A simple overview of social media and how it can be used #BYOD4L #ocTEL

This is my first attempt at creating an infographic. It aims to provide a simple overview of social media and how these tools can be used to connect, communicate, curate, collaborate and create (5 Cs model Nerantzi and Beckingham 2014). 

You can access the interactive version here.

A simple overview of social media and how it can be used | Create Infographics

If you are interested in finding out more then please follow #BYOD4L and visit http://byod4learning.wordpress.com/

Is time to think again about taking the T out of TEL? #ocTEL

Earlier last week I came across a post that Kathrine Jensen had written last year when taking #ocTEL for the first time. In the comments someone had referred to a conversation on Twitter where it was suggested we take the T out of TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning). 

It took a bit of detective work but I found the originator of this quote - Alejandro Armellini  also taking the course at the time. This was his big question: 







Image source: Public Domain CC

#ocTEL Week 0: big questions - How can we get rid of the 'T' in 'TEL'? http://t.co/A8b0tMQ7ZI
— Alejandro Armellini (@alejandroa) April 5, 2013

It left me thinking.....
Technology Enhanced Learning has in many areas replaced the term 
e-Learning where 'e' referred to electronic and is defined in Wikipedia as: 

'The use of electronic media and information and communication technologies'

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in their revised e-learning strategy (2009) define TEL as:
‘Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of technology’

As educators and for all the right reasons we often say technology should not come first. Putting pedagogy before technology is now somewhat of a mantra. Steve Wheeler quotes Michael Fullan:

'Pedagogy is the driver, technology is the accelerator' 

Michael Fullan

When you look more closely and scrutinise the phrase 'technology enhanced learning' just doesn't quite sit right. It is not the technology directly that enhances the learning but the pedagogy and learning approach. We know that learning can be enhanced in many different ways. Is it right therefore to emphasise technology first? Alejandro argues that this should be transparent.

The call to remove the 'technology' or the T out of TEL and to focus on the enhancement of learning is therefore something to consider. This would actually brings us back again to e-learning, but this time placing the emphasis on a capital E for enhanced and therefore seen as Enhanced Learning. 

References

HEFCE (2009) Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of technology 
A revised approach to HEFCE’s strategy for e-learning.

Higher Education Academy (2009) Transforming higher education through technology enhanced learning.  

Kirkwood, A. and Price, L. (2014). Technology-enhanced learning and teaching in higher education: what is ‘enhanced’ and how do we know? A critical literature review. Learning, Media and Technology, 39(1) pp. 6–36.

Wheeler, S. (2014) Learning First, Technology Second

Information overload or filter failure? The value of learning in small groups. #ocTEL

Badges

So I got my first badge :-) I am down on the fourth row in the middle. This is the Check-In badge and allows me to now move on to earn my TEL One badge. For this I had to complete an activity which was to record my reflections. I did this in my previous blog post and have now submitted a link to it. I guess someone will now verify this at some point and I will then hear if it meets the grade!

Controlling the flow of email

I've added this video as a reminder to adjust my settings for email notifications. Big thanks to Martin Hawksey for doing this, it made the task much easier. Too much information can be de-motivating and unmanageable.

It also served to remind how useful short screencasts are to help someone though a new task. I must look at my own practice and see how they would add value. It's so useful to be able to play a short video on your phone whilst attending to the task in hand on your PC or laptop, as opposed to flipping back and forth between two screens. 

A second consideration is building your personal learning network. They will help to filter the noise and guide you to valuable learning resources. 

Learning in

Groups

Our task for #ocTEL Week 0 included 

With one or more fellow participants, organise a period of reflection and discussion over two or three days and see if you can arrive at a shared view of:

• What can we tell about the range of experiences and preferences among ocTEL participants?

• What challenges does this present for the course?

• In what ways is a MOOC like this one well or poorly suited to these challenges?

I have joined a group in the course site 'ocTEL CMALT' which aims to help those looking to complete certified membership of ALT by using the experience of #ocTEL as part of our evidence of learning. A discussion of the above questions is something I have contributed to. In addition I have set up a Yammer group and invited colleagues taking the course at my university to join. This will provide us a space to reflect and share our learning. 

