Digital Dialogues

Extending your links - Videoconference workshops

Here's a series of videoconferencing events put together by LearnTel and Polycom:

Why Attend?

• Enhance your knowledge of the use of videoconferencing
• Exchange ideas with other educators
• See developments in videoconference systems
• Network with other professionals

Session 1: Introduction to Videoconference Teaching

A one-day workshop designed for those who have little or no experience with videoconferencing. It will give an overview of videoconferencing and how it can be used for teaching and learning. You will learn how to create and/or adapt existing activities and materials for effective videoconference learning and teaching. Topics covered include:

• Introduction to Videoconferencing - A general overview of videoconferencing and its operation.
• Thinking Visually - Demonstrates the power of the visual message, how to design good visuals and how to best present yourself on-screen.
• Videoconference Strategies - Examines how to engage participants, maintain interest and achieve interaction in the videoconference environment.
• Planning - Explores the things you have to plan to organise a videoconference and outlines a planning process to help you structure your sessions in the best possible way.

Read more at: http://www.learntel.com.au AND http://www.ltug.org/carol_bio.html
Check the videoconference blog at: http://videoconference.edublogs.org/
Date: 27 September 2006
Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Venue: Polycom, Level 6, 182 Blues Point Rd, NORTH SYDNEY

Session 2: Extending Your Links: Accessing & delivering content via videoconference

This one-day event will include the following features. For program information click here
Keynotes
Recognised leaders in their field will share their knowledge and experience with the use of videoconferencing for teaching and learning.
Case Studies
Exemplars of innovative uses of videoconferencing will be presented practitioners who are out there doing it now.
Panel Discussion
Experts and practitioners in a panel discussion designed to stimulate thinking and discussion. You're sure to want to continue this discussion over cocktails!
Networking
You will have the opportunity to network with speakers and other delegates throughout the day.
Date: 28 September 2006
Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm. Followed by cocktails & networking until 6pm
Venue: Sheraton on the Park, 161 Elizabeth St, SYDNEY
Registration Fee: $395 per person - includes cocktail event

Session 3: Videoconferencing - systems of the future

You are invited to a demonstration of the latest videoconferencing systems from Polycom. In this 90-minute session, Polycom experts will show you videoconferencing of the future.
Date: 29 September 2006
Time: Various 90-minute timeslots throughout the day
Venue: Polycom, Level 6, 182 Blues Point Rd, North Sydney
Registration: This demonstration is free of charge for conference delegates - but you must register for the timeslot of your preference.

LTUG members receive A$50 discount if you register for Session 2.
Register here.

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CyberBabel Wiki

Here's an evolving wiki-based resource from Leah Macfayden of UBC: CyberBabel Wiki - a dynamic bibliographical review of online intercultural communication.
It's based on the research project conducted in 2003 and published in 2004 : Comminicating Across Cultures in Cyberspace - which appears to be reproduced here on the wiki.
The Bibliography is extensive - and evolving as additional new and emerging articles are added to it!
Well worth a visit (and bookmarking in Del.icio.us ).

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Keeping online employees in-line!

According to the press release (11 July2006) on the American Management Association  site:

"...employers are fighting back by firing workers who violate computer privileges. Fully 26% of employers have terminated employees for e-mail misuse. Another 2% have dismissed workers for inappropriate instant messenger (IM) chat. And nearly 2% have fired workers for offensive blog content—including posts on employees’ personal home-based blogs."

"Employee bloggers mistakenly believe the First Amendment gives them the right to say whatever they want on their personal blogs. Wrong! The First Amendment only restricts government control of speech; it does not protect jobs. Bloggers who work for private employers in employment-at-will states can be fired for just about any reason—including blogging at home on their own time or at the office during work hours,” said Nancy Flynn, author of the newly released book Blog Rules (AMACOM, July 2006) and executive director of The ePolicy Institute.  In spite of the confusion, fewer than 2% of organizations have educated employee bloggers about the First Amendment and privacy rights."

"...When it comes to potential risks, unmanaged blogging dwarfs e-mail and IM.  Among the blog risks detailed in Flynn’s new book Blog Rules are copyright infringement, invasion of privacy, defamation, sexual harassment and other legal claims; trade secret theft, financial disclosures, and other security breaches; blog mob attacks and other PR nightmares; productivity drains; and mismanagement of electronic business records. "

OK - so - this captured my interest....what exactly are the Blog Rules and when do they apply??
From the link to the book on the AMA site you can access the "36 Ruless to Keep You in Business - and Out of Court - and Your Corporate Reputation Intact". Now - I've selected some favourites and applied the ABB hierarchy to them (Flynn's rule numbers are shown 2nd):

ABB Rule #1 [Blog Rule #21]: Blogging culture demands absolute honesty.
ABB Rule #2 [Blog Rule #15]: Employee training is key to complaince with blog content, usage and retention policy.
ABB Rule #3 [Blog Rule #28]: Blogging can get you fired!
ABB Rule #4 [BlogRule #29]: Blogging can get you sued!
ABB Rule #5 [Blog Rule #31]: Blog posts never die - they remain archived and accessible forever.
ABB Rule #6 [Blog Rule #7]: A business blog opens the organisation up to potential disasters.
ABB Rule #7 [Blog Rule #6]: The strategic management of blogs or any other electronic business communications tool begins with the establishment of written rules and policies governing usage and content.
ABB Rule # 8 [Blog Rule #13]: Treat blog posts and comments as business records.
ABB Rule #9 [Blog Rule #11]: Require employees to sign a confidentiality agreement to protect trade secrets and confidential data belonging to the organisations, employees, customer, business partners, and other third parties.
ABB Rule #10 - Repeat Blog Rule # 15 - Employee training
ABB Rule #11 [Blog Rule #12]: Use discipline to maximise employee compliance with blog rules, policies, and procedures.
ABB Rule #12 [Blog Rule #19]: Consider imposing a strict anti-blog policy
ABB Rule #13 [Blog Rule #25]: Incorporate the rules of blog etiquette into the organisation's blog policy.
ABB Rule #14 [Blog Rule #22]: Assign a lawyer or other responsible party to review, edit, and - as necessary - delete readers' comments pre-post.
ABB Rule #15 [Blog Rule #4]: It's the casual, conversational, anything-goes nature of the blog that makes it both so appealing to blog writers and readers.
ABB Rule # 16 [no Blog Rule equivalent]: Start recruitment process to fill gaps created by above (and not mentioned) blog rules.

