Site Blocking and Web 2.0 in Schools

This great report explores the issues for teachers and learners around restricted access to emergin Web 2.0 technologies in Schools. SICTAS: Web 2.0 site blocking in schools. It's not just the students who are missing out, but the whole School community.

I've been a Twitt!

"What happened to my blog!" "If i tweet, do i blog as well?" "Is twitter the new blogger?"

These questions are echoing around the blogisphere from bloggers who now 'micro blog' with twitter so often, it leaves them wondering if they should 'blog blog' as in blog for real, anymore.

I personally have been on hiatus from my blog and the distance between my last and this post is evidence of my lack of blogging. Twitter IS to blame, (or should i blame the tweeter?), and so is the ability to search the worlds thoughts in real time. Neovet is designed to be a place of pure elearning joy, for those who are always looking for that next innovation that will make training better online.

Twitter therefore is both relevant as a tool to share my blog with others, and dare i say if you don't tweet between blog posts, your blog might as well be offline, and also as a learning tool.

The learning tool element of Twitter, is in the ability to articulate what your learning, share what you learning and as a great search engine. The real time posting element is unique and powerful, especially coupled with hand-held devices.

Twitter as a live group blogging tool at conferences and workshops is worth looking into, but maybe next time... right now i need to tweet my blog if you know what i mean.

Open Learning for YMIS

Most of the YMIS course content will become open and available in 2009-10 through a 'wiki' like web shell. Each section is built on joomla articles, and you can search content by set categories, search box and a tag cloud. Anybody can seek to contribute by clicking the Do you have a suggestion!, button in the top right corner of the site. The decision to do make content free and available for a 'fee for service' course might be seen by some as unprofitable. Well that's not the point.

Firstly, YMIS course material is both useful for our fee-paying students and the broader community and we believe in sharing the great resources we have with the world, especially if it helps those in youth work. Our 'qualifications' still cost money as does to a degree the mentoring and training support we provide, but there is as an advantage to all involved in an open learning approach to our courses.

Secondly, we are adding value to the YMIS brand, that's no secret, by doing this we are creating a global network/forum for discussion around faith based youth work. WE are also creating pathways to other training and resources apart from our own, so this is a very win-win situation for YMIS.

The URL for this open learning resource will be ymiscentral.com.

elearning will become just....learning

With all the hype around new learning technologies (and I bring the hype), we can forget that younger learners won't see this as "elearning", they'll just assume technology is part and parcel of learning. We can find new ways to connect learners to each other and to new knowledge and even get them to engage with concepts and acquire skills using technology.

Once technology is assumed in learning, what fundamental elements of teaching will remain?

Learning is Social,
Learning is 'built upon',
Learning is best applied,
Learning is constructed,
Learners are unique and teachers ARE learners.