This kid is dangerous or just functioning in the 21st Century?

I'm inspired to use info from Will Richardson's This kid is dangerous... blog post to wide up my R&I presentation next week to ensure young people are not overlooked in the next iteration of the Australian Flexible Learning Framework.

One of the highlights from this year's Inclusive e-Learning (Youth) Project is that:

If Oz had cheap 3G mobile and fast broadband, like South Korea and Japan, perhaps our disadvantaged/disengaged youth would be the same as Insoo - but precious mobile credit and boring dial up connection doesn't allow our youth to want to connect their learning to the net.

Let's hope the new Rudd Govt will quickly implement their plans for computers for all and high speed broadband - so our 21st Century kids will be able to compete in Asia.

This is the draft of my concluding comments and 'issue for discussion' for my R&I presentation:

These projects have highlighted that we still have a long way to go in supporting disadvantaged and disengaged youth:

- in developing the digital literacy skills to function in the online environment
- in gaining access to cheap mobile phone communications and fast broadband connections, as well as,
- directing them in ‘learning how to learn’.

It is important that in the new Innovations Grants funding guidelines for 2008 that this target group is not overlooked if our young people are going to be competitive in the Global and Asian ‘knowledge’ markets. These points are also very relevant in ensuring that we provide the same training and support for the teachers/facilitator/lecturers of our young people.

Do staff have the digital literacy skills to facilitate their students' learning?

Do staff have the digital literacy skills to facilitate their students' learning?

What are the most important digital literacy skills required to effectively function in an online learning environment (LMS and/or PLE)?

Should Digital Literacy be an employability skill?

DL discoveries from the 2007 Inclusive e-Learning (Youth) Project - Heutagogy - West Coast TAFE (WA) were:

• Digital literacies:
o Project management.
o Text entry and multiple file formats etc.
o How do we ensure equity and digital literacy as an organisation.
o How do we embed these skills in every program.

Using e-Portfolios with TAA students

If Clint Smith is right - and only once staff start using e-Portfolios to map and reflecf on their own career - will they see the relevance of e-Portfolios - then perhaps part of the Cert IV in TAA should be about creating and maintaining an e-Portfolio?

Great e-Tools PD idea for staff meetings

Whilst chatting with Marlene Manto about the great new workshop she is creating - about helping trainers 'keep up' with what's happening in the area of 'e-learning', she mentioned how doing a Web 2.0 avalanche would be a great PD session during Staff Meetings.

Every staff member is given (or finds) a Web 2.0 website - and they have 5 mins at their staff meeting to tell others about it and how it possibly could be used in a training sense. This could be done one a meeting or perhaps have a dedicated 'Web 2.0 Avalanche' PD Workshop.

TAFE SA Bus Services (TTG Campus) have 1 PD meeting a month - I might suggest I could run this for them next year.

testing how to use 'SnapShots'

I'm trying to work out how to use 'Snap Shots'

Business Administration e-Learning

Notes from Industry Engagement Showcase – 22/11/07

MC: Toby Travanner:
“If you educate your employees they’ll stay”

Richard Matheson: Australian Stainless Steel Development Association (ASSDA)
- Gas Tungsten Arc Welding – ‘TIG’ welding – best way of joining two pieces of stainless steel together
- Centralised system of training means consistent training methodologies/approaches

Larry Stinson: National Training Co-ordinator, Tradelink

Jenny McAuliffe: Manager of Human Resources, Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC)
- ‘e-Profiling’ submissions using Mobile phones with Electrical Apprentices
- Using RFID tags – records when and where the apprentice’s work is actually done
- Working with GlobalNET ICT – www.globalnetict.com
- Uses RFID: - apprentice scans when starts a job and various tasks – as well as allowing accessibility of database – trainer accesses database to view apprentices work
- Apprentice NFC card – electronic business card

Susan Frazer: General Manager: Engineering Employees Association SA – Group Training Scheme –
- SCADA (systems control and data acquisition) and MIS – Skills for the Future
- Working with River Murray Training (Barb McPherson) and SAGE Didactic (Peter Dawson)
- No Waste Virtual Factory – Mini factory

