WEEK 4: TASK 3 ESTABLISHED PRACTICE AND AFFORDANCES AND SECOND ONLINE MEETING

Hi all

Hope you are all well.

Just a friendly reminder of our next online meeting scheduled for Wednesday 8 May.  Please confirm the online meeting time with your facilitators.


Task 3 will be discussed in the online meeting. Please ensure that you complete it before the session.

During the session we will explore the established practice previously in use as well as the benefits associated with the tool / technology that you've selected.  This should be informed by learners, practitioners and/or the institution as a whole, literature review, personal feedback etc.

Please let us know if you need any help.

CHECET Team

WEEK 3: TASK 3 ESTABLISHED PRACTICE and AFFORDANCES (TWO WEEKS TO COMPLETE)

Hi All

You have now completed various steps in your case study.  You have described your context, the particular challenge you experience within your context and the intended objectives behind the practice.  In the second task you looked at the literature in terms of the potential tool and technologies in your discipline.  Based on the literature, your next task entails the following:

Task:

Established practice:  identify the features of the practice previously in use - this may include any aspects which were subsequently amended

Affordances / benefits of the technology:  describe the benefits of the tool / technology that you've selected, as experienced by learners, practitioners and/or the institution as a whole as established through your literature review, personal experience and discussion / feedback from facilitators, students and peers.

Deadline:  8 May

Remember that we have our next online meeting on the 8th so that we can discuss this task collaboratively as a group.

Online meeting: 8 May

Enjoy Worker's Day and please let us know if you need any additional support 

WEEK 2: TASK 2 and SECOND FACE-TO-FACE MEETING

Hi all

We are already into the second week of the course and shared some very interesting thoughts in our first online meeting last week.  We hope that most of you found the feedback and the experience of an online meeting useful.

What is expected of you this following week?

* Refer to the case study template (Appendix 1 p. 12) of the CHECET Outline document that you've received in your first meeting.

* You've received feedback from the facilitators regarding your reflection on your unique context, challenges and intended outcomes.  Now it is time to refer to the literature in order to explore your chosen intervention in more depth and detail (nr 5 of the case study template).

*  Summarise the findings from a small literature review on potential tools and technologies in your discipline.

* This could once again be done on your blog or shared document in Google.

* The deadline for this task:  Wednesday 24 April.

* Our next face-to-face meeting will also be on 24 April (08:30) when we'll discuss your  second task with you.

Good luck with the literature and let us know if you need any pointers. 

WEEK 1: REFLECTION 1 and FIRST ONLINE MEETING

Hi everyone!

Hope you’ve had a chance to digest all the information and new skills of the past couple of days.  We are looking forward to meeting you online this coming week.

What is expected of you this week?

*  Refer to the case study template (Appendix 1 p.12) of the CHECET Outline document that you've received in Wednesday's session.

*  Remember you are now starting to develop a case study based on a particular pedagogical challenge.

*  Reflect on the background/context (nr.1), the particular challenge (nr. 3) and the intended outcomes (nr. 2).

*  This could be done on your blog (please remember to either post your blog address on the FB page or send it to one of your facilitators) or in a document that you share with everyone (Google).

*  The deadline for your first reflection:  Wednesday 17 April.

Your first reflection should be completed before your first online meeting with your group since we will use the online meeting to discuss this reflection.

We see you Wednesday online!

Welcoming Post: Course Introduction

Dear participant

Welcome to the CHECET 2013 course!  We are looking forward to meeting all of you and to learn from each other in the following weeks.

Let's begin by giving you a quick overview of the course and what to expect in the following few weeks:

The course will provide a unique opportunity for academics from the HEIs in the Western Cape to come together in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere to learn, discuss and benefit from the valuable experiences of peers and expert facilitators from the four institutions in our region regarding the use of technologies for improved teaching and learning in Higher Education.

This short course will give you an experience of how technologies can be used to enhance your own teaching and learning in higher education.  In the course, you will have the opportunity to analyse your current context in relation to pedagogic problems, your students' learning needs and current available technologies.

You will then have the opportunity to design and develop a small-scale learning activity using at least one technology tool suitable to the context in which you work, and formatively evaluate this learning activity with one peer and/or a student(s) of your choice.  In the last session you will present this learning activity in the form of a case study to the course participants and the facilitators.

How would you benefit by participating in this short course?

• Deepening your learning about using emerging technologies in higher education learning and teaching
• Enhancing your knowledge of your context, available technologies and your students' needs as a helpful resource in higher education
• Reducing isolation and creating community across boundaries of discipline and institution
• Learning more about designing and developing a technology-enhanced activity for your own context
• Reflecting on and evaluating your learning experience.

First Participant e-mail

Dear CHECET 2013 participant

Welcome to the 2013 CHEC short course on using Emerging Technologies to improve learning and teaching in Higher Education.

In order to prepare for our first meeting Wednesday 10 April 08:30 for 09:00 at the CPUT Bellville Campus IT Centre, we would like you to complete the following:

Step 1

Create a Google Account / e-mail Address

Having a Google account is essential since this will enable you to comment on our CHECET blog, create your own blog and seamlessly use other Google applications.

(Video) How to create a Google Account: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xGrQ6KwgTY

Step 2

Complete the pre-course survey by Monday 8 April at 12.00 am

It is important that you complete this survey since it assists us in preparing for your specific needs as participants.  Outcomes of the survey will be shared during our first meeting. 

Please go to the following address: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHlMdXM2cEd4cGxYcUNkU0lGRXlIckE6MA

Step 3

Ensure that you have a Facebook account:

(Video) How to create a Facebook Account:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTOOCY0yzwU

and

Join the CHECET Facebook Group by searching for CHECET 2013 or paste the following in your internet browser: http://www.facebook.com/groups/321489774621176/?fref=ts

It is important to have a FB account and join the group since this will give you hands-on experience on how we can use this tool to learn and teach. Please note that our group is closed and therefore only accessible to group members. A main benefit of creating such a group is that you can interact on FB with group members without having to befriend them.

Once you’ve joined the group, please write your first post on the Group wall by introducing yourself briefly:

·        

        Where and what do you lecture?

·         What are your key teaching challenges?

·         Share something unusual about yourself

·         If you did not teach at your university, what would you rather do?

(Video) How to join a Facebook Group:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UDE-rOxJ9I

Step 4

Comment on the CHECET 2013 blog

In addition to FB, we will also use a blog as repository or information, resources and interesting links.  During the course we would like you to reflect, share ideas and thoughts by commenting on the different posts and pages found on the blog.

Go to the following web address:  http://www.checet2013.blogspot.com/

Comment on the welcoming post on the home page.  You comment on a post by looking for the ‘comments’ link underneath the post.  Click on it, enter your comment, post by selecting ‘Google Account’ profile and then click the publish button.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or difficulties with the suggested steps.

We look forward to meeting all of you on the 10^th of April!

CHECET Team

Course Sites and Technologies used

This year we will be mainly using emerging technologies, such as the suite of Google tools to facilitate communication, collaboration and learning.

• Course communication on will be on Facebook through the closed  group CHECET2013 (http://www.facebook.com/groups/321489774621176/)
• The course platform will be on Google’s Blogger: http://checet2013.blogspot.com   
• Twitter hashtag for the course: #checet
• Adobe Connect for web conferencing http://meeting.uct.ac.za/checet/