RSC NewsletterStimulating and supporting innovation in learning Issue 20 - Dec 2011

In this issue....

New National Website 1

JISC RSC Impact Report 2

S&B Award-Winning Bid 3

Regional Events 4

JISC RSC Social Network 5

Social Media: 6A Practical Guide

Social Media Case Studies 7

Teachers’ Voice 8

Turbo T.E.L. II 9

Web Conferencing 10-11

Procurement 12-13

Cool Tools For Teaching 14

Webcast Experiences 15

Using QR Codes 16-17

ACL Strategy Support 18

FE Strategy Support 19

What Workshops 20 Do You Want?

Newsletter designed by Matt Ewens - Information Officer

New National Website for the RSCsJISC Regional Support Centres (RSCs) are pleased to announce the launch of their new website.

The 12 RSCs - operating as a UK wide support network - have a proven track record across the sector for providing expert advice and guidance in the effective use of technology. The website provides a common route to news, events and resources, increasing user access to a richer seam of information from all RSCs, whilst maintaining regional connections.

Key features of the new website include:

• Seamless access to information from both a UK and regional perspective • Up-to-date news and event listings• Advice and guidance on how RSCs support you and your organisation from maximising efficiencies to enhancing the student experience

In creating a living website the RSCs can deliver more for less and improve the user experience by reducing time spent in searching.

Explore the new JISC RSC South West website by following this link: http://www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/southwest.aspx

Providers may notice several changes to the look and feel of the website and the way it functions. At the top left-handside of the page there are key themes, these are national areas of interest. The regional navigation can be found underneath for access to everything related to the South West region.

We would also like to encourage providers to visit our educational social network, which will contain additional resources, information and updated content, including other events of interest. Please get involved!

http://jisc-rscsw.ning.com/

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JISC RSC Impact ReportThe impact of the RSCs work, demonstrating the benefits brought to supported learning providers is illustrated in a new report for the Academic Year 2010-11

Key achievements include:

• Delivering over 2,500 consultations with UK learning providers to help them meet their technology objectives.• Running more than 650 RSC events and peer-to-peer forums attended by 10,000 delegates.• Providing bespoke training to over 350 learning providers.• Participating in over 600 events with partners to share knowledge and expertise.

Case studies illustrate the tangible benefits the RSC network bring to learning providers - from improving strategies to reaping cost and efficiency savings.

One learning provider said about their RSC experience

“I would not be able to perform my role anywhere near as well as I do if the RSC were not as active in my role and development as they have been in the three years that I have been in this position.”

VLE reaps rewards and awards

Through direct support and advice provided by the RSC, S&B Automotive Academy in Bristol secured funding for an online learning project which has led to their winning a bronze award at the IMS Global Learning Impact Awards in 2011.

The ‘Jericho’ project involved the purchase of network cameras installed at apprentices’ places of work to create a more efficient system of assessment. Now, assessment can take place at any time required; the assessor logs in to the VLE and accesses the online camera for that apprentice’s workplace. The project also allows the learning provider to host virtual workplace visits at schools allowing potential candidates to exchange information about the benefits of the scheme with existing apprentices, helping to increase retention.

We helped to write the funding bid, exploring whether similar projects were already in existence, provided guidance on the length of interactive online sessions and found quantitative evidence from the National Learner Satisfaction Survey to tailor the bid by incorporating former student feedback.

Without the successful bid S&B would still have ten assessors having to cover 300,000 miles to assess 450 candidates all across the UK, taking over 10,000 hours travelling to assessments.

Read the RSC Impact Report here.

JISC RSC SW Webinars

We hold regular online webinars foccused around a variety of topics.

To find out about all of our previously recorded webinars, please visit our Ning, which contains all the resources.

http://jisc-rscsw.ning.com/group/onlineevents

Past Online webinar snapshot

The Future of Learning is Mobile

Watch the video online

Intellectual Property Rights for Educational Environments

Watch the video online

CloudWorks and CloudEngine

Watch the video online

S&B Automotive Academy: Award-Winning Bid WritingThe Jericho project funded by the LSIS Flexibility and Innovation Fund has enabled S&B Automotive Academy to host virtual workplace visits at schools using innovative netcam technology. This allows potential apprentices to exchange real world information

WebcamThe technology has been so successful that both S&B and e-Learning Advisor David Rowe from JISC Regional Support Centre South West (JISC RSC SW) have recently won a bronze award at the international IMS Global Learning Awards.

The initial bids for both the award and LSIS funding were supported by the JISC RSC SW; therefore, this case study aims to provide practical advice on the writing of a bid to support practitioners who want to write a succinct, informative application to win hearts and minds.

Following on from the success of S&B’s previous netcams project to streamline assessment in the workplace, it wanted to provide potential apprentices the opportunity to experience what it was like in the workplace. So the idea being that pupils in schools would be able to explore the workplace choices available to them and view existing apprentices working live.

In enabling potential apprentices the chance to explore these options, Jon believed that this would help to resolve the issue of students dropping out of apprenticeships or starting the wrong ones.

The real challenge that S&B and David Rowe faced during the development of the project was the inception and

creation of the bid and the written content that formed it. For David in particular, the most important and challenging part of the bid writing process is to provide a succinct and well written summary. In fact the summary is perhaps the most important aspect of the bid as it is this initial prcis that will either break or make a successful bid, as David Rowe sums up:

‘You have got to get the language right and grab people’s attention in the early stages of the bid, because you really have to hit them between the eyes with the main objectives of what the bid is about. You have also got to make sure that the language hits the criteria in a clear and unambiguous fashion. You have got to provide whoever is reading the bid with a hook to keep them interested enough to read the rest of it.’ - David Rowe, e-Learning Advisor, JISC Regional Support Centre South West

Read the full case study via the Excellence GatewayBy Matt Ewens - Information Officer

Jon Winter, Managing Director, S&B Automotive Academyon the award-winning bid and project as a whole:

“I think it’s great because it gives the RSC a kudos, because the concept was awarded bronze, but the people involved in the concept were the RSC and S&B - so I think it is important to recognise the work behind the scenes as well.”

