Looking back: the last 12 months at PRACE

People often ask, “Why e-learning?” 

For me, it’s about providing a strong balance of flexibility and access. Ideally learners (and teachers) can connect with their peers and explore the learning materials outside of set class times and independently of location, in ways that are simple and straightforward. Wherever you are, at a time that suits you. 

At PRACE, people continue to explore these themes of flexibility and access in more and more practical ways.

Here's the quick overview of what's happened at PRACE in the last year. Please tell us in the comments... which of these stories below would you like to hear more about?

1. Online forums with "Moodle"
   In 2012, people working on their Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management stayed in touch with each other and with the learning resources using “moodle” - a web-based system for conversation and sharing. Our Committee of Management members began using the same system to improve ways of working together between face-to-face meetings.
   
2. Shared files in "wikispaces"
   People in the VCAL program continued their investigations into wiki technology (wikispaces) for the young mums program. This extended at the end of the year into a new wiki for the main VCAL group. (A wiki is a web page you can edit in the web browser.) Also both groups have been experimenting with the use of facebook as a discussion method.
   
   We also put some audio interviews with teachers and learners on our "Learn at PRACE" wiki.. from one of the popular Morning Tea events last year. Have a listen and tell us what you think. There's also a music playlist on that page - songs relating to employment.
   
3. Blogs & email
   The e-learning co-ordinator continued working with teachers to support classroom strategies. ESL teachers supported their to develop skills in basic email, both at the Reservoir Neighbourhood House and at Merrilands. Some ESL and literacy teachers also began using blog technology to engage their learners, with video listening and web-based conversation.
   
4. Strategic conversations
   Across the organisation, we have begun a more in-depth conversation about strategy, inviting several co-ordinators and teachers to form a small committee examining how technology is affecting PRACE at all levels. One discussion focussed on cloud-based document sharing, leading to a comparison of Dropbox and Google Drive applications.
   
5. Google Apps for education
   We continued to improve and expand our organisation-wide use of Google Apps. Now we have a range of ways to share and communicate information between different locations, including spreadsheets for booking equipment, online documents for reporting to the IT support crew, shared calendars for events, and internet folders for sharing documents.
   
6. Websites with Wordpress
   We've also continued to improve the PRACE website, as well as building websites for Branch Out and West Preston FC, as part of our web of strategic partnerships. These sites are built with the sophisticated  content management system known as “Wordpress”.
   
7. Like our new Facebook and Google+ pages
   We are still working on the strategy here, but we've set up our store-front in both Facebook and Google Plus. Social media is said to be a great way of connecting with customers, students and potential audiences.. however we need to make sure we have the best approach.

Sign in, Sign up. The challenges of email in an ESL class

Last week, i spent one session working with Chris at Reservoir Neighbourhood House, in her "very beginner" English as a second language (ESL) class. One of the English students was having a terrible time trying to sign up for a gmail account. They had tried to connect week after week, and kept getting some kind of "verification code" message.

Fortunately we managed to resolve that issue, and she could sign in for the first time. First task was to send Chris a message. After that, send a message to one of her classmates.

I was so impressed by Chris' patience as the student struggled with the basics of navigating the screen and its functions. Not even a glimmer of impatience or irritation. 

So what does this group need to learn next in the world of email and computers?

• Send an attachment (for example send a narrative or recount to Chris via email).
• Work with folders on the student network drive.
• Work with documents and formatting.

Language issues

How do you explain this with your students?

• The difference between "Sign IN" and "Sign UP".
• Login is the same as "Sign in", but we don't say "Log Up" do we?

Photo by [auro] (creative commons at flickr: cc-by-nd). Thanks.

Blogging for English as a second language (ESL), with "intro to blogger" (visual guide)

Kate M, one of the brilliant English as a second language (ESL) teachers at PRACE is thinking about using a blog to connect with her students. We talked about a few different ways to approach the idea:

(NB: You can find these ideas also in a larger document over here at google docs.)

• Start with a single blog in broadcast mode. Put the teaching and learning activities up and send students to read or listen there. Dale Pobega's ESL Club is a great example of this.
• Embed a video into one post, with an activity where students post a reply via the comment form - Kate's doing recipes and cooking in the class, so she thought it would be good to embed video from one of the SBS cooking shows.
• When you start, you can make commenting open to any anonymous visitors, to save students from having to log in. 
• (Later on, you could get them to sign in to comment.)
• As you get more confident, you could add a form under the video where students answer questions and you get the feedback automatically (eg using google forms).
  
  (..more after the break, including the PDF document..)
  

Email with students - Help File!!

I wrote before how Chris Mooney was trialling some email activities with her English as a second language (ESL) group. And i'd promised to make an easy-to-read visual guide to creating a google / gmail account.

So here it is:

• Link to the PDF document in google docs 
• (..where you can download and print a copy - i've printed it in booklet form on A3 paper).
• The guide is licensed creative commons (cc-nc-sa)
• feedback very welcome. 

I tried to embed the file directly here: it works, but then the page loads directly on the embedded file every time, instead of at the top of the page. So, dis-embedding now.

More email tips - using the gmail "labs" settings

It's always challenging to learn your way into a new software tool.


You know how the old application behaves - its shortcuts and folders. 


The new application might confound your expectations, with different models of behaviour^^. 


At PRACE, we are now using the google-owned gmail to send and receive messages in-house**. And while using the PRACE gmail account to send messages, you may be interested in the more experimental side of things. 


Did you know you can set up a default text styling, for example?
That you can have your text looking a particular way in each message you send, without having to re-format every time...? 


(more after the break)

How to manage your contacts in the gmail

A few people around PRACE were asking about how to create groups of contacts in the google-based PRACE email system. (Also known as gmail.)

So Michael's written a help guide for managing email contacts.

You can create a list of people, for example language and literacy teachers, and then use a shortcut to send a message to all these teachers in one go.

Here's the help file. It's in PDF format (Link), and it's in the google docs system - meaning you'll need your PRACE login to get a copy. Sorry about that, but there's a few teachers' names in the document.. so i thought i should protect the document behind the login.

"e-learning - why?" Come to a showcase in June

Registrations have closed now (22May) as it's completely full. A very popular day. 

Looking for ways to integrate technology more easily with your classroom activities? 

This could be the event for you. 

"e-learning - why?" A showcase for LearnLocal people and organisations. 

Hold the date: 22 June 2012 for your diaries. Come and meet your colleagues face-to-face, share ideas, build your networks, ask questions and learn more about the worlds of e-learning. 

This day is free of charge. 

• To register please follow this link.
• Here's the showcase wiki being developed: eshowcase12.acfe.vic.edu.au/

..and if you'd like to post your experiences of this day, or any kind of e-learning at PRACE here, please let michael know.