03 December 2007

EnRoLE directory

The community directory is also taking shape at I write this post. To search for our community member, goto www.cedir.uow.edu.au/enrole/ and do a search. At the moment, the search result includes members official contact details and role play case studies that we have.

We shall be sending requests for updating member information in the next few days.

EnRoLE network members at ASCILITE Singapore 2007

Congratulations and thanks to EnRoLE network members representing the online role play community at  ASCILITE Singapore 2007


Workshop: Online role play: What it means for learners, developers and educators Ann Davenport and Judi Baron The University of Adelaide


Papers presented in Online Role Play Symposium :



Davenport, A. & Baron, J. Meeting the 21st century challenge: The situational learning initiative at U Adelaide

Lambert, S. & Macdonald, D. Reuse of a role play for new university teachers

Devonshire, E. Peer review: A process of EnRoLE(ing) as a reuser

Roberts, A.G. Beyond a participation focus

Leigh, E., Meyers, W. & Rosser, E. Learning design discussions: A conversation tool

Cross-posted to Random Walk in Learning

29 August 2007

EduBlog Game One - FINAL RESULT

THANK YOU everyone for playing EnRoLE's ever first blog game. I hope everyone agree that it was a great experience. The game was played in 4 rounds. In the first round we have asked players to write an additional 100 words in response to the three incomplete sentences. Based on the sentences completed, three teams were also formed. In the next two rounds, each member of each team was asked to work on a different sentence from the first round and progressively reduce the number of words to 50 and then to LESS THAN 26. In the first round, there is a total of 55 entries. In the second round we had 39. In the third round, we still had 30 entries. Everyone has been great, supportive. You are all winners!

The three incomplete sentences were:
My best times as an online learner have been when...
Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . .
The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . .


From this exercises, there are many gems which worth discussing and reflecting in more details. One of you even set up a blog (http://asonlinelearners.blogspot.com/ ) to capture entries for "My best times as an online learner have been when...".

In the last round, I asked you to vote on the sentences you have input in the first two rounds. The result are in. However, since this is a popularity vote, everyone are entitled to their own opinion. The votes have been spread across many posts, almost everyone has someone considered worthy of his/her vote. So the winners are determined by a very small margin. You may, or may not agree. Since this is a game, we have to be bound by the game rule.

The winner for My best times as an online learner have been when... is
Blue 8: (5 votes)

... I have been absorbing, asking, blending, cruising, connecting, considering, constructing, conversing, discussing, experiencing, fantasising, interacting, networking, participating, posting, reading, reflecting, thinking and sharing.


Specially noted:
Blue 9: (3 votes)

. . . I felt comfortable and personally connected with others. It gave me a flexibility to learn, access information and reflect in my own time.


The winner for Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . . is
Green 6: (7 votes)

learners are actively participating, collaborating and contributing to their learning because they feel safe, respected, supported and encouraged to do so by peers, topic and teacher


Specially noted:
Green 8: (6 votes)

The learner feels motivated, respected, comfortable, supported, safe, challenging and encouraged under the learning environment in which goals and objectives are quite clear and attainable.

Green 2: (4 votes)

Students are motivated, respected, challenged, yet feel safe to make mistakes. Activities are engaging, relevant, and facilitated by someone well organized who models effective learning.


The winner for The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . . is
Red 3: (5 votes)

...challenging learners to "step outside the square", extend themselves and strive for enlightenment. Risk can cause discomfort but is essential in the process of change.


Specially noted:
Red 8: (3 votes)

The role of risk in developing innovative education is motivation and the creation of new opportunities to stimulate learning and personal growth. However risk must be balanced with opportunity to avoid disengaging the learner.


Thiagi (http://www.thiagi.com) has said that we play a game for the sake of debriefing. So, I would like to invite you to post comment(s) to this post as debriefing AND come back often to share with the other players. Here are a few pointers which may help you to think through this experience and get the most out of it.
1. How well have you done as a player of this game? What have you learnt about the three issues of online learning/teacher, ie as a learner, as a teacher and as a subject co-ordinator?
2. Looking back at all the wonderful posts by your fellow players, who has inspired you most? why?
3. As an online guide to your own students, can you use this game for your course? How would you modify this game to meet your own course?
4. Can you suggest reasons why we play the game in three rounds, progressively reduce the number of words of each round? What are the pedagogical considerations in this design?
5. Has the blog technology provided a good platform for this game? Any improvement? Possibility of using other platform?

Thank you again for playing. I look forward to reading your comments to this post.

25 August 2007

EduBlog Game One - Round 4 Instruction

This is the final round of EnRoLE's first blog game. In the first round we have asked you to write an additional 100 words in response to the three incomplete sentences. Three teams were also formed. In the second round, each member of each team was asked to work on a different sentence from the first round. In that round, the number of words have been reduced to 50. In the 3rd round, the exercise was repeated again reducing the number of words to less than 25.

A big Thank you to everyone for your tremendous successful inspirational stimulating effort. We now have a colourful collections of ideas on three different aspects of the same issue - improving learning. Let me repeat them again:

We all spend many years as students. As yet, your learning may or may not have included any online learning experiences. If you have had such experiences this is great. Describe in EXACTLY 100 words your most memorable, exciting, stimulating, interesting, etc. online learning experience. If you have no prior experiences, think of your most innovative learning experience and use that to shape your reply. Use your imagination to invent ideas about an online learning experience as a student and complete the following sentence in EXACTLY 100 words.
My best times as an online learner have been when...

As educators we have accumulated great insight and vast implicit knowledge of how and when learning is at its best. This game will help us to reach a common point of agreement about one or more aspects about all that insight and knowledge. The task invites you to adopt a role as an experienced learning designer. This may not be you now, so use your imagination. Complete the following sentence in EXACTLY 100 words. (You can end this sentence and add more to arrive at your 100 words).
Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . .

Risk brings with it opportunity. And we take risks because of the opportunities beyond the risk. For example, 33 years ago, I risked the majority of ALL my future income to marry my wife. Today I still feel it was a good decision. Innovation is a risky business that also provides great opportunities. This game seeks to understand the kind and nature of risks in innovation. Thinking of yourself as a teacher trying to innovate a new online learning approach, complete the following sentence in EXACTLY 100 words.
The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . .

After two weeks of hard work, everyone is eager to know who has won the first blog game hosted by EnRoLE. Before I can announce the winner, I need your help one more time. Please vote for the winners. Remember I have asked you to work your entry to "PLEASE AS MANY PEOPLE" as possible. Well, it is because your chance of winning depends on that.

Here is the rule of the voting:

The entries for the 3rd round is listed below in our three primary colours. You cast ONE vote each to the entries which is NOT your team colour. In other words, you are not going to vote for your team's own entries.

Send your vote to me, by email (albert dot ip dot w dot c at gmail dot com) by midnight Eastern Australian Standard time TUESDAY 28th August. In your email, please use "eduBlog game voting" as the subject, state the colour of the team and the number which gets your vote. That means each email I get should have two votes for two different teams. I will tally the vote and announce the winners here before NOON Wednesday, 29th August.

The entries are:

Red team, to be voted by the members of BLUE and GREEN teams only. The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . .

Red 1:

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to step ‘outside the square’ and to promote solutions which add to learner’s curiosity and flexibility.

Red 2:

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to provoke learners’ thinking in different ways by learning ‘outside the square’.

Red 3:

...challenging learners to "step outside the square", extend themselves and strive for enlightenment. Risk can cause discomfort but is essential in the process of change.

Red 4:

Motivation, taking risks, provoking different ways of thinking and providing opportunities for personal growth in a stimulating and interesting environment.

Red 5:

The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . .to motivate, extend others beyond themselves & personal growth, to reach conclusions otherwise concealed, painful for the teacher, invigorates and kills boredom of education !

