as somehow a reasonable equivalent to having a person talking to you. Personally I think the notion of having a real human being deliver content, activities and feedback is really crucial to almost all learners, and it's worth finding and applying ways to make this happen in the online environment as often as possible.

For synchronous application, using something like Eluminate or Adobe Connect can replicate the live interactive lecture/tutorial experience. For asynchronous (and here we get certain advantages in terms of time/scheduling and opportunities to re-watch and absorb at our own pace), the most useful tool out there is screencasting. You can present your Powerpoints (or any other kind of material), pace them and talk through/around them just as you would in a room with people. Learners get to hear their teacher and see what they are pointing out or demonstrating. It may be a recording, but some 'live' training is pretty similar to a recording (!) and in any case it's still a human being, hopefully one who knows his/her stuff, and it helps to keep the humanity in the course.

 

4. Checking understanding

Okay, not all 'live' teachers/lecturers/trainers do this very well all the time, but good ones do: they pause at appropriate moments in delivery to check learners are understanding or getting the point. They do this in a way that ensures learners are on track and effectively grasping what they are learning, well before any major project or formal assessment kicks in.

This is where so many online courses using the 'information dump + assignment' really fall down (dragging many learners with them). Very few courses offer teachers who can respond promptly to calls for clarification or other questions (I've waited literally weeks to get a response about something that completely held up my progress), and the result is a very uncomfortable feeling of flying blind for what can be extended periods of time.

Other than the very real requirement (in my opinion) that things like forums are utilised and checked/responded to daily by course teachers, eLearning authoring tools out there now like Camtasia Studio, Articulate, Captivate, iSpring (etc.) allow you to build in a variety of quizzes and interactive checking devices at regular points in your content to help teachers and learners check and see if they are actually 'getting it' as each element in the course progresses. They can be formulated in ways that reflect teachers' experience with content elements or problems in live F2F settings, and they can often be automated to provide instant feedback. They can even incorporate those teacher presentation elements I mentioned in (3) above: the prompts can feature screencast or audio recordings of teachers comments to indicate why something is correct or why/how something isn't. 

 

5. Discovering rather than 'receiving' information

In a F2F interactive setting, good teachers will provide opportunities to 'discover' information or theory rather than just presenting it and asking students to 'stick it in their heads'. They will present problems or hypothetical situations which learners then interact with and come up with conclusions for. As the learners are steered toward the best conclusions, they discover and build new knowledge.

The online information dump excludes this opportunity to discover content and reinforces an overwhelmingly transmissive mode of teaching/learning. It doesn't have to be that way.

As with the checking understanding consideration mentioned above, eLearning authoring tools and quiz functions in various LMS offerings can be applied in ways that allow learners to build knowledge rather than simply read and remember it. They can experiment with cause-effect, matching and procedural sequencing activities that result in new and correct tables of information, with (as described above) instant feedback and reasoning from teachers as to the how/why. The learners have built/discovered this themselves, via our careful instructional design, and this leads to better uptake as well as motivation.

 

6. Activity variety

The effective F2F teacher or trainer knows that variety is the spice of life and it is important to 'mix it up' in the classroom in terms of activities and methods. There will be often be games or roleplays, occasionally more light-hearted activities oriented around humour.

By just sticking with the documented course information, an online offering will inevitably become as boring as all hell. We wouldn't do this to classroom-based learners so I don't see why we should do it to them in the online environment either.

Interactive games and roleplays and lighthearted activities can be featured in online coursework. While I recognise that classroom and online are different mediums and we need to be careful not to look like we are filling up an online course with over-frivolous or less-than-strictly-professional ('by the book') activities, more creative and alternative applications are possible and ought to be explored.

Even things as simple as a 'riddle of the day' feature (relevant to the course or occupations involved), a 'Guess who?' challenge, an interactive crossword, or a webquest treasure hunt - they can really help to mix things up in the online learning environment - and they can be just as educational as anything else we happen to be featuring.

 

7. Customisation and Personalisation

Good F2F instructors have a keen sense of audience and are very adept at making course content and activities orient themselves to the specific situations and needs of the learners in the room. Information dump techniques remove this opportunity and result in a 'cold' core of what feels to many learners like decontextualised course content that may or may not end up being relevant to them personally.

If we take that awareness of audience and apply it to our online course, we can predict and cater to a variety of different learner situations, perspectives and learning preferences. We can provide oral as well as written versions of key information; we can create different versions or applications of central theories and apply them to different occupations or settings. There can be regular adjuncts where the learners choose from a variety of settings or situations to apply certain theories or skills and hence make it more relevant to themselves. It means of course that there may need to be several or dozens (or more) of layers underlying the core content, but these layers are provided by the effective F2F trainer in a classroom and there is no reason why they shouldn't be facilitated in the online version of the course as well.

Some people may be quick to point out that more 'regular' courses featuring a core of information often then apply assignments that invite the learners to contextualise and personalise what they have learned. That's true, but it's not enough for me. This adaptability can be built into the course at several stages and not just the assessable assignments; this will help to keep my learners motivated with a sense of relevance and practicality.

Okay, so not all courses applied/offered online can effectively predict the specific audience(s) they will be catering to in advance. At the very least we can provide a variety of options which allow learners to get something reasonably close to their specific profession or situation. At the most, we can apply my next principle... 

 

8. The 'emergent' course

While it's true there are many F2F courses which are as rigid and pre-set as stone, I wouldn't characterise these as being examples of best practice. Teachers and coordinators of good programs will often make changes to sequence and content as they get to know the learners and their specific needs better. They will be flexible while continuing to work towards a set of (often broad but sometimes highly specific) predefined or compulspory learning objectives.

The online version of the course can incorporate this flexibility and adaptability as well. It just means that teachers or managers have the ability (and permission) to adjust the course content and activities while the course is actually 'in play'. Units may be held back, added, cut or adapted as the course progresses. We might even (heaven forbid!) invite the learners to participate in this ongoing editing of the course.

It does mean that, to some extent, every application of the overall online course will end up slightly or majorly different. If we are genuinely catering to the learners involved in each application of the course, I really don't see why this ought to be an issue. It generally isn't in progressive F2F courses.

 

9. Getting social

We meet new classmates in F2F learning settings. We often interact with them in the classroom, but may also choose to develop closer relationships outside the classroom as well.

Information dumping techniques either completely ignore the social/interactive notion of learning or rely on auto-inclusions in LMS like forums. The forum function in online courses is usually vastly under-utilised or else pushed in a way that makes it feel completely contrived and unnecessary. It may also end up too wide or slow or poorly organised for people to see much use in it.

We have more tools and integrations at our disposal these days (beyond the good old forum) and it makes sense to try and make the most of them to facilitate learner socialisation if and when they want to engage in it. For example, a live chat feature would be a good inclusion to each and every course page (with the option of turning it on or off). Each unit could link to a Twitter feed with a specific hashtag, and/or a course Facebook page. The important things to consider with these features are that (1) many of our learners are now very familiar with them, (2) they are easier than ever to set up, and (3) they facilitate more in the way of easy live/chatty interaction compared to the slow or static pace of a forum.

Basically, it's possible to have our learners see who else is 'in the classroom' with them, and for them to lean over and chat about what they're learning at that time, how they're feeling, or whatever they like (hopefully within the bounds of polite interaction). They get this in F2F environments and it makes sense to provide it (for those who want it) in the online environment as well.

 

10. An end to 'evidence of learning = read + write'

Progressive F2F courses have gradually opened up assessment options so that learners can demonstrate their new knowledge or competence in a variety of ways. They may write up an assignment, create and apply something, do a presentation of some sort, or a combination of two or more of these and other options.

The online information dumping technique almost invariably limits the learning process to reading a lot of text and then writing answers to questions (or an extended essay of some sort) to gather evidence of learning for assessment. And, again almost invariably, this written assessment work is created for an audience of 1.1-1.8 (the learner him/herself and whatever portion of the the written work the teacher/assessor actually ends up reading).

At least the information dump approach is relatively fair: it expects learner output/demonstration of knowledge to be as closed, rigidly formatted, unimaginative and often as essentially one-dimensional as the input materials themselves...

But again, we are missing opportunities here. Learners should be allowed to explore a variety of other assessment modes, including things like building real websites, blogs or Facebook pages; screencasting a presentation they have made; putting together a podcast; building a dyanmic e-portfolio, etc.

 

 

So there are 10 ways I think we can be more creative and productive with our course development and delivery when moving from a F2F classroom environment to more of a fully online one, avoiding a simple 'information dump' based on core print-based materials. 

 

What might be your number 11 (and 12, 13, 14, etc.?) for this sort of list?

 

 

;-D

 

 

Interpreting client requirements: the challenge full of potential for eLearning instructional designers

 

 

It's a common question when it comes to things like key selection criteria statements or actual job interviews: can you demonstrate your ability to interpret and meet client requirements?

 

This is interesting and challenging enough to tackle from any service-oriented profession, but for the instructional designer (and the designer involved with eLearning technologies in particular) it can get really interesting.

 

Based on my experience, "client requirements" for eLearning have almost always started out as really vague requests or directives. This can be in part attributed to a 'print-based' mentality about curriculum and learning resources, and/or a genuine lack of awareness about what eLearning can offer (and when, where, why and how). 

 

It would be fair to say that, if followed or catered to literally, many of these initial requirements would result in very simple learning products that missed many if not most of the educational potential of learning technologies.

 

There is a challenge in this, but also a wealth of opportunities for the astute instructional designer.

 

By way of example, the chart below presents a selection of projects I've worked on for clients, showing what I was initially asked to do/provide and alongside that what actually eventuated in the eLearning product(s): 

 

 

Client	Client’s Initial Requirements	Final Instructional Design
1	“More speaking practice (outside official class time)”	Fully online interface with weekly sample topics, sample responses, online asynchronous recording facility (with in-built tool for practice/rehearsal) with oral (recorded) feedback from teachers
2	“Online TOEFL Practice”	As per (1) above, but supplemented with a range of actual test tasks, a rich selection of screencasts demonstrating strategies and tips for better performance, and a recording interface where all recordings and feedback could be shared across the student cohort for a richer range of examples and models of ‘best practice.’
3	“TOEIC Speaking Practice”	As per (1) and (2) above, but in addition to ‘standard’ TOEIC speaking practice tests, learners provided with targeted contextualised tests that emphasized situations and problems typical of their particular business setting (in this case Heavy Industries)
4	“Academic composition practice”	Fully online system with an added course requirement that learners submit drafts in a shared forum-style space and provide feedback and advice on each other’s essays (in addition to the teacher). Instant messaging and private messaging facilitated in the interface. By the end of the course most learners confessed the sharing/feedback requirement and messaging tools made a big difference to their confidence and ability with composition skills.
5	“Get more of our literacy materials online”	Completely new curriculum devised and applied, which maximised the benefits of an online delivery model: video in addition to reading texts; more topics and input materials (with learner choice); drafting processes and faster feedback; a DIPA(CT) approach applied; new and more informative grading scales.
	“Help teachers produce some videos to help students master CAD – improve 1-1 teacher-student time”	A massive selection of screencasts, well-sequenced, applied with assignment-style worksheets applying the DIPA(CT) model; facilitation of learner independence; much more efficient grading, tracking and feedback system applied.
6	“Design content and templates for writers of skills-based English, to be used in an online system”	Six skills streams identified and catered to via four slots of activity types each; content prototypes developed as actual interactive online material to provide very specific examples for IT staff; templates for writers incorporate screencasts showing exactly how to use each one.

 

 

As you can see, the initial requirements start out quite vague, or else very targeted and limited. I think the real challenge to the instructional designer is that open field that follows the very broad or limited request; to ask the right questions, present the most relevant options, and demonstrate them without (1) losing track of that initial idea or request, and (2) losing the client in what may sound to her/him like a whole heap of edtech mumbo-jumbo.

