Eleven new Toolboxes have been developed in 2009 to support the following Training Packages:

Construction, Plumbing & Services; Property Services; Health; Electrotechnology; Forest and Forest Products; Retail Services; Training and Assessment; Community Services; Business Services.

Click here to find out more about each of the Series 12 Toolboxes

So far, 12.10 Training and Assessment E-learning electives and 12.11Cybertots have been released and the rest will follow shortly.

Flexible Learning Toolboxes (Toolboxes) are high quality, cost effective interactive e-learning and assessment resources featuring scenarios, images and activities. They are designed for use by training providers, industry and business and support online delivery of recognised training packages for the vocational education and training sector.

Toolbox materials now come in two formats:

• an integrated learning program incorporating a number of units of competency. These programs are available on a CD-ROM for installation on a server or for use on a stand-alone computer.
• a learning object format allowing users to download smaller self-contained components of content for free. Learning objects generally support an element or unit of competency.

Flexible Learning Toolboxes provide you with options to attract new learners and markets with online resources at a fraction of their development cost.

Online09 – E–learning by Design, will be held on Friday 20th November 2009 at Cliftons and the Parmelia Hilton. The keynote speaker, Cathy Moore, has been creating lively, clear instructions for almost 25 years. Cathy started out as a trainer and technical writer for PC users before moving into adult distance education. Since 1998, she has been designing and writing for online learners.

Hands–on workshops and presentations will be held throughout the day with local and interstate presenters including Frankie Forsyth, Sue Waters, and successful 2009 Innovation Projects.

The conference is a grand opportunity to network, learn and share!

Janice, Cheryl and myself will all be presenting - we hope to see you there!

Link - Online09 E-learning by Design

It’s tempting to view e-learning as simply a quick and efficient way to present information, but we can harness far more of its potential by using it to design activities which allow learners to practice new knowledge in a safe, online environment.  

In a recent interview for The Knowledge Tree e-journal, Cathy drew on her extensive experience as a trainer and e-learning designer to provide insight into how training providers and businesses can strengthen their e-learning design, delivering the most effective possible experience for learners.

Click here to view the full article.

In Edition 19 of The Knowledge Tree, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework e-journal, Elliott Masie who co-invented the term ‘e-learning’ makes a few predictions about e-learning – and offers some advice for teachers – for the next five years:

• Video in learning will increase exponentially. While reading will never go away, we will see a significant rise in the use of video, both edited and also live video-conference formats, to shift e-learning to a watching and listening mode, rather than just reading and writing.

• Failing forward will be key. Much of e-learning is way too easy. Our next generation of learners wants to be significantly challenged when playing a video game. They want to fail the first few levels. Learning should increase the challenge, competition and the ability for our learners to “fail their way to success”.

• Evidence-based research on pedagogy is needed. We desperately need to have more evidence about what teaching and learning styles work most effectively for what types of content – and with which types of learners. This micro level of evidence is needed to be able to hone and target the future of e-learning.

• Collaboration and social learning moves forward. We will invent new models of how learners can learn from and with each other. These will include more use of ratings, peer teaching, project-based learning and structured competition/collaborative learning.

Elliott also says: "Finally, as the person ‘accused’ of helping to introduce the term e-learning, I have one hope: that we drop the ‘e’. Let’s just assume that learning in the future will always make the best use of online resources, digital collaboration and interaction between learners and teachers. The ‘e’ should evolve to be about ‘excellent learning’ that naturally uses these traditional and emerging modalities."

Click here http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2009/ to read Edition 19 of The Knowledge Tree or more of the article, Defining the 'e' in e-learning, which takes readers on a journey from e-learning’s humble beginnings to current global practices and future possibilities.

If you think online learning is primarily for office based subjects like accounting, marketing and business, think again.

Three learning objects - that is, self contained sequences of e-learning content - are breaking down traditional agriculture training barriers and providing fish farmers, dairy workers and animal volunteers with up-to-the-minute online training.

Accessible through the Toolbox Repository, these learning objects were produced by Australian training providers looking to offer their learners flexibility and easy access to important industry knowledge. Through the repository, this learning material can be downloaded freely and used, copied, adapted and distributed as each individual sees fit.

Here’s a snapshot of these unique learning resources:

Paddock to Processor

This is one of four resources in a learning series which teaches dairy workers the skills and knowledge needed to efficiently take their cows ‘from the paddock to the processor’.