Red 6:

…allows facilitators to ‘step outside the square’ and open their minds to the possibility of more innovative and effective learning.

Red 7:

Being different to become more flexible, innovative, motivate, and be able to promote learning and better learning environment for the learners and facilitators as well

Red 8:

The role of risk in developing innovative education is motivation and the creation of new opportunities to stimulate learning and personal growth. However risk must be balanced with opportunity to avoid disengaging the learner.

Red 9:

.....to enhance motivation, thinking “outside the square”, moving beyond the comfort zone, but needs to balance opportunity with risk; beware of “egg on your face”



Blue team, to be voted by the members of RED and GREEN teams only. My best times as an online learner have been when . . .

Blue 1:

…when reading such excellent material as that posted by Carol Russell, KLai, newtownbob, kaly, MargaretS, Stuart, oliviapaulik, Rochelle, felicityelias, Ping and the entire Red Team.

Blue 2:

I’m so glad to be in Red team with every member, because we have the same interest on the opening sentence with “My best time…”.

Blue 3:

I agree with Mat and Kaly, it just too difficult to decide so I created a blog with all your comments. Please see http://asonlinelearners.blogspot.com/

Blue 4:

on-line learning complements other modes of learning, not replaces them. It's great for flexibility in time, pace and style, that is, it's best when it can be individualised

Blue 5:

… I am comfortable sharing ideas with a sense of communal interaction. Learning while cruising but immersed in face-to-face interaction with time to reflect.

Blue 6:

…I immerse myself in discussion boards with reflective communal interaction and participation, especially when it compliments face to face learning; I find these environments challenging.

Blue 7:

On-line learning provides challenges when used to enhance other modes of teaching by providing an unlimited pool of resources with interaction at your own pace.

Blue 8:

... I have been absorbing, asking, blending, cruising, connecting, considering, constructing, conversing, discussing, experiencing, fantasising, interacting, networking, participating, posting, reading, reflecting, thinking and sharing.


Blue 9:

. . . I felt comfortable and personally connected with others. It gave me a flexibility to learn, access information and reflect in my own time.

Blue 10:

My best times as an online learner have been when the online platform included me in an international community of learners and offered a variety of learning pathways and outcomes relevant to my offline life.

Blue 11:

My best time as an online learner have been when online learning was used as a supplement to face to face learning, and I was able to get feedback and support from different sources.

Blue 12:

Online learning encompasses blended learning techniques. As Educator I prefer to teach a "face". Learning is not a system, it's about cognitive, psychomotor and behaviour.




Green team, to be voted by the members of BLUE and RED teams only. Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . .


Green 1:

the participants have sought out the learning, the learning outcomes are clear, the learning interaction effectively represents the needs of the subject and is challenging.

Green 2:

Students are motivated, respected, challenged, yet feel safe to make mistakes. Activities are engaging, relevant, and facilitated by someone well organized who models effective learning.

Green 3:

When the learner feels motivated, supported, safe, and diverse and uses innovative ways of constructively aligning objectives with assessment process and everybody learns together

Green 4:

When the learner feels motivated, supported, safe, and diverse and uses innovative ways of constructively aligning objectives with assessment process and everybody learns together

Green 5:

When the learner is motivated by meaningful context, the teacher is organised and prepared. Activities are engaging and have relevance. Feedback is prompt and constructive.

Green 6:

learners are actively participating, collaborating and contributing to their learning because they feel safe, respected, supported and encouraged to do so by peers, topic and teacher

Green 7:

…principles of active learning are utilised effectively to engage, immerse, motivate, and challenge targeted learners. Considerations for differing learning needs and constructive feedback are evident.

Green 8:

The learner feels motivated, respected, comfortable, supported, safe, challenging and encouraged under the learning environment in which goals and objectives are quite clear and attainable.

Green 9:

the student is challenged by a task relevant to the instructional objective, ensuring the student is motivated to complete the task and accordingly absorb the lesson.

21 August 2007

EduBlog Game One - Round 3 Instruction

This is round 3 of 4 rounds of EnRoLE's first blog game. In the first round we have asked you to write an additional 100 words in response to the three incomplete sentences. Three teams were also formed by the self-selecting process, by which you each chose your sentence in the first round. In the second round, each member of each team was asked to work on a different sentence from the first round. In that round, the number of words have been reduced to 50. I also asked you to complete the sentence in a way to please as many people as possible.

Now that you have practiced pleasing people while reducing the number of words, this winning round will put that new skill to its highest form. You are now asked to complete yet a different incomplete sentence in LESS than 26 words while pleasing as many people as possible. Note that this is a winning round. Your entry in this round will determine whether you can win this game. You will be disqualified if the number of words is MORE than 25. The part of the sentence we provide does not count towards the 25 words.

Enter your entry in LESS than 26 words, as a comment to the post below, by Midnight Eastern Australian Standard time, Friday 24th August, 2007.

EduBlog Game One - Round 3

The BLUE Team task.

NB you are in the BLUE team if you contributed to "Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . ." in the first round.

The red team has put in 17 entries in the first round to the incomplete sentence "My best times as an online learner have been when . . ." In the second round, the green team has reduced the words to 50 and these are included below for your ease of reading. In LESS than 26 words summarize, plagiarize, steal, modify, invent, add and/or analysis their sentences to create your completion of the sentence. Your goals is to create a sentence to please as many people as possible, including the red and green team members. (Hint: Using someone's idea is the highest form in the art of pleasing someone). Place your entry as a comment to this post.

Carol Russell said...

My best times as an online learner have been when, reading and posting on-screen, I felt comfortable, personally connected with others, getting feedback and support from around the world. Online learning can be flexible in time, pace and styles of learning. Teachers/facilitators can learn how to create this for students.

K Lai said...

My best times as an online learner have been when ... there was a blended approach. As a teacher, I learnt tremendous amounts about teaching methods from online teaching. My students appreciated how they could have pre-meeting materials and discussions, participate in interactive and realistic scenarios, and put up ideas for detailed comment by others, when and where it suited them.

newtownbob said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I could suddenly find myself doing really cool stuff I never previously imagined possible...like being a fantasy dude on 2nd Life. I can learn while cruising or learn in my own time. And reading many references is a snap.

kaly said...

Classmates made great efforts to Round 1, not only finishing the task but also giving their own experiences, for example, privacy consideration, being easy to question and discuss on discussion board, pre-work for conferences or training, running an e-tivity, sharing ideas, flexibility and efficiency, and a supplement to face-to-face mode.

MargaretS said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I immersed myself in elearning environments and Discussion Boards. Exposure to the broader range of perspectives and feedback on issues, while having time to access online resources, filter information, and reflect, created greater opportunities for deeper learning to occur.

Stuart said...

My best times as an online learner have been when online learning is used to supplement face to face interaction. As a supporting network it is great to use discussion forums and online sites to download information as well as conversing with others to enhance the face to face experience.

oliviapaulik said...

My best times as an online learner have been when the activities were relevant to my learning needs. Online learning can create a dynamic environment that is challenging, flexible, and highly interactive. Online learning can be used to enhance other modes of teaching, providing a more interesting and richer experience.

Rochelle said...

My best times as an on-line learner have been when there was the potential to gain knowledge from an unlimited pool of resources and where on-line learning enhanced face-to-face learning rather than replacing it entirely. On-line learning has provided learners, the flexibility to fit learning in with their busy lifestyle.

felicityelias said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I have been given a sense of communal interaction and participation. The blended learning environment allows for an intersection of techniques and information, with the instantaneous feedback of peers and instructors being a rare advantage for the absorbing mind.

