I wasn’t aware of all the different labels that have been assigned in the past, but here is a brief overview (for those who are equally in the dark):

• The Lost Generation: Those who fought in World War I (born pre-1900)
• The Greatest Generation: Veterans of World War II (born 1901-1924)
• The Silent Generation: Also known as ‘War Babies’ (born 1925-1945)
• The Baby-Boomers: Those born in post-war boom and are generally attributed with(born 1946-1964)
• Generation X: (born 1960′s to early 1980′s)
• Generation Y: Also known as ‘Millennials’ or the ‘Net Generation’. This label is more about their attitude  (born between late 1970′s to early 2000′s)
• Generation Z: Also known as the ‘Internet Generation’ (born early-mid 2000′s)

From what I can see the movement from one categorisation of generation to another has been about the enlightenment of the individuals to their surrounding based on different elements of cultural and economic influences. However, I think this only applies to the earlier classifications. Once we see the eruption of technical capabilities, and our reliance on it in our every-day lives, we can see the classifications above become entwined with technical advancement. This is why I opt to use the term ‘Generation T’ for children born post 2008/9 … the ‘Tablet Generation’. As with the classifications above I would also advocate the use of  the ‘App Generation’ in reference to the way in which we are now using and talking about technology – everything is about the App, whether it is smart phones, tablet PCs, or cloud computing (Chromebook).

Here’s a good example:

YouTube: Baby Works iPad Perfectly. Amazing Must Watch!

In this video a father gives his child a tablet for the first time, just look at how quickly she learns to use the home button to exit the app and find another …

You Tube: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad

There are loads of examples if you look for them, but the fact is that tablet computers are so intuitive that children of all ages can use them. Robert Thompson explains that a tablet, “with its touch interface … can help children extend their creativity using intuitive applications that allow them to color, trace letters and do simple counting exercise — the possibilities are endless.”

Please note that I am trying to stay away from identifying one tablet over any other (or even operating system) as it is the technology and how we utilise it that interests me, not brand or price (although we cannot ignore the importance that is placed on form over function and preference on iPad or Blackberry PlayBook or HP TouchPad, etc).

While the jury is out on whether tablets will replace traditional computers that use a keyboard and mouse, the children/student of the future “will still need laptops, because they’re great for doing school work and just try passing a degree without one, the same goes for many jobs” (Tablets: A backseat for creativity). This is, of course, based on the assumption that the education system will not change and we will still instruct and assess in the way we do now, which we have been doing for many decades before. But this too is changing, just look at the way in which recent Web 2.0 systems (blog, wiki, podcast, etc) have been introduced to the learning environment, and the way the students have engaged with it. If this continues then the historical framework of teach/assess will also change.

Are we ready to embrace the changes? I think we are; there are already schools around the world providing tablets for each child, game consoles are used for game-based learning, etc. While these could be viewed in isolation, don’t forget that 25/30 years ago there were only a very few schools that had a room full of computers for students to use, this is now viewed as the norm, in fact it is essential equipment.

So, how long will Generation T last? I don’t know, but I’m sure the developers at the big tech firms have already started planning for the next big ‘thing’ – but will it be a game-changer like the advert of smartphones and tablets? I welcome your input and ask you to leave a comment or thought below.

No related posts.

Induction week, for campus-based students is all about getting to know each other, getting to know the programme team, and socialising. This is also true for online students, although it is not always easy to forge the same kind of understanding, relationships and outcome; but it’s not impossible.

Working online is not often a natural feeling for students, whatever their age. To this end we, the facilitators, need to carefully design the Induction programme and activities to make the students feel at home, comfortable in the online environment, and able to comment in a risk- and blame-free environment.

This makes it all the more important to carefully design and implement the introduction, the learning environment, and the online activities you expect them to participate in. Last year I wrote about five such activities in my post Online Induction: Icebreaker Activities.

Here is another one, modified from  Ryan Watkins’ book “75 eLearning Activities – making online learning interactive” (Amazon link);

Objective: This gives the students the opportunity to share their thoughts on a  topic (decided by the activity moderator) in the VLE to encourage a reflective process about themselves and their colleagues.

Delivery: This can be used with either a Discussion Board or a Blog, depending on the preference and confidence of the moderator and expected technical competencies of the student cohort.

