1. If you’ve arrived early
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Tools > Audio > Audio Setup Wizard

2. INTRODUCTIONS Paul Richardson Sharon Crossan eLearning Adviser
(ACL)
Sharon Crossan
eLearning Adviser
(Learning Resources)
Paul and Sharon are both part of the advisory team at the JISC Regional Support Centre Wales. The centre serves to disseminate the work which JISC has done to promote elearning into all educational sectors, including Higher Education, Further Education, Work Based Learning and the Voluntary Sector.

3. JISC RSC Wales
The RSC Wales website allows you to access our resources and services, including news, events, advice and blogs.

4. Have you used Elluminate/ Blackboard Collaborate before today?
Green tick for ‘Yes’
Red cross for ‘No’.
The software which we will use is called Blackboard ‘Collaborate’ . It was formerly called ‘Elluminate’. I may use these names interchangeably, as I may forget about this change.

5. Using Chat POST A MESSAGE TO THE GROUP
FONT TOO SMALL?
Right-click in each box and choose Make text bigger or Make text smaller or Text Size
POST A MESSAGE TO THE GROUP
Type your Chat message in the box and press Send
Chat messages will appear in the box above.
REMEMBER: Everyone in the room will see your message.
POST A MESSAGE TO AN INDIVIDUAL/MODERATOR
Send messages to individuals or the Moderators:
Use the drop-down to find the person you want to send you message to before you press Send
Using Chat
This slide will help you to use the ‘Chat’ pane in Elluminate. Please feel free to ask questions and to make comments as we go along, using the chat pane, using the instructions on the screen now. Are there any questions about this? Please type a message to introduce yourself, and tell us where you are from.

6. Interaction Tools Ask questions – raise your hand
SAVE A COPY OF THE PRESENTATION
Save a copy of the presentation: select whiteboard and change the file type to pdf
Ask questions – raise your hand
Use the emoticons! This helps the presenter!
Happy, Confused, Round of applause, Thumbs-down
Yes/No response – your results are shown against your name.
Need to step away for a few minutes? Click this when you leave, and again when you return.
Interaction Tools
There are a number of emoticons and other options you may want to explore, which can tell other participants more about you. If you understand the system so far, please give me a smiley face.

7. It’s Out There Somewhere…
Everyone is aware that there are an immense number of resources ‘and services out there’ on the worldwide web. It is also obvious that there is a huge variation in quality of these resources. This is a bit like looking out to sea with a pair of binoculars: you know that there is a great deal out there, but much of it is beneath the surface, and it can be very hard to see it.

8. Aims
To raise awareness of the scope of resources ‘out there’ which may be used for learning and teaching. To identify any barriers to free and open use. To model good practice in the area of resource discovery and use.
The aims of the session are:
To raise awareness of the scope of resources ‘out there’ which may be used for learning and teaching.
To identify any barriers to free and open use.
To model good practice in the area of resource discovery and use.

9. The Problem
Over the last decade, the quantity of learning resources has grown exponentially. How are these resources used? The value of a resource depends on its context.
Over the last decade, the quantity of learning resources has grown exponentially. These include familiar resources like Wikipedia, BBC Skillswise, as well as lots of content create by colleges and universities.
However, it is less clear who is using these resources, and for what purpose. The Open University has a team which is dedicated to monitoring downloads and interpreting the data, and the BBC does something similar.
The value of a resource depends on its context. Resources which are relevant, and at an appropriate level, can enhance learning and motivate learners. Inappropriate or poor resources can have the opposite effect. The teacher needs to skills to identify good ‘stuff’, and also needs to pass these skills on to the students.

10. It’s about the conversation…..
Ultimately, these choices are down to the teachers themselves, with advice from learning resources specialists such as Sharon. Some resource banks for education have peer review or rating systems of various kinds, which can help teachers to decide which resources to use. However, much of the discourse around resources is still informal – and I for one hope that it remains that way. In other words, it is all in the conversation. If you work in an organisation which has a staff room, the discussion may take place there. If not, then it has to take place in a variety of other places, often online, such as blogs, forums and twitter. These can be like ‘sitting on a doorstep having a good natter is for people in this picture. I would encourage everyone who is serious about making best use of online resources to engage with their subject communities in this way.
Photo by timrb:

11. Show Explore Discuss Workshop plan
That is my preamble, and now for the main part of the workshop.
This workshop will run on this basis cycle: show; explore; discuss.
I will begin by showing you a few of my favourite online resources. Then I will ask you to explore these further, or to choose others to explore.
Finally, we will share the outcomes of the process, and discuss the merits of these resources.

12. Some Examples…
Here is a resource I particularly like. This is by Salman Khan of the Massachussetts Institute of Technology, who has created a massive bank of video lessons on a whole range of topics, including maths, chemistry, physics and biochemistry. There is also an ordered sequence of tests ranging from very simple (elementary school level) up to graduate level.
The main page for his site is here:
In a moment, I am going to ask you to visit this site, and to watch a small sample of video. When you go to the site, you will find some more recent videos near the top. Please scroll down, and select ‘Simple Equations’ , which is the first item under the algebra heading. In case you need it the direct link to the video is:
Please note that YouTube has a number of useful features making them more accessible to a range of users, and one of these is ‘captioning’. These are generated automatically by a computer, so the results are sometimes a little strange. However, if you would like to experiment, you can switch the captioning on by pointing at the ‘up’ arrow under the YouTube logo at the bottom right of the screen, and selecting ‘CC’ from the list.
I would like you to watch the first two minutes of the video, and then stop. Please give us a ‘Green tick’ when you have finished watching, so that I know when to start again. Thanks.