Ping said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I am getting involved in the UTSOnline discussion study mode, which offered me a new platform of interacting with classmates and tutors. Its flexibility and effectiveness enables me to express my idea to others the moment I think of it.

EduBlog Game One - Round 3

The RED Team task -

NB – you are in the RED team if you completed the sentence "My best times as an online learner have been when . . ." in the first round.

The green team contributed 18 entries in the first round to the incomplete sentence "The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . ." In the second round, the blue team has reduced the words to 50 and these are included below for your ease of reading. In LESS than 26 words, summarize, plagiarize, steal, modify, invent, add and/or analysis their sentences to create your completion of the sentence. Your goal is to create a version to please as many people as possible, including the green and blue team members. (Hint: Using someone else's ideas is the highest form in the art of pleasing someone). Place your entry as a comment to this post.

Tony.Dunford said...

an essential one. The task of placing individuals in genuine learning opportunities must be the primary design goal. As noted numerous times by other classmates, it is the inherent discomfort that causes adults, particularly those who are competent; to extend themselves and reach conclusions that would have otherwise remained concealed.

Mat Hardy said...

…To provide a hook for gaining greater insight and inspiration. Risk is necessary for reward and opportunity. It builds a tolerance for innovation and an antidote to complacency and hidebound tradition. But take care, risk is not for everyone and can cause discomfort for students or pain for the teacher!

gilbert said...

Taking risks is essential for change and learning. History tells us that some innovations in the field of science had been banned and considered heresy. Similarly, some teaching pedagogies were frowned at before by supervisors and educational experts, and now it had been widely promoted in optimizing the student learning.

Gail said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to step outside the square and provide incentives to step beyond what is known. Opportunities for personal growth while harnessing the fear or anxiety that risk may incur would be an added bonus of the learning experience. ‘Nothing ventured nothing gained’.

Cheryl said...

Innovative education steps outside the 'norms', so risks some potential negative outcomes, but also some positive enlightening changes in attitudes and perspectives. Innovation is often necessary to stimulate passion in novices and also reinvigorate those 'set in their way'. Thus the risk is worthwhile, as 'nothing ventured is nothing gained'.

Esben said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is MOTIVATION. When we risk ourselves we arouse our body, engage our emotions, challenge our cognitive problemsolving. We step out of our comfortzone and allow ourselves to feel the freedom of not knowing, i.e. to take the position of the existential learner.

Lesley said...

Taking risk may make us excited, but it also moves us out of our comfort zone. Not all learners respond the way we would like them to in this situation. So don’t risk 'egg on face' for the sake of making your lessons seem more exciting than they really are.

Scotty said...

to create curiosity and flexibility, when learners can predict and accurately anticipate what they are about to learn they quickly become bored, risk can be a healthy intervention for the learner. It changes the student’s relationship with the facilitator; they become multi-dimensional impacting on the students learning in more ways.

alisontamplin said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to promote learning ‘outside the square’. Engaging adults to learn today is an immense challenge. To keep in touch as educators we need to consider innovation and new ways of making positive engagement. As the saying goes, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’

Jacqui Fogarty said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to provoke different ways of thinking. Risk inherently implies a chance of failure however this should not be a hinder to innovation. All education at some point was considered innovative. Balancing opportunity and risk will support innovation when (un)anticipated risks are encountered.

Mike Barnes said...

Outside the box, Pandora’s Box or maybe a jack-in-a-box? We may trip out of the box and end up with a red nose? Visualize colourful advertisements that you retell with vivid recall –do you remember the product? Innovation is bright and colourful but risk is always a shade of grey.

Dee Copeland said...

Opportunity attracts hope – risk evokes threat and fear, yet little of value comes without risk. Knowing how to balance risk and opportunity creates space to innovate and develop new ways of teaching. It encompasses new learning opportunities for both students and teacher alike, and provides a rich framework for development.

Gloria said...

… is a two-bladed sword. Undoubtedly, risk provokes motivation and hope. Therefore, educators may kill norms and boredom of conventional teaching. As a result, learners feel stimulated and interested. However, risk may cause pain to risk takers, telling them when to stop unrealistic experiments and stick to traditional yet practical approaches.

Michelle said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is dependant on whether innovation is approached as a project or as a process. If problems are approached through a process of innovation, a culture of innovation will address educational problems and also drive educational innovators towards dealing with future potential problems.

EduBlog Game One - Round 3

The GREEN Team task

NB you are in the green team if you contributed to "The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . ." in the first round.

The blue team contributed 20 entries in the first round to the incomplete sentence "Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . ." In the second round, the red team has reduced the words to 50 and these are included below for your ease of reading. In LESS than 26 words, summarize, plagiarize, steal, modify, invent, add and/or analysis their sentences to create your completion of the sentence. Your goal is to create a version to please as many people as possible, including the blue and red team members. (Hint: Using someone else's ideas is the highest form in the art of pleasing someone). Place your entry as a comment to this post.

Mojgan said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when an educator is punctual, organised, know the content, recognises learners past experiences, encourages dialects, give feedback, share resources and last but not least applies various learning styles to meet each and every participant’s needs. Students also need to be motivated and willing to participate.

Angie said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the material is relevant to the learner, and engaging, challenging and motivating. The learning environment must be comfortable and safe for the learner. Outcomes need to be clear and the facilitator needs to model appropriate learning behaviours. Instruction should be innovative and feedback constructive.

onn said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the learner have achievable objective and strong motivation. Furthermore, learning contexts are also concerned regarding relevant and appropriate to learners. The knowledge is built on learners’ experience and interest. This assists learners to improve their cognitive, physical skills and adapt them into their life.

yblount said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when participants are treated in an adult manner (as everyone has different personal experiences, education and knowledge to bring to the learning environment). Learning has to be relevant (recognisable, emotionally engaging and usable to the learner). The learning environment should provide room for mistakes.

Michelle said...

…the learner feels motivated, comfortable, supported and safe in the learning environment.
The learner’s background knowledge and personal experience needs consideration when setting achievable goals in program development. Informal and formal assessment provides effective measurement of the benefits of the learning experience and drives the program in a forward direction.

Naomi said...

Learning conditions are optimised where a positive shared ethos and respect for people is a high priority of all parties involved, the content engages their "heart, hand and mind", by utilising a range of innovative approaches and collaborative learning and students portray a high degree of self motivation to learn.

hwozniak said...

The conditions for learning are optimized when there is alignment between learning outcomes learning activities and assessment, learning is authentic, the learning environment is safe and supportive, the learner and teacher learn together and from each other, learning is scaffolded, collaboration encouraged, time for reflection, and development of a learning community.

John said...

The role of the educator is emphasised in each submission, in that they need to be punctual, organised and recognise learners past experiences. Educator should also attempt to encourage the learner to develop an understanding of their own needs and make clear the outcomes expected and model appropiate learning behaviours.

Ali said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the learner feels motivated, comfortable, supported and safe within the given environment. Educators can help create this environment by being organised, know the content well, recognising learner’s past experiences, providing feedback, helping them to add to their knowledge base and providing feedback where needed.

Lutfia said...

Conditions for learning are optimized when using diverse and innovative ways of learning expression. Content must have constructively aligned with the objectives and the assessment process. Learner must be motivated to participate with individual goals set and to strive towards, which it will measure the benefits of the learning experience.

Charlie Brown said...

Important conditions for learning;

# Learning activities are relevant, engaging, encouraging, challenging, thought provoking, facilitate learning, appropriate speed, connected emotionally, positive, provide error room.
# Learners understand clear, attainable goals/objectives, & relevance.
# Active participation & collaboration.
# Learners respected.
# Comfortable environment.
# Previous experience & learning design needs recognition & used knowledge base.
# Motivation/passion & Feedback essential.

