ReFLLections
Thursday, 23 February 2006
Moving on - new blog site
This blog was set up to document my work in the Flexible Learning Leader program during 2004. During 2005 I increasingly found a tension between the purpose of this blog and my current needs. So I have decided to start again and am experimenting with Edublogs. Not sure if I will still post here when the categories work for me. Alternatively, I could created single items in the new blog about the categories in this one. I guess an optimum solution for me will evolve.
New address is
Tuesday, 01 November 2005
Designs for learning
This website was set up by JISC in the UK and has a catalogue of learning design tools arranged by genre
- assessments, tools, surveys
- games and simulations
- communications
- integrated environments such as VLEs, MLEs etc
It also cross references the LAMS community site which has shared learning designs created in the LAMS software.
http://www.designsforlearning.org.uk
LAMS
A temporary posting for demonstrating LAMS to some colleagues
Links for demonstrating LAMS
- logon to LAMS (Dept of Ed, Tas)
- LAMS trial workspace (Dept of Ed Tas, requires authentication)
- LAMS & Moodle integration - note choice of LAMS or Moodle as overarching environment
- LAMS & Sakai integration - demo of creating a LAMS sequence - note "LAMS sequence" one of many elements/tools that can be selected as part of the learning environment
LAMS trials in the UK
- Becta trial - school sector
- Becta LAMS trial Interim report
- JISC trial main site - higher ed
- JISC trial - Use of LAMS at Bromley College (PPT slides)
- JISC trial - use of LAMS at CRIPSAT
- JISC trial evaluation report
- Stephen Downes' comment on JISC evaluation report - scroll down to June 13 posting
Wednesday, 19 October 2005
Digital Portfolios, Open LMS, Podcasting
[Several items from OLDaily of direct interest]
Electronic Portfolios for Integrative Learning
Presentation slides from Darren Cambridge - discsuses different types of Digital Portfolios from "Portfolio as test" to Portfolio as vehicle for constructivism.
http://ncepr.org/ncepr/drupal/node/21
Podcasting from EDUCAUSE annual conference
http://connect.educause.edu/flexinode/list/1
The Learning Management System Operating System "The Learning Management Operating System (LMOS) will be designed from the ground up focusing on tool interoperability in order to provide campuses, faculty and students with unprecedented flexibility and control in customizing their virtual campus/class environments. In contrast to traditional LMS projects, the LMOS is conceived as a framework for integration and interoperability rather than a monolithic system."
http://mfeldstein.com/index.php/weblog/introducing_the_lmos_open_source_project/
Wednesday, 14 September 2005
CETIS briefings on e-learning standards
From OLDaily 07-Sep-2005 http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=21448
A series of new CETIS briefing papers is now available. "One of the new additions is a briefing on the IMS Accessibility for Learner Information Profile (affectionally known as AccLIP) spec.... The other addition, a briefing on the IEEE LTSC LOM standard, has been available for a while on the CETIS Metadata and Digital Repositories SIG site."
From the CETIS website:
Enterprise - IMS Enterprise is a specification for transferring data about people and groups.
LIP - The IMS Learner Information Package (LIP) is a specification for a standard means of recording information about learners.
Content package - IMS Content Packaging is a specification for sending learning resources (or learning objects) from one program to another, facilitating easier delivery, reuse and sharing of materials.
QTI - IMS Question and Test Interoperability is designed to make it easier to transfer information such as questions, tests and results between different software applications.
simple sequencing - IMS Simple Sequencing is a specification used to describe navigation paths through a collection of learning activities
Also SCORM, Learning Design, Accessibility for Learner Information Profile and LOM
Wednesday, 10 August 2005
Changing Course Management Systems: Lessons Learned
This EduCause article sent to me by a colleague looks at the effort involved in transferring from one LMS system to another, particularly from the point of view of converting courses. It goes on to analyse the impact of the change and weigh up the costs and benefits. Summary lessons learned are:
What lessons can we learn from this exploratory study?
- First, institutions and systems seeking to save money by consolidating with one CMS need to factor in the time and effort of faculty who will need to review, correct, and revise content once the course has been converted. Since this preliminary examination revealed half of the course might not convert to the new CMS, the decision by institutional leaders to move to a new CMS represents a real cost to the faculty member, department, and college.
- Second, institutions and systems need to investigate and evaluate the conversion tools of potential CMS products.
