Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Converging Technologies ‘Tools of the Trade’ Rethinking how to connect with today’s learners Presented by Paula E. Williams Acting CEO Learning Technologies Unit

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Converging Technologies Today’s students have been described as having an ‘information age’ mindset, being Millennials or members of the Net Generation. While this portrayal of generational learning styles can be oversimplified, the technology and media used by children during their formative years do have an influence on how they learn, as do the media used by adults. However, technology is no more static than people. The internet is a constantly evolving infrastructure that now supports many media, (Dede, 2005) Sydney Morning Herald (SMH)10 October 2005

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Sydney Morning Herald - 1 st October 2005 Today’s students are predominantly 24-40yrs

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Today The Future nd Industrial Revolution The Computer Communication Revolution Information The S Curves of Technological Change Age of Transitions Biology Nano -Science

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Blackboard- chalk 1960’s White board -Artline Pens 1980’s Overhead transparencies – 1990’s Duplicating paper (environmentally unfriendly) Roneo Vickers Stencilling Carbon Copiers Gestetner machines Photocopying –Xerox machines Network B/W & Colour printers (laser) Recording Devices Cassette tapes Video’s CD ROMs/DVD’s Teachers are trying to connect with today’s learners using the tools of the 70’s and 80’s

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Hard copy (paper-based resources/notes) CD ROM Personal Computers with access to Internet 1. – 2.Online delivery via LMS (Janison) Teachers moved from creating paper-based delivery to electronic delivery using Web 1.0 Learners were studying online around the beginning of the 21 st Century -2000

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ SMS Hi K… Ru f3 2 c my nu car 2day or L8r on 2moro ?

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ H i d u d e s ! C g 8 p i c o f m y l i l b r o t h e r w i t h n u i p o d g o t o M p e g + h e a r d o w n l o a d s o n m y b l o g s i t e.. MMS Moblogging Audiopeg and Video Messaging …

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Then came Web 2.0… From the blogging phenomenom and the mobile devicesphenomenom

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ MP3s (iPods, nanopods) Podcasting Mobile Phones SMS/MMS Moblogging/audioblogging/Moblogging Social Software Blogs,wikis PDA’s MMS,Video Digital Storytelling (Photostory 3)Photostory 3 Smartboards,videoconferencing Webconferencing tools Breeze, illuminate,Bridgit VOIP eg Skype, MSN,MySpace,Gmail,Google Virtual 3D worlds eg Second Life, GPS positioning eg Googlemaps,Navman,RFID Options for Converging Technologies

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ What staff need Awareness of available technologies More tools and time to provide educational support Less time on administrative tasks More effective tools for communicating with students and off-site teachers Time to be trained

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ X x x x x WSI Transition Stages Presence Integration Transformation Convergence The S-curve for WSI is just at the point of entering the ‘Convergence Stage’ Mid-2005

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Emergent technologies currently evaluated Currently WSI is evaluating the following learning technologies for delivering better services and implement new learning options to improve student outcomes. Virtual Community ToolsInterwiseInterwise, Elluminate, Didasko, Captivate, Moodle, Audacity, Centra Digital Presentation Tools: PhotoStory 3, PhotoStory 3, Moviemaker Online Assessment Tools: Questionmark, Questionmark, KnowledgePresenter, Vetassess, LXR Test VetassessLXR Test Collaborative Tools Social Software Tools eNote Taking Tools Janison Forum, Chit Chat Wikis, BloggingWikis, Blogging, Moblogging, plone, ejournals, OneNote, Clipmark, ViewletOneNote Audio Tools:Podcasting, Mp3, Podcasting, Mp3, Player, Audio Navigator Mobile Devices SMS/MMS Trials : iPAQ600 HP PDA’s, Smart Phones

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Evaluation criteria WSI Students  Scalability  Cost effectiveness  Accessibility  Synchronous/asynchronous or both  Interoperability with other application software Bandwidth  Cost for Students  Any special software  CD options  Accessibility

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Western Sydney Institute of TAFE must continue to adopt innovative approaches to make education relevant and accessible to all learners so as to implement new learning options to improve student outcomes and thus prepare our workforce for the challenges of tomorrow. “ Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach” (Prensky,2001) Time to rethink how we teach…

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ Conclusion Already, new socio-economic trends have arisen along with new and emerging technologies. This will require change to educational curricula, workforce skills, new teaching and learning models, and as consequence business strategy models.

Converging technologies in the ‘ Age of Transition’ It’s NO use his mobile isn’t switched on! “…. M mmm Learning …anywhere, anytime!”