Category: Uncategorized

“Advanced wikispaces skills” session challenges presenters!

Michael Chalk4 CommentsUncategorized

Jill and michael ran a session on the advanced aspects of wikispaces. Clearly nobody feels “advanced”, because we were alone in the session. However, we thought that some skills were worth demonstrating anyway. So we went ahead, intending to record the presentation for possible future value, and also to share some tips & strategies with each other. Here’s the menu we started with: The large menu was designed to give people a choice (too much for one session) ..so we decided to focus on only 3 of the skills. Okay Read More …

For Blended Learning, just add ingredients and press ‘Blend’

Michael ChalkLeave a commentUncategorized

This month we had the opportunity to spend some time with some North West Region e-leaders to explore a number of simple techniques to use Powerpoint in the classroom as an interactive teaching tool. We were inspired by Rob Lewis from the British Council (previously blogged here) to have a go, and to work out what techniques he was using to speed up the production process so that we (humble educators) can, with little effort, become producers of e-learning resources. Ha! Is it really that simple? Let’s review some of Read More …

Face-to-face networking

Michael Chalk1 CommentUncategorized

In spite of our need to keep in touch via various communication technologies (telephone, web conferencing etc), it’s always great to get together in the same room at the same time. Face to face. And there are so many people in ACE e-learning doing great work across the North-West region of Melbourne. On the first of May, we were joined by some wonderful educators and managers from: Glenroy Neighbourhood Learning Centre,  North Melbourne language and literacy, Meadow Heights Learning Shop, Djerriwarrh Employment and Education Services, Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre (CNLC),  Read More …

“e-learning – why?” Come to a showcase in June

Michael ChalkLeave a commentUncategorized

Registrations have closed now (22May) as it’s completely full. A very popular day.  Looking for ways to integrate technology more easily with your classroom activities?  This could be the event for you.  “e-learning – why?” A showcase for LearnLocal people and organisations.  Hold the date: 22 June 2012 for your diaries. Come and meet your colleagues face-to-face, share ideas, build your networks, ask questions and learn more about the worlds of e-learning.  This day is free of charge.  To register please follow this link. Here’s the showcase wiki being developed: eshowcase12.acfe.vic.edu.au/ ..and Read More …

Using Powerpoint in the classroom

Michael Chalk3 CommentsUncategorized

What’s so special about using Powerpoint in the classroom? Occasionally I read something that really resonates strongly with my current thoughts about teaching practice: what I do in the classroom, and what I’d like to do better. Rob Lewis, writing for the British Council, has encapsulated what all of us could use with very little additional training and equipment. His reasoning: you don’t need fancy interactive white boards nor many more typing skills beyond what you might have with Microsoft Word already, to sit down with your learners (and a Read More …

Evernote Webinar rescheduled to the 8th May

Michael ChalkLeave a commentUncategorized

Here is the link to the recording of the webinar held 8th May. Competing priorities have pushed out this webinar (scheduled for tomorrow) to the later date of Tuesday, 8th May at 3pm, in our ACFE E-mentor Blackboard Collaborate room. Recently I blogged here about my discovery of this brilliant personal and professional management tool: Evernote. I was also very impressed with Trent Bourne’s webinar for the Australia e-series: here is a link to the recording. So I jumped at the chance to share its many strengths with you via our Read More …

“e-learning – why?” Come to a showcase in June

Michael Chalk1 CommentUncategorized

“e-learning – why?” A showcase for LearnLocal people and organisations. Hold the date: 22 June 2012 for your diaries. Come and meet your colleagues face-to-face, share ideas, build your networks, ask questions and learn more about the worlds of e-learning.  To register please follow this link. Here’s the showcase wiki being developed: eshowcase12.acfe.vic.edu.au/ More information as soon as we can.

Let’s get together, and re-focus your mini-projects

Michael Chalk2 Commentsprofessional development, Uncategorized

Hello Amazing North-West e-learning People. Who can believe we’re looking at the final term for these e-mentor projects! (1) Remember your “e-learning plan“? What about this for an idea: depending where you’re at, let’s re-work this into a “mini-project” so that you can present with pride to your peers, and feel you’ve made some progress. It’s possible you’ve done some remarkable things you just don’t recognise. (2) We would very much like to offer you a face-to-face session in term 2 so you can all get together, ask questions, share ideas Read More …

Evernote everywhere

Michael ChalkLeave a commentUncategorized

It’s awhile since I promoted a web tool in this blog – but I’ve become a convert to Evernote, not just because the folks at Evernote proudly promote it with a video showing Jack and Jill (Jill’s the smart one with Evernote, Jack’s got sticky notes all over the place and is totally disorganised!). Evernote is widely used for grouping your Notes (free text) in Notebooks (folders of related notes) across platforms on a PC or Mac and synchronised to your Netbook/ laptop, iphone (apparently – I don’t have one Read More …

North West region “community of practice”

Michael ChalkLeave a commentclassroom, community, e-learning, Uncategorized

Victoria Market I’ve just met with some wonderful teachers and managers of the North-West region and Sue O’Brien of the NW ACFE regional office, in at the AMES “Multicultural Hub” opposite the Victoria Market. From the agenda, i was expecting to give a presentation with an overview of blended learning, and some examples of who’s doing it around the regions. Because it was about 10 of us around a table, the session quickly turned into a conversation where i hope most people had some input. We tackled the really fundamental Read More …