Online Digital Learning Working Group

Leighton Andrews, Minister for Education and Skills, announced to the Higher Education Leadership Foundation in December last year that he intended to establish a working group to examine the potential for online digital learning and how the Welsh Government can support the higher education sector in this growing field.

From his recent Written Statement:

I am delighted that Andrew Green, [now retired] National Librarian of Wales, has agreed to chair the working group.

Welsh Universities are already engaged in a range of activities designed to maximise the benefits afforded by advances in learning technologies.  In seeking to respond to the cultural shift in the expectations of students, universities are eager to engage through the latest online teaching methods.  Globally, the advent of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) represents a new internet-based model for volume participation in higher education.

Such ventures are not new – the Open University has been offering open source material for some time.  More recently, however, a series of MOOC ventures has been launched by some of the most prestigious global academic institutions such as Stanford, MiT and Harvard.  Udacity and Coursera (which includes the University of Edinburgh) are among the pioneers for a new brand of for-profit online higher education providers.  In just one year these new ventures have attracted over $100m of private venture capital investment. Whilst the long-term sustainability of such ventures may be open to question, the reach and quality of such disruptive innovations may have profound implications for the delivery of higher education in Wales. At the end of 2012 the Open University announced the launch of Futurelearn, with partners including Cardiff University, to produce a UK-based platform for massive open online courses.

Our aim is to ensure that Wales is well placed to continue to prosper in the face of such developments.  The Working Group will be tasked with examining the potential for MOOCs and whether the Welsh higher education sector is sufficiently prepared to meet these challenges.  I intend that its remit should go wider, however, to consider also the opportunities and challenges presented by the development of open educational resources more broadly.

The terms of reference for the Working Group will be to advise the Welsh Government on:

• the potential competitive threat posed by global technology-based developments to the higher education sector in Wales;
• the potential opportunities afforded by technological development for the Welsh higher education sector at a time of constrained public expenditure;
• to what extent the Welsh higher education sector is working collectively to bring economies of scale to maximise the opportunities afforded; and
• to what extent technological development may provide a platform to increase participation in part-time and full-time higher education, again in a period of constrained public spending.

The Group will begin its work in March.  I have asked Andrew Green to report to me by the end of September this year.

To read the full statement and see members of the working group:

http://wales.gov.uk/about/cabinet/cabinetstatements/2013/onlinedigitallearning/?lang=en

 

The Benefits of Sharing: a JISC LMS Pathfinder Project

On Friday 5th October, more than thirty library staff from across Scotland met together to discuss Library Management Systems.  Facilitated by Stephanie Taylor and Sheila Cannell, this one-day event asked the question, “Would a shared library management system improve services in Scotland?”

1. What do we need from an LMS?
2. What are the benefits and drawbacks to sharing?
3. Would a shared LMS work for Scotland?

The write-up of the event has now been published: http://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/benefitsofsharing/the-lms-day/

These discussions in Scotland are very relevant to WHELF …. our own shared LMS project is well underway and will report in the spring: http://blogs.cf.ac.uk/sharedlms/

Written Statement – Learning in Digital Wales

Chair of WHELF, Andrew Green, was a member of the Task and Finish Group which published its report entitled Find it, Make it, Use it, Share it – Learning in Digital Wales on 29 March 2012.

The Minister has considered the wide ranging recommendations in this report and has agreed an action plan for the use of digital technology to improve performance in schools.

He is establishing a National Digital Learning Council to provide expert and strategic guidance on the use of digital technology in teaching and learning in Wales.

In December 2012 he will be launching a new bilingual learning platform for Wales, for which the working title is Hwb.

National Digital Collection – Hwb will provide the online home for a national digital repository of teaching and learning resources.  This will include the thousands of curriculum and good practice resources which have previously been developed for our teachers’ website NGfL Cymru, which will be migrated to Hwb in December.

Hwb will host resources which can be used on a variety of platforms.  One element of Hwb, however, will be the use of the free iTunes University platform (iTunes U) in order to showcase the best educational resources and activities in Wales.

Hwb will also provide access to the wide range of free educational tools and resources which have been developed through the Microsoft Partners in Learning initiative.

Professional Development: Digital Technology and Computing
Establishing a team of Digital Leaders which will be drawn from the best practitioners using digital technology in Wales.

A Culture of Digital Citizenship
The world wide web provides a tremendous learning resource for children and young people.  As well as access to a vast range of information and educational tools, it provides an opportunity for learners across the world to share their own ideas, experience and creativity with one another.  We need to help learners develop the skills, confidence and maturity to navigate this new world and make good use of the opportunities it provides.  Most importantly, we also want to ensure that our children are safe online.

The new digital learning programme for Wales will, however, take a new approach to the use of social networking technologies in education.  Through this programme, and through Hwb, we will be encouraging schools to make full use of social technologies in order to engage learners and improve learning outcomes.

http://wales.gov.uk/about/cabinet/cabinetstatements/2012/learningindigitalwales/?lang=en

Shared LMS – new WHELF project to be funded by JISC

WHELF has been successful in its bid to JISC for a pathfinder project to investigate a broad range of potential new models and approaches to library systems and services.

Shared LMS: Business Case Evaluation
Building on the work of the earlier ‘WHELF: Sharing a Library Management System’ feasibility report the project will explore potential benefits and pain points inherent in a move from distributed to centralised hosting and infrastructure models for a suite of library systems software, while building a possible overall business case for such a move by the HEIs within the WHELF consortium.

The project will be led by Cardiff University on behalf of WHELF.