- Third, CMS providers need to improve and market their ability to convert material from one CMS to their own product, since this could well be an important selling point to institutions already invested in a particular product.
- Fourth, these considerations also may apply to the new, emerging world of free or open source CMS products.
- Fifth, despite the work of fixing partially converted courses, faculty were not averse to trying a new product, and they felt students would be willing to change too.
Faculty may not be the brakes to change that some make them out to be, but they are legitimately concerned about the time and effort needed to make the transition a success for their courses and students.
Full article at: http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm05/eqm05210.asp?bhcp=1
Monday, 18 July 2005
Personalised learning
UK Personalised Learning site "Personalised learning - adding value to the learning journey". Descrbes 5 components (Assessment for learning, Effective Teaching and Learning, Curriculum entitelment and choice, organising the school and beyond the classroom. The site includes multiple case studies. http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/personalisedlearning/five/
Microsoft UK Personalised learning site This site describes the use of standard Microsoft products (Portal server, WSS, Class server, Learning Gateway), customised for the UK education market. Includes school based case sudies http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/learning/products-solutions/
Skills and Education network Gives a good overview of the literature and drivers behind the personalised learning approach. http://senet.lsc.gov.uk/guide2/elearnpersonalise/index.cfm
Saturday, 02 July 2005
Converging language
The language we use can carry such baggage. Consider the terms distance learning, open learning, online learning, flexible learning and more recently personalised learning.
All have their roots in varying points in technological history. Technology has impacted, influenced or even given birth to some of them. Attaching labels such as these can lock one into a particular way of using technology. Increasingly technologies for learning are available, accessible and useable for all learning situations, not just the specialist needs conjured up by terms that pigeon home.
Thursday, 30 June 2005
Example of WebCT use for young childres
From the June WEbCT newsletter:
On June 2, Golden Triangle News reported that WebCT has enabled successful distance learning programs for Head Start teachers with limited computer skills on the Blackfeet, Rocky Boy’s, and Fort Belknap Indian reservations in Montana. http://www.goldentrianglenews.com/articles/2005/06/02/glacier_reporter/news/news4.txt
On reading this article I note that the successs seems attributable (not unexpectedly) to the care in curriculum design rather than any inherrent features of WebCT. There are no screen shots to be able to delve further but nevertheless interesting to note.
Tuesday, 14 June 2005
blos as e-portfolios: tension between assessment needs and personal tool for deep reflection
An item in Stephen Downes' OLDaily
Talks about e-portfolios, but more importantly, quotes Helen Barret: "I made the public statement this week, that high stakes assessment and accountability are killing portfolios as a reflective tool to support deep learning. Those mandated portfolios have lost their heart and soul: not creating meaning, but jumping through hoops!" And Misja Hoebe, who makes a similar point. Some very nice diagrams emphasizing the personal uses of e-portfolios (which I hope will become more widespread soon, before the bean-counters kill the concept). By Dave Tosh, ERADC, June 12, 2005 [Refer][Research][Reflect]
Tuesday, 07 June 2005
LAMS and Moodle integration - press release
Moodle, the world’s leading open source Course Management System, and LAMS, the world’s leading Learning Design system, today announced plans for integration. This means thousands of existing Moodle sites will be able to easily incorporate the revolutionary "digital lesson planning" approach provided by LAMS. The integration will be freely available by the end of July. "This is excellent news for Moodle and LAMS users alike," said Martin Dougiamas, leader of Moodle. "Moodle and LAMS make a great complementary package. Moodle users will be drawn towards the fun and powerful design tools that LAMS provides, and LAMS users will be able to take advantage of Moodle's popular capabilities for managing communities of learners within a dynamic web site." "We’re delighted to announce this integration between Moodle and LAMS," said Professor James Dalziel, leader of LAMS. "It demonstrates the powerful benefits of combining a Course Management System like Moodle with a Learning Design system like LAMS to create a new generation of e-learning technology. The combination of flexible course pages (Moodle) with structured activity sequences (LAMS) can significantly enhance student learning," he said. The New Zealand Ministry of Education is sponsoring the integration.
