Introductions

[Harold Jarche]

Please tell us a bit about yourself and what brought you here. You may want to ask some questions or describe some issues that you are facing.

Don't be shy!

[Valerie Okrend]

Hi! I am the Director of Education for a small medical society. Our members need to obtain credit toward re-certification and re-license 'ing. This is called CME (continuing medical education), CPD (continuing professional development), and/or CPE (continuing professional education).

I have been trying to follow the Health 2.0 scene, but realized that it was predicated on the principles of Web 2.0. At the same time, my employer is finally looking to beef up our online offerings, and we have a vision of something more like PLE, but we are finding vendors that are trying to sell us LMSs. Given that we have an older and more traditional target audience, that we're lucky is using email, we may have to go a very electronic 'brick and mortar' approach. I am more comfortable than our members, but even I find that many of the new technologies of Web 2.0 are overwhelming.

For example for someone who isn't an up to date regular computer user would not find the environment of Work Literacy accessible. My mother is the litmus test. So, if I ever hope to get our audience to a place where they can take advantage of the realm of 2.0, I will have to help them get there. So I need to learn so I can help them learn.

I also am hoping to find out whether I need to go through a vendor, or if thanks to open source programming, there are ways for non-techies to actually build their own LMS/PLE hybrid.

Thanks and looking forward to it!
Valerie

[kirk fontaine]

hello I did introduce my self earlier I think,
I came upon this site by accident and it comes on the start of my class online
I am pursuing my Master's Degree in Information Technology at Capella University
I wish I had more memory to play music and have my browser open without it slowing down my computer

[Debra Cummins]

My name is Debra Cummins and I am a TAFE (Technical and Further Education) teacher in Australia.

I am interested in learning more about the Web 2.0 technologies so I can incoporate them into my teaching. I currently teach basic information technology subjects like Dreamweaver, Photoshop and the Microsoft Office Suite. I am keen to give my students options when it comes to where and when they do their study.

[Antonio dos Reis]

Hallow every one
Online live video diffusion Experts debate
Free participation
Subject
e-learning 2.0 and 3.0 tools
The importance of virtual classrooms in distance learning

15 October from 9h00 PM to 10H00 PM ECT (European Central Time)
Use time zone converter to your location Time zone converter

Invited experts are:
Conny Ericson, from Sweden, Lulea University of Technology
José Azevedo, Pro-rector for Technologies at Azores University
Paulo Pinto, Lisbon, Lusíada University
Pedro Veiga, President of FCCN, Foundation for Scientific Computation, Lisbon University
Sixto Cubo, Spain, Dean of Education Science faculty, Extremadura University
Tony Karrer, USA, TechEmpower, Inc.

Antonio dos Reis, Moderator, The Graal Institute, Portugal

How to make your free registration
Registration step by step
1. Create a user account and select the language you want to use, ( if you have not done it before) at: New user account http://thegraal.ccems.pt/login/signup.php (some contents might be in Portuguese)
2. Wait for automatic registration confirmation email
3. Now you can login in the platform at conference environment: Conference environment Phase I and II http://thegraal.ccems.pt/course/view.php?id=51 (keep this link in your favourites)

[Antonio dos Reis]

time zone converter http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

[Susi]

Hello! I have been working in higher education for over 12 years... wow, I can't believe it's been that long! I started in student services, went to IT, and have spent the last three years in Instruction.

I really started getting into Web 2.0 tools a year or so ago and am amazed by the possibilities! I consider myself a spectator/joiner.

A great deal of my work centers around developing tools to assist faculty in doing many of the administrative tasks that can swallow up faculty time. I also help write/approve curriculum and work with instructional research. I am starting to design my first online class and look forward to the knowledge I can gain here.

[Antonio dos Reis]

Hi Susi,
Thank you for your interest in e-leaning 2.0 an 3.0 tools. I think our debate (15 October) will make some lights about one of the tools. That is the importance of virtual classrooms.
Please just register now and confirm it is working.

But if you are interested on following more debates about, just join the Online Learning Conference at http://conteudo.thegraal.net/DLCW09/index.html
For more details about the conference, have a look at:
http://conteudo.thegraal.net/DLCW09/olc_about_conf/olc_about_conf.html

Susi said:

Hello! I have been working in higher education for over 12 years... wow, I can't believe it's been that long! I started in student services, went to IT, and have spent the last three years in Instruction.

I really started getting into Web 2.0 tools a year or so ago and am amazed by the possibilities! I consider myself a spectator/joiner.

A great deal of my work centers around developing tools to assist faculty in doing many of the administrative tasks that can swallow up faculty time. I also help write/approve curriculum and work with instructional research. I am starting to design my first online class and look forward to the knowledge I can gain here.

[John McDermott]

I just joined today. I guess that is because I must have skipped over the announcements somehow. Dunno.

I've been in the WLP business for about 25 years as a designer and deliverer of adult learning (I did university teaching before that). I have a Masters degree in Computer Engineering, and I do some of that, too, sometimes. I started doing mostly training for "hard core" computer pros and now teach networking and computer security, along with non-tech topics. I also do consulting in the field of training design and delivery. I was in the first batch of ASTD's Certified Professional in Learning and Performance Professionals (CPLP) certificants and I participate in the CPLP network here on Ning.

I live in the mountains of northern New Mexico where it is snowing today.

