Join the Learning Revolution at Newham College of Further Education

Last week (27/10-30/10) I joined a group of group of Cluj-based Romanian experts in adult education for a visit to London, part of a Leonardo project aiming to exchange good practices on adult e-learning in Europe. We attended a most interesting workshop on the role and benefits of implementing a VLE for the college courses aimed at a very numerous student population.

Newham College of Further Education is a college of further education in the London Borough of Newham, United Kingdom. Previously called Newham Community College, it was created from the merger of the former West Ham College and East Ham College. The main site is in East Ham, with a further site in Stratford, and six further local neighbourhood learning centres. An Oftsted report following a 2009 inspection awarded the school a Grade 1 (outstanding). The college is a member of the 157 Group of high performing school (Source: Wikipedia).

 Our hostess, Mrs. Joyce Amato, and her team introduced us to the college Moodle-based VLE, called New Learning, the result of two-year efforts to integrate technology in learning.
Definitely, where there is a will there's a way... and it's up to us to decide whether we want or not to join this Revolution!

Din nou despre tehnologii si alte minunatii

Rima involuntara din titlu e binevenita. Pentru ca la inceput de septembrie in minunata Creta am avut parte de reteta ideala cu ingredientele mele preferate. In ordinea preferintelor: Mediterana, oameni minunati de la care ai de invatat, multe idei si metode noi, sentimentul ca nu lucrezi in van.

Scoala de vara la prof integrarea tehnologiilor web 2.0 in predarea limbilor straine

View more presentations from Cristina Felea.

Summer School in Chania

Busy, busy...

Introduction to Web2.0 & Language Learning, LaProf Summer School 2010

View more presentations from MARIA PERIFANOU.

Sir Ken Robinson's "Bring on the Learning Revolution!"

No comment for now. Enjoy!

Trust and Respect

Yes, it is time consuming, yes, sometimes you feel discouragingly insignificant in such a huge blogosphere, yes, the impact you produce is next to zero in this stage, but… but…

The satisfaction to discover and re-discover out there thoughts and ideas you have always had and kept for yourself for some reason compensates for the “wasted time” and transforms it in “time regained” because finding out there, in the wide world, people sharing same values and attitudes compensates for the frustration of not finding them in the immediate proximity. However, I know there are such people around, and I’ll do my best to find them.
As to the impact, I don’t worry, you can’t have it in such a short time. Making an impact needs patience, focus and self-confidence…and trust from others.

At the same time, yes, Trust and Respect, said Chris Betcher on his blog, Betchablog, are decisive values in the creation of a good relationship between educators and students. This reminded me of old wounds – the suspicion climate in a Romania traumatised by communism –
So, others too fight rigid frames within which you “are guilty until proven guilty” – others too have to fight educational policies in which students roles are restrained to accepting passively decisions taken for them, with too little space left for discussion or negotiation –

Food for thought for all of us: to what extent do we offer our students a framework based on TRUST and RESPECT, meant to bring us THEIR Trust and Respect?
Or, in Chris Betcher’s words: Seriously, what’s the worst thing that could happen if we created an environment of trust and respect?

Considerații privind cercetarea științifică

Preiau sugestia de pe blogul Gabrielei Grosseck... Intr-adevar, o prezentare extrem de uitila pentru noi toti...

Considerații privind cercetarea științifică

View more presentations from Sabin Buraga.

La vanatoare de granturi si idei...

Pe ger si viscol spre/dinspre Europa, de luni dimineata, cu greu, tropaind pe coridoare, prin birouri cu fete zambitoare...
Unde e oare acel minunat birou sau acel minunat site care sa gestioneze printr-o inter-fata (!?) prietenoasa batalia omului obisnuit cu hatisurile birocratice?

Nu e! Nu e! Asa ca înarmaţi-vă cu multă răbdare, cu o dantură  care să vă permită să scrâşniţi din dinţi pe când aveţi aerul că zâmbiţi!
Si va amintiti că  munca nu a omorât pe nimeni, dar nici de lene nu se ştie să fi murit cineva.

Ah, da, între timp, poate aruncaţi o privire aici, sunt lucruri frumoase.

E-portfolios si lifelong learning

Iata cateva video-clipuri despre e-portfolios

O introducere simpla si simpatica:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B3tujXlbdk

Utilizarea lor cu studentii
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ_CRwifBCw

Hmmm, ar fi interesant sa lucram ceva in sensul acesta cu studentii nostri.

Uff, inca o caramida la identitatea virtuala...

Horoscopul pe scurt (?!) spunea ca inceputul anului va fi o perioada de incercari... Deci sa incercam. Aici intentionez sa-mi gasesc una din voci - teach-erita de engleza a studentilor de la Facultatea de Asistenta Sociala si Sociologie a Universitatii Babes-Bolyai. Cea care incearca cu indarjire sa-i invete, uff, engleza pentru scopuri academice. Mari dureri de cap, in conditiile in care romana pentru scopuri academice pune probleme majore.

Perioada de tatonare, zic, cred, s-a terminat - e vremea de proiecte, de studii serioase, de cercetare -  Pana una alta, ma uit cu admiratie si respect la eforturile colegelor de la Timisoara, Gabriela Grosseck si Carmen Holotescu.

Sincronizarea cu tehnologiile web 2.0 da batai de cap globale - interesant acest articol!