 

Clients often see eLearning as a way to put a series of books online, or to cut back on teaching hours, or to just be able to say they are actually doing eLearning (because that's what everyone else is trying to do). 

 

Can they, however, see the opportunities for:

 

- More/better engagement?

- More independent and confident learning?

- The provision of more learner choice?

- More specific contextualisation?

- Catering to different learning styles and preferences?

- Richer learning input and more interactive activity types?

- Collaborative and cooperative learning?

- More effective (or different) use of actual classroom time?

- More efficient use of teachers' time (especially for grading and administration)?

- Delivering learning to students using a medium they are comfortable with and (in many cases) may even expect?

- Creating programs that are not limited by geography or time zones?

 

 

This is the potential our clients need to be able to see, but we need to be able to show them without swamping them or 'lecturing' them. Or raising their expectations to unreasonable levels, for that matter. Just as clients may underestimate the opportunities inherent to eLearning, some can fall for the trap of thinking it can solve everything and put a lot more money in their pockets with very little investment, effort or patience.

 

However, generally speaking I think good instructional designers have a lot of potential to exceed clients' initial expectations, whether they are business owners, managers or the students themselves. Those first requirements or questions from a client are often both a call for help and the opening of the opportunity oyster.

 

I think this is what the eLearning specialist and instructional designer needs to aspire to.

To listen carefully, think beyond the narrow tunnel of those initial requests, enjoy the creative process, and know you have a very realistic chance of pleasing people.

Because when it comes to eLearning you know what (usually/often) works, for whom, how, and why.

 

 

;-D

 

 

Learning how to use screencasts - starting with broad 'Action Mapping'

 

 

We've seen some tremendous increases in engagement and learning productivity from the students where I currently teach, and a good deal of it has to do with the fact that several of our teachers have taken up the skill of screencasting and implemented it really effectively into our eLearning programs.

 

Of course, screencasting didn't just 'happen' out of the blue. It was something I was using in my own online courses and the learners were responding to it really well. The rest of the team became interested and I designed a series of PD sessions for them to help grasp and apply this very helpful teaching/learning tool.

 

To facilitate this PD, I applied something I would loosely term 'broad action mapping.' This instructional design process is based on Cathy Moore's beautifully simple Action Mapping approach, which essentially emphasizes facilitating actions instead of 'information dumping'. However, instead of being targeted at one very specific goal, the process was applied here in a broader sense for a somewhat complex goal involving a subset of goals or actions. Here's what I mean:

 

 

 

 

I heartily recommend popping over to Cathy's blog at the link above to check out her excellent slideshow demonstrating Action Mapping, and if the notion of screencasting has caught your interest you can explore it more (including demonstrations on how to use a free browser-based screencasting tool: Screenr) here.

 

 

;-D

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: How to insert a SCORM package (from Articulate) into Moodle and integrate it with the gradebook

 

 

How do you embed presentation and quiz material made in eLearning authoring tools like Articulate, Wimba, Captivate, iSpring, etc. into Moodle?

How does the SCORM format work?

How can you integrate it all with your Moodle gradebook?

 

Using Articulate Storyline as the example authoring tool, this tutorial shows you how to tackle all of these challenges:

 

 

 

Hope this helps - and don't forget the full menu of Moodle tutorials on the blog here.

 

 

;-D

 

 

Your eLearning Design Principles compared...

 

 

This is an interesting little activity to try out if you are an educator involved in eLearning design.

 

Grab a piece of paper and pen (or a new browser) and jot down what you believe are your top 10 eLearning design principles. These should be the beliefs and goals that drive your eLearning design process and eventual implementation.

 

Got 10?

 

Great. Now watch the video below and note down the 10 eLearning principles presented:

 

 

 

 

This video was made by Kineo, a pretty amazing eLearning solutions provider with a very impressive list of large corporate clients who appear to be more than happy with Kineo's services.

 

So how do Kineo's eLearning Design Principles compare with yours?

 

Anything you and Kineo have in common?

How might you explain the differences? For example, to what extent could context, audience, teachers and budgets play a role?

 

 

I'd be interested to read what you come up with!

 

 

;-D

 

 

10 Tips for Effective Digital Instructional Design

 

 

Okay, so there are definitely more than 10 things to be considered in instructional design, and not all of them are limited to just the digital mode, but for what it's worth here is what I consider to be a short list of some of the more important things you might like to think about...

 

 

1. Consider the potential of downloadable lesson 'kits' rather than lessons spread across web pages. The Internet and LMSs don't always work as well as they should, but material that can be stored in a hard drive is only at risk in the case of power blackouts.

 

2. Master PDF creation and formatting for accessibility, presentation, control, interactive features and consider the merits of the 'one page' lesson - everything on or linking out from a central screen of tasks, all of which are visible from the one interface.

 

3. Get colourful: you're not paying for print outs or photocopies, and going with plain white space and black text is like sticking a tradtional printed workbook onto the front of a monitor. You can bring life and vibrancy to your digital material in ways you never could when limited to ink marks on slivers of tree.

 

4. Include relevant course details to help with audit situations but also out of basic respect for your learners in letting them know how lesson activities link directly to their course requirements. It's nice to know what you are doing is relevant to your course aims, who made the material, when, and why.

 

5. Think about layout and organisation, use of sections and colouring, alignment. Sloppy or amateurish-looking formatting can create a similar impression of our teaching quality. It needs to look and feel professional, but also needs to be organised for accessibility and quick guidance.

 

6. Nothing beats video for engaging input. But like any other content, there is good/effective video and there is poor video. Use it as much as you can, but take the time to source excellent and appropriate content.

 

7. Think about the tasks you are including, how you are presenting them, and whether the sequence allows learners to engage with them according to their own preferences.

 

8. Apply both consistency and variety in both presentation and task types. Rhythm and routine help to make learners feel safe and comfortable, but there needs to be 'freshness' (and fresh challenges) with each lesson.

 

9. Whenever and however possible, try to faciliate personalisation and specialisation so that lesson material can target or incorporate individual learners' specific interests, occupations, backgrounds, etc.

 

10. Facilitate cumulative skill and knowledge building. A skill in lesson 3 should help the learners do a task in lesson 5, for example. What the learners know based on lesson 4 could help the learners extend their knowledge in lesson 6.

 

 

The video tutorial below demonstrates all 10 of these tips or principles in action with actual materials that were recently developed for a course unit on sustainable work practices:

 

 

 

Feel free to agree/disagree or add/subtract to the list!

 

If you're looking for more design tips and demonstrations, you might like to also check out the materials design masterclass series I made for people looking to develop their MS Word and PDF application skills, and/or the extensive list of Moodle tutorials I've put together here on the blog.  

 

Happy designing!

 

;-D

 

 

 

Getting interactive in PDF: Using text form fields and embedded audio

PDF is a great way to secure your documents, but -- if you have Adobe Acrobat -- there are also a number of ways you can make your materials more interactive and adaptable in PDF format. In turn, this makes PDF a far more versatile format for learning resources to be uploaded into LMS set ups like Moodle - where they can become stand-alone assignments to be downloaded and completed without needing access to the web.

 

The tutorial below demonstrates how to embed text form fields into your PDF document so that learners can submit answers to questions:

 

 

 

You might also like to look at embedding audio help files into your PDF resource so that learners cna get additional instructions, tips or advice on how to do something:

 

 

 

I've also demonstrated in the past how to do this audio file embedding with materials for younger learners as well (and as part of generating a resource that might be presented for the class on a beam projector, for example):

 

 

 

 

Hope these give you some ideas on how to go those extra yards with your PDF documents to help make them more multi-modal resources with more chances of teaching/learning interaction.

 

 

;-)

 

 

Screencasting to rehearse and review presentations

 

 

The previous post on this blog features a series of screencasts I prepared for a presentation/workshop I hosted for an institute-wide PD Day last Friday.

 

Given that I was so flu-ridden on the day I was wondering if I was going to actually be able to stay up on my feet for the whole session, the screencasts could have come in very handy in the event of a presenter collapse... From a prone position on the floor, I might have been able to just click on play and let the attendees watch the presentation up on the screen while I crawled feebly for the exit.

 

However, what really struck me with this experiment was just how beneficial it can be to "perform" your presentation or workshop in advance via video or screencast.

 

For one, it's an excellent way to rehearse your material. Sure, you could do this in front of a mirror, but actually recording it gives you that very real feeling of a live performance, on the spot, and you can go back and listen/watch your performance, get a feel for the timing, delivery, etc. It's a confidence builder as well as (to some extent) a bit of an early warning system!

 

Once you've screencasted your whole presentation, it then makes for great review material to follow up a live, in-the-room workshop. This review mechanism is facilitated in multiple ways:

 

- Attendees can relax, go with the flow of the actual presentation on the day and not worry about extensive note-taking or handouts (they can review the material later at their own leisure);

- Your pre-recording means that if something goes horribly wrong on the day (for example: you're allocated a room without a beam projector despite your specific request for one), you can still refer workshop attendees to the screencast version;

- It's really interesting, for yourself as the presenter (and possibly for your attendees as well) to compare the live in-the-room performance with the recorded version, especially in terms of how well the presentation ended up wrapping around the actual needs and influence of the audience on the day;

- If you pre-record your presentation in specific parts or segments, you might look at playing one or two of them during the actual workshop so you can give yourself a short break, move the eyes off you for a little and give you a chance to wander around and see what people are doing;

- As per the parts/segments idea above, if the parts all have targeted ideas or examples, you might be able to cherry pick from an overall bank of screencasts to put together future presentations.

 

Beyond all that, I guess, screencasted versions of your presentations or workshops allow you to share your work or ideas far more widely. If your material is worthy enough of an audience of 40 on a given day, why not make it available to 4000 other people on any day of the year?

 

If workshops and presentations are things you do regularly (or want to do more) I really recommend considering some screencasting for a bit more of an edge when it comes to rehearsing and reviewing your ideas.

 

 

;-)

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: Checking grades or activity in group mode

 

 

In a previous post I demonstrated how to set up basic groups within Moodle courses, and mentioned that one of the advantages of this set up was that it becomes easier to check or track grades and activity according to specific groups (for example, individual classes of learners) rather than having to wade through the results of an entire cohort.

 

When you go to check grades or progress, two of the most common routes are via the grader report or user report. Here's how you can check results for designated groups for both of those report settings:

 

 

 

 

Just note that if you're having trouble seeing those group options in the reports (drop down menus), you may need to go back and do a tiny bit of tinkering with your overall course settings:

 

Settings > Edit Settings > Groups > Group Mode > Visible Groups

 

 

Trust me, when you're doing a lot of checking and tracking across a number of different classes, having them set up in groups and accessing the grader or user reports in this way can save you a lot of time.

 

Hope you found this useful, and if you're after more Moodle tutorials the entire bank is here.

 

 

;-)

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: Setting up groups within courses

 

 

If you have a course with a lot of users enrolled, you might like to consider setting up groups within the course. You could do this to designate class groupings, levels or other groupings according to your needs.

 

There can be a lot of benefits of having groups within the course; key among them to my thinking are (1) the capacity to monitor and check grades by group rather than entire cohort, (2) allocating specific tasks or content to particular groups (facilitating customisation), and (3) setting up collaborative tasks or projects to be handled in designated groups.

 

Here are the basics involved in sorting your enrolled users into specific groups in Moodle:

 

 

 

In a follow up tutorial I'll be demonstrating how to quickly check grades and activity by group rather than whole cohort, and other practical uses for group settings will be added in due course.

 

You can see all of my Moodle tutorials at the central resource page here.

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: The Rainbow Serpent

 

 

This is a beautifully simple and accessible telling of the Rainbow Serpent story which is so central to so much of Australia's indigenous dreamtime culture.

