Learning2gether Episode 26

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Download: https://learning2gether.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/live_session_michael_coghlan_presentation.mp3

Michael Coghlan gives a presentation to the BaW (Becoming a Webhead) session at EVO, Electronic Village Online.  Michael Coghlan has designed and delivered online courses in ESL, eModeration, and Using Online Technologies, and is an online instructor for the Graduate Certificate in eLearning delivered by Adelaide Institute of TAFE. He has written widely on issues to do with elearning, and presented at several international conferences, both physically and as a remote presenter. As a Flexible Learning Leader for the Australian Flexible Learning Framework in 2003 Michael researched the use of online voice technologies. Not surprisingly, he is a passionate believer in the power of online voice communications to inspire and motivate students.

Regarding connecting with this presentation, Dafne, moderator of BaW with EVO suggests: “Michael´s presentation for BaW on Jan 23rd at noon GMT will be at Yahoo Messenger, as it has been in previous years. We like to show participants that Yahoo Messenger can also be used for presentations which is something most of them don´t know.”

More information and link to recording at http://baw2011.pbworks.com/w/page/29969958/LiveSessions
Learning2Gether will attend his presentation.

Also it is suggested you visit http://tappedin.org at the time of the presentation in order to find people there who might help you connect.

Announcements:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/multilit/message/1384
http://taedtech.ning.com/events/michael-coghlan-addresses-evo

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Vance Stevens discussed the philosophy behind the evolution through many renditions of the EVO Multiliteracies course and community.

• This session, based at http://goodbyegutenberg.pbworks.com, is unlike other EVO sessions and departs from many online courses in that it does not envisage a stepwise learning plan; rather it presents a ‘berry bush’ of choices.
• Participants are expected to practice precepts of learner autonomy as they define their learning goals and document steps along the path to achieving them in some form of eportfolio.
• Course structure borrows from the MOOC precepts cogently articulated by Dave Cormier in a series of YouTube videos embedded in the GoodbyeGutenberg syllabus, and leading to connectivist knowledge.  Join us for the discussion and let’s talk about it.

The session was recorded and you can view it here:

• https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2011-01-16.0517.M.7AE801FFB697DA460D4BF25AA8C21B.vcr&sid=75
• or http://tinyurl.com/16jan2011evomlit

Learning2gether Episode 24

Direct link to recording at Webheadsinaction.org:
http://webheadsinaction.org/audio/download/593/EVO-launch-2011-01-09.mp3

Sunday, January 9, 2011

The annual EVO Online kickoff event took place at noon GMT on Sunday Jan 9, 2011.  It’s an online party where moderators of the sessions planned for January 10 to February 13, 2011 meet to introduce and discuss the sessions they’ve been planning for the past several months. 

• Find out more at http://evosessions.pbworks.com/Call_for_Participation2011,
• and join the kickoff at http://webheadsinaction.org/live

Jeff provided this additional information just prior to the event:

Looking forward to the wondrous chaos of another EVO Launchcast in a few hours. In hopes of minimizing chaos and frustration, I’ve created a few guides and options (for slow connections and backup).

• The main webcast interface is at http://webheadsinaction.org/
• Hi speed live page: http://webheadsinaction.org/live-main
• Low speed connection page: http://webheadsinaction.org/live-lite
• Information about how to join the conversation at: http://webheadsinaction.org/join-webcast

Rather than having people people skype me directly, I’m asking that they post a comment with their name and skype ID at: http://webheadsinaction.org/join-webcast. We will then bring them in one or two at a time – will hopefully be easier than having a dozen people skyping in at the same time.

I have also created an entire backup site in case the main site is down (we are on our way off this server and it’s been particularly moody today)

• Backup site: http://evo2011.pbworks.com/ with links there to alternative hi-speed and low-speed live interfaces.

Please repost this wherever appropriate. If you are planning on joining in on the conversation, please post a comment with your Name and ID at: http://webheadsinaction.org/join-webcast
(no login required).

The event was recorded and is available at http://webheadsinaction.org/node/593

Sunday, January 2, 2011

FLNW: Future of Learning in a Networked World, featuring guests Michael Coghlan and Barbara Dieu

13:00 GMT in Elluminate http://tinyurl.com/y3eh

Bee (aka Barbara), Michael, and Vance met recently in Brazil to travel together to conferences in Sao Paolo and Brasilia http://braz2010vance.pbworks.com/ continuing on a reduced scale a movement known as FLNW, as indicated at  http://tinyurl.com/flnw2010vance and where Bee updatedhttp://flnw.wikispaces.com/Brazil.

