VET Pedagogy: new pathways, new opportunities

human reproduction research and training

2010-04-08T09:26:00.003+10:00

If you have never visited the World Health Organisation websites I suggest you do. They are a wealth of information. Below is one of the WHO sites. It is full of global information

HRP research is one of these sites. HRP helps people lead healthy sexual and reproductive lives, by strengthening capacities of countries to provide quality information and services that enable people to protect their own reproductive and sexual health and that of their partners.

At this site you will find pubications such as 'Adolescents and Reproductive Health'
and many more. Please go and explore..

Pedagogy - catering for individuals - flexibility

2007-12-04T13:28:00.000+11:00

I've been browsing - looking for examples to use in presenting some of the enhancements elearning can bring. (PLENTY of fodder!!)

In the ICEVET eZine site (Research & Exemplars section) I came upon an interview with Kevin Clayton ,Program Coordinator for Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Curriculum Project Centre, a 2006 Learnscope team member.

I'm linking to it in this blog, because Kevin makes a number of points which cover/contribute to our discussions about restrictive "educational" structures. He also has some practical suggestions as to how to make these structures more flexible.

Even more relevant this year!

New paradigms/realities/connectedness

2007-11-26T15:39:00.000+11:00

View Upload your own

Yes I reckon there is conflict: BUT....... who's conflict is it. Maybe if we just say 'school is baby sitting' and learning is something different we could get somewhere. People let themselves be undermined so easily.

It makes me think of a young boy (grade 2) that I recently met. On one Friday after school he held a knife to his chest and said "If I have to go home I will stab myself" One of the teachers said "Oh no - I could have been stabbed" She didnt even look beyond herself to see this boys suffering - didnt even look to see how she could help him. Just thought about herself.

The web is no place for those who 'just think about themselves' - it is for connecting - not building walls. I reckon this creates conflict.

Lud

A conflict of paradigms

2007-11-23T14:01:00.000+11:00

As we lead into our final round of discussions for the team I'd like to throw you something to muse and comment on...

[image:elron6900]

Proposition:
That technology is purely a distraction where contemporary ways of living and being and learning in a socially networked world, are at loggerheads with the economic rationalist, industry driven VET agenda. Emerging technologies can now carry the blame because increasingly they support the new paradigm rather than perpetuating the old, but by focusing on them rather than on what is really at stake we are setting teachers up for conflict, tension and burnout.

Consider these two extracts:

From Ros Brennan (2003)

A large number of teachers are not only struggling with the demands of rapidly
changing technologies, but also with an often unfriendly teaching context that is pre-determined by institutional structures and management practices, course content, material presentation and the nature of the platform that their institution is tied to. It is a credit to teacher/trainer professionalism and dogged persistence that online delivery works as well as it does.
Online pedagogy is frequently characterised as ‘constructivist’. However the reality of delivery matches very poorly against the assumptions that underpin this particular view of teaching and learning, which are that individuals ‘construct’ new knowledge as they integrate new experiences and modify existing patterns. The teaching and learning process needs to acknowledge that students develop their own styles and preferences for learning using a variety of different resources.

Online pedagogy in VET needs to be able to create teaching and learning environments where students have the opportunity to:
* reduce their reliance on text
* explore and value their intellectual, social and cultural backgrounds
* develop their knowledge beyond the transmission and assessment of content
* reflect on their own learning
* be part of an inclusive learning environment
* communicate extensively with their peers and their teachers
* become self-regulated and engaged with their own learning
* develop a group identity that connects them with their learning and with the broader social environment.

and from Mike Brown (2000)

The turning over of the selection and determination of knowledge to employers, managerial prerogative and the market also constitutes a major weakness. The major objection is that it subordinates the interests of the worker/learners to the interests of employers. This can be considered contrary to the longer term and broader interests of many of the learners. In this light VET can become a form of entrapment rather than empowerment. The strengths and power of VET can evaporate and simultaneously become weaknesses. This allows a critique that suggests that VET programs are narrowly focused, instrumental, technicist, corporate, undemocratic and hegemonic. So what happens when working people want a real education and not one that keeps them dumb? Who do they turn to, educators? . . . or themselves?

