Unlocking Potential

Now for something completely different..

Creating high quality accessible learning objects using the free online Xerte tool.

Alistair McNaught,

Senior Advisor

Unlocking Potential

Xerte makes anyone a creator of high quality e-learning

Alistair McNaught

Senior Advisor

Unlocking Potential

Anyone…

• Learners• Tutors independently• Tutors collaborating• Novices at e-learning• ‘Have a go’s’• Experts

Unlocking Potential

The Xerte Toolkit• Originally developed by Nottingham University e-learning

team to support technical developers at the University.• Evolved to a practitioner oriented set of templates.• Learning objects created with Xerte can

• Be accessed via keyboard or mouse (including interactivities such as drag and drop)

• Automatically read out all text content• Have colours and fonts changed by the user

Unlocking Potential

Why are JISC TechDis supporting Xerte development/dissemination?

This content creation tool developed by Julian Tenney at the University of Nottingham, is…•Designed to maximise technical accessibility.•Designed to maximise pedagogical accessibility.•Free and open source

Learning providers can push forward the twin agendas of effective e-learning and accessibility.

Unlocking Potential

Sample interactivities

Unlocking Potential

Installing the Xerte toolkit

• The Xerte toolkit needs to be installed on your institution’s server. This is a technical job similar to installing Moodle.

• Once the technical side is set up the teacher/tutor side is straightforward (easier than Moodle!)

• JISC TechDis have provided a sandpit area on a server for you to try out the toolkits.

Unlocking Potential

The sandbox.

www.techdisplayxerte.info

ID – techdis

Pwd – jisc‘How to guide’ http://xerte2.techdis.palepurple.co.uk/play_28

(this is included in the sandbox so you can edit it and see how it was put together)

Caveats – this is a public area so please

1. don’t load copyright-infringing or inappropriate content

2. be aware that someone else might accidentally delete yours

3. Be aware that we reserve the right to delete materials if we need to free up server space or have concerns about content.

Unlocking Potential

Sample templates - text

LEVEL - EASY

Unlocking Potential

Sample templates - media

EASY

MEDIUM

ADVANCED

Unlocking Potential

Sample templates - navigation

EASY

Unlocking Potential

Sample templates - interactivity

EASY/MEDIUM

MEDIUM

Unlocking Potential

Sample templates - miscellaneous

MEDIUM to ADVANCED

Unlocking Potential

Lets make one…

www.techdisplayxerte.info

Or see one made earlier

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/toolkits/play_560

Unlocking Potential

Advanced cleverness

For remote centres with poor connectivity (or prisons with none!) try:

Xerte on a stick

Xerte with Moodle on a stick