Access Apps is an initiative supported by the JISC Regional Support Centres and JISC TechDis. It consists of over 50 open source and freeware Windows applications, running from a USB stick. AccessApps provides a range of solutions to support writing, reading and planning as well as sensory, cognitive and physical difficulties.

For more information, please visit http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/accessapps  

The electronic version of an article published in JISC Inform can be viewed here http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/publications/inform24.aspx#accessibilityfiles

Sun shining, boats on the water and not a cloud in the sky…. If not the start of summer, then certainly a fabulous Spring Day.

On that note welcome to the Spring 2009 Edition of WBL Wales. This issue, which can be viewed in full here, is packed full of useful tips, information and forthcoming events.  There is also a review of Embracing Innovation, the first RSC Wales Conference for the Work Based Learning sector in Wales.

Embracing Innovation generated a lot of positive feedback in terms of raised awareness of technologies that assist with accessibility and inclusion.  To that end this issue of WBL Wales looks at a number of established technologies and how they can be utilised to address issues of inclusion.

In early March RSC Wales delivered two ILT Strategy Development Workshops.  Feedback indicates that these events were successful not only in terms of developing strategic thinking but also in introducing a range of free, portable tools that can assist with the planning and development processes.

In the true spirit of collaboration the Celtic Camel project is now available for the Work Based Learning sector to benefit from.  The opportunity now exists for providers to share experience, best practice, and information related to the management and delivery of effective teaching and learning across the Celtic nations of the UK.

Since the last edition of WBL Wales, your RSC team has been working closely with NTfW to develop a new Communications portal (NTfW Moodle) that is available 24 hours a day from any device with an Internet connection. The Moodle not only allows members to access documents but also to contribute to discussions, consultations etc via Forums, enabling efficient two-way, sector –wide communication. Further information can be found from ntfw@ntfw.org

The first RSC Wales e-learning conference for the work based learning sector, Embracing Innovation, took place on 25^th March at the Village Hotel, Swansea. 

Delegates travelled from all over Wales to be treated to some excellent presentations and workshops as well as being plied with copious amounts of coffee and snacks, not to mention the excellent lunch!

The day started with the inspiring Key Note speech, From VLE via PLE to SLN, by Jane Hart of the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies (www.C4LPT.co.uk) who described the journey from one-way passive e-learning to the utilization of Social Networking applications allowing socialisation and personalisation of learning.

Delegates were introduced to a wide range of software applications and communications platforms as well as some startling facts on how computers and other mobile technologies are being used by the modern learner.  Within the next three years school leavers will never have known the World without the Internet!

The Web 2.0 workshop, which was facilitated by Swansea ITeC, gave delegates an opportunity to experience how Web 2.0 technologies are being used in a Work Based Learning setting, in particular, maximising the use of Blogs as an information sharing and general communication tool, both for learners and managers. Further examples were given of collaboration using shared online mind mapping tools and a free application that allowed you to collate images and text from web sites.

The e-portfolio workshop gave an opportunity for delegates to meet industry standard leaders who are involved in the development and supply of E-Portfolio systems specific to Work Based Learning. Structured in an open access environment, delegates were able to engage with a number of vendors, seek answers to key questions and make appointments for further consultation. Delegates particularly liked …“The excellent way in which the exhibitors were included as “workshops” and not the traditional “coffee break” time “to view”

The Accessibility strand was facilitated by Alistair McNaught from Techdis and concentrated on the plethora of tools available to support teaching and learning. The focus of the workshop was to present materials in a variety of formats thus enabling learners to choose whatever  style suits them. Delgates found the “workshop was great some really good ideas for dynamic learning content that I am hoping will be very useful to us.”

The National Training Federation Wales used the Conference to introduce its newly developed Moodle to the membership and share with them their hopes and aspirations for future developments. Delegates actively participated in discussing the way forward in terms of communication and collaboration in order to raise effectiveness and quality.

You can view Presentations and Conference Information by visiting http://moodle.rsc-wales.ac.uk/embracinginnovation

With less than 2 weeks to go before the inaugural RSC Wales Work Based Learning Conference at the Village Hotel, Swansea I want to take the opportunity to remind you of the excellent work that Jane Hart and the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies are doing. The website, http://www.c4lpt.co.uk is one of the world’s most-visited and most popular learning sites on the Web

Jane will be delivering the Key Note at our conference and will be contributing to the Web 2.0 workshop during the day. Details about registering for the conference can be found at, http://admin.rsc-wales.ac.uk/events/.

On March 25th 2009 JISC RSC Wales is holding its inaugural Work Based Learning Conference. The guest speaker at this conference is Jane Hart, the celebrated Social Media and Learning Consultant.