Process: The moderator provides the topic, usually something topical to current news, the programme content or learning style (eLearning), and encourages the students to initially post their responses (100 words or less). Once all students have responded the moderator encourages further posts replying to at least 3 entries made by their colleagues, also in 100 words or less.

Additional Information: If students are new to the technology (blog, discussion board) then appropriate training material is needed.

Ideally the kind of Induction Activity you use ought to be a mixture of reflective and collaborative styles in order to get the students engaged and comfortable with each other, with you (the moderator), and in working online in what many may find a new and alien environment.

What kind of activity do you use, is it specifically designed for online students or one that can be used for campus-based as well as online students?

No related posts.

What are the benefits of collaborative learning, for the students? Well, here are my selection from the 40 or so listed on the Global Development Research Centre’s website which I had not considered before;

1. Develops higher level thinking skills

4. Builds self esteem in students

9. Promotes positive race relations

14. Involves students in developing curriculum and class procedures

22. Encourages alternate student assessment techniques

25. Students are taught how to criticize ideas, not people

34. Classroom anxiety is significantly reduced

These are good, but not aspects of collaboration I had considered. The more ‘normal’ (for want of a better word) are, for me;

5. Enhances student satisfaction with the learning experience

6. Promotes a positive attitude toward the subject matter

7. Develops oral communication skills

10. Creates an environment of active, involved, exploratory learning

15. Students explore alternate problem solutions in a safe environment

20. Students develop responsibility for each other

29. Greater ability of students to view situations from others’ perspectives (development of empathy

33. Promotes innovation in teaching and classroom techniques

36. Classroom resembles real life social and employment situations

What would you add to this list (or the original list; link above)?

No related posts.

I recently found this awesome reference guide, created by Joyce Seitzinger, that shows a simple traffic-light system to see if the tool of choice is ‘appropriate’ for what you are trying to do (assessment, collaboration, etc).

Please look through this, it is a really simple and effective way to present the information.

I have worked on a version for the Business School at Bournemouth University, that covers the same kind of information in Blackboard, but have added a few of my own interpretations on the tools and reasons for using them. I will try and upload it here at some point.

No related posts.

This article from Campus Technology made me revisit some of my old posts on portfolio’s (see ‘related links’ below) and that, in the right hands and syllabus structure, “seem to improve student engagement and learning”.

Apparently;

“ePortfolio systems and associated portfolio practices finally are on track to become the centerpiece of educational transformation they always seemed destined to be.”

Does that mean we’ve finally worked out the best way to use them, or does it mean the developers and providers have worked out what it is we need, not what they want to give us?

“Many signs now point to a sudden explosion of electronic portfolio planning, adoption, and rapid market expansion [and] behind this market upswing is the return of academia to the learning values of portfolios based on a recognition that portfolio theory is a good guide for transformation of the academic side of the institution in this time.”

What tools are out there at the moment that are getting the coverage in articles like this:

• Mahara: “Mahara is an open source e-portfolio system with a flexible display framework.”
• ePortfolios.org: “ePortfolio.org is a student-centered platform.”
• FolioSpaces: “… provides you with the tools to set up a personal learning and development environment.”
• PebblePad: “… is a Personal Learning System being used in learning contexts as diverse as schools, colleges, universities and professional bodies.”

ePortfolio practice is:

“… as an educational process, rewarding and engaging and fits the times; student owned, stays with student over time, produces additional metrics by which to assess and evaluate students, supports high-impact learning experiences outside of the classroom, helps create a strong resume, develops reflective and integrative thinking, supports life-long learning, and so on.”

The article continues by saying traditional VLE-type environments like BlackBoard, Moodle, etc, are at the end of their ‘decade’ and that “electronic portfolio systems are more and more the new center of campus strategic thinking about learning and technology.”

The piece finishes by saying that “electronic portfolios, after seemingly running into a dead end a few years ago, are again a robust growth sector and a path to educational transformation. It’s about time.”

• Trent Batson has created this website for all information and links to ePortfolio resources: www.eportfolio-source.org

So, what system are you using or do you plan to use in the next few months or years, and how do you intend to implement it; fully hosted or hosted for you, integrated into your VLE / LMS or stand-alone? Please share by commenting below.

No related posts.

Jane Hart (Twitter: @C4LPT) is keeping her Learning Technology Directory up to date. The Tools the directory “enable and support all kinds of learning – formal structured learning, personal learning, group learning and intra-organisational learning”.