“I think that bidding for funding will help a great deal. If you are successful with the funding then it gives you a badge that says that it is endorsed - I think nowadays it’s all about collaboration as well.”

“To do it on your own is very difficult, I think that if you do create a project and do it alone that is narrow-minded. It’s about sharing and collaborating and benefiting the whole country. And benefiting people like ourselves by using technology.”

“It’s definitely working with partnerships such as the JISC RSC SW that really works very well to help replicate what we do because they are a part of what we do. I think that these networks act as a conduit for sharing. We certainly would not have known about so many things available without these kind of partnerships, I think everyone can benefit from a single model.”

“The sustainability is in every project we have done and has been economical or cost-wise. The sustainability is that we are using technology that anyone can use.”

“You’re doing something that can be easily replicated by any organisation with reasonable costs, in terms of the netcams project.”

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Regional EventsMaking the Move to Moodle2?

Date: 27/01/2012Audience: The event is ideal for Moodle support teams(technical and user support), Web Developers, Managers involved in implementing/developing Moddle, anyone involved in developing or using Moodle and is considering an upgrade to Moodle 2Location: South Devon CollegePrice: £90Starts: 10.15am until 4.30pm

Booking link: http://commoodle.southdevon.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23View programmeView flyer

Spring Specialist Colleges Forum

Date: 01/02/2012Audience: Networking and good practice sharing for IT, teaching and support staff in Specialist CollegesLocation: Ruskin Mill CollegePrice: FREEStarts: 9.00am until 3.30pm

Booking link: http://www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/southwest/events/all-jisc-rsc-sw-events.aspx

VLE & Intranet Developers Forum

Date: 15/03/2012Audience: All staff interested in VLEs, from HE/FE/ACL/Specialist Colleges and WBL sectorsLocation: Taunton SchoolPrice: £35

Booking link: http://www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/southwest/events/all-jisc-rsc-sw-events.aspx

To view all future events please visit the JISC RSC South West events pages.

National Events

NIACE Training Course: Making More of your Online Course

A six week online courseDates: Monday 20 February - Friday 30 March 2012

Course fee:£175 (NIACE members rate)£195 (Non NIACE members rate)

Book by following this link: http://bit.ly/rYRTVB

JISC Digital Media Workshops

Video Production 1: Lectures and Interviews 2-day course

Wednesday 25 January 2012 and 26th January 2012

Two-day course: 10.00 - 16.30 each day

Aim

The use of video in education has ceased to be an occasional occurrence, but the quality of videos has not kept pace with their popularity. This course is intended to instil basic competence in the many areas of knowledge that are needed to produce good video work. A hands-on approach is taken, such that during the two days of learning about video techniques the participants will actually produce two short videos. All equipment and facilities will be supplied.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a two-day course. Course fees are as follows:

£275 for participants from UK Higher or Further Education£325 for participants from government, charities, libraries, galleries or museums

Book: http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/training/courses/video-pro-duction-1-lectures-and-interviews

For all training courses please visit: http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/training/

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JISC RSC Social NetworkIt has been a year since we created our Ning social network and whilst it has not featured a long stream of conversations from the 300+ members, it is being used as a repository for post event resources and information about events and news.

What do you think of our social network? What do you think could be improved? What would you like to see in the social network?

What do you think we are getting right? How to you value the social network, are there areas you are unfamiliar with, such as our RSS feeds, Twitter feed or other social media? Would you like to know more about social media?

These are the kind of questions I would really appreciate some feedback on to try and further develop the social network and make it as useful for our providers as possible.

Please fill in the quick survey, which will help us to make improvements

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QGYZ9LS

Video Highlights

Controlling email notifications Overview of the Ning

View video View video

How Inclusive is your Intellectual Property Rights for teaching practice Educational Environments

View video View video

eSafety

New UK cyber strategy – improving security through partnerships with private sector. A national s ecurity hub, cyber crime unit and single reporting system for financially motivated

cyber crime. There is a suggested voluntary code of conduct for ISP’s of relevance in FE and HE.

http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/ManageCon-tent/ViewD-etail/ID/2246/New-UK-Cy-

ber-Security-Strategy-Unveiled.aspx

Are you an Accidental outlaw? take the knowthenet test on the legal use of social networking, twitter face-book and so on etc http://accidentaloutlaw.knowthenet.org.uk/

Sourced by Julia Taylor, e-Learning Adviser

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Social Media A Practical GuideSocial media, well firstly what is it and why is it important?

Well social media is the ability to project media across the web and sync into that media the ability to target your audience and also generate dialog around that content. There are numerous examples of social media being used today for many purposes, particularly businesses. In fact you could argue that social media is the main advertising and marketing outlet for all major companies around the world.

So why is this relevant to education?

It is relevant because now there is the ability to provide resources 24/7 and more than that of a VLE, to go beyond the spectrum and enable learners to access those resources using mobile devices and much more on the fly. Whilst not all learners will have access to these devices, particularly in the WBL and ACL sectors, it is likely in the future that prices will come down. Such is the demand for tablet devices and smart phones, for example Kindle are venturing into the market by developing the Kindle Fire. This potentially could be a lot cheaper than many other tablet devices.

So how on earth does all this help me, I mean I’m a teacher - what can you suggest?

Okay that’s a fair question indeed. Lets see, well you could firstly contact myself Matt Ewens and I would be happy to talk through what I have done at the JISC RSC South West on social media.

In terms of Facebook, there are now guides available about adopting Facebook into teaching practice and some very good examples can be found on our Slideshare channel.