13. Explore
Following the Massachessett Institute of Technology (MIT)’s lead in 2000, a number of leading universities have opted to make some or all of their learning content available online, and the Open University is a leading example in the UK. These institutions judge that their business is not threatened by this act of ‘altruism’, but rather that it opens the way to more effective marketing of their courses.

14. EdMediaShare is a new site set up by a JISC Advance service called JISC Digital Media. It is a site where organisations and individuals can contribute video resources. These are moderated by the site owners, and can be rated and commented upon by users. It enables educators to browse a collection of videos of reliable quality and educational value.

15. Show Explore Discuss Workshop plan
I would like you to Explore some of the resources, or perhaps others which you may know about, and you would like to share with other participants. The next slide carries the link which you will need in order to do this….

16. Explore Open the online spreadsheet at: http://bit.ly/veaEKq
Browse to resource which you like, either from the example sets, or elsewhere..
Tell us what you like about the resource, and what levels and subjects it would suit.
Open the online spreadsheet at:
Browse to resource which you like, either from the example sets, or elsewhere..
Tell us what you like about the resource, and what levels and subjects it would suit.
Please be prepared to share your best find with us – perhaps you could capture the URL onto your clipboard ready to share in the chat pane.
Spend eight minutes doing this. Sharon will start the timer. When the clock reaches zero, please maximise your Elluminate window again, and tick the green tick to indicate that you are back with us.
Or use the long URL to Google doc to record findings:

17. Show Explore Discuss Workshop plan
I would now like you to discuss any interesting resources which you have seen, or discovered during the session (or before it). Please let people know via the chat pane if you have found anything which you think was particularly useful in your own context.

18. It’s about the conversation…..
As I said earlier, I think our ability to find good online resources, and to use them effectively is about the conversations which we have with our colleagues. Here are some tools which I use on a daily basis in order to facilitate these conversations
Photo by timrb:

19. Conversational tools: RSS
Do you use RSS? A: Yes, I use it regularly B: I use it occasionally C: I have tried it, but don’t like it much D: I have never hear of it.
Do you use RSS? Please let me know about your experience of RSS by selecting on of the options in the polling tool on the left side of your screen, just below the participants list.
RSS usually stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’, and it allows you to set up a notification whenever a web page is edited, so that you can keep an eye on news streams and blogs without having to remember to revisit them. We will show you a short video about how to set this up in a few minutes.

20. Conversational tools: Twitter
Do you use Twitter? A: Yes, I use it regularly B: I use it occasionally C: I have tried it, but don’t like it much D: I have never heard of it.
Do you use Twitter? Please select one of the options A-D.
Twitter is a useful way of swapping snippets of information with colleagues. Because it is informal and very widely used, it is also a good way of making new contacts, and these people can help you to find new resources, and stuff you didn’t know about before.
Some guidance on getting started on Twitter is available here:
You may want to follow us! The links are on the last slide. If you have a Twitter ID which you would like to share, please post it to the chat pane.

21. Conversational tools: Delicious
Do you use Delicious? A: Yes, I use it regularly B: I use it occasionally C: I have tried it, but don’t like it much D: I have never hear of it. E: I use a different bookmark sharing service, e.g. Diigo, Google reader
What is your view of Delicious? Please select one of the options A-E.
Delicious enables you to share your bookmarks with a wider community of users, including tags to indicate subject matter, and notes to indicate the quality of the resource. It also means that you can access your bookmarks when you are on a different computer from the one you normally use.

22.
This video, made by Sharon, shows you how to set up an RSS feed. This was made using an online ‘screencast’ service called Jing. There are a number of services of this kind which are simple to use, but unlike You Tube, they usually don’t include a captioning service.

23. In practice, how do you identify the best resources for your learners
Please type additional ideas in the chat pane. For example, do you use Google? If so, what are you favourite techniques for getting the best results? Personally, I like Google Scholar, but this perhaps works best in Higher Education.

24. Summary and Conclusions
It is very hard to get an overview of the vast range of resources ‘out there’. They are very variable in terms of quality. Nobody has time to review these comprehensively, or to collate them in one place. Peer support networks are required for evaluation and sharing of good practice. New technologies can facilitate these networks.
It is very hard to get an overview of the vast range of resources ‘out there’.
They are very variable in terms of quality.
Nobody has time to review these comprehensively, or to collate them in one place.
Peer support networks are required for evaluation and sharing of good practice.
New technologies can facilitate these networks.

25. One final thing….
If you would like to know more about Blackboard Collaborate, or comparable ‘webcasting’ systems, please contact us….
If you would like to know more about Blackboard Collaborate, or comparable ‘webcasting’ systems, please contact us….

26. JISC RSC Wales Further Information
@sharon_crossan
These are our contact details.