eLearning at TIGS: Di Epoff’s Blog

Last week I attended the UNSW Winter Partnership “Technology Based Teaching and Learning Conference” at Kensington. The School of Education presented two days of workshops and lectures covering ICT pedagogies and current research related to eLearning in our schools.The conference was valuable for me in terms of my role as Director of eLearning as well as a classroom teacher.

Dr Matthew Clarke’s Plenary address explored the idea of technology as a ‘fix’ for education and questioned its potential as a tool to change the world. He proposed that the rise of educational technology is increasingly ‘commercialising’ education and warned that it must be perceived as nothing more than a tool. Its relevance should be determined by asking: Does it add pedagogical depth? Clarke cited a 2007 research project that surmised the slowness of teachers to take up ICT as the result of their need to reflect on the pedagogical efficiacy and potential prior to adopting, rather than technophobia. He maintains that the way forward with technology in our classrooms should proceed via evolution as opposed to revolution.

One of the most enlightening points of his presentation for me, provided a light-bulb moment when he explained that children see technological devices as cultural forms whereas we see them as technology! This perception is crucial to understanding the huge divide between the perceptions of students and their teachers. Schools need to adopt technology, not for the sake of having whizz bang devices and hardware, but for its potential as a cultural form that allows teachers to create learning environments and experiences that match the needs and ‘intelligences’ of their students.

Topics  and links

1. What is Podcasting?

2. Podcasting in the Classroom

3. How to use iTunes to find and subscribe to podcasts that you can use in the classroom

4. Welcome to Audacity

5. Creating a podcast using Audacity

Create a new audio file: voice recording using Audacity

1. Open Audacity

2. Create a new Audacity file if a new file window doesnt open

Add voice (record with a microphone)

1. Attach a peripheral device if desired ( a microphone), or use the built-in microphone

2. Go to the control panels (Audio/Sound) to check that it is the active recording device. Or leave as is, to use the built-in microphone (it will not sound as good). Note: your school laptop may not have an inbuilt microphone. If you cannot get sound to record as per the directions below, helpdesk the IT Dept and ask for help.

3. Click the Red record button in the toolbar to commence recording

4. Click the Blue Pause button to pause

5. Click the Yellow square button to stop.

Saving files in Audacity

Use File > Save Project As if you wish to save the Audacity file to continue working on it. Other applications wont be able to read this format. It is a work-in-progress format

Use File > Export as Mp3 to save the final recording in an Mp3 format - for uploading to iTunes or your blog. Name the file appropriately and save it to your home folder - be sure to organise your audio files where you can retrieve them

Use File > Export as WAV for applications that require WAV file formatted audio files

Edit the audio file (if necessary)

1. Drag in from the far left margin of the track until you see a greyed-out area the cursor will convert to a pointer finger - slide to the exact edit point

2. Do the same with the right side of the track

3. Go to Edit > Cut

Add music/effects to your file

Go to my previous Audacity post to read up on how to add a music track to the background, add an effect or make more complex edits

Export the audio file as an MP3 file

1. Go to File menu > Export > select type eg MP3 and the destination folder

2. Be sure to give your file an appropriate title that can be identified in your post

3. You may need to install the Lame MP3 encoder to Audacity first - its an “optional extra”. Follow the instructions at Lame Installation to download and install Lame.

Upload the audio file to a blog post

1. In your Wordpress blog, go to the Write menu > Write post

2. Give your post a title and add any written information or media

3. Click on the ‘Add Media’ button above the format pane. The simple Browser Uploader link is the quickest way to add media

4. Browse to locate your audio file

5. Click upload

6. Add relevant information: description etc

7. The link appears in your post and will automatically play when you click on it

Here is an example of a simple audio file created using Audacity that I have uploaded to this post:

nancybursonhumanracemachine

Upload the audio file to a website

Go to my previous Audacity post and scroll down to

Uploading to a website (podcasting)

to read how to upload to a website

‘10 STEPS TO GET TO KNOW 07′

STEP 1

Using the Microsoft online conversion tutorials: Migrating from 2003 to 2007

Copy and Paste the required url below in the Internet Explorer address bar. Dont use Firefox as Firefox wont read links created by Microsoft!

