TROPIC & Marking

Marking - and entering results. That's nearly all this week has been and all next week will be. I was happy some TROPIC people could come to the VC this week and talk about what is happening around Qld - and even beyond. Look out Tasmania, eh Martha!? It was great to hear there had been some activity on the Wiki - will have to have a look. Congratulations on all the work everyone is doing - Jillian, I take my hat off to you with your challenges. I didn't get to hear if Sarah Jane was alright after that evacuation order - hope the building is still standing and you are alright, SJ. Peter, it was great to have you at the VC and Jean too. And how good to see veryone else's faces!! I am looking forward to our f2f in March already :-D

Stay sane in the next couple of weeks everyone. This too shall pass.....

Wikis seem to be the 'in thing'

Wikis seemed to take a back seat in the ether world till just recently. Lots of people seem to have discovered their worth all of a sudden, or is it just me finally catching up? Thanks you, Martha, for starting a TROPIC wiki. And thank you, Val, for your invitation to a focus group on social learning via a wiki. Thanks also for the invitation to join the Connected Learning Communities wiki, Wendy. I am hoping they will help people to interact more than blogs do and have left a couple of comments to help the process along. And here's some Dancing Lady orchids, interacting all together on one stem.

Stephen Downes' October keynote address in Aukland

I have unlimited broadband this month thanks to a new deal with Telstra so am listening to all kinds of things I usually can't easily get to. One of them was Stephen Downes' talk about the difference between groups and networks, and how groups create walls and barriers and exclusivity while networks tend to break down these concepts and allow different kinds of information flow/connectivity. And he related it to how we learn, among other things. It was interesting - thanks, Stephen.

While I was listening to the talk, I also looked at the beautiful pictures Stephen Downes had uploaded of New Zealand - kind of echoed the message in that most pics that struck me were the vista pics - the ocean, the forests, the views of mountains and rolling hills. No walls there. Try it and tell me what you think. Here are the links:

• Slide shows: http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?journal=3529
• Talk: http://www.downes.ca/files/audio/nz3.mp3

And I thought I needed to upload a Tableland vista of my own. New Zealand and Canada don't have ALL the beauty spots in the world, though who could decide which one topped them all? This is a picture taken from a verandah at Skybury, outside Mareeba.

Breeze

Tonight I joined a group of Teachers to talk about how to use the Breeze application. It was my first experience with Breeze and for the most part, it worked. I did drop out a few times and we had some patches of not being able to hear each other, but it was good to talk and be allowed to share a few web pages - I showed everyone this blog, so if any of you have come visiting, please do say hi!
The participants tonight told me about Wikispaces and also about a wiki called "VTE models for embedding innovative practice in elearning" . I have joined both sites, or requested to be allowed to join :-)
Like the EdNa groups I subscribe to, I think I will learn much more than I will be able to contribute. I believe I am on the very edge of e-learning/m-learning 'pool' and am content to absorb some of the things that are happening - for now before diving in. I am sure more can be done with the Janison sites I host, and in encouraging students to use the spaces we have.

TROPIC talk

I had a chance to talk to a Teacher about TROPIC this week. It didn't result in getting a chance to do an observation, but it was a conversation. There are a couple of new Teachers on board now who won't know about TROPIC, so there are more opportunities just waiting for me out there, right?
I let Martha know about the conversation. It's all activity!
How are you all doing, anyway?

EdNa groups

I have been subscribed to some threads in the EdNa community for a few months now and am picking up so much from them. There are always so many interesting links and ideas floating around there. I find it a good place to learn about how to access the repositories of international conferences and happenings around e-learning and m-learning. I don't always 'follow' every post or thread but the ones that interest me open up so many more possibilities and thoughts. If you have not tried 'lurking' and posting comments on some of these threads, you may find a conversation that interest you, too.

EdNa posts about e-learning & m-learning

Lately I have been getting some interesting information about the developments around the English speaking world in e-learning (electronic learning environments) and m-learning (mobile electronic learning environments). There have been so many changes to technology and the use of it that I was not aware of. It is really helpful to be reading about how others are using technology in learning contexts. You can find this group on EdNa at

# Groups
# Networks
# Forums
# M-learning
# M-Learning: Back to Basics

and here is the link to EdNa:

http://www.edna.edu.au/

I hope everyone is getting some observations done. I am looking forward to our next f2f meeting to hear all about your experiences :-)

Brisbane was GREAT!

Hello to all of you who have come to check out this blog, especially those who just completed an amazing two days talking about all things TROPIC-al! That means YOU, David, Meredith, David, Karen, Martha, Peter, Deb, Keith, Bob, Michelle, Jean, Gillian, and Lisa! What a wonderful workshop that was. It is a priviledge to be associated with you all. I am really looking forward to having more contact via blog, chat, VC, e-mail or whatever we think is appropriate. I hope some of you will start reflective blogs too and we can really benefit from our TROPIC community( in between F2F meetings, of course :-) - we do still have to decide on the amazing venue for the next one, right??)
And I haven't forgotten that there are others who are part of this community - Barbara, Errol, Deanne, Mary, Colleen, Sarah-Jane, Robin, Stef, Jill, Amy, Ann, and anyone else who I have not seen for awhile. Welcome to this space.
If you want to start your own blog, go to www.blogger.com and follow the directions for making your very own. Or pick any of the other excellent blogging spots available for free on the web. Then let us all know how to read your blog, so we can bookmark it as a favourite and start commenting on your postings.
See you 'round (or I'll be seeing you, in the gerand!)

