Link to Emerging Technologies blog

This is the place where a few fellow professionals are trying to seduce other professionals to join - another online forum - I always wonder what teachers have the time to engage.

The Toolbox experience

Spent two days last week prior to Easter with the seven other teams developing Toolboxes in 2005. I am managing the development of an Aeroskills toolbox. Re-reading my last post I saw I was adamant that I NEVER wanted to see the technical impose itself on the learning. Unfortunately, after the two days, it is obvious that the requirements for interoperability, SCORM compliance do affect how learning is imparted over the internet. Is it a balancing act between the technical and the learning? Is their a fight to to be fought? Is it a quixotic hope that learning dictates to technology? Am busy assembling a reference group now of industry people to adivse us as to the content of the Toolbox

Technical Vs Pedagogy

As I prepare for the Toolbox developers workshop next week the question of how much the technical specifications impose themselves on the learning resources we develop creeps into my crowded mind. The specs for Toolboxes are very specific and are designed to make the resource disaggregateable (or pull apartable) and operating on a repository - this SCORM stuff seems quite complex but my two geeks have a handle on - just want to make sure in the debates about learning that technology NEVER dictates to the learning that we are trying to impart.

Emerging Technology Forum

A group of eight or nine TAFEs are coming together to try and establish a online network for VET professionals to discuss the emerging technologies and how they affect our work and students learning. A workshop tomorrow will use the very sexy and easy to use Elluminate package - how much for this thing that appeals big time....mmm will ask tomorrow.

Hooray - a toolbox

Wow - we are stoked at LRD - the Aviation Toolbox submission got up - I am whole again. great support from Mike Heffey the manager of Aviation and Allan Jones the aviation teacher who navigated me through the arcane language of the new Aviation training package and its relationship to CASA who licences engineers after they have successfully completed the competencies that wil make up our Toolbox - up up and away with .........

Irons in the fire

After a crazy two weeks where I cobbled together four Toolbox tenders I am now sitting back preparing a conference presentation for a TRIC Conference in Geraldton http://www.centralwest.wa.edu.au/tric/- and I have three learnScope projects to manage. 1. Repositories.2. Moving the Koori Unit teachers into elearing 3.Unpacking the new TAA course -ahh the best thing about this work is the variety.

At the coalface 

A project completed

My first musings on my profession.

We so often are not masters of our own destiny in the world of educational services. No matter how much we like to think we run on a business model (everything done to action plans, quality processes and meeting deadlines) we simply are often subject to the expectations and demands placed on our clients.