Some thoughts on VLEs now they are teenagers

Before VLEs were developed, the Internet (and I use the term deliberately here as opposed to the World Wide Web which is something subtly different) was used in teaching only by those who had the technical skills and were innovators/pioneers in Internet technologies. Personal websites, TelNet groups, gopher etc. were the tools used to provide digital resources and communication.

CMS/VLEs where first being adopted in the UK around 2000 with a relatively wide variety of systems being available. An early review by ASTDs LearningCircuits (2001) listed over 50 systems (see this link for over 150 current CMS, LMS, LP & VLEs from C4LPT). The new VLEs offered a website specifically designed for teaching and learning with a single sign-on providing access to a variety of tools built into the system. The benefits were see by educational institutions so uptake was relatively rapid. The main benefits being:

• Standardised interface and procedures for all staff and students
• Organisational deployment and user account management
• Integration of tools and user data

It is true that no one system can provide everything that all users want, have the best tools available or even be liked by all users. However, the 'integration benefit' seemed to be the most significant of all. Integration was the thing missing from the DIY approach of the pioneers. Teachers and institutions need the learner progress and achievement data and system interoperability provided by these VLEs.

The brief history above is by way of explaining why many institutions currently have a VLE and probably not the first VLE chosen. Discussions about "which is the best VLE?" start as soon as the system is deployed. Early in its use, changing your VLE causes only minor problems and many organisations did indeed change system after initial experience showed what were the important features. Once a system has been in use for a number of years the problems of change increase rapidly; content creation, user data, teacher and learner skills and familiarity do not easily (if at all) transfer to a new system. Despite the massive time and effort investment made to an organisation's chosen VLE, discussions around the theme of 'the grass is greener ...' surface regularly. The truth is that there is no 'best' VLE and the grass is always greener where it's well cared for!

Another truth is that VLEs do meet a number of needs, few (if any) institutions have decided that a VLE is not for them and simply abandoned the whole concept. The situation is a bit like one's relatives; you may not like them but you cannot get rid of them, you just have to learn to live with them and see their good side. All VLEs do roughly the same sort of job, they provide tools/facilities for teaching and learning:

1. provide facilities for course/module management
2. provide facilities for learner/group management
3. present information and skill resources
4. present instruction for learning activities
5. provide tools for individual and group study/collaboration
6. provide communication for learning and support
7. offer opportunities for reflection and formative assessment
8. provide tools for summative assessment and feedback

The rise of the Read/Write web (aka Web 2) around 2004 changed the nature of the digital world, over the last 5 or so years and there has been an increase in really useful 'software/application websites' often featuring self-publishing and networking opportunities. Unless an organisation fundamentally changes the way it goes about teaching and learning however, any popular VLE will provide the tools that are needed and VLE change becomes more about fad and fashion. The big questions are how can you know if there is a real need for change? What other VLE may be better? Is the potential improvement worth the disruption? Care is needed, a perceived improvement may not actually exist. A pig in a tuxedo looks glamorous but underneath it is still just a pig!

Having considered the nature of VLEs and issues around change, the rest of these notes cover the VLEs recently mentioned in the Learning Technology community.

The results of the 6th Annual (2012) Learning Tools Survey, as voted for by 582 learning professionals worldwide, and compiled by the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies can be found here http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/. Entries relating to VLEs are shown below.

Moodle is still the most popular VLE around and to consider the North Wales region, over 90% of secondary schools and colleges are using Moodle v2. The exceptions are using Kalidus and Joomla but are considering switching to Frog or Kite. Schools who have not so far engaged with VLEs, mostly Primary/Junior, will probably be trying out Learning Possibilities Hwb+ over the next couple of years.