SWGfL Facebook Guide Facebook as a Tool for Improving Student Outcomes

This is a list of considerations that you might want to investigate:

• Look at developing a blog to engage with your learners• Encourage learners to create their own blogs• Setup a professional Twitter feed• If you develop video content, use YouTube or Vimeo so that the videos can be shared through blogs, Facebook and other sites• For seting up podcasts, use Huffduffer or Soundcloud• Use Pearltrees to capture useful websites to share and embed• Get a Paper.il account, sync to a Twitter list - automatic news and media everyday!• Sync accounts together so that they do the work for you

RSC SW Social Media Stats

Nov 10 - Nov 11

RSC South West Ning Social Network

4,603 Visits29,522 Page viewsAverage time on site 7 mins

Vimeo

Total plays 1,180Total loads 19,606

Slideshare

Views 23,800

YouTube

Views 617

Pearltrees

5,700 views

The total views for all our social media are over 79,000

Focus on Social Media in Education; Some benefits and examples

Presenting social media, a basic overview of the benefits of adopting social media, with useful links and resources

View the presentation: http://pre-zi.com/7z9ibg8ayy7w/focus-on-social-media-in-education-some-benefits-and-examples/

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Social Media Case StudiesRichard Huish College: Using Social Media to enhance communication, peer review and reflective practice

Geography Teacher Millie Watts has successfully used social media, in particular Facebook and Blogger to enhance and improve her students’ communication, peer review and access to resources. Such has been the impact of these developments that one student in particular has been able to forge real-life business links and work experience placements outside the college as well as generate an e-portfolio that really stands out. Radio broadcasts are also being used to provide Q&A sessions for students that need extended support.

One of the most important factors in the development of the College Geography Facebook pages has been the code of conduct/staff training to ensure that the right procedures were in place before the pages were made available to students.

In terms of the blogging Millie found this to be her preferred way of providing her students with extended resources and content that her students could use and discuss. The blog called ‘What I Taught in Geography this Week’ has been a great success seeing well over 10,000 views. This is mainly not just because the content is rich and useful for the students, but also because Millie has embedded a CoveritLive application into the blog which enables students to ask annoymous questions about any topic of study.

“The ability to ask things anonymously is quite important because what we do tend to see is a bit of a paradox in that the really quiet students who don’t like to put their hands up in class are the ones that will engage the most online.” – Millie Watts Geography/Geology Teacher

Millie asked one of her students, Vicki Taylor if she would like to setup her own blog called ‘What I learnt in Geography this Week’. The idea being that Vicki could use the blog to not only put up all her own ideas and course notes on, but also act as a portfolio of work. In fact Vicki’s blog has become a very useful source for her peers as well as creating opportunities at the MET office, where she has actively been involved and even organising future guest blogs from local business.

“I definitely think that the blogs and Facebook pages have made the learning so much more interesting. It’s added another dimension to us sat in classrooms looking at text books and watching Powerpoint presentations.” - Vicki Taylor, Richard Huish Geography Student

A full case study will be published next year, which will be available on the Excellence Gateway website, please keep posted on our case studies web pages: http://www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/southwest/case-studies.aspx

City of Bath College: Using YouTube and Facebook to deliver exceptional e-learning for music students

The music team at City of Bath College have utilised Facebook and YouTube to create social networking for their students. This has had a direct and positive impact on e-learning and has been so popular with the students that the College has seen a 100% success rate for assignments completed. This is the first time the College has seen such a high success rate for its music courses.

All courses have now moved to a grade 1 and 2 for Ofsted inspection results and their use of Web 2.0 applications (eg Google Docs, Facebook and YouTube) has enabled a real collaborative community, which is constantly thriving and seeing real success.

To read the full case study, visit the Excellence Gateway: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=299885

Social media Articles written by Matt Ewens - Information Officer

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Teachers’ VoiceThe teachers’ voice aims to bring together a collective ‘voice’ from practitioners primarily part of the HE sector, covering their experiences of using and utilising technology within education.

Richard Huish College: Facebook and Blogger

Using Social Media to enhance communication, peer review and reflective practice

Watch the video by following this link

This year there have been several excellent examples of technology being used in education. There are also some examples from last year available to watch on our Ning, please visit the following link: http://jisc-rscsw.ning.com/group/theteachersvoice/page/teachers-voice-case-stud-ies-2010

By Matt Ewens - Information Officer

Big thank you to Julie Swain - Student Experience & Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Co-ordinator, for her help and UPC resources

Previous Teachers’ Voices

Cornwall College on Second Life

Watch the video here

Plymouth College of Art and eCPD

Watch the video here

Bridgewater College on m-Learning

Watch the video here

City College Plymouth on e-Portfolios

Watch the video here

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Turbo T.E.L. IIFollowing on from the great success of last year’s Turbo T.E.L. (Technology Enhanced Learning) event, the JISC RSC SW is pleased to announce its sequel, Turbo T.E.L. II which will take place on the 14th June. This will be a lively and fast-paced day of ‘turbo-talks’ centred upon the use of technology in learning. Based on the phenomenal success of last year’s Turbo event, the programme for the day will incorporate simultaneous streams of concise, rapid presentations lasting no more than ten minutes each.

Plans for this event are still underway and we are working to incorporate your ideas and suggestions into the exciting agenda. The entertaining format of this event promises yet again to captivate and inspire attendees!

Focusing on successful and innovative use of technology within teaching and learning, Turbo T.E.L. II provides an excellent opportunity for staff to disseminate, share and discuss Technology Enhanced Learning. There will also be ample networking opportunities for delegates to discuss issues of common interest and learn from each other in a true collaborative spirit.

This highly informative event is aimed at Senior Managers, Practitioners, Trainers, Support Staff and all IT enthusiasts involved in teaching and learning within FE, HE, ACL, WBL, Specialist Colleges and Partner Organisations.

A full programme will be released shortly and delegates will have the added benefit of being able to choose on the day their preferred sessions. This is an ideal opportunity to gain valuable CPD through a variety of inspiring presentations and talks from leading contributors within the Learning and Skills sector.

Visit our Ning and view last year’s resources from the Turbo T.E.L to get an idea of the kind of great sessions and activity involved: http://jisc-rsc-sw.ning.com/group/turboteltechnologyenhancedlearning

If you would like to contribute to the day by way of a ten minute Turbo session we would be very pleased to hear from you.