17 August 2007

EduBlog Game One - Round 2 Instruction

This is round 2 of 4 rounds of EnRoLE's first blog game. So far we have asked you to write an additional 100 words in response to the three incomplete sentences. Three teams were formed by the self-selecting process, by which you each chose your sentence. Now that these teams are formed, we are pleased to announce that –


The players who addressed "My best times as an online learner have been when . . ." have become the RED team.

The players who addressed "Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . ." have become the BLUE team.

The players who addressed "The role of risk in developing innovative education is . ." are the GREEN team.


With the primary colours in place, we are on track to create a colourful experience. Your new task is to complete your assigned sentence (see below) by summarising, plagiarizing, stealing, modifying, inventing, analysing all the information provided by those who completed the sentence you are now working on. Your posting must be exactly 50 words. Your goal is to create a statement to appeal to as many people as possible, including all those who have already expressed their opinions.


Enter your entry in exactly 50 words, as a comment to the post below, by Midnight Eastern Australian Standard time, Monday 20th August, 2007.

EduBlog Game One - Round 2

The GREEN Team task

NB you are in the green team if you contributed to "The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . ." in the first round.


The red team has put in 17 entries to the incomplete sentence "My best times as an online learner have been when . . ." and these are included below for your ease of reading. In EXACTLY 50 words summarize, plagiarize, steal, modify, invent, add and/or analysis their sentences to create your 50 word completion of the sentence. Your goals is to create a sentence to please as many people as possible, including the red team members. (Hint: Using someone's idea is the highest form in the art of pleasing someone). Place your entry as a comment to this post.

Nadia Neouchi said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I had to submit weekly homework for an undergraduate subject in architecture in the form of a blog. It was viewed by peers and tutors alike. I was very apprehensive at first because of privacy issues surrounding the exposure of my work to the public but then, to my surprise, I was bombarded with emails from people that I do and don’t know commenting on my work and providing feedback. I found myself in a learning situation where I was gaining knowledge from an unlimited pool of resources that would be impossible to experience in a traditional classroom setting.


Mojgan said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I studied at IT faculty of UTS from 1993 to 1998. I remember that the whole idea of Online learning was new and there was not that many e-learning courses available at UTS. But now you will notice that many of the UTS courses are available via distant mode which allows students to log in and ask questions, contribute to class discussions and submit their assignments online even if they are in middle of jungles of Thailand or cruising in Turkey with limited internet connectivity suing ship’s satellite system!


newtownbob said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I realised I had matured to the extent I could actually READ large amounts of unit relevant literature online instead of printing articles because I insisted to myself that I could only read lengthy documents on 20th century paper, not on a screen.
I love to be able to submit my assignments electronically because the flexibility of the timing suits my busy schedule. Online education suits my desire for independence, flexibility and contact with my teachers and my fellow classmates. Face to Face education never provides me with adequate conversation.


John said...

My best times as an online learner have been in the blended learning environment, where online learning has been the pre work for a conference or training event or has been inserted in a face to face event. Recently I attended a CLO conference in California, where the pre-work was all on line and highly interactive and the blended online events included a 2nd life project. The 2nd life project is an induction course to starting at the company I work for and has taken a very mundane set of courses and events and made them very interactive and enjoyable.


Ali said...

My best times as an online learner was when I was actually responsible for running an e-tivity for the Diploma of eLearning students at UTS. Although I was running the e-tivity, I learnt a lot about how to run such an actitivity and the level of detail that is involved. I learnt that as the administrator you have to give the students as much information as you can, you have to be available to support the students throughout the e-tivity or they become frustrated and disengaged and you need to make the activity as user friendly and straightforward as possible.


hwozniak said...

My best times as an online learner were when I was participating in a discussion about assessing online discussions held by CAB Web (Collaboration across borders). I had grappled with this since about 2000 whilst moderating undergraduate students online discussions about clinical cases and felt immense support when sharing ideas with people from all over the world. I also have found that as a facilitator of online discussions you learn just as much as those participating, it took a few years to work out that participants need guidance about how to get the most out of the online learning environment.

yblount said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I have been a teacher. I have learnt where students are having difficulties when they leave messages on the discussion board, often issues I have not considered. I learnt a great deal about how students use the online environment (or not). A surprising discovery has been that some students do not like using discussion forums or listening to iLecture. Adult learners need to have choices about the extent to which they engage in online learning. We need to be careful not to exclude those learners who find online participation difficult.


Angie said...

I have been immersed in the scenario and I felt compelled to be successful in achieving the outcome. I enjoy realistic visuals and contexts, not fantasy worlds that I cannot relate to. The best online game I engaged in did not give a solution to the situation offered but allowed me to reflect on my actions to the problem. However, the realism of the situation made me reflect more deeply after the game finished on whether I would have made the same decision in real life. Online learning should be stimulating, contemporary in context and relevant to the participant's world.


kaly said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I was studying advanced English in China. That was my first time to be an online learner, which was so different from my previous traditional studying which have been being with me for over 20 years. As an e-learner, I did not have to go to school at a fixed time instead of arranging my time freely and studying in any place I prefer, and discussed the tasks with other learners on the discussion board at any time without dealing with the proper meeting-time each other as face-to-face mode did.


Naomi said...

I have discovered from my own experience that online learning is both fast (efficient) and effective as it caters to the higher order learning needs of individuals. It offers some critical reflection, experiential learning and coupled with its vibrant interactiveness (is there such a term ?) can offer a blended learning approach. It aligns teaching methodologies with the changing learner styles of students. I am & have been involved with online learning both as a Masters student (UTS) and teacher (TAFE), hence there are many experiences which have combined into my synopsis of online learning.. here for you to read.

Stuperman said...

My best experience with online learning would be during my undergrad degree. The use of online material and pre-work made the experience very self-regulated, giving me the freedom to progress through the material at my own pace to fully understand it, without the pressures of a lecturer and 200 other students. This also meant I could do it whenever I liked. Discussion boards gave room for adequate debate with people I had never met but it lacked the personal touch to see who you’re arguing with. Online resources displayed practical aspects that I would not see otherwise. Three words short.


a.durie said...

Greetings All
My best time as an online learner would have to be this - being as I am somewhat new to the game (not of education but of the online aspects of education). I have used computers to prepare teaching materials and to deliver the materials in a face to face situation, but not to deliver materials online. The use of computers to supplement other modes of teaching and learning offer a challenge and an opportunity to make teaching a more interesting, and in some ways, more immediate experience. It will be interesting to see how the game proceeds

oliviapaulik said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I have used this mode to supplement and enhance face to face interaction with peers. Although I have had limited experience participating in online learning as a student, I have been involved in the development of a course which uses a combination of face to face teaching and online discussions. This experience helped me realise some of the benefits of online learning including flexibility, and ease of contribution to class discussions. However, I still believe that online learning is best utilised to enhance rather than replace face to face interactions.


jessicabooth said...

When I have been having fun! I really enjoyed an online safety program I completed once because safety is usually pretty boring, prescriptive and dry, but this one was fantastic because it was highly interactive, the graphics and sounds were great and it was like an online game that I had to complete. I was placed in real life scenarios and had to decide what actions to take next while it was assessing and scoring me along the way. I received constant feedback and was able to print out a completion certificate at the end. I thought it was excellent!


onn said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I understand the instruction and I can follow that without any problems. That doesn’t mean problems with question but mean the process of online studying because if I don’t understand the direction, how I can learn it productively. Being online student like using UTS online, the obstacles of operating also occur with misunderstanding, technology naïve, and jargon. For example, at first time that I used UTS online, I felt I was confused because it was very new system for me; therefore, I had to spend time to learn the process.


Lutfia said...