In contrast then, it is hoped that a more general and inclusive notion of ‘work-related learning’ could spark the process where working people can engage with the issues, themes and debates and learn about work, workplace dynamics, political economy, and how these impact upon society. It might be possible for work-related learning to become a space to analyse work and consider the role and function of work in our lives and our society; a space to develop visions of alternative arrangements and possibilities and a space to work out how the best of these visions can become reality. How might this occur? Who would be involved?

and...
What new and emerging technologies support is the creation of an environment in which learners ideas and opinions are the central focus and which challenges students to become 'critically conscious citizens with political agency and choices.' (Webb, 107)

Are teachers today attempting to straddle two agendas and paradigms? If they do, how?
Will VET learners demand a shift of focus or are they products of the Romantic humanist vocationalised educational systems of the past?

language learning in second life

2007-10-23T13:00:00.000+10:00

lo and behold on the knowledge tree there is an article about language teaching / learning on second life .

Generational assumptions - true/false?

2007-10-22T18:47:00.000+10:00

After the running debate on generational differences, I was interested in the SBS Insight program "My Vote" on TV, Oct 16th.

The introductory text reads:
"There is now a generation of young Australians who have only ever known John Howard as Prime Minister. They are Generation Y, and while for some the Coalition represents stability, others are keen for change.
Their votes are ripe for the taking. Research suggests that Generation Y lack party loyalty and will change their vote according to who can address the issues they care about. In some key marginal seats, these young voters will have a significant impact on the election result.
Moreton, in the southern suburbs of Brisbane is one of them. Here, young voters outnumber any other age group." SBS Insight Webpage Video links at bottom of this post.

The following discussion revealed a great deal about how these young people communicate; what they know/think about the upcoming Federal Election; where they get their information; their impressions of the two major political parties involved; how they will decide to vote; and their preferred methods of communication.

Check back to posts from Robyn and Alex in this blog on October 4th for views on using generational labels.

The "My Vote" program reminded me that those of us educating young people need to look very carefully at our personal views and our personal bias for/against using ICT technology.
Do we make assumptions about our students'communication skills?
Do we ensure that they learn to research independently? (not just following links we provide)
Do they then process the information to form personal opinions?
Do they do this out of interest, or because they have-to?

Simple basics maybe, but worth revisiting Often!

These are the links to the video recording of the program if you are interested. There is also a link to post-show interviews.

PREVIOUSLY ON INSIGHT
MY VOTE
VIDEO: Part I
VIDEO: Part II
VIDEO: Part III Print introduction Read More>>

More from online discussion

2007-10-19T08:58:00.000+10:00

My view ("I'm still working on my conversion"!) Good blog cartoons

Another discussion thread in last Tuesday's session (see Joy's blog below), was about the use of blogs.

We ranged over a number of issues. Among them were:
- various purposes of blogs;
- personal preference affecting our use of blogging;
- how we are using blogs;
- the need for us to experience blogging before recommending it to others;
and - the value of blogs in connectivity.

See also Dr Stephen Warbuton's slide show - "Deploying Social Software in teaching and learning environments" - lots of good points, arguments, uses of blogs with/for students.

WWWtools for teachers "Blogging for Learning 2006" is a good overview of blogging and has many links to other sites on the topic.

open and closed networks

2007-10-17T08:57:00.000+10:00

thanks all for yeterday's discussion, it was hectic!

we started off talking about which tool works best for which student and then we got on to the concepts of closed networks such as edna groups as compared to open networks and the endless possibilities of blogs etc.

this was the most important issue for me and my thoughts are:

closed networks are useful for building rapport, creating and environment for collaboration and sharing but they can also be stifling and critical in a negative sense if not moderated well

blogs can be very interactive and have the possiblity of reaching an unlimited number of new readers/ participants and therefore open up new lines of communication and networks

so then i got my act together , opened a google reader account ( thanks to the great video instructions on learnscope wikispace) , collected some RSS feeds and i'm off on a new adventure!

I'd love to hear from others what are your favourite "feeds" and still intersted to hear how you are using particuilar tools with particular learners and why they work ...

