Training Providers Forum 2014 Highlights for E-Learning

I attended the Forum for the full two days and amongst the more staid and obligatory topics to do with national and state systems and compliance issues, there were a number of highlights that were exciting or interesting related to technology and e-learning.  I am reporting back from some notes I made, specifically on e-Learning.  Here is the link to all presentations on the DTWD website

Ander Sorman-Nilsson

By far the most outstanding highlight was the address by Ander Sorman-Nilsson, a futurist and writer.  Check out his website here.  These are the points I noted from his very dynamic and absorbing talk:

Ander divides approaches to learning, and to the world at large, into "analogue" and "digital" thinking and approaches.  His schema can be presented like this:

Analogue	Digital
Old school	New school
Human touch	Virtual
Emotion	Rational logic
Adaptive	Disruptive
Physical computer infrastructure	Cloud computing
Heart	Mind
Transformation	Information

Ander's argument is that these two different systems for understanding the world are not mutually exclusive.  We need both approaches.  Some examples he gives are:

Old fashioned hands-on customer service is still appreciated by many.  However, they want to extend this using digital technology.  So while they may go to a real life shop to have personal service and attention, they then may want to leave the physical shop and go to the internet to compare prices and value - so a retail outlet that relies on traditional "hands-on" customer interaction would be wise to have a strong internet presence as well.

The positives of digital technology include the interconnectedness it gives us, and such wonderful advances as the cochlear implant to give hearing to those who are deaf.

 Everything in the workplace is about to be digitized - we need to prepare for the digital apocalypse!  Training organisations are in the position of being able to train and prepare people for the increasing digitization, using mobile learning as well as the internet.  Education is now available free to millions of people via Massive Online Open Courses, and games for learning are everywhere - in fact gaming is the preferred learning style for many people.

We can make smarter decisions based on data that is digitally collected and analysed, we can share info on mobile phones with our colleagues and increase sales and efficiency, we can gather together information to help us in many ways, such as Nike selling performance software as well as shoes, an app called "Mint" that visualises our financial situation and progress.  The ageing demographic will be using mobile technology to monitor their own health and well being.  Life lessons will be "gamified" in terms of wellness and healthy habits. 

We are moving to a world where everyone is both student and teacher. With 3D printing we can become home manufacturers, using intellectual property we find on the internet - for example make up and jewellery.  What can't be digitized?

Here are some websites that featured in Ander's talk:

Icebreaker (NZ Wool company) code tracker - to track the environmental impact of the produce, called Baacode

Financial organiser called Mint

Skillshare on YouTube.  Skillshare is  an online learning environment where experts share their skills via video - they have a YouTube channel where it is possible to access some of their videos free.

Here is a video of the talk Ander gives to a range of audiences on his ideas, similar to the talk he gave to the Training Providers Forum:

Chris Winter from DTWD - Virtual Workplace Simulation

Chris gave a useful and interesting workshop on ways to include workplace simulation in your training.  His emphasis was that although there are many fancy graphics and apps out there, you don't necessarily need these to simulate workplace activities.  A well-structured set of activities and tasks will suffice. 

Chris gave an example of fire fighting training that uses video on screens combined with real life gas masks, two-way radio and communications.  The learning was about communicating and collaborating in an emergency scenario, so although the action was simulated on the screen, the trainees were communicating with each other in much the same way as they would in a real life situation.  The skills were giving and receiving instructions and collaborating with a gas mask on using two-way radio.

Another example was a simulated hospitality workplace, online using Moodle Learning Management System (which is much like Blackboard).  The learning materials consisted of scenarios within a visual framework which provided restaurant branding and graphics.

A third one was the use of a face to face class which was being given access to a mannekin to simulate symptons and nursing activities, that was broadcast to a remote class via Skype, allowing them to interact, watch the demonstration and ask questions.

Chris emphasized that with all these types of blends of real life and simulation, planning is important.

Guy Truss - e-Learning Partnership with a non-government organisation

Guy is a Principle Lecturer from SW Institute of Technology.  He worked with Baptist Care, who wanted their trainers to provide a flexible and accessible form of training for staff scattered at centres all over Regional WA.  Guy did a MOU with Baptist Care in which SWIT agreed to allow Baptist Care to use part of their Moodle LMS.  He then helped each trainer set up a course space on Moodle.  The trainers are mainly delivering non-accredited, in-house training.  This lends itself to using a wide range of innovative tools and apps, so Guy introduced the trainers not only to Moodle and how to create a course space there, but also things like blogs, Google Docs, an instant chat forum that is simular to Twitter called TodaysMeet which can be used on mobile devices, using cartooning for teaching and learning and a range of other digital tools.  Guy's presentation was a good example of how lecturers in State Training Providers can create business for their organisations as well as acting as a resource for not-for-profit organisations that need flexible training.  The trainers in Baptist Care did not see themselves as digital natives, or digitally competent, but they became enthusiastic and grew in confidence due to the project.  They reported a growth of cameraderie and team work and provided peer support, while the Moodle spaces they were developing grew organically with their own training and e-learning discoveries.

Kym Squires - Technology Enabled Learning

Kym Squires is from the Department of Environmental Regulation, which has staff scattered around regional Western Australia.  They wanted a training model that followed a 70:20:10 ratio where most of the training is done on the job, using competency based training.   They had limited resources and they are a small organisation.  There was strong management and executive support for an e-learning approach.  They used a Moodle Learning Management System and created modules and webinars.  They used In Design and Captivate to create learning  modules that had images, video, text and interactive elements.  In addition they recorded webinars of environmental and legal experts giving talks and posted these on the Moodle LMS. 

This was an interesting example of a government agency that is also an RTO creating their own e-learning programs.  It demonstrates what can be achieved when trainers are given access to programs such as In Design and Captivate with which to create learning modules.