I'm not sure how many are participating in #ocTEL but given the Twitter stream there are a lot! With so many voices it is not surprising that people start to feel lost in the noise. What is crucial is to make the best of this learning experience. This can be helped by making small sub groups where you can engage in a conversation and be heard. This can be determined by geographic location or by topic. This is something I would recommend for all online learning courses. Getting individuals to buddy up or form groups is a valuable element of the orientation process and an opportunity to build a support network.

Dare to be different: #ocTEL Activity 0.3 Exploring and experimenting

Image source CC Licence

Today was the first webinar. This took us through the expectations of the course,  a look around the course site and some advice from past participants and facilitators. At the end we were given a password to submit on the badges page to claim the first 'webinar badge'. What is really neat is that the badge shows on my personal page slightly grayed out, but once the code had been verified it changes to green and white. You can also see the other badges you can choose to work for. The TEL Explorer badge can be claimed 3 times in a week by completing the designated activities and evidencing this with a link to your blog post or by uploading a file. I will come back to the motivational factor of badges and the principles behind how you can collect them in another post. Suffice to say for now it is working for me!

Activity 0.3: Exploring and experimenting

During the webinar Martin Hawksey told us that #ocTEL was about curating opportunities to make connections to knowledge AND people. This he said could be done within the course site by joining a group or forum discussion, but he also encouraged us to find different spaces of our own, to explore and experiment. Dare to be different and try something new. 

Unlike some other #MOOcs learning is encouraged to take place in & outside of the course site ~ @mhawksey #ocTEL
— Sue Beckingham (@suebecks) April 30, 2014

Shortly after the webinar had finished a LinkedIn group had been set up, last year's Mendeley group signposted and an invite to join a small group to curate an #ocTEL Scoop.it page (all of which I joined)! I am interested to see how the interactions differ in these spaces or what is said about these spaces. I have not yet used Mendeley to its full potential so I look forward to experimenting there. 

I also set up a Yammer group as a space for my two Sheffield Hallam course buddies and myself to explore and use to engage in discussions about the course. I've been a member of Yammer since 2009 and set up a variety of groups but to date have had only limited engagement. As it happens the colleagues who did engage have now moved on to other jobs outside of SHU. Having a focus to use a new social networking space of course is important. Without, it just becomes a repository for the odd link or document shared. Perhaps the motivation to interact needs to be by starting with a question? An invitation to get people to share their views. The group is currently private and as access to Yammer is ring fenced to the institution (or company) you work for having an open group would not benefit other #ocTEL students. 

For now the main relationship forming and community building seems to be happening within Twitter. New blog posts links are being tweeted and there are discussions forming around these both as tweets and comments in the blog posts. I keep skimming down the list of tweets (saved as a search for #ocTEL on my phone) as I travel to and from work, over lunch and other windows of opportunity. For me this makes it a manageable space to keep abreast of. It allows me to quickly respond to a question or comment. I think if I left it until the end of the day the attempt to catch up it would be overwhelming. Twitter is a space I feel comfortable in. A space I would say I am resident in (Visitors and Residents, White and LeCornu 2011). 

It's possibly too early yet to say if things will develop in other spaces. I get the feeling that participants are still feeling their way around and orientating themselves to the course site and for some getting to grips with Twitter as a new communication tool itself. 

Fringe groups

Mendeley: http://www.mendeley.com/groups/3241271/octel/

LinkedIn: http://lnkd.in/bu3Jt_G

Scoop.it: sco.lt/7hbVmD

Yammer: 2014 ocTEL SHU Co-Learners Sub Group

Experimenting with new tools

Share your location map should have been a quick and easy task but it took me a little while to fiddle with it. Participants were invited to add their university and location to https://mapsengine.google.com/map/.  

Add your name and location to the ALT #ocTEL map! https://t.co/Z4hNDgBcne
— James Kerr (@Kerr63) April 30, 2014

Not to be beaten I then went back and took another look and discovered you can change the colour of your 'pin' and its shape! There is also an edit box so in addition to labeling Sheffield Hallam Uni, I also added my name and my two colleagues David Eddy and Kelly Snape who are also taking the course.  

The tool could be useful for a variety of activities, particularly if you have an international cohort of students, are going on a field trip or want to mark the locations of specific attractions.   

'Big and little questions about TEL' #ocTEL Activity Week 0

Image source: http://pixabay.com Public Domain CC0

Activity 0.1

My BIG question has to be:

"Why when there is now so much evidence that our future graduates need to develop a range of digital skills and understand how to use these alongside social media to communicate and collaborate, do we not see all courses embedding opportunities for students to learn how to confidently and effectively develop digital literacies?"