The UK ILT Champions Network have, this academic year, commented on other platforms new to the community:

• PedIT (Norwegian - http://pedit.pedit.no/web/PageND.aspx?id=99006)
  Pedagogicaly flexible but mostly features a social constructivist approach.
• Canvas (American - http://www.instructure.com/)
  An LMS 'native to the cloud' which means upgrades etc happen seamlessly in the background. The Canvas API (Application Programming Interface) is openly published for ease of integration with third-party systems or for custom development and reporting.
• BuddyPress Courseware (A Wordpress plugin - http://buddypress.coursewa.re)
  Although primarily a blogging tool, there are many plugins available to provide a range of educational tools. BuddyPress is similar to Edmodo in terms of providing learners and staff with the rich networking that other VLE's lack, but has the advantage of customisability.

Professional networks in other countries have recently pointed to the following as noteworthy:

• Lore (American - http://lore.com/about)
  The new startup is using a Facebook type platform and tailoring it for education. Along with more traditional VLE features, the social network structure allows teachers and learners to communicate, follow one another, and discuss class work and lectures.
• Eliademy (Finnnish - https://eliademy.com/about)
  Launched in Feb 2012, it is free and open source providing online classrooms that enable teachers to create, share and manage courses anytime, anywhere featuring a smart and friendly interface, fast and easy to use features. Free tech for school
• its learning (Norwegian - http://www.itslearning.eu/features)
  A digital learning platform which allows educators to create, use and manage a wide variety of digital resources to support best practices such as: blended learning, flipping the classroom, personalized learning, professional learning communities, and other innovative digital learning environments.

In 2011 Google added an EDU category to its Apps Marketplace. Over 2 years later there are 70 education Apps available providing a variety of tools, from a variety of companies, that integrate with the standard Google Apps. Recently some Google users have been looking at the LMS Apps available; Engrade, CourseDirector, Docebo, Edubrite, OpenClass, Digication and ThinkWave. There are few tools that beat the standard apps for real-time collaboration and communication but the jury is still out on effectiveness of the LMS apps.

Thirteen years on, the Learning Technology landscape is very different to when modern VLEs were being designed. Application and networking websites abound but new LMS entrants appear every year. The VLE seems far from dead. Despite alternatives, the smart move is to embed, within the organisation, aspects of the established VLE that are key to the core business and management of the institution (see points 1-8 above). Then , encourage 'variation around the edges' where individual users are free to choose external tools/facilities that provide the aesthetics and enhanced functionality they want. This type of 'distributed VLE' seems to provide the best of all worlds.

TGIF
(but I expect this topic to run and run)

Of Cubs and Men

I really wish I had a photograph of me aged 10 proudly showing my cub scout badges sewn neatly, by my mum, down the arm of my uniform.

I could tie knots, make Meccano models, give first aid and, I think, I was proficient at doing things with an 'A frame'.

What carefree days they were.

Many many years on, having put childish things aside, I have just created my own digital badges to represent different levels of skill in using the GoToMeeting software being introduced at work.

Primarily designed as eMail signature images for staff who have been trained as 'attendees' or 'presenters' the badges would help raise awareness of the new software.

and

But how will staff respond to the badges?
Do real men, or women, collect badges once they've grown older?

Learning In Digital Wales 3

This is the third post in a series looking at the National developments in Wales to promote the use of digital technologies and resources for learners aged 3 to 19.

1. Task & Finish Group Review
   http://the-friday-feature.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/find-it-make-it-use-it-share-it.html
2. Ministerial Response
   http://the-friday-feature.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/learning-in-digital-wales.html

Lots of work in the background by government officials, interest groups, practitioner panels etc led to an invitation to tender for developing an 'All Wales Learning Platform' affectionately titled Hwb.

The contract was awarded in September to Learning Possibilities
(see their News Item: https://learningpossibilities.lpplus.net/Pages/News.aspx)

A series of meetings with key stakeholders are scheduled during the next few months to outline details of the proposed platform.

The National Digital Collection of teaching and learning resources will be accessed via the Hwb. The development of a system for unique learner IDs has been mentioned and this would provide a huge step forward in learner transition and progression.