Microsoft Word:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT100766331033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA100744321033

Microsoft Powerpoint:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493271033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101490761033

Microsoft Excel:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493291033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101491511033

Microsoft Access:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT102389151033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA102388991033

STEP 2

The tutorial title page loads. Now Add this link to your favourites: Favourites menu > Add to Favourites (the site doesnt respond well to the Back button)

Click Start, and the tutorial window loads the old Word 2003 interface. If you undertake the specific task like you normally would - eg Edit > Copy, the window changes to a Word 2007 window and a little video shows you the steps, highlighting the key strokes with an orange box

The tutorial caters for different learning styles too! You can choose not to watch the video, but instead, however the mouse over the last step of an action and a little dialogue window will pop-up to tell you the steps in words

Note: to return to the 2003 tutorial, just click anywhere inside the 2007 interface after it has shown you what to do. Remember its not an application, just an interactive tutorial. If you want to practice on the real thing, open the Word 2007 application: Start> All programs > Microsoft Office.

STEP 3

Use the tutorial to find out how to do the following basic tasks in 2007:

Save As

Print

Insert picture

Format columns

Insert table and format it

STEP 4

Use the tutorial to do several tasks that are specific to what you might normally do with Word 2003 until you familiarise yourself with where things are in Word 2007

STEP 5

Discovering Word 2007: a guided journey

You will have noticed some key differences between the 2003 and 2007 versions

The main difference is the Ribbon at the top of the window - everything that used to be located in Pull-down Menus is located in Command Sets within the Ribbon. These sets have additional Tabs/Buttons/menus within them. Everything is much more graphic and easy to see.

Lets Get Started

Open Microsoft Word 2007 (the application): Start> All programs > Microsoft Office

Keep the tutorial in Explorer running in the background in case you wish to refer to it later

1. Open a new document that includes the following (you can copy and paste some from somewhere):

- two or three short paragraphs of text spaced under:

- one main heading, and

- two sub headings

2. Click on HOME menu. Each of the Home Command Sets expand to reveal more options than are visible (bottom left of window - click on arrow). Play with the first set

3. Position your cursor next to a heading on your page. Click on the Style Command Set and hover the pointer over one of the heading Styles: the heading on your page previews the style result. Once you find one you like, click on the Style button to cahnge the text on the page. scroll through body text options etc and experiment

4. Click on the INSERT menu. Position cursor on next line. Click on the Table button and drag out how many rows and cells you wish to include. The Insert Table option in the pop-up window allows you more options than are displayed

5. Click on the DESIGN menu and with the table selected hover over any of the many table styles to find one you like. Click to change. Play with the Table Style Options button and the Draw Borders etc to see what these tools do

6. Go back to INSERT menu and click Picture. Locate a picture file and insert it. Play with the Picture options: Picture Shape, Picture Border, Picture Effects and the Editing options: Brightness, Contrast, Recolour. Also check out Arrange and Size buttons.

7. Go back to INSERT menu and click the Smart Art button. Select from the many options in the pop-up window and then customise these in the Design menu: with the smart art selected (make sure you’re in the Design menu), try Change Colours, Quick Styles, Change Layout etc.

