Hi everyone
Auckland has had enough rain to solve London’s drought twice over, and snow came very close to Auckland. At least we have passed the shortest day and summer is on the horizon (if I could see it through the fog).
This month points you to three conferences, ALT-C 2006 of course, ASCILITE 2006 (and what a venue) and the first ever LAMS conference. All will be well worth attending.
Other sites point you to a new learning commons agreement, ELFramework (compare LARM with LAMS), the release of Moodle 1.6 with a raft of new features, an online journal with some useful articles mainly focussed on learning objects, reusable learning, teaching English, learning some programming, exploiting the potential of PBWiki and of course the odd one out
1. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects is an academically peer refereed Journal. All submissions are blind refereed by three or more peers
There is some good stuff here in the latest edition. I found the article below particularly interesting (it’s a pdf download).
The Present and Future of Standards for E-Learning Technologies
Iraklis Varlamis and Ioannis Apostolakis
2. Reusable learning. Here’s an interesting site with some useful information on issues associated with the design and reuse of learning materials.
http://www.reusablelearning.org/
3. Getting to grips with HTML, XHTML PSP and all the other programming systems often presents some interesting challenges. The two sites below provide some excellent tutorials to get you started or to improve your skills
Full Web Building Tutorials – All Free
At W3Schools you will find all the Web-building tutorials you need, from basic HTML and XHTML to advanced XML, SQL, Database, Multimedia and WAP.
http://www.w3schools.com/default.asp
Welcome to the HTML Code Tutorial. Our goal is to provide the most helpful and complete guide to creating web pages anywhere.
http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/
4. The 23rd annual conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE), will take place at the Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, Australia, 3-6 December 2006
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/sydney06
This is rapidly shaping up to be the year’s unmissable learning technology event.
It is being organised in conjunction with the 1st International LAMS conference (6-8 Dec, also in Sydney).
http://lamsfoundation.org/lams2006/index.htm
Papers for Ascilite 2006 can be on any aspect of research on the use of ICT for learning and teaching in tertiary education.
Keynote speakers:
Professor Pierre Dillenbourg (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Professor Mike Spector (Florida State Uni, USA).
5. The ELF is an international effort to develop a service-orientated approach to the development and integration of computer systems in the sphere of learning, research and education administration. Have a look at the LARM document and compare it with LAMS out of interest.
http://www.elframework.org/projects
6. Moodle recently announced the release of version 1.6 with a whole new raft of changes and features making this very popular LMS even more flexible and easy to use.
http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=48061
7. I mentioned PBWiki in a previous posting. It seems to be going from strength to strength. Below is a link to a web site which exploits some of the potential of the Wiki in education
http://thescribepost.pbwiki.com/
PBWIki is at
8. Creative Commons licensing and Microsoft. A press release which has some good news for those who support the creative commons concept
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jun06/06-20MSCreativeCommonsPR.mspx
9. Probably the last time I will promote THE Learning Technologies event of the year. You will have missed the early bird deadline by the time you get this but don’t let that stop you from registering ASAP.
ALT-C 2006: the next generation
5-7 September 2006, Edinburgh, UK
Conference co-chairs: Prof Terry Mayes and Prof Ron Oliver
http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2006/
Book online now at
http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2006/registering.html
Key deadlines:
Earlybird rate closes 30 June 2006.
Exhibition bookings close 30 June 2006 (only a few spaces left).
Registrations close 11 August 2006.
Accommodation will go fast this year, as Edinburgh will be full for
the Festival. You are strongly advised to book ASAP!
Keynote speakers: Stephen Heppell, Diana Oblinger, Tim O’Shea.
Theme leaders: Terry Anderson, Phil Candy, Gilly Salmon, Chris Yapp.
http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2006/keynotes.html
The programme will go online in July.
http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2006/programme.html
10. Teaching English? A packed site with many links for all levels aimed at improving the use of written and spoken English
11. And the odd one out. How to create and share diagrams online.
From the site ‘Diagramming in your web browser without downloading additional software.
Similar to Visio, yet in your web browser
Desktop application feel in a web-based diagramming solution
Add collaborators to your work and watch it grow
Link to published Gliffy drawings from your blog or wiki
Create many types of diagrams:
Flowcharts
UI wireframes
Floor plans
Network diagrams
Any simple drawing or diagram’
Give it a go.
—
Richard Elliott
E-learning Watch
http://elearnwatch.falkor.gen.nz/
Auckland New Zealand
‘Learning in the Driver’s seat, Technology turning the wheels’
Member of the Programme Committee for ALT-C 2006