Open Learning

Sugatra Mitra in this TEDTalk video discusses open learning and the premise that students can learn much more than we expect with little resources but much encouragement.

He certainly challenges our conceptions of learning and offers an engaging approach.

Webinar: Engaging Through Mobile Apps

I am trying my best to get my head around all the new media that exists today and today and today. Most of the time, I feel like I am sinking in techno quicksand, with only strands of confusing html code to save me.  And I work in media.  There is always more with media. So when I sat down yesterday to attend the webinar, Adobe Digital Publishing for Education, I was ready to feel behind the times.  You want me to make an app? Within ten minutes, I learned that it was possible to create an app and upload it to the Apple App Store for distribution, all without knowing a speck of coding.

How can we make use of this?  The University of Notre Dame was on hand to share how they created their Game Day app and had 11,500 new users within 17 days of launching.  Granted, the Notre Dame athletics department probably has some fairly deep pockets when it comes to design and marketing, but they did not hire any new media savvy employees to develop their app.  Instead, new and existing marketing materials were moved from InDesign directly into Digital Publishing App Builder, and Game Day emerged. For those not familiar with InDesign, imagine being able to turn any of your pdfs into interactive and dynamic media pieces, accessible from a tablet.

Some things to consider:

• Approximately 25% of students are using tablets and we can imagine the number that are using mobile devices.
• Within those 17 days of launching their app, Game Day had been opened 74,000 times and had over a million content views.  It’s like knowing how many people are buying your textbook, and how many times they are actually opening it and reading different pages.
• The Apple App Store store tracks analytics for you.

Media is engaging and it is so much easier to pull out your phone on the c-train, than a pile of notes or a textbook.  When I opened my email this morning, I saw that the department was getting new ipads for our use.  What a perfect time to work together and discover how we can use these devices to develop dynamic content and engage our learners and each other. While it is impossible to keep up with every new media and technology piece out there, we can use our existing knowledge in creative ways, share with each other, and add on as we go.

I want to find out more about the Adobe Education Webinar Series and upcoming events.

Jenny Tzanakos

Writing Collection

What do your learners write? What do they want to write?

The WriteForward project is looking closely at these questions and we are asking for your help. In late February we will be creating a Writing Collection that will house examples of what learners are already writing and what they want to be able to write - anything from a grocery list, to job applications, to class assignments. We will use these samples to guide the development of our writing assessment framework and as inspiration to create test items.

Want to get involved?

We want to get as wide a variety of samples as possible. If you would like your Writing or English learners to participate, here is all it takes:

1. Set aside 15 minutes in one class on February 25th or 26th for Maureen to come in and explain to your learners what the collection is and why we are collecting writing samples. She will also explain how anyone who submits something can have his or her name entered in a draw to win a prize.
2. Remind your learners to bring in their samples and keep the collection box in your classroom until the end of the collection.
3. Set aside 10 minutes in class on March 1st for Maureen to return and collect the samples and the names of the learners who participated and want to be in the draw.

Interested?

Contact Maureen Stewart at mstewart@bowvalleycollege.ca. Any BVC learners are welcome and encouraged to participate.

For more information about the WriteForward project, please see our website: writeforward.ca.

Gardening and Cooking

Richer the better.

How does your garden grow? How well does your cake rise? These are important questions that we ask ourselves working here at the college daily, either explicitly or implicitly.  Really, we are grappling with one central choice: am I the gardener or the cook?

As a gardener, you need to find the soil rich with nutrients.  You need to provide access to fresh and clean water.  You need to be sure there is plenty of sun. Plants struggle in the shade and perish in the dark.  You must pull out the weeds.  You must how rows to hold and protect the seeds.  You will need to add fertilizer. You must pull out the occasional burlap sac when the frost arrives.  You must sharpen your tools.  Clean the dirt off the shovel.  Wear gloves.  You must then harvest your garden crop and share with others.

Not easy being green.

As the cook, you need to measure carefully.  Find the correct ingredients. You need to mix thoroughly.  You must make sure the correct temperature is met and maintained.  You must stir on occasion, especially to make some things happen.  Be sure to add frosting or gravy as applicable: the sweet things. Apply generous helpings of chocolate, but do not forget the green vegetables.  Serve chilled or warm as appropriate with all your friends.

From the garden to the dinner table, a lot of work needs to be done continually.  You must pick a role.  You must play both at times.  You need to ask, "Where do I use my skills?  How do I keep myself well fed? What makes me happy?" But most importantly, you will need to do it with friends, however fabulous.

Celia Herodek and Carey Hilgartner