An iTunes U channel will also be created to showcase the best courses available in Wales.

The National Digital Learning Council for Wales will oversee the direction and development of these initiatives plus other longer term plans. The council met yesterday for the first time and members include:

• Dr Tom Crick (Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Computing at School),
• Janet Hayward (Headteacher Cadoxton Primary School, Vale of Glamorgan),
• Sue Burnett (University of Glamorgan, RCT),
• Maldwyn Pryse (Estyn),
• Geraint James (ADEW ICT, Director of Education, Conwy),
• Simon Pridham (Headteacher Casllwchwr Primary School, Swansea),
• Hannah Mathias (St David’s College, Cardiff),
• Peter Sishton (eSkills UK) and
• Chris Britten (Headteacher Ashgrove Special School, Vale of Glamorgan).

Professional experts and "associate members" (ie students) will also be involved from time to time. I'll post in a month or so with details of the team of 'Digital Leaders' who will work directly with schools and teachers.

Things seem to be moving quickly and so they need to if The Minister is to have a Hwb to unveil in December. I have seen the 12th December mentioned as a possible date.

I'm not given to superstition but 12/12/12 seems to have a rather eerie feel about it.
At least that gives us 9 days before the end of the 'Fourth Mayan World Age' on 21st December when cataclysmic* events have been predicted.

I guess another interpretation could be that the cataclysmic* event is happening 9 days early in Wales - hold on to your hats - only time will tell.

TGIF (only 11 more to go - possibly !-)

*note - some writers see the translation from the Mayan not as cataclysmic but as transformative (hope on the horizon?).

Not Socialising - Just Working

Somehow, I've got involved with a community based project where a number of local groups have come together to provide training events for local people. Having worked together for a while and meeting in-person every few months, they have found it difficult to keep all groups informed of what all other groups are doing.

Chatting with the people tasked to improve this situation, the main items of a wish list are:

• a space for group members only
• a place for meeting agendas, minutes and notes
• a list of contacts
• an events calendar
• a forum for activity updates

My first thought was for Google Education; the tools, permissions and sharing possibilities seemed tailor made to solve the collaboration problems. Unfortunately a number of the groups are part of the local authority who's IT system prevents access to anything Google (other than search I presume). However, I also had second thoughts about the suitability of Google Apps for this group. I need to think this through more but I felt a more straightforward physical web space and simple tools than provided by Google would suit this group better.

An initial web search brought back a host of social networking type sites:

• http://www.hoop.la/
• http://www.bigtent.com/
• http://www.spruz.com/
• http://www.mixxt.net/

These sites tended to offer a range of facilities that weren't on the groups wish list and would tend to cloud the fairly basic job the group needed to accomplish.

It took a little time to find the search terms that would bring back the sort of straightforward web space with basic functionality that I wanted ('online group workspaces' seemed to provide the most appropriate results). An initial sifting left a number of potential sites:

• http://www.glasscubes.com
• http://www.wizehive.com
• http://wiggio.com
• http://www.zoho.com/projects/

NB: Yammer and Podio were not included in this list as they had a few too many social features and all users need to have the same email domain (ie work in the same organisation) which is not true of this group. There was also the ultra minimal option to just have a shared calendar eg http://30boxes.com/ which is perhaps a little too minimal.

The group are now looking at 2 sites to choose their favourite.

http://wiggio.com
I like the look of this interface; it has a simple horizontal tab menu focusing on the 3 main functions of Activity Feed, Document Folder and Calendar with a vertical menus providing a members list on the left and collaboration and communication tools on the right.

The website says that Wiggio is the easiest (free) way to work in groups with an online toolkit to support group work. Perfect for private groups:

• host virtual meetings and conference calls
• create to-do lists and assign tasks
• send email, text and voice messages
• manage events with a shared calendar
• poll your group in real time
• upload and manage files in a shared folder.

