Informal learning

Articles

AVATAR – The Course: Recommendations for Using 3D Virtual Environments for Teaching

11 July 2011

The AVATAR project developed a global course for teachers, which was delivered remotely over a period of four months.

The course had nine modules, distributed via e-learning and v-learning platforms. The course was created in English, however to support the learning curve of multilingual and international groups, several modules were moderated in national groups. This communication details the rationale behind the course, documents two case studies of completed projects within a virtual world, highlights the challenges and successes of the modules, and culminates with conclusions and recommendations for running courses and lessons within an online 3D virtual world.

virtual learning environments, Informal learning, online resources, study

Impressions: ESSIE Annual Assembly 2011

27 June 2011
innovation, Education, , Informal learning, sytemic, reform
Directory

Leap2A

23 June 2011

This specification is intended to cover the representation of several kinds of information, centred around individuals, who collect, create, reflect on and use their own information for learning, development, self-presentation, or related purposes. The information is typically authored, or collected, by the individuals themselves, and may cover: what they have done, made, achieved, written, or are proud of; what or who helps or has helped them; what they aspire to; what they are good at; evidence for and reflections on any of these; and perhaps input from other people.

tool, eportfolio, certification, Informal learning, Personal Learning Environment, personalised learning
Events

EFQUEL Innovation Forum 2011

15 June 2011

The 6th EFQUEL Innovation Forum entitled "Certify the Future!?... Accreditation, Certification and Internationalisation" seeks to discuss certification systems for higher education, discuss certification in adult education and schools, for individuals and for organisations from Europe and beyond. We would like to invite you to debate the value of certifications, to examine good practice examples of innovative ways of certification in the various educational fields and to shape a future vision of how certifications can evolve to become  instruments to certify the future.

 

Keynotes are:

  1. Wayne Mackintosh, Director of the OER Foundation & Founder of WikiEducator
  2. Asha Kanwar, Vice President, Commonwealth of Learning
  3. Yves Punie, Senior Scientist in the Information Society Unit, IPTS
  4. Steve Wheeler, Associate Professor of Learning Technologies at the University of Plymouth

 

innovation, EFQUEL, , certification, higher education, Informal learning
Directory

ePractice Digital Literacy Workshop on Digital Competences for Social Inclusion Actors and Intermediaries

15 June 2011

This report reflects the presentations, discussions and conclusions on a "Digital Competences for Social Inclusion Actors and Intermediaries" workshop organised in the context of ePractice Digital Literacy community (Brussels, 12 October 2010). The purpose of this workshop was to identify good practices and success criteria regarding ICT-enabled training, resources, and tools for developing digital competences for intermediaries and social actors (professionals, volunteers, carers, actors in general from the Public and Third Sectors) to support them on their job on providing assistance to groups at risk of exclusion and on fostering their digital, social inclusion and economic participation. As a result, six policy options for the development of digital competences for intermediaries were identified and debated by participants.

digital, social inclusion, ePractice, Informal learning, Resources, tools, policy-making
Articles

Formation à distance : quand le tutorat s’adapte à l’industrialisation

03 June 2011

Dans notre article « Formation e-learning : quand industrialisation rime avec qualité », nous faisions mention de la possibilité et même de la nécessité pour certaines entreprises, d’industrialiser la production de leur formation à distance. Une manière pour elles de pallier les difficultés à introniser une méthode de formation qui requiert l’alliance de compétences pédagogiques, technologiques et humaines. Le tutorat adapté à la formation à distance doit s’accorder avec cette industrialisation du e-learning. Peut-on alors parler d’industrialisation du tutorat ?

