Introduction to eLearning, 1st December 2011

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Introduction to E-Learning

Contents

Introduction to e-Learning

One day event with several workshops to choose from for people who are completely new to e-learning and information learning technologies (ILT), to help them with their understanding of what e-learning is and how it can help them in their teaching.


Presentations and Session Resources

Please find workshop summaries, faciliators details and their sessions resources below:


Sharing and finding resources with Delicious

Facilitator: Matt Gallon, Deputy Manager/eLearning Advisor (Learning Resources) m.gallon@rsc-wm.ac.uk

Session Aims: To introduce delegates to the free social bookmarking tools Delicious and Diigo, as a means of sharing and discovering teaching and learning resources. Explore ways Delicious/Diigo can be embedded into other Web tools, including Virtual Learning Environments like Moodle.

Resources:

Diigo Video Tutorials

  • Searching & Researching with Diigo
  • Sharing with Diigo and building a network of contacts
  • Using groups, collaborating with Diigo



Using the IFL REFLECT e-portfolio to record CPD Practice

Faciliator: Allen Crawford Thomas, eLearning Advisor - Teaching and Learning a.crawford-thomas@rsc-wm.ac.uk


The IFL REFLECT portfolio is based on PebblePad which is described by Pebble Pad as; “much more than an e-portfolio. It is a Personal Learning Space”.

Just like Pebble Pad, IFL RELFECT enables teachers and trainers to create records of learning, achievement and aspiration (CPD) using a reflective structure to underpin activities.

Over time IFL REFLECT allows users to create, store, and review multiple “assets” which can be aggregated into powerful presentational ‘e-portfolios’ to provide valuable stories of learning or achievement. Conversation, communication and collaboration items can be shared with trusted individuals, published to group pages, or made public to the world-wide web.

However, if you are new to e-portfolios the potential describe above can be difficult to understand and some of the tools in the IFL REFLECT can be confusing at first.


Session Aims: The aim of this session is to introduce teachers and trainers to the tools in the IFL Reflect e-portfolio which can be used record CPD practice. The session will cover:

  • A review of the key CPD features in IFL REFLECT.
  • Personalising the look of IFL REFLECT.
  • Creating an “asset”, e.g. using activity tools and CPD record.
  • Uploading your own “assets”, i.e. CPD evidence such as jpegs, pdf files, or word documents.
  • Linking assets.
  • Inserting hyperlinks to websites within assets.


Resources:

These resources may help you get to know more about REFLECT. In addition, Allen can offer learning providers further support with training or staff development sessions. He can be contacted via email at;

Allen Crawford Thomas [a.crawford-thomas@rsc-wm.ac.uk]



Assistive Technology Workshop

Faciliator: Alison Wootton, e-learning Advisor a.wootton@rsc-wm.ac.uk

Session Aims: The aim of this session is to identify what Assitive Technology is and how it can be used with learners so they are able to move towards independence whether to Higher Education or the world of work.


This session aims to introduce staff to new technology to assist learning. The training offers an opportunity to try out new technologies and identify what the benefits are for learners. The session will be informal and look at a range of software and hardware, and Open Source Software such as Access Apps, including;

  • Software (Read and Write Gold, Word Bar, Clicker)
  • Digital Cameras, MP3 Players
  • Trackerballs, Giro Mice
  • Keyboards
  • Pen Partners

Resources: Assisitive Technology Presentation



Tech On A Budget

Facilitator: Colleen Romero, eLearning Advisor - Technical Infrastructure colleen.romero@rsc-wm.ac.uk

Session Aims: A quick review of free software that can be used for tasks such as word processing, image editing or creating podcasts.

PDF Tools

A PDF is a great format for disseminating electronic documents. The main reason is that a PDF document will look the same whether on-screen or printed. The layout of, for instance, a Word document can change depending on what printer is used. The most popular software for reading PDFs is Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available as a free download from Adobe Systems. PDF documents are not easy to edit, which can be an advantage if you want to protect your document content. Adobe Acrobat X Standard can be used to create and edit PDFs, but this is NOT free software.

However, there is free software available for:

  • converting documents to PDF format
  • securing PDFs by adding watermarks and passwords
  • adding annotations, such as highlights, to PDFs

Click here for details.

Cloud Storage

What do you do if you want to take a document home that you been have working on, or work together with your colleagues on it ? Some options are to use e-mail or USB disks, but that can result in multiple copies of the document that you will have to consolidate; and if the document contains sensitive information bad things can happen if the USB disk gets lost.

The solution is to store your document in the Internet, or the cloud, so that it is accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection. As with online photo and music sharing sites, you can control who has permission to view and/or edit your documents. Cloud storage is also a great way to backup your documents.

The good news is that there are a number of companies offering free cloud storage. Click here for details.