Please email: lynbender@rsc-south-west.ac.uk or danmccaffrey@rsc-south-west.ac.uk

Lyn Bender - e-Learning Adviser

Eduserv Consultation request

Eduserv is in negotiation with Mintel to provide online access to their market reports via a Chest Agreement especially for the FE sector. We are trying to gather as much feedback as we can from FE Colleges in order that we negotiate the very best possible deal. We would really appreciate it if you could spend a few minutes reviewing the proposal and telling us what you think. If you are not the right person to comment then please forward this message to an appropriate person. Our proposal is to provide online access to a range of market reports from Mintel, a leading market research company. We anticipate that the agreement will start early in 2012. You can find an outline of the proposal on our website – Mintel Agreement Proposal*. Our negotiations are not complete and your comments will help us to ensure that any agreement will be affordable and provide the range of reports you need at your college. Please let us know if your college is (or isn’t) interested in a Chest Agreement for Mintel reports. Is there anything else that you think we should consider in our negotiation? * If you are unable to access this page then please contact Eduserv Help who will send you a document version.Please send your comments to Nikki Green. Thank you for taking time to consider the proposal. Hope to have good news soon.

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Web ConferencingOver the last few years, there has been an explosion in the number and variety of web conferencing solutions available, both commercially and via open source opportunities. With economic factors now increasingly curtailing staff development budgets, and financial and environmental factors reducing the viability of travel, more providers are considering these alternatives. As the technologies themselves have improved, and greater bandwidth has become available to Institutions, the potential reach and functionality of web conferencing has exponentially increased.

After initially developing a reputation as being impersonal and technically unreliable, most of these solutions are now far more advanced than there pervious iterations. Whilst there are attendant costs in purchasing the software and licences in the first instance, the long term financial gains are manifest. Also, with the student body becoming increasingly diverse, allied to the on-going economic imperative for providers to broach new markets, these delivery modes are congruent with demands for more flexible delivery. Many of these systems now incorporate mobile functionality, so users can participate in online interactions on the move utilising their smart phone or tablet device. In most instances, sessions can also be recorded so that those unable to attend can review the interaction retrospectively; recordings of lectures/seminars also serve as valuable revision aids.

Many of you will have by now participated in web meetings; Some of you may even have been brave enough to step up to the plate and present using this media. The JISC RSC South West have run several series of “Webinars” for there diverse user communities. Webinars are described by Wikipedia as:

“…a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web, specifically a portmanteau of web & seminar, to describe a specific type of web conference. Some argue that webinars might be one-way, from the speaker to the audience with limited audience interaction, so one-way broadcasts are perhaps more accurately called webcasts. Webinars themselves may be more collaborative and include polling and question & answer sessions to allow full participation between the audience and the presenter.”

Essentially, all web conferencing systems allow the current presenter to broadcast (or screen share) there PC view over the internet to delegates. Presenters and delegates are accorded differing degrees of functionality to interact with the presentation, depending on the software utilised and the administrator privileges granted. Likewise, presenters and delegates have audio rights, and are usually able to communicate via a conventional handset based phone conference, or using VOIP technology via headsets directly linked to their PC’s. In addition, some systems allow users to share and view multimedia (i.e. sound and audio files) within the interface, to annotate the screen using markers, to answer multiple choice questions etc. Most platforms now also incorporate webcam transmission, allowing participants (usually presenters) to show their faces via peer-to-peer video conferencing as part of the meeting interface; there is some evidence to suggest that this additional element improves the user experience and enhances engagement with the presentation.

The Pros and Cons of Online Meetings

Bex Ferriday, presently VLE Learning Technologist at Cornwall College, has used a variety of web meeting platforms for teaching, and has extensive experience of both developing and delivering online courses.

Here Bex gives us her objective take on the pros and cons of using Webinars in Education:

“I’ve used a range of online meeting systems such as GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, Elluminate and WizIQ over the years as conference or seminar presenter, online teacher and participant. All have been useful, all have worked well without too much technical difficulty and all seem to fundamentally do the same thing (talk to people, show them your desktop, present slides / documents, etc but without the need to travel miles at ungodly hours of the day!)

Although I heartily recommend in this fast-paced, technologically-rich, cash-poor climate that we make use of such software whenever we can, all isn’t perfect in the world of online meetings. The experience can be very ‘passive’ from an attendee’s perspective as there is often little room for interaction.

When hosting meetings I usually start by explaining to attendees that their microphones have been switched off so that I can speak. Participants are rendered mute and able to communicate via chat windows only, which helps the management of conversation and halts any technical issues with sound before they have even happened. However, this does seem to add a certain air of ‘hierarchy’ over the proceedings.

Cont.....over

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As you would expect, JISC are presently involved in researching the pedagogical impact of these innovations, and a number of funded projects reflect this. For instance, the SWEET project aims to develop and evaluate a course delivery methodology which addresses specific difficulties in teaching work based learners, using synchronous web conferencing with work based learners within the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.

BigBlueButton is an open source application which incorporates a variety of media to give employees an interactive, remote learning experience: desktop sharing, VOIP, presentation, webcam, shared whiteboard and text chat. The project will integrate BigBlueButton with Moodle to create and evaluate a work-based learning environment which brings the qualities of simultaneous classroom delivery to cohorts of isolated learners (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/swaniltig/sweet.aspx).

Likewise, Stream 2 of the JISC funded project to utilise Technology Enhanced Learning to support a Welsh centre for Workforce Development. This project has recently finished, and you can download outputs from the website via: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/workforcedev/wcwd.aspx

As a corporate entity, JISC utilise the BlackBoard Collaborate (formerly Elluminate) platform for web conferences. The mind map on the right illustrates five generic principles for participant engagement in web conference sessions.

The JISC Regional Support Centre South West utilise a commercial solution called GoToMeeting. We have utilised this in a variety of different contexts, from operating it in a live lecture context (one to many delivery, with minimal interaction, and entirely presenter led) to using it in smaller consultative milieu (with a small group of participants able to discuss issues synchronously and all interact with screen based media concurrently) and the team have collectively accrued a great deal of experience in setting up and administering these sessions. If you would like to have a look at the software, or perhaps borrow a licence to try it in a live context within your organisation, please get in touch.

