A brand new year…. and a brand new look for this Newsletter. Something about new beginnings seems to demand a fresh approach, so while the new look is merely cosmetic, I would ask you to complete my Poll so that I can ensure that the content of this Newsletter is also fresh, and in line with what is useful for you. Anyway, for now I’ll just guess what you want [grin]…so here we go!

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN TODAY?

Let’s begin this new year with this question…and some inspiration.   Listen carefully to the lyrics as the power is in the words…..

DO YOUR LEARNERS NEED EXTRA HELP?

Whether it is learners who have a disability, or where a lack of numeracy poses difficulties, trainers often find themselves in the position of needing to teach more than their ‘area of expertise’!  There are a heap of ‘apps’ and resources though, and you’ll find various lists such as Apps for Literacy Support, or for those with low vision.  You can’t beat the Khan Academy for help with numeracy, there’re some interesting WELL Resources… and it’s probably worth a browse through this spreadsheet of links which has all sorts of bits’n'pieces.

PERHAPS YOU’RE A BUSINESS OWNER…

The article Will the NBN mean Boom or Bust for your Small Business provides some interesting insight into how things are changing. There are some hints, tips and ways to get started at Touch of Technology …….. and apparently Google have learned heaps while helping Aussie businesses get online.

A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE ‘MOODLERS’

I recently came across this Moodle site from the University of Sussex.  You can log in as a Guest (under the main log in box) and many of the courses allow access. Quite nice! You might also find this useful: 12 Moodle tools to interact with your students online..but maybe the simplicity of Mediabird Study Notes is all you need. If you’re still right at the beginning of coming to terms with Moodle, then maybe this Moodle Cheat Sheet is for you!

DIGITAL LITERACY – GETTING YOUR LEARNERS UNDERWAY

It’s that time of year again!  The time when many new courses begin, and when many shaky hands reach for the mouse…perhaps for the very first time.  Plenty of resources around to help though including Forward IT which is a (locally produced) online learning tool designed to teach people what the internet can offer safely and securely, at their own pace. The ABC’s Technology Explained may be useful…albeit it in a slightly different way, as well as BBC Connect (which I’ve mentioned previously but add here for the benefit of new subscribers).

THE SERIOUS SIDE OF GAMING

When you think of gaming, do you think of a group of teenagers locked in a bedroom engrossed in World of Warcraft? [chuckles]  But does ‘World of Warcraft’ make you smarter? Apparently yes! We are heading towards new capabilities with gaming, and the NBN will make game-based learning even more ‘reachable’.  There are some examples around right now though such as Virtual Battlespace II which is a game-based operational simulation environment, developed with the Australian Defence Forces…or Edheads Virtual Knee Surgery where you can learn how to operate! Perhaps Climate Challenge …. or Trading Around the World. I think the best is yet to come! [grin]

GET MOVING!

“Sitting in a classroom for an hour listening to someone speak is not an effectively brain-enriching experience.” This is a quote from Is Mobile Learning “Smarter” Learning?…what are your thoughts? You might have heard the term Flipped Learning which essentially puts the learning outside the classroom and the homework inside…and mobile learning is pushing this direction. Want to know more?  Try A guide to implementing mobile E-learning in your organisation…or browse through Top 50 Mobile Learning Resources.  Or have a look at Math 4 Mobile as an example.

THE SOCIAL SIDE OF WORK

We can laugh at this Dilbert strip, but what is it like in your workplace?  “With a 10-year delay, the social media revolution is finally entering the workplace and its influence is going to be comparable to the consumer social media revolution.” Read more at 2012: The Year of Learning in a Social Business.  If you agree and are constantly on the look-out for something to back your argument [grin] then try The next 15 trends in Social Networking. If you’re more inclined to be the one blocking Facebook [winks], then maybe read Is Facebook good for the workplace?   And if the whole thing confuses you, then the  Social Media and the Workplace video explanation will shed some light.

STAYING PRODUCTIVE

Yes…I’ve put this paragraph next on purpose!  [chuckles]  If you can access Facebook or Twitter at work…then that’s great.  But I’m sure you don’t spend tooooo much time on it, for personal communication…do you? [raises her eyebrows].  I know, I know…it’s easy to get distracted so why not try a little tool like RescueTime which is “…a web-based time management and analytics tool for knowledge workers who want to be more efficient and productive.” Here’s the  tour to learn more (video or screenshots). I particularly like the ‘Get Focused’ feature…might be good when I have a report to write!

MAKING YOUR ONLINE COURSE MORE…UMMM…INTERESTING!

The reason I like Cathy Moore’s blog is because it’s called Let’s Save the World from Boring E-learning.  A person after my own heart! Heh, heh  Here are her suggestions for action mapping:

I think that’s enough for the first edition for 2012! Don’t forget that I’m here to help your organisation with e-learning, so drop me a line…even if you don’t know what kind of help to ask for! [grin] We can work it out together.
Cheers,
Marlene
PS: Click the ‘More’ button below to share with colleagues.

And a one…and a two….and a….”Weeee wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Yeeeeear…..”  OK, I’ll stop now.  [laughs]  This is my very last SA E-learning Newsletter for 2011 and I can’t believe another year has somehow zipped by! The other thing that continues to amaze me is the incredible rate of change…

TECHNO-STRESS, FUTURE SHOCK..EEEK!