This learning object focuses on the work routines related to post-milking and includes industry guidelines, research activities for the learner’s farm, interactive videos, helpful resources, assessment options and guidance on gaining formal skills recognition.

Control of Pest, Predators and Disease

This learning object provides the theory for monitoring predators, pests and disease infestations that threaten stock in an aquaculture facility, and selecting the appropriate control measures.

It sits alongside a strong practical component that involves diagnosing infestations and treating ill health in stock. Online trainers for this unit arrange a practical workshop which teaches and assesses a learner’s basic skills. This arrangement is a prime example of traditional and online learning working hand-in-hand.

This learning object was enhanced as part of the 2008 Western Australian E-learning Innovations projects.

Recognise animals

This learning object introduces learners to the principles of recognising animals. It clearly outlines the learning process that volunteers go through to gain the knowledge to answer animal questions from the public.

The unit takes learners through the basics of classifying animals, and includes links to further reading, useful guides and opportunities to test their knowledge along the way.

To search the Toolbox Repository for other learning objects, visit http://toolboxes.flexiblelearning.net.au/repository

Toolboxes are high quality, cost effective, interactive e-learning and assessment resources featuring scenarios, images and activities. They are funded and supported by the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

Toolbox Champions are employed in every state and territory to support the implementation of Toolboxes. To contact your local Toolbox Champion, visit: http://flexiblelearning.net.au/toolbox/champions

Series 12 Flexible Learning Toolboxes (Toolboxes), expected to be available for purchase in early 2010, are now available for preview at: http://toolboxes.flexiblelearning.net.au/preview/byseries.htm

The Toolboxes are currently being developed in consultation with Industry Skills Councils to support the delivery of nationally endorsed training packages and address skills shortages and e-learning resource needs in priority industries.

Toolbox Business Manager Harriet Wakelam said that the Series 12 Toolboxes add to a collection of more than 100 existing Toolboxes across a diverse range of educational and industry areas, helping deliver over 170 qualifications and supporting approximately 930 units of competency.

“Toolboxes are highly visual, hands-on education and training products. They are ideal for just-in-time learning, either on-the-job, in the classroom, or in remote locations”.

The Series 12 Toolboxes are:

· Licensed to Plumb (12.01) will address a shortage of e-learning materials for the plumbing industry, providing an engaging, media-rich, interactive learning experience to support five units of the Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services . It will focus on core skills and knowledge for licensed plumbers, including drainage, water, gas, plan sizing, and layout of plumbing systems.

· Satellite City (12.02) is designed to support four units from the Certificate IV in Spatial Information Services , and the Certificate IV in Surveying . It will guide learners through the processes involved in reading and interpreting spatial data, conducting a field survey and managing, storing and presenting data, in line with industry practices.

· Indigenous Spiritual Wellbeing (12.03) will cover five units from the Certificate III and Certificate IV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care . It will provide training for health care workers in Indigenous communities, focusing on supporting and assessing clients with mental health, alcohol and other drug issues.

· Electrotech (12.04) will support five units from the Certificate III in Electrotechnology (Electrician) . Learners will complete hands-on activities and challenges to develop problem solving skills while learning about basic electrical concepts, electrical occupational health and safety and fabricating electrical components.

· Timber (12.05) will cover five competencies from the Forest and Forest Products Training Package and support a wide range of Certificate II and Certificate III qualifications including sawmilling, merchandising and manufactured products. Timber will deliver crucial e-learning resources for workers in an industry that has traditionally relied overwhelmingly on face-to-face training.

· Retailer 2 (12.06) will extend the Series 10 Retailer Toolbox (10.05) by covering the core units of the Certificate II in Retail , as well as five selling, merchandising and marketing electives. Rather than taking a traditional unit-by-unit approach, learners will complete activities guided by a range of customer-focused scenarios and case studies, which will be mapped back to core units. A skills recognition pathway will be available for new and existing resources.

· TAA (12.09) supports delivery of 13 units from the new Certificate IV in Training and Assessment . The learning design of this Toolbox places the learner as a trainer/assessor for Optimal Learning Solutions (OLS), a fictitious registered training organisation providing training and assessment services to a range of government, private and industry organisations.

· TAA E-learning E-lectives (12.10) supports delivery of three units from the e-learning stream of the new Diploma in Training and Assessment. It also acts as a useful professional development tool for trainers or assessors that would like to develop their skills as an e-learning facilitator and/or designer of e-learning resources.

