Your Support - Your Say!

At the RSC we’re always keen to hear your thoughts on how we can shape our support services to meet your regional needs. This is especially important for us at this time of year as we focus on planning future activities that will support you over the next twelve months. Now, I don’t do it often but this time around I’d like to ask for your help and input - and just thirty seconds of your time should do it!

We have a broad range of activities planned for the next twelve months, including face to face training events, online webinars, in house support sessions, cross regional activities and much more. However, I’d be very interested to hear of any topics or specific forms of support that you feel would help in your adoption of e-learning. All comments and suggestions will be completely anonymous but will help me to ensure that your needs are accommodated within our forward plans, as far as is possible.

To help me with this, please complete the single question on this page and click submit. (It uses a very simple free Google survey which I mentioned how to do in this previous post).

I hope you’re able to help and thank you in advance for your time. As Wobble readers your input is very valuable to me.

I’ll keep you posted on what your suggestions, recommendations are, and what to expect from us in the next twelve months. We look forward to supporting you further over this next year!
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20 Useful Android Apps for Students

A colleague recently pointed out that Warwickshire College had posted a link to 20 useful android apps for students on their facebook page. With so many learners now using smartphones/other mobile devices to support apsects of their education and training this might be useful to share.

The twenty apps that Dean Sherwin thinks would be most useful to students can be found here.

A useful list for android users, the list of tools compares nicely with the Top Twenty free iPad apps I shared earlier in ther year.

(Thanks for sharing Kirsty).

__________________


Related Wobble links:

Alternatives to the iPad
20 Free Apps for the IPad
Lessons Learned - Learning Journey Made Mobile


To read more of Wobble click here.

Moodle Courses for Training Providers

I've been asked recently about any Moodle courses that are freely available to download or build upon to save training providers from re-inveting the wheel when creating resources.

Below is a list of Moodle courses that have developed by various RSCs that can be zipped, downloaded and then installed on any supported provider’s own Moodle. The courses themselves aim to model effective practice in Moodle course design; they are not simply repositories so of course you will have to exercise a bit of discretion in their use.

It’s also worth noting that a number of business focussed Moodle resources were also recently developed by TDM and made freely available to the sector here. (Mentioned on Wobble in this previous post).

If you have any of your own Moodle courses that you are particularly proud of and would like to make available to other providers, please do get in touch – it’s good to share!


Hope the following is a useful starting point.

Creating Learning Resources with Free Tools
This course looks at a range of free software that can help with producing richer and more engaging e-learning materials. It provides suggestions for the efficient and rapid production of resources and includes links to relevant free-to-use products.

Accessibility: an introduction
This course aims to introduce staff to some common accessibility scenarios and provide suggestions as to how the tutor can respond.

Using ILT to capture the learner voice
Provides ideas and examples of using technology to help capture learners’ views and experiences in a richer and more informative way.

E-learning and E-Safety
This course aims to introduce tutors/managers to the issues involved in making information technology safe for learners - whether they are children, young people or adults.

How to use Moodle
Some of the resources used here were first developed for the RSC Wales course ‘Getting to Know Moodle’ and have been modified slightly. This course was developed as an introduction to using Moodle.

Improving your videos
This short course focuses on the video production skills needed to make higher quality video recordings for applications such as staff development, marketing and promotion and re-usable learning materials. It assumes you have a suitable digital camcorder, a computer and editing software and are able to use these to do basic shooting, capturing and editing.

Top tips for blended learning
This course has been devised by a partnership of RSC East Midlands and EMFEC so you can benefit from exploring ideas for improving teaching and learning in the context of the revised Ofsted standards, with particular attention to the use of technology.

Introduction to Running Online Meetings
With an increasing need for flexibility, cost efficiency and reduced environmental impact, online meetings and training sessions are becoming an attractive prospect in education. This course provides an introduction to web meetings and covers what you need to set up and deliver a succesful online session.

Using Video in Education
This course focuses on the use of video in education. Rather than addressing the technical "how-to shoot and edit video", it looks at where you can find video clips online and what you need to know to be able to use them to enhance teaching and learning.



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Future of the National Learning Network Resources

The National Learning Network materials are interactive learning packages that can be used by LSC funded work based learning providers for free. I’ve mentioned them previously here. The service has recently undergone some changes and with effect from last week (22nd July) is now owned and managed by LSIS.

An LSIS survey in December last year confirmed that:

* practitioners continue to value the materials themselves and the service;
* a large body of learning provider VLEs contains embedded links to the site that would have to be reworked if the site closed

This has led to a number of questions arising as to their continued use, so if you are a current user of these resources or indeed would like to become one, please see the FAQs below for what to expect of the service from this point on.

1. Will the National Learning Network (NLN) materials service continue to operate for the foreseeable future?

YES. LSIS have worked with Xtensis, who developed the service, to ensure its continued operation for the next two years. Xtensis has kindly granted a free license to use the software that delivers the site, so it will look and perform the same as it does now.2. How will it work?

Exactly the same as it does now:

* the NLN materials will continue to be available at www.nln.ac.uk
* all existing links to links to the site - Learner URLs, VLE links and Noodle links - will continue to work as now .
* individual Learning Objects (LOs) and Permanent Collections will still be available for download.

3. What will change?

There will no longer be:

* registration and/login .
* the facility to create collections

Users who want to create new collections or store any pre-existing collections associated with their login can copy them across to a new service provided by Xtensis, called XtLearn.4.

4. What happens now?

The site will be run by LSIS from the summer and work has already started on the new version of the site.

5. What next?

Some of the materials no longer work, either technically because they were based on redundant technology, or in terms of their content (old-fashioned, outdated practice etc). The LSIS survey identified a wish by users to see them brought up to scratch. It also identified members of the community who would be willing to join or lead such developments. LSIS will work with partners to facilitate these developments as far as is practicable.

6. For any other queries about the NLN service

See the User Guide and FAQ page on the NLN site, where many issues and procedures are comprehensively covered. Both are available via the Help Viewer, and the Support box on the home page.

For additional support and help with the NLN website and/or the Excellence Gateway service visit: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/contactus


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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.

__________________

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.

__________________

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.

To read more of Wobble click here.

Discover-e, Our Free Annual Online Event

Our free online annual conference is fast approaching, hope you've saved the date!

It's just a couple of weeks now until Discover-e 2011, RSC West Midlands annual online event which this year takes place on 17th and 18th May. This year we will be offering a series of free online webinars and presentations around the theme of Supporting Learning Providers Priorities.
We will be using our Moodle Virtual Learning Environment to show providers right across the post-16 learning skill sector how learning providers have progressed and applied technology to support their own teaching and learning. Guest speakers will provide live online presentations to explain how their organisation has used technology to support their changing priorities. Using this format of virtual meetings, not only will you not have to leave your own desk you will also still have an opportunity to discuss and post questions to guest speakers as well as interact with other delegates.

If you haven't already booked your free place through our website we hope you will do so soon. As you will see from the agenda there is lots for everyone, plus competitions, some fab technology to be won and more.

We look forward to seeing you online...!

To read more of Wobble click here.