February 2012
Hello everyone,
as you can see we have made some changes to our newsletter for 2012. From now on we will post the NT training & e-learning news here at our wordpress blog. Don’t forget to bookmark our blog and share the link with others.
We are planning to provide you with information around the Training arena, Australian Flexible Learning Toolboxes and what is happening in the e-learning environment. Of course you should have your say too. Please let us know what you would like to see in this newsletter by sending us an email or simply inform us via the poll below.
Also if you should come across some great news, stories, tools, website etc. and you think it would be worth having it published in the newsletter then pop us a line.
Professional Development/ workshops 2012 with SITAC
In the past, we had offered online workshop sessions via our Blackboard Collaborate room. We provided topics and times but somehow, it seemed that might have not been what people wanted… This year we wish to provide online workshops again, BUT ONLY a little bit DIFFERENT. We are offering you a Walk-In / Take away opportunity that also translate to a Q&A session.
Here, you will be able to quench your thirst of knowledge for any topic you desire.
We are offering you the opportunity to step on in, and create your own atmosphere.
- YOU pick the topic.
- YOU pick the direction
- YOU drive it
- YOU ask us the question
These sessions will be held weekly with the first session being:
- Tuesday the 6th of March.
The rest are as follows:
- Tuesday the 13th March
- Tuesday the 20th March
- Tuesday the 27th March
- Monday the 2nd April
- Continues sessions in April will be announced in our next newsletter. The plan is to conduct April workshops on Mondays.
All sessions will start at 12:00 noon NT time and go for one hour until 1 PM and Stephan Schmidt will be in full force and ready to tackle any curve ball you throw his way.
Click on the icon above to convert the time to your local time
The link to our Blackboard Collaborate Room (virtual classroom) is as follows: http://bit.ly/ouFK67 Just click on the link, enter your name, the state you are from in brackets and off you go… (Must have Java installed)
If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact Stephan on support@sitac.com.au
What else is going on…..
2012 ACAL Conference ‘Joining the pieces: Literacy and numeracy – one part of the picture’
The 35th ACAL National Conference is happening in Tasmania, the island of inspiration – and you’re invited!
Tasmania is an island with a fascinating history and a rich heritage. TCAL welcomes ACAL delegates to become part of the life of our island and experience the 35th ACAL Annual Conference in one of the world’s most stunning environments.
The 2012 conference theme Joining the Pieces: Literacy and Numeracy – One Part to the Picture, will unleash an explosion of ideas for delegates from Australia and overseas.
The 2012 ACAL conference encourages a broad range of professionals to share their knowledge and expertise. People working in the adult literacy and numeracy education field; in community services; and those working in the volunteer, Government and NGO areas will be immersed in challenging, exciting and inspiring presentations, workshops and professional development conversations.
From the perspective of an Adult Literacy teacher: A literacy story with a message
Sheryl Gwyther, previously an Adult literacy teacher, now a published children’s author, writes about a literacy experience that as she puts it, ‘left a scar on my heart” . Sheryl’s story begins… In this National Year of Reading, I want to tell you a story. It’s not one that I tell very often because there’s a scar on my heart from a tragedy on April Fool’s Day, almost twenty-two years ago. It’s a story of despair and hope and tragedy….
Continue reading
Support material for Vocational Graduate Certificate in LLN Practice
IBSA has released the support materials for the four core units and two main electives for Vocational Graduate Certificate in LLN Practice.
A Knowledge Bank publication supports these materials.
Australian Core Skills Framework workshops
Free professional development workshops on the use of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) are available in all capital cities and some major regional centres during 2012.
For a list of workshop dates and venues and other information or to register for the workshop please go to www.weaillawarra.com.au/acsf/
All registration is completed online.
ALPA 2012 Conference: Measuring success: Opportunities and Challenges.
The Adult Literacy Practitioners Association (ALPA) will hold the 2012 annual conference from 29 June – 1 July 2012 in Auckland, co-hosted by AUT University.
250 word (max) abstracts (presentations or workshops) are invited for any of the fields:
- Foundation skills in vocational education and bridging contexts
- Workplace LLN
- Community-based LLN
- Corrections-based contexts
- Welfare-to-work programes
- Youth Transition
- Adult ESOL Literacy
- Whanau/family literacy
- Financial literacy
- Health literacy
- E-learning initiatives and digital literacies
Call for abstracts (closing date Mon 26 Mar)
Visit Literacy Aotearoa’s website literacy.org.nz for further details.
National Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Conference – Industry, Training and Education: Partners in improving skills
ACER is pleased to present this national conference in Melbourne on May 4, 2012. The conference is a response to increasing national and state interest in addressing and improving the LLN skills of Australian youth and adults participating in the VET sector and in Australia’s workforce. Two half day pre-conference workshops will also be held at ACER on May 3, 2012.
More information and to register
AVETRA 15th Annual Conference, 12-13 April 2012 Canberra
Theme: “The Value and Voice of VET Research: for individuals, industry, the community and the nation.”
