2008 - 2013 Flexible Learning Course

Thank you for your interest in the 2009 Flexible Learning course. Please take a moment to review the tabs above (about:news:join:schedule), then return here to "news".

We start this course with orientation and introductions. Who are you? Who are we? Are you in the right place? Can you manage the time commitment? What's involved? Who can I get help from?

You have 4 things to do

1. Please take the Pre-course survey. (Survey opens March 16)

2. Watch this video that explains this course, and review the course schedule.

3. Introduce yourself to the course by setting up your blog, posting an introduction, and leaving the link for your blog as a comment on the "Join" page.

Tell us:

• who you are and your area of expertise, making sure to mention any experience you might already have with flexible learning;
• your reasons for doing this course and what you aim to achieve by taking the course;
• any questions or comments from the orientation week or course schedule.

Why not put a face to your introduction using a simple web cam and Youtube?. Here's Leigh to start it off :) Note the extra resources below.. including a link on how to use a webcam with Youtube. If this step is technically too challenging, text will be fine.

4. Listen to the recording of the session for the first workshop on Elluminate - this is if you were unable to attend the face-to-face workshop or wish to review the proceedings of the 18 March session.

• Contact Bronwyn for further advice: bronwynh@tekotago.ac.nz +64(0)21735438 or freephone 0800 762786 ext8360
  

For online meetings, it is a good idea to test your access well in advance of the class sessions. The meeting link will remain open for the duration of the course. No password is needed, just enter your name.

• Helpdesk for technical computing assistance is available by phone and email.
  • Phone: 0800 762 786 ext. 8039.
  • Email: helpdeskATtekotagoDOTacDOTnz

Ensure you tell them your name, username, name of the course and a brief description of the problem.

The workshop was a chance for you to meet your facilitators - Bronwyn Hegarty and Leigh Blackall - and others in the class. People had an opportunity to ask questions about the course and the assessments and discuss their interests around flexible learning. We had some discussion about how technology can often overshadow learning and provoke anxiety. Open software and the idea of open access to courses was mentioned as well as learning preferences and personalised learning opportunities.

Several people spoke to the group - Jacinda Boivin re library services at the Bill Robertson library; Lyn Blair and Jacquie Hayes spoke about their experiences in previous courses - very enthusiastically - and told everyone about the computing support provided by the Community Learning Centres (CLCs) at Forth St, Princes St, South Dunedin and Mosgiel. This was of particular interest for people new to blogging. Helen Lindsay told everyone about the help which the Learning Centre could provide with writing and study skills

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extra resources

• Text: How to use a webcam with Youtube
• Video: How to set up a blog
• Text: Create and maintain a basic weblog
• Search result: How to embed Youtube into Blogger?
• Audio: Rachel Gillies - A course participant from 2007.
• Audio: Interview with Ruth Lawson, a course participant from 2007 speaking about her flexible development plan for the course and what she is doing now.
• Text: List of other participant blogs