21.1 Educational development at otago polytechnic  (Page 2/13)

Staff development, weblogging, digital literacy

Through 2006 and 2007 the EDC ran a range of professional development activities for staff, including 2 instances of the teacher training course Designing for Flexible Learning Practice (which is part of a larger teaching qualification now required by teaching staff at the Polytechnic) and 1 instance of Facilitating Online Learning Communities . These courses, along with numerous informal workshops and professional networks , have helped to develop critical digital and network literacy’s as well as general awareness of the popular Internet amongst staff - particularly blogs, wikis, social bookmarking and RSS.

Currently there are a number of Polytechnic staff actively documenting their work and progress on individual weblogs. By subscribing to the RSS feeds from these blogs, it is easy for colleagues and EDC to assess and keep up to date with experiments, new ideas and methods, issues and concerns, and, of course, the development of digital literacy and networked communication skills. We can also observe the progress of specific projects, and in some instances, educational courses being run through a weblog. With this level of access we can enter into discussions, offer timely advice as well as point to best practices when needed. By comparison, obtaining this level of access and overview through traditional communication channels (such as face-to-face meetings, email or formal reporting) is not only inefficient but typically lacks accurate and authentic insight or opportunities for wider consultation.

As an example of the level of access and insight that can be obtained through staff blogging, and the extent to which some project documentation is being done, the following list points to some of the more active bloggers in the Polytechnic. These blogs should be considered as personal documentations beyond the formal job descriptions of the authors and so, authentic accounts of their work so far.

1. Bronwyn Hegarty – Education
2. Kim Thomas – Horticulture
3. Hillary Jenkins – Tourism
4. Leigh Blackall – Education
5. Helen Lindsay - Learning support
6. Sam Mann - Software Engineering
7. David McQuillin - Massage Therapy
8. Rachel Gillies - Visual Arts Photography
9. Carolyn Mcintosh – Midwifery
10. Sarah Stewart – Midwifery
11. Merrolee Penman - Occupational Therapy
12. Graeme Dixon - Occupational Therapy
13. William Lucas - Languages and learning support
14. Matt Thompson – Building
15. Jacquie Hayes - Community Learning Centre
16. Wendy Ritson Jones - Librarian (on leave)
17. Pam McKinlay - Visual Arts Historian

And there are a few who are using blogs to channel communication and information relating to courses.

1. Tour Guiding - Soon to migrate to (External Link) along with several other course blogs for the Applied Travel and Tourism Programme.
2. Cookery - a video blog presenting videos recorded in class.
3. Learning English - with reguler posting of what is to be done in class.
4. Participation in Occupation - Access to lecture slides, notes and supporting material.
5. Peer Tutoring - Short course for people interested in becoming tutors.
6. Designing for Flexible Learning Practice - announcements, updates and related links for a teacher training course.
7. Facilitating Online Learning Communities - cross institutional course blog with announcements, updates and related links for a online facilitator training course.