The directory has been reorganised into the following comprehensive categories;

• Instructional tools,
• Live tools,
• Document and presentation tools,
• Blogging, web and wiki tools,
• Image, audio and video tools,
• Communication tools,
• Micro-blogging tools,
• Collaboration tools,
• Social networking and collaboration spaces,
• Personal productivity tools,
• Browsers, players and readers,
• Mobile tools.

So, get on over there and find something new to try out. Even better, see if your favourite tool is listed and, if not, ask to get it listed.

Related posts:

1. Learning Tools: for the Educator/Teacher
2. PLE / Personal Learning Environment: What's yours like?
3. Learning Tools: for the Learner

I’ve used Ning, I’ve read and talked about Ning, but I haven’t’ actually put any thought to what it is or how I can get the most out of it.

Ning is “a platform for creating your own social network”, and leaving you in control of all aspects of it (public/private, tools, etc). You start by working on a name (that someone hasn’t already used!), you choose the features you want to make available to the participants (photo sharing, video sharing, forum, events, blog, etc) and you then customise the design and appearance … and then launch.

• Read this: 7 Things You Should Know About Ning

Twitter conversation:

I have archived the responses I received through Twitter on the following ‘Twapper Keeper’ Archive list: twapperkeeper.com. Many thanks to those of you who helped with your contributions to this post.

Hosted or Self-hosted:
As with many Web 2.0 systems (WordPress, etc) you can host your Ning network on the main www.ning.com website or, and this is probably the route many Institutions will take, you can download it, load it to your own server(s) and run it yourself.

There are several download sites where it is available, but perhaps the safest and most ‘reliable’ is through Tucows.

• Additional Ning features: Free Ning Applications

How to create a Ning ‘network’ (environment):
Once you’ve signed up and verified your account you can start using and creating your Ning network(s).

1. Choose a (unique) name for the network,
2. Enter the settings (keywords, description, privacy, etc),
3. Set up the layout and tool options for the network (see below),



[Click for larger image]

4. Choose a design/style from the list of (pre)defined templates,

   

   [Click for larger image]

5. Done. All you need to do is start populating the network/environment with content and people.

If you set the Ning network as ‘private’ you’ll need to invite your users to access it.

How do you use your Ning network:
What you want to happen here is that people start joining and using the tools. First you’ll need to tell them about the network (especially if you’ve set the privacy high; you’ll be emailing them details on how to join).

Participants will need you to guide them not only through the tools available to them, but also the reason the tools are there. This now comes down to the ‘reason’ you have created the network.

Are you trying to use Ning to encourage participation and collaboration between students on a specific topic (e.g. “Social Healthcare”, “Consumer Behaviour and Market Research”, etc) or is the reason for the network more professional (see some of the example sites below)? Whichever it may be, explain this somewhere to the students – no one will engage if there is no reason to.

Also, don’t be afraid to be the one who starts the party rolling – yes, you’ll be the first one on the dance floor, that encourages others to step up and start as well.

• Read this: Okay, I’ve joined the network. Now what?
• Read this: [Ning] Site Guidelines

Example Ning sites/networks:

• Ning in Education: education.ning.com
• The Educator’s PLN: edupln.ning.com
• School 2.0: school20.ning.com
• Classroom 2.0: www.classroom20.com
• Technology Integration in Education: tech-in-ed.ning.com
• Best Practice for eLearning: bestpracticeforelearning.ning.com

Presentations:

Building Community with Ning

Comments:
Please leave a comment on your own experience in running or participating in a Ning network, or any aspect of Ning or network applications.

No related posts.

As most of my posts these days are based on resources and my readings, I thought I’d continue with this I found (again) on Twitter: A Collection of PLE diagrams.

Please look through all the ones listed (the list is growing daily so what I see now and, say, next month is going to be different) using the link above, but I’ve loaded some of the more interesting ones below … interesting for both content and delivery.

UPDATED: I’ve worked on mine and, while there is little substance, it covers the kinds of activities and tools I use on a (fairly) frequent basis.

If you have already worked yours out, please comment and let us know how/what you did, as well as adding your own to the Edtechpost Wiki (link above – I’ll add mine in a minute).

No related posts.

I found Rodd Lucier’s presentation recently and have been back through it a few times since before posting here. I like it, hope you do too!

