ODL COMMUNIQUÉ 68, 20 JULY 2011 IN THIS ISSUE: 1 Digital literacies are no longer a nice-to have 2 The right people on the right bus heading in the right direction 3 You are what you click, you are what you share..., or are you? 4 Outstanding ODL matters 5 The future of Telecentres at Unisa 6 The Unisa 2011 Teaching and Learning Festival Programme 7 ODL repository and blog 1 DIGITAL LITERACIES ARE NO LONGER A NICE-TO-HAVE There are many ways to think about the digital divide. One way is to emphasise that more and more students have access to the Internet and therefore Unisa could increase its use of online technologies. Another viewpoint emphasises the fact that some students don’t have access to the Internet and therefore Unisa should not embrace technologies because this may exclude many students. There is however another way to look at the issue of embracing online technologies. Do we really want to produce graduates that are digitally illiterate? I don’t think we have an option. The digital era is here to stay – whether we as lecturers and staff at Unisa are prepared for it or not. The question is therefore not whether we should prepare students for the digital era, but how? Maybe one way to start is by having digitally literate lecturers and staff? Can we really afford to have lecturers who cannot use the Internet optimally and critically? Is it possible that we still have lecturers who refuse or cannot use their GroupWise to schedule meetings? Can we afford lecturing staff without a working knowledge of Excel? How is it possible that we can have teaching staff who do not know about Google Scholar? And these are the basics... If Unisa want to optimise the affordances of technology in creating rich environments for active and successful learning, the focus of the debate will have to change. Embracing the digital age will mean that being digitally literate will be a nonnegotiable requirement for both lecturers and students. Digital literacies are no longer a nice-to-have. Instead of quibbling about the digital divide we should start putting strategies in place to increase access and literacy. Ke nako. It is time. 2 2 THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE RIGH BUS HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION In his book “From good to great”, Jim Collins (2001) makes the following statement: “We expect that good-to-great leaders would begin by setting a new vision and strategy. We found that they first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people of the bus, and the right people in the right seats – and then figured out where to drive it. The old adage ‘People are your most important asset” turn out to be wrong. People are not your most important asset. The right people are” (Collins 2001:13). Mmm, I am not sure I agree with him. How do you decide who the ‘right’ people are if you don’t know where you want to go? Surely if a leader has a clear idea of where he or she wants to take an organisation, only then one can (and should) decide on what type of people will be needed? Or do I miss something? I think Collins (2001) does have a point in this by stating that even if the bus is heading in the right direction, and you have the wrong people on board, it will also defeat the object of the journey. It is interesting that he moots the notion that “people are not your most important asset. The right people are”. Maybe he has a point here – but this can very easily become an excuse to only have ‘yes’ men and ‘yes’ women on the bus – and getting ‘rid’ of the others. Whether we agree with Collins (2001) or not, the question remains – who are the ‘right’ people? What are the criteria? Who decides? Who will be the ‘right’ people to grow Unisa into an effective and caring ODL institution? 3 YOU ARE WHAT YOU CLICK, YOU ARE WHAT YOU SHARE ... OR ARE YOU? In continuing our reflection on Pariser’s (2011) book “The filter bubble. What the internet is hiding from you”; we turn our gaze towards Pariser’s exploration of the impact of how the filters embedded in Google and sites such as Facebook shape us. These filters compile data on what you click on and what you share and then starts to feed you with data according to your profiles. You therefore increasingly see what you want to see. According to Pariser (2011:34) Google monitors “every signal about us it can get its hands on. The power of this data [and the data’s worth in money] can’t be underestimated”. These filters act as “curators” and “we’ve given very little scrutiny to the interests behind the new curators” (Pariser 2011:61). These filters not only affect how we process what they feed us, but also increasingly how we think (Pariser 2011:76). [Continues on the next page] 3 According to Pariser (2011:84), these personalised filters upset the “cognitive balance