ASCILITE NEWS
AJET Issue 31 (2) Now Published
We are pleased to advise that the second issue of the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology for 2015 has been published. The editorial for AJET Issue 31(2) and the articles it contains are available from the AJET website.
As always we would like to thank our team of Associate Editors, Dr Stephen Marshall, Dr Chwee Beng Lee, Dr Petrea Redmond, Dr Shirley Agostinho, Dr Helen Farley, Associate Professor Eva Heinrich, Dr Lina Markauskaite and Professor Timothy Teo and our Copy Editors Kayleen Wood and Antonina Petrolito.
We would also like to acknowledge the authors for their contributions to AJET and for the support we received from them in preparing papers for this issue.
Michael Henderson, Sue Bennett, Barney Dalgarno,
Lead Editors, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
Spotlight on Professional Recognition and CMALT Australasia
What do professional practice, CoPs, portfolios, grandchildren, learning technology and Hong Kong have in common? These are all part of what binds together CMALT Australasia’s new Community of Practice.
As a service to our members asciite is investing time and significant effort into supporting the professional development of its members. One of the major ways in which we are doing this is through the CMALT Australasia professional recognition scheme. Full details of the Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology Australasia scheme can be found on the ascilite website here.
Our 2015 CMALT CoP is up and running with several members taking advantage of the support to advance the development of their professional portfolios towards getting their CMALT accreditation. In April we held an open webinar. One of the ALT CMALT Development Group members, Hennie Yip, joined us from Hong Kong to share her experience with members. The session provided an overview of the professional accreditation scheme, the support available for candidates and guidance to individual candidates towards the completion of their professional portfolios. The recording of the webinar is a valuable resource for CMALT applicants that is available online.
Current ascilite CMALT holders are providing mentoring support to CMALT registrants to guide them through their professional portfolio development. In May we had our first CoP web meeting where current CMALT Australasia holders Michelle Salmona and Kulari Lokuge Dona shared their insights and the CoP members could ask questions and share their own progress.
We are using a Google+ site as a virtual meeting space for the CoP – and that’s where the grand children come in. A “Getting to know you” activity in our Google+ Community site was a chance for proud grandparents to show off the next generation (and no, you don’t have to have grand children to join the CoP!).
The CMALT Australasia leaders on the ascilite Executive Committee are working to increase the number of ascilite members who are registered with ALT as assessors of CMALT portfolios. You do not need to be a CMALT holder to be an assessor and peer review of others’ work is a good professional development opportunity in its own right. To become an assessor you need to do the ALT ‘training’ (i.e. attend a webinar), familiarise yourself with the Assessor Guidelines and register with ALT. Find out more on the ALT website here.
Think about CMALT if you want to start developing a professional portfolio towards promotion, to get professional recognition for your work or even to get involved in peer review of professional practice by becoming an assessor. It is not too late to join the CMALT CoP.
Email Mark Northover or Janet Buchan for more information or to become part of our CMALT Community of Practice.
Kind Regards,
Janet Buchan
ascilite Executive
ascilite2015 Conference Submissions: extended deadlines
Deadlines for submissions to the asciltie2015 conference have now been extended. The date for all submissions, including workshops, papers and abstracts, posters and symposiums is now 15 July so if you are interested in making a submission there is still time.
Those who are pressed for time may wish to consider making an Abstract only submission. For further details you will find information on the conference themes, the different submission types and submission procedures here.
OTHER NEWS
Open Education Licensing project – invitation to participate
Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Tasmania are undertaking a research project into open educational licensing, funded by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching. As part of the project we are conducting an online survey about existing and future open education licensing policies and practices in Australian higher education institutions. The results will contribute to the development of a toolkit to help Australian teaching professionals and universities make informed decisions around open licensing.
The project team would like to invite you to contribute to this project by completing the following survey, which is likely to take only 20 minutes of your time. Data collected will be recorded in a manner to ensure confidentiality. Please click here to access the survey.
As a member of this professional network, currently working within the sector, your views and perceptions on the issues we are investigating would be invaluable and warmly welcomed. We hope you will consider being involved.
Further details on the project can be obtained from the website.
Please do not hesitate to email us at oelproject@swin.edu.au if you have any further questions related to this project.
Your contribution to this project would be greatly appreciated!
Kind Regards,
Robin Wright (project leader on behalf of the project team)
New Articles of Interest (ALT UK)
Book Review: Educational Innovations & Contempory Technologies
This book is arranged as a set of case studies focusing on ‘specialised educational technologies; particular groups of learners; and teacher education.’ Read more >>
Permanent Link to The Question of ‘Disruptive Technologies’: some heretical thoughts
My purpose is not to write against technology. What I propose is that we, the educational community, need to carefully consider the deeper implications when it comes to new and emerging technologies. We need to have a developed way of thinking that lies behind the creation and the use of technology. Read more >>
Job Vacancy: Linux Developer, University of Queensland
UQ has a vacancy for a Linux Developer [AUD$69-75K pa + super] to work on multiple innovative projects driving forward The University of Queensland's Teaching and Learning strategy.
Located at UQ's St Lucia Campus (Brisbane), 60% of time will be devoted to developing a new Linux based e-Exam platform and infrastructure while the remaining 40% will be on assorted e-learning tools projects.
This is a full-time, 2 Year contract with possibility of extension (pending funding). The application deadline is 03 Jul 2015 (11:55 PM) Australia Eastern Standard Time.
To apply, please refer to the detailed position description and application instructions at UQ jobs here.
Job Vacancy: Educational Developer, UNSW
A part time (4 days per week) backfill position in the central Learning and Teaching Unit is available at the University of NSW from August 2015 to July 2016.
Further details are available on the UNSW website. Applications close 5 July 2015.
