ASCILITE NEWS
Important Reminder to complete the ascilite Member Survey
This is a reminder that ascilite is seeking feedback from members through the 2015 ascilite member survey. If you haven't completed the survey, please take 15 – 20 minutes at your earliest convenience to do so. The member survey provides the ascilite Executive with extremely important information and feedback from members that will be used to develop ascilite's Strategic Plan for 2016 and beyond.
You can complete the survey via this anonymous link and when you complete it, you will have the option to enter a draw to win a gift to the value of $200.
Social Media: How it can enhance learning and teaching in higher education
By Chris Campbell, ascilite Executive
Are you using social media in your teaching? Have you looked at the research in this area recently?
As Internet speeds increase and students have more access to more technologies then the possibilities of using social media and other Internet tools within teaching increase. Simple website tools such as Padlet, tlk.io, Wordle and others are now readily available and very easy to use. Academics are able to gain student responses very quickly and use them as advanced teaching tools. With more and more academics being able to use the Internet effectively, some are moving towards using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube which are popular amongst both students and academics.
There are numerous reasons on why using social media has its benefits. These include improving student engagement as well as just in time learning. Students can give real feedback and can benefit greatly from this interaction. Indeed one of the main positives for these tools is that the academic can discover what students know and then use this to teach content the students still need to learn. This can be very powerful when teaching today’s students who are often busy juggling jobs, university and social lives and can be very strategic when they are learning course content.
Twitter also has benefits for users who engage with it as a learning and teaching tool. Again it can provide just in time learning and can be used as a tool to ascertain if students understand the content. Although Facebook can allow students to be very social, those who use it report it benefiting students in their courses. This includes having a course Facebook page or group or allowing students to initiate their own groups.
There are many websites that can assist those who wish to increase the use of social media in their teaching. Peers often use these technologies and discussion with them can be insightful. University teaching and learning support can also provide assistance and they often have knowledge sharing forums.
Are you using social media innovatively?
If you have developed ways to use social media innovatively, then perhaps you would like to consider applying for an ascilite Innovation Award? The due date is 15 October 2015 and more information is available on the website here. Alternatively, you might like to investigate beginning a SIG. You can find out more about ascilite's SIG initiative on the website here.
Call for Proposals for a Special Issue of AJET in 2016
The editors of the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET) welcome expressions of interest from individuals or teams interested in guest editing a special issue of the journal in 2016.
Expressions of interest of up to 500 words should include the following information:
- Names and affiliations of guest editor(s), including experience and brief biographical details
- Proposed special edition theme, including possible topics
- The relevance of the theme to the scope and coverage of the journal
- The significance of the theme in advancing the field of educational technology in higher education.
Full proposals will be requested from shortlisted EOIs selected by the AJET editorial board.
Please email your expression of interest to Prof Sue Bennett, AJET joint Lead Editor by 31 May 2015.
e-Assessment SIG News
Next Transforming Assessment Webinar (Reminder)
Topic: Development of 4D farms to improve student learning and safety
Date & Time: 6 May 2015, 07:00 UTC. Visit the website to find your local time zone.
Presenters: Stuart Barber, University of Melbourne, Australia
Abstract: The next session is relevant for anyone running field trips or site visits. Eleven high-resolution, panoramic four-dimensional (4D) virtual farms from across Australasia have been developed. These 4D farms and associated learning resources support student learning before, during and after student visits to properties. This presentation will provide an overview of the material, its current and potential use within veterinary and agricultural curricula and student assessment. This session will cover the background and goals of the project, and include demonstration of the website and associated learning modules.
Sessions are hosted by Professor Geoffrey Crisp, Dean Learning and Teaching, RMIT University and Dr Mathew Hillier, Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation, University of Queensland, Australia.
For further details and to register, visit the website.
Webinar Recording: Developing your Professional Portfolio for CMALT Australasia
Due to a technical glitch, the video recording of the ascilite Live! webinar Developing your Professional Portfolio for CMALT Australasia conducted on 23 April is not yet available. ascilite is working with Blackboard to resolve the issue and a link to the recording will be emailed to all those who registered for the webinar once it is available. The link will then be published in the 11 May bulletin for any member who may be interested in the subject of professional accreditation.
OTHER NEWS
Call for Papers: RUSC Special Section on the Internet & Online Pedagogy
RUSC (Universities and Knowledge Society Journal) articles should be submitted by 30 November 2015 for publication in Issue 13, Vol. 3 July 2016.
The Internet attracts our attention because we find it an effective way of doing many different things. This effectiveness is constantly put to the test in many aspects of life, such as politics, administration, health, consumerism, business, work, music, gaming and the construction of language. In the same way as in these social areas, talking about education today without mentioning the Internet is practically impossible; in fact, the absence of the Internet is much more obvious. However, the Internet is not simply a set of effective tools. The Internet implies unique ways of thinking, doing and feeling, which we draw on to contemplate and represent classic processes in a mediated, global and networked way. The Internet does not invent education, and it may not be more effective for learning, but it does help us think about educational matters from a different angle. Read more >>
Subject areas
We are seeking contributions that enable reflection and provide research results on the Special Section topic from all disciplines concerned with educational matters around the world.
Specifically, the thematic areas of the Special Section are:
Essays on or situational reviews of topics such as:
- Society, pedagogy and e-learning
- The challenges for pedagogy as an educational discipline in Internet times
- Epistemological problems surrounding knowledge and e-learning
Research works:
- Evaluation of emerging pedagogical models on the Internet
- Analysis of pedagogical discourse about the Internet
- Impact of new Internet disciplines on didactic proposals
- Review of the scientific literature on pedagogy and the Internet
- Special educational needs and online models
- Technological offering and educational needs
- Online pedagogy and culture in the classroom
- Pedagogical challenges of online assessment
- E-learning and identity
For further information, visit the RUSC website.
Free UniTuneIn App
ascilite members may be interested to know about a FREE app developed by faculty in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle. It is called "Uni Tune In" and is available now at the Apple App Store here.
The app is mainly for first year students although other students may benefit. Using short videos, the Uni Tune In app gives handy hints on active listening, note-taking, understanding, assessment, reading research papers, academic writing and much, much more. The videos are integrated into the app so no internet is needed.
If you would like to know more please email Dr Erica Southgate, Senior Lecturer who would be delighted to discuss this topic further! Alternatively, you may call Erica on +61 2 4921 6325.
25 Ways for Educators to Get the Most Out of Twitter
If you have toyed with the idea of using Twitter a bit more, the Edudemic blog (connecting education and technology) has posted a set of tips "25 Ways for Educators to Get the Most Out of Twitter". You'll find the blog article here.
