Today was Otago Polytechnic graduation. The section in which I work -CAPABLENZ -that works with experienced people to promote critical reflections of that experience towards a presentation to a panel of expert assessors, had 100 graduands. The qualifications included tertiary teaching; Apllied management; Youth Work; Business administration; Building surveying; Counselling;career practice; Construction management;Design (Fashion); Design (Product).

It is an affirmation of the value of experienced people and their timely links to reflection on their experience.
It is also an affirmation of the value of intentionally supportive practice for those who have not been part of the regular education system for some time.

This is what makes the work worth while.
AND the challenge is how to work well with distance people.

I wonder if what we see is what is there? I have brought many biases and interpretations to education and my work with learners that I'm sure have been slightly off-focus. It is in the listening to the learner that the lens is recalibrated.the mini conference topics will allow this focussing to happen I'm sure.

restraining (retraining) Tweets

I have had a Twitter account for a month now. In that time I have followed several people and learned some personal and some professional details of their lives. (I have also connected with a relative and that is a bonus.) the meeting I attended didn't do it for me, as my tweets got lost somewhere and so didn't gain traction.
I have decided that for the moment my on line personality and the platform that Twitter affords this is not of sufficient reward to continue.
I'm interested in the recent work on Web3 presence and wonder if we are simply working through a period of web2 stuff to get us all to be without a computer at all?

which system,which tool?

having experienced several platforms for connecting and found most of them rather frustrating, (including Boldchat that the NZ Career service uses), I'm wondering about the whole notion of having an e-learning prescence.
I find the cautions of Synapsis rather helpful. certainly Plan B is an omnipresent imperative.
alas, we don't always have one.
So we are left with the notion that the technology can (and often does) drive the pedagogy- a situation I find almost intolerable.

beaking out all over

and no it isn't only spring that has broken out.

the breakout time in Elluminate has shown our collective wish to have:
1)timers showing in all the rooms- well the wonderful Jo Hart says yes you choose the "seen by all" option and that will happen.

2) screens loaded in each room. again JoHart gives us plenty of answers and more besides. Thank goodness for such people, as the material from Elluminate itself is really only promotional- what you can do rather than how.

The other suggestions from Sarah around room leaders or what we had called guardians or kaitiaki in our planning, the summaries at the end etc are indeed all real group facilitator musts aren't they? I was so reminded that it is so easy to be tipped off a well balanced perch by technical malfunctions.
and yes it is Spring. so all those blossoms, tulips, dafodils, etc are showing purpose and hope in our gardens.
May you and yours be well tended at this time.

the microwave experience

well I think of todays time in Ellmunate as the "microwave" session.
Jane Scripps analgy for that new appliance in the kitchen is so apt.
This appliance,Elluminate and the possibilities inherent in the use of Breakout Rooms is very seductive and "now", but like all appliances it needs tinme to learn and test its subtleties and for all the contributors to be functiong.
We suffered in that Karen's connection from Canada was highly intermittent both visually and in sound.
In addition we had needed a sample group to try various ways of assigning spaces and the functioning of those spaces.
I think what we did have was a most interesting learning experience from a developmental trio who worked to keep interest and input alive.
Thanks to all those in the group for their careful and thoughtful contributions.

technology tools for sound pedagogy/development

In the last two weeks I have been excited by the Elluminate sessions with Nancy White and Greg Walker and also the blog notes of Jo harte's tips that I can see how this online tool of Elluminate can carry such sound pedagogical and developmental practice.
I am in awe of those who seem to be able to wear the four shoes of e-facilitation.
For me the technological shoe is the challenge and I guess it is much the same challenge as having legible and interesting whiteboard script. just different tools for the visuals.
I have been so heartened by the message that the pedagogy is the important thing and the tool simply supports that to happen. several of our network have reinforced that message.
The educational issues that Sarah finds are much the same as ours in NZ, so we are an internationalo netwrok of people trying top make sound eeucational and develo0pmental sens of the use of online techn ology.
Our endeavours in this course are very valuable. Rayna Dickson acknowledges the value, excitement and motivation of discovering online experiences.She sees the making of connections as a valuble activity and experience,and the "light bulb" happening when a door is opened through this.
I believe we are on the cusp of a new set of learnings and I look forward to those.