There will be close links with the project being funded in Scotland:
The Benefits of Sharing (How would a Shared Library Management System improve services in Scotland?)
This project will contribute towards a new vision for library systems by investigating the following question: “How would a shared library management system improve services in Scotland?”

http://infteam.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2012/05/30/the-future-of-library-systems-new-projects/

‘Find it, make it, use it, share it’

Education Minister Leighton Andrews has today (29 March) received the final report from the Digital Classroom Teaching Task and Finish Group which sets out how Welsh schools can deliver digital classrooms in a digital age.

http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/publications/wagreviews/digital/?lang=en

Led by Janet Hayward, currently headteacher at Cadoxton Primary School, the group considered what digital materials work in the classroom and how the Welsh Government can work towards all schools in Wales being able to deliver digitally.

The report makes a number of recommendations including the creation of a hub to enable learners and teachers to share best practice resources. The report also recommends the creation of a national digital collection of teaching and learning resources.

The Minister will now consider all of the recommendations set down in the report to see how technology in the classroom can be strengthened for the benefit of Wales’ learners.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews said:

“New technologies can offer new approaches to engage learners. Digital content, wireless access in classrooms, cloud computing and mobile handheld touch screen devices can revolutionise the way in which we communicate and share information with each other in the 21st Century.

“It’s not unreasonable for learners, parents and teachers to expect that the technology they use in their daily life can also be used in education. Across schools in Wales you will see an array of technology being used innovatively for learning and teaching.

“It is important that all learners and teachers have access to appropriate technology and can use it with confidence. We know there’s good practice out there, but as with many things in education, it’s important that schools learn and share the best ideas.

“I want Wales to a take a lead on digital inclusion and digital learning and this report shows us how we can achieve that goal.”

Chair of the Task and Finish Group Janet Hayward said:

“In Wales it is clear that there are some real pockets of outstanding practice in the use of technology to enhance learning outcomes.  We have a strong platform to build on.

“The recommendations do not provide a specific template of how a “digital classroom” should look. The recommendations provide more of a vision of how learners and teachers need to engage with and be supported in their use of technology and how we can develop and share world class content.  Hence the name of the report – Find it, make it, use it, share it – learning in digital Wales.

“We’re delighted to be able to present the Minister with our final report, it’s been a labour of love for the group. We are hugely optimistic that it will mark the beginning of a journey that will secure the best learning opportunities for Wales.”

Digital Wales Advisory Board Annual Report 2011

The report is the Board’s first Annual Report. It includes details of the major issues and recommendations considered by the Board during 2011.

The report fulfils the Board’s responsibility to provide advice on ways to exploit opportunities from the growth of the digital economy. The report also includes details of the major issues considered by the Board during 2011, as well as key recommendations for the Welsh Government to take forward as part of their remit in 2012. These included developing measures to:

• promote the use of creative digital skills by Small Medium Enterprise’s (SMEs) in all industry sectors;
• improve digital literacy at all stages of education and across the general population;
• help stimulate demand and take-up of next generation broadband;
• develop simple online public services such as a free school meals registration system that will help to exemplify how better and more cost effective public services can be delivered through Information and Communication Technology.

Download the report

Technologies to watch

Thanks to Alyson Tyler whose blog alerted me to a new JISC summary of some of the technologies to look out for in the next 1 to 5 years, and how they can help with or relate to learning and education. It’s an excellent short and easy to absorb summary, very well presented.

Staying ahead: technologies to watch in the next five years:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/inform/inform32/FutureTech.html

Alyson’s blog:
http://libalyson.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/technologies-to-watch-out-for/

Enhancing Learning and Teaching through Technology: refreshing the strategy

HEFCW have now published “Enhancing Learning and Teaching through Technology: refreshing the strategy”
http://www.hefcw.ac.uk/documents/publications/circulars/circulars_2011/W11%2032HE%20Enhancing%20Learning%20and%20Teaching%20through%20Technology.pdf 

Shortened, updated and with some revised longer-term indicators. 

“In publishing the strategy for enhancing learning and teaching through technology for higher education (HE) in Wales from 2007/08 to 2016/17 we recognised that it would need to be reviewed at regular intervals. This circular provides an update to the strategy to take account of changes in technology, the policy context and the HE funding regime.”

CILIP’s RFID in Libraries Conference 2011

How can RFID help libraries face dual challenge?
Tuesday 8 November 2011, The Bloomsbury Hotel, London

Libraries everywhere are facing the dual challenge of delivering improved services with diminishing budgets. The contribution technology can make to squaring this circle has possibly never been more important, and RFID is at the heart of it. The conference on 8th November 2011 in London will explore changes in world of RFID and how the latest decision by providers to adopt a single common standard changes will enable new buyers the freedom to pick and choose the RFID devices they prefer.

This year’s conference will bring:
* 17 expert speakers from across the RFID Community (including Mark Hughes from Swansea University)
* RFID technology demonstrations from leading suppliers
* RFID Alliance Panel- your chance to ask the experts questions
* The BIC/CILIP RFID in Libraries Innovation Award 2011
* Open forum discussion sessions

Make sure you take advantage of our registration offers by visiting the conference website www.cilip.org.uk/rfid2011  and book your place today. Places are strictly limited are will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cloud for Wales

10 October 2011 at the National Library of Wales  

I would like to invite you to a ‘Cloud for Wales’ meeting that is to be held at the National Library of Wales on the 10th of October. 

Cloud for Wales will be an opportunity for leaders and senior staff from the sector (libraries, archives and other interested bodies) to consider the potential use of cloud computing in their instutions as a way of sharing and improving services.

The day will include an introduction to the technology and there will be an opportunity for participants to discuss how they could take advantage of any potential benefits offered by this technology.  A full agenda will available soon.

If you would like to attend the event, please could you inform librariesforlife@llgc.org.uk, noting also if you have any special dietary requirements.