Service oriented architecture for education

From the latest ACODE digest - may be of interest to institutions pursuing this approach

Service Oriented Architecture and Enterprise Learning Integration Summit

A summit to discuss approaches to Service Oriented Architecture in education will be hosted by IMS on 22 October at Oracle in California. A number of speakers will discuss the challenges education organisations face with enterprise integration. The summit will consider identity management, user provisioning and outcomes reporting, as well as discussing good practice SOA approaches. This follows on from the public release of the IMS SOA white paper entitled “Adoption of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for Enterprise Systems in Education: Recommended Practices”

More information - http://www.imsglobal.org/soa

Recursive tweets and tips for academics

Thanks to Terry Neal for Tweeting this link to 100 serious twitter tips for academics. Great way to spread the newz!

Wake up and smell the new epistemology

Although this cry is frequently heard, varying only in title, it's good to revisit the challenge to those of us who feel secure in the ivory towers of the academy. Speakers at the Association of Learning Technology conference (ALT-C) in Manchester, UK in early September fired warning shots at traditional methods of knowledge mediation and teaching by universities, claiming they are outmoded in the current information rich environment. This article by Professor Tom Clydesdale of the College of New Jersey reasons why, succinctly, with added interest from references to a Mexican fiesta, cowboy hats and line dancing. A similarly convincing message (without sombreros and cowboy hats) from keynote speaker Michael Wesch can be viewed along with other session recordings on the conference website.

A remote viewer advised via the Elluminate chat screen of a lively Twitter stream about the keynote. I really wanted to see what they were saying, but had decided not to take my laptop so I would listen to the session without distraction. Technology 1 : my thinking 0!

New models for learning management

The debate about learning management systems has 'matured' to the extent that most academics really don;t care which system they use. Like mobile phones or TVs, the controls might be slightly different but functions are essentially the same. I suppose this is a dominant (if not particularly inspiring) design emerging. Its a pity this workshop on new models is so far away (London), as it would be interesting to hear some informed opinions on where the future of these systems might lie.

eBooks provide safety valve for librarians

A practical guide to providing affordable access to limited library resources at busy times, this case study is based on relevant research into user behaviour and a creative solution to a practical problem.

Read more or download the podcast (13min)

Great conference - no carbon footprint!

A JISC online conference 'Innovating eLearning' runs from 24-27 November and offers two themes, 1) Finding the way, 2) Meeting the challenge.

From the conference website: "If you are a researcher, institutional manager or practitioner involved in technology-enhanced learning and teaching, Innovating e-Learning 2009 will be of interest to you. Delegates from further and higher education and from overseas are welcome."

Read more / register

JISC publications on learners and curriculum design

Three reports launched at the Association of Learning Technology (ALT) Conference in Manchester UK last week put learners at the heart of curriculum development. Recent JISC research into curriculum design and the needs and aspirations of digital learners is featured, with the aim to inform curriculum development and disseminate good practice in responding to students’ views on e-learning and preparing them for study in a digital age.

JISC programme manager Sarah Knight said: “Two of these publications draw together the latest findings from JISC’s £11.36 million e-learning programme which ended in March 2009, and show the central role technology is playing in enhancing the curriculum design processes and practices in UK colleges and universities.”

Read more

Professional supervision for teachers

An Ako Aotearoa sponsored report features professional supervision as a vehicle for facilitating change in teaching practice. This is a productive professional development strategy to add to the repertoire.

Digital Citizenship

Which bits to pick from this immense topic for a three hour post-grad class? Planning as far out as August seems almost premature. Will stats published in July be old by October? In this expanding online world they probably will. But I guess that makes a point!

Watch the Social Media Revolution on Youtube.

PS many thanks to Kate for pointing me to the site that exposes the stats in this video as mostly hype (not the exact term used). If the plan is to sell books it probably works. If it is to be honest about presenting current trends then it seems to be a failure. Who to believe these days?

Screencasting, screen capture and lecture recording tools

A variety of easy to use tools are available to capture lectures and screen content before or during a teaching session. Post-production facilities allow editing prior to distribution. For anyone wondering about the strengths, purposes and points of difference with these software programs, the April 2009 edition of the ALT Newsletter has some useful reviews.

Simon Davis, Learning Technologist, Staff and Departmental Development Unit, University of Leeds, used Camtasia software for real-time lecture capture including audio, video of the lecturer, presentation slides and dynamic content created on a tablet PC during classes. Simon reckons that a real time “screen capture” video is like someone looking over your shoulder while you talk them through something on your computer. His review looks at various ways this can be used to support teaching and learning. His conclusion – ‘a powerful and surprisingly flexible tool for creating rich multimedia learning objects.’ Read more.

Graham McElearney, a Learning Technologist from The University of Sheffield’s Learning and Teaching Services looks at two popular types of screen capture software for audio enhanced presentations and software demonstrations prepared ahead of time. He concludes that both programs offer the ability to rapidly create e-learning resources without having to invest large amounts of time learning new software. Read more.

Kris Roger and Chris Fryer from the London School of Economics review an integrated hardware and server system to automatically capture and process live lecture recordings for web-based delivery. Audio, PC and document camera output, as well as video of lecturers can be output as podcasts, vodcasts or web pages with flash video. Technical descriptions offer rather more than conceptual understanding of the system. Probably more than the average academic needs to know, these will be useful to system administrators and interested others. The verdict on benefits to learning and teaching is positive however, with students believing they might not have passed courses without the recordings, and lecturers even watching their own to try and improve their teaching. Read more.

All these forms of output can be presented or linked through an institutional learning management system. The biggest sticking point seems to be getting lecturers to the point of confidence where they agree to being recorded or to recording and distributing their resources. Experience shows this to be a minor challenge that disappears in time. This all bodes well for the UoA lecture recording pilot that is currently in progress.

Thanks to the UK Association of Learning Technology (ALT) and authors for these timely and useful reviews.