Fear of technology in education

2007-10-08T10:11:00.000+10:00

Renaissance revisited

2007-10-04T09:54:00.000+10:00

I am just SO OVER this Gen X/ Gen Y thing. Perhaps its me feeling old and jealous : > but the generalisations made have always bothered me.

In our Tuesday morning meeting this week Lud suggested the term ‘No Rules Generation’ might be more apt for the young but when it comes down to it any description that defines a generation is just not going to cut it.

So what do you think about the notion of Gen C?
Instead of focusing on age it focuses on mindset…

Gen C make their own content. Gen C form strong communities, and care about communication. They want to be connected. Gen C take on broadcast media on their own terms: They get involved, and are happy to make their own celebrities. Gen C control their own lives; they’re happy with complexity and continuous partial attention. Gen C work and live creativity: they work in creative industries, don’t look down on making and crafting, and want to adapt mass market products in acts of co-creation.[Creative Generalist]

from Idealog May/June 2006, page 36. Illustration by Greg Hodgson/saltdesign.co.nz. Design by Michael Chalberg/saltdesign.co.nz

The only thing I disagree with here is the locking of outlet to their working lives. For many its an escape from drudgery. Anyone who watches my FlickR activity will attest to that : )

Here are a few more introductory thoughts from Jake Pearce in ‘Meet Generation C: Renaissance revisited’ ….

Whatever Gen C do, it somehow involves originality and expression. Nothing is just about work; it’s about meaning and transformation. Life as art (quoting Jude Hooson)

For business, the consequence is that Gen C wants to become involved in everything—design, production and even marketing. Think of consumers as co-creators of the products.

The lesson for marketers and manufacturers is this: how are you involving your customers in co-creation?

As for careers, there’s a future in plastics—or at least plasticity. Gen C might be the first generation whose parents have no expectation that the road to success is through the professions.

Finally, if Gen C is a real phenomenon, it will have national implications. The countries that win will be those with the most robust respect for the fostering and commercialisation of intellectual property. If Gen C is defined by its desire for original thought and unconstrained outcomes, then our country could look a little like the United States in 1900, marked by inventiveness, optimism and a determination to become rich through talent and effort.

So what are the implications for us as educators? For our teaching practice?
If this IS a growing trend what can we put in place to support and foster Gen C?

The ups and downs of e-learning/teaching

2007-09-19T20:23:00.000+10:00

I agree with Lud ("New Insights for Me") that we are in the business of teaching/learning and that the students are/should be the focus.
We have grown-up in systems where those recognised as having experience/?knowledge were also recognised as those responsible for passing-on that experience to the strata (educational/economic/managerial, etc) "below".

Now we're all learning together because we're breaking new ground. Mentors are still thin on the ground, and the field is so vast that we have a sense of rushing here and there without "settling" to look at one area/tool/practice, in any detail. Wherever we turn we are confronted by "new" ideas, methodology, tools, etc.

I believe that we are getting better at frequent shorter bursts of wearing different "hats" (teacher, researcher, learner, experimenter, inventor, peer-mentor, etc) rather than focussing and committing to, say, a time of study, then a time of work, then a time of recreation (holidays) etc. How often have you recently heard comments that the boundaries between work and personal life are becoming blurred?

This may be why we are hearing more calls for "personal reflection", and maybe also one of the reasons some people are finding blogs so useful. After the discussion on portfolios and PLE's yesterday, I believe that portfolios as we now envisage them will morph into a number of different purpose-specific "thingos" (yet to be named). I will stick to a PLE for now.

We evaluate what can be useful in our own teaching/learning life - use/apply the tool which works for us - and in doing so, we develop and refine new uses/applications which we can then demonstrate to/share with other practitioners.

It is this ferment** that creates those moments of self-doubt; excitement; fascination; despair; personal committment; stress; and ultimately, satisfaction, when we have to drag our students away from their "work" to take lunch breaks!

** a. A state of agitation or of turbulent change or development.
b. An agent that precipitates or is capable of precipitating such a state; a catalyst.