Elsewhere, the JISC Mail service are inviting users to try their online video and audio conferencing service powered by BigBlueButton. The service is ideal for web seminars and distance learning. You can access the server, and additional training materials, here: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/about/march2011.html - By Dan McCaffrey

The presenter holds the power, as he or she has the ability to switch attendees’ cameras and / or microphones off whenever he or she wants and speaks with voice - something attendees rarely have themselves. Teaching and presenting today is all about learner (or attendee) led, collaborative and reflective processes, and online conferences do feel, pedagogically, like a step back. Many of the presentations I have attended - and, admittedly, delivered, are very presenter-focused with very little input from attendees (other than the ubiquitous chat pane to one side of the screen). There may be a few minutes dedicated to screen sharing or allowing microphones to be switched on, and there is almost always a ubiquitous voting poll at the end of a session.

So - I like the concept and the current applications used to deliver online conferences and the like. I like that companies are starting to jump on the mobile platform bandwagon (GoToMeeting has an app for the iPad, for example). I like the fact that online meetings save time, money and a tiny part of the ozone layer. I like the fact that I can deliver an online class, meeting or seminar attended by 50 people from all over the world. I just want to find out how to make them more collaborative, more dynamic...and less didactic!”

By Bex Ferriday

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ProcurementJISC Advance/RSC Support for Procurement:

The post-compulsory education sector represents a major market for prospective suppliers. The institutions which make up the higher education and research communities within the United Kingdom alone spend in excess of £4 billion annually on goods and services. By any standard the sector is an important and attractive market place to the many suppliers who have, or would like to have a share of this substantial volume of business.

From the sectors angle, self evidently, getting the best value for money should always be a preeminent consideration during a purchasing process. However, in the present economic climate, the importance of procurement decisions being made in an informed and enlightened fashion are particularly important. Institutions need to know that not only is the product or service they are about to acquire fit for purpose, they also need to increasingly factor in other considerations; adherence to legal obligations/standards, Sustainability, shelf life etc. It is against this backdrop that JISC Advance are able to articulate their procurement support offer. Not only can existing JISC Advance services provide credible and informed advice and guidance on procurement concerns relating to Technology, they can expedite access to an extensive library of resource which covers all aspects of prudent procurement practice.

Within JISC Advance, the specialist service dealing with these issues are JISC ProcureWeb. JISC Procureweb is a procurement support service, for the UK Higher Education Sector, UK Further Education Sector and Research Councils. Based at Cardiff University and funded by JISC. Procureweb provides tools, information and support to anyone who participates in the procurement process. Procureweb is a JISC support service developed to support anyone involved in the procurement process in Higher and Further Education. It comprises a variety of databases and websites which play a key role in the efficient procurement of resources and services. The use of Procureweb has the potential to achieve savings by further education learning providers of up to £5 million per annum (Source: ProcureWeb).

Services provided include Central Universities Purchasing Information Database (CuPID), web site hosting, tools and systems development, website design, forums, documentation, and links to relevant resources.

ProcureWeb have also recently launched there new Xchange system. This online portal will help Institutions meet their sustainability agendas and save money by allowing users to post advertisements for items they no longer require. The advertisements can be made available to the whole of the education sector or restricted to a user’s local institution. The system allows users to register an interest in advertisements and manage communication with the seller. Xchange will fully support mechanisms such as RSS and web services so that data can be displayed on any other web sites. Xchange will additionally provide email updates when users register an interest in an advert and optionally when new adverts are put onto the system.

Visit the new procureweb website for more information

BIS confirms funding for Sixth Form Colleges until 2014

JISC Advance is pleased to announce that Sixth Form Colleges will continue to benefit from JISC services for the 2012/13 and 2013/14 financial years.

The funding, confirmed by BIS (the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) yesterday, will apply to Sixth Form Colleges in England. It will include cover for all JISC Advance services including Regional Support Centres and Advisory Services as well as JANET and other JISC services.

The announcement follows discussions between BIS and the Department for Education (DfE) who now has responsibility for Sixth Form Colleges.

JISC Advance welcomes the news which reflects that our services are recognised by both departments as representing good value to the sector.

Guy Lambert, Managing Director for JISC Advance said:

“The continuation of this provision will ensure that Sixth Form Colleges can benefit from the free advice and guidance provided by JISC Advance services and the other JISC services which are so vital to the sector.”

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Elsewhere within JISC Advance, there are other tools available to support Procurement. JISC Advance recently launched the new Generic e-Marketplace service (GeM). Designed by education sector experts, this new system, run under the auspices of the Procureweb Service, will provide HE and FE Procurement Departments with free access to Amazon-like shopping facilities and a manageable contract data repository making the buying of day-to-day goods and services that much easier whilst driving down costs.

Benefits of GeM:

• FREE OF CHARGE to sign up and use• Value for Money - access to negotiated sector contracts promises lower costs on goods and services• Time efficient - can offer up to 90% reduction purchase process• Easy to use - a simple system guides users through the process• Secure and manageable - can be restricted to authorised staff• Faster than old systems like CuPID - offers a sleeker and quicker new platform

http://www.gem.ac.uk/

JISC InfoNet have also produced a variety of their customary “InfoKits” on Procurement related activities; These are discrete, multimedia packages of resource which can be used either as they are, or disaggregated and made available to staff via the institutional intranet etc. The Impact Calculator, for example, can be used to demonstrate the impact of a process redesign or system implementation by quantifying the tangible benefits or efficiency gains that can be derived from it:

• identifying and recording the efficiency savings and costs of a process redesign• determine if and when a return on investment (ROI) is made• identify and measure as many benefits as you wish• quantifying efficiency savings in monetary and non-monetary terms

www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/records-management/measuring-impact/impact-calculator

JISC Digitial Media have produced some specialised advice on “Budget-ing for a Digitisation project” which includes some esoteric guidance on Procurement and may be of value to colleagues operating in these envi-ronments.

www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/crossmedia/advice/budgeting-for-a-digitisa-tion-project

Outside of the JISC Advance network, there are many other agencies and institutions which can provide technologically mediated and focussed support for Procurement.

