Pre Conference Workshops

Pre-conference workshops
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1. Teaching Practice in Distance Education

Half-day workshop conducted by Saide

Time: 09.30-13.00 (4 hours)

Short Break: 10.30-11.00

 

Facilitators:  Tony Lelliott and Maryla Bialobrzeska.

 

Workshop description

The purpose of the workshop is to consider how ‘teaching practice’ – the practicum in which student teachers are based in schools and practice their teaching – works in a distance education context.

The workshop will identify key issues (e.g. assessment and mentoring) during teaching practice, and groups will reflect on their own institutional experiences. The groups will then review case studies in relation to the key issues and experiences, and report back to the whole group. The outcome of the workshop will be potential solutions to current challenges emerging from the discussion. The challenges and solutions will be communicated to the workshop participants and interested institutions (who will form a Community of Practice, coordinated by Saide), and taken forward to the next DETA conference.

 

2. Interactive Video for Instructional Delivery in Open & Distance Learning

Half-day workshop conducted by Centre for Open and Distance Learning, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

Time: 09.30-13.00 (4 hours)

Short Break: 10.30-11.00

Facilitator: Olawale Koledafe

Workshop description

Open and Distance Learning affords qualitative and quantitative education to learners who are separated from the instructor in time and space. As such, instructions are communicated to the learners via the combination of synchronous and asynchronous communication mode via web 2.0 based application. In recent times, Learning Management Systems (LMS) has evolved as a viable means of deploying teaching and learning through the internet. LMS allows for multi-modal instructional communication, however, when the video length is too long, it becomes difficult to retain the learners’ attention. The passivity or lack of engagement becomes a drawback when cognition levels are higher and the learners are required to analyze and apply the learning. With the integration of technologies, it is now possible to provide levels of engagement and interaction on instructional videos.

In this workshop, an attempt would be made to:

1. introduce the participant to the concept of Interactive videos in technology-enabled Open and Distance Learning (ODL).
2. Convert a PowerPoint presentation to an actively engaging presentation
3. Create instructional screencast.
4. Create interactive videos for use in a completely online environment or in a blended learning environment
5. Introduce the participant to eLearning standards for instructional module development (SCORM, API-x, Tin Can API, AICC).  

 

3. Supporting the teaching of Early Reading

Half-day workshop conducted by Academic Director of TESSA, The Open University

Facilitator: Dr Kris Stutchbury

Time: 09.30-13.00 (4 hours)

Short Break: 10.30-11.00

Workshop description

TESSA and Saide have developed a free, online course for teachers of Early reading. It is relevant to teachers, but also teacher educators and NGOs who are supporting the work of teachers of Early Reading. The course is very flexible. It is available online, or can be downloaded and studied offline, and takes anything between 1 week (studying full-time) or 12 weeks (studying for 2 hours a week). It can be studied by teachers studying on their own, but we believe that to get the most benefit from the course, groups of people from the same institution will study together and discuss the activities.

This workshop will provide an introduction to the course. Participants will be taken through the technical aspects and have a preview of the content. We will share and provide hard and soft copies of the Facilitator Guide, and there will be an opportunity to work with others to plan how the course might be integrated into your plans for CPD. The course takes a balanced approach to the teaching of reading and includes a number of tools and resources that can be downloaded, adapted and used beyond the lifetime of the course.

Participants are asked to bring an internet-enabled device – a laptop, a tablet computer or smartphone.