New Insights for Me

2007-09-19T14:03:00.000+10:00

After attending and participating in the regional event 1 which was all about PLE (Personal Learning Environments) and e-portfolios I have had some thoughts. -LOL I know!!!-

Some of these thoughts centre around us as a team (all people in the knowledge era really) taking responsibility for our learning and maintaining our 'personalised' approach to where we are heading, wherever that may be. You may remember in one of our conversations in adobe connect that I mentioned a peculiar feeling that I have had as a member of this team. The feeling being "Oh this is what its like to be a learner in a new space" A bit lost, tentative and without much confidance or vision to make sense of my learning.

This feeling led me to decide that as a person I WOULD be adaptable and THINK for myself. Not BY myself but FOR myself. As I started to do this other ideas began to grow inside me and have come together (for the moment).

My thought for the moment is that there is something that e-learning does to us as teachers\practioners\facilitators that is subversive to our natural state of teacher/being. That makes it difficult for us to use our belief in the strengths of our students, that makes it difficult to focus on the very reason that we became teachers in the first place eg to uplift students,young people,disenfranchised groups etc etc.

I believe that as a field we are letting the newness\vastness\worklife integrationess\ of e learning take us away from the debate and praxis of maintaining our focus on our student groups. Surely teaching is NOTHING new. Developing and maintaining relationships is NOTHING new. If you are good at it you are good at it. If you believe in it then you believe in it. The only thing that is new is EVERY day. If a new day brings a new useful tool use it. If it doesnt bring a new tool or you dont like the one that appears so what?? Lets not let that get in the way of continuing to focus our strengths, which I believe are :
- identifying the strengths of others
-instilling in others a belief in thier on personal worth and ability.

What has this got to do with e-portfolios? You tell me??

Lud

Why is it happening?

2007-09-12T16:14:00.001+10:00

The big battle coming over the future of smart mobs concerns media cartels and government agencies are seeking to reimpose the regime of the broadcast era in which the customers of technology will be deprived of the power to create and left only with the power to consume. That power struggle is what the battles over file-sharing, copy protection, regulation of the radio spectrum are about. Are the populations of tomorrow going to be users, like the PC owners and website creators who turned technology to widespread innovation? Or will they be consumers, constrained from innovation and locked into the technology and business models of the most powerful entrenched interests?
HOWARD RHEINGOLD: SMART MOBS [7.16.02]

I only just started reading this book and some of it scares me. We have been sort of talking about whos interests are being served in our discussions around eportfolios etc. Perhaps we should remain mindful about maintaining pedagogy as a primary way to ensure consumers dont become constrained from innovation at the behest of powerful entrenched interests!

What do you think?

Lud

Too good to be true?

2007-09-12T14:52:00.000+10:00

Broadband internet access, satellite access, phone access .....

Now...we've just got to find enough jobs in remote communities so that people can stay there and make use of all these services....and, we've got to upskill staff to be able to use it to create effective learning spaces....hmmm, where do we start......

http://www.minister.dcita.gov.au/media/media_releases/clever_networks_smart_solutions_for_remote_northern_territory_education_and_health
http://www.minister.dcita.gov.au/media/media_releases/funding_to_improve_telecommunications_in_remote_indigenous_communities

http://www.minister.dcita.gov.au/media/media_releases/extension_of_essential_telecommunications_for_indigenous_communities

From Edna groups to Here

2007-09-10T16:29:00.000+10:00

I have been reading, lurking, smirking!

I have been spying on the writing,

I have been fearful of the working

The special words- the elite jerking.

Sometimes I feel like smiting,

web 2 's no classified thing

anyone can classify it

so back off and let us try it.

I dont think that we or web two are all that special:

youtube e portfolios

2007-09-10T11:34:00.000+10:00

Has anybody done a search on youtube for e portfolio? Talk about a lot of boring junk!!!!!!
Lets hope we can keep ourselves together to ensure what we decide as an industry is creative and meets the needs of our client groups.
I'm not saying the e-portfolios are boring but the instructional stuff that comes up on you tube sure is.
Lud

"life is an e-portfolio"

2007-09-04T12:27:00.000+10:00

Thanks to Joy for the quote of the morning...

Here's the recording from this morning's meeting focusing on e-portfolios. It was a small gathering but interesting conversation. We hope to continue the discussion next Tuesday morning after some more time to read and ponder .... and post here of course.

