Comments for Learner Bytes http://www.learnerbytes.net observations and reflections on my adventures in e-learning Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:59:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Comment on we are changing our LMS – exciting and daunting at the same time… by Colin http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=123&cpage=1#comment-2519 Colin Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:59:48 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=123#comment-2519 At least we've got a couple of months to work on the configuration and at the same time migrate courses out of Blackboard Vista and start importing them into D2L. There is an opportunity doing the 'renovation' of course that I hope we take advantage of that to re-think some of the ways teachers deliver their courses. We'll only have to do around 50 for 1st Trimester next year and then the rest in 2nd trimester. There will be some we'll miss, but it looks like there are lots of additional tools & features that will be useful for learning & teaching. At least we’ve got a couple of months to work on the configuration and at the same time migrate courses out of Blackboard Vista and start importing them into D2L. There is an opportunity doing the ‘renovation’ of course that I hope we take advantage of that to re-think some of the ways teachers deliver their courses.

We’ll only have to do around 50 for 1st Trimester next year and then the rest in 2nd trimester. There will be some we’ll miss, but it looks like there are lots of additional tools & features that will be useful for learning & teaching.

]]> Comment on we are changing our LMS – exciting and daunting at the same time… by Skip Zalneraitis http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=123&cpage=1#comment-2517 Skip Zalneraitis Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:18:30 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=123#comment-2517 We are less than a month away of restarting VHS - govhs.org - on D2L, leaving Blackboard after several years. I don't how the VHS management made the choice, but finishing Semester 2 in BB and then renovating the courses to make the jump to D2L in Sept is pretty trying. I will miss Private Threads ansthe Home Pages for students - We are using a one person discussion thread for PT anda class blog instead of Home Pages. We are less than a month away of restarting VHS – govhs.org – on D2L, leaving Blackboard after several years. I don’t how the VHS management made the choice, but finishing Semester 2 in BB and then renovating the courses to make the jump to D2L in Sept is pretty trying.
I will miss Private Threads ansthe Home Pages for students – We are using a one person discussion thread for PT anda class blog instead of Home Pages.

]]> Comment on ascilite09 conference reflections #4 – Day Three by James Clay http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=105&cpage=1#comment-1678 James Clay Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:39:13 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=105#comment-1678 It was the first time I used KeynoteTweets and was impressed by how easy it was to use and how well it worked. For the remote audience it worked very well. I will certainly use it again. Cheers James It was the first time I used KeynoteTweets and was impressed by how easy it was to use and how well it worked. For the remote audience it worked very well.

I will certainly use it again.

Cheers

James

]]> Comment on replacing the LMS/VLE and making the most of the opportunity? by Colin http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=78&cpage=1#comment-1538 Colin Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:04:10 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=78#comment-1538 thks David, I'm starting to recognise that we've really got two problems to solve. One, how do we 'manage access' for staff & students to their 'online classrooms', and two, how do we create & support opportunities for 'authentic learning' to occur in/through those spaces? I'm looking forward to finding some answers to this at ascilite 09 where the focus is in same places, different spaces. thks David, I’m starting to recognise that we’ve really got two problems to solve. One, how do we ‘manage access’ for staff & students to their ‘online classrooms’, and two, how do we create & support opportunities for ‘authentic learning’ to occur in/through those spaces? I’m looking forward to finding some answers to this at ascilite 09 where the focus is in same places, different spaces.

]]> Comment on replacing the LMS/VLE and making the most of the opportunity? by David Jones http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=78&cpage=1#comment-1530 David Jones Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:11:28 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=78#comment-1530 G'day Colin, Just wanted to pick up on this quote "it’s more about our understanding of learning in a changing world," and contrast it with this one "Maybe it’s no so much about which product we choose (they all seem to have the same range of functionality)" The combination just about sums up the point of my argument against the LMS that I gave in a talk at EDUCUASE. You can see the slides/video of the same talk given at CQU here http://davidtjones.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/lectures-and-the-lms-alternatives-and-experiments/ (skip about 10 minutes of the video as it covers other things). The basic argument is Change and diversity are important inherent characteristics of learning in higher education. The product and process model underpinning the LMS is best suited for consistency and no change. Hence it's not a good match for learning in higher education. The principles underpinning some of what we did at CQU offer an alternative that is likely to be more appropriate as it aims to engage with and support the inherent diversity and need for change. David. G’day Colin,

Just wanted to pick up on this quote
“it’s more about our understanding of learning in a changing world,”
and contrast it with this one
“Maybe it’s no so much about which product we choose (they all seem to have the same range of functionality)”

The combination just about sums up the point of my argument against the LMS that I gave in a talk at EDUCUASE. You can see the slides/video of the same talk given at CQU here http://davidtjones.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/lectures-and-the-lms-alternatives-and-experiments/ (skip about 10 minutes of the video as it covers other things).