between strengthening our existing ideas and acquiring new ones”. The filter bubble “surrounds us with ideas with which we’re already familiar” resulting that we become “overconfident in our mental frameworks” (Pariser 2011:84). But not only do we then increasingly see what we expect to see, these personalised filter bubbles remove “from our environment some of the key prompts that make us want to learn” (Pariser 2011:84). Interestingly, Pariser (2011:84) points out that filtering is not a new phenomenon. It had been part of animal and human live on earth resulting in honing our survival skills based on sense-making schemata. Once we have identified “something as a chair, we know how to use it”. But schemata “can actually get in the way of our ability to directly observe what is happening” (Pariser 2011:85). The danger of uncritically relying on schemata is that “we’re predisposed to strengthen them” resulting in confirmation bias (Pariser 2011:86). The filter bubble “tens to dramatically amplify confirmation bias – in a way, it’s designed to. Consuming information that conforms to our ideas of the world is easy and pleasurable; consuming information that challenges us to think in new ways or question our assumptions is frustrating and difficult” (Pariser 2011:88). The filter bubble acts as meta-schema that “can get in the way of learning. It can block what researcher Travis Proulx calls ‘meaning threats,’ the confusing, unsettling occurrences that fuel our desire to understand and acquire new ideas” (Pariser 2011:89). Pariser (2011:91) quotes Siva Vaidhyanathan who wrote in “The Googlelisation of everything” that “Learning is by definition an encounter with what you don’t know, what you haven’t thought of, what you couldn’t conceive, and what you never understood or entertained as possible. It’s an encounter with what’s other – even with otherness as such. The kind of filter that Google interposes between an Internet searcher and what a search yields shields the researcher from such radical encounters”. Pariser (2011:91) moots the following notion: “Stripped of the surprise of unexpected events and associations, a perfectly filtered world would provoke less learning”. The filter bubble “artificially limits the size of our ‘solution horison’ – the mental space in which we search for solutions to problems. ...The information environment inside the filter bubble will tend to lack some of the key traits that spur creativity” and the filter bubble “encourages a more passive approach to acquiring information, which is at odds with the kind of exploration that leaders to discovery” (Pariser 2011:94). Creative breakthroughs are spurred “by the introduction of the entirely random ideas that filters are designed to rule out” (Pariser 2011:96). “The Einsteins and Copernicuses and Pasteurs of the world often have no idea what they’re looking for. The biggest breakthroughs are sometimes the ones that we least expect” (Pariser 2011:97). [Continues on the next page] 4 The filter bubble “isn’t tuned for a diversity of ideas or of people. It’s not designed to introduce us to new cultures. As a result, living inside it, we may miss some of the metal flexibility and openness that contact with difference creates” (Pariser 2011:101). “Creative environments often rely on ‘liquid networks’ where different ideas can collide in different configurations. They arrive through serendipity – we set looking out for the answer to one problem and find another – and as a result, ideas emerge frequently in places where random collision is more likely to occur” (Pariser 2011:102). Pariser (2011:103) states unequivocally that producing novelty “requires a lot of divergent, generative thinking” - which the filter bubble smothers. Not only do the filter bubbles smother creativity, but these filters also distort our sense of the world. The map they provide us of the world is distorted according to our past clicks and what we shared with ‘friends’ on Facebook (Pariser 2011:106). “Because personalised filters usually have no Zoom Out function, it’s easy to lose your bearings, to believe the world is a narrow island when in fact it’s an immense, varied continent” (Pariser 2011:107). The filter bubble therefore creates a world according to our likes and dislikes, what we click on and what we share on Facebook (Pariser 2011:113-114). Pariser (2011:114) warns that “a self built on clicks will tend to draw us even more toward the items we’re predisposed to look at already – toward our most Pavlovian selves”. As such the filter bubble create “pretty poor representations of who we are” despite our click and sharing histories because, in the words of Daniel Solve (in Pariser 2011:115) “We are more than the bits of data we give off as we go about our lives”. Our net profiles act as “doppelgangers” which