The Catch: Issue #5, Part 1

What’s happening in technology-enabled learning?

Last week, over 400 post secondary educators from across Ontario and beyond came to #TESS17 to learn about and share each other’s work in technology-enabled learning. It was the third annual Technology-Enabled Seminar and Showcase hosted by eCampusOntario and held at the Beanfield Centre in Toronto.

Coincidentally, every section of this post tells the story of something shared at TESS. You know, like a theme! There was so much stuff that this is just part one of two TESS-themed Catches.

Welcome to The Catch, Issue #5: The TESSening Part 1.

The Cutting/Trailing Edge

We like to share what we think are very useful uses of technology for learning. It doesn’t matter if the tech is cutting or trailing edge as long as it’s going to help us engage with learning something. This time we share some cutting edge ideas in open badging.

Recently, Program Manager Joanne Kehoe and eCampus Ontario’s edtech sandbox vendor partner Don Presant traveled to the ePIC Open Recognition Alliance Conference in Bologna, Italy. Their presentations, as well as those from their open badging buddies can be found at bit.ly/2jf5A13. And, inspired by their ahead-of-the-curve European colleagues, eCampusOntario hosted the Ontario Open Badging Forum on Nov 22nd. It was basically the TESS after party.

What’s next for badging? The opportunity space is vast, but developing an open badge ecosystem for the province is one teensy ambition. If you want to be a part of it, email badges@www.ecampusontario.ca.

In the meantime, check out these cutting edge badging systems from around the globe:

• STLR: Student Transformative Learning Record from Oklahoma
• Digital Me from the UK
• All Aboard: Digital Skills in HE from Ireland

…Loading

The “…Loading” section can be defined as a small digital space in which words, links, and even maybe a picture (if we’re lucky) tell the story of a learning resource in development.

Today, we share something that has been developed but wants to be developed some more. Ontario Extend is a set of resources designed to help educators enhance their abilities to design and deliver technology-enabled learning experiences. It aims to help educators “fill their buckets” in the different areas of Simon Bates’ Anatomy of a 21st Century Educator. These areas are:

• Teacher for Learning
• Scholar
• Experimenter
• Curator
• Collaborator
• Technologist

Each of the modules includes what we hope are fun and engaging “Extend Activities”. What we would like to add are real takes on the activities by real Ontario Extend target audience members. You know, people like you! If you’re now motivated enough to exert a little bit of pressure on a left computer mouse button, please click this link to find out more, or email extend@www.ecampusontario.ca.

Paparazzi surround Valerie Lopes as she describes the Ontario Extend program. Photo by Terry Greene.

What’re you DoOOing?

D.o.O.O. stands for a Domain of One’s Own. The short and sweet of what that means is that it’s your place on the Internet to collect your learning and share it to the world. It centres your learning around you. It’s like being self-centered only in a really good way.

Publishing a blog post on your own domain is the open professional development equivalent of putting up holiday decorations and lights on your house. It is putting your stuff out there for the world to see. You just replace blinking lights and Frosty statues with your thoughts and ideas about technology-enabled learning.

One TESS attendee in particular has posted something on her blog that relates to TESS17. She just so happens to be Christina Hendricks, one of the keynote speakers! And the content of that post just so happens to be all her slides and notes and thoughts about her keynote address! That’s helpful! Thanks Christina.

See it here: http://blogs.ubc.ca/chendricks/

Network Connectivity

The Instructional Design Interest Group of Ontario chose TESS as the time and place to hold the world premiere of their group via their coveted “Ask Me ABout IDIG” buttons. These buttons serve to allow others to understand that the person wearing it knows what IDIG is and can be trusted to be asked about it. If you were to find someone wearing the button, you could go right ahead and say “Umm hey, excuse me… IDIG?” and she or he would respond, “Yes, please come and join our free, open, connectivist collection of ID-minded individuals offering each other support, advice and professional development at http://idigontario.ca/about-idig/ and also go ahead and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/IDIGOntario.”

Stay tuned for the sequel to The TESSening. Here’s a preview of what will be included:

Behind the Content

Alongside TESS, we held a sprint to develop some tutorial resources to go with John Belshaw’s Pre and Post Confederation Canadian History open textbooks.

Now and Next

One of the TESS sessions: The Open Faculty Patchbook, announced plans for a follow up project, The Open Learner Patchbook.

Open Treasure

We will announce a new addition to the Ontario Open Education Rangers who is sure to be a new open treasure for Ontario.

Adoption Announcements

Announcing eCampusOntario’s new additions: The OER Fellows! Who are they? Find out soon!

Trickle Up

Also at TESS, the Student Experience Design Lab held a design sprint with students, faculty, staff and administrators. Hear about what happened and what came of it.