8. Go back to INSERT menu and click the Chart button. Select a chart style. An Excel pop up spreadsheet opens: enter data, add data or columns or rows and see how the chart changes. To edit data after you have inserted a formatted chart, go to Design button > Click Edit Data and the Excel spreadsheet opens

9. Go back to INSERT menu and click the Links button. Click Hyperlink. Copy the url of my Blog page and click back on the hyperlink pop-up window. Paste in the Address bar bottom of the window. Click OK. The Hyperlink is now a clickable url link on your Word page. To use a title rather than a long url, copy the url of the page - so copy my blog url again. In the hyperlink pop-up window, type Di’s Blog in the ‘text to display’ box and paste the url in the ‘Address’ bar. Click ok. Now when you click on ‘Di’s Blog’, on the Word doc, the blog will load in the browser

10. Now, on your own play with the Page Layout menu, to see where things are located and then go back to anything else that you noticed along the way

For those who prefer more detail, Microsoft has a great online tutorial with written notes. Click on the link below to go there (it works with any browser):

Microsoft Get Familiar with Word

Help Migrating

I am hearing pleas for help from many staff members about the switch to Office 2007, especially Word which everyone uses. Andrew has sourced a great online tutorial from Microsoft that shows you, very simply how to do in the 2007 version, what you used to do in the 2003 version. if you bookmark this it can be a quick and easy way to work out how to do what you need to do.

However you cant see the sites in Firefox (for some reason?) so open Internet Explorer and:

copy and paste the following urls for the application you need help with in the browser window.

Once the site loads, Bookmark the site to make it easier to access next time.

Here are the links to the various office tutorial sites are below:

Microsoft Word:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT100766331033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA100744321033

Microsoft Powerpoint:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493271033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101490761033

Microsoft Excel:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493291033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101491511033

Microsoft Access:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT102389151033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA102388991033

How to use them: its simple really!

After hitting Start, the tutorial window loads the good old Word 2003 interface. If you undertake the specific task like you normally would - eg Edit > Copy, the window changes to a Word 2007 window and a little video shows you the steps, highlighting the key strokes with an orange box.

The tutorial caters for different learning styles too! You can choose not to watch the video, but instead, however the mouse over the last step of an action and a little dialogue window will pop-up to tell you the steps in words.

For those who prefer more detail, Microsoft has a great online tutorial with written notes. Click on the link below to go there (it works with any browser):

Microsoft Get Familiar with Word

Keep an eye on Andrew Greenlees great blog which I’ve told you about before - its got links to Microsoft Reference guides too.

Good luck!

I will be running an after-school workshop using this tutorial on my return from camp, in week 3. An email accompanying this link will provide details.

Learning Technologies 2008 Conference

Thursday 6th November

The Adult Educator: an endangered species

Anne Bartlett-Bragg’s workshop

Anne adopts the role of storyteller in her confronting and entertaining workshop.

Whilst she pitches her presentation toward adult educators, it has relevance for all educators.

Anne takes us into the future to the 2015 Learning Technologies Conference, and describes an isolated and ‘endangered’ group of educators - the last remaining ‘tribe’ of educators.

She provides us with a definition of ‘endangered’:

“threatened by predators and changing environments; few in numbers”,

and shows us a number of other endangered species:

- Printers (Anne pushes a paperless environment)

- Swimming pools, car manufacturers

- Educational services

- Bankers

- Chimney sweeps (for fireplaces)

Anne explains how her 2015 future-world is shaped by 2008 events happening now,

- The changing nature of work: only 70% jobs are now full-time and permanent

- The new trend for part-time work for women

- 200,000 jobs predicted to be lost during the next 12 months

- Learners have changed and their needs and expectations have changed

- Effective Learning Management Systems (LMS) are available for students online

She names the predators responsible for the crisis in education:

- Educators who continue to use digital technologies in boring, pedestrian and irrelevant ways that do not engage students: eg. powerpoint shows, use of IWBs as data projectors, printing materials etc

- Managed informal sharing and discussion groups: we can do all of this without the ‘big guys’, in more relevant ways

- The IT department: they block and restrict access

Anne describes some key identity issues that put educators at risk:

- Decreasing numbers of young educators: an aging population

- The role of educators has fundamentally changed (but have educators changed?)

She finishes her presentation with a whimsical response to this question: What can we do about it?

- Create sanctuaries

- Lobby

- Set up a Save Vocational Educators fund!

Whilst amusing, its also sad! And thats the whole point of her presentation!