Lessons Learned - Learning Journey Made Mobile

Earlier this year, myself and Jason Curtis (our Learning Technologist), initiated a new Mobile Project which aimed to explore and potentially increase the use of mobile technologies in the work based learning sector. This involved awarding successful bidders small amounts of funding which could be used to buy mobile devices that would enhance aspects of the learner journey.

The eleven successful applicants that were chosen to take part have now purchased and evaluated their chosen mobile devices and reported their findings back to us.

The report below summarises what these providers found, highlighting what technology they bought, what were the main challenges, what benefits were gained and what their plans are now after using their chosen device. Click the image for the report.

The illustration below offers a snapshot of what was bought by the group and shows just how varied their choice of technology was. (Click the image to enlarge.)

More details and full project information is now available on our supporting project wiki page. This includes a snapshot of who bought what and why.

We hope you find our findings useful in your own technology choices.

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New Digital JISC Inform Magazine

I’m loving the look of the new format of JISC inform which is now a nicely presented digital magazine. The aim of this online publication is to still share JISC’s work to support learning providers but also give you the opportunity to share your experiences by commenting on what you are doing in your own organisation.

Throughout the current edition you’ll see comment boxes and functionality allowing you to upload your own links to video and add comments to the articles. Each article also has its own url, which means if you find a particular topic or article of interest, you can forward it on to colleagues or add the #jiscinform tag to blog and Tweet about it.

The current edition of JISC Inform is in beta because the JISC team are looking for your views. You may find that some elements don't work as you would like but please do let them know if this is the case and they will work to make those improvements before the next edition.

Some topics of interest in this one....

Information overload?
RSS feed readers, taking news from the noise. This copy of JISC Inform looks at how RSS readers can deliver your pre-selected news to your inbox, saving you time spent scrolling through multiple websites.

Saving money – your questions answered
Reducing costs is at the top of every learning provider’s priority list as we enter the 2011 financial year. JISC answers your questions about how they can help you trim your budget.

Debate: Is green ICT a priority in times of austerity?
Paul Rock is currently leading JISC's storage calculator project to help people in other institutions find out how much energy they would save by using the greener file storage pioneered by Paul and his team.

I hope you enjoy this new format as much as I do. I think its a great way to easily keep up to date with the support that JISC is offering learning providers across the board.

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Related wobble posts:

RSC Newsletter now Available Online
Greener Computing


To read more of Wobble click here.

Teachers TV Videos now Back Online

"The entire catalogue of 3500 Teachers TV videos was taken off-line recently when Teachers TV came to an end. However, the people who worked there have formed a new company called Teachers Media and they now have all of the videos back online.

Many practitioners will be glad to see that these valuable resources are now back! On Techers Media you are now able to:

1. Stream all the 3500 Teachers TV videos at the highest quality


2. Easily search and navigate the Teachers TV archive


3. Access and download documents and other resources linked to the videos


4. Use the popular Behaviour Challenge interactive training tools

Visit them at Teachers Media at http://www.teachersmedia.co.uk/"

(From John Dalziel at What DL is Happening?)





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Moodle Users Forum

At the end of this month the RSC West Midlands will host another free Moodle forum, intended for learning providers in the West Midlands who deliver funded education and skills programmes in the post 16 education and skills sector.

This forum is a good opportunity for all Moodle users to come together and

· hear about new developments with Moodle and Moodle partner support activity
· share practice through show and tell sessions

This one holds particular interest to the work based learning sector as it will include a demonstration of Totora; a version of Moodle best suited to staff development and competency-based training and assessment delivery such as apprenticeships. Learn more about Totara in this short brochure (pdf).

The forum will also look at PAL Packs (Personally Accountable learning Packs).

The forum will take place at 09:30 - 13:00 on 27 Jun 2011, and will be held at Worcester College of Technology, Worcester, Worcestershire. More details and online booking is available through our website.

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Related wobble links:

Moodle Use in Work Based Learning
Moodle Tool Guide for Teachers



To read more of Wobble click here.

Online Training: Podcasting - A Practical Guide

Do you want to create an effective podcast that people will want to listen to and share? 'Podcasting - A Practical Guide' is a new online workshop, delivered by Newskills, which delivers practical training, information and advice to help you plan, produce, publish and promote your own podcasts.

The workshop is delivered entirely online. It begins with a session on Monday 20th June, 11.30am-12.30pm, which provides a short introduction to some of the key themes of the workshop, an overview of the web-based training system (Elluminate) and advice in how to prepare for the main training session.

Then join a full day of online training on Wednesday 29th June, 10:00am-4:00pm.

Be one of the first 6 people to book http://bit.ly/fOrRKV and receive a free USB headset (only 6 available).

Regional Examples of Podcasting in Use

Below are a couple of examples of where podcasting has been used to support education in this region:

At North East Worcestershire College, various tutors across different subject areas have incorporated podcasting as a flexible approach to teaching and learning. Available through the College's virtual learning environment, the podcasts have provided a more engaging way of communicating, as well as an effective method for revision and an opportunity to catch up on missed lessons.

At New College, Worcester they have embraced the use of audio technology to support visually impaired learners. The Head of Science at the college has created a series of MP3s for their students to re-enforce learning and help with revision.

Podcasting in Plain English

If you are new to podcasting, or wondering how podcasting can help you, the following video from Commoncraft nicely explains Podcasting in Plain English.

Commoncraft podcasting in plain english from Rob Sbaglia on Vimeo.

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