‘The Wow Factor’
Certainly for our 2007 project leaders, the recent Community Engagement project induction workshop, created an agreed ‘wow’ factor. Our twelve community leaders returned to their communities and project planning committees with a range of new ideas, resources and tools to support their project’s aims and objectives throughout 2007 and beyond.
The two-day workshop, held in Sydney, brought together projects from Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales who shared their project aims and objectives and also were given an opportunity to have a ’shared understanding’ of the expectations and operating environment for the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).
Well known Framework identities including Jeff Saul and his NSW team, Clint Smith, Cathy Baxter, Hayley Beck, Rhonda Appo, Carole McCulloch and Phil Wheeler helped to create a feeling of commitment, enthusiasm and excitement. Jeff ’set the scene’ with his official welcome in place of Simon Paine who at late notice was unable to attend the workshop. Robyn Jay handled the microphone with great professionalism. After hearing from Jeff, Robyn and Shane we all have a better understanding of e-learning in New South Wales.
Phil’s session left us all excited about the range of free tools available, where to find them and how to customise and upload them. Clint wowed us with a session on the Designing E-learning online resource, using the Tasmanian Communities Online as an exemplar.
Carole introduced us to the notion of personal learning environments and we are now ‘iGoogle‘ enthusiasts madly creating our own online presence. So much learning and so much fun!
Our two project community leaders representing 2005 and 2006 (John Tucker and Carole McCulloch) facilitated a study circle experience for the 2007 project community leaders using the following questions to stimulate the discussion:
- What are your best hopes for adding technology to teaching and learning?
- What are your worst fears for adding technology to teaching and learning?
The conversation was captured on a visual mind map which helped to summarise the main points providing a range of thoughts and perhaps challenges for the project team and project community leaders to consider as we move forward with the 2007 Community Engagement projects.
Other participants included Ron Anderson from Adult Learning Australia and Dr Kaye Bowman who is conducting an evaluation of the Community Engagement project.
It seemed everyone left the Community Engagement project induction workshop with a lot of energy and a sense of working together to achieve the project’s aims to create sustainable demand for and use of e-learning in communities, building human capacity and facilitating adult learning. You’ll find a collection of photos at flickr.