are a lot like us, but which are not totally us (Pariser 2011:115). Our Net identities are crude reflections of who we really are – and deny the “plasticity of the self [which] allows for social situations that would be impossible or intolerable if we always behaved exactly the same way” (Pariser 2011:116). Our Net selves do not distinguish who we are when we wake up and what makes us curious in the afternoons. Pariser (2011:118) warns that the “one-identity problem illustrates one of the dangers of turning over your most personal details to companies who have a skewed view of what identity is. Maintaining separate identity zones is a ritual that helps us deal with the demands of different roles and communities”. But the plot thickens even further… Not only will the filter bubbles get better at knowing our likes and dislikes, it will also increasingly know our “persuasion profile”. Our persuasion profiles are how we respond to different marketing techniques such as discounted rates, claims of scientific verification of products, etc. As such do our persuasion profiles have a significant financial value (Pariser 2011:121). “Knowing what kinds of appeals specific people respond to gives you power to manipulate them on an individual basis” (Pariser 2011:121). Companies that therefore have access to your persuasion profiles (and they have based on the data tracked from store affinity cards, etc), they will be able to “find and manipulate your personal weak spots” (Pariser 2011:122). [Continues on the next page] 5 Companies furthermore have no legal obligation to keep your persuasion profile for themselves… (Pariser 2011:123). “In the wrong hands, persuasion profiling gives companies the ability to circumvent your rational decision making, tap into your psychology, and draw out your compulsions. Understand someone’s identity, and you’re better equipped to influence what he or she does” (Pariser 2011:123). Pariser (2011:124-125) also points to the fact that in addition to our clicks and sharing, we are also shaped by the media we use. “With information as with food, we are what we consume”. This results then in a recursive process where “your identity shapes your media, and your media then shapes what you believe and what you care about… You become trapped in a you loop, and if your identity is misrepresented, strange patterns begin to emerge, like reverb from an amplifier” (Pariser 2011:125). “If identity loops aren’t counteracted through randomness and serendipity”, you may end up very far from the person you wanted or could become. The illustration (on the left) may have been true a number of years ago, but if I understand Pariser (2011) correctly, it no longer is. Pariser (2011:129) writes: “A computer can be made blind to race and gender in ways that humans usually can’t. But that’s only if the relevant algorithms are designed with care and acuteness. Otherwise, they’re likely to simply reflect the social mores of the culture they’re processing – a regression to the social norm”. The filter bubble can very likely result in individuals that there are no black swans just because the search engine only provides you with white swans. “The statistical models that make up the filter bubble write off the outliers. But in human life it’s the outliers who make things interesting and give us inspiration. And it’s the outliers who are the first signs of change” (Pariser 2011:134). Reflecting on Pariser’s (2011) thoughts, the following came to mind: • How do our curricula strengthen or confront our students’ confirmation biases? How many of our curricula are based on the personal schemata of individual or discipline specific schemata? [Continues on the next page] 6 • Pariser (2011:91) moots the following notion: “Stripped of the surprise of unexpected events and associations, a perfectly filtered world would provoke less learning.”This may not only be true of the Internet but also of many curricula at Unisa… • While it would seem as if the concerns Pariser (2011) raises are legitimate, how do social technologies such as Twitter contest and to a certain extent neutralise the impact of the filter bubble? • Pariser (2011:107) writes: “Because personalised filters usually have no Zoom Out function, it’s easy to lose your bearings, to believe the world is a narrow island when in fact it’s an immense, varied continent” (Pariser 2011:107). Again the question should be raised how many of our curricula have a “Zoom Out” function? How do our curricula contribute to our graduates believing the “world is a narrow island when in fact it’s an immense, varied continent” (Pariser 2011:107). 