G’day
No fooling,April is upon us and the eager beaver students are back at Uni adding to the March madness on the roads in NZ. The ‘Free’ first year at Uni doesn’t seem to have had a major impact on enrolments; most institutions indicate little change in normal patterns.
I’ve had a bit of time to reflect on some of the excellent presentations at SoTEL 2018.In doing so I came across a quote from Albert Einstein which I thought supported the tenet of the excellent trendsetter presentation from Prof John Clayton from Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi He challenged the audience to believe that in an educational environment in which students take responsibility for their own learning, you don’t need a ‘Teacher’. The quote from Einstein: ‘I never teach my pupils, I only provide the conditions in which they can learn’.
Couldn’t think of any thing more appt .
And for those of you who are keen and passionate about making a difference to your student learning through enhancement with technology, SoTEL 2019 will take place in February 2019; watch this space and be prepared to participate.
Apart from the work stuff, the garden is settling down. The veggie plot is lying fallow as it awaits the autumn plantings. The dog is enjoying extra time on the beach now the summer restriction have been lifted. Hi Ho
In the posting this month there are links to education blogs, learning outcomes, AR and VR, solving real problems, cognitive theory and multimedia, impact of AI, micro learning, open education, Bloom’s basement and edtech, engaging adult learners, conferences, NZ happenings and the odd one out.
May is fast approaching.
1.Students Need to Solve Real Problems. Nice article . Applies to all levels of education. Some useful insights, comments, guides, examples and analysis
http://www.spencerauthor.com/pblproblems/
2. From the Internet of Things for all:The Current State of Augmented and Virtual Reality. Easy read article on various aspects of AR and VR and what the current trends are in development and use. Lots of other interesting stuff on this site, which is worth exploring.
https://www.iotforall.com/current-state-augmented-virtual-reality/
3. There are hundreds of blogs on education. Occasionally I have come across one that I think has a lot of merit and is worth exploring. This one by Daniel T. Willingham a professor of cognitive psychology, is one such blog. The article on ‘A new idea to promote transfer’ is worth reading as are several other articles on his site.
4.Defining, writing and applying learning outcomes:A European handbook. With the main focus on vocational education and training, this very comprehensive handbook could be a very useful resource for all those involved in education and training. Well written and structured and worth downloading and adding to your resource bank
5.Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. Extract from site: The cognitive theory of multimedia learning presents principles to guide designers of multimedia and e-learning in the presentation of textual, graphical, video and audio information for optimal learning. Each principle is backed by research comparing different multimedia learning conditions to determine which results in better student learning (Clark & Mayer, 2011). Worth exploring and digesting.
https://sites.google.com/site/cognitivetheorymmlearning/home
6. Edtech Is Trapped in Ben Bloom’s Basement. Interesting opinion piece on the application of Bloom’s taxonomy to education technology, indicating that perhaps changes are necessary in implementation in the technology enhanced learning environment.
7. Exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on teaching and learning in higher education: Popenici and Kerr Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning (2017) 12:22. A paper making a useful contribution to the concept and possible impact of using AI in higher education.
8. Engaging Adult Learners: A well written article on the nature of adult learners and the teaching approaches that can be used to facilitate learning. Not a lot of new stuff , but certainly worth a read to reinforce your own practice or maybe even change it.
9.Open Education: International Perspectives in Higher Education:A useful oversight of Open Education and its possible future pathways to enable free education for all.
10. Microlearning: a strategy for ongoing professional development. I read this paper the other day and inspite of the fact it was produced a few years ago , it stands up to scrutiny in the elearning environments of today. A useful table comparing macro and micro learning plus some useful comments and overview of micro learning make this worth a read.
11. Conferences
11.1 ALT ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2018,11 to 13 September 2018, Manchester, UK
ALT’s 25th Annual Conference we will bring together different critical perspectives in Learning Technology from across our community that will examine the challenges ahead and question the shape of things to come. Find out more from:
11.2 4th International Conference on Higher Education Advances
June 20 to 22, 2018. Valencia, Spain
twitter: @headconf
11.3 Ascilite:35th International Conference on Innovation, Practice and Research in the Use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education.
Deakin University, Waterfront Campus, Geelong, Victoria, Australia. 25th to 28th November 2018
http://2018conference.ascilite.org
11.4 14th International Conference Mobile Learning 2018,14 to 16 April 2018, Lisbon, Portugal
http://www.mlearning-conf.org/
11.5 The Blackboard Teaching & Learning Conference ANZ 2018, Brisbane, Australia, AUGUST 28 to 31st 2018, For more information:
12. New Zealand Events.
12.1 The 2nd SoTEL symposium. February 2019. Put a reminder in your digital diary now and work on that presentation.
12.2 Creating a barrier-free learning experience – inclusive and accessible for all.
This is a free workshop.
In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore what a barrier free learning experience looks like, with a particular focus on best practices. The more accessible the learning materials are, the more inclusive and personalised the learning experience becomes. When learning materials are well designed the closer the parity and quality of learning experience becomes for all learners.
Come and find out how you can design and develop barrier free, inclusive and accessible learning experiences for all.
Date: Thursday 12th April, Time: 8.45am-12pm
Location: Massey University. Palmerston North
Please register here:
http://events.blackboard.com/AccessibilityWorkshopNZ
13. Odd one out: Eyewitness to history: This site presents information and authenticated resources from eye witnesses (and material in a range of media) who were actually at the event in time. Extract from the site: ‘Your ringside seat to history , from the Ancient World to the present. History through the eyes of those who lived it’. Quite fascinating and interesting.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com
May.. be more in the pipeline
Richard
Richard Elliott
The Eternal Macademic
Auckland
New Zealand