There is a good knowledge base containing 'how to' information. There is a premium service which allows custom branding etc. The site does have a few 'flaky’ moments now and again where things work one minute but not the next (this could be explained by the web session expiring without giving the user an alert to login again).

www.glasscubes.com
This site looks fairly straightforward and focuses on the same Share, Collaborate, & Communicate functionality although I feel the interface is a little more crowded and 'busy' than Wiggio.

The website says this site promotes Online Collaboration allowing you to organize your day to day work, projects, information, people and files securely. A web-based online collaboration tool and project management software that enables you to:

• Share Files
  Getting lost with too many emails? Share files and content in secure online workspaces with people inside and outside your organization.
• Online Collaboration
  Manage projects, and easily organize your day to day work. Keep on top of your task’s and get visibility on all your stuff.
• Communicate
  Connect with people and communicate better, saving time by letting you get work done (the important things) more quickly and efficiently.

There is a pricing plan but the free account gives unlimited users, 2 workspaces, 1Gb storage and a variety of features (details at http://www.glasscubes.com/full-features). However, on the free account, HTTPS is available on Sign in only and the online document editor is no longer available.


The other 2 sites in brief:

• www.wizehive.com
  This site gives a mix of collaboration and social tools. Whether this is a good mix or just a confusion of the 2 is open to debate. The website gives a flavour of the site:
  "Build forms and workflows, automate business processes, and drive social engagement with your customers & employees using WizeHive's web based platform On your own website or through your facebook fan page!"
• http://www.zoho.com/projects/
  Zoho projects provide a number of tools for online workgroups but here the focus is very much on Project Management and doesn't really fit the needs of the group I'm working with.

Finally, there is http://groupspaces.com
The site provides tools for managing a membership group rather than a work group. Although not quite right at the moment, if the group wants to engage the public by developing a programme of events for a members group, this could well provide their next step.

http://groupspaces.com/SlowFoodPU/

I'm sure that the 'Social Web' phenomenon has widened participation of people with the digital world and probably improved their digital skills hugely. Occassionaly though, all people need are straightforward work tools. We aren't all being social all of the time. Occasionaly most of us just have to do a bit of work, sometimes in a team.

TGIF - Time to be social.

TGIF

www.worob.com

BYOD: 1950, 1960, 1970 & 2012

I've been involved in a number of discussions lately around BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). In 2012 there is a movement for education establishments to provide the WiFi infrastructure for students to bring and use their own laptops, tablets, phones etc.

There are the short discussions; 'students are keen to bring their own devices' (usually University colleagues) and weighty discussions concerning issues of Health & Safety and socio-economic inequality.

Taking the principle that there are few truly original ideas, I've been thinking about my own time as a student. There have been a number of 'BYOD Moments' that passed by with little fuss (for us as students at least).

I am too young to have been a student during the 1950's when schools issued steel nib 'dip pens' and ink monitors filled the desk ink wells every morning. Imagine the outrage in the staff room when it was suggested that providing nibs and ink for student use would be stopped, students would have to 'Bring Their Own Device'. Students happily brought their own fountain pen and later their own biro/ballpoint. Although, 60 odd years later, some people still think the decline of 'penmanship' is a backward step in education.

Although schools provided geometry equipment in the 1960's, I remember at age 11 being given a rather fine box of drawing tools for my first day at secondary school. None of the school's blunt pointed dividers or compasses for me! I remember enjoying geometry (where those two things connected?) and I still have that set today (40 plus years later).

BYOD hit me at a conscious level when I was at University studying biochemistry. I seem to remember calculations required a book of log tables or later, log slide rules. When the Sinclair pocket calculator became available in 1973 it was a 'must have device' for me. I spent £25 of my hard earned student grant :-) on a 'Sinclair Cambridge'. A lot of money for a student (about £400 in todays money - see http://www.measuringworth.com/ppoweruk/ ) and for not much functionality. However, bringing my own device made calculations a breeze from that moment on.