In the procurement field, HEFCE have aggregated a Sustainable Development in Higher Education Guide. The resource guide also assays sustainability considerations in areas such as transport, carbon management, strategy etc, and is available here; http://www.hefce.ac.uk/susdevresources/ Article sourced by Dan McCaffrey - e-Learning Adviser

Inclusion news:

Government eAccessibility forumThis discussion forum on http://www.discuss.culture.gov.uk/eac-cessibility/regulatory/ launched by government DCMS (department for culture media and science) on EU framework on Electronic communications networks and services. Comments and suggestions are invited through questions posed on the following topics:

1. The effect and impact of current regulations on access to digital services

2. How best to build accessibility into consumer technology and digital equipment as government services move towards digital delivery The (GDS) Government Digital Services project.

3. website accessibility, The Assisted Digital programme that will run alongside the Digital by Default agenda addressing accessibility point of view by offering alternatives, transition support and training to start using digital services via UK Online Centres. Plans for a single government domain and ID assurance.

4. Accessible content on and off the web as in ebook readers, digital tv and radio

5. How best to spread the word and promote eAccessibility

Sourced by Julia Taylor - e-Learning Adviser

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Cool Tools For TeachingThere are so many great online tools out there, so this article will hope-fully point you towards some of the best ones. As touched on in previ-ous articles about social media, there are many useful pieces of software available for FREE online, which either work in the browser or can be downloaded.

Online software that works in the browser

One of the great advantages of using software that works in the browser is that you don’t need to clog up your PC with software downloads and saved work can utilise the cloud, i.e. stored online. The only downside of course is that you might not be able to download or use software without getting permission from your IT department.

Jaycut: http://jaycut.com/A great video editing suite, easy to use and can be published for mobile devices, the web or direct to PC. The video can then be added straight to Facebook, a blog or YouTube. (This service will no longer be free shortly)

Prezi: http://prezi.comPrezi is an effective presentation creation tool, which has the added dimension of zooming on objects. It can be embedded and offers a different perspective to Microsoft Powerpoint presentations.

Animoto: http://animoto.com/ Turn your photos and music into stunning video slideshows. You provide the photos, you pick the song, and we’ll add the magic. Give it a try - it’s fast, free and shockingly easy.

Dvolver Movie Maker: http://www.dvolver.comCreate fun cartoon movies, for free using this online software

Google Swifty beta:http://www.google.com/doubleclick/studio/swiffy/Swiffy converts Flash SWF files to HTML5, allowing you to reuse Flash content on devices without a Flash player (such as iPhones and iPads). Swiffy can’t yet convert DoubleClick Studio creatives.

Chirbit: http://www.chirbit.com/Free online tool that enables the ability to upload, record and share audio easily. Record directly from the browser, via web cam or microphone. Up to 2 hours of audio uploading.

Coursesites: https://www.coursesites.comCourseSites is a free, hosted online course creation and facilitation ser-vice.

Titanpad: http://titanpad.com/This works in the browser, it is a free document collaboration tool, can be imported and exported with different formats and handy revision points saved.

VoiceThread: http://voicethread.com/Create group conversations around media and images and collaborate onine

Even more Useful Software

The JISC RSC South West Pearltree of Useful Software contains many more useful downloadable software, as well as resources of interest

Visit: http://pear.ly/VS3H

JISC Inform

The new look JISC Inform is an excellent online publication, viewable in the browser. It features a whole host of interesting articles for post 16 education.

Have a read and send some feedback.

Visit the publication: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/inform/in-form32/

By Matt Ewens, Information Officer

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Webcasts - Practitioner ExperiencesClin Ed “distance learning” support: the learning technologist’s perspective: Sally Holden

As learning technologists within PCMD an important part of our role is to facilitate the educational missions of our academic and clinical colleagues. For some time we have explored the use of various webcasting tools/systems and, since it was decided that the Clinical Education team would deliver online synchronous sessions to participants throughout the South West (and beyond), we needed to move this forwards quickly.

To a certain extent the technology chosen should be irrelevant, however, with all the systems we’ve investigated and used it’s clear that, although pedagogy should drive technology, sometimes compromises have to be made due to the limitations of various systems. The JISC RSC have been invaluable in helping us to overcome problems and move forwards this year. The PCMD eLearning support group (eLSG) has worked closely with Dan McCaffrey to successfully run several online sessions with a group of widely distributed Clin Ed students using both Macs and PCs, some working within the NHS.

In terms of watching our ClinEd colleagues become very competent at running online sessions, it’s been a very rewarding experience. Once the initial technical issues were sorted out we tended to step back as much as possible while remaining vigilant in the case of any problems. Gentle reminders were made and accepted now and then e.g. for the presenter to pay attention to some comments or questions in the chat window. Help was always there from Dan at JISC and that was invaluable in helping us support our academic colleague.

It’s interesting that at some points the flow of conversation transcended the technical barriers. I’ve included a screenshot below (although have not got consent from the participants for this to be used in the article but will do if you’re interested) to show a point within one session where it’s clear that there is a mix of responses and posture....I’m fascinated to watch how people in an online group interact. One thing we’re all agreed on is that the video component adds an important extra dimension to the online experience.

Confidence has grown in our ability as learning technologists to manage more students at once and to help academic and clinical colleagues become competent online moderators and facilitators. The eLSG looks forwards to the next exciting stage of development as we expand the DL provision within PCMD.

By Sally Holden

JISC Advance

An organisation that brings together the collective expertise of eight established JISC services:

• JISC Digital Media• JISC infoNet• JISC Legal• JISCMail• JISC Netskills• JISC Procureweb• JISC RSC UK• JISC TechDis

Focussed clearly on the needs of our users, JISC Advance is committed to providing agile, holistic services. Offering flexible, comprehensive knowledge and support, the organisation addresses new and challenging requirementsthroughout the education and research communities and beyond.

Working with the Regional Support Centres, JISC Advance provides a distinctive combination of independent advice, guidance and resources to enable effective, innovative use of technologies.

www.jiscadvance.ac.uk

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Using QR Codes In Your PracticeA QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a type of matrix code (or two- dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern.

The rise in ownership of the Smart Phone with its embedded camera and the ability to install custom applications, coupled with the suite of communication media available to them (voice, SMS and data (wireless or 3G) makes the use of QR codes a viable tool in providing additional ma- terial to support the Teaching and Learning goals.