Jan Shellew, Training Co-ordinator: HJ Heinz Australia
- Cert II in Food Processing

Martin Lewis: Chief Executive Officer: FIAA, Australia
- Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise, Sustain – 5S intervention – Competitive Manufacturing competency

Kim Kemeny; Training & Development: IMP Printed Circuits/Codan/Workstar

Ben Metherell: the Good Guys

Gina Gunn: Group Training Advisor: Federal Group, Tasmania & Drysdale Institute/TAFE Tasmania

David Gigg, National Learning and Development Managr, Compass Group & William Angliss Institute of TAFE
- Focusing in on induction in Hospitality and Tourism
- http://industry.flexiblelearning.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82&Itemid=48

Elisa Grassa: City of Boroondara & Swinburne Uni TAFE Division
- have created a ‘Business Boroondara Network’ to allow local small business access to formal and informal training options

Anthony Kingsley: State Manager, FilterFab Pty Ltd & TAFE SA
- edayz presenter?
- One Workcover payment would have paid for this project….
- Kerry King – TAFE SA Laundry Lecturer
- http://industry.flexiblelearning.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=88&Itemid=48

Panel Discussion: The Future of e-Learning in Business and Industry
Marilyn Harvey – ChalkPort; Peter LeCornu – St John Ambulance Aust; Gidley McCullagh – Cubic Consulting; Rod Peadon – North Coast Area Health Service; Richard Matheson - ASSDA; Tracie Regan – Wide Bay Institute of TAFE; Larry Stinson - Tradelink

Marilyn Harvey – ChalkPort (http://www.chalkport.com/):- Metacognitives of e-Learning (megacognitive = The ability to reflect and think about the "thinking" process itself)
- Australia has the best VET model (and learning models) in the world

Research into Industry’s Needs for e-Learning and opportunities for business in 2008


Commonality about these Industry Engagement Projects:
- a 3-4 way partnership: Industry, Industry Reps/Ass’n/Peak Bodies, RTO, Technical Expert/Organisation
- Identified need

e-Portfolios for Staff Development

One of Clint's final comments during his Elluminate session on e-Portfolios was about - once VET Staff start creating/adopting/using an e-Portfolio - then they will see the relevance of using e-Portfolios with their clients.

Could we incorporate the use of e-Portfolios in Staff Development, as part of the Capability Framework, Self Assessment PD Toolbox:

Getting staff :
- develop skills in reflective practice/self reflection
- develop of personal development plans
- develop continued professional development plans
within an e-Portfolio environment?

Helen Barret’s amazing work in this area as well as Stephen Downes, George Siemens and many others- visit this link for more information - http://electronicportfolios.org/categories.html
courtesy of http://www.nswlearnscope.com/networked-learning-building-and-embedding-e-learning-capacity


E-Portfolio Edna Group : http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=211 - not been active since 2006

Some people use ELGG: http://elgg.org/features.php

Technorati Tags for e-Portfolios: http://technorati.com/tag/ePortfolio

e-Portfolios – Clint Smith - e-Works - Elluminate Learnscope SA Final State Workshop 16/1107

What makes an e-portfolio:
- what digital ‘assets’ do you have?
- Where do you store it
- How can you share this info?

Uses of an e-portfolio
As a personal digital diary
As a lifelong Learning organizer
As a record of events or journeys

Using eportfolios for work life
CV
As a creative portfolio
As a project manager

As an individual course diary
As a class project organizer
As an academic record

In education
As a student desktop eg QUT Student e-Portfolio

For staff
When staff start using an e-portfolio they’ll see the significance for student use.