Today’s “SpeedGeek” will continue our ongoing conversation. Michael’s website athttp://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~michaelc/ is a time capsule of ongoing collaboration, starting more or less with EFI in 1997, where Michael, Vance, and Maggi Doty founded Webheads.  It broaches professional development through TAFE, Voice Online (Michael is known as “the voice”), as well as Michael’s consultancies, Articles/Presentations, and of course his music, with great songs such as “Happy Online”.   Bee blogs at http://beespace.net/ and her presentations and projects are linked fromhttp://www.barbaradieu.com/.

The session was recorded: http://tinyurl.com/2011jan2flnw

https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2011-01-02.0028.M.7AE801FFB697DA460D4BF25AA8C21B.vcr&sid=75

Learning2gether Episode 22

Seasons Greetings

Sunday, December 26

People were on holiday and with their families so we had no special program at Elluminate.  We met in Tapped In instead.  Teresa was there to say a few words about her ongoing project to document everything Webheads do and accomplish. It’s a Sisyphean task, and she’s hoping for collaborators.

Maizie was there to reveal that where she lives she has always-on connectivity through her ‘net stick’ which is what they used in Brazil to connect presenters to the Internet at BrazTESOL. My brother used to let me use his when I visited him in Houston, so I know they are life-changing, and I look forward to the day when we all have them as a matter of course (memories of Aiden telecommunicating with me some years ago, as she was about to go into class in Taiwan, seamlessly connected in real time from office to –> hallway to –> half-a-world-away to –> dynamic open classroom!).

And finally we met Lynn Luther, an MA Ed Tech student who was wrapping up an assignment at 4 a.m. in California and just dropped by TappedIn to connect with someone before turning in for the night/morning. She turned out to be an expert in Virtual Worlds. She reminded us that Second Life teen grid would be no more after Dec 31 (she’s done a bit of work there) and also that Linden Labs was doing away with education discounts, so she was looking at more affordable virtual spaces such as OpenSim. She was particularly keen on ReactionGrid but she rattled off half a dozen others. Maybe Graham Stanley can tell up more about this, but Lynn gave me her email address and said when she had some time from her studies she would be happy to tell us more during one of our Sunday SpeedGeeks (which she said she’d look up in Wikipedia at my suggestion).

Sunday,December 19, 2010

Dennis Oliver maintains his web presence at http://www.d-oliver.net/. He has a long career in TESOL, including work with Dave Sperling of ESL Cafe fame, and extending to present contributions to AZ-TESOL organization. He has been a frequent collaborator with Webheads in Action, with Carla Arena and Erika Curvinel in Brasilia, and with a number of EVO sessions over the past several years.

Dennis is a regular participant in Tapped In Sunday noon GMT chats, waking up at the crack of dawn in order to attend.  This week we intend to focus on Dennis and find out more about his background, motivations, and passions for TESOL and what Webheads contribute to his world and what he contributes to Webheads.

This event is part of a participant-driven professional development series planned as a part of the ongoing (since 1998) Webheads in Action professional development series, most recently with the involvement of the TESOL Arabia EdTech SIG. The events take place at 13:00 GMT each Sunday (5 pm in UAE).

The event actually starts at noon GMT (4 p.m. in the UAE) when teaching practitioners gather at http://tappedin.org  for informal text chat. At 13:00 GMT (5 p.m. in the UAE) we move to the presentation venue at Elluminate at http://tinyurl.com/y3eh.

The presentation was recorded in Elluminate and is available here:

• http://tinyurl.com/19dec2010doliver
• https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2010-12-19.0511.M.7AE801FFB697DA460D4BF25AA8C21B.vcr&sid=75
  

Learning2gether Episode 20

Heike Philp held the first EduNation housewarming party under its new owners
Sunday, 12 December 2010

Location: EduNation
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduNation%20III/118/200/22

More details here:
http://edunation-islands.wikispaces.com/Events

Visit EUROCALL/CALICO Virtual Worlds Special Interest Group at: http://virtualworldssig.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

For more information:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VAGkYGY3d9QZhRDboMhWrXzBhirzfBY_UJVuLdSzUiQ/edit#

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The purpose of Debby’s research is to further understanding of social support by studying the types of supportive communication behaviors provided in a virtual community of practice. It is hoped that this study can also increase understanding of tangible assistance provided in a virtual community of practice. Finally, this analysis provides an opportunity to explore the usefulness of the modified social support typology in a new context.