4 OUTSTANDING ODL MATTERS The last ODL Task team report (ODL Task Team 6) was submitted to the Senate meeting of 15 June for approval. With this, 18 months of very hard work came to a close. But it is not the end of the ODL project – we have barely touched the surface of implementation. Though we have a clearer idea of what ODL looks like, and where Unisa wants to be in terms of being and becoming an ODL institution; there are still a number of outstanding issues which will be resolved before the end of 2011. • The move towards E-Tutoring is a major move in the history of Unisa. There are currently three E-tutor projects at Unisa namely the CEMS E-tutor pilot, the Science Foundation E- Tutor project and the Distance Learning Aides (DLAs) in End-user computing. The aim is to learn from all three projects and to have an integrated E-tutor model before the end of the year. The idea to not to have a one-size-fits-all model but to have some standardised elements while allowing for discipline and college specific needs and requirements. • While the CEMS E-tutor pilot will allow us to ensure that systems, processes and procedures are aligned to ensure effective roll-out, there is a need that the whole of our organisational architecture is aligned with being and becoming an ODL institution. This project is receiving attention through the office of the Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof Baijnath. • Regional offices play a crucial role in all ODL institutions, but the exact role and function of these regional offices differ from context to context. Dr Roger Mills (formerly from the OU) has done an extensive investigation regarding the role and function of the regional centres in terms of an ODL pedagogy. The first draft report is in the process of being finalised. 7 5 THE FUTURE OF TELECENTRES AT UNISA [Received from Mr Gladwell Marebane, Unisa] Community Outreach is a programme that establishes collaborative agreements with Telecentres (formerly known as MPPC’s) throughout the country. The purpose of this initiative is to reach out to the rural and remote students nationally by providing them with access to internet/computer facilities for amongst others: academic, administrative and Career and academic counselling purposes. In addition, Community Outreach Programme strives to provide for the diverse needs of the students, with for example, access to basic computer literacy programmes and access to podcasting material etc. Unisa has signed collaborative agreements with 36 Telecentres nationally and the number of the Telecentres is expected to increase to reach out to the majority students. Telecentres have their own computer facilities connected to internet. They are also equipped with facilities such as printers, photocopies, scanners, fax, telephones, etc. What is the future of Telecentres in the context of Unisa? The role of the Telecentres will increase in response to Unisa ODL requirements. The university can use the Telecentres to bridge the digital divide, as expansion of services to students and bringing the services closer to where the student are staying. The Telecentres can be used for on- line systems for administration and learning and teaching purposes, for example amongst others: • Online registrations • General computer access for typing & sending assignments, End-User Computing and other CBT modules • Access to Unisa digital library • Access myUnisa and myLife • E-tutoring • Online Career and academic counselling (http://www.unisa.ac.za/counselling) • Video streaming of the lectures • Online discussion forums • Research for academic material Further, this Telecentre initiative can be leveraged for other important ventures such as community engagement (i.e. computer literacy), Unisa exam venues, establish Video conferencing venues (through improved bandwidth) and placing students for experiential learning according to WIL programme etc. 8 6 THE UNISA 2011 TEACHING AND LEARNING FESTIVAL The Unisa 2011 Teaching and Learning Festival is happening from 1-9 September 2011. The festival will consist of two parts namely, an Indaba part from 1-2 September and 5-9 September which will be dedicated to workshops. Registration for the Festival opens on 1 August at 08:00. Details regarding the registration process will be circulated before the 1st of August. Here is a brief overview of the programme: The first two days, 1-2 September, will be an Indaba with a welcome address by Prof Baijnath, followed by four keynotes. On Thursday 1 September the Keynotes are as follows: KEY-NOTE 1: Prof George Siemens (Athabasca University): ‘At the Threshold: Higher education, complexity, and change’ KEYNOTE 2: Prof Gilly Salmon (University of Southern Queensland, Australia): ‘Reviewing the Learning Odyssey: A long series of wanderings, filled with adventures and hardships’. Professor Gilly Salmon takes us on an epic journey through stories of Mobility, Openness, and Learning Communities – and explores hindsights, insights, oversights