Rodd used this presentation in his blog post ‘Classrooms or tomorrow‘ which itself is also a good read and can help put a few of the slides into prespective.

Ten Trends Rmc / Rodd Lucier

No related posts.

I wrote the post “Online Induction: What can possibly go wrong?” as I was getting myself and the materials ready for a week of induction activities for new students to the online degree programme at Bournemouth University.

This, in itself, was a follow up to the “Online Induction: Icebreaker Activities“, where I was working through some ideas on what I would deploy for the students.

So, with a week to recover, reflect, and collect the stragglers, how did it go?

With one week set aside for their Online Induction, the students were asked to do the following (this was based on instructions given in a letter and a supporting website, with an introduction to the VLE / Blackboard):

NB: these are mature students, often in full-time employment, and with family and social commitments.

1. Introduce Yourself: Using a wiki, the students created a page and placed a bi0 (about 200 words) about themselves and why they have just started an under-graduate degree in International Business & Management. They then linked this page to the wiki home page, so other students could find and leave a comment on it.
   [Wiki support video]
2. Send an email: In order that we can confirm the students have successfully accessed the University webmail system and their account, they send me an email. This also means we will stop using their private email; we cannot manage mail lists of some uni, some private emails; they must all use their uni email address and account for communication.
3. Point of Contact: Online test (Blackboard) with about 6-8 questions where we outline a typical question – the answer being “who do you go to in the following situation?”. This introduces them to the team and the type of problem each of us can help with (mitigating circumstances, technical, library, etc).
   [Test/MCQ support video]
4. Spending Spree: What would you spend $50,000 on, guilt free? Enter response in a blog, and comments on another students idea.
   [Blog support video]
5. Lonely Hearts column: Some fictitious lonely hearts adverts are discussed in a discussion board. Which one (3 male, 3 female) would make you find out more, and which one makes you crawl?
   [Discussion Forum support video]

What else did we do during the Induction week, beside guide/follow them through the activities:

• Announcements: important announcements about their studies, the programme, the Library, the University, the first Unit of study, Technical support, etc.
• Introductions: emails from the programme and administrative team (as well as participating in the first activity).
• Support Website: In case they were unable to access the VLE, we had a set of flat HTML files that replicated the instructions for the activities, but not the activities themselves. This is really just so they have something to read until we can sort their access issues!

So, these were the activities. How did they do? Well, firstly, what was the engagement like?

• One or two students did everything on the first day, never to be seen or heard of again.
• One or two students appeared on day 7, right at the last possible moment and did the absolute minimum.
• The majority of students dipped in and out during the week, completing the first 2 or 3 activities, but not the last one.
• A few questions about how they would complete the wiki / blog activities. The students were directed to the already advertised support videos for each tool, where the tool was demonstrated in a real-world example.
• Those that were active at the beginning of the week missed out on the ‘community feel’ at the end of the week.
• Those who were active at the end of the week were more likely to just read what other students said than to enter in to the activity.
• Activity from students who logged on a few times during the week was better; they made more comments and generally acted like they were in 2-way community instead of just ‘publishing’ to the community.

So, the activities:

1. Introduce Yourself: 80% of the students completed this; the other 20% did not do this, but they also didn’t do any of the other activities either! One the whole they all were able to create the page and enter their details (some with pictures and links), but not all were able (or remembered) to create the link off the home page.
2. Email: All but one student could access their email account, and that one student was easily sorted (password typo?).
3. Point of Contact: A simple multiple-choice test (MCQ), most student completed it. What we now need to do is go back and report on the results.
4. Spending Spree: All those who have completed other activities completed this too. The results are more indicative of the times we live in; most would spend some or all on the mortgage, holiday, or car (in that order).
5. Lonely Hearts: As the last activity, this was predictably the one with the least number of students active, whether it was the subject matter, the tool (DF), or just they felt they’d already done enough.

How do you measure the success? I prefer looking at the number of students (or lack of) who had issues and needed to contact me (as the Learning Technologist) to find solutions rather than measure the success by the activities completed. This year was good; few students having more than the basic “forgotten password” issues, and only one with broadband/connection problems (out of my control).

I’m already planning next year, so between now and then I’ll be hunting around for some new and exciting ways to get them working together online. Any suggestions welcome, please let me know by commenting below …

No related posts.