My reading today led me back to some really interesting debate on the topics nearly two years ago by members of TALO. I extracted some narrative to stir people's thinking up a bit over in the NSW LearnScope blog. I hope you can find time to read and contribute there.

Here's a brief summary of the topics covered this morning...

e-portfolios = PERSONAL electronic portfolios
individuals should be able to determine style, content, mode, purpose
purpose as a driver
who benefits? - is the current push a drive for streamlining administrivia?
what of privacy?
can users determine who sees what and when?
how does this link to individual's multiple identities?
are e-portfolios about making individual life experiences real/ explicit for others?
who is excluded in an e-portfolio paradigm?
is the management of a personal e-portfolio a 21st century literacy skill?
what's the link with employers - are they open to e-portfolios? do they need educating?
what are the issues around individuals using social networking sites and social software?
is it about managing and manipulating identities?
where does the server space come from to enable secure ongoing storage of media? should we expect that?
does GenY even want one?
what are the pedagogical implications?
how do we grapple with equity and access issues?
is stuff online forever? is it ephemeral?

Looking forward to chatting further on the topic and issues.

The E-portfolios epidemic - more musing

2007-09-01T22:09:00.000+10:00

When Joy, Terrie and I chatted online last week we began by looking at some of the questions Robyn posed about e-portfolios.

Yes, there's a great deal of confusion, but it is exactly that confusion (resulting from early adoption of new technology/software, etc) which is fuelling the large amount of discussion, investigation, debate, etc. which is now taking place. Looking closer, I see more clarity beginning to emerge, as a result of community focus.

BUT I wonder if there is too much "cart-before-the horse" thinking.We the practitioners should be much more involved in creating a "wish-list" of exactly what we need the package to do. WE and our teachers/students are going to be using this for a specific purpose and we should define this clearly. We should then be involved in the process of design (if possible) and definitely in the testing and "tweaking" of the product.

The current discussion about e-portfolios demonstrates that there are many different purposes
envisioned. Among these are: as a secure personal repository; as a student course record; as a
personal CV; as a personal profile; as a group/individual collection of work samples; as a
demonstration of skill development; as an institutional record of an individual; and so on ...

As a number of contributors to this discussion have pointed-out here and in the Connections and
Conversations wiki, many of the practitioners "at the coalface" have adopted and/or adapted various social software programs to perform the function they require.
I agree with Robyn Jay and others who express disquiet about institutions locking behind firewalls
something which, in effect, should remain under the individual's personal control.

Some of our team wanted to look at the kind of software already being used - Robyn suggests looking at Carole McCulloch's site http://personal-eportfolios.wikispaces.com/ . Carole has been trialling various sites/packages for several years, and she provides a number of links to her own trial pages, and also provides some general background and links on e-portfolios and their uses.

Robyn has also bookmarked a few spaces in delicious at http://del.icio.us/robynjay/eportfolio
In the above list see Dr Helen Barrett - http://electronicportfolios.org/myportfolio/versions.htmlShe includes a list of sites and brief comments on each - very helpful.

Learners Experiences

2007-08-29T10:47:00.000+10:00

It seems that since we are focusing on pedagogy it would be prudent to see how our beliefs and practices impact on learners. I am not sure if people are aware of this report (full url below) by Rhona Sharpe , Greg Benfield, (Oxford Brookes University), Ellen Lessner (Abingdon and Witney College) and Eta De Cicco (NIACE) - there is some great information including information for managers/designers of learning activities etc etc. Specifically look at the 'Guide 3 - Recommendations for designers of learning activities'
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning_pedagogy/elp_learneroutcomes.aspx

I was partuculalry struck by these outcomes:

In general, the Learner Experiences studies found that learners rely on a wide range of technologies, which they adapt and personalise to their needs. However, despite their sophisticated use of technology in their personal lives, learners do not always find it easy or appropriate to transfer these approaches directly when studying.
These are the main findings that emerge from the studies:

Learners would like teachers to provide guidance on using academic resources, retrieving and evaluating information from the internet, collaboration with peers, attendance, organisation and time management

There is enormous potential for teachers to use the technology that learners are familiar and skilled with, such as blogs, personalised spaces and synchronous communications