My best times as an online learner have been when I was on IT student. I support the value of closely observing the experience of those immediately involved, as part of an effort to place pedagogical considerations at the centre of innovative developments. Unlike traditional distance education, online education promotes interactivity and the convenience of being just a click away from the materials used in the course to optimize the learning within the infrastructure available. It opens up a wealth of opportunity to improve the depth and reach of learning offered by the new technologies when they are used appropriately.

EduBlog Game One - Round 2

The BLUE Team task.

NB you are in the BLUE team if you contributed to "Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . ." in the first round.


The green team contributed 18 entries to the incomplete sentence "The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . ." and these are included below for your ease of reading. In EXACTLY 50 words, summarize, plagiarize, steal, modify, invent, add and/or analysis their sentences to create your 50 word completion of the sentence. Your goal is to create a version to please as many people as possible, including the green team members. (Hint: Using someone else's ideas is the highest form in the art of pleasing someone). Place your entry as a comment to this post.

Elyssebeth said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to provoke different thinking and challenge the ‘norms’ that were the innovations of their time. Because it is accompanied by opportunity it provides incentives to step beyond what is known. Risk suggests what is possible - but not yet accepted - and renders the familiar less appealing. Opportunity attracts hope – risk evokes threat and fear, yet little of value comes without risk. Knowing how to balance risk and opportunity creates space for me to innovate and sustain energy when (un)anticipated risks appear. We accept risk when we take on opportunity.


Tony.Dunford said...

to seek out opportunities to gain greater insight into the subject or oneself by placing individuals in situations they are not comfortable with. However before we progress too far down this path, we should consider whether we are engaged in providing education or training. If Education is “the gradual process of acquiring knowledge”, and “Training is the teaching of vocational or practical, and relates to specific useful skills”, are we more likely to be training? If so, substantial leaps in learning often require ‘safe’ simulations, of either extreme or outrageous proportions to generate attitudinal change or quantum leaps in skill.


gilbert said...

In creating a new online approach to learning, a consideration on student/learners context should be put in consideration. This should also include the infrastructure essential for the approach and learners support mechanism should be addressed. Learning in this context will be rewarding if students/learners will find the strategy enjoyable and fun. This will lead them to participate and by doing so learning occurs. On the other hand, if this approach is approach is not well supported, frustration among learners will be observed resulting to lack of participation. Using appropriate pedagogical theories and design innovation in the learning process is rewarding.


richards said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to step out of the box in the hope that you will create a hook that interests your student to learn more. Sometimes the result will be that students/colleagues may think you are crazy, but that doesn't matter if the students remember the point you were trying to get across or it motivates them to investigate the problem/topic more. The risk therefore should not be on whether the learning objective is achieved but whether we end up with egg on our face. Teacher evaluation scores are not the goal of innovation.


Carol Russell said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is twofold. Firstly, for students, the experience is more enjoyable if they stay in the ‘flow’ zone between anxiety, where the challenge exceeds their learning skills, and boredom, where there isn’t enough challenge (Csikszentmihalyi). Taking risks can lead to anxiety, but it’s necessary to extend skills and progress to greater challenges. Secondly, teachers and developers, to be innovative, have to explore beyond familiar learning processes, which can also cause anxiety. But on the other hand it makes teaching much more exciting. Taking risks builds tolerance for anxiety, and extends the flow zone.


Lesley said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to inspire the learners by exciting them. Risk has accompanying physiological responses. If these can be harnessed they may enhance the learner's experience, but in my experience individuals repond variably. Educators need to be mindful of betraying the learner's trust. Trust is an essential ingredient and once the learner feels betrayed, this unspoken rapport is broken. Learners may not have anticipated risk. We need to be mindful of how individuals respond to risk and stress. Challenging educational environments are not always suitable for every learner. Predicatably, learners will react with unpredictability.


K Lai said...

to allow for student development in ways that are not allowed in traditional teaching modes. For example, the scripted lecture in which information is passed on to students, or essays in which students are required to ‘answer’ a question on the list, circumscribe what students learn and, to an extent, how they are expected to respond. By contrast, more innovative pedagogic methods—such as getting a student to design a research essay topic—are much more risky: the peaks and troughs of student achievement are magnified. Yet, educators should take these risks in order to encourage and nurture critical thinking.


felicity said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is as an agent provocateur of the inner recesses of the student’s mind. When placed in an environment that is interesting and fun, the student is challenged to forgo the conventional and open to assimilating new ideas and processes that otherwise would have seemed droll and decidedly unappealing. This approach will lead to the student willingly grasping that which is being taught, rather than being “dragged to the blackboard” in a manner of speaking. Being part of the process compels greater mental stimulation than being the target of a torrent of information.


julie.doherty said...

It is important to engage students initially and make them want to find out more about the subject. As a teacher of an online careers and work subject, the issue is sparking an interest in students for something which they may see as outside their curriculum area. Gaining life skills in terms of career management is something students still may see as innovative, but could be integral to their career planning. Students too often think in terms of grades and results rather than in terms of life skills and longterm objectives. The increased use of web and online learning helps.


JennyP said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education ... well thinking of the reverse ...what if innovation was risk-free? If it was totally 100% risk free maybe we would innovate more often? Maybe we would just keep changing things over and over and over...So perhaps the role of risk is to keep us "honest" - hey make us evaluate, invest and commit to the innovation as the stakes are higher. Risk also give us that unmistakable buzz of adrenalin when we try something challenging and pull it off - then it makes us do it all over again.

Ping said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to provide the teachers and the students with chances to experience a learning mode which is whatsoever different to the traditional way of learning. If we look at things in an optimistic approach, the risk here always serves as benefits. If the innovative education turns out to be a success, win-win situation will occur. If the innovative education does not receive the desired result, the teachers will anyway learn from that and it doesn’t really do bad to the students. It at least lets them try a different way of learning.


MargaretS said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is dependant on whether innovation is approached as a project or as a process. The inherent risk of approaching educational problems as innovative projects is that once 'problems’ are addressed, they migrate towards the ‘norm’ and are therefore no longer innovative. However, if problems are approached through a process of innovation, a culture of innovation not only addresses the educational problems of today but drives educational innovators towards dealing with future potential problems. Further risk is predicting and getting support for future educational needs without knowing what those needs will look like.


Stuart said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to promote learning considered ‘outside the square’. Why would we do this? Because positively engaging adults in learning today is an immense challenge and to keep in touch with the times, we as educators, need to always consider innovation and new ways of making that positive engagement. As educators, this risk doesn’t come without its falls though. However the key is to learn from the fall, know why it happened and to get right up and persevere. Risk can have a price – however as the saying goes ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’


Rochelle said...

The role of risk in developing innovative education is to create opportunity. Asking learners to step out of their comfort zone can be challenging but when successful can lead to great outcomes. Creating the shock factor in training assists a learners motivation and can take their minds off the trivial tasks that occupy their daily life. When learners are faced with innovative experiences they are more likely to take away new ideas and think outside the square. We take risks everytime we facilitate training. Innovative learning ensures we do not risk a learners opportunity to learn in a new way.


sheila.mylvaganam said...

Can we afford to be complacent and not use innovative approaches to education as we attempt to engage the “generations of the future” who are eager to learn in new ways, who’re already using just in time and interactive ways to learn, who will move into jobs and careers where such creativity is sought after and who will interact with colleagues on a global platform? The online unit we teach revolves around lifelong career management where much is explored and learnt through self reflection; it is our challenge to engage students in this process in an entertaining & dynamic fashion.


Chris said...

to improve education, for the student and the teacher. Risk could also be called an opportunity for improvement. By taking chances and sharing the outcomes (good and bad) we can collectively work as one to improve the learning experiences of our students and the professional experiences of educators and support the direction of their university or school. Do educators think they are taking risks, when they are developing strategies for authentic learning, group discussions etc. Students would like us to use traditional teaching methods but literature abounds with positive feedback on different strategies which have to used in their classes.


