The Learning Technology Team

Hi All,

Writing this now as I know I’ll have so much work to do soon at end of year that I may not get this done. Just want to thank the whole LTT- especially Arabella, who really has been our intrepid leader into unchartered territory for many or of us- didn’t lose a traveller! To Alex and Des who have never lost patience with my silly questions and confused state at times (what’s the URL? Is this a Blog or a wiki?)-their assistance, advice and leadership has blown me away! The things/projects I am now working on are evidence of your success:

• Using Share Point like a trooper- helping Gen Ed Faculty with maintaining resources and our Assessment Validation site and process.
• Developing a CGVE Moodle site with interactive TaLE activities and many other great web tools and sites to engage students-something I thought only the ‘tech’ people could ever do! Making videos, finding great activities for youth students. Wouldn’t you rather see it in color/movement/interactive than read a #!… 20 page handout on the same thing!?
• Starting to run meetings in Adobe with staff to demonstrate software, moodle and  have convenient, safe, environmentally sound meetings.
• Using iPod & Italk with students and staff- Just today we had evidence of a major breakthrough- one of our very technophobic staff rang to say she was using the iPod for recording assessment tasks with students!! WOW that is fantastic.

Thinking about our youth students-we need to present activities using current technologies but in an educationally sound way. Listened to a great lecture by Baronness Professor Susan Greenfield on her thesis on “People of the Book Vs People of the Screen’ discussing the differences between we Digital Immigrants & those Digital Natives in the ways it effects learning and more importantly the development of how mental constructs, scaffolding, schemas and brain /thinking formation occur and develop. Made me think that we have a responsibility to engage our students using the technologies, but more importantly to offer this in a critical way- many youth use the technologies in a negative way- we must use them, but in ways which not only engage but EDUCATE, not just the content but the tool itself.

Listen to Professor Greenfield’s interview on All In The Mind-Radio National November 1st 08 (click on the Listen Now link) http://www.abc.net.au/rn/allinthemind/default.htm

Also read script from Enouh Rope interview with Greenfield for more background on her. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1198694.htm

My goal for 2009 is that I actually assist more Gen Ed staff with the myriad skills I have learnt this year- I am feeling confident and ready to move on-just can’t wait to see what is around the corner next year!!!

Also important to remember that variety is the spice of life- we had a systems failure day last week and as a change my students just loved picking up a pen and making notes on paper whilst chatting to the group- didn’t last long but reminded me that too much of anything is wrong- good education offers it all-keep the changes happening.

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