The example on the left has a link to a Web site encoded within it, to decode, it needs to be scanned by the cam-era on the mobile device which is passed to installed.

“Where do I get the software?”

Many Smartphone handsets already have a free version installed, but different ver- sions, often with additional features can be found by searching the internet, or visting the main application store (app store) for your type of handset.

Of course, choosing which to install is the next problem, fortunately most have a star rating system to help you in your choice. This is often backed by reading through a few forums for reports on the on the user experience of using the software.

Producing QR Codes for use, could’nt be simpler, there are many web sites that allow them to be created for free and the images saved in a variety of formats. Examples are:

http://keremerkan.net/qr-code-and-2d-code-generator/http://qrdroid.com/generate http://www.quickmark.com.tw/en/qrcode-datamatrix-generator/?qrmecard

So what can I do with QR Codes?

QR Codes once produced can be used in may formats, printed, projected, or attached to electronic documents and electronically distributed. The advantage is that the code can be read and the data used immediately rather than having to be transposed into a different format. Codes can be coupled together to set tasks

Further QR Resources

A very good source of information about QR code developments can be found by visiting the blog by David Hopkins, called ‘Don’t waste your time’

http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/resources/qr-codes/

JISC RSC South West QR Pearltrees

This contains some useful links to other QR code blogs and resources

http://pear.ly/Nk55

Another site for creating QR codes, which also has the added feature of embedding images witin the code is Unitag

http://en.unitag.fr/qrcode

Here’s one we made earlier:

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This code sets a Location

This code sends an SMS message to say they have arrived

This code contains a task to be done

Codes can be generated in any of the colours available on your computer.

This code includes a Calendar appointment, an invite could be emailed to a student to a tutorial, placed on advertising for an event, either of which could be scanned directly in to their mobile device calendar rather than having to transpose the information. The format of the coded data complies with the RFC for iCal use. So it will work with underlying calendars such as Outlook, Google Cal, Lotus Notes and many others.

Of course, the QR Codes exampled above are very unfriendly for decoding by the human brain, they would need some supplementary text to make sense in their use. This is eas- ily done in many graphic manipulation applications.

Easiest, is simply to add a label or logo somewhere around the code.

QR Codes are quite resilient, and will work with up to 30% of error within the reading of the code. This can be exploited to add a graphic in to the code, this is usually done in a graphics app that supports layers

In summary. QR codes are a supplementary tool for the passage of information that ex- ploits the wide adoption of smart camera phones. Taking advantage of the embedded communication tools and the ability to determine location reasonably accurately, that the QR code can access all of these tools in an automatic way should allow them to be used in your Teaching and Learning activities.

By Noel Davis - e-Learning Adviser

A Useful List of Twitter Feeds For QR Codes

http://twitter.com/QRCode_dennis

http://twitter.com/#!/BarCodeArt

http://twitter.com/#!/QRTimes

http://twitter.com/#!/hopkinsdavid

A selection of QR Code Publications

QRazy Times: http://paper.li/my-web2learn/1296177680

The qr code Daily: http://paper.li/waynesutton/qrcodes

The QR Daily: http://paper.li/tp-powers/qr

QR Codes: http://paper.li/Daemo-niaPhoto/1312731194

The Qr-Codes Daily: http://paper.li/QRmedia/Qr-Codes

Some other exmaples of QR Codes being used in JISC RSC South West:

Accessibility Kit Box:

Accessibility Kit List:

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Strategy Support For Work Based Learning And Adult Community LearningJISC RSC South West provides support to organisations wishing to create or review an e-learning strategy. For WBL and ACL, the focus of this support has involved the use of the e-Learning Positioning Statement (e-LPS for ACL, We-LPS for WBL). This tool allows organisations to rate their current stage of e-learning development using one of six stage descriptors, ranging from ‘Not yet started’ to ‘Embedded. Managers can then plan future e-learning activities to move their organisation forward from their current position to the next stages.

JISC RSC South West has recently revisited their offer of strategy support to providers in WBL and ACL. The review comprises an 8 stage facilitated process; it produces both an in-depth review of an organisation’s current position in relation to the use of ILT and e-Learning and a detailed action plan. The action plan includes implementation timescales of what the organisation wants to do and how to get to its desired target position.

The timescale for the completion of the review process is approximately 5 working days; however, the involvement of the organisation is managed to consist of the interactions below:

1. Initial contact from provider to request review and set up initial site meeting.

2. The initial meeting establishes the purpose and parameters of the review process and agrees participants, location and date of facilitated review meeting.

3. Pre-circulation of We-LPS or eLPS question document to all staff taking part so the questions can be studied plus a link to a Survey Monkey version for any staff not able to attend on the day.

4. Facilitated We-LPS exercise with chosen representatives of the organisation. The RSC adviser records judgements and evidence to support the organisation’s chosen position (e.g. “Not Yet Started”, “Developing”). The adviser will also record where the organisation thinks it should be (e.g. “Established”) within a chosen timescale and records/suggests actions to enable the organisation to achieve its target position.

5. The RSC adviser in collaboration with the organisation will produce an analysis of the We-LPS or eLPS exercise plus a summary document and, if required, construct an exemplar ILT strategy document.

6. If required the RSC adviser will collaborate with the organisation to produce a detailed action/implementation plan.

7. The implementation plan/ILT strategy document is then presented to the organisation’s management team and any ILT development group.

8. The RSC adviser will support the actions of the management or any ILT development group through the usual RSC support mechanisms or by attendance at group meetings etc.

By Tracey Morris - e-Learning Adviser

What happens next - on-going support for implementation

This support can be provided in a number of ways, including

• face to face and visits• via electronic means • attendance at RSC events

These are the normal support and guidance routes provided by RSC advisers to WBL and ACL providers. However, a number of providers have taken the step of creating a dedicated ILT development group consisting of representatives from all staff levels. The role of the RSC adviser in this group is to support its activities by providing information, examples of learning material, software ideas, exemplars etc.; however, the key to the success of the relationship is the willingness of the group to invite the adviser to attend group meetings in the role of supporter and critical friend.