Ownership, personalisation and appropriation of technologies are important to learners because they use technology in their lives. Teachers need to allow and even encourage learners to personalise institutionally supported technologies and, where appropriate, to use personal technologies in tandem with these

As learners already make use of content available on the internet, the focus for teachers should be on course and learning activity design, rather than creation of more content

Teachers designing learning activities should not be limited by institutionally provided software. Open designs can allow learners to choose their own tools and technologies – and even their own mode of collaborating with others – while working towards common outcomes

Tutors should be aware of the skills learners need to perform effectively in a technology-rich environment – including not only technical skills, but the skills of selection, evaluation and critical reflection – and should ensure that all learners are given opportunitities to practice and develop these skills

It seems to me that regardless of our current tack on the tool eg: e-portfolios, blogs, etc that we always need to keep the 'ease of application' in mind and our client group.

e portfolios

2007-08-28T15:23:00.000+10:00

I am really new to e portfolios but this posting from 'jerrys workblog' struck a chord with me. ( The bold emphasis is mine)

"It could be, and is often, argued that many of these ‘formal’ eportfolios do not meet all the requirements of their user base. Take a look at the rich information hundreds of thousands of Internet users are pouring into social networking services daily. Many Internet users would be quite comfortable with the notion that their myspace presence or similar service serves them well as their ePortfolio. Blogs make excellent (components of) eportfolios. Linked to your FLickr account, Facebook and dozens of other Web 2.0 services, you can create a very compelling Eportfolio of yourself. Which of these services should you or could you use? You might be able to find out information about me through Facebook, pageflakes, Windows Live spaces, several personal blogs, flickr, our company blog, Zoominfo, maybe even a myspace account, my EuroPass resume, and any one of dozens of Web 2.0 services I have reviewed over the last 12 months or so. None of these presences have been populated by me to serve as an ePortfolio but it is entirely reasonable that they could have."

Now I better do some research to find out what they look like and feel like and smell like.

Lud

today's conversation

2007-08-28T10:10:00.000+10:00

I hope this is readable...
Terrie and Kathie and I had a chat about e portfolios and we decided:

kathie will post some links to possible e portfolio sites
we will all tag our delicious finds with vetpedagogy and learnscope
we will add each other to our delicious networks

i also recorded our session but am not sure how to upload the sound file here...

Help!

2007-08-28T09:59:00.001+10:00

Kathy, Terrie and i had a great chat in discovere this morning about e portfolios.

We recorded it too.

We decided that our next steps would be

kathie will post some more links to possible e porfolio sites

we will all tag useful sites with vetpedagogy and learnscope in delicious

we will all add each other to our delicious networks

Sharing resources

2007-08-27T10:45:00.000+10:00

We have had posts regarding all sorts of things already. I would just like to post the fact that one of the best things I use the web for is to access resources ALREADY developed by other organisations or people.

We also use this for students to build on existing practice instead of developing something from scratch just to see if they can do it. As an example of accessing other organisations works in progress this site is often used by my students (and staff and workers from other places)

LUD

Online "identity" awareness

2007-08-26T15:08:00.000+10:00

I've recently been reminded of my responsibility as teacher/mentor to ensure that people I work with in the computer lab clearly understand the concept of "worldwide" when using the Internet.

We ask our students to sign an agreement to allow us to use their work, photos, and voices on our class wikis, Protopages, etc and in digital stories (presentations, videos, and slide shows) which we create. However, many of our students have limited English, have little formal educational background, and come from countries or refugee camps where technological access is limited. I am never sure just how much they understand the concept of "public" when applied to the internet.

Danah Boyd in "Social Network Sites: Public, Private, or What?" :
"The inherent replicability of bits and the power of search make most walls temporary, at best. This is why most participants in networked publics live by ‘security through obscurity’, where they assume that as long as no one cares about them, no one will come knocking. While this works for most, this puts all oppressed and controlled populations (including teenagers) at risk because it takes one motivated explorer to track down even the most obscured networked public presence." The Knowledge Tree

I am still learning about the ways people can "find" me just by linking different public information from different sites - and I have thought through the issue, weighed my options and set my personal boundaries. If you want to see just how effective that is going to be, have a look at this site.