Part of the reason I want to be here is to learn how to help expose more traidtional WLP pros to see the possibilities of Web 2.0 tools. I am a fan of "customer generated content" and the "conversation" as Jaffe says. From a business standpoint, I see a trend toward less formal learning, but I don't see it as a threat to more formal eLearning or ILT. My ID leans more toward Accelerated Learning and Active Learning. Dave Meier, Thiagi and other AL, RID, and non-traditional designers have been a big influence.

[Harold Jarche]

Valerie, you definitely do not need to go through an LMS vendor to make the right technology decisions. In fact, that may be the worst place to start. There are many people here who can help you; just look at their bios and websites. Feel free to drop me a note with specific questions and between Michele, Tony and myself we can at least set you off down the right path and save you some time and money.

Valerie Okrend said:

Hi! I am the Director of Education for a small medical society. Our members need to obtain credit toward re-certification and re-license 'ing. This is called CME (continuing medical education), CPD (continuing professional development), and/or CPE (continuing professional education).

I have been trying to follow the Health 2.0 scene, but realized that it was predicated on the principles of Web 2.0. At the same time, my employer is finally looking to beef up our online offerings, and we have a vision of something more like PLE, but we are finding vendors that are trying to sell us LMSs. Given that we have an older and more traditional target audience, that we're lucky is using email, we may have to go a very electronic 'brick and mortar' approach. I am more comfortable than our members, but even I find that many of the new technologies of Web 2.0 are overwhelming.

For example for someone who isn't an up to date regular computer user would not find the environment of Work Literacy accessible. My mother is the litmus test. So, if I ever hope to get our audience to a place where they can take advantage of the realm of 2.0, I will have to help them get there. So I need to learn so I can help them learn.

I also am hoping to find out whether I need to go through a vendor, or if thanks to open source programming, there are ways for non-techies to actually build their own LMS/PLE hybrid.

Thanks and looking forward to it!
Valerie

[rani]

Hi - I started this Web Literacy course a week late and I just noticed this forum, so let me introduce myself. My name is Rani Gill and I'm currently working on my MA in Instructional Media and Technology from Teachers College, Columbia. I'm here because although I am familiar with many of the technologies we are exploring in this course, I don't use them. I realize now that I really don't understand the power behind them.

I started my masters while at my former job (project manager in corporate education). My company encouraged me to move to New York, help start that office, and go to Columbia. An offer I couldn't refuse. So I went, leaving my husband, house, and car to live in New York in a "studio of my own". We saw each other every weekend. Then, within 6 months, my husband got the offer he couldn't refuse in California. Our lives got a little crazier for and I eventually joined him 7 months later, leaving job and school -- one course and a thesis shy of a Masters. I've started blogging about The Unfinished Masters.

So why did I do all this? Was the masters degree just about my self-esteem? I wanted to stop just managing projects and design online learning. I loved my former role as a web designer, but it was not enough. I wanted to understand how to engage minds, understand how people think and learn. In particular, can we design games that help people learn? Can we measure the learning in games? These are the questions I am exploring. However, I think in my preoccupation with games, I have overlooked the potential power of some more readily usable web 2.0 technologies. So let the fun begin.

[Prasetyo]

Hi, my name is Hardi Prasetyo, but people call me Prast. I am a lecturer in English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta Indonesia. I am interested to join this e-learning because I would like to find out more about how these web 2.0 tools can be applied in my language classrooms. Since I am working in a teacher preparation program, therefore I myself as a teacher should first be fluent in using those tools before teaching them how to use those tools. I would also like to learn from others' experiences. Some of the issues that I face are, among others, facilities in my campus and the students' motivation. Access to those web 2.0 tools are restricted and limited in my campus, and my students' motivation to do online communication (write emails, post in the blogs, etc) is a bit low because they have to go to Internet cafes around campus (which are quite expensive according to my students). Access to Language Laboratory is limited since it is open only on working hours and the connection is very slow. In this e-learning then, I try my very best to be a joiner.

I think that's all from me, thank you.

Prasetyo

[Antonio dos Reis]

Today 15 October In your PC were ever you are

Virtual confernce in the Internet Subject
e-learning 2.0 and 3.0 tools
The importance of virtual classrooms in distance learning

Free participation
From 9h00 PM to 10H00 PM ECT (European Central Time)
Use time zone converter to your time location
( http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ )
from 8h00 to 9h00 PM London / Lisbon time
from 3h00 to 4H00 PM New York time
from 0h00 to 1h00 PM L. Angeles time

Make your free registation now and make your connection test
Online live video diffusion Experts debate

Invited experts are:
Conny Ericsson, Sweden, Marratech AB
José Azevedo, Pro-rector for Technologies at Azores University
Paulo Pinto, Lisbon, Lusíada University
Pedro Veiga, Lisbon University
Sixto Cubo, from Spain, Extremadura University
Tony Karrer, USA, TechEmpower, Inc.
Antonio dos Reis, Moderator, The Graal Institute, Portugal
How to make your free registration
Registration step by step
1. Create a user account and select the language you want to use, ( if you have not done it before) at: New user account http://thegraal.ccems.pt/login/signup.php (some contents might be in Portuguese)
2. Wait for automatic registration confirmation email
3. Now you can login in the platform at conference environment: Conference environment Phase I and II http://thegraal.ccems.pt/course/view.php?id=51 (keep this link in your favourites)