 

 

 

 

Here are some activity sheets to go with the oral text:

3_VPAU503_EL1_The_Rainbow_Serpent

3_VPAU503_EL1_TG_The_Rainbow_Serpent

 

 

Certificate III ESL (Access) components targeted and tracked through the activities:

 

Unit C22 (VPAU503): Give and respond to a range of straightforward instructions and informational texts.

Element 1: Interpret an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.1: Identify the context, topic and purpose of an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.2: Outline main ideas, opinions and attitudes expressed

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or details

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify the tone and register of the text, and any inferred meaning

Performance Criteria 1.5: Express an opinion about the ideas or issues raised

 

 

Just note that there is also a nice written text accompanying the video which gives some interesting background information about the dreamtime notion. It could make for a reading outcome as a natural extension or follow up from the oral text.

 

 

More English Oz stuff here!

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: Smartphones and Parenting

 

 

 

This English Oz reading resource draws on the online article located here.

 

It's an interesting article because of just how true many people will find some of the warnings, as well as a poll that has been conducted and attached to the end of the story.

 

Here are the associated learning activity resource sheets:

3_VPAU505_EL1_Smartphones_and_parenting

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Smartphones_and_parenting

 

 

Certificate III in ESL (Access) element/performance criteria:

 

Unit C24 (VPAU505): Read and write a range of straightforward informational, instructional and other texts.

Element 1: Analyse a range of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.1: Scan informational text and identify the context and topic

Performance Criteria 1.2: Identify the main ideas or issues

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or examples

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify conventions of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.5: Analyse the structure and discourse features of the texts

Performance Criteria 1.6: Respond to the text, outlining any opinions expressed, and state own opinion about the topic

 

 

English Oz homepage on this blog.

 

 

;-)

 

 

Certificate IV in Training and Assessment/ Education (TAE) with Cengage/ Open Colleges

 

So, that's all done then... My final online report card upon completing the Cert IV TAE

 

 

If you intend to work in any sort of vocational education training role, in Australia the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (or Training and Education - things seem a bit fuzzy about the exact terminology since the earlier TAA was upgraded to TAE) is a baseline qualification you simply must have.

 

Coming back to Australia after a decade teaching abroad, I was rather frustrated to find that not only was this certificate mandatory as part of any ESL or other vocational training role, without it you couldn't achieve even the baseline salary offerings.

 

So when I took up a VCAL Literacy teaching role at GTEC at Gordon TAFE, I enrolled in the TAE as part of the position requirements but also to help me climb a little higher up the pay scale. It looked like I would be able to apply for RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) for rather large portions of it, but in the end I decided to challenge and renew myself a bit. I took the entire course from the ground up, doing every module and task, challenging myself to apply everything to new areas or in new ways. I wanted to take on the 'newbie' perspective again, and see what I was capable of.

 

I enrolled in an online TAE course with Cengage, which during my course went through an expansion and name change to Open Colleges. I had an opportunity to do the TAE with a range of local providers, but (to be frank) hadn't heard a lot of ringing endorsements of those particular programs, but most of all I didn't relish the idea of doing the course face to face twice a week at night time after work (or on weekends).

 

The online Cengage/Open Colleges course was excellent. It was delivered via the Moodle LMS with a very tidy interface and nice organisation of resources and materials for each unit. This was actually really interesting for me, as I was building courses in Moodle for my own learners at the same time and got to engage with the LMS from both a teaching and learning perspective.

 

I had to complete ten units to get the certification, and while there is mention of 'core' and 'elective' units, in reality as a Cengage/Open Colleges student the whole course is already pre-set and mandatory (in other words, the 'electives' apply to the training provider - not to the learner). This pre-set/mandatory unit selection alongside the mode of material delivery struck me as slightly ironic, given the very sharp and very regular reminders throughout the coursework to get to know learners' needs, learning preferences, contextualize, etc. The course (the way it is selected and structured on paper/screen) didn't exactly find out or take account of any of my particular needs or preferences...until the online tutor flexed her influence - more on that slightly later.

 

From the start I looked for ways to deeply embed the course units into my work role and made up my own learning plan based on a careful look over the official unit documents and guidelines (the ones provided for the training package on the central training.gov.au website, that is). It ended up looking a bit like this: 

 

 

TAE Unit Code	Unit Title	Typical GTEC Applications
TAEDES402A (core)	Use training packages/accredited courses to meet client needs	Unpack trade-related training packages to better understand integration of GTEC/Trade School Better understand VET/TAFE sector Foundation for documenting VCAL in TAFE context
TAEDES401A (core)	Design and develop learning programs	Design and document VCAL courses so they are interpretable and applicable in a TAFE context
TAEASS401A (core)	Plan assessment activities and processes	Develop VCAL assessment plans so they are interpretable and applicable in a TAFE context Improve GTEC/VCAL assessment documentation and processes
TAEASS502A (elective)	Design and develop assessment tools	Develop specialised range of properly documented assessment tools (by subject/stream) for VCAL and GTEC cohort
TAEDEL401A (core)	Plan, organise and deliver group-based learning	Improve ability to teach/apply VCAL with GTEC student groups AND/OR Pass on specialised (skill/subject/stream) knowledge to GTEC teaching colleagues
TAEDEL402A (core)	Plan, organise and facilitate learning in the workplace	Guide and facilitate learning for GTEC students on work placement AND/OR Pass on specialised (skill/subject/stream) knowledge to GTEC teaching colleagues
TAEDEL403A (elective)	Coordinate and facilitate distance-based learning	Create online/distance-based applications for regular in-class VCAL programs Build more integrated bridges between GTEC class work and learning at home, Trade School or work
TAEASS301A (elective)	Contribute to assessment	Improve ability to gather quality evidence for assessment Improve the validity and reliability of GTEC’s assessment procedures Facilitate a better team/collegial approach to quality assessment
TAEASS402A (core)	Assess competence
TAEASS403A (core)	Participate in assessment validation

 

 

This plan mostly came off. I was able to negotiate almost all of the units with my tutor and really contextualize them so they were deeply embedded and relevant to my day-to-day work role.

 

The exception was the first unit (TAEDES402A - Use Training Packages and Accredited Courses to meet client needs), where I was forced to roleplay my way through unpacking a range of training courses and units for... a funeral park! It was interesting, in a way, but gosh - I'm not sure how many people enjoy starting a course making training arrangements involving units to do with gravedigging, etc. 

 

However, the flexible contextualisation more than worked for all of the other units. Here are some of the things I built/designed/applied and got credit for during the course:

 

• Detailed Delivery and Assessment Plans (DAPs) for the subjects I am responsible for teaching, which also managed to integrate VCAL (traditionally a secondary school program) with the more vocationally and adult-oriented TAFE documentation requirements
• Comprehensive assessment plans and a range of highly detailed assessment tools (for example: portfolio, oral questioning and observation of demonstration)
• A series of professional development sessions targeted screencasting skills for the whole team I work with
• Individual workplace learning plans and documentation (oriented around developing e-Learning design and application skills with various members of the teaching team)
• Extensive documentation for one of the online/blended learning programs I developed in Moodle
• A portfolio of assessment tasks, evidence of assessment and an extensive assessment validation process

 

 

Quality Assurance and auditing are big (and getting bigger) in the TAFE context in Australia - part of an important strategy to help TAFEs differentiate themselves from private RTOs on the quality and reliability fronts. The Gordon was going through the process of introducing a highly detailed Teacher Toolkit at the same time I was doing the course, and I found myself well ahead of the curve. Admittedly, that's a nice feeling - to know you are delivering above the documentation requirements ahead of time.

 

But here's the rub: the reason this course worked so well for me was purely and simply because I had an outstanding tutor on this course.

 

Megan Funston epitomised everything that is is excellent in both a course tutor and an e-moderator:

 

• She knew her stuff (as a trainer and guide through Australia's Qualifications Framework) forwards, backwards, sideways, upwards and downwards.
• She provided a wealth of supplementary material via the forums that made a lot of the main/official dense booklet-style content suddenly comprehensible.
• You never waited more than a week to get things graded.
• You didn't just get grades -  you got comprehensive targeted and motivating feedback.
• She bent/molded the course to the needs of the trainee - the reason I got so much of my 'work at/for work' done was because Megan took the time to get to know my needs and context.

 

 

I've worked with and had more than my fair share of teachers over time, and this lady was just amazing. I really looked up to her. She made the course what it was - not the materials, not the curriculum, not the LMS... it was the tutor.

 

So all up this was a great experience for me and I got a lot out of it, beyond a pretty bit of paper qualifying me for a pay rise.

 

Actually, that's the only thing that's missing now...

 

I finished the course almost a month ago and still don't have my certificate or transcript. The company took four seconds to accept my online payment when I was enrolling, but four weeks afer all the work has been completed and graded they still haven't given me my very important paperwork.

 

Cengage/Open Colleges:

Ditch the funeral park unit at the start, offer more electives the students themselves can choose from, keep Megan Funston, pay Megan Funston more than you do (whatever amount that currently is, because quite honestly she is the heart and soul of what is a very good course based on her presence/influence in it) and:

 

SEND ME MY CERTIFICATE!

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: Beds are Burning

 

 

This was an interesting resource to research and develop. It presents two different versions of the same core song - Beds are Burning; the recent version produced as part of the Tck Tck Tck Campaign to promote awareness of climate change in the lead up to the Copenhagen Summit, and the original version from the band Midnight Oil, which was inspired by the Pintupi tribe and their move in from and then back out to the isolation of Australia's Western Desert.

 

Two very different 'causes', and it is interesting to look at how the lyrics are different for each version according to their purpose. 

 

To best showcase this, I've built a webpage featuring both music videos and the lyrics for each in a scroll box beneath, side by side for easy comparison. In addition, for each version I've added a series of key words and links to graded (or gradable) texts on Google Search that explore a variety of issues or topics relevant to each rendition of the Beds are Burning song.

 

You can access the page here: http://www.englishraven.com/bedsareburning. html

 

For ESL application, just listening to and comparing the lyrics can be a really interesting exercise. The main ideas and 'roots' in each set of lyrics make for clear comparisons, but at phrase level there are also some great opportunities to explore language (for example to take a stand versus to say fair's fair, or  turning back versus give it back).

 

These texts are also well set up for Certificate III in ESL (Access) and the following element/performance criteria:

 

Unit C24 (VPAU505): Read and write a range of straightforward informational, instructional and other texts.

Element 1: Analyse a range of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.1: Scan informational text and identify the context and topic

Performance Criteria 1.2: Identify the main ideas or issues

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or examples

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify conventions of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.5: Analyse the structure and discourse features of the texts

Performance Criteria 1.6: Respond to the text, outlining any opinions expressed, and state own opinion about the topic

 

Learners could be encouraged to tackle both texts as part of this outcome, or the one that interests them most. Alternatively, they could follow the links featured alongside each set of lyrics and source their own reading text on a more specific topic (anything from climate change to The Pintupi Nine). This is a great way to marry extensive reading with some basic tech skills oriented around particular themes.

 

 

Learning resources:

3_VPAU505_EL1_Beds_Are_Burning

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Beds_Are_Burning

 

Besides reading, there are plenty of opportunities to have classroom discussions or negotiate writing topics feeding out of the content available on the web page.

 

One or more of the texts available through this resource could also build towards any of a number of ESL Framework Elective Units (for example, Current Issues, Indigenous Australia, Environment of Australia, Australian History, etc.)

 

 

See more of this these sorts of resources over at the English Oz section of this blog.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

English Oz: Top 100 apps

 

 

 

This marks the first (of what I hope will be many) reading resource I am putting together for my English Oz collection of learning activity resources for ESL classrooms.

 

Apps are pretty much an everyday thing now, so I think it's a topic likely to resonate well with a wide range of learners. I've sourced an interesting text from the Sydney Morning Herald with the title Top 1oo apps - the definitive guide.

 

The learning resources below are great for Certificate III in ESL (Access) and include both learner activity sheets and a TG version with instructional tips for using in the classroom and directing learners to the sorts of information they can include in each section.