Time for more TROPIC input

This week I am going to get a chance to see how the Teachers we introduced to TROPIC are getting along. It will be a chance to talk about both the 'big picture' of peer observation in classrooms for the whole of TAFE, and the nitty gritty of how peer observation works. We'll be reviewing the way we do the observations, and the feedback we all give together will result in making adjustments to the process, perhaps. It will be a chance for 'time out' to reflect, to gain other's perspectives, to not be interrupted. It is such a great realisation that we are developing a way for Teachers to have professional conversations, to mentor each other, to think about pedagogy and give each other ideas about practical things we can do to develop effective classroom experiences, both for us and for our students.
I was able to complete a peer observation last week. I thought it went well except for the time I had to give feedback. That was inadequate. The Teacher and I were interrupted on two occasions when feedback was attempted. Now I won't get a chance to talk more about it till I come back from this week's trip. I hope the time gap doesn't leave the Teacher unsettled or 'hanging'. I did give some feedback - it was just not as full as I would have liked. I did leave a doorway open for us to talk about the Microskills further, by leaving a copy of same with the Teacher to browse through at their leisure, and I will make a point of getting back to that Teacher as soon as I can when I return. It's still not an ideal situation though....
Will reflect more here when I get back.

Just nicked this great photo of the fantastic Teachers who underwent the TROPIC training with us in Brisbane this June. (Martha, thank you for publishing it on your blog!) It certainly was enjoyable and challenging and stimulating to be with such a group of enthusiastic people who now have even more power to change things in their own settings. I look forward to hearing about their experiences with Teachers Reflecting on Practice in Classrooms.

Writing for the web

Just found this great link to some common sense ideas for writing on the web - I got it from Stephen Downe's OLDaily newsletter (people can subscribe to that by going to http://www.downes.ca/news/index.htm). This article has ten tips for catching and maintaining people's interest on the web and is written by Mark Bernstein. You can find out more about him by going to his article titles 'A List Apart' at http://www.alistapart.com/stories/writeliving/

Idle Blogging Comment

Blogging seems a pretty lonely business at times. I wonder if students who use them feel the same? I guess if you are blogging for a course, then others are going to read and post comments. A blog in the wild has to take its chances :-)

TROPIC training

It was great to run a training session for 16 Teachers interested in learning about classroom profiling. Their interest and enthusiasm was so encouraging. We get so few chances for professional conversations about how we teach. It's a treat to get such a chance with such a great group of people.

Blogging

I have been reading posts on e-learning topics from EdNa, and have been thinking about blogs and their uses. I can see how they are useful educationally for posting assessments, reflections, and for having discussions based around topics of interest. In general though it seems most bloggers post alone - they get little feedback on their reflections. Blogs really do seem to serve a reflective purpose, but don't generate much actual discussion or exchange between minds. Forums seem to be better at doing that, especially when you can have new comments posted to you by e-mail. I am much more likely to read forum postings that are e-mailed to me, rather than check everybody's blogs every day. I guess you can have blogs that send new comments to you via e-mail too. It is kind of nice to have a reflective journal online however.

Easter Monday

A rainy day with no where to go - no shops open that I know of, and no tourist sights to see due to the cyclone damage. Another cyclone is beginning to build to the north of us, and we have received the first warning. Do we have enough butane/candles/gas/batteries? Reminder to self: Must find time to do an emergency shop tomorrow.

It must be a day for planning semester 2!! So I have done some. It does give me a sense of satisfaction to have done the programming and a few other administrative tasks. Have been thinking about the logical order to deliver subjects in. I have been delivering subjects each week of the semester to date, but it is looking more and more like having blocks of delivery would be a good idea. I wonder if the students could cope? TNQ TAFE has always had to ocnsider the distance learner, the isolated pockets of learners and the working learner, so delivery has tended to be spaced out to allow people to work around their work and home schedules as well as cope with travelling. Maybe a student survey canvassing their preferences would be a good idea. I will develop something simple to hand out next week. I know from an adult learner's perspective, it is good to allow people time to process information, which is an argument for keeping delivery as it is.

Marking will come next. Students deserve to have feedback asap, and I have a bundle of assignments to go through.

Debriefing

Today I held my first 'normal' class since the cyclone hit. It was a small class as I had received apologies from some and not heard at all from others, who are probably still without power and/or phones. The ones who came needed to debrief and tell their stories about what had happened to them and to their friends. They are incredible people - nearly everyone told how they had quickly chipped in and helped other people they considered to be in greater need than themselves by volunteering or just being there for people. There is a lot of gratitude in this community about the miracle of there being no deaths and few serious injuries (though one of my students had received a head injury and had been hospitalised for a time because of that). The stress of the event was discussed - effects being noticed in themselves and in others were brought out. One student told how a neighbour had been stressed to the point of having a mental health episode and noticing with dismay the unkind reaction of those around him.