and foresights. On Thursday evening, 1 September, there will be a Cocktail and Festival in the piazza of Kgorong to celebrate innovative practices in teaching and learning at Unisa. A more detailed programme will follow closer to the date. Just know that it will be a colourful event – not to be missed! On Friday 2 September the keynotes will be as follows: KEYNOTE 3: Prof Ormond Simpson (Fellow, University of London): ‘Retention in Distance Education: - are we failing our students? KEYNOTE 4: Catherine Ngugi (OER Africa): The future and potential of OER in Africa This will bring to a close the Indaba part of the Festival. From Monday 5 September till Friday 9 September a range of workshops will be held. Please note that the number of participants in these workshops will be limited due to space constraints. Please ensure that you reserve your place as early as possible. We expect that by the end of day on Monday, 1 August many of the workshops may actually be fully booked... See the following table for more information. 9 Monday 05 Sept 2011 VENUE 1 VENUE 2 VENUE 3 VENUE 4 VENUE 5 08:30-09:00 Tea/Coffee on Level 1 Kgorong 09:00 – 10:30 Presenter(s): Gabi Witthaus and Ray Randall (BDRA Leicester) Title: A case study of innovative online technologies: the online MA TESOL (DUCKLING project) at Leicester Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Presenter(s): Simon Kear and Pal Edirisingha (BDRA Leicester) Title: Pedagogical models and approaches for developing and using podcasts for your own modules and courses Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Presenter: Tessa Welch (Saide) Title: OER in Africa – the what and the how Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 1 (Max 25) Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: A formula for student retention Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) Presenter: George Siemens Title Learning and Knowledge Analytics Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee/Tea on Level 1 Kgorong 11:00 – 12:00 Continue Title: A case study of innovative online technologies: the online MA TESOL (DUCKLING project) at Leicester Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Continue Title: Pedagogical models and approaches for developing and using podcasts for your own modules and courses (con) Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: 1 Max 8) Continue Title: OER in Africa – the what and the how (con) Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 1 (Max 25) Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: Theories of student support – switching on students’ learning motivation Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) Presenter: George Siemens Title: Information foraging and social networks Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) 12:00 – 13:30 Lunch Level 4 Kgorong 13:30 – 15:30 Presenter(s): Gabi Witthaus (BDRA Leicester) Title: Learning and assessment in distance education – case studies Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 Max (44) Continue Presenter(s): Simon Kear and Pal Edirisingha (BDRA Leicester) Title: Pedagogical models and approaches for developing and using podcasts for your own modules and courses Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Presenter: Tessa Welch (Saide) Title: OER in Africa – the what and the how (contd.) Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 1 (Max 25) Presenter: Siva Moodley (Vicki Goodwin part of panel) Interactive workshop Title: Integrating disability into the Core Curriculum Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) Paul Muyinda (Makarere University) Title: Mobile learning (to be confirmed) Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 6 (Max 40) Tuesday 06 VENUE 1 VENUE 2 VENUE 3 VENUE 4 VENUE 5 10 Sept 2011 08:30-09:00 Tea/Coffee on Level 1 Kgorong 09:00 – 10:30 Presenter(s): Simon Kear and Gabi Witthaus (BDRA Leicester) Title: Introduction to teaching online (e-moderating) Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Presenter: Paul Muyinda (Makarere University) Title: Learning Context and Mobile Learning Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 6 (Max 40) Presenter: Vicki Goodwin Title: Struggling talent - -issues in reading, writing, memory and organisation -for dyslexic students in ODL Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: Cost benefits of students support in distance education Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 (Max 44) Presenter(s): George Siemens Title: Narratives of coherence: sense making and way finding in complex information ecologies Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) 10:30 – 11:00 Tea/coffee on Level 1 Kgorong 11:00 – 12:00 Continue Title: Introduction to teaching online (e-moderating) Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Continue Title: Learning Context and Mobile Learning Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 6 (Max 40) Presenter: Vicki Goodwin Title: ‘Reducing barriers to learning' -the production of written and on- line materials for students with dyslexia. Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: Course Design for student retention Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 (Max 44) Presenter(s): George Siemens Title: Open Online Courses: a model for connected learning Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) 12:00 – 13:30 12:30-13:30 Presenter: Molly Blank Video and Panel Discussion Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) Lunch on Level 4 Kgorong 13:30 – 15:30 Presenter(s): Simon Kear and Gabi Witthaus (BDRA Leicester) Title: Introduction to teaching online (e-moderating) Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Presenter: Laurie Butgereit (Meraka Institute) Title: A Demonstration and discussion of the Dr Math Mxit based tutoring platform Discussion: Annelien v Rooyen (Unisa) Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Presenter: Elnerine Greeff (Unisa) Title: Twitter as a conversation platform in teaching and learning Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) Presenter: Pal Edirisingha (BDRA Leicester) Title: Carrying out institutional research (to support continuous improvement in teaching and learning) Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 6 (Max 40) Presenter: Dick Ng’ambi (UCT) Title: Mobile: Why educators cannot afford to ignore small and abundant technologies Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 (Max 44) 11 Wednesday 07 Sept 2011 VENUE 1 VENUE 2 VENUE 3 VENUE 4 VENUE 5 08:30-09:00 Tea/Coffee on Level 1 Kgorong 09:00 – 10:30 Presenter: Dick Ng’ambi (UCT) Title: Mobile Learning: Pedagogy of mobile learning Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 (Max 44) Presenter(s): Pal Edirisingha (BDRA Leicester) Research design and methodology at post-graduate level Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Presenter(s): Gabi Witthaus and Ray Randall (BDRA Leicester) Title: A case study of innovative online technologies : the Online MA TESOL (DUCKLING project) at Leicester Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 6 (Max 40) Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: Technology, assessment and retention in distance learning Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) Presenter: George Siemens Title: Narratives of coherence: sense making and way finding in complex information ecologies Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) 10:30 – 11:00 Tea/Coffee on Level 1 Kgorong 11:00 – 12:00 Presenter: Dick Ng’ambi (UCT) Title: Mobile Learning: Enhancing student interaction in 'outdated' teacher- centered approaches Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 (Max 44) Continue Research design and methodology at post-graduate level Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Continue Title: A case study of innovative online technologies: the Online MA TESOL (DUCKLING project) at Leicester Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 6 (Max 40) Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: E-learning and student success – what does the evidence tell us? Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) Presenter: George Siemens Title: Open Online Courses: a model for connected learning Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) 12:00 – 13:30 12:30-13:30 Presenter: Molly Blank Video and Panel Discussion Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) Lunch on Level 4 Kgorong 13:30 – 15:30 Presenter(s): Simon Kear and Pal Edirisingha (BDRA Leicester) A researchers guide to the Social web Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Presenter: Dick Ng’ambi Title: Mobile Learning: The DIY (do-it-yourself) of designing and developing mobile learning application Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) Presenter: Fanie du Toit (NCPPDSA) Title: The impact of hearing loss on the accessibility of buildings & services Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) OPEN Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 (Max 44) Presenter: Paul Muyinda (Makarere University) Title: Learning Context and Mobile Learning Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) 12 Thursday 08 Sept 2011 VENUE 1 VENUE 2 VENUE 3 VENUE 4 VENUE 5 08:30-09:00 Tea/Coffee on Level 1 Kgorong 09:00 – 10:30 Presenter(s): Gabi Witthaus and Ray Randall (BDRA Leicester) Title: A case study of innovative online technologies : the Online MA TESOL (DUCKLING project) at Leicester Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 (Max 44) Presenter(s): Simon Kear and Pal Edirisingha (BDRA Leicester) Title: Pedagogical models and approaches