Week 1 activities

Webinar 0 and 1 ..... stimulating the little grey cells......

Really great having the live webinars cast via #YouTube.

I decided to follow up some of the links shared so here they are.

Digital literacy, what they are and how to attain them...
http://www.bath.ac.uk/learningandteaching/courses-development/current-projects/pride-project.html

The Eight elements of digital literacy are key to this project -http://digilitpride.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/making-sense-of-the-8-elements-of-digital-literacy/

3E Framework
http://staff.napier.ac.uk/services/vice-principal-academic/academic/TEL/TechBenchmark/Pages/Introduction.aspx

A model of ELT at DMU
https://celt.our.dmu.ac.uk/support-using-technology/elt-key-documentation/a-model-of-elt-at-dmu/

Evaluating digital services: a Visitors and Residents approach
http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/evaluating-services/









A further area of digital literacy is 'digital health literacy', as 'patients' and 'health care professionals' we are increasingly reliant on the www for accessing and providing health information, booking health appointments and ordering prescriptions. We are increasingly exposed to innovations in 'ehealth', 'tele health and care', recent live cast of surgery via GoogleGlass . Many of these are aimed at improving health or the opportunity to manage our own health more independently.

But when do our health providers check our digital health literacy? or our ability to use the technology or our confidence and trust in the technology?

I recently attended a conference day for DISCOVER Skills For Carers an exciting initiative to equip carers with digital literacy for health.

Visit http://www.discover4carers.eu/      http://moodle.discover4carers.eu/

Research and innovation in this area is increasing globally, overcoming geographical boundaries and widening access to health information and care.


Links:

http://digitalhealth.dh.gov.uk/

W.H.O. Health literacy and health behaviour - http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/7gchp/track2/en/

Q: how do you feel?

In response to comment: http://jillianpawlynoctel.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/digital-learner-this-year-i-am.html 

Hi Tracey,

"I'd be interested to know how you feel your developing as a digital learner has influenced you as a teacher."

I am a multi-modal learner (see VARK 2014 post ).

Broadly speaking I consider my development has been growth in 'empathy' and 'technical ability'. I really enjoy 'having a go' and' trying things out'.

As a digital learner I have had many great and not so great experiences but I learn from each.

I have enjoyed the diversity of resources available to me via the WWW. The global network of learners from the courses I have undertaken 'on-line' has been great, I enjoy exploring from both my own and others perspectives.

I value open collections and get frustrated when I can't access recommended or essential readings because they are not available in the 'public' domain or the 'domain of my employer'.

I have encountered a diverse range of technical challenges, resource challenges with incompatible technologies and activities taking longer than anticipated by the 'facilitating teacher' or me as a learner. I love my new Chromebook but it frustrates me that so many 'teaching technologies' don't work inside the browser. Thanks #ocTEL for the live #YouTube stream.

I enjoy the freedom to explore my learning but also recognise I have to maintain focus. I enjoy the diversions the WWW offers but know the importance of a study outline with my key terms to retain focus.

Finally as a professional I also acutely aware of my 'on-line persona' and how this presents to the public, my peers, and students. My mantra is if I don't want the world to know it then I don't put it on-line! I have work persona which is separate from my 'friends and family' this causes some challenges as the technologies don't allow for this level of security within them, or don't provide the confidence level for the security I would like, so I use #Facebook for 'friends and family' and #Google+, #Twitter and #LinkedIn for my professional self. I also value as a student the security and privacy of a closed learning environment such as an institutional #VLE. I want to explore safely and when I stuff up I don't want to worry about the mistake being 'public', I expect the VLE to be a private, safe space in the same way as my 'physical classroom.

--------


So from these experiences as a digital teacher, I would say I am aware of the potential challenges students grapple with when mastering new technologies or using technologies in new ways. I believe that mastering the technology should not get in the way of the real learning purpose.

I am 'conservative' in that my teaching delivery is primarily via a VLE. I believe this provides students with a 'secure and safe' place to explore and learn without fear of it leaking into the public world. It is also supported by our IT help team so the student isn't 'on their own' when it goes wrong. I test my resources across a variety of devices and browser so I can try and iron out the glitches, or at least for warn students and provide 'help' information.

In the absence of institutional student access document management systems I do use Google drive to share resources and maintain version control. I also use other web2.0 tools as 'optional' tools in my teaching, I believe students should have a choice whether they sign up to the licence and should have opportunity to consider its level of openness before use.

My teaching activities on-line always include some reading, discussion, reflection and where possible some video/audio element (often YouTube) or a resource from our streaming server.

My students are primarily on-campus learners, we regularly get together for face to face discussions. Using their digital learning activities to prepare for the discussion.

I advocate that the on-line learning time is part of the learning time for the module/course and must not be considered a 'bolt' on. I offer face to face, on-line and telephone tutorials so students can engage in location rather than always attending campus.

For me digital learning (and teaching) is a richer, more personalised, and flexible learning experience, the openness of the WWW removes many of the boundaries to learning. I love being a digital learner and a 'conservative' digital teacher. It isn't plain sailing and over the years I have felt constrained by my work environment and curriculum and my professional identity. I carry around a 'virtual soap box' to stand on!

Soapbox
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/transforminggenerosity/13776713843/

p.s. as usual for me this was composed, edited, and then finally posted..... as a rather lengthy response.

