One of the biggest blocks to engaging with a learning platform is the perception that it is too time-consuming to learn how to use a learning platform effectively but that could not be further from the reality that a learning platform helps teachers work ’smarter, not harder’ and learners to learn.
How can you overcome that ‘block’, change the perception, help people move forward?
First of all, realise that you are never going to shift the teacher who is steadfastly stuck with their own perception of teaching and learning while all around are becoming involved in learning – learning as teachers and learning as learners.
Go for potential winners – enthusiastic people who have a thirst for learning new techniques and technologies, budding activists with energy, leaders with vision, and so on.
Identify the benefits of using a learning platform not as the sole provider of learning but as a significant supporter of learning – the learning platform forms the basis of learning outside the classroom, encourages review, engages with activity, reflection and managing own learning that many young learners do naturally.
Activists and enthusiastic learners don’t find learning too time-consuming they find it totally consuming!
Use of the the recently launched Secure Data Handling course is going from strength to strength. Following good practice when handling secure data can be difficult but if you have followed this course you will be likely to handle those ‘tricky’ decisions about sensitive information more accurately.
Toni recently completed the course and she said,
“I’ve just completed your Data Handling Course and quiz and have to say that I think they are excellent. The knowledge was all there in my head and instincts, but the course really helped me to understand why security is so important and strengthened my knowledge. You will be pleased to hear that I have been using all the security measures while working logging on from home. On my first attempt at the quiz I got 60%, then went back and checked a couple of points and got 100%.”
There is no doubt that assessing Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) can provide a challenge but add to that the need for recording and tracking PLTS and life becomes even more difficult.
Having devised an activity that lends itself to clearly identifying which PLTS have been ‘accessed’ by the learner, how do you assess and record that information in a meaningful and accessible way for the learner? For the moment let’s exclude the task creation and delivery of the task to the learner and just focus upon the assessment and more particularly the recording of the assessment. Ideally, the learner needs access to that assessment and if possible access to some form of feedback that will help the learner to progress.
Raise your awareness of the issues relating to handling sensitive information in the work place and beyond
Understand and apply the underlying principles of handling sensitive information in given scenarios
Achieve a higher level of security when handling sensitive information
Prevent data being lost or used in a way which may: -
cause individuals harm or distress
prevent a loss of reputation
This course is open to anyone. If you would like to use the course for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in your school or college you are very welcome to make use of it.
If you would like to discuss how a specificaly tailored course could be of additional benefit, please contact me via the ‘Contact me‘ page on this web site and outline your requirements. I can offer either online courses or ‘face-to-face’ CPD depending upon your location in the UK.
Click “Secure Data Handling 2009” or go to the time for elearning 4 schools site (link in the sidebar) – the course is listed in the leaderships category. If asked to login, click the ‘Login as Guest’ button.
Moodle is a great learning platform and does its job very well. Occasionally, it can be a bit of a pain for Moodle Administrators. This morning I needed to remove some child courses from a meta course and kept receiving an error message each time I tried. I searched for answers on the internet and there were none that seemed to fit the problem.
So, I went back and tried again. This time I noticed that when I went back to the course and listed the child courses, the one I had tried to remove earlier was no loinger there! I selected another child course, removed it, got the error message, went back to the course but the child course had gone.
So here’s a short movie demonstrating the problem, the bogus error message and the fact that the child course is removed.
