Blogging for teaching and learning

A few thoughts on how you can use blogs as a teacher, and for your personal learning.

How to use blogs for learning and teaching

View more presentations from Sarah Stewart.

http://www.slideshare.net/sarahs/how-to-use-blogs-for-learning-and-teaching

How to obtain student feedback about your teaching

Here are some tips to keep in mind when you are asking students for feedback on your teaching:


http://sarah-stewart.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/7-things-to-think-about-when-asking-for.html




Image: 'Blizard Building lecture theatre'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20442663@N00/247620009

Thinking about Facebook for learning and teaching

Taken from Sarah Stewart's blog: Introducing Facebook for teaching and learning: workshop at Otago Polytechnic

Aim
To provide a "show and tell" session that introduces teachers and staff at Otago Polytechnic to Facebook as a tool for teaching and learning. This workshop will also include how to incorporate Facebook into wider communication and marketing strategies for programs and schools.

Objectives
By the end of the workshop, you will know:

• How to set up your account;
• How to make the most of your settings so you can keep your private profile separate from your professional one;
• How to use it with your students as a communication tool and to support their learning;
• How to use closed groups for reflection and classroom discussion, and
• How to use Facebook for professional networking. 

How to set up your account
Go to http://www.facebook.com and fill in the form.

• Be mindful Facebook retains access to your information.
• Facebook retains copyright over information and resources you post
• Think carefully about whether you want to make your birthday visible or not. While it's nice to have people wish you 'happy birthday', it increases the risk to your online security.
• Think about the photos you post, especially those of children and other people.
• Do NOT post personal information such as bank account details, even on your private page.
• Be mindful that people can trace all your activities on FB. 

How to make the most of your security settings 

• Go through your privacy settings and set them how you want them - don't leave them on default.
  
• Think about the difference between having information go "public", to "friends" and/or "acquaintances".
• You don't have to automatically make someone your friend. If you are unsure what their connection is, send them a message and ask them why they want to connect with you.
• If someone posts a comment you don't like...delete it. Don't be afraid to un-friend someone if you need to.
• Consider whether you want a professional page as well as a personal page.

How to use it with your students as a communication tool and to support their learning
Have a think about whether you want to use it as a supplementary communication tool or whether you wish to embed it into your teaching. Yes, FB is where a lot of young people hang out, but they don't necessarily use it for learning. So what do you need to provide your students so they do use it effectively for learning? It is important to think about the pedagogy behind your use of FB. It is just as important to think about learning, teaching and assessment strategies in your use of FB as it is any other mode. It also needs just as much commitment and facilitation as classroom teaching.

• Is it ethical to insist students log into a propriety platform?
• Need to think about educating students about the professional and respectful use of Facebook.
• Do you need to moderate?
• Have to think about issues such as licence of images shared.
• Are you modelling good use of Facebook?
• Learn how to feed Facebook into Moodle.
• How are students going to access FB...computers at Polytech...computers at home...smart phones...and how will this impact on your use of FB?
• Don't forget Facebook gives you the ability to use instant text and video calls.
• Use Facebook to advertise events and remind students about upcoming important dates.
• Use Facebook Notes for longer pieces of work.

How to use closed groups for reflection and classroom discussion
Groups are really useful because they allow you to communicate with students without having to become their "friends". In fact, I would advise that you don't "friend" students.  You can keep them open or closed, which is a really useful option especially if you want to keep conversation private. If you keep it open, you may need to think about moderation.

• What is more appropriate...a group or page?
• Who 'owns' the group...you or the students?

How to use Facebook for professional networking

• Spend time connecting with people.
• Initiate conversations
• Ask questions
• Share resources and information
• Always respond to comments
• Interact on FB at least 3 times per week.

Remember: If you are ever unsure about something, have a 'play'....ask Mr Google....or check on YouTube.
 
More resources

• The Mashable Facebook Guidebook
• Questions to ask yourself about using Facebook for learning and teaching.
• Educator's guide to Facebook 
• 100 ways you should be using Facebook in your classroom
• Just to let you know...Facebook does not have the ability to cure cancer, solve global warming or make you a better teacher

Examples of Facebook Pages

• Otago Polytechnic
• Otago Polytechnic School of Midwifery 
• Otago Polytechnic School of Veterinary Nursing
• The Highlanders 
• Keep Neurosurgery in Dunedin
• Virtual International Day of the Midwife

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahmstewart/5564934103/

What makes a good Moodle course?

