Group items tagged

Long post and comments on the vle vs the ple by John Fontaine, head of 'Platform Evangelism' at BB. Interesting that he appears to view the vle as a transmitter and instructor driven and I wonder if this then justifies the rest of his thinking on the role of technology.

Press release by MS on Gates statements, including reference to Gen-I

Article on Web2.0 and social networking use by MFL teachers. "Most language teachers shun social networking sites and other Web 2.0 technologies. Some even see the phenomenon as a threat, according to new research. However, a growing grassroots network is taking advantage, says Yojana Sharma"

Long sets of data from a survey of elearning use in UK HE.

"NCAT is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to the effective use of information technology to improve student learning outcomes and reduce the cost of higher education."

Moodle course on 21C skills

"This is an initiative from the University of Otago, the University of Auckland, Wellington Institute of Technology, the University of Canterbury, and supported by Telecom NZ.  It is an open access national virtual world grid based on open source software.  It operates on NZ-based servers hosted at Otago, Auckland and Canterbury Universities, and leverages other national investments in IT infrastructure through deployment on the high-speed KAREN (Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network). The grid has been set up with an academic focus and will be used for research and education, as well as for proof-of-concept application deployments and testing.  The objectives of the NZVWG initative are to: Undertake both experimental and routine use of virtual worlds in teaching and research;Develop engaging, interactive in-world content customised for NZ use; andDevelop new context-specific plugins enabling interaction between the virtual and real (non-virtual) worlds. "

"The conference is part of the Re-engineering Assessment Practices (REAP) project, a £1m initiative funded by the Scottish Funding Council under its e-Learning Transformation initiative. REAP is a collaboration across the University of Strathclyde, University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University. REAP is evaluating the impact of new assessment practices supported by technology at course, faculty and institutional level.Conference themes: Focusing on assessment FOR learning in tertiary education the conference has three themes to be addressed through keynotes, case studies and structured discussions.Assessment and the first year experienceGreat designs for assessmentInstitutional strategies (designs) for assessment"

"We are developing dynamic Web-based maps, which are a fusion of formal curriculum maps, personal learning records, and community-driven maps. Using established technologies and standards the maps provide 'mash-ups' of information from curriculum databases, ePortfolios and other sources. The project aims to enhance understanding and navigation of the curriculum and provide a means for students to actively map, contextualise, reflect on, and evidence their learning. The maps will also support collaboration, including sharing, rating and discussion of learning resources linked to specific topics in the maps."

"if you change the technology but not the method of learning, then you are throwing bad money after bad practice"

"RecentChangesCamp is an Open Space Technology format unconference focused on wikis and collaborative practices. The conference is named after the "Recent changes" feature that is found in most wikis. Recent Changes Camp follows an unconference model of being free to participants and an Open Space model in having a program that is determined on-site by participants. Check out the session ideas people are thinking about for Boston and Canberra."

" The SLiDA project investigated how institutions are creating and enabling opportunities that promote the development of effective learning in a digital age. The ultimate aim is to promote strategies which support learners to develop the access, skills, strategies and attributes they need to learn effectively with technology. The main deliverables of the study are a set of institutional Case Studies which are presented on this site. Any questions about the project can be directed to Rhona Sharpe, Oxford Brookes University."

"What is you could rebuild the university from the ground up? ...with today's technology... for today's student... world. What would you build?"

"The push towards web-based learning at universities has halved student attendance rates in some courses and dramatically increased working hours for lecturers, a survey of academics has found." Oh dear!

Great conversation happening on the disconnect between good elearning and the day to day realities.  Arrived at from David Jones great post.

Some real nonsense from the Age. No refs to anything and lots of out of context stats. "We talked to 12 academics .." and from that, education is going to hell in a handcart. This article is a bare C at 1st year level - if that.

"This paper will review the changes taking place in learning and teaching, explore the reluctance to embrace more wholesale change to the curriculum, and discuss the implications for institutions in the face of ongoing change."

"Don't use technology in the classroom, use it before and after, outside of the classtoom."