TED Ed - Because You're Worth It .....

TED (http://www.ted.com/) has been around for a while; Ideas Worth Sharing (in 20 minute videos).

This week I wanted to focus on TED Ed (http://ed.ted.com/); Lessons Worth Sharing (in short video clips with extra content).

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/disappearing-frogs-kerry-m-kriger

A lesson is built around a video clip, or animation, with the scaffolding (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber) components:

• Let's Begin - the hook to motivate student engagegment.
• Watch - the subject matter in video format.
• Think - up to 15 multiple choice and short answer questions.
• Dig Deeper - resources for discovering more about the topic.
• Discuss - a forum for students to respond to a posted question/comment .
• And Finally - what to do next.

 The site contains around 300 TED Ed Original Lessons - those created by renowned educators or subject experts and the TED Ed team whos mission is to capture and amplify the voice of the worlds greatest teachers.

The really cool bit:

1. You can simply re-use the existing lessons.
2. Each lesson can be customised by you - see the red 'Flip This Lesson' button.
3. You can create your own lessons using Youtube video clips.

The site contains another 40,000 user generated 'Best Flip' lessons that you can search for and many more lessons that you can only access if you know the web address.

TED Ed is therfore both a learning resource bank and a tool for creating new resources!

And there's more....
When logged in, you can share a lesson's web link with your students (an individual or a group) and if they are logged in too, you can keep track of their responses to the lesson questions and discussion topics and provide feedback.
NB: Students under 13 are not allowed to create an account (due to US legislation). They can still use the lessons but as an anonymous user their answers won't be tracked.

The observant amongst you will have realised that TED Ed is a perfect companion for anyone wanting to try out Flipped Teaching where classroom-based teaching time and traditional "homework" time are reversed (flipped). You provide lesson recources to be reviewed outside of class, which in turn gives you more time in class to focus on higher-order learning skills.

Create an account and give it a go.
See the FAQ for further information - http://support.ed.ted.com/
Enjoy the weekend .....

TGIF

PS One part of the FAQ might be worth keeping in mind as you create your own lessons:

What are the criteria for Best Flips?

• To be selected as a Best Flip and featured on TED-Ed's lesson list, your lesson should start with a great video that people can learn from. Generally speaking, the video you select should be under 10 minutes, however there are a few exceptions. The videos can be serious (as in something from the History Channel's YouTube or National Geographic's YouTube).  They can also be silly (like a cat video uploaded by an individual). Videos should never include content that's inappropriate for a typical high school classroom.
• Lessons that are nominated as Best Flips should have a creative introduction written in the Let's Begin section that alludes to the objectives that are learned in the lesson. The best introductions are a couple sentences long and serve to intrigue or hook the learner into watching the video and completing the lesson. 
• A Best Flip should contextualize the video using the Let's Begin, Think, Dig Deeper, and Discussion modules. A lesson does not necessarily need to include all of these sections to be selected as a Best Flip, but it should use several of them to present engaging material.
• The Think section is pretty straightforward -- multiple choice questions should gauge understanding using information gained directly from the video (include the time code that points to the video hint), and open answer questions should challenge a learner to think critically about the lesson. As a general rule, for a 5 minute video, Best Flips should contain 5 multiple choice questions and 3 open answer questions, though this is only a loose guideline.
• The Dig Deeper section should be robust and challenging. This is not simply a place to spoon feed resources to the learner. It is a place to provide avenues for the learner to explore further. You can share links to other videos, links to magazine articles, links to blogs or op-eds. You can also further explain difficult topics here. The point of the dig deeper is to help the learner understand as much as possible about the topic at hand. Generally speaking, five resources for a five minute video seems to be a good start. This is where the learner has the potential to spend most of his or her time.
• Lastly, the Discussion section should provide a prompt that encourages meaningful, healthy debate and/or conversation. The questions often skew a little more personal. They may solicit opinions, but they are rarely looking for a single fact. For example, it's better to say, "What do you think is..." rather than, "According to the video, what is..." Hopefully, this measures an entirely new kind of understanding. Learners will share original abstract thoughts and challenge each other to think more interestingly about the lesson.

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.

JORUM - Learning To Share

When very young, children are essentially egocentric and selfish.
Children want to keep ALL their sweets and won't easily give up the best toys to others.

As we get older we are taught to take our turn and share the goodies that we have. There are tantrums along the way of course but mostly we give and take with good grace. Then, at some point puberty (and/or teacher training) comes along and somehow we find ways/excuses to avoid sharing. Teachers in my college usually come up with one or more of the following reasons why they are unwilling to share their teaching resources:

1. I don't have time to assemble and disseminate the resources
2. It isn't new
3. It isn't good enough
4. Others wouldn't understand how to use the resources
5. It might actually be copyright somebody else
6. Why should I help out the lazy people
7. They wouldn't share with me
8. etc

Sharing good practice has been a mantra in education for many years as one of the main ways to improve teaching and learning. Disseminate the best/good/effective so that others can benefit and learn.
While there are teachers who are willing to share their work, it remains a problem (real or imagined) for many.

Another post will look in more detail at teacher these perceptions. The rest of this post describes one solution to how resources can be stored, discovered and shared:

The JORUM Repository (http://www.jorum.ac.uk)

Jorum is a JISC-funded Service in Development in UK Further and Higher Education, to collect and share learning and teaching materials, allowing their reuse and repurposing. This free online repository service forms a key part of the JISC Information Environment, and is intended to become part of the wider landscape of repositories being developed institutionally, locally, regionally or across subject areas. Jorum is run by Mimas, based at the University of Manchester. The word ‘Jorum’ is of Biblical origin and means a collecting (or drinking) bowl.


Anyone can search the repository and view the free learning and teaching resources but only staff in UK Further and Higher Educational institutions can login to download (or upload) materials. Primary and Secondary school teachers can view the resources which might act as a source of inspiration (although there are regional login services and trusted uploader status available for schools).



The advanced search allows filtering by Subject, Date, Author, Title and Keyword searching the Full Text or resource description. You can also browse the same fields by using the 'Find' link. resources use the Creative Commons 2.0 licences covering:

• Attribution  
• Attribution-Share Alike   
• Attribution-No Derivative Works   
• Attribution-Noncommercial   
• Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike    
• Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works

The search results show clearly which resources are available with links to further information, view and download options. Resources are downloaded (exported) as zip files from the site using a weblink eMailed to you. You should already have created a login account using that eMail address.






I first came across JORUM in 2003 as a 'repository in development' to store Learning Objects being created by the JISC Exchange for Learning (X4L) projects that I was working on. Around 2007 JORUM changed status from being a JISC project to become a JISC Service. In 2011 changes to the hosting of the site and the copyright details of the resources took place presenting the site as we have it today.




Information on all aspects of using JORUM can be found at http://www.jorum.ac.uk/Support and an A5 double sided leaflet giving a brief overview is at http://www.jorum.ac.uk/squeezy/cms/media/2jr2n9445twk.pdf

Effective sharing of resources is one of the Holy Grails in education and the number of resources packages held by JORUM (FE=845 & HE=11662) shows that there is still some way to go.

JORUM, other repositories and OER sites provide us with a place to play nicely.
We just have to convince our colleagues to also put their toys into the pot.

TGIF