Tools?
Customised Open Source CMS - Plone, moodle, joomia
Plug into LMS ie blackboard e-portfolio tool; vista / tafe vc
Off the shelf or hosted e-port

TAFE VC e-portfolio
Can also be a ‘community’ with chats and forums

Issues:
- users lack experience with CMS/LMS
- needs support
- needs a policy framework
- needs storage (=costs)
- needs standards

Swinbourne skills passport – use Blackboard e-Portfolio plug-in

There are various terms for e-portfolio

ConVerge 2007 – Gordon Institute of TAFE – 2 Nov 07 – Geelong, Vic

John Mitchell, VET Strategist, JMA Consulting – Strategies for e-learning within whole of organisation change

- RTO with responsive strategies will rule VET = responsive RTO’s
- Kevin Harris – North Sydney of TAFE – ‘put his senior managers through 12 wk mktg course’ – RTO’s need to be client focused
- Francis Howes – Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE - Need to involve all levels of the organisation to embed e-learning in whole of organizational change
- Clint Smith – e- opportunity analysis tool – what benefits would you expect to gain by using e-learning? From the ConVerge Memory Stick – will be available on the upgrade of the Designing e-Learning website at: http://designing.flexiblelearning.net.au/. Helps you develop a Business Case


John Mitchell, VET Strategist, JMA Consulting – Identifying management skills for introducing and embedding e-learning in VET
- a responsive manager needs – a good understanding of educational delivery in all of its forms (f2f, flexible, blended etc), as well as contemporary business practices
- Types of ‘managers’ include: supervisory leaders, team leaders, heads of depts, educational managers, co-ordinators – leaders with budgetary control and minimal strategic directional influence
- Accelerated training/learning – shortened apprenticeships, 2 year uni degrees, RPL, recognizing informal learning
- Need to re-focus on COAG agenda – addressing skill shortages – we can’t compete with low skill/low salary jobs – China & India have this market – Australia needs to develop a high skilled market economy
- staff aren’t interested in learning new skills – unless there’s something in it for them – the age old ‘what’s in it for me?’ – Howard Errey’s response: “meaningful professional development and tools such as access to laptops, phones and even tablets”
- Francis Howes – Director – Sunshine Coast of TAFE – is a leader in change management in VET
- “VOMIT’s” – very old men in TAFE – are what’s holding up e-learning/innovation in TAFE
- Brad Beach – “industry/new staff to TAFE from industry – are much more responsive to change, and uptake of e-learning”
- who is industry? - who is asking for shortened apprentices? Some industries are saying NO - they want quality tradespeople

Vicki Rose, Teacher, North Melbourne Institute of TAFE – Gen Y social networking trial
- using www.message-media.com.au text message service (WebSMS) to text apprentices block training dates


Carole McCulloch – Innovate & Integrate
- based on Marie Jasinki’s research
- Case Studies, Wiki, Ripples Survey, Key Findings, 4 phase strategy, literature review & analysis
- is the e-learning approach the best way of delivering this content?
- what type of innovator are you?
- hand picking a team of change agents would be ideal
- Danny Allwood – Gordon Institute – was a writer for the Series 10 toolbox – Build Right – Cert IV in Bldg & Construction – Peter Verrion – Bendigo TAFE
- Rogers Innovation Attributes – template – use to help to effectively embed innovative practice

Plenary Session
Clint Smith (employer) and Brad Beach (tafe) – role playing – my staff need to learn how to do ‘mail merge’
- how ridiculous the TAFE structures are – large, inflexible, ‘hour-grabbing’ focused on ‘accreditation’

Notes from RPL Workshop - Brian Spencer – Mon 12 Nov 07

People on our Table: Mareya Dashorst (TAFE – TAA); Anna Duin (Workplace Development, Human Resources – Mitsibishi); Phil Handstock; Darren White (TAFE cookery); Carmen Moschetti; Luci Campestre

What issues people would like addressed at this workshop

- best ways
- clarity
- consistency
- simplify processes
- what evidence – what does the auditor want?
- who’s responsible if there’s a workplace accident/what is our liability
- clients vs auditors
- mature aged people
- valid, reliable
- too hard
- transferable skills
- knowledge (underpinning)
- poor personal experiences
- Process – glean knowledge, make relevant to competency
- Translating technical terms
- What is the evidence?
- Time involved
- Wholistic assessment – ‘what is their story’
- Professional judgement
- “may include” – deciphering the training package
- Online assessing – verification
- E-portfolio – being pro-active vs re-active
- Licensing
- Third parties – possibility of bias


