Simon's Thought Development Oven

Taking Back Ownership from the VLE

The interesting new Jisc #codesign16 consultation encompassing the next generation of digital learning environments popped into my feed this morning. https://twitter.com/Lawrie/status/793051311184965632 I didn't think I had anything to add to the best piece on VLEs I've ever read - David Wiley... Continue Reading

Being a Learning Technologist

Having - and communicating - a clear idea of what a learning technologist does is important: for the academics who do, or might, work with us; for the project leads who might want to hire someone to ‘do elearning’ whatever that may mean; for those overseeing for professional development. It’s especi... Continue Reading

Learners and Teachers

Writing about my reasons for learning Welsh recently, one I set aside was "to be a student" because I wanted a bit more space to pick it over. As teachers and educators I have no doubt that it's necessary for us to be learning all of the time, in all sorts of ways. But I think there's also value in ... Continue Reading

Reflections on the ELESIG Gwella Meeting

After the funding for the Gwella project finished last year, @chris_hall of Swansea and @djalewis of Glamorgan proposed that we form a group on ELESIG's Ning and apply for one of their small grants to fund a couple of meetings; the first of these was today. The format chosen was a hybrid: we met ... Continue Reading

Who Selects the VLE to Use?

A couple of days ago I questioned how a big institutional platform like the virtual learning environment (VLE) might be used to drive change. Implicit in this was the assumption that the VLE is an institutional tool, chosen collectively, in contrast to learners each selecting their own tools within ... Continue Reading

For Change’s Sake

"Not another new system to learn?" Learning to use a new piece of software is often seen as a time consuming, de-motivating overhead and yet with upgrades, improvements and new opportunities migration is often forced on us whether we like it or not. Institutions faced with a new set of technical d... Continue Reading

Blackboard CourseSites, the VLE and the Cloud

Yesterday Blackboard launched CourseSites, a web-service based on their Blackboard Learn platform where teachers can create their own courses and invite their students to enrol. For anyone who works at an educational institution which has the latest version of Blackboard as its virtual learning env... Continue Reading