Spice Up Your Presentations

You are probably familiar with using Microsoft Powerpoint to produce presentations that can be used in teaching. However, there are other options for getting your message across, such as slide shows and movies. Fortunately, there are free tools and services for creating this type of content. Click here for details.

Podcasting

A podcast is a audio recording in MP3 format that is available online to play or download. Podcasts are an alternative or an enhancement to presentations for sharing learning content with students.

To create and edit a podcast you will need a microphone and audio editing software. Click here for details.

Other Free Software and Services

Tips

  • Prezi, YouTube, Picasa, and other online services that generate content, usually provide code to allow the content to be embedded into another web page, e.g. a Moodle course, or a blog. Click here to find out more.
  • Submitting Assignments in Moodle (provided by Annette Butler of Birmingham Metropolitan College)



Emerging Technologies (or 7 Things You Should Know About)

Facilitator: Theresa Welch, eLearning Advisor (Work Based Learning) theresa.welch@rsc-wm.ac.uk


Session Aims: This session will be loosely based on the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative's (ELI's) 7 Things You Should Know About series. Using these guides it will provide information on seven emerging learning technologies and related practices. This includes Things You Should Know About Organizing Files in the Cloud, Next-Generation Presentation Tools, Flip Camcorders, Google Apps, RSS, Flickr, Personalized Digital Magazines and Mobile Apps for Learning.


Each of these areas of emerging technology will be looked at in terms of what the technology is, how it works, where it is going and why it matters to teaching and learning.


Resources:

Emerging Technologies Presentation


EDUCAUSE® is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology: http://educause.edu See their complete list of emerging technologies at: http://www.educause.edu/ELI7Things


Software mentioned during the session:


  • Google Reader (for RSS) Google Reader is web-based software, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds online or offline.
  • Dropbox Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily.
  • Google Apps Google Apps is a service from Google providing independently customizable versions of several Google products under a custom domain name.
  • Using Google forms Google forms are a useful tool to help you plan events, give students a quiz, or collect other information in an easy, streamlined way.
  • Prezi Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software that opens up a new world between whiteboards and slides.



Using a Wiki to Support your Teaching

Faciliator: Jane Edwards, eLearning Advisor – Adult and Community Learning E-mail: p.jane.edwards@rsc-wm.ac.uk

Session Aims: To introduce the world of wikis and to show how they can be used to support teaching. You may have heard of 'wikipedia' but what about other types of 'wiki'? In this session, we shall look at a free resource, pbworks which allows you to set up your own wiki for personal use and productivity, then exploring the Classroom edition for teaching and learning.

Resources: Using a Wiki to Support your Teaching



The Wonderful World of Word Clouds

Faciliator: Christa Appleton, eLearning Advisor - H.E. christa.appleton@rsc-wm.ac.uk

Session Aims: By the end of this session participants:

  • Will understand what a word cloud is
  • Be able to create and store them quickly and easily using a range of freely available software
  • Understand how word clouds can be used innovatively in the classroom and online as a resource to enhance learning activities, provide information or as royalty free images.
Your wordcloud favourites


The Word Cloud creators we looked at were:

  • Word Mosaic Great for quick & easy concept images
  • Wordle Very popular (one of your favourites) and easy to use
  • Worditout An alternative to Wordle
  • Tagxedo Try this out as a more flexible alternative to Wordle, embed for an interactive word cloud
  • Tagul Intended for the web, can be customised inside the code
  • Wordsift Cleverly includes a visual thesaurus, google images gallery & workspace for interaction with your word cloud


More examples of my word clouds and a few of yours from the workshop can be found on RSCWM Flickr


Examples of wordclouds used as images can be seen on my blog Te@l


Resources:

Word Clouds presentation



Teaching and Learning safely online

Faciliator: Jason Curtis, RSC - Learning Technologist jason.curtis@rsc-wm.ac.uk

Session Aims: This session will examine drivers behind eSafety and the challenges we face when educating ourselves and our learners to be safe online. To support this subject we will also examine a number of ways to raise eSafety awareness.


Resources:

Presentation Slides To download the edited presentation used on the day please do so here Session Presentation

I have add additonal information to this version which you may find useful Alternative Presentation


Scenario Activity I have added all of the scenario activity resources used during the session here for you to download

Useful links Additional Rescources mentioed during the session included:


Blogs and Further Reading

Resources and articles relating to e-learning feature regularly on individual team members blogs.


  • Wobble has articles, news and resources to support staff in the work based learning sector. Readers can register to receive free email updates with details of e-learning news and resources. http://wblwestmids.blogspot.com/
  • RSCWM Learning Technologies The RSCWM Learning Technologies blog was created signpost its readers to the latest innovations in technology that may be of potential use within a teaching and learning context.


Additional Training and Support

For more details and future dates of events relating to creating e-resources - keep an eye on our events page.

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