They are also learning on 'fast forward' how the community works which fits in exactly with their studies.

We eventually could talk about their studies and even got through the lesson, amid cups of tea, biscuits and more stories. They are learning and they are living their learnings. It is an amazing thing to watch, for me.

TROPIC-el training and Innisfail reflections

Well, we have new dates to go to Brisbane and do the profiler training, and seven people who want to be trained. That's really encouraging. We'll go in May, Lord willing. Teacher profiling is just such a wonderful way to have something useful and positive and professional happening in your teaching life.

I got in touch with a couple more of my Innisfail students today and was that a blessing. One wants to be in touch with two others to form a study group as a distraction to the devastation caused by the cyclone. It's great to be able to give them something more positive to think about, and for the request to do this to come from them. Some who have lost so much want to have a way of volunteering to help others who are worse off than they are. There are some community agencies who will welcome their offer to do that, and it was great to be able to refer them. One student knew what had happened to another student who I had been able to contact as her phone is disconnected (by the cyclone, I imagine). She is safe.

Innisfail

Today I felt ill. I had to travel down to Innisfail to teach (110kms/68.5 miles) and the devastation from the Cyclone there is terrible. There are so many houses without roofs, so much vegetation that has been forced into everywhere it should not be, so much damage to property. The people are in good spirits though. The army is there, the emergency crews too, and there is a huge contingent of cheerful volunteer tradesmen.

Even one of my students turned up! I am not sure if the other students are safe yet and I could not get hold of a phone and computer to find out their phone numbers and call them. The student who did come in wanted a distraction from the 9 people living in her house who don't normally live there. Talk about an incentive for learning....I obliged by giving her reading materials and showing her how to use the Janison website to supplement her leanring.

I did visit my 94yo friend and her 67yo daughter. Their house had most of the windows on one side blown out and they had been flooded inside the house. A ceilng fan from a detached roof two doors down had flown through their water powered (hydraulic?) elevator/lift (my 94yo friend cannot walk and the lift is needed so she can leave the house which is one story up) and mangled it so it is unusable. My friend is trapped in the house till someone comes to carry her downstairs. I am thankful that people know of her plight and are helping as much as they can. While I was there, a crew was chopping up fallen trees, removing trees from the roof and giving opinions on how to fix the lift. No one is really familiar with the things though so no one would actually touch it! They were afraid they would make it worse, I guess.

The sheer size of the devastation is still hard to grasp. It is pretty bad up here where I live but it seems to have trashed the countryside for hundreds of kilometres.

I hope we don't get another Cyclone like that again.

A picture of the tree that went through the fence in our back yard, compliments of Cyclone Larry. 

Cyclone Larry-ed

Well, the plan did not go off without a hitch - a category 4 hitch. We were all set to go to Brisbane for the profiling training when boom - Cyclone Larry decided to interfere with that plan. Innisfail got hit when Larry was still a huge category 5 and their terrible devastation is in all the news casts now. I felt unable to travel all last week due to the disruption casued by Larry on the Tablelands. Roads were cut, power and phones were out, some towns lost their water supply, and everywhere there is trashed vegetation and disorder. Our own house was affected by the loss of a large tree in our back yard, a medium sized one in the front yard, a broken wooden fence, lots of broken and uprooted plants, a flooded garage and therefore flooded boxes of stored goods, the loss of the microwave oven, the loss of all our refrigerated and frozen food, and just a general sense that life had been turned upside down. Power was out for 4 1/2 days. Phones worked for a day or so then started to be unreliable. News of neighbours miraculous escape or loss poured in. The size of this natural disaster is hard to grasp. A short drive between Tableland towns soon reveals that life will not be set to rights again for months, maybe years. Priorities have shifted and been reassessed in personal and public domains. I am so impressed by the persistence and energy being expended by those who have come to help us. They are the heroes of this hour.

A sense of humour is still thankfully vident in many places - for instance, a friend saw a sign on the back of a car that said "Just Larry-ed".

I am very glad that the Brisbane people who asked us to come and train them understood, and we are reschedueling the training for the end of May, all being well.

Teacher Profiling in Brisbane!

Well, Martha and I are about to take the plunge and teach some other Teachers how to be classroom profilers. The North is going South - we are travelling from Cairns to Brisbane to deliver this teaching! It's exciting to think that there will be more of us. I have definitely enjoyed the contact with Teachers from Ed Qld, but there have been only a handful of TAFE Teachers that have been interested in classroom profiling up until now. Somehow, teaching in the TAFE system is very different from high schools and primary schools, especially when we are delivering classes flexibly and with blended delivery strategies. Martha and I are interested in making the discussion about TROPIC-el (Teachers Reflecting on Practice in Classrooms and in E-learning) wider than behaviour management. Behaviour management strategies are improtant, and we like teaching the microskills to help Teachers with this, but..we also want to have more professional discussions about what good teaching actually is. How do our learners learn? How do they learn in the e-learning environment? What is best practice?

Will be travelling for all of next week. I may not get back to this Blog for a week or so.