My next question is:

"Why is the supported upskilling and development of educators who are teaching our students not a priority?"

The biggest factor seems to be time. 

"How do we get to a point where staff development is something time planned in and achievements are recognised?"

Reflecting upon learning new skills

Despite my passionate interest in the use of social media and technology to enhance learning, I do not consider myself to be a 'techy'. I'll be honest, I've often struggled with new technology and will pour over instructions for ages, re-reading or re-playing a 'how to' video. Where others may listen to a few instructions or simply have a go and get it almost immediately, technology for me is often hard work! However I do get there in the end. What has helped me considerably is drawing upon the skills and expertise of others who have got there before me. Asking questions and looking for alternative ways to learn a new skill all help. We have all felt daft asking yet another question when learning something new, but unless we do progression is so much harder. Technology can be frustrating but it also brings rich rewards when used for learning. As Educators we are always learning and technology opens up new and exciting opportunities to continue this journey.  

I often draw upon these very feelings when I am working with colleagues, giving a workshop or a class with students. Those very words "It's easy to do x" are ones I try not to use. Very often it is not easy until you know how. Key things I have learnt as an educational developer introducing technology:

1. Don't make assumptions about the level people are starting from
2. Avoid using jargon
3. Start with exemplars of how it (the technology) could be used
4. Explain in bite sized chunks how to use it
5. Encourage questions
6. Let individuals practice what they have learnt

At this point we should encourage individuals to reflect on what they have learnt and to evaluate the impact on the learning experience of others once the new technology is introduced. This is where it starts to get messy... 

How do I know if the developmental session I gave was a success? Did it change practice? Were the outcomes positive? Could I enhance my development session? Do I need to? How was the teaching innovation received by students? Did it run smoothly? If there were issues, what where they?

Very often we don't have the opportunity to see the impact a TEL development workshop has. This is not because we are not interested but simply a lack of time and yet unless we take this opportunity how can we be sure what we are doing is effective? How can we make this process easier? How can we best share this information with others so we are not continually trying to reinvente the wheel?

CMALT

By taking this course I am already starting to reflect on my own practice and that of others. It will be a very useful opportunity to re-visit my CMALT application and see how I can align the two. This is the Certified Membership of the Association of Learning Technology. 

I am going to take this learning opportunity to learn with others and hope to both gain new ideas and approaches but also share with others things I have found useful. The reflective process will also help me to consider areas of my practice I can improve upon. It will help me to stop and question. 

Twitter

This course is using the hashtag #ocTEL and along with the very useful course reader that Martin Hawksey has set up, I will not be short of information to read! This is where the warning comes in for anyone new. Based on previous involvement with a variety of open courses similar to this one, you will not be able to read everything and that is ok! It takes a while to accept this. Instead come to enjoy the serendipity of happening upon tweets and look to join groups you take an interest in - these are beginning to form on the course site. Connect with new people on Twitter and use this forum to ask questions. Chances are someone else will have the same question. Look out for other people's questions and jump in if you can answer any. That's what makes the learning community.

....Let the learning begin (or continue)!

The lure of the #ocTEL badge

ocTEL is the Open Course in Technology Enhanced Learning led by ALT, the Association for Learning Technology. This is the second year it has run. 

What drew me in

Below is the opening invite on the enrolment page. What struck me immediately was the clear message that it was ok to drop in and learn when I can and focus on my choice of topic. Having been involved in a number of MOOCs I know from experience that life and work have a habit of getting in the way and best laid plans for dedicated participation have for me gone out the window. The message below is both reassuring and inviting. 

ocTEL doesn't follow a traditional format and whilst we'd love everyone to complete 'the course' you can drop-in for the material and events most useful to you (currently outline of weeks below). Ultimately our aim is to help you make connections between people and knowledge to aid your personal development. ocTEL is an ideal opportunity to consider the connection with your existing skills and experience and Certified Membership of ALT (CMALT).

I then took a look at the course hashtag #ocTEL to see who talking about it. A few tweets later and I already felt part of the start of this new community.

@suebecks @yvetteinmb Nice one!! We're all #ocTEL ready!!
— Helen Crump (@crumphelen) April 28, 2014

For me this is what it is all about. An opportunity to learn more about technology enhanced learning with other like minded people in bite sized nuggets, but also to discuss and debate, make new connections and expand the rich and valuable personal learning network I have. Opportunities like this would not be possible on such scale without such free and open courses. 