Thursday, 05 May 2005
Technology standards for teachers -
While undertaking the Teaching to Standards with New Technologies online course through Harvard, I am looking for some standards for teachers relating to online facilitation. I am yet to find exactly what I need but the following offer some material to work with:
Staff Self-Assessment for Technology Use - a checklist for teacher self review which includes categories relating to awareness of local and district technology environment. I think the concept of regular self-review of this type is a sound one as it serves to both remind teachers of the environment they are in, and identify professional learning needs. As a model, it lends itself to further development eg more categories relating to purposeful teaching to create a balance between that and the already extensive focus on tools. It has comes from a school often quoted in case studies. The checklist itself is derived from respected sources. http://www.bham.wednet.edu/technology/documents/StaffRevisedMnkto2004.pdf
ISTE Educational Computing and Technology Programs: Technology Facilitation Initial Endorsement - Technology Facilitation Standard II. (TF-II)
Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences. http://cnets.iste.org/ncate/n_fac-stands.html#2
Online Teaching Facilitation Course (OTFC): Core Competencies* Developed by NCREL This one looks to be getting closer. The stated competencies are related to NETS standards (cnets.iste.org/teachers ) http://www.ncrel.org/meeting/2005/docs/etlead2.pdf
Wednesday, 04 May 2005
LMS stories from the Flexible Learning Networks
Jan Hatton describes how Moodle fills needs in the ACE sector
http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=276
LMS selection process in a nutshell, posted by Alison Bickford
http://parkinslot.blogspot.com/2005/04/lms-selection-process-in-nutshell.html
Tuesday, 01 February 2005
YABP (Yet Another Blogging Presentation)
Quoting from Stephen Downes' OLDaily
"Good presentation by Scott Leslie on blogs in learning. He outlines, with examples, several types of blogs in learning. He emphasizes a "focus on 'blogging' as process and not 'blog' as noun." And while remarking on their potential, he cautions that there are still few good examples of the use of blogs in learning. By Scott leslie, Ed Tech Post, January 27, 2005"
I was in a conversation today with a colleague about the metaphors that one can apply to a blog eg a personal journal, an annotated webliography, and this PowerPoint presentation tackles the topic from the same sort of perspective. It is a good complement to the "how to" and "what software to choose" type tutorials as it addresses several conceptual issues that are important from an educational point of view.
Author's intro and link to the presentation: http://www.edtechpost.ca/mt/archive/000638.html
Tuesday, 30 November 2004
Weblogs in the Classroom
The Western Australia Department of Education recently undertook some investigation into the educational applications of weblogs in classrooms and school libraries. The results are available online and are organised as annotated links under the headings:
- Educational Value of Weblogs
- Classroom and Teacher Applications
- Getting Started
View online at: http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/
Friday, 26 November 2004
November conferences - focus on youth
The Net*Working 2004 online conference was held from November 8-19. Lu Butler and myself facilitated an online discussion on the theme of youth and uses of technology. From November 17-19 we also attended the VETNETwork conference in Hobart. A supporting blog for our online conference event which includes summary information from the VETNETwork conference is at
WholeNW2004youth blog: http://nw2004youth.motime.com
Selected items:
15-19 year old pathways - Glass half full or glass half empty?
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100825543#376545
NCVER Forum issue - TAFE and School collaboration
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100820855#376517
No Set Paths - VETNETwork 2004 opening keynote
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100747211#376027
NCVER Research Forum - Young people and VET: Selected reading list
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100652349#375360
NCVER Research Forum - Young people and VET: Overview
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100651842#375358
Mandurah Secondary College - innovative Flexible Learning
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100636298#375255
The Business Linkages Enterprise Projects youth skate project blog
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100572827#374791
Flexible Delivery in a school Context - Cybertots Toolbox
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100564777#374739
Mobile Learning Attracts High School Students
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100564722#374737
VET in schools - a story of school/TAFE collaboration
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100564931#374740
Investigating Mobile Technologies - Hamilton Secondary College, South Australia
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100564676#374735
Brisbane secondary college puts flexible learning into action - Hendra Secondary College
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100564605#374734
NCVER VET in Schools case studies
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100564110#374728
Fresh approach to Rural and Remote multimedia VET program for Youth
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100233763#372803
Youth Programs at South West Institute of TAFE
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1100134671#372169
Mobile learning articles and projects from Framework activities
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1099907799#370626
Where's the Party At?
http://nw2004youth.motime.com/1099536075#368508
Sunday, 14 November 2004
Surveying the Digital Landscape: Evolving Technologies 2004
Article from EDUCAUSE. Stephen Downes has this to say
Survey, via summaries of five white papers, of five technologies for the coming year. spam management, legal P2Ps, learning objects, nomadicity, and the convergence of libraries, digital repositories and web content management. The technologies are depicted as though they were onrushing freight trains - you can try to avoid them, but they're coming no matter what. For example, one author argues that learning objects are inescapable because they will be authored at the grass roots whether or not centrally authorized. Perhaps these technologies are inevitable - but I'd feel more comfortable seeing them depicted as opportunities rather than inevitabilities. By Charles R. Bartel, et.al., EDUCAUSE Review, November, 2004.