for developing and using podcasts for your own modules and courses Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Presenter: Tessa Welch (Saide) Title: OER in Africa – the what and the how Venue: Kgorong Conference Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Presenter: Paul Muyinda (Makarere University) Title: To be confirmed Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 6 (Max 40) Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: Undertaking innovation and change in distance education Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) 10:30 – 11:00 Tea/Coffee on Level 1 Kgorong 11:00 – 12:00 Continue Title: A case study of innovative online technologies : the Online MA TESOL (DUCKLING project) at Leicester Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 (Max 44) Continue Title: Pedagogical models and approaches for developing and using podcasts for your own modules and courses Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Continue Title: OER in Africa – the what and the how Venue: Kgorong Conference Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Presenter: Paul Muyinda (Makarere University) Title: To be confirmed Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 6 (Max 40) Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: Ethical issues in distance learning Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) 12:00 – 13:30 12:30-13:30 Presenter: Molly Blank Video and Panel Discussion Venue: Kgorong Bamboo Hall (Max 60) Lunch on Level 4 Kgorong 13:30 – 15:30 Presenter(s): Merryl Ford and Adel Botha (Meraka Institute) Title: A framework for introducing mobile technologies into the education system. Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) Continue Presenter(s): Simon Kear and Pal Edirisingha (BDRA Leicester) Title: Pedagogical models and approaches for developing and using podcasts for your own modules and Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Presenter: Tessa Welch (Saide) Title: OER in Africa – the what and the how (contd.) Venue: Kgorong Conference Conference Room 3 (Max 31) Presenter: Elnerine Greeff (Unisa) Title: Twitter as a conversation platform in teaching and learning Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 2 (Max 44) Presenter: Deenadayalan Moodley (ARCSWID) Title: Using technology to enhance access to teaching and learning for students with disabilities Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 6 (Max 40) 13 Friday 09 Sept 2011 VENUE 1 VENUE 2 VENUE 3 VENUE 4 VENUE 5 08:30-09:00 Tea/Coffee on Level 1 Kgorong 09:00 – 10:30 Presenter(s): Simon Kear and Gabi Witthaus (BDRA Leicester) Title: Introduction to teaching online (e-moderating) Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Presenter: Pal Edirisingha (BDRA Leicester) Title: Conceptual models and frameworks to support teaching, learning and institutional changes Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 3 (Max 31) School of Graduate studies Title: Venue: To be decided Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: Research and Evaluation in distance learning: what would you like to do? Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) 10:30 – 11:00 Tea/Coffee on Level 1 Kgorong 11:00 – 12:00 Continue Title: Introduction to teaching online (e-moderating) Venue: TvW 4-112 (Computer lab: Max 18) Continue Title: Conceptual models and frameworks to support teaching, learning and institutional changes Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 3 (Max 31) School of Graduate studies Title: Venue: To be decided Continued Presenter: Ormond Simpson Title: Research and Evaluation in distance learning: what would you like to do? Venue: Kgorong Conference Room 5 (Max 42) 12:00 – 13:30 Lunch Level 4 Kgorong 13:30 – 15:30 Optional networking Optional networking Optional networking Optional networking Optional networking We are extremely excited about the Festival! This will be an opportunity in a lifetime to meet and engage with some of the leading international and national voices in higher education. Remember: registration opens on Monday 1 August 2011 at 08:00... 14 7 ODL REPOSITORY AND BLOG All the ODL task team reports, the overview of the recommendations of the STLSC and other ODL documents are available on the Unisa Library’s Institutional Repository. The repository is updated on a regular basis and if you register on the repository, you will get notifications of any new uploads. Drafted by Dr Paul Prinsloo ODL Coordinator Office of the Vice-Principal Academic: Teaching and Learning Unisa 18 July 2011 +27 (0) 12 4293683 (office) +27 (0) 823954113 (mobile) prinsp@unisa.ac.za Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this ODL Communiqué represent my personal viewpoints and do not represent the viewpoint of any other member of the Unisa community.