Tomaz Lasic suggests the more relevant question is "What makes a good learning experience?" An excellent overview from a well-known Moodle expert covering important aspects of technology, pedagogy and content to provide a good learning experience using Moodle.

What Makes a Good Moodle course

View more presentations from Tomaz Lasic

Think Outside the Square with Moodle

Recording to an Elluminate presentation on how to use Moodle.

Stephan Schmidt shows how to build a course in Moodle 1.9 that helps practitioners work around the ‘scroll of death’. This is part of the Australian Flexible Learning Framework e-Gems series.

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2011-04-05.1933.M.59D6212D48DE08EBA1B1E05BEC834A.vcr&sid=675

Code for adding Shockwave files (iSpring Powerpoints) to Moodle Books

An interesting discovery was made today. You can add Shockwave files (iSpring Powerpoints) to Moodle Books....if you know the right HTML code. Full instructions and an example have been added to Staff Moodle resources. Using Shockwave files (iSpring Powerpoints) in Books 

Emerging technologies on post-secondary education in Australia and New Zealand

Here is the third edition of the The Horizon Report: Australia-New Zealand.

This report looks at emerging technologies and the effects they will have on teaching and learning over the next 5 years - well worth a look.

Free, online Global Education Conference

Here's an opportunity to attend a free, online conference that starts tomorrow.

All information can be found here: The 2010 Global Education Conference. Elluminate is the conferencing platform.

Topics include sustainability, connectivism, project-based learning, Moodle and many, many more.

See you there!

Two great Elluminate sessions for those of you who work with students online

Here are two Elluminate sessions that will support you as you move into online teaching.

Presentation: Cultural Competency in the online environment.
Speaker: Kate Timms-Dean
Recording: http://elluminate.tekotago.ac.nz/play_recording.html?recordingId=1260253889796_1289426318023


Presentation: Driving change into an on line society via sustainable practices
Speaker: Nicola Bould
Recording: http://elluminate.tekotago.ac.nz/play_recording.html?recordingId=1260253889796_1289339946762

Sarah's presentation about how she uses her ePortfolio

ePortfolio Australia 2010

View more presentations from Sarah Stewart.

How to use VoiceThread

VoiceThread is a wonderful tool for collaborative discussion which makes a "sexy" change for discussion boards and email groups. Here is a video that shows you how it works courtesy of Kim McLean.


http://screenr.com/GdZ

Blogging for professional development and healing

Here is a very interesting presentation given by Bronnie Thompson who is an occupational therapist, educator and PhD candidate. She has used blogging as a means of recovering from concussion, and for professional development. You may be especially interested in the topic of her blog which is about living with chronic pain - the blog is called HealthSkills.

Find recording here.

Why you need a personal learning network?

Why you need a PLN!

View more presentations from Sarah Stewart.

Nancy White - looking over our shoulders

I found this recording to a meeting we had with Nancy White three years ago about how we can learn from and assist each other to learn.

It is still as relevant today as it was then.

1. MP3 audio of Nancy's talk - 2.7meg / 15min
2. MP3 audio of discussion after the talk - 6.3meg / 35min
3. Elluminate recording - 1hr, 35min (no password needed)

The networked student - how does this apply to tertiary students

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution!

http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

Changing Education Paradigms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

More from Sir Ken Robinson about education

Blogging workshop: Tuesday 26th October at 9am

Just a quick note to say that I will be running a workshop on Tuesday 26^th October at 9am at Otago Polytechnic on how to set up a blog. Anyone is very welcome to attend.

At the moment I am in the throes of arranging a computer room, so please contact me for a room toward the end of this week so I can tell you where we will be.

Thank you, Sarah Stewart (0800 smartmove 03 4773014 x 8360) sarah.stewart(at)op.ac.nz

Free, online seminar: Nancy White on Networks, Communities, and the Role of Facilitator

Free online seminar on Weds 20th October 1pm NZ - full details here:

http://www.stevehargadon.com/2010/10/tuesday-nancy-white-on-networks.html

This is a must-attend event for anyone interested in how you teach, learn and facilitate in the online environment