eLearningWatch September 2013

G’day
wet month but warmest for a long time. Nice. I’ve been working on a project for badges as well as looking at differences between learning outcomes and learning objectives. All very interesting and rife with loads of opinions and variations on interpretation. I did like one particular document on learning outcomes and have included it in this edition of the Watch.
At one end of the education sprectrum,methinks torture by technology and text has the potential to overtake paralysis by anaysis at the other end;. I’m looking for a happy medium. (probably have to pay her:-))
In the meantime in this edition there are links to VET resources in Australia, rubric for online courses,tablet computers,a distinguished panel of experts talking about Mooc’s, biggest trends of the year,measuring competency, Google Apps,blended learning primer, Moodle explained with Lego, learning outcomes, conferences and the odd one out.
Until October dawns…
1.Tablet Computers in Education.From LearnPad in the UK
Whilst this article has a ‘slightly’ commercial bent it does provide some useful analysis and suggestions. Worth having a read.

http://learnpad.co/support/features/tablets-in-education.cfm

2. A Rubric for online instruction. A very useful tool to guide you in the creation of your online course. You can download a copy of the Rubric for future use

http://www.csuchico.edu/roi/the_rubric.shtml

3. From Flexible learning Australia: National VET content including toolboxes.
This is a new development which houses a broad range of resources , some free to access, some will cost you and others only available for Australian VET sector. Well worth having a wander through. There’s some excellent resources here.

https://nationalvetcontent.edu.au/share/page/user/guest/dashboard

Have a look at the content in the Elearning Innovations Objects section.

http://tinyurl.com/mlkvwuc

4.The Biggest Online Learning Trends Of The Year.
The infographic says it all. Where are U trending?

http://www.edudemic.com/2013/08/the-biggest-online-learning-trends-of-the-year/

5.EdGalaxy: 5 Google Apps for Education PD resources for busy teachers .
Haven’t been to this site before but first impressions are very good. Apart from the overview of the Google Apps, there is a variety of resources to explore.Much is around the secondary level but a lot can easily be used at all levels.Some interesting posters to peruse as well.

http://tinyurl.com/m2abt9l

6.Measuring Competency: Understanding the Tradeoffs of Different Assessment Strategies.
An interesting and useful article for comparing and contrasting the advantages and disadvantages of various assessment strategies.

http://www.vitalresearch.com/pdf/VR_Measuring_Competency_Brief_February_2005.pdf

7.Guide to Writing Module Learning Outcomes at DCU:Learning Innovation Unit, Dublin City University
I thought this was an excellent guide. Good structure, examples, ideas and suggestions. Easy to transfer to your own deliberations.

http://www.dcu.ie/afi/docs/FINAL_GUIDE_LOs-1%20May%2019th.pdf

8.Moodle explained with LEGO. Very different but quite an interesting way of presenting the basics of Moodle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XPZl6LLvik&feature=youtu.be

9.Blended learning: A ‘primer’ in real terms with a useful overview, definitions, guides and resources.

http://www.christenseninstitute.org/blended-learning-3/

10. From the ETC Journal A journal for educational technology & change. Extracts from the MIT LINC 2013:’Consistent but Stupid’
Here are a series of short videos of international authorities on e/online/ distance learning talking about MOOC’s.

Tony Bates is always good value and you can download his presentation. Have a watch and listen. Very interesting and thought provoking from all four presenters.

http://etcjournal.com/2013/07/06/mit-linc-2013-consistent-but-stupid/

Tony Bates presentation’How to Make MOOCs Really Effective: Lessons from 20 Years of Research Into Online Learning’

http://etcjournal.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/linc2013bates.pdf

11.0 Conferences
11.1 63rd ICEM Conference 1 – 4 October 2013, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Assoc Prof Daniel Tan is behind the organisation of this one, so it’s bound to go well and be a worthwhile experience. Details can be found at:

http://icem2013.ntu.edu.sg/

11.2 altc2013 Building new cultures of learning
The conference takes place at the East Midlands Conference Centre, University of Nottingham, 10-12 September 2013. For more information about the conference please visit :

http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2013

11.3 ascilite 2013
The 30th ascilite conference . This year it will be held at Macquarie University on the 1st – 4th December
For more details and to keep in touch go to:

http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/sydney13/

11.4 mLearn Doha, Qatar, Hosted by the College of the North Atlantic-Qatar. We are delighted to extend the reach of mLearn into a new region of the world.
The conference dates will be 22-24 October, preceded by workshops on 21 October.
The conference website is available here:

http://webit.cna-qatar.edu.qa/mlearn2013/

11.6 NZ Happenings
6th Annual NZ Shar-e-fest: Thursday 10th and Friday 11th October 2013, Wintec, Hamilton.

http://sharefest.crowdvine.com/

FINAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS August 23rd
GO TO:

http://sharefest.crowdvine.com/pages/presentation_guides

The full Programme will be posted by 20th September
We are also very pleased for the support from

DEANZ

ascilite

and

Ako Aotearoa, New Zealand’s National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence

All are GOLD sponsors of NZ Shar-E-Fest 2013.
12. The odd one out: How to create an infographic in 5 minutes. Crosses all boundaries so there must be one you can create for yourself or the kids.

http://piktochart.com/how-to-create-infographic-in-5-minutes/

That’s it
Cheers
Richard
Richard Elliott
The Eternal Macademic
Auckland
New Zealand