Languages@warwick featured on warwicknowledge

So exciting this morning to see twitter announcing the warwicknowledge feature on our language learning portal http://m2.warwicklanguage.org.uk/

It has taken many years to get to this stage and in many ways it is still just the beginning but it is such a boost to have a public acknowledgement of what we have achieved so far. I say "we" because, although the article focuses on my role, there are many others whose contribution should be acknowledged. There was support from Warwick's LDC and the more recent IATL; encouragement from Language Centre colleagues, both tutors and support staff; Warwick students too played a vital part in shaping the portal. In my wider Personal Learning Network those at Moodle, wimba and remote learner contributed their expertise en route. If the portal is my latest baby, it is one borne of collaboration and it will flourish if we continue to work together for the creation of great learning opportunities.

#edchat challenge

Enjoyed a lively discussion on twitter #edchat tonight and @shellterrell which ended with a challenge to suggest a way forward for education reform. This is a subject close to my heart as I am passionate about ensuring high quality teaching and learning for all that is not just driven by metrics and league tables. There is so much excitement, commitment and innovation visible in webinars now, technology can be the channel to ensure that high quality information can be shared. Educators need to be lifelong learners, connected to a wide range of professionals - as Tom Whitby just said (on a radio broadcast I'm listening to online from the UK) educators have the right to live in caves if they wish, they do not have the right to drag their students into them. I'd love to get our bb collaborate room into gear to make this happen :)

e-portfolio research

Now starting to find my way through the blogs, twitter feeds, studies and research to establish a suitable framework for evaluating our e-portfolios. Our implementation is due to start in October with a small pilot group. Lots of useful information from JISC and Becta. We will be emphasising the employability skills enhancement that we can deliver by encouraging the mastery of the available technologies and engagement with the language learning process. It is very important to me that we facilitate deep learning through a reflective, story telling approach. I found this presentation very significant:
http://www.vimeo.com/23513397

Change MOOC

Wishing to experience for myself learning as it is presented through connectivism, I signed up for the change MOOC this year. Several things both alarm and intrigue me. Firstly there will be lots of content, too much in fact for me or indeed the facilitators to read, I will have to control my desire to grasp every detail! Secondly "This is an unusual course. It does not consist of a body of content you are supposed to remember. Rather, the learning in the course results from the activities you undertake, and will be different for each person" OK so I can browse and follow my interests, I can "aggregate, remix, repurpose and feed forward" so far, so real life. I am intrigued because now I can see that I will be making my own way through a virtual conrfield, leaving the trampled corn as evidence of my passing by. I hope there will be clearings where I will meet and share with others to be sure that I haven't lost my way.

Moving on

The next steps blog was created to help me keep track of the stages of development that grew from my Warwick E-Learning Award and the creation back in 2004/5 of the online client support site. I think it is helpful to look back and summarise these before moving on.
Since those days, my online presence has grown considerably, to the extent that I have made many new "virtual" friends, 400+ followers on twitter, youtube channels, netvibes pages etc., presented at ALT-C, AULC and Edulearn11 and written articles. I completed my M.A. in post-compulsory education thanks to Alison Le Cornu, achieved a Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence (2009) and a fellowship at the Institute of Advanced Teaching and Learning. I am proud of my achievements and I know my father (who died suddenly of cancer early in this journey) would have been so too.
Now I need to plan the next steps for my career and build on the progress I have made. The implementation of moodle 2 for the Language Centre will be a watershed and should be completed before the summer ends. With technical support handed over to others, I should be able to focus on my next steps and ensure that this journey has a suitable destination for me personally.

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