The basic argument is

Change and diversity are important inherent characteristics of learning in higher education.
The product and process model underpinning the LMS is best suited for consistency and no change.
Hence it’s not a good match for learning in higher education.
The principles underpinning some of what we did at CQU offer an alternative that is likely to be more appropriate as it aims to engage with and support the inherent diversity and need for change.

David.

]]> Comment on slowing down enough to see what’s really going on… by Colin http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=64&cpage=1#comment-1521 Colin Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:22:12 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=64#comment-1521 Thanks for your comment David, we do find ourselves in a quickly changing world, particularly in Higher Ed. I wonder if we need to start more slowly sometimes, and build up from there - rather than jump in at the deep end with, say our 1st year's. I'm keen to see institutional support for more of this reflection and engagement in what we could call 'slow learning' (something like the slow food movement?). Appreciate the link to your Indicators Project, it looks interesting and particularly useful in helping to prepare for the future. I'll be keen to chat with you about that at it more at ascilite. In the review/evaluation of our new LMS (post forthcoming) we're interested in having functionality that will enable us to use the system data to determine things like student progress, engagement, outcomes & those who may be at risk. More important information that will be useful alongside the things your project is interested in. Thanks for your comment David, we do find ourselves in a quickly changing world, particularly in Higher Ed. I wonder if we need to start more slowly sometimes, and build up from there – rather than jump in at the deep end with, say our 1st year’s. I’m keen to see institutional support for more of this reflection and engagement in what we could call ‘slow learning’ (something like the slow food movement?).

Appreciate the link to your Indicators Project, it looks interesting and particularly useful in helping to prepare for the future. I’ll be keen to chat with you about that at it more at ascilite. In the review/evaluation of our new LMS (post forthcoming) we’re interested in having functionality that will enable us to use the system data to determine things like student progress, engagement, outcomes & those who may be at risk. More important information that will be useful alongside the things your project is interested in.

]]> Comment on Learning Technologies Conference 2009 by Full Circle Associates » I CAN pronouce Mooloolaba http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=61&cpage=1#comment-1515 Full Circle Associates » I CAN pronouce Mooloolaba Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:06:51 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=61#comment-1515 [...] posts here, and [...] [...] posts here, and [...]

]]> Comment on Learning Technologies Conference 2009 by I CAN pronouce Mooloolaba « Nancy White in Australia 2009 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=61&cpage=1#comment-1514 I CAN pronouce Mooloolaba « Nancy White in Australia 2009 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:04:48 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=61#comment-1514 [...] posts here, and here. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)eDayz 09 – Rocking in AdelaideNew [...] [...] posts here, and here. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)eDayz 09 – Rocking in AdelaideNew [...]

]]> Comment on Learning Technologies Conference 2009 by Howard Errey http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=61&cpage=1#comment-1513 Howard Errey Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:24:40 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=61#comment-1513 Thanks for such a thorough summary - in particular about seeking authentic learning activities and opportunity, as Clay reminded us it isn't necessarily that the technology is the priority. my own thoughts are here http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/howardsconferencenotes Thanks for such a thorough summary – in particular about seeking authentic learning activities and opportunity, as Clay reminded us it isn’t necessarily that the technology is the priority.

my own thoughts are here http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/howardsconferencenotes

]]> Comment on slowing down enough to see what’s really going on… by David Jones http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=64&cpage=1#comment-1512 David Jones Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:15:46 +0000 http://www.learnerbytes.net/?p=64#comment-1512 Couldn't agree more. One of the big problems I see in L&T in higher education is the lack of time taken to reflect. The lack of time is created by a number of factors: pressure to improve, pressure to respond to new management (which happens often in an era of the continual restructure), pressure to do something a different way (e.g. e-learning as seen by a curriculum designer being replaced by e-learning as seen by an information technology manager) and pressure to adopt the new fad (Second Life, Twitter, Blogs....) As for a suggestion for another tool, I think this is what we're trying to do with the indicators project http://indicatorsproject.wordpress.com. Though it's still in the early days. It might grow and do something. Might not. But it can't be the only thing. It needs surveys, focus groups, research projects etc to really find out. But more importantly, it needs the time to reflect. Couldn’t agree more. One of the big problems I see in L&T in higher education is the lack of time taken to reflect.

The lack of time is created by a number of factors: pressure to improve, pressure to respond to new management (which happens often in an era of the continual restructure), pressure to do something a different way (e.g. e-learning as seen by a curriculum designer being replaced by e-learning as seen by an information technology manager) and pressure to adopt the new fad (Second Life, Twitter, Blogs….)

As for a suggestion for another tool, I think this is what we’re trying to do with the indicators project http://indicatorsproject.wordpress.com.

Though it’s still in the early days. It might grow and do something. Might not. But it can’t be the only thing. It needs surveys, focus groups, research projects etc to really find out.

But more importantly, it needs the time to reflect.

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