clint smith at the tasmanian flexible learning network

The Tasmanian Flexible Learning Network continues in 2010 and our first meeting will be:on 15 March 2010at 4.15 pm - 5.15 pmin the Skills Tasmania Boardroom, Level 1/99 Bathurst Street, Hobart.We will also U-stream the presentation and discussion for our non-Hobart-based colleagues. Our channel is at http://www.ustream.tv/user/tflg. If you haven’t used Ustream before please get in touch with me and we can do a test run.I’m delighted that Clint Smith, who presented at tas-eday09, will be our first presenter.Workforce development is a topical issue for the VET sector, both for the sector itself and how training can support workforce development. In this increasingly technology enabled environment developing e-capability is essential.Clint will build on the work of John Mitchell (jma.com.au) who recently surveyed over 2000 VET practitioners on their capabilities for the advanced practices now required in VET, including for e-learning.Clint has developed a self-assessment tool for RTOs to profile their e-capability. He will talk briefly about the findings from the survey, introduce the E-capability Forum he is setting up, and preview the E-capability tool, which will be available for you to use for your own organisation.Wherever your organisation is on the e-capability continuum, the TLFN meeting will be a great opportunity to hear the latest thinking on e-capability development and to discuss with Clint how you might use the tool in your organisation to develop plans for increasing your organisation’s e-capability. This approach can also be applied to organisation’s you are providing training for - because they also need to develop some degree of e-capability.Please let me know if you are able to attend.

What makes a successful e-learning innovation application? 

Many of you will now be in the midst of preparing your e-learning innovation program application. There is a lot too it – and really a successful application needs a successful project to underpin it.

I thought it would be useful to remind you about two presentations from Tas-eday09: from Clint Smith and Brad Beach. Click here for their powerpoints.

Clint gave eight tips:

suss out the funding body
make sure you fit the right category
research
delivery – count e-posteriors
innovation – explain the change
design – provide an e-solution
scope your content, and
embedding – plan for growth.

His pointers are spot on … here is an example, from tip 3 research:

show you’ve done the “R&D”: explain why it will succeed
ready to go: got the skills, got the plan, and
main outcome is a successful e-learning delivery solution.

If you can’t say yes to each of these then think carefully about your readiness to apply in 2010. 

Brad’s presentation is making a project work for learners, the client and your organisation. This is something to have foremost in your mind when preparing your application. Here are his list of dos and don’ts for a good project.

Don’t

pick a technology which is too hard to deal with
pick a project based on an interest in a particular technology
pick a project and then look for the teacher
stop thinking about the students/industry

Do

have a risk strategy
have a realistic timeframe with manageable outcomes
be clear about the project outcomes for all parties

Time spent revisiting, or looking at for the first time at, these presentations would be well spent.

And finally, if you’d like to watch the excellent top ten tips, it is available at vimeo (http://vimeo.com/3157299).