Category Archives: 100 ways

100 ways, vle

100 ways to use a VLE – #82 Collating links

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I was once a Business Studies and Economics lecturer and I taught the subject for many years. I use to at that time use a range of learning technologies, which at the time was quite innovative, but today would be considered old hat or even backwards.

One thing though that I did use quite early on was the web and got my learners to use it to find useful news stories and share them in class. I would then collate those links and share them on our “learning platform” which at the time was simply a website I had created…

Now today there are a wealth of social bookmarking sites out there such as Delicious, Diigo which make this really easy. Students can save their website links, tag them and using a shared tag these can be easily seen by others on the course.

However these services are a somewhat dependent on learners creating accounts for these services and not all learners will want to and can you really force learner to create an account on a social bookmarking site just for the course? Unless they use it on a regular basis, they are probably unlikely to use it anyhow, or even remember to use it. That’s a reason why using a single account with a group of learners may not work either…

However if you are using the VLE, then all your learners will have an account for that and the VLE can be used as a place for learners to not only post their links, but also why they think the link is useful and how it helped them.

There is nothing to stop the practitioner taking the links and adding them to a social bookmarking service such as Delicious.

100 ways, vle

100 ways to use a VLE – #81 Embedding a social bookmarking tag cloud

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I was once a Business Studies and Economics lecturer and I taught the subject for many years. I use to at that time use a range of learning technologies, which at the time was quite innovative, but today would be considered old hat or even backwards.

One thing though that I did use quite early on was the web and got my learners to use it to find useful news stories and share them in class. I would then collate those links and share them on our “learning platform” which at the time was simply a website I had created…

Now today there are a wealth of social bookmarking sites out there such as Delicious, Diigo which make this really easy. Students can save their website links, tag them and using a shared tag these can be easily seen by others on the course.

You can also create a tag cloud from these links and embed them into the VLE. This then allows learners to access all those links based on the tags, simply by clicking the tag.

This cloud is a live cloud, so will update automatically as new bookmarks are added, or additional tags added to existing bookmarks.

This also adds a visual hook to learners on the keywords for their course and their studies.

Practitioners can of course create their own bookmarks and tag them accordingly for their learners.

Practitioners across a curriculum area can also bookmark useful websites, tag them and share them.

Practitioners from different institutions could also share their bookmarks and embed the tag cloud in their own respective institutional VLEs.

Tag clouds are a different yet simple way of sharing a series of bookmarks. However they are dependent on users tagging their bookmarks with relevant tags.

100 ways

100 ways to use a VLE – #69 Access to a Webcam Stream

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Though many may consider a webcam video stream somewhat antiquated, they are still well used for many different purposes. There are many different webcan streams out there that can be used for learning or to enhance a topic of some kind.

Though an easy option is to just add a link to a webcam via the VLE, some streams allow you to embed the video (or image) and this can then be embedded into the VLE.

Running your own webcam and embedding the feed into the VLE is another option. Certainly useful for scientific experiments or for animal care courses.

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100 ways to use a VLE – #73 Hosting audio

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Though there are audio sites out there on the web that will host audio. Sometimes you may not want the recording to be public out on the web. In that case hosting audio on the VLE may be an ideal solution.

If the audio is of a lecture on a tricky subject, or contains licensed content that you can place on the VLE, but are not allowed to freely distribute then placing the audio on the VLE may be a better option than uploading to a public site such as Audioboo. Sensitive recordings of research subjects, or patients, are more reasons why you may host the audio on the VLE.

The final key reason you may want to place the audio on the VLE is that the recordings are of or by learners and they may not wish to have their work or their views available publicly. Of course there are sites out there that can be password protected, but at least the VLE does most of that hard work for you.

Audio can be useful to enhance and enrich learning, one lecturer I know records short summaries of the lessons and the assignments. Some learners find this more engaging than reading them on paper or on the screen.

Recording debates and discussions, allows learners to reflect and review them at a time and place to suit the learner, rather than just relying on notes and memory.