 

 

3_VPAU505_EL1_Top_100_apps

 

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Top_100_apps

 

 

Just note for the main ideas and supporting details sections, the idea is for the learners to select portions of the text that interest them rather than the entire article - though there are different ways that overall main ideas could be identified and listed.

 

 

Certificate III ESL (Access) components targeted and tracked through the activities:

 

Unit C24 (VPAU505): Read and write a range of straightforward informational, instructional and other texts.

Element 1: Analyse a range of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.1: Scan informational text and identify the context and topic

Performance Criteria 1.2: Identify the main ideas or issues

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or examples

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify conventions of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.5: Analyse the structure and discourse features of the texts

Performance Criteria 1.6: Respond to the text, outlining any opinions expressed, and state own opinion about the topic

 

Lots of ways this can be introduced or followed up via conversation and writing activities, as well.

 

 

For more ESL content and activity sheets, go to English Oz.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: Basic unit/topic design options

 

 

 

You've entered your Moodle page for the first time, and managed to put a basic header image at the top of the course...

 

Now, what to do with all those blank unit/topic blocks?

 

There are plenty of ways you might go about utilising these topic blocks to organise, sequence and present your course content and activities. It depends a lot on the nature of the course and what is involved, but here are a couple of examples and options that might help you at the initial stage:

 

See this in larger/higher definition here

 

 

These examples are fairly basic for now, so don't be afraid to experiment and play around with how you utilise the unit/topic blocks.

 

Check out my Moodle Tutorials page for other demonstrations on what you can do with unit/topic blocks, like adding content and 'decorating' them to look more appealing on the course page.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Moodle Tutorials: Featuring 'offline' activities or assignments in your course and gradebook

 

 

 

I think one of the important things to come to grips with when it comes to Moodle is that it is an LMS -- a Learning Management System, and not (by default) limited to being only a system for online tasks and grades for those tasks.

 

As we all know, not all learning happens (or needs to happen) in front of a computer. But that doesn't mean Moodle can't be your central gathering place for all task work and assessments, irrespective of the context or objectives they involve.

 

You can, for example, use the Moodle LMS as a place to feature introductions and instructions for offline, more hands-on or F2F interactive tasks, as well as incorporate assessment for those tasks in the one central Moodle gradebook.

 

One way to do that simply and conveniently is to set up a section in your gradebook for 'offline' tasks (named however it suits your course -- for example: fitness tasks, class discussions, onsite work tasks, etc.) and utilise the 'offline assignment' tool:

 

See a larger, higher definition version of this video here.

 

 

That's all fine and dandy, but you might like to go a bit further than that...

 

Even though a task happens offline, there are ways we can facilitate reflection and deeper awareness of those tasks here in the Moodle interface (encouraging more integration of LLN, for example), AND provide crucial evidence of those offline, F2F, practical, action-based tasks.

 

To do that, the 'offline assignment' activity tool probably isn't our best option, because (based on the format of that tool) the learners can't contribute any sort of follow up work to the task and we can't attach any files of our own.

 

Using the 'upload a file' assignment activity, we can document and work around offline tasks to include valuable follow up and consolidation for the learners and provide specific evidence of task performance or completion via photographs, audio or video.

Here's one way this can be done in Moodle:

 

See a larger, higher definition version of this video here.

 

 

Basically, using Moodle task and assessment tools, you can still create a sort of 'one stop shop' for all the important documentation and assessment information, but do so in ways that allow you to document and track a huge range of both online and offline tasks.

 

Great for centralised tracking... whether you're a learner, a teacher, a program manager, or an auditor.

 

 

;-)

 

 

See the entire list of English Raven Moodle Tutorials

                         

The end of Android?

 

 

Gosh, I sincerely hope not.

That's what a rather over sensational headline and story here seems to be claiming...

 

I really like my Galaxy S phone and Galaxy Tab 10.1. The operating system Samsung has meshed over Android works wonderfully if you asked me, and watching the ten colleagues at work with their iPad 2s hasn't sparked a remotely jealous bone in my body. And I must admit, it's rather nice to be using a device from a company not associated with slave labour in China and a disturbingly cult-like marketing system.

 

Will be interesting to check out the Windows 8 in the very near future, though...

 

 

 

 

;-)

 

 

Reading and Writing for Practical Purposes: The Work Resume

 

 

 

Probably one of THE most practical/applied literacy tasks for late teen students irrespective of which course they happen to be doing: the resume.

 

Here's how we approach it at GTEC for Intermediate level VCAL Literacy (this is the unit walk through for students):

 

 

 

We have some follow up/integrated activities for Oral Communication as well, addressing interview skills.

 

Sharing the ideas; hope they help!

 

;-)

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: Creating and using a 'unit walk through' resource

 

 

 

Using Moodle to complete coursework isn't always a walk in the park for a lot of learners, depending on the course content, design and relative online learning experience of your students.

One way to facilitate understanding of where to go, what to do (and how) for your learners is to create a unit walk through resource for each Moodle unit/topic block. You could do this with text and images, but I've found that an audio-visual resource like a screencast gets things across in the most dynamic and effective way.

 

Here is an example unit walk through video I've just finished as part of a new Moodle course:

 

 

 

That's fine, and perhaps that's all the learners will need. We could create a link to this video at the start of the unit it applies to, perhaps supported via a direct email with the same link.

 

However, I've generally found it's better to go a bit further than just showing an instructional video. I feature my unit walk through as an introductory 'assignment' that learners need to complete before engaging with the main unit materials. They need to take notes about the video to help them pay more specific attention to it, and to show me just what each learner has understood about what they need to do in the unit.

This process can help answer a lot of questions or misunderstandings before learners get into their coursework, and it helps me target the students who need more specific or hands on assistance.

 

Here's how I do that in Moodle using the Lesson -> Essay Question function (basically, access to the unit walk through an embedded video and some prompts in 'essay mode' for the learners to take notes or ask questions in response to:

 

 

 

If you're curious about the screencast angle here, I've got an extensive tutorial on how to make screencasts elsewhere on this blog.

 

Good luck with it!

 

;-)

 

 

All of my Moodle tutorials are available in an ongoing bank of resources featured here.

 

 

An applied literacy curriculum (Part 1)

 

 

 

Our Year 11 Applied Learning students have completed their intensive foundation literacy course in Term 1 (mainly geared around some literacy basics and integrated with tool and workplace safety considerations) and next week many of them will commence the next (Intermediate VCAL) level.

 

Based on a revision of what we did with students last year, and bearing in mind we teach 16-17 year old learners preparing for trades, here's what we have in store for them...

 

 

 

 

The learners read a complex text written by a teacher, talking about a particular skill or attribute he has. The text explores where the skill might have developed from (in childhood experience), how it helps in professional life now, and how it might be developed further for different future applications.

Following a range of comprehension tasks targeting purpose, main ideas, supporting ideas and effectiveness of the text, students then compare this text with one they did themselves last term listing their own skills and attributes (with the comparison being more about how the texts are organised and presented).

Students then write their own 'in the know' texts, talking about a particular skill or attribute of their own.

 

 

 

 

The learners work their way through an assignment that helps them identify all sorts of important information about their given trade and regulations governing apprenticeships. It features everything from trade-specific union details to government regulations and minimum wages for different years of an apprenticeship.

Based on what they find and read, the learners compile a detailed report to present the important information.

 

 

 

 

The learners read an advisory/instructional text from one of the country's most popular recruitment websites explaining what should go into resumes for school leavers. After demonstrating a comprehension of the text, they compare it to an actual resume made for an apprentice electrician and see how and where the resume applies the specific advice from the article.

Of course, from there the learners go ahead and create their own work resume.

 

 

 

 

The learners read two very different texts that both present information about they key (pun intended) tools for locksmithing. They complete comprehension questions and a detailed comparison of the two texts (particularly in terms of which would be more useful for a beginner level locksmith apprentice).

Following that the learners create their own 'tools of the trade' texts, targeting 4-6 of the most important tools they think new apprentices need to know about for their own trades and emulating the more informative of the two texts they read about locksmithing tools.

 

 

 

 

The learners read two different texts explaining how to do or build something. They demonstrate comprehension of both texts and compare them in detail, commenting on their effectiveness.

Based on the text they found to be clearest or most useful, the students then create their own how to texts, based on a process or outcome common to their personal interest or work experience to date.

 

 

 

 

The learners compose work journals based on a period of work placement, integrated with material they already put together for their Work Related Skills modules.

Following this they then look at two fellow students' work journals and complete some comprehension and comparison/effectiveness notes. This, in addition to comprising reading comprehension outcomes, becomes a feedback process for students to adapt and improve their own initial work journal drafts.

 

 

 

 

The learners read an extensive comment made on a forum about the topic of bullying apprentices at work (in this case an older experienced tradesperson reflecting on his own experiences and lambasting some of the comments from younger people on the forum claiming that bullying is just fun and games). They then compare this with a recent report on a news website explaining new laws and punishments for workplace bullying in the wake of the suicide of a young person who was bullied mercilessly at work.

Based on what they have read and explored, the learners are asked to respond to the question: Should workplace bullies be sent to jail? They have the option of completing an argumentative or discursive piece on the topic.

 

 

 

 

Students read a text from a newspaper about the issue of Lewis Hamilton being fined for 'hooning' and having his car impounded while in Melbourne for the Grand Prix a couple of years ago. In the same article, Mark Webber is quoted as saying that his own state (Victoria) has become a 'nanny state'.

This text is explored and compared to two other texts: one about a journalist who lost his own brother at a young age from a road accident (in response to Mark Webber's comment and quoting all sorts of statistics based on Victoria's TAC campaigns), and an obituary article written by our school's own principal following the horrific road accident death of one of our own students (weeks after he obtained his license) a couple of years ago.

Based on these readings, learners are then invited to respond to the question: Do we in fact live in a 'nanny state' in Victoria, when it comes to road rules?

 

 

 

All of this material is facilitated through our Moodle LMS, with both in-class and distance mode options available. And of course, in support of the 'emergent' curriculum, learners are free to replace any or all of these units with ones of their own design -- so long as they can show that they are meeting the VCAL Literacy outcomes at Intermediate level.

 

Later I'll present Part 2 of this applied literacy curriculum business and try to demonstrate how we do things at Year 12 level. Very different!

 

 

;-)

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: Formatting background colours for table cells

 

 

This is a bit of a Moodle tutorial 'by request'... As part of a kind comment on the post and tutorial I featured about making navigation menus to avoid the so-called 'scroll of death' in Moodle (available here), Julie asked me how I managed to format background colours for individual table cells as opposed to having the whole table change to one background colour.

 

The solution/process is demonstrated below, Julie!

 

 

 

Hope that helped.

 

[Full menu of Moodle tutorials on this blog here]

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: How to set up a basic unit/topic block and add resources and assignments

 

 

I made this tutorial some time ago and for some reason neglected to upload it here on the blog. It covers some of the important basics for someone new to Moodle in terms of just working with topic/unit blocks to start featuring and organising content and assignments within a given course unit or focus. In many ways this draws together a number of other targeted tutorials I've already made (you'll see the relevant links below), but in this case the whole process of creating a unit is built and presented in one sequence.

 

What you will see here includes:

 

• Making a simple name or title for a unit/topic block
• Adding different learning resources to that particular unit (in this case a video file and a worksheet in MS Word format) -> Also demonstrated here
• Including an assignment upload requirement -> Also shown here
• Demonstration of how students can go about uploading their assignments
• Finding the uploaded assignments students have submitted -> Shown in detail here
• 'Dressing up' the unit/topic block with a picture/icon and some introductory information (this is also featured in a targeted tutorial located here)

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of my Moodle tutorials are now gathered in one place here, so hope you find something useful there!

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

 

Who exactly is out of tune here?

