Report on Steve Chilton's workshop

Learning to Learn Online

Participants at "Learning to Learn Online"

This Workshop entitled: Learning to learn online was used to disseminate information regarding a new module being developed at the university to address certain core skills necessary for the ‘digital’ student to excel in a modern university. The workshop was not however just an overview of the module itself, rather a look at it’s pedagogical underpinnings as well as highlighting a number of points such a module would need to address in order to be a success. Points such as:

• How to ‘teach’ students to keep on task and not to be distracted by other media.
• How do we make Students aware of what Feedback is within a University and how do we make them realize when they are receiving it?
• Online activities such as those to be utilised in an online only module (such as this) are great for ‘reflection’ – Caveat; do our students know how to reflect?
• Students need to be critical – professionals demand ‘thinking’ not just knowledge.
• Communication is more than just an exchange – it is a discussion of relevant question.
• Students need the skills to be able to; select, analyse, critique and justify the use of primary sources.
• The need for students to realise the necessity to take notes and have the ability to paraphrase.
  

Steve did offer forward one task he was asking the students to take the module to do in order to truly engage with a piece of literature. Students were to read a 1500 word document and to initially condense this into a short 100 word document. This meant they would need to analyse and be critical of the original and decide just what the major points were. On completion of the 100 word document students were to further edit this into a single ‘tweet’ (statement of 140 characters or less). This task was a point of discussion with the majority of people thinking it was an excellent way of asking students to engage with a piece of literature.

Finally, what I believe to be a very powerful point was made: We (as educators) do not currently reaffirm or reinforce the core academic skills often or adequately enough with our students.

Dave Westwood
e-Learning Research and Innovation
Middlesex University

Learning to Learn Online

View more presentations from Steve Chilton.

Steve Chilton presents

Report on Steve Wheeler's keynote address and FULL VIDEO

Steve Wheeler’s keynote explored his take on Digital Tribes. He discussed transformation and inspiration – in an entertaining and informative session. His view was that we are preparing students for a future we cannot clearly describe. He characterised what is happening as the establishment of not one digital tribe but many sub-sets or virtual clans. There were interesting sidetracks into an analysis of Wikipedians and the modern nuclear family not sat round watching the TV, but still acting in a similar way (with a slide neatly entitled “Wii are the family”). On a more serious note he provided an excellent synthesis of some of the thoughts of many prominent contributors to the digital debate. One of his suggestions was that you could be your own VLE – IF you know how to bring the various tools that are available together. I recommend that you view the video of his keynote presentation, and view the slides to get the full range of his discourse. On a personal note I was pleased to see that he both credited all his impressive images with their sources, and also made the presentation available under a Creative Commons license, to allow folk to use the content with appropriate acknowledgement to the author.

Steve Chilton
Manager e-Learning Academic Development
Middlesex University

Keynote slides




(click to enlarge)

The Two Steve's

Steve Chilton (Manager of the
e-Learning Academic Development Team, CLQE)and Steve Wheeler (Keynote at The Middlesex University Annual Learning and Teaching Conference)