I was reminded of the importance of the whole area of identity online when one of our students was in a class where I was the support teacher. This student was in hiding (with support of the legal system). So, in a situation where part of the motivation for reading/writing/speaking is to see and hear yourself and your work "on the Internet" in a class wiki or Protopage, we could not use this student's photo (class group or individual); or written and spoken description of favourite object; or even the personal name in lists, group tasks, or other students' writing.

In this case the teachers were aware of the student's issues - but what happens in many other classes/groups - particularly in large classes?

What is our responsibility in this? Danah Boyd (The Knowledge Tree ) has some thought-provoking suggestions.
How have you dealt with this? Are these suggestions realistic?

E-portfolios: friend or foe?

2007-08-24T13:25:00.000+10:00

[image: monceau]

One of our regional events in NSW - now to be held in Sydney on 18 Sept - focuses on e-portfolios and personal learning environments. You might like to attend either F2F or online (team members - let me know if you do and I'll find some $$).

You may have already seen my post on the topic over in the NSW LearnScope blog but I thought I'd raise the topic here to kick off some conversation leading up to our online meeting on Tuesday 4 September.

Here's a summary of the questions I raised...
Why would we build an e-portfolio system at a purely VET level rather than education-wide?
What use would it be to a learner in 12 months when they leave the course?
What’s the connection to Recognition?
How do we capture the soft skills, the attitudinal traits, values, capabilities?
Who says what’s of value?
If the capturing of skills and capabilities and achievements IS required then what ‘tool’ do you use?
Should children be supported to develop an independent space that may be non-existent in 5 years but which allows choice and ownership?
Or do we develop a life long Govt structure that certainly will be controlled and monitored? How does this align to social networking spaces?
Will they enable the capture of personal interests and potential?
How do we support the type of e-portfolio where a child can upload a digital story they’ve created on the weekend or capture the praise of the next door neighbor they baby-sit for?
Are we going to have classes in e-portfolio production?
What type of content would they allow?
Will they be biased towards those who are good at writing?
If they are started from a young age how is the content managed?
How do we deal with progress in technology?
How do we transfer the content from cassette tape to DVD?
In a world encouraging ‘life wide’ learning an e-portfolio must be designed and managed by the individual. But how?
How do we integrate contributions by significant family and community?
Who controls content?
What of access and equity issues?
How do you know what evidence will be needed in 10 years time?

What are your thoughts? Are we biting off more than we can chew here?

Rusty cogs?

2007-08-21T13:31:00.000+10:00

I'm picking up on Lud's post below as a new topic as I think it's a worthwhile one for us to ponder in this project.

Here we are... teachers.... educators .... and its very very difficult to drive this project forward.
For me I'm really struggling as a facilitator to provide just enough impetus to keep the cogs turning without directing the thinking and learning.

[image: obenson]

I recognise that some like more structure than others and I'm trying to find a balance with that too. I recognise that everyone is busy but that everyone has indeed expressed a willingness to contribute and connect. Over on the wiki page I've taken some of the topics (others remained a bit unformed and can be expanded by you) we discussed this morning to begin a bit of a timetable for our online meetings. For those that like structure I hope that helps - for those that don't I hope you can bear it! Please add and edit.

As learner/educators/learners are we still looking to be spoonfed? How much are we influenced by how we were taught - probably in a teacher-centred environment?

In my conversations with Bill Wade in Darwin last week he spoke of giving learners the 'language' to critically reflect. As LearnScope Managers we expect teams and individuals to design those reflections for themselves but perhaps for many we're asking too much? Is there in fact a skill in asking just the right questions or do we in fact need to lead people through the process at a metacognitive level so they in fact have a structure - the language - to engage effectively?

So, I'm interested to hear from you. You've been asked to post something each week. Is this to vague to ask of teachers? of learners? How much structure is needed? Are models needed? Is it purely a discipline things - making time to stop and think and articulate that?

Waiting

2007-08-20T09:35:00.000+10:00

I'm not sure exactly where to proceed from here!

So far this is a great exercise for me because it is putting me in the place of my students. Making me ask questions and take responsibility for my own learning.