· Cybertots (12.11) supports delivery of the Certificate III in Community Services (Children's Services). The revamped Toolbox immerses the learner in a virtual child care centre allowing them to experience the role of a caregiver. Through problem-based projects and communication activities in which they will 'interact' with the workers and children at Cybertots, learners develop skills and knowledge necessary for working in the child care profession.

· Small Business Management (12.12) covers 10 units of competency from the Certificate IV in Small Business Management. Each competency provides a variety of information and activities to support qualifications in managing a small business.

To view the Framework’s full range of Toolboxes, visit the Toolbox website. Alternatively, you can access learning objects from past Toolboxes for free through LORN.
Toolboxes are high quality, cost effective, interactive e-learning and assessment resources featuring scenarios, images and activities. They are funded and supported by the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

Toolbox Champions are employed in every state and territory to support the implementation of Toolboxes. To contact your local Toolbox Champion, visit: http://flexiblelearning.net.au/toolbox/champions

A national approach to ensure that teachers and trainers have appropriate access to technology to support teaching and learning was recently ratified by the National Senior Officials Committee ( NSOC ).

Research has found that approaches to computer network management differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and organisation to organisation. These differences have led to inconsistencies in computer network policies, making it difficult for teachers and trainers to use innovative e-learning and communication resources and applications.

In a significant step forward for the embedding of e-learning in VET delivery , NSOC has agreed on the e-learning functionality required by teachers and trainers to embrace e-learning in practice, and this is represented in the VET Teacher E-learning Toolkit and companion document, Commonly-used E-learning Applications and Tools in VET. Key stakeholders from each state and territory were consulted in the Toolkit’s development, including IT managers, network administrators and teaching staff.

These documents ensure that vocational education and training (VET) Standard Operating Environments (SOEs) and computer networks provide the sector’s teachers and trainers with access to a guaranteed minimum range of applications and tools to support 21^st century learning.

E-learning Toolkit

The VET Teacher E-learning Toolkit is a recommended set of web and desktop functionality requirements that teachers and trainers need to help support the effective use of e-learning strategies in their education and training programs.

The Toolkit provides IT departments with a guide to the functionality requirements for their networks and computers. This will ensure that teachers and trainers can gain access to training resources and to communication, collaboration and content development tools.

E-learning applications and tools

The Commonly-used E-learning Applications and Tools in VET document lists popular e-tools and applications already in use in the sector. It profiles the tools for functionality, common usage, basic network configuration requirements and outlines known issues.

The VET Teacher E-learning Toolkit and Commonly-used E-learning Applications and Tools in VET are equally applicable to IT managers, network managers, e-learning practitioners and teachers and trainers, and provide a starting point for discussions about enabling the use, and increased availability of e-learning tools, within organisations.

Last year’s Australia-wide E-learning Benchmarking Survey – conducted by the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework) – highlighted some impressive results for adult and community education (ACE). The results suggested the sector is well on the way to adopting e-learning practices to meet the demands of learners and practitioners.

The survey found that the uptake of e-learning in ACE is on par with schools and ahead of private registered training organisations (RTOs). ACE practitioners were also extremely positive about the impact of e-learning on their teaching and training, and on learner experiences.

In fact, there are some exciting examples of e-learning being used within ACE which give learners control over the time, place and content of their learning.

Coonara Community House is a small, Melbourne-based RTO which has used wikis (an online tool for sharing information and collaborating with other learners) to deliver a Certificate III in Community Work to a learner group made up predominately of return-to-work mums.

Click here to read the full article.

Twitter, Moodle and Ning get you excited about learning, and blogs, wikis and RFIDs are common terms in your vocabulary. Visiting a virtual world is the norm, and you can’t understand why your colleagues don’t jump on board the e-learning super highway immediately.

Well, according to Dr Karen Becker, a lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology with a PhD in ‘Unlearning in the Workplace’, many people need to unlearn past behaviours before they can accept that e-learning is a powerful teaching and learning tool.

Unlearning involves breaking down what you think you know, opening up your mind to new concepts and then relearning over time. And it’s something many people find difficult to do.

One of the biggest issues with introducing e-learning in education and training is the manner in which it is debated, applied and evaluated within the learning environment. Here, Dr Becker tells us how to avoid committing the ‘seven deadly sins of e-learning’.

Click here to read the full article