 Looking back at the title of this post, there seems to be an obvious 'BYOD moment' in each decade that I was a student. I bet there were more from the 1980's onwards but I was a working man by then.....

TGIF

Startpages Revisited - 2012

A few years ago I tried out a number of Startpages and Netvibes fitted with what I wanted to have easily at my fingertips.
Things change so I've revisited what is available to see if there is a better solution.

To save you scrolling to the bottom, my findings are in the next paragraph.
If you are new to the idea of Startpages, come back to the findings after reading the rest of the post.

Findings 2012
There doesn't seem to have been a huge increase in the number of Startpage sites over the last few years.
Netvibes still rides tall although Google have announced that iGoogle will be 'retired' on 1 Nov 2013 because they feel there is less of a need for Startpages now that web and mobile apps have put personalized, real-time information at people's fingertips (iGoogle diehards can use Apps in their Chrome browser however).

Startpage Further Details
A Startpage is a place where you can gather together all the web based sites and tools that you use regularly. Although browser bookmarks can do a similar job there are functions offered by Startpages that make them a better 'one stop shop'. Startpages offer a type of 'virtual desktop'. They have also been called Aggregators (although these are often more focused on News Aggregation), Personal Portals (often more concerned with promoting yourself to the wider world) or Dashboards (usually more to do with visual display of data).

A review in 2007 by James Mowery covered the most popular 14 sites:
(http://mashable.com/2007/06/29/personalized-homepages/)

• Netvibes - the one to beat - customisation is a major strength.
• Pageflakes - the main competitor.
• iGoogle - not as polished as the others although gadgets are being given a big push.
• MyYahoo - playing catch-up.
• yourminis* - very cool virtual desktop type but flash based.
• WebWag - clean interface but lacking customisation.
• Schmedley - has potential but some quirks and bugs.
• Eskobo - very fast but few features.
• Windows Live - not as good as its main competitors (Google, Yahoo).
• Favoor - disappointing - bugs.
• Gritwire - more of an RSS reader.
• Inbox - an extremely simplified iGoogle.
• Protopage - virtual desktop - good but yourminis is much better.
• It'sAStart - not a serious competitor yet.

A comparison of the major functional features you would expect from a Startpage is shown below:

A comparison site (http://www.siterapture.com/categorymain.asp?CategoryID=17) provides further information about Startpages and the following rankings (date unknown):

"Ultimately, there’s no “best” Startpage. Netvibes and Pageflakes are not short on content, and offer amazing customization. iGoogle and My Yahoo are great options if you already use those services. Schmedley and yourminis* approach the market uniquely, and some people swear by them."

In the last couple of years some new sites have emerged but with a brief look they don't seem to be breaking new ground.

• http://yourport.com/ (donations appreciated)
  http://maketecheasier.com/yourport-a-friendly-and-feature-rich-startpage-website/2011/04/02
• http://flavors.me/ ($20 pa for full features)
  http://lifehacker.com/5478632/flavorsme-is-a-simple-and-elegant-personal-portal
• http://www.prioritize.biz/
• http://www.blinkdash.com/
• http://www.tizit.com/
• webwag.com, nowsy.com

The nice people at Google think that Startpages have had their day and will be 'retiring' iGoogle (shades of Blade Runner in this terminology!) towards the end of 2013. I agree that Apps running on smartphones and pads make it really easy to get to the same sort of information, links, subscriptions etc as my Startpage. However, I spend a lot of my working day on a PC and having a PC based Startpage still makes my life easier. The Google people must think so too otherwise why would they provide Apps for the Chrome Browser (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/home)?

*Note - Startpages that have bitten the dust:

• yourminis
• schmedley?
• Eskobo
• Goowy
• Live (my.live.com)
• Pageflakes
• Zoozio

**Note - If you have scrolled to the bottom of the page to see the conclusion / recommendations - you missed it - it's at the top of the page (wakey, wakey).

I've closed my Startpage, turned off my smartphone and pad - time for a break.....

TGIF