Image: ‘1950 Christmas Advertisement’ by majamom from Flickr, used under Creative Commons
Ah the innocence of it all…back then before the credit crunch and the PC…
So here we are at the last NewsFeed of what has been a memorable year, though perhaps for all the wrong reasons and who knows what the year to come might bring? We do know that it marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Burns and that the the Hamecoming programme will be turned up to 11. We also know that NewsFeed will continue to scan the virtual horizons for technologies and techniques to add value to teaching and learning in the information age.
In this issue, look out for details of how to register for the annual JISC conference which ventures over the border to Edinburgh in March of 2009, news of technologies to capture lectures and lessons at no cost, as well as resources for teaching genetics. There’s also a guest contribution illustrating how e-portfolios and Moodle are being used in a college in the West.
So sit back and relax with NewsFeed for the last time in 2008. As always, if you have any comment you’d like to make on any item we’d be delighted to hear from you.
Finally, season’s greetings to all our readers from the staff at the Scottish JISC Regional Support Centres.
e-Portfolios are not a new concept. In various guises, digital presentations of skills and competences, online records of achievement, and action plans with opportunities for reflection have been in use in education for nearly a decade. So what is new about e-portfolios?
Netskills hope to answer this question with their free-to-attend workshop which explores how e-portfolios can support 21st century learning. Drawing on the new JISC infoNet e-Portfolio infoKit, other JISC-funded projects and other significant e-portfolio developments, the workshop provides a snapshot of learning enhanced by e-portfolios in higher, further and continuing education.
Would you like to be able to record your lecture, meeting or presentation to make them available via the web? There are a number of software companies who provide systems to simultaneously record your desktop, presentation and any audio/video, automatically merging the output into a single streamable web resource which can be indexed and archived for future reuse. These systems can cost thousands of pounds but one product, Panopto CourseCast, is being made freely available to selected educational institutions.
CourseCast was originally developed by Carnegie Mellon University and is now run as a commercial operation by Panopto. Carnegie Mellon are keen “to give back to academia in a manner in which [they] received benefit” and consequently are making CourseCast available to accredited academic institutions via their Socrates Project. If you would like to see what is possible with the CourseCast system you can see some of Panopto’s showcase examples here.
Man with IBM 5100 Portable Computer
Originally uploaded by stuffthathappens
Did you own a IBM 5100 Portable Computer? If so you’re probably still suffering back pains from lugging the 25kg “compact problem-solving aid for engineers, statisticians, scientists and financial and business analysts”. The 5100 included an integrated 1024 character display and 16K of memory (upgradable to 64K). If you were one of the few who forked out the $20,000 price tag I’m sure you’re getting misty eyed over the “100 often-used analytical routines in mathematical, statistical and financial calculations” included with the 5100.
If you would like to reminisce over some more computing firsts including the first computer mouse which is celebrating its 40th birthday, or the first hard disk drive, head over to Royal Pingdom who have put together The history of PC hardware, in pictures
Frances Neilson, Scottish Account Manager for JANET(UK) popped into the RSC Office last week to do a video update on the latest JANET services.
She talks about EdLab, the new high definition video service from JVCS, JANET Collaborate and JANET Talk. Watch the videos over on the RSC Technical Blog.
The digital archive comprises photographs plus documents, publications and other printed material either created or gathered by Richard Demarco. The digital records are drawn from the Demarco archives held by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Demarco European Art Foundation.
Google have released a new free service called Friend Connect which allows you to embed social networking tools into existing webpages. The service includes a login feature which as well as recognising Google logins, is also OpenID compliant meaning the service can be used by non-Google account holders without having to create a new profile. Gadgets already available include a noticeboard, commonly referred to in social networking sites as a ‘wall’, and a review/rate gadget. Google are hoping the gadgets won’t stop there. Friend Connect is compatible with their OpenSocial standard so they will be looking towards the crowd to create new gadgets. The key strength of Friend Connect is that it integrates into existing webpages, so interactions happen on your website without the user having to be directed to another location.
Setting up Friend Connect is relatively straight forward. To start connecting you need to register with the service here. This process generates two files which you need to upload to your web server. To start using the gadgets you need to enter some generated code into your website to allow members to login. You can then choose the social features you want to include, again pasting the automatically generated code into the appropriate place.
David McDade – Section Leader, Computer Networking at Stow College has integrated two complementary open source learning systems, providing a single sign on process for learners which minimizes barriers to study and reduces administrative overheads.
After an RSC demonstration of Mahara – the open source e-Portfolio system - David resolved to try to integrate it with the Moodle VLE that he had piloted with some of his students last year. With 10 years UNIX system administration behind him it was a challenge he couldn’t resist. His research revealed what he described as “a pretty comprehensive guide” to completing the job and the Moodle and Mahara forums provided guidance for his project.
Aware of issues for many students remembering passwords for the numerous systems that they use for learning, personal and social purposes, David’s aim was to develop a system which would mean that by signing into Moodle, students would also be able to access their e-Portfolio without the need to sign in again.
With a background in server administration, he had no problem setting up the server to host the applications once suitable hardware was made available, and he was assisted by the IT support team who donated a server and created a college URL for the site.
David describes the process, “When you set up the certificates between the two systems, you can add a network server block for Moodle on any course. When the student goes into any of the courses that they have access to, there is a link to their own e-Portfolio.” And the system can be set up to go both ways, so that a student could signing into Mahara could get access to their Moodle courses, but David has elected to set it up one way at the moment while users get to grips with the system.
With the technology in place, David is shifting his attention to the learning opportunities provided by the integrated system. Tools within the e-Portfolio system include personal development planners, CV builders and a system to record and document achievement and learning progress. Of particular interest to many of the students on David’s courses is the ability to make a CV available electronically to prospective employers, a facility which gives them a competitive edge and enhances their job prospects.
Feedback from the IT department has been very positive, particularly on how the systems integrate and the possibilities for future developments. Five staff in the Computing department are using the system over 15 courses and other departments are also interested in the development. Staff are confident that the technology is robust, with training offered by David and a support system in place to help staff exploit these new tools for learning & teaching.
Projects and experiences like this one at Stow College provide important evidence of the value of open source software. They also demonstrate the value of the support communities and the extensive knowledge base that accumulates as open source software develops.
JISC is delighted to announce that registration for the JISC Conference in Edinburgh on March 24th next year is now open. Please go to the JISC Conference website to register online. The full programme, with details of all parallel sessions is available online and you can sign up to the sessions you want to attend. Register as early as possible to avoid disappointment!
The conference is for all those involved in planning for and supporting the use of technology in FE, HE and research, including:
Senior managers responsible for developing and implementing policy and strategy
Staff who support the use of technology in educational organisations, including practitioners
Teachers and researchers with an interest in the use of technology
Welcome to the RSC NewsFeed blog from the two Scottish Regional Support Centres. The blog is designed to keep the FE and HE community informed about the latest ICT-related news, events, resources and training. Please feel free to leave a comment.
e-Portfolios are not a new concept. In various guises, digital presentations of skills and competences, online records of achievement, and action plans with opportunities for reflection have been in use in education for nearly a decade. So what is new about e-portfolios?