At the recent Learning Technologies Conference at Olympia Jane along with fellow consultants were asked to consider the following questions:

• Why is it a good time to talk about e-learning?
• Who do you need to involve to make e-learning happen?
• What kind of project should you start with?
• What are some practical topics on engaging learners?
• What are the obstacles and how do you over come them?
• If you learned one thing about making e-learning happen in organisations, what it is it?

Their responses have been turned into the Learning Technologies Green Room: Take a visit and see the answers that Jay Cross, Laura Overton, Clive Shepherd, Don Taylor (the conference chair) and Jane Hart had to say. Jane is on the laptop at the right-hand end!

http://www.kineo.com/demos/Ufi_Demo/launch.html

All too often we hear stories of disaffected young people who appear to lack the motivation to learn, seeing it as not reflecting real life or their needs.  The major strengths of Work Based Learning include it’s relevance to every day life and the opportunities it provides to young people to successfully take part in the world of work and reap all of the benefits that brings. The following article was supplied to me by the Military Preparation College and is an example of how relevant and contextualised learning can indeed change lives.

From teenage tearaway to regimented role-model, 15-year-old Emily Edwards from Newport is almost unrecognisable as the girl she was just over a year ago. Joining the Military Preparation College has certainly changed Emily’s life.  The combination of practical activities and contextualised, relevant classroom study provided the motivation for Emily to succeed and is now planning a career in the Royal Engineers as a carpenter.

A variety of Key Skills, including IT and working with others have provided Emily with a number of transferable skills that will help her in the world of work. 

Her most recent project involved creating and delivering a PowerPoint presentation to a live audience, including John Griffiths AM, requiring both accuracy and confidence.

A fellow RSC Colleague posted the following article on the Learning Technology Blog. It’s content and links may of use and interest to the WBL sector. To access the article in full and its associated links please click here.

At the RSC we are in the process of reviewing some of the publications we have about the technology related tools and resources that are out there for you to use to enhance your teaching and the learner’s learning. Rather than reinventing the wheel though I thought that in the short term, at least, it might be useful to point out 3 of the websites I have found that I think are particularly useful with regard to suggesting different ‘e-Learning’ tools and resources (lots free, some to be paid for).

Learning Tools Directory … from the Centre for Learning & Performance Technology
Paul’s e-Learning resources … from Paul Andrews, University of Newport
e-Learning authoring tools … from NIACE’s eGuides training programme
Over the coming months I hope to blog briefly about any of the many tools and resources on these web pages that appear to be really useful.

It is very easy to access images, documents and other intellectual property on the world wide web. In the majority of cases, the information has not been put there for others to use. So how can we protect ourselves if we wish to use the resources we find on the web within our own organisations or for personal use. Well the people from Creative Commons have come up with a solution. Creative Commons enable you to search for;

• material that you can use for commercial purposes
• material that you can modify, adapt or build upon

In addition, Creative Commons enable you to license your own work. With a Creative Commons licence, you keep your copyright but allow people to copy and distribute your work provided they give you credit and only on the conditions you specify. If you want to offer your work with no conditions, then you can select public domain.

The Creative Commons web site can be found at http://creativecommons.org

Many thanks to Leia Fee, Swansea ITeC for sharing this useful information

Organize your thoughts, tasks, inspirations, ambitions and so much more.If you’ve ever made a list, torn a page from a magazine or bookmarked a Web page “for future reference,” Ript is the tool for you. It puts the “fun” back in functionality, so you can get more done, in less time… with less stress.

Rip just about anything.

Part scrapbook, part “to-do” list (or to-buy list), Ript mimics the actions of ripping, piling and arranging scraps of information. If you can see it on your computer, you can “rip” it. Simply drag and drop images and text from the internet or your computer and arrange them however you please — making it easy to compile, print and share your handiwork.Ript can be downloaded from http://www.ript.com/, give it a try and see how it makes your life a little easier.

Thanks to Leia Fee, Swansea ITeC for sharing this useful resource. 

Thanks to the informative and entertaining Ewan McIntosh’s Edublog I spent a large part of yesterday “playing” with slideshows using a package called Animoto. With minimal effort from the user Animoto takes your photos, mixes them with music and some technical know how to produce a professional looking video.

In the words of the Animoto team “Animoto Productions is a bunch of techies and film/tv producers who decided to lock themselves in a room together and nerd out.

Their first release is Animoto, a web application that automatically generates professionally produced videos using their own patent-pending technology and high-end motion design.”

Once you produce your video you can chose whether to send it to a friend or post/embed it into a web site. The clip below was embedded into my YouTube account and onto the Mumbles Yacht Club web site.

“How can this help the work based learning sector?” I hear you cry. It’s true that standard photographs will satisfy evidence requirements. However, just think what this can do to increase the motivation and engagement of the learner – I know how much fun we have had with it in the office!!

[youtube]Aus36D-kZNU[/youtube]