G’DAY
I was going to leave this addition of the EWatch until June, but thought that the links are topical and timely and give you something to do whilst you watch the rain fill up the front room or the garage (hope not) 
Rain is something that New Zealand does very well; usually non stop! It limits the gardening time whilst enabling all the hedges and grass to grow as fast as they can. Needless to say all the veggies have very wet feet, probably no good as cattle fodder
This year seems to be going faster than last year. Must be that one is becoming more mature. Not a bad thing when you think of cheese, not so sure about advancing age.
**Just got an alert from the Mayor of Auckland: ‘State of Emergency’ declared** Can’t be much rain left!
However, rainy day activities have increased exponentially; spending more time de-cluttering , following the latest ‘trends’ in e-learning, sorting the stamp collection and persuading the dog that it didn’t need a walk in the rain. Hi Ho..
The noise around the traps these days is Chat GPT, its potential, limitations and dire warnings. In hot pursuit is the rise and rise of Micro-credentials. This edition of the EWatch is essentially focused on these two innovations. Are they shaping the future of learning and teaching? What are their limitations and how powerful can they become?; read on and cogitate
Links:
1.ChatGPT: Everything you need to know about OpenAI’s GPT-4 tool. Get up to date and decide whether this new innovation could provide you with a useful tool to enhance student learning.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/
2.ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it. This is an interesting read and worth spending a few minutes contemplating what is being said or not. [Note that access to the site is limited and frequent access will activate a request for subscription
)
https://www.technologyreview.
3.Guide to using ChatGPT. One of many beginning to make their presence felt. I like this one as its easy to follow and gives some useful examples.
https://www.simplilearn.com/
4. Exploring ChatGPT: A Beginner’s Guide. Short and clear, providing some good examples of the power of ChatGPT and some of its limitations
https://ai.plainenglish.io/
5. How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming the E-Learning Industry? More grist to the Mill. Some ideas on how AI could change the future of e-Learning.
6. Micro-credentials & Digital Badges: Definitions, Affordances and Design Considerations for Application in Higher Education Institutions. A useful article from the All Ireland Journal of Higher Education, providing a clear design framework and explanation of Micro-credentials and digital badges.
[AISHE-JVolume 15, Number 1(Spring2023)]
https://ojs.aishe.org/index.
7. Microlearning and Microcredentials: An Upskilling Solution of the Future.Adds to knowledge and understanding of the introduction, purpose, use and differences.
https://tinyurl.com/ycxj9cwm
8. Microlearning:”In this guide, you will learn about microlearning, what makes it effective, and how to implement it successfully in your organization.” Worth reading for some useful insights , explanations and ideas.
https://tinyurl.com/24d4x2cw
9.eLearning vs. Microlearning: What Are the Differences? There are some. However, in essence, they are complementary and can provide a useful learning experience and motivation to gain skills and competency for a range of students at all levels.
https://tinyurl.com/29aurpaw
10.[INFOGRAPHIC] Microlearning, benefits and disadvantages. Nicely created infographic
https://tinyurl.com/2zfjwwu7
Publications:
1. 13th Issue of the International Journal for Students as Partners (IJSaP) is now available
This issue features the fourth iteration of ‘Voices from the Field’, which focuses on: how can students-as-partners work inform assessment?’ Recognizing that “assessment” means different things in different contexts, we invited contributors to specify what definition they are working with.
Altogether 55 students and 58 staff/faculty from Australia, Canada, Bahrain, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, United Kingdom, and the United States have contributed to this issue of 234pp.
from https://mulpress.mcmaster.ca/
Conferences:
1.ASCILITE2023: #THEME: People, partnerships and pedagogies. It’s in NEW ZEALANd in Christchurch. Not to be missed. Hurry up and register and enjoy clear and bountiful rain (only kidding)
https://2023conference.
2. ASSOCIATION FOR LEARNING TECHNOLOGY Annual Conference, 5th- 7th September 2023. Always a rich and rewarding event.
https://www.alt.ac.uk/civicrm/
Odd one out:
Pomodoro Technique & How It Can Help You Master Time Management. I’m often banging on about good time management as a road to success in everything you do. The Pomodoro technique has been around for many years and always useful to peruse and contemplate if you haven’t seen or used it before. You may even adopt it !
https://www.simplilearn.com/
Tomatoes could be a timely addition to your grilling day at work!
Regards
Richard
Richard Elliott
The Eternal Macademic
Auckland
New Zealand