Now - that gives my weekend blogging and writing something to consider.... ;-)

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So what's changed: Review of education.au event

Carol Daunt attended the education.au event last Friday 4 August - here's her review:

I attended the education.au seminar So what’s changed? in Sydney yesterday. As expected, there were some thought-provoking points of view from Phillip Adams and James Farmer. And it was interesting to hear about some of the projects being undertaken by Futurelab in the UK.

You can join the discussion or listen to the podcast of each speaker. If my time was limited I’d listen to James Farmer to glean ideas for immediate use followed by Phillip Adams for some thought provoking general ideas. I’d suggest a visit to Futurelab to check out their projects rather than the podcast. Those discussed by Annika were:

Savannah - a strategy-based adventure game where a virtual space is mapped directly onto a real space. Children ‘play’ at being lions in a savannah, navigating the augmented environments with a mobile handheld device.

Space Mission: Ice Moon - puts pupils in the roles of experts in an Emergency Response Team after a disaster in space. Working in teams in the classroom, up to 30 pupils use video-conferencing facilities, web chat and interactive materials to help resolve the disaster.

Racing Academy - a massively multiplayer car racing and vehicle engineering simulation which allows students to engineer and race realistic virtual models of cars. Online facilities allow teams and communities to collaborate and compete on the web.

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Podcast lectures...and the list grows...

The list of podcasting implementations is growing rapidly in educational institutions...here's another report of university initiatives from the Sydney Morning Herald: "Podcast lectures a hit with conscientious university students" .

Looks like the student feedback is positive - based on the reports from this article.
I rather like this comment (right at the end of the article):

"[The US education thinker] David Thornburg said, 'Any teacher that can be replaced by a computer should be.'
"I would modify that and say any teacher that can be replaced by a podcast should be."

Interesting perspective...yet the benefits of recorded lectures are perhaps outlined in the article and reinforced by student comments - review of complex or abstract concepts, access and review for ESL students. Other practices I've discussed with colleagues see the podcasts as supplementary commentary on current topics, perhaps interviews with experts; overview of lecture content reduced to 15 minute segments - rather than recording a 1 -2 hour lecture; Q&As about assessement tasks is a huge hit with the students; and what about student produced content from discussion topics....?

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Blackboard patents e-Learning Technolgoy

Blackboard have been awarded patents on technologies related to...

"... internet-based education support systems and methods. The patent covers core technology relating to certain systems and methods involved in offering online education, including course management systems and enterprise e-Learning systems.

In addition, patents corresponding with the U.S. patent have been issued in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and are pending in the European Union, China, Japan, Canada, India, Israel, Mexico, South Korea, Hong Kong and Brazil.

The patented technology underpins Blackboard's e-Learning software applications, including the Blackboard Learning System(TM), WebCT Vista(TM) and WebCT Campus Edition(TM), and provides the advanced functionality enjoyed by millions of Blackboard users worldwide... "

Now to capture the general feeling and issues that this raises, I suggest you visit Stephen Downes who has picked some of the comments (and definitely the concerns) being posted out there...

The press release at Blackboard mentions patents have also been issued all over the world, including Australia....
Now - I'm not an IP lawyer, but I have been invovled with patents a couple of times (and decided not to go through the hugely expensive, incredibly extensive process) - so I really did raise my eyebrows as to how Blackboard were able to be granted a patent...just based on the criteria required...
Here's what IP Australia say:

"Is my invention eligible for patent protections?
Your invention must:

• be new, ('novel') which means that the invention has not been publicly disclosed in any form, anywhere in the world;
• involve an inventive step for a standard patent. This means that the invention must not be obvious to someone with knowledge and experience in the technological field of the invention; or
• for an innovation patent it must involve an innovative step. This means that any variation between the invention and what is currently known about that technology, must make a substantial contribution to the working of the invention;
• be a 'manner of manufacture'. It includes any device, substance, method or process, but it excludes artistic creations, mathematical methods, plans, schemes or other purely mental processes; and
• be useful-your invention should do what you say it will do."

OK - now HOW exactly did a patent get awarded based on this criteria?? hmmmm???

Social Software being adopted by the Australian Government

Today's Australian IT covered this story on the adoption of social software technologies into the public services:

"THE federal government may tap the vast pool of social resources behind blogs and websites such as Flickr and Wikipedia to boost its online information services.
The Department of Finance's lead information technology body, AGIMO, has begun experimenting with wikis and blogs with a view to expanding their use throughout commonwealth departments and agencies...

The trial was part of a strategy to use online services to improve engagement between the community and government by 2010, the spokesman said.
"The government is developing services aligned with Web 2.0 with its implementation of the 2006 e-government strategy,"

And that's NOT mentioning the potential for learning...!!!
So - if you're an educator in the public sector, and you haven't explored these technologies yet...there's still time to become savvy by 2010 - but wouldn't it be great if the L & D practitioners were the ones leading by example and showing the departments how effectively these technologies can be integrated into everyday learning in the workplace.