“Guidelines for RTO” booklet

Professional judgement

We move in the direction where we ask questions – Appreciative Inquiry Framework
- Discover
- Dream
- Design
- Destiny

Discover – what do we know about RPL?
Confidence vs Competence
Strong preference for ‘paper’ and ‘historical paper’

Issues around currently RPL process:
Perceptions – complex, costly, controversial
Percentages – only partially competent – only able to provide evidence for 80% of a competence, recognize the know and learn the unknown
Paradigms – Power – the least powerful person is made responsible for the RPL process, past, paper

Formal learning situations vs what can I do now?

Experiential learning
Kolb’s experiential learning cycle

Giving a number of opportunities for offering RPL to clients – will increase the uptake of RPL – as the clients gains confidence in how the systems works and how to walk the walk

How do you ensure that you capture some of the ‘I don’t know that I don’t know’ info (or the unlearnt info) in an online RPL environment?

Dream – dare to dream?
Dreaming of developing “Connoisseurs of competence”

Characteristics of our dream RPL process
- pleasant and transparent
- user friendly for both parties
- contextualized assessment
- adequate time and resources
- client gains greater self esteem, knowledge of skills
- builds relationships
- flexibility – evidence
- RPL process is valued and have integrity, and is valid
- mapping tool
- consistency of outcomes
- develop pathways for more prof development/training
- make is cost effective to actually provide an RPL service
- less threatening and more of an open learning process
- availability and accessibility of RPL mentoring and moderators for RPL staff
- student focused

Designing a good RPL process
Six Steps to Recognition
- Use terms like ‘consistency’ and ‘confident’ instead of “are you ‘competent’”
- ask people to find the term ‘competent’ to come up with more user/client-friendly terms
- get clients to do ‘self assessment’ and ‘third party’ skills audits
- using the ‘job interview’ technique to assess clients for RPL

Destiny
- behavourial interviewing?
- RPL clients should have access (perhaps at a cost) to course materials and self tests as part of the RPL process
- The time/cost of the RPL process will dramatically increase in the client’s employee will not be involved in the RPL process or if they are changing job roles.

Skills Stores
- use Competency Navigator (http://www.portal.competencynavigator.com/) software – using key terms (ie HR) which then lags possible units of competence could gain RPL. Competency Navigator software = $50 per assessment it is used for.
- complete the ‘briefing’ stage of the Six Steps to Recognition, then refer person to a TAFE to complete an RPL assessment plan, with a $250 RPL voucher.
- Raises awareness of what is RPL
- Skills Stores being developed in SA (Margaret Thornton)

The ICT Imperative

Greg Black, CEO, education.au - says the VET sector needs to provide '... self paced personalised and highly stimulated learning environments supported by instantaneous feedback. ICT is an enable for such an environment'

"Greg Black suggests that VET administrators preparing practitioners for the future could use strategies such as the following:

- Give practitioners the time and tools to engage in collaborative discussions and investigations witth colleagues about teaching practice.
- Encourage practitioners to share ideas and try new approaches to support a learner centred approach to learning.
- Invest in mentoring programs for practitioners to improve teaching techniques in classrooms and workplaces
- Create incentives for teachers to develop self-paced, personalised learning environments that are highly stimulating
- provide multiple opportunities for practitioners to connect with industry and workplaces

From John Mitchell's (JMA Consulting)Inside VET column in Campus Review 161007

I need to 'research' - Why do the pioneers in e-learning do what they do? What's in it for them?