Full article: http://www.educause.edu/er/erm04/erm0464.asp
Introduction to the Millenials
This article by JoAnn Braem (from British Columbia Institute of Technology) introduces the topic of the "new student" . She includes a number of references to further reading including the Diana Oblinger article already blogged here.
Full article: http://online.bcit.ca/sidebars/04september/inside-out-1.htm
via Stephen Downes' OLDaily, Nov 12 2004
A comprehensive review of the literature (from Ultralab) on computer gaming as it applies to education, with overviews of the learning impact, psychological impact, and more. The survey also covers the types of ways games can be used in learning and discusses design recommendations. Keep this one; you'll be reading it again. PDF. Via E-Learning Centre. By Alice Mitchell and Carol Savill-Smith, Learning and Skills Development Agency, November, 2004
Article as PDF Stephen Downes item about the article
OLE/VLE reference website
Discovered via OLDaily November 8, this website by Teresa Almeida d'Eçais, called Online/Virtual learning environments and is a collection of annotated weblinks about tools and processes.Topics include:
- Blogs and blogging
- Chat
- CMC - Computer Mediated Communication
- Community Building Online
- e-mentoring
- e-moderation
- related articles
- teaching and learning online
- wikis
Website: http://www.malhatlantica.pt/teresadeca/webheads/online-learning-environments.htm
Wednesday, 10 November 2004
Net*Working 2004: Designing e-learning
This is the session previewed in an earlier posting in ReFLLections. There is a lot happening in the discussion forum with resounding praise for the resource and useful feedback. The prototype site is at http://learnwebct.vetonline.vic.edu.au/eas/index.htm
Marlene Manto from SA comments that the site complements the "Cool Tools" site she and colleagues have been developing but extends the idea. Their topics include
What is e-learning
Useful Tools (surveys, quizzes etc)
Website Builders
Communities
Communication (including blogs)
Collaboration (including wikis)
Learning Management Systems
Web Standards
Janet Buchan from CSU comments that The key to the success of any learning materials is designing with learners' needsin mind, and applying sound instructional design principles. nowadays one needs a DIY instructional design guide, and the Designing e-learning web site goes some way towards this need. and suggests http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/ as another resource.
One to keep an eye on and stay in touch with.
Catching up on Net*Working 2004 - days 1-3
Process just as important as content
Like last time, Stephen Downes' daily summary is the best way to catch up. A lot of reference to the importance of process in online learning rather than emphasis on content though as James Dalziel (LAMS) points out in his chat session, both need each other and the recent swing of the pendulum has been on content in the form of learning objects so it is only natural that it swing theother way for a while. Along the same vein, some lively criticism in some sessions about the course metaphor of LMS products.
More Digital Immigrant/Digital native stuff from Marc Prensky
Went through the chat transcript and some interesting discussion around the concepts previously written up here. I thought that this response of Marc's towards the end of the chat said a lot about approaches to learning and fits with Tasmania's Essntial Learnings and the emphasis on inquiry
"And there's a big difference between saying here's the course, get through it, vs. Here's where you have to be at the end - figure out how to get there. "
Link to Marc's session Audio and slides
Monday, 08 November 2004
Free eLearning platform - .LRN goes Open Source
I came across this on the echalk email list (WA teachers). Quoting....
Group touts free eLearning platform
By Cara Branigan, Associate Editor, eSchool News
November 5, 2004
A handful of leading universities have developed a new consortium to raise awareness and increase the use of a free, open-source software platform for managing courses, content, collaboration, and online learning.
The software, known as .LRN ("dot-learn"), was originally developed for use at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It is a completely free, open-source application suite and development platform reportedly capable of: managing course syllabi, calendars, and class lists; offering community support tools such as surveys, polls, bulletin boards, and file storage; and managing learning and content with assessment tools and testing modules. (you need to register with eschoolnews to read the full article)
Monday, 01 November 2004
eLearning Producer 2004
Came across this from Stephen Downes' October 26th OLDaily
Jay Cross writes about the above event at which well known identities in e-learning including Thiagi of online games fame, and sums it all up with this: In place of yesteryear's search for universal best practices of eLearning, today's practitioners are focused on how to create solutions for specific problems.