The AVETRA Conference will have a Pre-Conference workshop and other papers related to LLN and Foundation Skills issues.
Pre Conference Workshops will be held on 11 April.
Australian Adult Literacy and Numeracy Provision: Building Sustainable Research Cultures
This is an interactive preconference workshop to promote debate about the role of research in building and supporting adult literacy and numeracy (ALN) provision in Australia via two related activities:
- a discussion paper and panel session on the role of field based and university ‘knowledge work’ in building understandings of ALN provision in Australia.
- an interactive workshop that canvasses participant’s responses to historical artefacts associated with key shifts in ALN provision over the past three decades.
In addition there will be other sessions related to LLN and Foundation Skills during the Conference.
See: http://avetra.org.au/annual-conference
Scoping the Foundation Skills Training Package
IBSA has concluded the scoping phase of the Foundation Skills Training Package development. A copy of the final scoping report is available on the IBSA website.
The Training Package development phase is now underway. A project team from NSW TAFE is developing the endorsed component of the Training Package, including Certificate I and II qualifications and a bank of foundation skills units. Another project team, from TAFE SA, is developing a companion volume for the Training Package that will include implementation advice and examples of good practice.
The development phase is expected to be completed by mid-2012 with draft materials available on the IBSA website for feedback in April. For further information on the Foundation Skills Training Package development contact the Project Co-ordinator, Anita Roberts anita@ibsa.org.au
QR code news
You probably have seen these funny things around the place. These are called QR codes wikipedia explains nicely what QR codes are, but if you like ‘plain English’ then watch this video. In this paragraph I don’t want to get into QR this much, because I assume a lot of you have seen or worked with them already. So why this post then you may ask. Well, this QR code is probably different to the once you have seen. You probably have seen QR codes that have provided you either with additional information, or have linked you to a website or someone has given you his/her business card via QR codes.
I came across this QR code type the other day and it was new to me it is called QR voice. Yes, you read correctly, a QR code that provides you with an audio message. How does it work? You go to the website, type text in the provided box, choose a language and generate the QR code, that simple. How handy for learning a language? Just think about what potentials this tool can have 🙂 .
What you need now is only a QR code reader and there are many phone apps out there. Simply go to your smartphone App provide and search for OR code reader or scanner . You just need to find the right one for your device and you are ready for scanning QR codes. Happy scanning 🙂 , don’t forget to scan the QR code here on the left.
Have you ever thought about using a wiki with your students?
There is heaps you can do with wikis. Not sure if you knew, but every year there is a competition for the Best Educational Wiki. The best Educational Wiki for 2011 was ICTmagic by Martin Burrett. Second place went to Robert Maloy of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with his wiki Resources for History Teachers. I know these wikis are more aimed for school level, but it doesn’t mean that something like that couldn’t be developed for VET students or the type of training you provide. You can find more about the best Educational Wiki 2011 on the wikispaces blog.
So what are you waiting for 2011 just started, there is enough time for you to design a wiki for your students and you never know we might see your name this year up there when they announce the best Educational Wiki for 2012.
Need a bit help to get started? Here is a wiki tour that should help to get your wiki set up. Here are 50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom , surely this link should provide you with some ideas how to utilise a wiki in your classroom. This wiki might be able to answer the question why using a wiki in education.
What is a wiki and how does it work?
Like to learn how to become an online facilitator?
This is a 7 week course in a blended format, incorporating online course material and activities, weekly web conferences and an (optional) face-to-face workshop. The e-Facilitation course is designed for those new to teaching online, or for those who are keen to improve their skills. It incorporates a PRACTICAL element (facilitating your own ‘mini-course’) and can offer the opportunity to gather evidence which may assist with gaining Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in the e-Facilitation elective of the TAE (Training and Education Training Package)…find out more and register here …places are limited and go fast. First in best dressed ;-).
Moodle news
You most likely have heard of the Learning Management system Moodle. Have you ever had a chance to have a look at it closer and had a go at it to build your own online course for your learners? If you haven’t and you would like to get a bit a ‘taste and a feel’ how Moodle ‘looks from the inside’, we might be able to help you. Contact us and we can set up a ‘sandpit’ course for you where you can go wild in creating your own first ever Moodle course. You may have been already a user of Moodle, the old version that is 1.9, and you have heard about the new release of Moodle 2, but you haven’t had the opportunity to see for yourself how the new version looks like and how it work….well again drop us a line and we will get things organised. If you like what you seeing and would like to have your own Moodle instant we certainly can help you to point you into the right directions.
Flexible Learning Toolboxes
The latest series in the Flexible Learning Toolbox collection is Series 14. If you like to get more information on Flexible Learning Toolbox please don’t hesitate to contact any of the Toolbox Champions, which are now known as Content Services Advisors.
There are 6 new Toolboxes that have been developed, which are:
14.01 Construction, Plumbing and Services Numbers
14.02 Construction, Plumbing and Services Build Green
14.03 Community Services Language Links
14.04 Forest and Forest Products Industry Sustainable Timber
SITAC training & e-learning NT News 