What is it exactly that I want to explore? What will motivate me to engage? What are other people thinking about this blog (rhetorical question for myself)? How can I use this blog to enhance my own and others understanding of flexible directions.

This post is to let you all know that I am thinking these things and watching what others will do.

Lud

2007-08-08T14:27:00.000+10:00

today i found a quote that really sums up what i think about the whole e learning thing

it is from an interview with Jane Hart

It is no longer about classroom based, going off site, something completely different from work. It is now being seen as embedded in work, it is part of work. Learning and working are really becoming one and the same thing and I think that is really the key to the whole of this new era of learning, that it is not just something that you do in a separate place, but is something that happens every day of your life, whether you are at home or you are at work.

What IS VET's role in community development?

2007-07-13T12:07:00.000+10:00

Firstly I direct you all to the post I made on our NSW LearnScope blog - Life skills= work skills = life skills . I encourage you all to post a comment - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Also while up in Lismore over coffee Melanie Doriean who is ACE rep on our Framework reference group, we chatted briefly about VET's real (ie. potentially most useful) role in a community based e-learning model.

We've been driven by the notion that communities and individuals need training/ courses. That has been the priority and focus.

In fact a huge amount of learning goes on informally, in lives, in organisations, in networks, in communities. Our jobs (and certainly NOT our lives!!) do not usually fit neatly into a VET qualification. Employers seek capabilities that are far more difficult to capture/assess than the VET sector would like.

So.... should we be directing our attention far more to capturing, mapping and recognising the capabilities that individuals possess via a brokerage recognition model? How do we get around the requirements to demonstrate completions of full qualifications in a world where people require a packaged suite of Units? How do we support community members to capture that evidence? via some form of e-portfolio?

Recognition of course requires firstly, that an individual can identify their strengths and expertise. In his book, The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki suggests that this is often not the case. This has also been my experience.....

About 3 years ago I sat with a group of colleagues in a career guidance workshop completing a personal strengths checklist (I really must dig it up - was very interesting). We went through the results as a group. Without fail the group identified skills and strengths that each individual did not. Why? Maybe we take things for granted? Modesty? I don't know. But there are clear implications for our Recognition assumptions and processes.

Recognition, on the whole, seems to have failed badly as a core component of VET practice. Why? What makes it work? What models have you seen to support its effective implementation and how could technology support that?

[image: Earl what I saw 2.0]

2 Jan 07

2007-07-10T10:27:00.001+10:00

2 Jan 07
Originally uploaded by Joy Sharpe

A rolling stone.....

2007-07-09T10:49:00.000+10:00

Given Alicia's enthusiasm and the lack of dissent I've gone ahead and set up this blog as the hub for critical debate and conversation over the next 4-5 months. Each person in the team has rights to post; any registered Google member can comment.

We'll discuss the scope of our posting and agree on some level of contribution at our next online meeting after the holidays. Personally, I'd like to see each of us posting once a week and regularly commenting to the thoughts of others. I hope we also attract comments from others outside our immediate team, and I'll be blogging about our work on the main NSW LearnScope blog to encourage this.

Deciding on what tools to use to maximise learning, outcomes, contributions and sharing is always difficult. My current thinking for this team (given the level of expertise in VET and enthusiasm) is:
1. Use of our team wiki page as a project summary, for planning and to link to other spaces.
2. Use of this blog for conversations, capturing our joint learning, connecting with a wider audience etc
3. Use of a shared tag 'vetpedagogy' for flickr images, bookmarking in del.icio.us etc
4. Personal pages to document your profile and map out your plans etc - this could be your personal page on the wiki - here's mine as an example - or any other public space/place you currently use (linked from the project wiki page)

From this point forward I'll be posting under my own profile, as will Donna. We throw open the challenge to you to make full use of this opportunity to speak critically, share openly, support others in the team by enthusiastically engaging with their learning and issues, and by thinking creatively about how we can influence VET pedagogy to improve the opportunities we provide to learners/clients.

Let's take the opportunity to look beyond our immediate work context; take some time out to star gaze and to look beyond VET, Australia and even beyond education for new ways of working.

[image: Photo's of natures calm]

Robyn Jay
NSW LearnScope Manager