 

 

 

LM is one of my brighter and more dedicated Year 12 VCAL Literacy students. He made tremendous strides throughout last year at Intermediate level and is now a very capable and confident VCAL Senior level reader and writer. From his particular trade group (Carpentry) he is probably one of the best performing students.

 

His Mahara e-Portfolio is looking great so far. He has finished the Writing for Self Expression outcome with flying colours, with two pieces of writing that really express him and the trade he is involved in. His first piece is a thoughtful presentation of how he believes his trade will change over the next 5, 50 and 500 years. Following up from that is an introspective piece about himself as a carpenter, where he has come from and where he plans to go in work and life. He wrote the second one using the second person point of view, which subtly changes the way certain things are expressed and come across to the reader: it's rather like seeing an articulate young carpenter writing on a mirror.

 

 

Now this is all great, but as I perused his online portfolio late last week I wandered over to the left hand column to check out the music clips he'd embedded there. What I saw and heard there had me scratching my head because it represents a bit of a dilemma.

 

Embedding favourite music clips from YouTube is something  I've encouraged all the learners to do, to make their portfolios their own and to create a space that expresses them as young people. The idea is to make the portfolio a place they want to visit and spend time in and, as we explore notions of audience, a place for friends and peers to visit as well.

 

The idea of audiences for writing has changed dramatically for our learners this year. No longer is writing about handing in something to 'please' a literacy teacher, cater to an audience of '1.8'  and simply 'get through' a VCAL-imposed outcome. Many of these young people, via their linked up e-Portfolios, are attempting to write for and entertain their peers.

 

I'm proud of and intrigued by this development. However, when I browse over LM's excellent portfolio and think about how it could be something brilliant to show his parents and potential employers, I get to the music clips and pause.

 

The Sydney-based hip hop group doing their moves there in the left hand column are actually pretty cool. The music gives the e-Portfolio a nice background sound which adds to the picture we get of LM as a young person (and young carpenter) in the world.

 

It's when the repetitive lines about girlies 'shaking their titties' and various acts of oral sex and more specific features of female anatomy start booming through your speakers that I, as a teacher, a parent and citizen, can't help physically flinching.

 

To be perfectly fair to LM, almost every single one of his carpentry peers has featured very similar 'bad boy gangster hip hop' music on his e-Portfolio page. This is what they listen to on their iPods and on YouTube at home or at parties, on the way to school and during breaks at work. And when you actually listen a little more closely, you realise the lyrics aren't quite as insensitive and throw away as they first seem. These artists are making a variety of points that reflect contemporary ways of self expression and it's not always as inherently shallow and offensive as us 'crusty oldies' tend to reflexively assume.

 

Let's face it, there was a time when the Beatles and the Doors had parents in uproar over their 'sexually explicit' lyrics. The stuff I was listening to as a 17-year-old had my parents frowning, too. I guess what tends to be hard is that over the generations music artists' lyrics have become progressively (some would say regressively or aggressively) less subtle and more direct.

 

This goes well beyond what I'm seeing in writing portfolios. I recently heard my (then) 9-year-old niece listening to the Katy Perry album she'd bought herself with birthday money and almost fell out the window in shock when certain lyrics came blaring out.

 

 

So, as you can see, I have a bit of a dilemma on my hands.

 

If these portfolios truly are 'theirs', and they want to feature music that reflects their tastes, what right do I have to say what is or isn't appropriate?

 

Okay, well these portfolios are being made at school as part of the school's pay-for e-Learning tools. I'm hunting around now for the school's official social media policies and requirements, and I'm pretty sure that (1) potentially offensive lyrics won't be part of the school's social media vision, and (2) the decision to keep these e-Porfolios in private group mode to start with was a very wise one!

 

And then there was the idea, mainly suggested by me, that these portfolios could be used to supplement work applications. I'm not sure, but I doubt any self-respecting carpenter in his 50s or 60s would be impressed by the lyrics coming out of these pages, no matter how interesting, articulate or trade-specific the actual writing is.

 

However, we've established that the portfolios can be just their own space, about them, for themselves and their peers...

And the school has an established 'youth engagement' policy...

And we pride ourselves on treating these 'kids' like adults, in line with our role as being a secondary provider in an adult context (and not a secondary school per sé).

And these songs and lyrics and artists give me so many insights into my learners, as well as valid talking points to facilitate debate and discussion...

And I seriously doubt many carpenters in their 50s or 60s (or even 30s or 40s) would bother to look at/for an online e-Portfolio when considering applicants for apprenticeships...

 

And yet, in the end they'll probably need to go, these YouTube clips.

 

I have a very good relationship with my students and I know they will understand. But there is a significant part of me that feels that I will be betraying them in a way, shutting down a very real part of them as well as the sorts of windows that shed useful light on how to engage a traditionally hard-to-engage cohort.

 

 

Can you see the dilemma?

 

How would you handle it? What would you say to LM, the articulate and motivated young carpenter who has shown you a very real side of himself as well as music his peers would all appreciate (as well as be willing to discuss and debate with some degree of genuine interest)?

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Always out of time as a teacher? Try bottling yourself from time to time...

 

 

 

To guide a single student through the multiple and occasionally complex procedures involved in setting up a Mahara e-Portfolio (according to the requirements I have created for our overall senior literacy course) takes something like 20-30 minutes.

 

I have approximately 50 students in the senior literacy cohort. To give them all the 1-1 attention to set up e-Portfolios would take around 20 hours.

 

Okay, admittedly there are more efficient ways of guiding groups of students through processes like this one.

 

I could, for example, work through the set up procedures on the wall screen while students watch and follow along and apply the same procedures on their own computers. Generally speaking, given the different pace of each student (for various reasons), the pausing and checking and fixing involved would probably mean something close to 1 hour to get a whole class up and running on Mahara the way I've planned for them to.

 

One hour is a lot less than 20. But given we have at least five Year 12 groups attending separate classes at separate times, the process is still going to take at least 5 hours. If all goes well and nobody is away...

 

So, depending on circumstances, let's conservatively estimate that getting 50 Year 12 students thoroughly set up on Mahara and submitting their literacy tasks there is going to involve somewhere between 5 and 20 hours of (my) overall classroom time.

 

Considering that I planned, rehearsed, recorded and uploaded a series of four screencasts demonstrating how to do this for students in a period of about 2 hours, and that every student has managed to follow and apply them (not always on the first try, but certainly by the second or third) almost fully indepedently, I have saved myself -- depending on how you calculate the alternative measures -- somewhere between 3 and 18 hours of overall classroom time.

 

If that isn't enough bottled time to impress you, consider the fact that I also use screencasts for a whole range of things from outcome overviews to practical applications and skills demonstrations, supported with a range of automated quizzes to check students' understanding... I'll do the math at some point (and perhaps, recognising my limitations as a mere English teacher, enlist the help of my Numeracy teacher colleague) but I figure that I'm firmly on track to make time something I have more of for the things that really count.

 

That's time I have been able to put back into the sorts of teaching/learning activities (getting to know learners as people, discussing and negotiating tasks, giving feedback on writing efforts, etc.) that make teachers indispensable in classroom contexts. 

 

Just as importantly, I think that 20-30 minutes each learner has gone through setting themselves up with an e-Portfolio is a crucial confirmation that they can do complex multi-layered tasks on their own at a pace they personally find manageable.

 

 

;-)

 

 

                    

VCAL Senior Literacy: Writing for Practical Purposes (Outcome Overview)

 

 

My Year 12 students are moving along to this outcome now in their VCAL Senior Literacy coursework, and I thought I would share the outcome overview video I have prepared for them as part of their Moodle course.

 

 

 

Based on the video, my students need to prepare a detailed report explaining, in a logical and concise way, what writing for practical purposes involves.

 

Sort of like writing about writing for practical purposes, for practical purposes...

 

 

;-)

 

 

The power of genuine integration

 

 

 

One of the great things about being a literacy teacher in a vocational/applied learning program is the regular opportunity to integrate literacy tasks with real world applications, but also to use literacy to reinforce knowledge or awareness about important considerations students really need take on board.

 

The example above shows how we have taken our students' Practical Placement Invoice Book -- a really crucial piece of documentation for our students' workplace experience blocks -- and reinforced students' awareness of it via an applied literacy task.

 

Leesa, our eminently talented ILO (Industry Liaison Officer), made good use of our GTEC team PD sessions last December (on how to make screencasts) to produce this very clear and professional screencast demonstrating how to complete the practical placement invoices and why various sections were really important:

 

 

 

[Note: Personal details in the screencast version of the form are purely fictional examples!]

 

This follows up from in-class demonstrations and instructions and one-on-one checking and follow up, but the aural as well as visual approach is really important in making crucial information accessible to the students in our particular cohort. And yet, there are still many individuals who forget things or don't pay attention when they really should...

 

... which is why a literacy task applying the video and asking students to write an email to a classmate explaining all the ins and outs of the invoice book can be just the ticket to check and make sure every student has really been paying attention.

 

Literacy gets a VCAL Foundation Writing for Practical Purposes outcome task out of it, learners get a real world application, and Leesa gets some reassurance that students are actually watching the video and paying attention to it.

 

Integration on multiple levels, if you asked me.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

VCAL Literacy and how I learned how to build a desktop computer today...

 

 

 

It's not every day you learn how to build a desktop computer from the ground up, and it's not every day you see a student sit there in front of you and write something like this out as if it is the easiest thing in the world to remember how to do (and how to explain).

 

 

 

 

I daresay this fellow has met the requirements for the Writing for Practical Purposes outcome in VCAL Senior Literacy...

 

He has uploaded this to his Mahara e-portfolio and plans to edit it a little (along with the inclusion of some instructional pics he hopes to take while out on work placement at a biggish computer store).

 

His e-portfolio has progressed to the point that we're ready to 'go public' with it, so once he's decided that's what he'd like to do I will happily link to it from this blog. This kid is quite a find, believe me.

 

 

;-)

 

                              

My first lesson as a Manufacturing Technology teacher (?)

 

 

 

Well, perhaps that's not strictly true: anyone who knows me much at all knows that I hardly know the first thing about manufacturing technology, much less how to teach it effectively.

 

So how, then, can we account for the spot-on work a group of Year 11 students--newcomers to CAD--produced in the morning class I took in place of Frank, our gifted CAD/MTech teacher?

 

Frank was sick today and Gavin and Robin (our other MTech teachers) were full up with other classes and duties to take care of. I had a break first up and slotted in for Frank. The usual process in this situation is that I--as a Literacy teacher--would deliver an extra Literacy class in place of the scheduled MTech class.

 

Not today. The group in question already had a Literacy lesson scheduled for later in the day. First lesson, as per their schedules, they did MTech. And they did it very well indeed.

 

This very pleasant little miracle came about as a result of careful planning and the production of top-class screencasts targeting specific CAD skills prepared well in advance. The results are extremely exciting in terms of the potential for flexible teaching arrangements, independent learning and blended classroom-based online lessons informing the viability for a course to become more distance-based.

 

Here's how it basically went down...

 

I started the class and asked them to open their MTech course pages in Moodle. I pointed them to an early/beginner unit and asked them to download the worksheet presented there. The worksheet is one of my own design which applies what I call the 'DIPA' instructional model (Discover-Instruct-Practice-Apply), and it began by asking them to predict--based on the assignment/unit title--what they were about to learn or be shown.

 

Here's a student sample response for this section:

 

 

Once the students have made an effort to predict what the lesson is going to be about, they then watch the screencast tutorial (Task B), in this case:

 

 

 

 

Based on this video tutorial, the learners complete Task C, which is a summary of important information, processes, or techniques explained or demonstrated in the tutorial. Somewhat unsurprisingly, this requires most students to re-watch the video, pause at intervals and in some cases replay information in order to catch it effectively.

 

The result is a summary that looks like this:

 

 

So far, so good. 