A good starting point - the Innovate & Integrate Website - it has case studies on innovative e-pioneers, including Michael Coghlan's description of:

"Characteristics of innovators":
- tend to change things anyway - don't like resting
- don't do the same thing all the time
- like to experiment
- work a lot of time after hours
- enjoy what they do
- distinction btwn work & pleasure is blurred
- being 'apart' - outside of the mainstream
- can see the longer term goals
- basic interest in change

Snippets and Thoughts from mLearn 2007 – making the connections - 16-19 October 2007, Melbourne

Wednesday 17 Oct
Prof Glyn Davis, Vice Chancellor, Uni of Melb
– equity, privacy, security

Prof Angela McFarlane, Prof in Ed, Grad Sch of Ed, Uni of Bristol, UK - Devices & Desires
– Hilda Kruger’s Learner Contexts for Learning Diagram
- importance of teaching people how to be constructivist learners
- m-learning – what, when, where you need it
- provide triggers/opportunities to revisit/reflect/recall what you’ve done/learnt – this needs to be built into the pedagogy
- “we’re throwing technology at unstable pedagogy”
- “effective teachers use technology effectively”
- developing the confidence of staff to use technology is paramount
- finding ways of sharing the learning with and without technology
- using mobile technology to create

Eddie Gule – The Higher Education Institute, UK - who work with the Carrick Institute
- LAMS – Learning Activity Management System

Marc Niemes, President, e-Learning Industry Assoc of Victoria – mlearning, RU Rdy 4 it?
- http://elearning.org.au
- Top 3 things I wanted out of the conference: 1. info about the accessibility of mobile technology; 2. ways of enthusing others to incorp mlearning into training; 3 useful ways of using mlearning/elearning
- Top 3 things the audience voted on using ‘keepads’ from a selection of 9 choices (determined by 3 audience members expressing their 3 top things they wanted out of the conference) were: 1. how mlearning works and what’s available; 2. what mlearning is being done with students; 3. what mlearning tools works with what types of learning
- Marc used to work for ANZ online learning services
- ‘Wisdom of the Crowd’ theory, James Surowiecki, 2004
- Corporate want their employee’s learning ‘tracked’

Leonard Low, CIT, Selected Outcomes: The Australian Standards for m-Learning
- BLIPTV allows you to download video in a range of formats
- 2D barcodes – special, free software allows your mobile phone to ‘read’ a 2D barcode or QR code. Free software to create 2D barcodes is available from: kaywa.com; kwikmart; telemetronics
- Jane Fischer from RMIT – knows of a high school using this technology with students

Thom Cochrane, Unitec, NZ – Mobile blogging: A Guide for Educators
- we need to find ways of engaging staff to adopt mlearning/elearning – developing communities of practices of education
- www.vox.com – closed/private blogging community, possible e-portfolio platform, which allows MMS blogging
- wordpress, shozu
- SMS Blog capability – www.letmeparty.com

Thursday 18 Oct
Charlie Schick, Product Manager, Nokia - The Mobile Lifestyle: How the fusion of the mobile and the internet have changed the way we live, learn and play
- charlieschick@edubba.com
- we live in a ‘hyper-connected age’
- Getting the phone onto the web – what ‘services’ can mobile technology support? Why is ‘5’ the magical number – people usually want to be connected to their 5 closest friends and family via the mobile phone
- dopplr – add travel schedules and network with others who may also be in the same city/location – link to Facebook
- twitter – can be linked to your mobile phone
- people are the key – ‘connecting people’ – making use of ‘tribal knowledge’ – where people are teaching people to learn
- we need to adopt more ‘collaborative’ approaches – and move away from our ‘industrialised learning
- ‘me and mine’
- ihubs – created via Bluetooth

Sally Drummond – New Practices – Digital Youth Awards

Pasi Mattila & Jukka Miettunen, City of Oulu, Educational Office, Finland – ‘The Path to the School of the Future’
- change management required for better pedagogy
- creating mobile learning platforms
- ‘developing 21st century people, without being taught by 20th century teachers in 19th century learning environments
- white paper - Microsoft for the School of the Future (SOF)
- we need to change the structure of the physical learning environment
- Habbo
- media literacy skills; life management skills
- Chancellor College – Australian Mentor School

Dr Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Institute of Educational Technology, UK – Self Service Education: Smartphones as a catalyst for informal collective and individual learning
- User driven innovation
- technology coffee mornings; paperbag lunches – education.au/Nancye Stanelis – how can we market these effectively to get staff involved in sharing/learning
- buddy support system – 2 experienced staff work with 2 inexperienced staff
- staff were using SmartPhone to capture own reflections on work issues
- making assumptions about a project before you begin

