Presentations and free training sessions
Our experience in online support for learning and in more general educational technology has led to the creation of a number of presentations to inform and engage e-learning professionals in most education sectors at meetings and conferences.The presentations, some of which are intended as general introductions to the subjects for non-specialists, are fairly short (see approximate timings for each item) but can be extended with questions and answers if required.
We are often able to deliver these presentations on an expenses-only basis in return for our contact details and a flyer being included in conference packs.
Currently available presentations are:
Moodle: What is it, can it help me, can it help my learners?
Target audience: Managers and staff of potential Moodle user organisations – ACL, WBL, FE, Schools.1½ hours to 2 hours.
This presentation gives an overview of Moodle – what it looks like, who can use it, what you can do with it, how it can support and enhance learning. We briefly consider alternatives and we look at financial and other costs and benefits. This presentation is a good starting point for anybody thinking of implementing Moodle (or any other VLE), giving a clear and concise summary of factors which need to be considered.
It includes a live demonstration of a Moodle site (“Flaxborough College”) and one or two of the courses. These show the use of basic tools (like links to handouts) and more advanced resources such as online multimedia from Jorum and The National Learning Network. Also demonstrated are interactive, collaborative learning through glossaries, games and more, plus a simple eportfolio system.
EasyView © for Moodle
Target audience: E-learning champions, teaching and learning specialists, Moodle administrators.½ hour.
Richard Goddard of Learning Objectivity is Project Manager for EasyView © for Moodle development and presents an interesting and light-hearted introduction to this new, free tool for Moodle users.
When teachers upload a Word document or a PowerPoint slideshow to a VLE, they assume that their students will be able to access the document. In fact however many home computers come with Works, not Office, installed. Other home systems may have Office 2003 while the teacher is using Office 2007, leading to compatibility problems. Open Office and PDF files are one possible way round this problem, but EasyView © is probably the simplest yet. By installing the EasyView © plugin for a VLE (for example, EasyView © for Moodle, which is available now) teachers can continue to upload as before but students can see the uploaded files, of all supported types, without the need for particular software.
Diplomas, consortia and lines of learning
Target audience: Local authority education managers, college/school managers, learning technologists. 1 hour. N.B. This presentation is not available free of charge.Diplomas are not particularly new – they have been around in their current form since 2008, but many education professionals do not have a clear understanding of how they are delivered. Local authorities have a particular part to play, especially in the initial organisation of consortia and in the support for (and in some cases the maintenance of) online learning facilities for cross-institution diploma students.
We explain diplomas in a simple, clear way and show how different consortia have tackled online support and enhancement of learning.
MrCute – Moodle Repository Create Upload Tag Embed
Target audience: E-learning champions, teaching and learning specialists, Moodle administrators.½ hour.
Richard Goddard of Learning Objectivity was the Project Manager on MrCute, which extends and enhances the Moodle learning materials repository to include access to the National Learning Network and to Jorum (the UK learning materials database).
It also allows teachers and others to create and share learning packages in the standard IMS format for use in Moodle and other environments. MrCute was a joint project between Worcester College of Technology and Learning Objectivity.
Five (or more!) great Moodle tools to enhance learning
Target audience: Teachers, e-learning champions, teaching and learning specialists1 to 2 hours.
This presentation uses our own Moodle example sites to demonstrate a number of less commonly used Moodle tools which can help to engage learners and enhance learning, as well as a couple which can help with course administration.
The tools shown will vary, as we continually update our sessions as new tools become available, but those attending are likely to see at least three tools which they were not aware of. In ideal circumstances, we try to allow audience members who have access to the web, to take part in the “learning” live during the session.
Planning to implement online support for learning
Target audience: Education managers and relevant staff – ACL, WBL, FE, Schools½ hours to 1 hour.
Are you thinking of using a Virtual Learning Environment to support your learners and enhance their experience? We often get asked what steps organisations should take in planning to implement a VLE, what costs and staff issues need to be considered and how to plan for implementation and deployment, so we have created this presentation.
Although there are many tasks and functions which a virtual learning environment can carry out, or help in carrying out, ranging through course and learner administration to social networking, that central word “learning” should be at the heart of initial planning. If learning is not enhanced and supported, then a VLE is probably not the tool you need – a Management/Student Information System or a straightforward website or portal tool might be better. This fairly brief presentation encourages a discussion session for those attending to air their concerns and ideas and to learn from each other.