Presentation from #IODScotcon

Last week I had an opportunity to speak at the Institute of Directors annual Conference in Scotland . I ran a workshop on ways that organisations can shape what Colleges deliver. My slides are a combination of slides from CDN , from Colleges Scotland , from SCQF from SQA and from Education Scotland - as all the public partners in Scotland are focused on Developing Scotland's Young Workforce and working in partnership with employers .

How Learners want you to use technology #ScotEdChat

I have run this as a session a couple of times . Once with the assembled staff of West College Scotland and a couple of times more intimately with the boards of some Colleges looking for the answer to the 'what next " question or even the what's happening now question.

It's actually more about the things that are easily in reach for the technically terrified than it is about global change and  the massive global changes that are happening in learning delivery.

I focus on things like what I would do with my Youtube channel if I was still in classroom . No it wouldn't be a homage to my 14 years in the classroom it would be a set of great learning resources borrowed from lots of other people and organisations etc

I give examples of how I continue to use all of the tools listed on the early slide.  I should really have a much longer slide of all the tools I no longer use - to illustrate that we should not fear obsolescence in moving the learning dialogue forward.

I pick examples where folk have said it couldn't be done !  - teaching art and photography to degree level on line for instance - both Scottish and UK examples .  You don't have to be rich to innovate and disrupt in this space any longer. Open is a way of doing things and not just a brand in Education.

I highlight not the big things happening in USA and global spaces but Tute and tools that are helping learners - better to have a tutor supporting young learners on line than old model of the tutor visiting your children at home.

And I encourage folk to get on and move into this space and use the networking tools that are available ,  before it is homogenised by commercial publishers, who want to own if not our learners souls, then at least their full browsing and on-line purchasing history.

Someone pointed out that 'facebook' is not on this list . Yes I use facebook and lots of other tools but not in the learning space - that is another slide deck on managing your digital identity.

I've probably still to do some attribution on some of these slides - but will get there .

How to use technology with learners from Joe Wilson

College Development Network - Leading Creating Sharing #Scotedchat

Yes we do have our own website but I do keep being asked 'so what does the College Development Network do ? " thankfully by folk out with the college sector . And we have been doing a refresh around values mission and all the things that give an organisation and the team that necessary set of purpose and focus -

So here is some shorthand around what CDN does.

I thought I'd include the #scotedchat tag as some innovative folks were trying to promote this over the weekend . Learners know all about life long learning and learning journeys . We need to remind ourselves sometimes that it is too easy to work in silos - sharing really helps across systems

College Development Network Strategy from Joe Wilson

#dangeroused Festival of Dangerous Ideas

I made a promise today to do a quick post on the launch of this year's Emporium of Dangerous Ideas held in Govanhill Baths.

We were challenged to describe the change we wanted to make and explain what was holding us back.  

In terms of change 

I'd like learning to be a much more collaborative activity to reflect both how learners learn and the speed that we all now need to work at .  

I promised that I would do more to tell others that is what I think , hence this blog post . 

I also decided the best way to get this change was to reach out to other people who work in education, learning and training . Those of you that know me know I have been doing this for a while .  But perhaps I need to tackle things in different ways.

I am a great believer in everything being in beta .  But most people are scared of this.

The most interesting and notable things I've achieved I've achieved working in , with or leading great teams. So I know I can eventually convince people, but to make the change I want we need more people to embrace new ways of working.

I was challenged too on why I was not doing more to make this change happen . 

Why I was not leading this change .

On reflection I don't mind challenging thinking but I probably spend too much time with those who are already convinced that this is the future and not enough time with those who don't look at new ways of working and communicating online.

I probably don't spend enough time thinking about the barriers that are holding back others from jumping in at the deep end and finding the right ways to motivate them.

In the nicest possible way over the next month or two . I'm going to encourage more folk to jump in.