John Traxler, Uni of Wolverhampton, UK – Flux within Change
- conversational framework
- Illich
- Helen Beatham – ‘dual paradigms’

Susanna Mann, Uni of Sydney – Mobile technology as a mediating tool for learning in the convergences from technology, collaboration and curriculum perspectives
- Sydney Powerhouse Museum
- scaffolded problem solving
- interaction with others
- we need to improve f2f teaching methodologies
- formal – converge/connect/context – informal = providing formal content in an informal context

Gavin Hawkins, Sarah Corey, Lynn Ball, Stow Heath Junior School, UK – 21st century assessment for 21st learners
- peer & self assessment
- self reflection/evaluation
- using ‘synchron-eyes’ – software which enables students working on PDAs to share their work on the classroom interactive whiteboard; with young maths students
- ‘eduinnova – groups of 3 students work together – mixing experienced learners with less experienced learners
- developed e-Portfolios for their students – publish ‘my best work’, web based, can be viewed by teachers, parents, peers; ownership is with the children
- how learners self assess themselves
- elearning foundation

Calvin Taylor, Monash Uni – Hunting mobile literacies: listening to the experiences of students
- epistemological limits of literacy

Marcus Ragus, TAFE Tasmania & Ian Whitehouse, GlobalNet ICT – ET comes home
- embedded technology

Daniel Dacey, www.necs.info

Markus Feisst, Rami Omari, Andreas Christ Hochschule Offenburg, Germany
- researching eye tracking navigation of small mobile devices

Jim Plummer, TAFE SA – the day of the RFIDs
- “teaching is a privilege”

Jacqueline Bates - Sloodle – moodle mixed with Second Life

Random thoughts about Staff PD

- Researching what PD people want or ‘where they want to go’ with their career path
- how do we access the Perf Mgt info of staff to address the training needs of staff
- we need to do a skills needs analysis process on our staff
- provide training for EMs in effective Perf Mget – to draw out the types of training their staff require ie like the RPL process
- what are some of the ways teams/individuals can register their PD interest (beyond a whole of TAN email request)
- how can Teaching & Learning help a team do a skills needs analysis of their staff
- what are the top 3 things do you want from your learning, your PD, your training?
- should Teaching & Learning offer training in personal development?
- what % of TAN staff access PD offered by Teaching and Learning – and why?
- how do you develop a learning culture within a large organisation?
- what makes informal learning so effective – attractive: - betterment? Self satisfaction? Advancement? – confidence building?
- provide a clear overview of what the PD will offer (ie aims/objectives/learning outcomes) – provide reading materials before a session and/or an activity
- compulsory ICT training or recognition for all staff
- developing, or adapting an existing, Staff Capability Building Framework
- developing, or adapting an existing, self assessing PD toolkits
- ‘what’s in it for me?’ - what's in it for staff to be upskilled in the area of e-learning?
- program/systems of personal reflective practice (blogs)?
- what is personal reflective practice, and how can it aid: workforce development? PD? Client services? Systems?
- Sustaining educative conversations?
- How do we increase the confidence of our staff to use/understand ICT?
- How do we embed e-learning at a systematic level?
- How do internships for educators work?

My Thoughts during and since mLearn 2007

RPL Process
We need to be modeling the job selection process – where a certificate = job description. Broken into categories; mapping the competencies into 4 main areas as per Brian Spencer, RPL Well done, Reframing the Future 2006.

Client writes CV and letter of support with referees to substantiate/address criteria

Evaluators develop appropriate interview questions to substantiate evidence and draw out unpresented data

Owen Neil – e-Standards
– Clint Smith is a good e-Portfolio presenter
- Wendy Perry – is doing RPL survey/research for the Framework
- Skills Stores in Vic & QLD

Knowledge Brokering
- how do we facilitate this?
- reflective practice – why we need personal/professional development; receiving feedback, how do we motivate staff to act on observations/ideas
- peer support
- learning by doing (Action Learning)

Using SMS texting to mentor staff and RPL clients