Industrialisation de la formation à distance et tutorat, les craintes

Les études révèlent une constante progression de la part de la formation à distance, en comparaison à l’ensemble du marché de la formation. Alors que la formation à distance effraie encore de nombreuses structures, l’idée d’industrialisation du tutorat n’est pas pour convaincre les plus réticents. Cette notion insinue la potentielle disparition des interactions humaines entre le tuteur et les apprenants, au profit d’une médiation exclusivement technologique.En formation à distance, on distingue quatre types de tutorat. Trois d’entre eux nécessitent forcément de l’interaction humaine pour assurer le suivi des apprenants, l’autre pas :
 
- Le tutorat proactif
Objectif : cadrer les apprenants, les relancer et les motiver, envoyer et corriger des activités. Ces actions peuvent s’effectuer de manière automatiquement par le biais d’une plateforme de formation. (rapport informatisé)
 
- Le tutorat réactif
Objectif : conseiller et répondre aux questions à la demande des apprenants. Le tuteur attend d’être sollicité pour réagir sur le contenu pédagogique. (rapport humain)
 
- Le tutorat technique
Objectif : guider les tuteurs dans la conception des ressources et permettre aux apprenants l’accès à ces mêmes ressources, par exemple en résolvant les problèmes de connexions. (rapport humain via une hotline)
 
- Le tutorat communautaire
Objectif : construire et animer un espace communautaire, alimenter  et organiser un forum, etc. (rapport humain)
 
Tutorat industrialisé, les atouts à exploiter
Avec le e-learning, le tutorat a évolué. Le e-tuteur doit profiter des nouveaux outils de la formation à distance, notamment de la plateforme LMS, pour : accompagner les apprenants lors de leur parcours de formation ; former et rassurer sur l’utilisation des outils informatiques ; évaluer et analyser les résultats ; mais aussi motiver tout simplement. Lorsqu’une partie du tutorat (pro-actif) est administrée par une plateforme LMS, le tuteur a plus de temps pour se concentrer sur l’essentiel : les aspects pédagogiques (tutorat réactif et communautaire). Il délègue à la machine les tâches non pédagogiques qui sont gérées automatiquement. Toutefois, un tuteur tout à fait compétent dans le domaine du présentiel n’a pas spontanément les clés pour manager une formation à distance. Pour satisfaire cette demande, le nombre de formations au e-tutorat ne cesse de croître et répond aux exigences pédagogiques de ce nouveau métier.
 
eLearning programme, e-learning, formation à distance, , logiciels, Informal learning, work-based learning (WBL), Blended, Creativity, formation professionnelle

Using social media to learn languages

02 June 2011
Informal learning
Projects

Empowering Lives, Supporting Affectivity

01 June 2011

ELSA intends to explore the use of Web 2.0 to reach two target groups: family and professional caregivers caring for frail elderly people, including those who live with Alzheimer disease and with dementia.

 

The main aim of ELSA project is to create videos, slides, texts which can give support and information to those (professionals and relatives) caring for frail elderly people.

 

ELSA  addresses the learning needs of professional caregivers working in residential and home care services (nursing homes, assisted living centers, adult care centers, home services, and the like) and of relatives caring for frail older people living at home or in residential care.

 

The partners made during the first year a multilingual website, collecting the videos and texts produced in the various countries; now the website is interfaced with Facebook and YouTube for creating social networks, open to professionals and relatives.

Facebook pages are in Italian, German, English and Lithuanian.

 

The innovative aspects are:

 

  • the idea of exchanging training and information among professionals and caregivers, usually not sharing training on the care of frail elderly;
  • the idea of collecting personal experiences and accounts not only from relatives but also from professionals, usually involved only in relation to their professionals skills;
  • the use of videos, photos, accounts, short interviews, books reviews made by the project's participants, on themes such as the care of frail older people and the individual and emotional experiences lived by relatives who already went through this experience.
dementia, , elderly people, care, professional caregivers, Informal learning
Events

ATEE Annual Conference 2011 Riga: Teachers’ Life-cycle from Initial Teacher Education to Experienced Professional

31 May 2011

Challenging debates of the future of teachers' profession and teacher education have been taking place in several European countries since the end of the 20th century. These discussion were triggened by the awareness of fundamental changes occurring in teacher education and concern for their effects on the quality of teacher education of the 21st century.  Current debates highlight topical problems of research in teachers’ pre-service and inservice education that deserve to be investigated and better understood.

Informal learning, teacher role
Events

RiE 2011: Robotics in Education

30 May 2011

The International Robotics in Education Conference (RiE) aims at bringing researchers, teachers, practicing engineers, as well as industry experts from all over the world onto a common platform.

We encourage to submit and present new trends, practical experiences, and the latest innovations and advances in the area of Robotics in Education.

Robotics in school, Informal learning, simulation