David said...

The only constant is change, change implies risk. There are many risks in developing innovation in education. Firstly it will provide stimulation, for both the students and the teacher. Repeating that which has occurred before can lead to refinement and improvement but after a number of repetitions leads to staleness. Secondly, staying abreast of modern techniques, or in fact developing new techniques that will prove more effective than traditional methods. Thirdly it can cater for different learning needs and presentation techniques for students. Risk provides challenge and challenge often leads to new learning and learning is what education is about.


maree.gosper said...

an uneasy bedfellow. Its uneasy because the outcome is usually unknown but no pain, no gain comes to mind. There is the pain of extreme anxiety wondering whether the technology will work – increased blood pressure, hyperventilation are typical symptoms. There is the pain of extreme embarrassment standing in front of a class with failed technology; the pain of poor evaluations when student don’t respond well. There is the joy of doing something new that works; getting feedback from students who appreciate you going out on a limb. What about the inevitable promotion - sadly its more likely to be pain.

EduBlog Game One - Round 2

The RED Team task -

NB – you are in the RED team if you completed the sentence "My best times as an online learner have been when . . ." in the first round.


The blue team contributed 20 entries to the incomplete sentence "Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . ." and these are included below for your ease of reading. In EXACTLY 50 words, summarize, plagiarize, steal, modify, invent, add and/or analysis their sentences to create your 50 word completion of the sentence. Your goal is to create a version to please as many people as possible, including the blue team members. (Hint: Using someone else's ideas is the highest form in the art of pleasing someone). Place your entry as a comment to this post.

StevieBoy said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when there are clear goals for learning and these are relevant and appropriate to the participants. They are also optimised when there are engaging and motivating activities that generate enthusiastic participation and build on the previous experiences and knowledge of participants. The teacher presence is encouraging and the social presence of the students create the feeling of belonging to a learning community. As well, the assessment is relevant both in process and skills-related form to what is being learnt. Every participant is treated in an adult manner which reinforces respect and the value of people.


Rola said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when:
1. the learning context is open, friendly, respectful and authentic
2. learning activities are engaging, challenging and foster collaboration and partnership among learners
3. content is relevant and builds on learners' prior knowledge and experiences
4. learning is designed with clear learning outcomes that match assessment, mode of educational delivery and learning activities. Evaluative processes are built in.
5. learners are motivated and aware of the learning process not just content.
6. facilitators model appropriate behaviour and consider (and monitor) the impact of their presence and learning design (including the affective dimension of learning).


Michelle said...

Conditions of learning are optimised when the learner feels comfortable, supported and safe in the learning environment. Additionally, the learner must be motivated to participate with individual goals set, to strive towards.
The facilitator needs to be aware of the personal experience and background knowledge that each student brings to the class. With these in mind the facilitator also has a responsibility to provide an optimal learning environment by means of setting achievable goals and using continuous assessment both formal and anecdotal, which will measure the benefits of the learning experience and also drive the program in a forward direction.


margot said...

the learning environment is aligned. The learning outcomes need to be established with the levels of experience/ knowledge of the learners in mind. The learning activities need to be aligned to maximise the opportunity of achieving these outcomes. The assessment needs to reflect both the learning outcomes and activities to demonstrate and assist student learning by incorporating feedback along the journey. The philosophy of the teacher also contributes during the cycle, as do the wider discipline and institutional contexts. I like John Bigg's image of a 'web of consistency' which traps the students in an environment optimised for learning.


Mike Barnes said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the learning objectives and desired outcomes are understood, as are the assessment criteria, and learning activities are designed that align with those intentions taking into consideration student and wider community needs and desires. These intentions may be flexible or constraining but none the less, defined. In this context all technologies both manual and automated that are used in planning, defining, delivering and reviewing are secondary to the actual intended outcomes. This is to say we do not use technologies as a convenience but also align them with all the other aspects of successful learning.


Scotty said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when participants are given frameworks conducive to learning:
• Safe environment that facilitates risk, enquiry and advocacy
• Agreed learning outcomes where participants can see relevance to their needs
• Facilitator who models behaviours aligned to learning
• Various activities and levels of, to accommodate different learning styles
• Sufficient time for reflection with a focus on future actions
• Creation of a mood-task match to encourage emotional connection to learning
• Opportunities for the learning to evaluated or demonstrated
A simple way to look at this is engaging every learner’s “heart, hand and mind”


Gloria said...

Conditions for learning are optimized when learners have ambitious yet achievable target and strong motivations. The desire of learning can reverse unfavorable circumstances and take full advantage of favorable ones. Take myself for example, I wasted my time on everything but learning as an undergraduate student and felt rather empty when graduated. After struggling in work for years, I went back to school for further education. Although I was short of funds, doing part-time jobs and alone in a foreign country, my determination helped me get through all difficulties. Maybe this is why many adults can learn better than teenagers.

Gail said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the environment is conducive for the learner’s physical and emotional state. This may require the facilitator to be open and have an appreciation of the individual frames through which people experience or view their surroundings. To enable the learner to be comfortable and at ease the learning environment and facilitator should attempt to encourage the learner to develop an understanding of their own needs through discovery of their learning style. Therefore the content, the learner and the facilitator all need to come together creating a harmonious environment where there is a freedom to express.


william boag said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the learner, the facilitator and the environment are prepared for learning. The learner would need to have a passionate reason to learn, the timing of their learning coinciding with putting that learning immediately into action, and they are totally focussed on that learning. The facilitator would need to have a thorough knowledge of, and passion for, the subject, provide the learner with space to explore and be supportive, challenging and flexible. The environment would need to be conducive to learning with good light and ventilation, an amenable set up of resources and be spacious.


Mat Hardy said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the students AND the teacher are continuously willing to learn, reflect and adapt. We can all trot out these theories by rote. But do we follow them? As former students we must have many examples of otherwise good teachers using lesson plans, assignments etc that were well out of date. There was no motivation for the learners; no apparent link between an assessment task and what we were expecting to use this knowledge for in the real world. Show me the magic wand of motivation and I will show you an optimised learning environment.


Grace said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the following considerations are taken into account:
• The learner understands the aims, objectives and relevance of a particular learning task or topic
• The content is constructively aligned with the objectives and the assessment process
• The learner and teacher have a reciprocal relationship – learning together and from one another.
• The learning process is supported with appropriate scaffolds
• Learners are encouraged to link concepts so that simple ideas progress to increasingly complex ones
• The learning environment is safe and supportive
• The learner is provided with timely and constructive feedback


Cheryl said...

for adults when:
-the student is ready to learn – eg;the need to apply the learning can provide a powerful reason for learning receptivity
-learning can be applied / practice and feedback provided
-reflection is present – people learn from reflecting on experience, more than from the experience itself
-new information can be connected to existing schema
-learning can be absorbed in manageable ‘chunks’, avoiding cognitive overload
-motor, cognitive and affective domains are engaged appropriate to what is being learned
-learners are given the freedom to construct their own meaning from the learning experience


Esben said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the activity is relevant (recognisable, emotionally engaging, and usable to the learner), when the learners are required to reflect on the activity’s meaning and usability for them in different contexts, and when the learners trust each other enough to take the risk of making mistakes and learn from them. The latter is supported when the educational setting is sufficiently clear (through explicit framing of time, space, and expectations) for the learners’ needs and the facilitator’s purpose, and when the facilitator knows and accepts herself generally, trust the learners, and is transparent in her actions.


