nairtllin
DESCRIPTION
Poster describing a course to help adult learners improve their communication skills using new media.TRANSCRIPT
What didn’t:Technical problems: physical space in lab, speed of network, and soundHomework game to encourage participation: scoring got too complex.Finding time to upload the materials to an Open Educational Resource (OER) – we now use the OU’s Projectspace.Group teaching took a lot of time for planning, reviewing sessions and brainstorming the futureNo access to Moodle until 3rd weekNot enough material designed for sequential learners
infobesity
The ODL digital divide: too busy to learn?
Adult education is different…
And now you want me to offer flexible, open learning??? And a virtuous cycle of innovative communication???
We designed a short course about saving time to make time, teaching basic communications theory through productive Web 2.0 tools, constantly adjusting the content to motivate learners… Communications Skills for the New Media Age
We have mixed ability: so the techies must
help the non-techies
We need more
repetitions to learn
Work with my motivation or I won’t find time for class next
week…
What worked:Enrolment survey on technology useWeekly handouts of news itemsJing for recording walkthroughsDropbox for accessing files from anywhereDelicious for keeping track of interesting web resourcesSkype for basic distance meetingsWebtext for organising groups/classes via SMSMoodle for peer support between classesFilming each other on mobile phonesMindmappingOnline surveys to monitor progress
Feedback from learners17 of 20 learners rated the course “very good” or “excellent”.
“It did exactly what it said on the tin.”“I received a really broad view of what's out there! Made me get on line and get involved with several applications. Moodle, Dropbox were really useful."“Delicious has changed the way I use the internet at work, far more efficient.”
How can a course like this get NFQ certification when by definition, the content must be constantly updated and varied to suit new tools, mixed abilities, backgrounds and objectives? If you have thoughts, please contact [email protected]
Course tutors Catherine O’Mahony, Imogen Bertin and Carolyn Daly, UCC and Dr Siobhan O’Sullivan, CIT Thanks to the Centre for Adult and Continuing Education, Ionad Bairre and our voluntary course mentors
Reference: Merriam, S.B. (2001). Andragogy and self-directed learning: Pillars of adult learning theory. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education v. 89, p. 3–14.
Reference: “Older learners and IT: strategies and case studies”. Research and Learning Innovation Unit, Adult Multicultural Education Services, Department of Education, Science and Training, Australia..
Yet our Gen Y students are digital natives Cuts – less staff –
more work – more students
Cranky IT systems, no time to train, and what is this cloud stuff?
JargonBuzzwordsWeb 2.0
We prefer a problem-centered, practical approach
NB: Views expressed in this poster are those of Imogen Bertin