By placing the audio on the VLE, you can place it in the context of learning, enabling learners to clarify how the recording works in respect of the rest of the course or topic.

For ease of access, by placing the audio on the VLE, the learners will be able to click and download the audio file to place it on say a mobile device.

Though the server may not be configured to deliver or stream video, it is often much easier (and places less technical demands on the server) for the server to stream audio. From a learner perspective, audio requires less bandwidth than video, so can often be easily accessed on poor internet connections such as mobile internet.

Teaching has had an oral tradition that goes back for thousands of years. With a virtual learning environment, using audio recordings can allow learners a choice on how they access content, instructions and advice.

100 ways, vle

100 ways to use a VLE – #21 Providing access to resources

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In a traditional learning session learners will often be provided with resources. These will often consist of a presentation (OHPs or Powerpoint), a handout or three (some will be photocopies from books, printed Word documents and “handwritten”) and possibly some references to additional resources. Now these classroom resources are in many ways for learners the “minimum” they need to complete and pass the course. If a learner is to achieve a higher grade, and help them prepare for HE, then they will need to do more than just the “minimum”. They will need access to extra resources and guidance on what these are. In the past (or the present) we would probably give learners a reading list of text books and journal articles we would want them to read. The learner’s only way to access these resources would probably be through the library.

The VLE is a prime place to provide access to resources, enabling the learner to use the resources at a time and place to suit them. With the growing increase in the use of e-journals, e-books, digital and online resources it is much easier for practitioners to create a digital reading list. Yes such a list could be e-mailed, but by holding a “copy” on the VLE, it can be easily updated, new resources can be added, and learners can be assured that the version they are reading is the most recent version.

As a VLE can track usage of resources, then this would enable the practitioner to see who and what is been used, and then use this information in class to direct learners who may be struggling or need more of a challenge.

The list can be a simple list, but with many resources been multi-media it would be possible to create a reading list that is also a listening list and a watching list. It would also be possible to add additional learner development resources that show learners how to make best use of such lists, how to read and takes notes from resources and how to reference resources in their assessed work. It makes sense that those kinds  of supportive resources are created by the library or other information professional and shared across the institution.

If a learner wants to get the best grade possible, either in exams or assessed work, they need to use a much wider range of resources than what is made available in the classroom, the VLE is an ideal location for those resources.

100 ways, vle

100 ways to use a VLE – #58 Uploading a Word Document

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Now before you read this blog post go and read this one. Update: Alas the blog post has been deleted…

Uploaded documents consistently create more workload. So why is it that staff are encouraged to waste their time by uploading documents and then, at a later point, are expected to invest even more time into re-learning processes for doing roughly the same thing only more efficiently? Promoting the uploading of documents as a basic skill really drives me nuts! There, I’ve said it. And I am not going to apologise for doing so. Technology should save people time and not create even more work. And it is far harder to unlearn bad habits than it is to learn good habits in the first place!

Also check out the comments.

There is a very valid argument against uploading Word documents to the VLE. It does make much more sense if you need to add text to a course that you add it direct to the VLE. This makes sense from the learner’s perspective, they don’t need to have Word, they don’t need to download and open the file. If a Word document contains links this can cause issues to the learner.

From a practitioner’s perspective it also makes sense, much easier to update text that’s already on the VLE, then find the original Word document, or download another copy from the VLE, upload and then ensure that the links back on the VLE now work okay.

So to summarise it actually makes much more sense to enter text direct onto the VLE than upload a Word document. It’s better for learners and better for practitioners.

However…

What is logical and rational isn’t necessarily always the best way forward for some practitioners, or benefits the learners.

I agree we should use text where text can be entered, however very few practitioners come to the VLE with a blank canvas of resources, they would have already made an investment (hopefully) in using the computer to use Word to create documents for assignments, handouts and briefings. In an ideal world it would be great that these were added to the VLE as text, however in an unideal world if uploaded to the VLE quickly and easily, for the practitioner they can see that their resources are now available to the learners, whilst for the learners they can now access those resources at a time and place to suit them. They will see the benefits of using the VLE, hopefully they will. Of course if does make sense to avoid this step if possible, but it’s not always possible. At this point, the training on in the future just using text and not Word documents should take place, hopefully avoiding some of the problems noted in the linked blog post.