Cheryl said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when various factors co-exist:
The facilitator is friendly, approachable, has a good knowledge base, and humbly knows where and how to find information that is outside their knowledge base.
The facilitator is respectful of learners' needs and acknowledge the learners' prior knowledge
The content is clearly defined to learner and facilitator
The content has interest and relevance to learner.
The context encourages the learner to participate in learning
The learner's motivation is essential, if it does not exist learning is not optimised, regardless of how interesting the topic is and engaging the facilitator is.


Jacqui Fogarty said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the nature of the learner is taken into account, including but not limited to their prior knowledge and environment. This includes structuring a learning program that incorporates all the different types of learning styles. Fostering a creative environment free of negativity is essential as is ensuring that learners have sufficient knowledge prior to learning so that knowledge structures can be created. In relation ensuring that the relevance of what the learners are learning is clear. The learning environment also needs to safe and appropriate as well as varied to ensure that learners remain stimulated.


alisontamplin said...

Conditions for learning are optimized when the learning objectives are developed in conjunction with the participants and the facilitator. The facilitator needs to engage participates to ‘take the journey to learn’ and guide participates to achieve learning objectives and not simply deliver content.

Participants must have a willingness to learn, a need to know and the content must be relevant. The facilitator must be organised, know the content, recognise learners past experiences, encourage dialect and apply various learning styles. Referring back to the learning objectives throughout the learning experience can ensure learning objectives are achieved, promoting optimal learning to occur.


Karen said...

Conditions of learning are optimised when the learning environment is student-centred, knowledge-centred, assessment-centred and community-centred. The content, teaching method, and assessments should be aligned. Teachers take on the role as facilitators to provide clear objectives, communicate high expectations and to provide scaffolds through the process. Students should be engaged in a collaborative task or problem where they are individually responsible and accountable. The task should be authentic, preferably situated in everyday context, where its relevance is obvious or communicated to the student. The assessment criteria is explicit, and formative feedbacks are provided to students to allow improvement in the process.


Leanne said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when the learner is open to the material being offered for instruction and is at a point in his/her own experience that enables the acquisition of this new material to happen; if a teacher is to facilitate the process, he/she must have some understanding of the material to be learnt and be able to present it in a way that is conducive to effective learning. Any resources that are introduced into the learning process should be relevant to the task at hand and should facilitate learning and not distract from the material to be learnt.


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This post has been removed by the author.


Dee Copeland said...

Conditions for learning are optimised when using diverse and innovative ways of learning expression. Using structured designs to generate active learning, we find that there is a whole new world out there! It teaches us to understand other contextual relationships, develop new skills and abilities, explore alternates to traditional teaching methods, and extend our capabilities to other creative fields.With structured designs the 'knowing' and 'doing' go hand in hand.

Simulations and Games are great! They teach us strategy, problem-solving that develops our leadership skills. Games can reveal those amongst us who appear passive, but who often emerge quite competitive!

15 August 2007

EduBlog Game One - deadline extended

The deadline for the first round of our eduBlog game has been extended to Midnight Eastern Australian Standard time, Thursday 16th August, 2007. The instruction for round 2 will be posted here after NOON Friday.

13 August 2007

EduBlog Game FAQ

EduBlog game is a game1 played in a BLOG2 environment for educational3 purposes.

The last two points (2 & 3) are obvious. Let me explain the first point a little.

Think soccer, why hand is NOT allowed to touch the ball EXCEPT the goal keeper? This is an artificial rule to make it a soccer game. In eduBlog game, there is a set of "artificial" rules in order to make it interesting, albeit I am making up the rules as the game develops.

When you put in a mistake (whatever that may be), it is a mistake. Sorry, no withdrawal. Part of the game rule. JUST make it a few seconds ago. :-)

Most importantly, game is for FUN. Don't be too serious. ENJOY is the key word!

11 August 2007

EduBlog Game One - Instruction

Welcome to EnRoLE’s first ever blog game. This is round 1 of 4 rounds. You must respond to this message by Midnight Eastern Australian Standard time, Wednesday 15th August, 2007 to continue playing.
We are enrolling people in three groups - using a self assignment mode.
Each of the three blog entries following this has an incomplete sentence.

  1. Count the number of comments that follow each incomplete sentence

  2. Add a comment to the post with the LEAST number of comments

  3. Keep your contribution to EXACTLY 100 words
    NB The 100 word requirement is SPECIAL and your comment must be EXACTLY 100 words to complete the sentence in the body of the post.

  4. Once you have added your comment feel free to read any other sections of the blog that you would like to visit.

  5. You will be given further instruction AFTER noon Thursday. Come back here to find out what happens next.

For those early birds, you get a head start. The game is supposed to start on Monday, ☺

EduBlog Game One

This post is one of the THREE sentences to be completed. If you have found that at the time of your reading, this post has the LEAST number of comments, highlight the blank area below to read the 100 word instruction and complete it in EXACTLY 100 words.
We all spend many years as students. As yet, your learning may or may not have included any online learning experiences. If you have had such experiences this is great. Describe in EXACTLY 100 words your most memorable, exciting, stimulating, interesting, etc. online learning experience. If you have no prior experiences, think of your most innovative learning experience and use that to shape your reply. Use your imagination to invent ideas about an online learning experience as a student and complete the following sentence in EXACTLY 100 words.
My best times as an online learner have been when . . .

EduBlog Game One

This post is one of the THREE sentences to be completed. If you have found that at the time of your reading, this post has the LEAST number of comments, highlight the blank area below to read the 100 word instruction and complete it in EXACTLY 100 words.
As educators we have accumulated great insight and vast implicit knowledge of how and when learning is at its best. This game will help us to reach a common point of agreement about one or more aspects about all that insight and knowledge. The task invites you to adopt a role as an experienced learning designer. This may not be you now, so use your imagination. Complete the following sentence in EXACTLY 100 words. (You can end this sentence and add more to arrive at your 100 words).
Conditions for learning are optimised when . . . . .

EduBlog Game One

This post is one of the THREE sentences to be completed. If you have found that at the time of your reading, this post has the LEAST number of comments, highlight the blank area below to read the 100 word instruction and complete it in EXACTLY 100 words.
Risk brings with it opportunity. And we take risks because of the opportunities beyond the risk. For example, 33 years ago, I risked the majority of ALL my future income to marry my wife. Today I still feel it was a good decision. Innovation is a risky business that also provides great opportunities. This game seeks to understand the kind and nature of risks in innovation. Thinking of yourself as a teacher trying to innovate a new online learning approach, complete the following sentence in EXACTLY 100 words.
The role of risk in developing innovative education is . . .

07 August 2007

EduBlog Game

The EnRoLE EduBlog Game, hosted by the NSW EnRoLE Network, will kick off on Monday 13th August in this blogspot space.

Registered participants should watch this space for details.

17 July 2007

A model for working conferences

This posting was passed on to me by a colleague. It appears to be very like the model suggested for our working conference on role-based learning.

I've included the full posting in case you might be interested in second life research.

From: Re-inventing design education in the University [mailto:RIDE@JISCMAIL.AC.UK] On Behalf Of Jeremy hunsinger
Sent: Tuesday, 10 July 2007 12:19 AM
To: RIDE@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: cfp: learning and research in Second Life apologies for crossposting, distribute as appropriate -jh

Call for Papers/Participation

Please join us in a workshop on learning and research in Second Life on October 17, 2007 in Vancouver at Internet Research 8.0 (http://wiki.aoir.org/index.php?title=About_IR8.0)

Paper Deadline August 15th.