 

Task D in the worksheet sequence then asks students to apply some critical thinking and propose some conclusions about how and why the information in the tutorial might be important or useful. The example below hasn't been done as well as it might have been, but it's a positive start:

 

 

 

Next comes the 'hands on' stage. In Task E the learners are asked to apply the skills/techniques from the tutorial themselves and create and insert a screenshot to show what they've managed to come up with:

 

 

Excellent... students have managed to use the AutoDesk Inventor software to replicate the shape in the drawing so that it matches the one produced by the teacher in the video tutorial.

 

A few students struggled here and there with the summary of instructions and the actual Inventor work...so how did I--the non-MTech teacher--help them out?

 

I looked over the instructions and directions they'd documented and informed them whether they were useful and logical to me, as someone as new to Inventor as they are. When they were applying Inventor and got stuck, I encouraged them to brainstorm, try things out and assist each other as a group.

 

Everybody got there without too much fuss, and the result was a handy little two-sided assignment sheet which they uploaded for Frank or one of the other MTech teachers to check, grade and respond to in the MTech Moodle course page:

 

 

 

 

Each at their own pace, they all then went on to try out the next worksheet and screencast in the tutorial sequence on Moodle, which built on the one already completed here and extended their skills in some way.

 

What really fascinates and excites me about this is that Gavin was in two places at once during this lesson. He was out in the corridor, getting new students organised and making calendar and schedule adjustments for students whose work placements or trade school arrangements were causing the usual start of week headaches. 

 

He was also in my classroom, teaching my students MTech skills.

 

Likewise, Frank was at home not feeling very well, but MTech work was facilitated and completed for him, uploaded into a repository from where he can view and respond to it later, and he was then the teacher presenting new skills in the very next screencast tutorial.

 

And me?

 

Well I was a facilitator and classroom manager. I wasn't the MTech teacher, but I was a teacher in the MTech classroom.

 

 

I don't for a second want to imply that pre-bottling your curriculum in the form of screencasts can completely replace the specialist teacher here-and-now in the classroom.

 

But gosh it can help, and make potentially chaotic rainy Monday mornings run as smooth as clockwork, irrespective of who happens to be available to host a classroom learning space.

 

I also think this is a foundation and a positive process for developing blended distance programs for applied learning that might actually work.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: Finding, grading and responding to uploaded assignments

 

You've set your assignment on the course page as an upload option (for tips and demonstrations on how to do this, click here), students have completed and uploaded them... so what do you do now?

 

This tutorial shows two different ways to get to the submitted assignments and a couple of options for grading and responding to them.

 

 

 

 

(To get a larger and higher resolution version of this screencast, click on the YouTube link at the bottom of the video and select one of the larger viewing modes).

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Exploring VCAL Writing for Self Expression

 

 

 

Of all the great things we experience as teachers, I think trying out new things and stumbling upon new revelations about what works and what doesn't would have to be right up there. In my field (literacy) with my learners ('disengaged' students aged 16-18 preparing for work in the 'hard trades' area), the challenges can be steep and the rewards quite remarkable.

 

Three weeks into a new term in a new year, I've really been enjoying VCAL Senior Literacy. The curriculum I inherited part way through the second term last year (when I commenced) ticked all of the boxes when it comes to overall VCAL cross-curricular integration, but it had been built from a teaching and teaching team perspective with very little input from (or scope for negotiation with) the actual students. The result was a constant struggle for traction on a track the learners found themselves slipping and sliding all over (if not off completely, with the muffled sound of crashing amongst trees in the wilderness), in the end made to happen/work through the painstaking building of rapport and trust with the teacher.

 

Let me just point out that these sorts of programs are not inherently poor. A lot of painstaking work and sincere effort goes into them. They occasionally feature real gems and meet audit requirements admirably. They just don't always work all that well, and sometimes--based on over reliance on and misplaced faith in design and documentation features--it is the learners who get the automatic blame if they don't perform all that well within certain parameters.

 

This year has been very different.

 

The first formal outcome listed for Senior VCAL Literacy is Writing for Self Expression. This can be a hard one to pitch to lads who are disengaged from the broader high school landscape and want to qualify themselves to become tradesmen. Builders don't generally want to 'write about me' and young plumbers and mechanics generally don't want to engage in any sort of storytelling that isn't strictly audio-visual and available on YouTube.

 

Despite those challenges, writing for self expression is actually working this year, and here's how it has gone so far...

 

 

 

1. Starting with and focussing on the outcome

 

In a move that some teachers might find themselves instinctively disagreeing with, this year I have avoided an attempt at subtle 'embedding' or 'naturalisation' of the outcome. I've approached the learners from the same perspective I find myself approaching courses I've recently done or am currently doing -- qualification stuff that doesn't always passionately interest me but has to be done if I am going to get through and advance my prospects.

 

Basically, that means explaining the outcome in formal and logical terms somewhat similar to the way it is presented and documented in the official VCAL curriculum guide. To successfully pass this outcome, you need to do a, b and c (etc.).

 

So we start with a short screencast explaining the outcome...

 

 

 

 

... which is followed up by an interactive quiz in their Moodle coursework page to check what they've understood and how they think the outcome might be applied.

 

So far so good. My learners always respond well to screencast tutorials, and they seem to appreciate having the learning requirements spelled out for them. I'm not hearing (as many) complaints about having to do tasks as part of this outcome, and this is very different from the cacophony of objections I heard last year about having to write a work journal entry or respond to an 'expressive' newspaper article nailed down and pre-embedded in the curriculum.

 

Which brings me to the next consideration...

 

 

 

2. Learner-selected topics for self expression

 

As nice as it can be to have a limited number of ready-to-use writing topics and tasks that address the outcome and help to tick off outcomes in other parts of the overall VCAL curriculum (and as convenient as it can be to look at and grade learners according to consistent topics across the whole cohort), I've done away with this completely and let the learners choose and negotiate their own topics.

 

Of course, this can result in the blank stare and despair of not having a clue what to write about, so what I have done is create an extensive list of thematically grouped writing topics which they can pick and choose from and adapt and negotiate with me. 

 

 

 

As you can see, this goes beyond a simple list of writing topic suggestions. It includes a range of suggestions covering things like titles, audience(s), purpose(s) and text types.

 

It also includes links to my own writing in response to some of these topics. Learners who really need samples to work through and emulate in terms of style and topical focus appreciate this, and I think most all of the learners appreciate the fact that the teacher is willing to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

 

So far, no complaints about not having a topic to write about (or not knowing what to write about in response to a topic), and that's a welcome change.

 

 

 

3. An emphasis on literary devices

 

Before the learners choose and write in response to topics, their Moodle course page includes an interactive tutorial about a small range of literary devices that can help make creative/expressive writing more interesting and effective. These cover, as a base, things like point of view, similes, effective use of adjectives and what I like to call 'expressive action words' (for example, saying a nailgun spat a nail into some wood, or a song roared out of the living room).

 

Extensive examples are given for each literary device, including ones from my own writing attempts (mentioned above) to help showcase them in the context of full length texts. The learners then need to create their own sentences applying each literary device via controlled practice and then an overall review incorporating them all.

 

Some of them have grumbled a bit about this, but most have had fun with it. The building and construction student who turned 'the hammer is old' into the hammer is as old as my grandpa's balls showed how creativity and vivid imagery aren't lost in/on trade students, but also sparked a useful conversation about the notions of audience, purpose and appropriacy...

 

Following first drafts I now ask students to point out the literary devices they've used. Some have had go back to the tutorial again to re-examine the devices and then make them the focus of an improved second draft. Most, however, are already using them quite readily in the first draft and can point them out to me on the page without hesitation.

 

Generally speaking, this emphasis on literary devices has resulted in far more creative and expressive writing right from the start (compared to what I saw last year).

 

 

 

4. Multiple text types and points of view

 

Given the outcome requires two or more complete writing pieces, I've asked the learners to ensure that each one applies a different text type and point of view (as in, writing 'voice' from the first, second or third person).

 

In essence, what the learners see and are expected to choose and plan their different pieces according to is:

 

 

So to meet the outcome, we need at least one of each text type, and one of each point of view.

 

To some degree the identification of text types in topic suggestions (see point 2 above) has helped the learners here, as has the emphasis and controlled practice with points of view (see point 3 above), but this has been a real revelation in terms of getting the learners to widen their writing experience and express themselves in different ways from different angles.

 

As an example, the plumbing student I have who always claims to 'HATE writing stories' found it was a bit of a different prospect to write one from the second person point of view. The challenge of writing the story 'to' a reader ended up capturing his interest and moving him away from his automatic dislike for story writing. 

 

Another student discovered how much more freedom there was in writing an 'expressive' piece from a third person point of view (rather than the first), as well as protection (he could make it not look or feel like a 'this is me' piece). A couple of other students have written some quite fascinating stories based on (or 'inside') songs and video clips, with different points of view resulting in very different effects. 

 

Some are struggling slightly with the two angles to consider, but the result has been a lot of questions and requests for confirmation in response to attempts to angle a piece of writing this way or that way -- not automatic or outright negativity.

 

I see more width and depth developing in these kids' writing (as well as overall critical thinking and empathy) based on different text types and points of view, and it makes my spirit soar. 

 

 

 

5. Published pieces of writing in an e-Portfolio

 

Last year completed writing work was printed and stuffed away into a folder. This year it gets published on the Internet in an e-Portfolio platform provided by Mahara, which allows them to integrate their writing with images and video clips.

 

First person narrative fiction...

 

 

Third person expressive/narrative based on music clip (featured alongside) 

 

 

I've written about these e-Portfolio developments elsewhere and it's a bit of an ongoing project I have going this year. Let's just say these notions of using technology and the cloud, applying multiple forms of media and actually 'publishing' finished writing are having a majorly positive impact on most of my students. 

 

 

 

So all up, VCAL Senior Literacy and Writing for Self Expression have progressed wonderfully for us so far this year.

 

More to live and learn in this process, of course, but I suspect a lot more to enjoy as well.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: Using image icons to 'dress up' unit/topic block presentation

 

 

Another quick tutorial here for relative newcomers to Moodle design: this one demonstrates how to use a nice image icon and introductory spiel for your unit/topic blocks.

 

 

 

 

More for the appearance and aesthetics side of things, but generally speaking I think attractive presentation should always be a priority in online course work.

 

For more Moodle tutorials, check out the Moodle category on this blog...

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: Using the book module

 

If you're building course work through the Moodle LMS, one method of gathering content you might like to explore is the book module.

 

I've found this a very useful way of presenting a sequence of content in Moodle, with easy navigation via a sidebar menu (removing a lot of the potential clutter that can appear in regular course pages) and the possibility of linking to specific pages in the book from various quizzes or assignments.

 

The book module is not a place for interactive elements (like quizzes or essay submissions, for example), but is a great way to gather together the content-rich elements of your course unit or units and keep it from cluttering up your topic blocks or becoming scattered via various individual files or pages.

 

Having built book modules into a couple of my courses, I created a series of three screencasts for a colleague looking to find a better way to gather together the video tutorial content he has been making for his own course.

 

 

1. How (and why) to set up the 'book module' in Moodle

 

 

 

2. Adding content/chapters to a book module

 

 

 

3. Linking to specific parts of the book module from other areas/resources

 

 

 

 

Hope those put the book module into some sort of perspective and provide some solid tips on how to implement it.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Moodle Tutorials: Creating downloadable work files and basic assignment upload tasks

 

I'm helping the team of teachers I work with to build their own courses in Moodle and gathering screencast tutorials as I go...

 

Here are some tutorials for teachers at the 'starter' end of things, covering some basics concerning the building of downloadable work files (in a variety of different formats) and creating an assignment upload option.

 

In essence, this allows you to feature content or work files (for reading, viewing or writing) which the learners download and complete. They can then upload it for the teacher to view and grade via the upload option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've generally found that this is a good starting layer for teachers who want to allocate and collect task work on Moodle. There are other (more advanced) options, of course, but these skills are pretty easy to master and facilitate teachers getting a course happening without too much of a steep learning curve or big investment of their time (and hair pulling).