Do you realise that the iPad has been around for less than 6 months, and yet they are already common at conferences, meetings and on the bus! Do you sometimes feel exhausted with the rate of change? If you do, take comfort from the fact that you most definitely aren’t alone – there are days I could drop every piece of technology from the top of a high building! [grin] I found this podcast interesting   Staying Sane in the Fast Lane (MP3) …or you might like to read Technology Stress and How to Overcome it or maybe How to Prevent Technology From Increasing Your Stress Level.  Please let me know if you come up with a magic fix!

CREATE VIDEOS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM

Have you heard of Animoto?  In their words, “Educators can apply for a free Animoto Plus account for use in the classroom. It’s powerful features can be used to create stunning presentations incorporating images, video clips, music and text.”  It reminds me very much of Microsoft’s PhotoStory3 but Animoto seems to have some advantages in that it works ‘in the cloud’ and there is nothing to download, making it easy to share your videos via email, on a blog/website, or export straight to YouTube.  (Yes, good for education…but I’m also thinking, perhaps a family video to send to friends for Christmas?? [winks])

VIDEO IS GOING TO BE A STAR

Speaking of video, with the National Broadband Network (NBN) about to be rolled out seriously and quickly over the next year or so, the word on the ground is that video will be coming into it’s own as an e-learning tool.  If you’re getting into video, you might find these tips useful.

PUBLISH YOUR OWN MAGAZINE

For something a little different,  have you come across Scoop.it yet?  Now, Scoop.it is a free, publishing-by-curation platform and it creates online magazines out of readily available content. Here’s a Guided Tour  but they go on about using it to start your own magazine to get famous [grin]… and I don’t think the creators have considered how useful this might be for education!  Think…if you are teaching in Agriculture, you could start a magazine all about the latest trends happening in Agriculture, for your students!  Better still, get them to create the magazine and share it!

YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

How aware are you of ‘the tracks you leave behind’? Click the Play button on the video below…it will make you think!

Right, I can see you’re getting completely paranoid now, and vowing to stay away from the internet! [laughs] Hang on a minute though, as it is it is possible to track at least some of your footprints.  I would start with Google Alerts which is an incredibly simple tool and a good place to start….just write in your name. A similar tool is SocialMention which monitors social networking sites. In Footprints in the Digital Age the writer makes us consider our responsibilities as educators, and check out My Footprint ….a useful resource for students.

DO YOU WANT TO LOCK AWAY YOUR CONTENT?

If you do, you are flying in the face of the increasing move toward ‘Open Content’.  As stated in the 2010 Horizon Report, “The movement toward open content reflects a growing shift in the way academics…are conceptualizing education to a view that is more about the process of learning than the information conveyed in their courses.” In a nutshell, this means that content is no longer king, and that educators are recognising that it is the teaching and support that is the key factor in successful learning.  Not convinced? [grin] Then check out MIT Open Courseware or Stanford University or Open-of-Course or WikiEducator.  Another example…if you know of somebody who has a fear of flying, suggest they enrol in the free Fear of Flying online course!  Something new I’ve come across is P2PU which is peer to peer learning…where people work together to learn a particular topic.

GOOGLE EARTH – AN UNEXPECTED RESOURCE FOR EDUCATORS

Read in the Official Google Australia Blog that Aussies are starting to get quite innovative in how they are using Google Earth.  Oh, and I’ve also discovered that there is actually a Google Earth for Educators site…cool!   I think I might have shared these resources before, but as my brain is getting old and confused, maybe other’s are too [laugh] so how about – How to Teach With Google Earth and Google Earth Lessons.  And it’s not all about Science…one I loved was Where Are You From…great for those working with new arrivals or others from non-English speaking backgrounds.

100 BEST MANAGEMENT LEARNING WEBSITES

It takes a while to browse through this e-book (created as a SlideShare presentation), but there are some gems… so maybe with a sandwich in your hand?  Or a glass of wine? [cheeky grin]

HOW TO CREATE AUDIO – WITH AUDACITY

Audacity is recording and audio editing software…quite free, and relatively easy to use.  It’s been around for a while but this just shows that it’s popular.   A resource I’ve been recommending of late is How To Use Audacity…pretty much says it all! [laughs] Audacity does need to be downloaded and there is just one teeny little extra step, but please don’t be put off.. follow these instructions and you’ll be up and running in no time. (If you need extra help, try this video tutorial).  When you’re up and rolling, get some inspiration from 10 Great ways to use Audacity with your Students  or try Recording a Podcast.

FACEBOOK FOR YOUR BUSINESS

I’ve talked a lot in the past about Facebook for education, but have you thought about it from a business perspective? OK, maybe your business is training, but is that really so different…especially as we’re about to go into the era of Skills for All and Facebook might be the ideal place to start marketing your course offerings to potential students!  Let’s start with 32 Ways to Use Facebook for Business, and there are some great ideas on Designing A Facebook Fan Page. But beware of the 10 common social media mistakes.  If you’re just needing a giggle, try Facebook – Social Media Marketing or Massacring.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS MOMENTS

Just imagine…you are walking through a large, educational institution when you hear the sound of a saxaphone…..

After seeing the above video you should be really feeling the Christmas spirit [grin], so I’ll take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and the best of all gifts….a relaxing holiday break.  Thanks for reading my ramblings during 2011 and I’ll see you all back here in 2012!

Cheers,
Marlene