Second Life(R) is a 3d virtual environment created by Linden Lab which has captured the attentions of researchers and teachers from around the world from a variety of disciplines.
This workshop aims to improve the understanding of Second Life as a Learning and Research environment. It will bring 35 researchers together to collaborate, discuss and workshop diverse topics related to research and learning in Second Life. We will pursue a full-day schedule in which participants will discuss their work and interests on four different topics: learning in Second Life, integrated learning, the contributions of research to the community and ethical research methods.

How can we better enable learning in this sphere? How can we better enable research?

As a highlight, Robin Linden will give a talk to the group, and members of Linden Lab will participate throughout the day.

We encourage researchers to submit papers and short biography to slworkshop@tmttlt.com which will be selected and distributed amongst participants before the workshop. First invitations will be offered to those who provide full papers for consideration.

These papers have two purposes: first is to provide a common platform for understanding our research and teaching and second submitted papers may be considered for publication in an edited volume being produced in relation to the workshop, or possibly in peer reviewed publication derived from the workshop (these are currently under discussion).

Subsequent invitation will be made based upon research/teaching statement and biography. If you are interested in participating, please send an email containing your information to slworkshop@tmttlt.com.

Decisions will be made by September 1st, barring incident. There is a limit of 35 participants at the physical meeting; the event will be simulcast into Second Life.

We welcome professionals, faculty and graduate students to participate.

This workshop is sponsored by Linden Lab creators of Second Life and is organized by Jeremy Hunsinger and Aleks Krotoski. Free lunch, coffee breaks and the room is included in participation.
jeremy hunsinger

Information Ethics Fellow, Center for Information Policy Research, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (www.cipr.uwm.edu)
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12 July 2007

METTLE Conference

Hi EnRoLErs?
How is life out there in role play land?

The EnRoLE Project Team has had a productive couple of weeks of meetings, seminars and conferences to organise and attend.

Sandra and I attended the University of Melbourne's METTLE Conference on Wednesday where we were privileged to see the work of some dedicated and talented academics.

Thanks to Claire Brook's strategic thinking we were able to profile EnRoLE at a Snapshot Session, poster session and an afternoon workshop. According to Sandra, it wasn't really a workshop because we worked and the participants shopped. Ha Ha. Seriously though, the workshop was a great opportunity to showcase some of your role play designs and to hear about the local innovations in role based learning. Bill Genat (UMelb) and Sandra Jones (RMIT) shared their experiences in designing and implementing online role play simulation. It was fascinating to see how versitile and powerful role based learning is. There is great potential for EnRoLE Victoria to take off very quickly with interest from Melbourne, Deakin, RMIT and Swinbourne already.

Congratulations to Claire whose team received one of only 2 excellence awards for their poster on Cultural Blogging. Fascinating stuff. Well deserved Claire! We also touched base with some interesting academics doing some fascinating work in utilising educational technology. It was great to catch up with one of our EnRoLE reference group representatives, Rick Canale. Rick is sharing his time between UMelb and his work with Illuminate.

We are off to a great start in our quest to cascade to other states. The University of Adelaide's Molger Maier, Judi Baron and Ann Davenport have EnRoLEd as co-leaders of the South Australian Network. Through their work, UAdelaide is really pushing forward on encouraging role based learning. If you haven't already visited UAdelaide's situational learning website SCoPE, I'd like to recommend it to you. You will need to register to participate in discussions. http://andy.services.adelaide.edu.au/moodle/course/view.php?id=32

05 July 2007

Why are Role play so powerful?

This is a quote from a student (Lissa) after a role play simulation called "Holocaust" from a USA community college:
As a military reservist, I have been waiting 5 years for my call up to the Middle East and have seriously wrestled with my anger towards Moslems over 9-11,etc; I used to think that any of them who got hurt by U.S. forces mostly deserved it and many of my shipmates think "the only good Moslem is a dead Moslem." I have been immersed in that environment and it is only through your class that I have come to realize that that attitude is a mistake, part of our American "empire" mindset. On thinking it over, my mind and eyes are much more open to what's really going on in the Middle East. It is because of your class that I am actually trying to separate the guilty from the innocent...


The role play ran for 3 weeks (as are most Fablusi role play). Anyone will admit that as a teacher, if I can change ONE person's life, that's ALL I need as reward for all the hard work I put into my job.

I just have to ask, Why are Role play so powerful?

ASCILITE Papers due soon

There has been great interest among our EnRoLE community in preparing papers and workshops for the ASCILITE conference to be held in Singapore in December this year. This is very exciting!

With the July 23rd deadline fast approaching, EnRoLErs are madly working away on their papers. If you are thinking about submitting a paper or workshop please check the ASCILITE website for details: http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/

:)

26 June 2007

Different types of Realities

Physical Reality
This is where our carbon-based life form lives. This is kind of fundamental. Without an existence in Physical Reality, we may not have another existence in the rest of the realities I will describe in this post.

Virtual Reality
This is the 3-dimension world computer generates. You either put on a head-mount gear, wear some sensor-enabled clothing and walk in a VirtuSphere in an immersive VR. Alternately, you can control an avatar in a token-immersive VR. In both cases, the interactions of virtual artifacts are controlled by the computer. Second Life belongs to the latter in this group.

Augmented Reality
From Wikipedia, Augmented reality [snip] deals with the combination of real world and computer generated data. At present, most AR research is concerned with the use of live video imagery which is digitally processed and "augmented" by the addition of computer generated graphics. Advanced research includes the use of motion tracking data, fiducial marker recognition using machine vision, and the construction of controlled environments containing any number of sensors and actuators. Again, there are two sub groups here. Physical Reality augmented with virtual artifacts, such as Hear&There1 or Magic Eye2. Virtual Reality augmented with virtual artifacts such as Berlin in 3D for Google Earth or Las Vegas 3D Buildings. Historical events link to Google Earth, such as World War Two Google Earth Famous WW2 Battlefields Today, part 1 and 2. Last, but not the least, Google street view where physical space's photos are used to augment virtual space.

Imagined Reality
This is the scenery we found when reading novels such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, written by Mr. Mark Twain where our brain will fill in the missing parts from the author's description.




1Hear&There allows people to virtually drop sounds at any location in the real world. Once one of these "SoundSpots" has been created, an individual using the Hear&There system will be able to hear it. We envision these sounds being recordings of personal thoughts or anecdotes, and music or other sounds that are associated with a given area.
2let the user see the real world around him and augment the user's view of the real world by overlaying or composing three-dimensional virtual objects with their real world counterparts. Ideally, it would seem to the user that the virtual and real objects coexisted.


cross posted to Random Walk in Learning

15 June 2007

Welcome

This is the official blog for project EnRoLE, a Commonwealth funded initiative to encourage role-based learning in eLearning environments.

Project Leader: Prof. Sandra Wills, Director of CEDIR, University of Wollongong
National Manager: Elizabeth Rosser, Coordinator of Online Teaching and Learning, UNSW Foundation Studies, University of New South Wales (Contact person)

Project Team:
Ms Elizabeth Devonshire, University of Sydney
Dr. Andrew Vincent, Macquarie University
Dr. John Shepherd, University of New South Wales
Dr. Elyssebeth Leigh, University of Technology Sydney


EnRoLE Network:
New South Wales Clusters
University of Woolongong - Sandra Wills, Wendy Meyers
University of Sydney - Elizabeth Devonshire
University of New South Wales - John Shepherd, Carol Russell
University of Technology Sydney - Elyssebeth Leigh
Macquarie University - Andrew Vincent, Andrew Lovell-Simons

South Australian Clusters
University of Adelaide - Holger Maier, Judi Baron, Ann Davenport

Victorian Clusters
RMIT University - Sandra Jones
University of Melbourne - Claire Brooks
Deakin University - Sally Totman

International Clusters
Bethlehem Tertiary Institute - Stephen Bright

Industrial Connection
Fablusi - Albert Ip, Roni Linser