 

Another (major) advantage with the file download/assignment upload approach is that learners can save work files to their computer and not necessarily need an Internet connection or continuous access to Moodle in order to do their work.

 

Trust me... after a week that included major Internet access and operating system problems, I can assure you that this can be REALLY handy!

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GTEC Mahara e-Portfolio Showcase 1

 

 

 

In a recent post (E-Portfolios Away!) I demonstrated the initial building process for our VCAL Literacy e-Portfolios using Mahara.

 

I was very excited today to see several students go beyond those templates to start submitting full writing pieces, complete with images, using the writing work file in the margin to document their draft work. It was also a joy to see them start personalising their general interface, including favourite YouTube music tracks and images that have particular meaning or appeal to them as individuals.

 

Here's a small showcase...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, the best thing in all of this was the buzz... the lads were seriously into it. Students still engaged in their draft work were glancing over at the Mahara portfolio pages appearing and getting into their work with renewed vigour in order to get them up to this 'publishing' stage.

 

This is SOOOO different from literacy work that appears as printed out pages of text to be filed away in plastic folders...

 

Disengaged students?

 

No such thing down around GTEC way.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Moodle Tutorial: Page design to avoid the 'scroll of death'...

 

Just made these screencast tutorials for the team I'm working with as eLearning coordinator and thought I would pass them along here on the blog for those in my PLN who are starting out with Moodle and want some tips and tricks...

 

The idea here is to create a simple menu at the top of your Moodle course page that allows your learners to click and have only the relevant unit or cluster appear on the page. Essentially, this removes the 'scroll of death' issue if you find your learners are having to wade down through dozens of units to find something.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you've found a better way to do/present this, please, by all means let me know (and even better: screencast how/why to do it!).

 

;-)

 

 

 

e-Portfolios away!

 

Having fun doing the same VCAL portfolio work I'm asking students to do...

 

 

One week into the new term at GTEC at The Gordon and I must admit that I am delighted at how well the e-Portfolio project I've initiated with our Year 12 cohort is turning out.

 

We're using Mahara e-Portfolios, attached to our Moodle coursework pages. I've written previously about the blogging with students initiative as part of VCAL Senior Literacy (part 1 and part 2), as well as the decision to broaden out the whole blogging idea into an e-Portfolio with Mahara.

 

It's been interesting to experiment and see what might best facilitate quick uptake of the e-Portfolios in terms of interest level, independent set up and then actual use. So far, the strategy of building a portfolio myself (applying the same literacy outcomes I am asking students to tackle--as demonstrated in the picture above) and screencasting each stage as a demonstrative tutorial seems to have paid off quite nicely.

 

 

Mahara set up and application screencast tutorials featured on students' Moodle course page...

 

 

In what I consider to be a masterstroke of practical forward-thinking, the education development team at The Gordon has created a seamless link between Moodle and Mahara applications. What that means is that students who have already been registered in Moodle as course participants get their Mahara account activated using the same user IDs and passwords. So essentially, we can link straight out of the Moodle coursework to their e-Portfolio accounts and they're instantly accessible at the click of a link.

 

Using the screencast tutorials for students to set up and format their e-Portfolios has also worked out well. Out of about 50 students, approximately half or so have managed to get the whole set up organised fully independently (including many who did so over at The Gordon library or at home). Of the remainder, about half managed to get most of it right but needed some assistance to tweak certain things into shape. The rest needed some active guidance from (either from teacher or fellow student), but even then the screencasts formed a background awareness that allowed the helper to just give oral instructions or gesture to parts of the screen; students were still building the e-Portfolio with their own fingers at the keyboard.

 

It's so important that, with about a dozen students needing active assistance, it was possible to have the remainder of the students going ahead and doing things independently while the students who needed the help got it, and promptly. Nobody has been left behind in the overall process.

 

Based on my sample e-Portfolio and the screencasts showing how I built it, all the students quickly developed their Mahara 'Views' into a basic template that looks like this:

 

 

Our basic layout template, with scope for individual 'decoration' in the left hand column...

 

 

The basic idea is to have profile and personal features (like pics and videos) in the left hand column, a 'blog' occupying the broader central column where literacy task final drafts are uploaded (with planning and drafts attached), and a list of blog posts and writing/reading work folders in the right hand column. The work folders have been set up in a way that means the attached planning and drafting files appear here in list format automatically, with coded abbreviations referencing specific VCAL Literacy outcomes.

 

 

 

An uploaded student blog post, with planning and drafting files attached and listed

 

 

I'm also very happy with the individualisation going on with the writing. Some pretty exhaustive preparation of potential writing topics has been done, with grouped themes and information about potential audience and purpose as well as writing prompts organised by text types. There has been no room whatsoever for the oh so common 'but I have no idea what to write about' complaint, and students are still free to adapt or work completely outside the suggestions given.

 

 

One of several thematic groupings of writing topics for 'Writing for Self Expression' provided to students

 

 

What we have going here now is a very effective tool for gathering and presenting literacy work, with lots of scope for individualisation and personal preferences via multimedia applications. In many ways it brings teenage literacy more into the real (contemporary) world.

 

It is also set up in a way that admirably covers our auditing and QA needs. Grades and feedback are delivered privately in Moodle, with direct URL links to both finished products and the files showing the process that built them on Mahara.

 

And 'literacy' is just the start... Once they've learned how to build all this for one subject, the other teachers will be encouraging and facilitating them to build additional 'views' (or other folios all linked together within the one overall e-Portfolio) showcasing things like manufacturing technology skills (CAD), tool skills, work experience, community projects, fit for work development, etc.

 

However, and this is where it gets intriguing, we are also now in a zone where intellectual property (one quick example is the covering of creative commons options for images and appropriate methods of attribution or ownership) and responsible use of social media can be tackled. 

 

At the moment, all of the e-Portfolios are in private mode linked only via the 'friends' option. Part of this course will be about how to analyse and differentiate between something like Facebook and a school/professional platform, and what is involved when it comes to certain (what I call) 'social media graces.'

 

Already we have a couple of Mahara pages that sort of resemble the grunt and grime of your average teenage boy's Facebook page. But it's there for us to see (within our private school circle), address, discuss and tackle from a social education perspective. And these are very much a tiny minority; already the vast majority of students (despite their so-called disengaged 'youth gone wild' reputations) are using these pages seriously and responsibly.

 

Eventually, when I and the school are satisfied an e-Portfolio is being used and presented appropriately, there will be the option to switch it over to public viewing and (we hope) as an online extension of the resume sent out to potential employers. Hopefully, we can lead the students towards these realisations and expectations through a process that involves individual development and judgment. 

 

The most encouraging sign in all of this has been the students' reactions. Not a single complaint or whine about 'having' to build an e-Portfolio. For most, they've taken it so naturally in their stride that it's been rather like handing an apple seed to an orchard owner.

 

One learner even suggested, enthusiastically and somewhat more than half-seriously, that it was about time we renamed this course subject 'Literacy ICT.' It got me thinking, because I honestly see them as (increasingly) seamlessly merged anyway...

 

 

Anyway, initial successes with the VCAL Literacy e-Portfolios at GTEC. Let's see where it heads from here.

 

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Blogging with students (3): Going the full Mahara...

 

 

 

In a couple of previous posts (Part 1 here and Part 2 here) I looked at the rationales for blogging with students and what sorts of platforms I was considering.

 

In the end what I've decided to go with is Mahara, which includes a basic blogging platform but incorporates it into a range of features to build a full, highly logical and engaging e-Portfolio tool.

 

I think Mahara has enormous potential and given we have automatic access to it at our institute via our Moodle set up, I'm ready to give it a red hot go with our Year 12 cohort. As part of my preparations for the new school year I've gone into Mahara and made my own portfolio to really test it out, see what's possible and what could be potentially complicated or easy for my students.

 

The following screencasts have been put together to help get my students started with this e-Portfolio tool. Although they are obviously course and context-specific, if you're wondering what Mahara is and how it can be set up then these peeks might help to give you a better idea...

 

 

 

GTEC Mahara Set Up Tutorial 1

How to access the tool, set up a basic profile and get some file folders in order...

 

 

 

 

GTEC Mahara Set Up Tutorial 2

How to get a specific portfolio (or 'View' using the Mahara vernacular) set up...

 

 

 

 

GTEC Mahara Set Up Tutorial 3

How to select, store and apply images for some basic decoration...

 

 

 

 

GTEC Mahara Set Up Tutorial 4

How to 'show' the e-Portfolio by connecting with other users (teachers and classmates, etc.)...

 

 

 

 

GTEC Mahara Application 1

How to upload written work into a Mahara e-Portfolio in a way that captures final drafts as blog posts but also attaches a full file of all drafting work...

 

 

 

 

This is all for one subject (VCAL Senior Literacy) and Mahara allows for different Views/Portfolios for things like multiple subjects. It will be intriguing to see whether students and teachers go for it and add other portfolios for other subjects, and from there I will be interested to see how an e-Portfolio of this nature could be useful for things like job applications.

 

 

To be continued...

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Moodling along quite nicely... But why?

 

Entry/menu page for VCAL Foundation Literacy Course ready to go...

 

 

A little over a week from now, I'll be back in the classroom and doing my best to keep on my feet on a pitching deck full of new Year 11 VCAL students.

 

In addition to my Literacy teaching role, in 2012 I've taken on our Skills Centre eLearning Coordinator role at about the same time the organisation I work for (The Gordon Institute of TAFE) begins a pretty massive transition from Blackboard to Moodle for its LMS.

 

Hence from mid-December last year, on top of preparing for my own courses, I've needed to come to grips with this Moodle thing in a pretty big way, and fast, so that I can help facilitate eLearning for approximately 10 other teachers as well.

 

It's certainly been a rapid and steep learning curve, but a very satisfying one as well. What I thought might take myself and the teaching team anywhere from 6-12 months to come to grips with has actually become something we're well on top of before the first term even begins.

 

And that led me to thinking a little more... about what facilitates effective adoption of learning technologies. Here are some reflections at this point in time.

 

 

1. 'Faffing about' with edtech is SO important

 

Moodle, like a lot of other platforms and tools out there, doesn't exactly come easily -- particularly when you are looking to put together something that works well administratively from the 'back/teacher end' but is also practical and attractive from the 'front/student end.' It takes a lot of time to figure things out.

 

At a rough estimate I would say since the start of December last year I've put in about 100-200 hours of solid, occasionally hair-pulling work wrestling the Moodle Beast to the ground and subduing it to the point that it does what I want it to do. Getting the gradebook to work with our particular outcomes, using a specialised scale I built and embedded, took up an entire weekend alone. I'm also big on professional design and layout at the other end of the beast, so the hours have certainly slipped away on that front as well as I try and re-try all sorts of different applications and combinations.

 

This is the all-important 'faffing about' that you just can't avoid if you really want to understand a tech system and what it can do (and how it may misbehave). There's no gratuitous flick of a switch, nothing served up on a platter. You've got to be willing to put in the hard yards at the beginning, do a lot of playing about and experimenting, and even deliberately see how much you can 'break' stuff.

 

But to effectively faff about with edtech, you need a couple of other facilitative factors as well, and the most obvious of those is time.

 

 

2. Edtech development requires sufficient time

 

Prior to this position with this organisation, all of the other edtech tools and courses I've developed happened in contexts where time was either (1) just not available (think 50 week work years in places like North East Asia), and/or (2) not paid for (the organisation I worked for prior to this one in Australia wanted to pay me $21 per teaching hour, with a couple of hours for prep each week thrown in and no paid annual leave). Basically, I developed online courses and tools for institutes in my own time and out of my own pocket.

