Squidoo Space

Squidoo allows participants to create a "lens" to focus participant interest on a particular topic. I have juts created one for "Phenomenological Scapes". This "binding" of information, from numerous sources, around a specif topic has some appeal. Link http://www.squidoo.com/scapes

Get Involved

An underlying concept of the symposia is the creation and maintenance of a "community" focused on e-learning in education and training facilitated by the use of ICT tools.

In building and maintatining a community for the duration of the symposia a number of technologies (including this blog) are being used. To ensure the success of these technologies we must be conscious:

1. Participants will not engage in an “empty networks” so we need to advertise the spaces and encourage engagement from all participants. This is best done personally through e-mails.

2. We need to “model” behaviours (i.e. be active) and others will follow our lead.

3. If at first we do not succeed, (we do not get engagement) we must invite again.

The spaces are

1. Crowd Vine: (http://e-learning.crowdvine.com)

2.  AKO e-learning in industry community: (http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/communities/e-learning-education-and-training)

3. Mobile: (http://winksite.mobi/ctjfc/Symposia/)

Going Mobile

A key objective of the symposia is to raise awareness of the ICT tools individuals and groups can use to create communities.
One of the "tools" we want to demonstrate are based on mobile technologies. A mobile site for the symposia has been created using "Winksite". To access from your mobile phone you can "snap" the QR code provided above or access this link http://winksite.mobi/ctjfc/Symposia

What is a QR Code? (Wikipedia Link)

What do you think of these technologies?

Schedule Confirmed

The schedule for the four Symposia in e-Learning in education and training have now been confirmed.

October 19th : Whangarei: Northtec

Facilitator: Vasi Doncheva : e-Mail vdoncheva@northtec.ac.nz

October 20th : Invercargill: Southern Institute of technology

Facilitator: Teri Mcclelland : e-Mail teri.mcclelland@sit.ac.nz

October 21st : Greymouth: Literacy Westland

Facilitator: Barbara Duckett : e-Mail litwest@xtra.co.nz

October 22nd : Hamilton: Waikato Institute of Technology

Facilitator: John Clayton: e-Mail john.clayton@wintec.ac.nz



Each symposium will consist of all full day of activities. Panel discussions, workshops and invited showcase presentations of e-learning in action from practitioners in the region will be highlights of each symposium.

Crowd Vine Site

A social networking site using "Crowd Vine" has been created for all participants of the four symposia on "e-Learning in tertiary education and training: Evaluating effective practice, regional perceptions and potential strategies for development". To join this network follow this link Link: http://e-learning.crowdvine.com/

Welcome

In the current educational environment, being aware of effective processes, procedures and plans to improve student employability and workforce readiness is seen as central to improving individual, organisational and national performance and global competitiveness. In this context, e-learning is rapidly becoming an innovative platform for new teaching strategies and learning techniques aimed at improving workforce capability.

Four New Zealand regional centres (Whangarei, Greymouth, Invercargill and Hamilton) have a greed to hold symposia on effective practice in the use of ICT and e-learning applications in vocational education and training. These are to be held in October 2009. The focus of these symposia will be on examples of regional, national and international best practice in the use of e-learning in increasing student readiness for employment with a special focus on issues faced by organisations in regional locations

These regional symposia will

· Feature a key note presentation by Dr Sue Bennett Associate Professor of Education at Wollongong University in Australia and a recognised expert practitioner in the field

· Provide opportunities to showcase regional e-learning initiatives in vocational education and training.

· Explore frameworks and models designed to iteratively improve the e-learning capability of individual organisations.

In each centre, the one day symposium will be supplemented with practical workshops. Although these workshops will be focused on e-learning design and e-learning capability they will be tailored to meet the specific needs of the host region.