This resonates well with the findings through this year's investigations about the role(s) of technologies.
Full article: http://metatime.blogspot.com/2004/10/elearning-producer-2004.html
Tuesday, 26 October 2004
Online facilitation guide
Learning communities enabled through technology
Enabling Distributed Learning Communities Via Emerging Technologies - Parts One and Two
By Dr. Chris Dede, Harvard University
Part 1 is a September 2004 feature article in "The Journal" that is adapted from a study commissioned by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future and published in the proceedings of the 2004 Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education Conference. It examines assumptions about educational improvement, with reference to 21st century learning and the important role of learning communities and discusses examples.
Part 2 is featured in the October issue of The Journal. It discuss an example of students in a distributed learning community - this time based on the emerging technologies of augmented reality and ubiquitous computing. The article also will describe the next steps for our society to realize this vision of educational improvement.
Part 1: http://thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A4963.cfm
Part 2: http://thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A5027A.cfm
Sunday, 24 October 2004
Mobile learning articles
Flexibility through mobile learning (use of PDAs etc) has gained momentum and is the focus of many of then Flexible Learning Leaders. The Knowledge Tree edition 6 carries several articles on the topic:
Teaching with the Web - sneak preview of e-learning PD resource
Further to the October 18 entry about Assessing Online , note that around the corner is a more general resource which is to be previewed at Net*Working 2004
"In January 2005 Assessing Online will become part of a new, bigger Framework site called Teaching with the Web. The new site covers e-learning as well as assessment and integrates the two. It will feature:
- An enlarged click-and-view gallery with over 100 samples of more than 20 different e-learning and assessment strategies (eg demonstrations, role plays, web quests)
- Detailed guides for using each strategy (when to use, steps involved, tips, tools and resources)
- Case studies of key approaches to e-learning design in VET (collaborative learning, problem-based learning, simulated workplace etc).
Each case study will provide a detailed look at the design of an e-learning course, including audio interviews with the course teams, a map of the resources, activities and technologies used, as well as samples of key course documents and handouts. Almost like being there - reality PD has arrived!"
Quoted from Australian Flexible Learning Community October 7 article http://learnscope.flexiblelearning.net.au/LearnScope/golearn.asp?Category=11&DocumentId=6372
Thursday, 21 October 2004
Using Technology to Support the 14-19 Agenda (UK)
This report produced by the 14-19 team at Becta, aims to highlight the key areas in which ICT can support the implementation of cross-sector 14-19 education, concentrating on the systems and structures which underpin the management of learning. It was published in May 2003, and found that the organisational role of ILT in supporting effective collaborative partnerships between institutions, employers and key agencies is central. The report was published in May 2003. An excerpt that particularly resonates for me is:
“The government’s vision of 14–19 education relies on every education provider committing to membership of educational partnerships which can provide an individual programme for each learner.This local and regional pooling of skills and strengths provides the required broad-based curriculum, but is dependent on the learner travelling to access the learning, or the learning travelling to the learner. In addition,data about the learner’s attendance and performance must move with the learner to all of the host institutions, and potentially to the providers of formal accreditation.
Without the effective exploitation of ICT, this will not happen with the necessary speed and ease to support learners, practitioners and managers” (p7)
Download report: http://ferl.becta.org.uk/content_files/pages/keydocs_current/current%20issues/Final%2014-19%20Agenda%20lft.pdf
Wednesday, 20 October 2004
Adding images to a blog
I have solved the issue of adding images to free blogs. I went looking for a free image hosting service. Google found http://www.free-webhosts.com/image-hosting/ImageHost.biz/ which provides a comprehensive list of options. The variables in each include
- space
- duration of image storage (from 3 months to indefinite)
- ability to link to images (ie each image has unique URL - essential for blogging)
- folder creation
- photoalbum capability
- auto production of thumbnails
I decided on http://www.imagehost.biz and so far so good. It displays the images as thumbnails and it is very quick to copy and paste either the thumbnail URL or the full image URL into the blog.
Although images look great, they do slow the blog load time down as the month's postings are concatenated into one page. I have compromised and used the thumbnails in the blog with a link to the full image.