 

Here (at GTEC at The Gordon) things are very different. I've had close to 6 weeks of paid non-instruction time to get my head around and grapple with learning materials and Moodle. Splitting that period in half was close to three weeks of paid annual leave where I actually did go on holidays and not think about work. My colleagues are on the same basic wicket.

 

Time to recharge the batteries and time to really faff about with the edtech, without having to forfeit regular income. What a peculiar notion that feels like, after what I've experienced in the 10-12 years prior to that (but hey: I'm certainly not complaining!). 

 

But consider also the results. In less than two months we have full courses ready to go on Moodle. Everyone on the teaching team has learned how to create screencasts, and a couple are now already starting to take ownership of the Moodle pages I set up for them.

 

 

GTEC's Manufacturing Technology course homepage on Moodle, already handed over to teacher Frank Priveti, who has commenced an absolutely brilliant series of screencasts on how to access and use the Autodesk Inventor (CAD) tool...

 

Our eLearning output and capacity has increased exponentially from one year to the next.

 

Why? Because the organisation and Skills Centre concerned were willing to invest one of the most absolutely crucial ingredients. Time. And time at the right time (if you get my drift).

 

But that idea of one person building and teaching and handing over to other teachers reminds me of the third essential thing that has struck me on this front...

 

 

3. Edtech development requires a person on the scene as part of the team

 

In a team of 10 teachers, we now have one teacher who is also the eLearning Coordinator, with one full day per week to develop and build up our edtech (a bit of a combination of building stuff for teachers and helping them to then go ahead and build it on their own). That person is also a member of the teaching team, doing  for four days a week what everyone else has to regularly do: cope with the pressures and demands of a challenging teaching role.

 

This is far different from having, say, one teacher walk across to the other side of the campus once a week or fortnight for an hour or two to get specialised assistance with edtech development. And it is worlds away from going to the occasional half or full day 'edtech professional development' day, followed up by frustrated messages left on voicemail pleading for help on how to just open a new lesson activity (for those teachers who actually get motivated or brave enough to try on some edtech clothes as a result of the once-off seminar). 

 

Teaching teams braving the complicated waters of edtech uptake need someone in the same office or just down the corridor, someone they know and who knows what they do and how and why. In some ways, I might even go so far as to say that until the edtech initiative gets a regular and accessible (known, trusted, empathetic) human face, it's always going to suffer from a relative tyranny of distance.

 

However, this is not to say that the expert in the distant office doesn't have a crucial role to play...

 

 

4. Edtech requires effective leadership and administration

 

To put it simply, one of the reasons we are forging ahead so quickly and well with our edtech development is that we have good support from 'higher up the food chain' (in a manner of speaking). Even as I work to help the teachers on my team, there are copiously competent people in various layers above me in the organisation that I have ready access to if and when I need it. They get back to me the same morning or the same day. They respond well to problems. They get things fixed or improved. They seem to have the attitude that they have as much to learn from us as we do from them. They remind us that what we are doing is valuable and great.

 

The larger the teaching/learning organisation, the more crucial this sort of support and access becomes (mainly because organisations necessarily apply rules that can sometimes result in boxes it becomes hard to do your particular dance routine inside). Luckily for me and my team, we have that support in spades.

 

 

So yes, I guess thanks to the faffing about factor, sufficient time to faff about, the team-embedded (or team-emergent?) eLearning person and effective assistance and leadership from higher up (or further across?), we are indeed Moodling along quite nicely indeed.

 

And 2012, from an eLearning perspective, is looking like turning out (to use local parlance) to be an absolute crackerjack.

 

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Blogging with students (2): Choosing a blogging platform

 

 

 

In my first post based around the idea of getting students to blog, I explored the important question of Why? Following that, and assuming we've come to the conclusion that there are some strong rationales for using blogs with high school literacy coursework, the next important questions become Where? and How?

 

As in: we've decided blogging can be a great thing for learning outcomes, but where and how are they going to do that?

 

The four most attractive free blogging tools for me appear to be Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr and Posterous (Spaces).

 

And of those, I have to admit I think that Tumblr would be the one that would appeal the most to my 16 and 17-year-old students. If fact, I've already heard some students talking about finding things on Tumblr, so perhaps there is already a link there. Posterous would have been an equal favourite, but their recent transition to something called Posterous Spaces does, I think, cloud their offering with a bit too much information and the potential for confusion or overload. 

 

In the end, however, I realised that the best person to evaluate and eventually choose the blogging platform for each student will be the student him/herself. In fact, this becomes a very useful way of making the blog platform selection a learning task in itself.

 

So basically, I think I will start by presenting the four free blogging tools above as initial options, give my own opinions about each, and then give the students an assignment to choose their own blogging platform (they may, of course, go outside the selections I've introduced) with some rationales for their choices.

 

Before my kids even blog, there are chances to make blog platform selection an active part of the Literacy and Oral Communications outcomes in our VCAL curriculum.

 

I wonder what they'll end up going with?

And I love not really knowing in advance!

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

An embedded point of difference

 

 

 

Thanks to the very useful tutorial here, I learned how to embed YouTube videos directly into Microsoft Word documents. Gosh, what a great tool to have at your disposal.

 

In the example above (an application for a rather prestigious award one of my VCAL students asked me to help him out with), I was able to start his application with two videos covering a major project he accomplished. The first video shows him discussing his CAD drawings and rationalising his design alongside the first couple of planks of wood he'd prepared. The second video, from about six months later, shows his completed project in full action.

 

Given that his application is due to be submitted in Word format electronically, the first thing the judges are going to see is the applicant presenting himself in the flesh and a completed project from initial design to finished (and very functional) product.

 

I'm going to take this a few steps further next year. As we help our VCAL students prepare resume documents for apprenticeship and job applications, we'll be inserting two videos along the same lines as above. I think it's important in a CV (for a young person in particular) to show a bit of a quick journey and demonstrate their capacity to grow, learn and achieve.

 

This adds so much more texture and context to the rather bland document that a CV usually represents. It creates a real 'point of difference'; I mean, out of a stack of 50 electronically submitted resumes, tell me you're not going to remember the one that included quick videos of the applicant actually doing stuff and presenting themselves in person?

 

We can do this with PDF documents as well, but in that case the video file needs to be embedded lock step and barrel and it inevitably adds a huge amount of weight to the original PDF file size. The beauty with the YouTube-in-Word format is that it's basically just an in-built i-frame linking to the hosted video on YouTube.

 

Given I have a lot of teachers reading this blog, I think it's also something to think about adding to your Teaching CV as well. How about a quick self introduction, and/or a screencast of some of your materials and/or a video of you in action in a real classroom setting?

 

Create a point of difference. Be different by showing more of yourself in more of the real world.

 

In any case, I'm looking forward to applying this as a curricular tool with my students next year. I'll update you here later when I get some idea on how well it works in attracting prospective employers!

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Preparing for screencasting via storyboards

 

 

 

Screencasting can be a bit of a messy and frustrating business if you are using one of the free tools with time limits and are not sure how to manage your time and content well. Even if you don't have to work with time limits with the tool itself, you do of course still need to think about the timing and organisation of your content presentation or demonstration from the learners' perspective. 

 

One way to develop your screencasting proficiency is to prepare storyboards in advance, as I explain and demonstrate below:

 

 

 

 

Here are the templates and examples I mention in the tutorial above:

 

Screencasting storyboard template A (MS Word 2007)

Screencasting storyboard template A (Word Compatible)

Screencasting storyboard example A (MS Word 2007)

Screencasting storyboard example A (Word Compatible)

 

Screencasting storyboard template B (MS Word 2007)

Screencasting storyboard template B (Word Compatible)

Screencasting storyboard example B (MS Word 2007)

Screencasting storyboard example B (Word Compatible)

 

 

For more posts about screencasting on this blog, check out the link here.

 

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

The importance of FO-FU in #edtech training

 

Image: Larry Johnson

 

 

 

As a person who has conducted and attended hundreds of teacher training workshops, it's been interesting for me personally to see not only how teacher training is becoming increasingly about educational technology but also how limited (or limiting) some of this training can be.

 

I am in the middle of preparing a series of edtech training sessions for the institute where I currently work and two priorities in particular struck me as being particularly important compared to previous workshops I have arranged more around the issues of teaching methodology and classroom management. Actually, these two considerations can certainly enhance those sorts of workshops as well, but for edtech in particular I think they become vital. 

 

I call these two priorities FO-FU, which stands for 'Finding Out' and 'Follow Up'. 

 

Starting with the FO, it worries me somewhat that so much edtech training appears to involve an expert (usually a visiting expert) demonstrating one or a small range of edtech tools that have been preselected in advance. I don't see anything inherently negative in that, but with the wealth of edtech tools and possibilities now available I think teachers need more than that. They're often given fish, but not taught how to go fishing.

 

Hence FO involves identifying a teaching/learning need and then actively looking around to find out what tools are available to meet that need or possibility. Teachers need to learn how to find and evaluate these tools across a range of criteria including things like cost, platform, accessibility, viability and reliability. And they need to work themselves into this finding out process in a way that allows them to increasingly do more of it on their own with other teaching/learning needs and facilitative edtech tools.

 

FU is, in my opinion, an even more important concern. Given that teachers are often being exposed to a tool for the first time, often using technology that mightn't exactly be within many teachers' immediate respective edtech comfort zone, without some sort of follow up it can be a little bit like grasping at ladders made of ice; they melt into liquid before teachers can learn to climb anywhere (if at all). 

 

The solution? Edtech training sessions need to come (as a minimum) in pairs. The first session covers orientation, finding out, selecting and learning how to use one or more edtech tools. The follow up session comes later (anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, but certainly in my opinion no later than that) and teachers are encouraged to bring along some of the work or experience they've managed to complete using the new tool and/or a list of specific problems or successes they encountered along the way since that first lot of training.

 

Again, this represents a problem for the fly-by-night visiting expert who is here today and gone not only tomorrow, but possibly forever. This is not to say that the visiting expert isn't worth your investment for edtech training; but it is to say that both you (if you are organising the training) and your visiting expert need to have a longer term plan that includes some sort of follow up to explore what has been taken up and achieved (or not taken up and not achieved) since the initial training.

 

In fact, I think it is quite essential for edtech trainers visiting contexts for once-only shows to have, as part of their offering, some sort of online meetup or gathering space where the trainees can come together again and share the fruits (or fruitlessness) of the training. Most edtech experts I have met are open to this idea, but it often turns out to be a rather vague offering. The follow up needs to be intrinsic to the F2F training session from the start and clearly and pragmatically facilitated. 

 

FU doesn't just ensure you are getting appropriate bang for your buck with the expert, however. It also becomes a very important fire under the bottoms of teachers to get out there and try and use the tools they've been trained to find and use.

 

Let's imagine a trainer has taught teachers how to find and use a one or more social media platforms to engage in education resource finding and sharing, for example.

 

Knowing that the trainer will be back in a week's time (or available online) to facilitate a session sharing what has been used and gleaned can be just the catalyst some teachers need to get out there and try it and not just put it into the vague mumbly 'might try that thingy sometime' basket.

 

Less confident teachers may be more willing to have a crack if they know they can have questions and problems addressed afterwards. Teachers need to realise successes and progress, no matter how small, if the edtech spark is to get the oxygen it needs to burn into something brighter.

 

It also means that there is more potential for teachers (whether from the same team or from different departments) in a given session forging and maintaining connections with each other. They have something they need to try and achieve and they will be meeting up again later to share it, so why not team up after that first session and try stuff out together?

 

 

All in all, I haven't seen a whole lot of FO-FU in the edtech training I've experienced as a teacher. I think both Finding Out and Follow Up are becoming increasingly vital for edtech, and I am in the process of making them cornerstones of the edtech training I am starting to put together for others.

 

You might like to think about FO-FU yourself, whether it be in evaluating the edtech training you are receiving or the training you are thinking of facilitating.

 

 

;-)