Bringing Learning to Life

I will be presenting four 2 hour Workshops this week:
Washington Fire Station on Monday 29th October at 10:00 and 12:30
Mile House, Chester-le-Street on Thursday 1 November at 10:00 and 12:30.
Everybody is welcome and I look forward to meeting some new colleagues and some I've met before. You will be looking at:

• Data Projectors.
• Laptops.
• PowerPoint.
• Portable Electronic Whiteboards (Mimio).
• Digital Cameras.
• Mobile Phones
• Blogs - like this one- how to start your own Blog.
• Web Quizzes, Resources and materials.
• Video Cameras.
• TV and Video/DVD Players.
• Internet.

I hope to see you all at one of these workshops. If you're lucky and one of the first 10 to enrol for your workshop you might even get paid for attending.

Regional Website

The NE Regional website is currently being reviewed and updated.
if you have anything you would like posted or linked to on the website please let me know
Staff member's and the Regional committee members photographs and biographies will be posted as will the region course brochure

More ICT Equipment

I am delighted to report that I have been successful in a bid to NIACE for more equipment to enable tutors to embed e-learning into their provision. The equipment includes:
10 Toshiba laptops for the classroom at Regional Office
10 Toshiba laptops for use by tutors for courses
2 Mimio with wireless upgrade
2 NEC VT59 Projectors
Mimio recorder “5” – licence for up to 5 individual users this is the recording element of the Mimio:
• The Mimio recorder provides a set of tools to record your Mimio interactions into a .avi movie file with the option to record audio as well
• It can be used to easily record presentations using standard record, stop and play features
• Mimio studio is capable of automatically connecting Mimio to an open Netmeeting session. Mimio Studio and Netmeeting can be used together in both interactive and recording modes thereby reducing the need to travel to meetings

In addition, the Mimio Recorder enable the tutor to use it as:
• A learning tool and teaching strategy
• A method of capturing learning
• A method of evidencing learning

Two sets of licenses will provide Mimio Recorders on nine laptops and one set for the classroom based in the Regional Office.

This equipment should be available for distribution by the end of Oct 07. should you wish to access this equipment contact your course organiser.

E learning Training

Following a successful bid to WEA National Office the NE region now have portable electronic whiteboards for WEA tutors to use during the delivery of their provision to enhance the learning experience for tutor and student alike.

Therefore there are two short training sessions on How to:

• Use data projectors and laptops
• Use PowerPoint
• Use portable electronic whiteboards

The training sessions will run from 1000hrs to 1200hrs and 1230hrs to 1430hrs on Monday 25th June 07 at the Washington Community Fire Station, Glover Industrial Estate, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE37 3AG, telephone 0191 444 1850.

The training is free but WEA are unable to pay for you to attend or provide you with travel expenses. It is hoped that the value of the training will be suffice

Thereafter the equipment can be obtained via your Course Organisers

I hope you make the training!

Resources for ICT/Embedded Provision

The following two books are worth considering purchasing and you can claim back the cost next time you teach an e-learning embedded course.

Handheld Technologies for Mobile Learning ISNB 978 1 86201 320 9
and
Attracting and Motivating New Learners with ICT ISBN 186201276 8

Both available via niace @ www.niace.org.uk or 0116 204 4200 or enquiries@niace.org.uk

Electronic Whiteboards

I am pleased to announce that I, on behalf of the WEA NE, have been successful in their bid for four portable electronic whiteboards for the region and a static whiteboard with data projector for the classroom in Jesmond.

These, along with the data projectors and laptops, will be/are available from the course organisers in each sub region on a "first come, first served" basis

I intend, once I have received them from Regional Office to roll out a series of 2hr training events across the region on how to use them. The venues will be:

1. Bennett House, Darlington
2. Miners Hall, Durham City
3. Washington Fire House, Washington
4. RO, Jesmond

Mimio Whiteboard Capture System is a portable interactive technology which converts regular whiteboards to interactive - anywhere

The key to the mimio system is the portable mimio Xi capture bar. Just 220mm long when folded and weighing less than half a kilo, mimio attaches to any regular dry wipe whiteboard, or even a flipchart easel.

Simply connect to your PC and you're ready! Everything you write or draw (using regular marker pens in the mimio stylus) is captured and saved in the all-new mimio Studio software, whilst (for interactive use) add a data projector and use the mimio stylus to control projected applications or the virtual whiteboard.

mimio Studio's powerful new interactive resources provide a level of interactive functionality and features previously only found on conventional "fixed" whiteboards. Now you can go to a venue and use a regular whiteboard to give a fully interactive lesson or presentation

Ways to use Mimio Xi

With a data projector: using a touch-screen stylus, you control projected material and interactive content directly from the whiteboard
Without a projector: capture whiteboard notes, review, print, email them, share them via video conferencing
The "no PC" option: mimio's on-board memory stores up to ten hours of whiteboard notes and activity for download later

More for you at the training day!

Innovative Unaccredited ICT Provision

Innovative Unaccredited ICT Provision

With the reduction of funding from PWB to PWA it has become prohibitive for WEA NE to run accredited provision.
To that end it has become necessary to find innovative unaccredited provision for WEA to deliver ICT. Here in Co Durham we have delivered ICT embedded with S4L including the opportunity for students to sit the National Test in Literacy (built around word processing, Internet and email courses) and Numeracy (built around spreadsheets, databases and email - booking flights etc) at Level 1 and/or 2 as appropriate to the student's individual needs. We have also delivered the Driver Theory course (offering IAG on S4L provision as a educationally progressive course if relevant) and there is the offer of an ICT course built around Astronomy.
All unaccredited courses here in Co Durham result in a County Durham Learning Passport and certificate with learning outcomes. Whilst this is only available in Co Durham there may be a similar scheme in your area and at the very least there is the WEA certificate that cna be adapted to your course.
WEA NE is looking for further ideas for ICT provision both contextualised (ie Family Tree)and discrete. Please feel free to share your ideas!