If you would like to discuss this offer further with an RSC Advisor, contact

David Rowe (WBL), 01392 205472 / 07809 594850 david-rowe@rsc-south-west.ac.uk

Tracey Morris (ACL, 01752 587033 / 07834 678159 tracey-morris@rsc-south-west.ac.uk

Another tool which you may wish to consider using is Generator. LSIS have recently worked closely with NIACE and the Association of Employment & Learning Providers (AELP) as well as ACL and WBL providers who have used the tool in order to develop Generator and produce specific user guides aimed at leaders and managers of ACL and WBL. Continue reading the next page to find out more about Generator

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RSC Strategy Support For The FE And Skills SectorUsing Generator for strategic improvement

Generator is the technology improvement leadership tool for the Further Education and Skills sector. The initial development for this free tool was led by Becta working with national partners and providers across the FE and Skills sector. Progress and improvement for Generator was transferred to LSIS in March 2011 and in response to user feedback, an updated version with many new features and enhancements is now available.

New Generator Features:

• tagged efficiency questions• efficiency reporting• export reviews to Excel• delete old reviews• download questions to review/discuss prior to a review• development of the web portal as a new access point for Generator including case studies and sector user guides• an improvement area linked with new case studies• integrating relevant aspects within the new portal• hints and tips on using Generator

Generator offers a review of your current deployment of technology, clearly demonstrating areas where technology is effectively used to achieve outputs. It further highlights areas where there are opportunities for improvement. It is a powerful and flexible tool which can be used in a variety of scenarios, individually or in collaboration across teams, departments and sites.

The JISC RSC south west has developed their support service to focus specifically on helping providers to take a thoroughly planned and project-managed approach to using Generator to ensure the required outcomes are achieved.

Generator can be used in a variety of ways, for example, at individual, departmental or organisational level:

• developing and monitoring college technology strategies• informing technology investment and supporting bids• raising awareness of the technology strategy with governors, senior management team (SMT) and college staff;• supporting the technology element of Self-Assessment Reports• validating provider perceptions of their technology use• identifying improvement support

Using Generator to create your Technology Strategy

Whether you are creating a Technology Strategy for the first time or replacing or updating an existing one, Generator can provide the framework for this strategy through its three themes and nine areas of organisational operations. For example, the RSC south west can support you in the use of a Quick Review which can provide the baseline

Continued...

for the strategy and enable its implementation to be monitored through future reviews.

RSC south west support service for providers using GeneratorThe RSC south west can guide you through the whole Generator review process if required – our level of involvement is entirely your choice. For example, our service can take you through the early planning stages, ensuring you are fully prepared to begin your Generator review. We can then work closely with you to facilitate the review process amongst key staff if required. Or it may be that you choose to involve us at a later stage once your Generator reviews are complete, in which case we can work with you to address the areas for improvement and support your ensuing actions. You may choose to call upon us to help interpret your Generator review outcomes, and provide a structured source of actions, ideas and good practice information to help support follow-up action. If required, your RSC adviser can collaborate with you to produce detailed action/implementation plans. We are proficiently skilled to provide authoritative (as well as accessible) resources to help providers progress with their use and deployment of technology. We can also publicise and promote the areas of good practice revealed by your Generator reviews.

To find more about our Strategy Support Service or for an informal chat about your strategic requirements, please contact:Lyn Bender, lynbender@rsc-south-west.ac.uk Mob: 07734062661.

By Lyn Bender - e-Learning Adviser

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RSC South West Team

Manager

John Mckenzie

Administrator/ Event Coordinator

Jan Holt

eLearning Advisers

Dan McCaffreyDavid RoweJulia TaylorLyn BenderNoel DavisTracey MorrisDavid Bevington

Information Officer

Matt Ewens

JISC Regional Support CentreSouthwestUniversity of Plymouth,Babbage Room 316Drake CircusPlymouth. PL4 8AA

Phone: 01752 587031Email: rsc-advice@rsc-south-west.ac.uk

Staff Development, What Workshops Are You Interested In? As many providers may remember during 2008, 2009 and the first half of 2010 the RSC South West set up and delivered a range of highly cost effective one day training courses for training provider staff. The courses were well attended bydelegates from WBL, FE and ACL as well as other mainstream and non-mainstream educational organisations. The courses, which were always well received, were on a wide range of subjects including - The 6 x 1 Day Moodle programme (Beginner toExpert), Adobe Flash (Animations), Cascading Style Sheets, Graphic Design for the Web, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere (video editing suite) and many other subjects. However, due to circumstances beyond the RSC’s control it was not possible to run similar courses in the later part of 2010 and so far in 2011. Happily the opportunity to revive this offer has now presented itself. However, instead of running the same courses and seeing if there is a demand the RSC wondered if providers had any ideas as to training they would see as valuable to their staff and organisations.

The RSC has during 2010 and 2011 also delivered a number of in-house staff development days around the theme of digital storytelling, During the day the organisations staff were trained from scratch on how to produce simple e-learning resources, using hands on activities on storyboarding, creating or obtaining images and video and the use of these images to tell a story. Although all attendees at these development days went away with a useful e-learning object at the end of the day, the real idea behind these days was to remove some of the fear factor around the use of e-learning. These staff development days were delivered by RSC staff and therefore, were extremely cost effective as they were free; however, this may not always be the case in the future.

So the question is. Are there any areas of technology, the use of technology, e-learning or any related subject, providers are keen to offer their staff as a staff or organisational development opportunity.

If networks or providers want to collaborate on a staff development opportunity we would welcome this and indeed we would be very happy to work with them to support the activity in any way we could, perhaps by sourcing the expertise or identifying a suitable location. If providers or their staff do have any ideas please let us know. You will get a detailed response; however, we cannot guarantee to generate a full response in the form of a development opportunity to every idea, but we will certainly examine any and all ideas to see where we can fulfil the need.

Please contact your organisations RSC adviser or for further information or an informal chat contact: David Rowe (e-Learning Adviser Workbased Learning) e: davidrowe@rsc-south-west.ac.uk mob: 07809 594850, or Tracey Morris (e-Learning Adviser ACL) e: traceymorris@rsc-south-west.ac.uk mob:07834 678159.

By David Rowe - e-Learning Adviser

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