The lure of the badge is an incentive! Why? Because it requires me to reflect on my learning and evidence this as blog posts. I have written before that this particular aspect does not come easily, but have discovered that short posts are manageable and you find that once you get in to the flow words start to tumble out. This isn't polished report writing and you have 'permission' to write as much or little as you wish. This is writing for you. If others read your posts and find it useful, well that's a bonus. 

I look forward to this new MOOC, the conversations I will have and the opportunity to continue my learning with a community of educators who I am sure will open my mind to new ideas and approaches. 

Maha sums this up with her tweet:

Love the #octel emphasis "help u make connections between people and knowledge to aid your personal development" https://t.co/0dxsJrnyYr
— Maha Bali (@Bali_Maha) April 28, 2014

The ocTEL course information page further inspires with its intro

the open course you cannot fail......unless you fail to find something interesting

Somehow I doubt that very much!
   

Programme

Week 0: TEL & the future (induction) - 28 Apr 2014 
Week 1: Concepts and approaches - 5 May 2014
Week 2: Learners and learning - 12 May 2014
Week 3: Materials, platforms and technologies - 19 May 2014
Week 4: Support, feedback and assessment - 2 Jun 2014
Week 5: Leadership, management and keeping on track - 9 Jun 2014
Week 6: Enhancement, review and evaluation - 16 Jun 2014

Key links

Website: http://octel.alt.ac.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALTocTEL

Hashtag: #ocTEL

Smart Devices for Learning #3: using smartphones, tablets and apps to enhance learning

Image source: Andrew Middleton

Yesterday I was in Manchester for the MELSIG event - the third in a series focusing on smart devices for learning. (The previous two were held at the University of Huddersfield and Sheffield Hallam University).

The day started well sharing the scenic train journey across the Pennines with Anne Nortcliffe and coffee on arrival at Manchester Met University in the Business School with David Eddy. It was good to meet up with old friends and meet connections I have made over Twitter for the first time face to face. 

The programme for the day was jam packed and promised opportunities to learn and share good practice using a whole range of apps all accessible from our smart devices. Given the vast range of tools there are available it was good to hear about specific examples and how they had been put to good use both in a personal context and for learning and teaching.

Chrissi Nerantzi and myself also shared the highlights of our recent open course 'Bring Your Own Device for Learning'. It was great to be able to draw in comments from some of our co-facilitators Alex Spiers, Chris Rowell Neil Withnell and Andrew Middleton as well Anne Nortcliffe who was a participant of the course. The opportunity to communicate in new social spaces previously not used in an educational context and having the opportunity to learn with new people across different institutions was valued.

Where ideas grow #BYOD4L from Sue Beckingham and Chrissi Nerantzi


Key take aways

I need to go away and explore the iPad app Penultimate and Evernote! There is also scope to make use of augmented reality and whilst I am still mulling over possibilities for use, this is something I need to look into.

During the final session which was a series of 5 minute 'thunderstorm' presentations, Terry McAndrew reminded us of the importance of thinking about accessibility when introducing technology and to inlcude this apsect in project write ups. Terry is Academic Lead (HEA) for Educational Learning Technologies and a JISC Techdis Advisor.

When carrying out projects using technology follow this advice from @terrymc to make sure acessible #melsigmmu pic.twitter.com/7uVpHKe3MO
— Sue Beckingham (@suebecks) April 14, 2014

But this is just a mere few and as I go back through my notes and tweets I will be reminded of more. Clearly I was not alone! Twitter was on fire and so many delegates went away with numerous ideas. Terry made his own summary using Padlet.

My 1st time at #melsigmmu what an absolute feast of ideas & inspiration! Thx for organising this event @andrewmid & @chrissinerantzi
— David Eddy (@sonofedd) April 14, 2014

@digisim Did you know that #melsigmmu was Trending Topic for 35 minutes? → http://t.co/mwhFe2SCP5 @suebecks #trndnl
— Trendinalia UK (@trendinaliaGB) April 15, 2014

Links

• http://byod4learning.wordpress.com/
• http://melsig.shu.ac.uk/
• http://www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/
• http://evernote.com/penultimate/
• http://www.aurasma.com/