In this study, two methods of validation are employed. First, inter-coder reliability was calculated using SPSS and reported using Cronbach’s alpha (α). This event comprises the second method of validation, a semi-structured interview with leaders of the Webheads to review the preliminary results of this content analysis, which will be of great value to the researcher in interpreting the results.

Invited participants: Vance Stevens, Michael Coghlan, Teresa Almeida d’Eca, Dafne Gonzalez

Due to a problem with Elluminate access, the venue was moved to Alado, at http://alado.net/webheads/id1.html

The recording works best with IE Explorer, and accept the Flash popup screen.
http://www.digibridge.net/webheads/Debby_Com860_offline/

The recording was found to be no longer available at that link in June 2012 and Debby was contacted to see if she can provide one that can be uploaded here.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

In this session, Rita Zeinstejer introduces some apps that can enhance the value of Twitter as the best exponent of microblogging.  Here’s her summary of her presentation:

Formerly derided as high-tech trivia or the latest in time-wasting device, Twitter has become the major promoter of Microblogging, giving the public the possibility to speak directly to people and institutions from a comfortable pedestal, thus becoming an important marketing tool for celebrities, politicians and businesses, promising a level of intimacy never before achieved online. For language learning, Twitter’s conversational and concise style offers opportunities to practice specific language skills.

As a Microblogging tool, it can help educators in many ways. It could help develop fluency in written and oral skills; students could learn how to focus on what they say with more precision through tweeting themselves; teachers can differentiate and help to reinforce what they have introduced in their classrooms.

Twitter can lead to more interactive and swift discussions. It can also add to metacognitive work, i.e. reflexive learning, allowing the teacher to play the role of a facilitator and guide rather than the ‘know-it-all supervisor’.

In this presentation all Twitter features will be highlighted, with the participation of people in the chatroom, and some apps that can enhance the value of Twitter as the best exponent of Microblogging will also be introduced.

The recording of this presentation is available at

• http://tinyurl.com/2010dec05ritaz
• https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2010-12-05.0519.M.7AE801FFB697DA460D4BF25AA8C21B.vcr&sid=75

November 28, 2010 

Announcement: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evonline2002_webheads/message/26911

Overview:

The once dry and tedious world of citation writing is certainly getting much easier and some would say even exciting thanks to citation management tools like Endnote,  Refworks, Mendeley and Zotero. I expect to provide a simple look at how they have come to be, followed by a look at the simple affordances (i.e. authoring citations, collecting citations, creating libraries, annotating articles, tagging articles) and then to the more advanced affordances (i.e. collaborative libraries, collective research). and the implications that this is having on research. I’ll use Zotero as my example to help illustrate these things… and then open it up to others to contribute. Target audience? Anyone doing research and still citing work on cue cards .. anyone left with the often dreadful task of teaching students APA style citation management .. anyone who is a librarian or resource person supporting people doing research.

Citation management – what exactly is it? (how am I defining it?)
Citation management – teaching ? what is dreaded about it?
– tedious / time consuming
– deep understanding of its importance not fully understood by students
– result? often rushed by teacher (limited time and resource tools to support it) , poorly executed by student (lack of buy in or practice in execution)

Citation management programs – the “saviour” for citation management woes?
history? (If I can find any)
simple affordances in the typical 3 areas + 2 new areas
– collecting
– organizing
– citing
new areas
– syncing
– collaborating

Implications for research
– collaboration opens up new possibilities
connecting with topic experts around the globe to share suggested readings AND notes / ideas

Implications for teaching
– facilitates standardization of citation work by students
– promotes more frequent students / teacher collaboration on reading choices
ready made reading lists shared by teacher
– student produced reading lists can be reviewed by teacher
no need to wait until the student submits their paper to review their reading list
– collaborative note taking, annotation on selected readings by students
– discovery and sharing of useful supplementary reading resources by students

Example Zotero
(can this be presented via real time website visits or should I take screen shots?)

Advantages?
– cost – absolutely FREE
– open source .. progress being made in a number of areas
– credibility continues to mount
– relatively easy to use
– very robust .. scalable

Draw backs
– requires use of Firefox  (some see this as a limitation)
– as an “add on” / plugin in Firefox .. it  can be a memory hog and thus slow down the computer.
– not so straightforward backup procedures .. but “do” able

This presentation has been archived for future reference at

• http://tinyurl.com/2010nov28spdgk
• https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2010-11-28.0508.M.7AE801FFB697DA460D4BF25AA8C21B.vcr&sid=75