However…

Sometimes using a Word document actually can make much more sense then using plain text.

Really?

Yes!

Sometimes there are features in Word (such as hotspots) that require the use of Word to use them effectively. Uploading an image or text to the VLE wouldn’t work, and not all practitioners have the skills to necessarily repurpose an interactive Word document using a tool such as Flash.

Sometimes you want learners to manipulate a Word document and again it makes sense to start from the Word document rather than a copy and paste. Learners working together on a collaborative document for example may prefer using Word, even over such tools as Google Docs or a wiki which make more technical sense. Using technology is not always about making the right technical choice, sometimes an emotional choice or preference can work for some learners.

At the end of the day it makes much more sense for practitioners to use plain text on the VLE rather than a Word document. It is more accessible, it is easier (in some respects), it is much much easier to update later or next year and of course remember not everyone has Word.

Photo source.

100 ways, vle

100 ways to use a VLE – #16 Student college handbook

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One of the things that Ofsted often look for when inspecting a college is a handbook for learners.

The idea behind the handbook is to provide students with all the information they are going to need for college and to provide help and guidance while at college.

In the past this may have (and may still well be) a physical handbook. Today much more likely to be an electronic Word document that may well be uploaded to the VLE. This will probably be referenced once by the learners and possibly ignored for the rest of their time in college, which is a pity.

By using something like the Book module on Moodle, it would be possible for the student to have much more accessible college handbook, one that has live links and could also use audio and video to enhance and enrich the information. Why have a written overview of the college, why not create an audio recording? Instead of pen pictures of where students go after college, why not video recordings of past students? Ensure all relevant staff have a video of who they are and what they do. Make it “live” with the use of RSS to embed news, podcasts and information. A live handbook that changes over the year.

Making it real and more relevant to the learners.

Handbooks often are “ignored” by learners, by making reference to the online version on the VLE, a college can ensure that the help and advice is referred to on a more regular basis. Using logs will ensure that more detailed analysis of use is possible. Also by placing additional content and information on the VLE it may result in an increase in the use of the VLE by learners for learning if they are using it to access information.

100 ways, vle

100 ways to use a VLE – #64 Text

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There are many snazzy ways in which to use a VLE, with video, interactivity, discussion, images, audio and diagrams. Within this wealth of colour and noise we mustn’t forget the impact and power of simple text.

No I am not talking about uploading a Word document either. Most VLEs have the facility to create simple pages with text on them. It is this I am referring to when thinking about using text on the VLE.

A quote.

A poem.

A news article.

The power of the word should never be underestimated and the impact it can have on learners and learning.

100 ways, vle

100 ways to use a VLE – #28 Classroom Study Task

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There are various ways to set a task for a lesson in a classroom. You can do it verbally, which means that most people will forget what they need to do by the time you have stopped talking! You can do it on the whiteboard, but this could mean wiping off valuable notes that others need. You could do it through Powerpoint (or similar) but this does mean that the amount of information you can display is limited. You could always give out a printed handout with the task on, this does mean using paper and restricts you to mostly black and white and if you have the budget colour; of course no media such as video or sound.

Using the VLE to “host” the task allows the learner to have access to the task itself as well as any resources (such as video, images, text or audio) needed to complete the activity.

You can also use the VLE itself to be used to submit the responses or answers to the activity. You could use the assignment module or even a discussion forum.

It wouldn’t be necessary for some activities for all learners to have access to a computer, one laptop per group for example. Though if it is an individual task then one computer per learner may make sense. The task could also be completed by remote learners or those on placement or in the workplace.

Learners can then always at a later date refer back to the task if they need to, for example to help them complete an assignment or for revision purposes.

Of course also by placing the task on the VLE it makes it much easier to use the same task the following year or making a copy for another group.