Hi Dennis

Not sure who's going to find this down here in the YL Forum!

Anyway, last year after Exeter Online, we suggested at a couple of events that people could use the slideshows with audio in local PD events (here in the UAE), but I don't think anyone ever did. We also pointed out that if the concept was taken on board, people wouldn't have to get up on the weekend and GO to PD events, they could do it in the comfort of their own home - but, they wouldn't get a certificate for it, which is quite important here!

People here seem to like 'live' presentations... Back in February we did an event in a city called Madinat Zayed which is about 1.5 hours from Abu Dhabi in what is known as the Western Zone - a very large area, but fairly sparsely populated. The HCT college there has a satellite campus in Ruwais, another 1.5 hours further west from MZ and they have a remote link-up facility. We decided to try beaming sessions from MZ to Ruwais to save people the drive - but only a handful of folk showed up in Ruwais. I think teachers there see the events as a social occasion (which they are) and a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues and that that angle is as important as the PD sessions. (Sorry - that's a tangent.)

I can see, however, that maybe we could arrange to use them at work for a PD and discussion sessions - instead of us presenting to each other ... Maybe the sessions are useful to have as an option in a programme, properly prepared with discussion topics and a stop-start approach? If we could watch and then have a hook-up or chat feature with the presenter, that would be great! Or something useful to have ready in case a presenter doesn't show up? (Sorry, that sounds like they are second best...) I think I'd maybe like to use Gavin's slides and audio for discussion sometime. 

Anyway, If you can direct me to a learner autonomy one, I'll give it a shot at an event and report back!

Best wishes,

Heather

Thanks, Heather.

As Cardiff offline begins to fade from our memories I suddenly recalled the suggestion to use  Cardiff Online material as a resource and I can see, if there were interest and cooperation, it would be easy to organise an event with the format:  "For next week watch X and be prepared to discuss it. Theoretically, that could be interessting - if people took part.

Dennis

Hi Diana,

Last year at a PD event just after the Exeter Conference and as part of the intro, we demoed Exeter Online. I talked about my role as a moderator (on the LA Forum) and Vance Stevens who had been at the conference, particularly the LA PCE, talked about the conference itself. This was a 10 minute cameo and particiupants noted the site and a few of them later explored it - I could see their names on the 'who's been online' feature, and spotted a few posts from them. (The point I made above was just about whether it had been used for presentations in PD events.)

So, I'd suggest that you do something similar ... If you were at the conference talk about that and then do a demo of the site - the videos, the fora, interviews, etc. to stimulate interest. If you have more time (1 hour), why not pick a few of the online sessions and poll people before the meeting as to which they'd be interested in discussing - and then decide if people should watch beforehand or watch together - do a handout to promote discussion - or decide if you are going to just pause at different points ... You might need to cue the video you choose (or edit, if that's possible) just to keep it focussed and sustain interest. You might also need to dig around for what is actually available - like I found Gavin's slides in the LT forum... With 30 mins, you could choose something (or poll) which is a hot topic where you work and then look at discussions related to that.

Sorry, can't be more helpful - I looked at your intro, but you didn't mention your current teaching situation. Also, would your teachers have laptops or computer access at the meeting?

And, don't forget - Exeter Online is still available, too...

Best wishes,

Heather

PS:  here's a link to our webalbum from the event - see slide 9 (I'm behind the plasma screen!) Not sure link will work!

PPS: You're right - this should be elsewhere -I suggested in a different thread the need for a Misc Forum! Maybe better yet - a Feedback Forum.

Diana and Heather,

My wife complains I've ALWAYS got an excuse....

I don't agree that my posting about using Cardif Online was in the wrong place here. I meant the members and readers of this forum to consider what they could do. Keeping up with the posts on this forum, as well as duties of a similar kind elsewhere, plus attending the Cardiff conference in the flesh was just about manageable, so there has been no chance for me to look at any of the other forums. I've been totally parochial - the world revolves around YL, didn't you know?   :-)

Dennis

 Hey Dennis

It's just like everyday conversations that go off in all sorts of directions - it's natural - and that is YOUR talent at provoking discsussions! 

You were in the right place - and I took it off at a tangent. Perhaps a discussion about Cardiff Fora in general should be elsewhere, but you are the only moiderator who has addressed it... 

In lots of the discussions here the topic has strayed and moderators have tried then to focus it or start new discussions on that topic, which have had varied success...

Go with the flow I think is the answer! (As you well know..) I mean, why interrupt a lively discussion which is off-topic? I just made my comment about a Misc Forum 'cos I really think one is needed, not just for Feedback but because what people might want/need to discuss might not fall into the given SIG-based categories - and that was certainly the case dealing with the LA Forum last year.

And that is the beauty and value of starting discussions - the unpredictabilty - and going back to our offline exchange, it is perhaps wherein lies the rationale for the discussion list and why it continues to be of value and interest.

Nonetheless, I wonder if tagging might help.

 Heather

Heather,

Ah. Tagging. Funny, I was going to mention that in my last message, but forgot. I think it was from Vance Stevens that I leaerned about Technorati (I haven't check, but it must be technorati.com).  Let's try:

Technorati

That is the best place to go, as you probably know, to feed in tags and let it find all instances of those tags. With photos, for example, it is dramatic how it finds all instances at great speed. 15 minutes ago I uploaded about 15 photos to Flickr as part of a course in photography in SL. I made up the tag since I did not know if anything had been decided upon - vwll2009nickdennis. Now as long as I remember thetag I'll always be able to find those particular photos.

Yes. I think tagging has become a most necessary practice given the collossal explosion of knowledge and writing about it.   Dennis 

....By making a few changes to the search options, I found the pictures immediately:

VWLL pictures   (EVO 2009 Virtual World & Langugage Learning 6-week workshops)

Dennis

Hi Dennis

Good to be back with you.I have been off due to an error in the site and now I can log on without any problem .Have you tried Posterous?I find it  very handy indeed.

Regds

Abdul Khadar 

Abdul.

Welcome back. No. I don't know posterous. I shall take a look immediately.

Dennis

Abdul,

That was a very helpful tip about Posterous. It seems to be an awesome service. And it turns out that some of my professional friends know about it and have been using it for some time.

THANKS!

http://www.posterous.com

Just send a hort message to that address and you will get an answer and instructions for how to continue.

Dennis

I think there are signs our part of Cardiff Online is running out of steam. That's normal, if a little sad. Anyone want to send a nearly final message?

Dennis