I then decided to compose in its own post ....... :-)

5. Platforms and Technologies

Kolb and Learning

Having read through the three key questions and considered my responses, I totally agree with Sandra's (ocTEL participant) comment.

I too try and include a range of ways of engaging my audience, my personal interaction and selection of technologies varies depending on the topic and the environment of delivery.

I start by recognising how I prefer to learn and the journey I have undertaken learning the subject matter and how I have learned to use the technology. I consider the value in the learner engagement with the technology, development of transferable skills.

In my role I am usually assisting staff to learn a specific technology for their own use in teaching and would use other complementary technologies and resources to assist.

In learning how to use the institutions VLE (Blackboard Learn), staff are exposed to the following technologies and tools, and may use them at ant stage of the learning experience depending on the outcome of the learning activity.

• Staff account 
• email 
• Web Browser 
• Tools within Blackboard (Bb) 
• content collections (text, image, video, URL collections) 
• quizzes 
• surveys 
• assignment 
• discussion 
• announcement 
• Third party tools and applications provided through Bb 
• CampusPack (CP) blogs 
• CP wikis 
• CP journals 
• CP lab reports 
• Turnitin 
• Video (VStream (Echo360) and YouTube 
• Document creation - html (Bb), Word or similar 
• PDF - Creation and Reading 
• Presentations - PowerPoint, Prezi, Notable 
• VPN - Remote access to networked drive 
• Images - VUW collection, Flickr 
• Library resources 
• Hard copy texts 
• Digitised texts 
• Dynamic content through the library collections 
• Digitised database collections (internally hosted) 
• Digitised database collections (externally hosted) 
• eTV 
• bibliography software- endnote, zotero 
• Social media 
• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• Participant response technologies - installed hand held devices and web devices 
• OER - what these are and how to find them for NZ 
• Copyright and Creative Commons NZ 
• Student submissions during class activities for for assessment, 
• Text 
• Audio 
• Video 
• Image 
• Cloud storage solutions 

Teaching space technologies - They would also learn to use the technologies in the teaching spaces, document cameras, white boards, they would also master specialist equipment and technologies of their discipline.


and more ...


Participant response technologies (clicker technologies) have the potential to be very powerful tools. With skilfully crafted questions, engaging activities and skilled facilitators/ moderators to receive 'back channel' questions and conversations, students can experience a rich and rewarding learning experience synchronously, whether face to face or on-line, and asynchronously via facilitated and moderated 'back channel' communications after the event.

Having participated in both mode of delivery and in face to face and on-line environments using web browser clicker technologies I am excited about the opportunities 'clicker technologies' provide learners.


The challenge is to choose the right technology/tool for the learning activity, the  learner and teacher and then use them well. 

Information Obesity - sketches

So true, so many important points to reflect on.
So while developing skills in my use of social media am I adding relevant and rich information rather than just increasing dross.
Those who know me know I have lots to say, I just have an aversion to writing it down and publishing it publicly! I am wondering how useful the information in my Blog might be ;-)

4. Producing Engaging and Effective Learning Materials

Look for a resource in an area which is important in your teaching in one of the following resource banks.

1. How easy was it to find a relevant resource?
2. How could you incorporate this resource into your professional practice?
3. Which source did you find more useful (and why) – the ‘official’ resource bank or the open search?
4. Are there any limitations to the use of your preferred resource for your learners (e.g. copyright licence; login requirements)?
5. Would your own students agree that the resource you prefer is accessible?

My primary role is to support academic staff with their professional development in relation to TEL so the resources I need must have the 'academic' voice. Staff have commented on the appropriateness of some resource which are aimed at the 'FE/HE student body' on previous occasions.

So I set out to search for resources which would be beneficial for  academic staff who are developing their own digital literacy skills. and focussed on "Lecture Capture".

Where available, I used the advanced search in each repository to try and locate sources only for my particular audience.

• Jorum (85 relevant )
• Merlot (nil)
• LearnHigher (nil)
• Higher Education Academy – Resources Centre (2)
• Open University – OpenLearn (nil)
• Re:Source (Further Education orientated) (nil)
• University of Nottingham’s Open Nottingham. (nil)

• YouTube (estimates 3880) 
• TED (nil)
• iTunesU (I don't have a iOS device)

1. Finding the resource - I did not have any problems with conducting a search however the filtering of results was variable. Jorum and YouTube provided the most appropriate resources, reviewing the abstracts to determine suitability was time consuming.
2. Once I have reviewed the results I selected the most appropriate resources and linked them as supplementary resources in the resource collection we are compiling for academic staff. The resources need to give examples of Lecture capture, or reinforce  'good practice'.
3. I found both sources useful however the software provider has branded examples on YouTube which are product specific (marketing style) but clear messages. Several YouTube are usable but as they refer to another institutions use some may struggle with feeling a connection with the resource. Were the other resource banks ‘official’?
4. Regarding limitations, Copyright legislation will be the main one as the resources are not NZ based so legislation is different. However providing access to the actual resources was not problematic.
5. I hope so.

These are a few of the resources I selected:

• Lecture capture - an introduction - http://dspace.jorum.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/10949/16121
• Lecture capture - the benefits - http://dspace.jorum.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/10949/16122