Monthly viewing figures

Note: A Learning provider will only appear as one viewer; in reality the identified IP Address may be one viewer or many!

The data below is cumulative, highlighting, from the initial tracking our viewers on 1st September 2007, their global distribution.

Links that have been included in previous eMagazines...

To visit the shared links go to http://www.only2clicks.com/pages/acljohn/ or use the live pages below...

Note: Clicking on the image above will take you to the home page of Free Technology 4 Teachers.

Applying Chemistry Concepts to Real-World Scenarios is an article that looks at the Chem Collective (a project designed by the Chemistry department at Carnegie Mellon University); designed for teachers and students at secondary and college level.

Read the full article at http://freetech4teachers.blogspot.com/2008/09/applying-chemistry-concepts-to-real.html.

"Peter Friedman, a law professor at Case Western University, began this copyright blog in February of 2008 for one of his law classes; he created and posted documents for a fake copyright lawsuit so that his students could argue both sides, and then posted relevant links, readings, mp3s, and videos." an interesting use of Web 2.0 Technology - I'm sure this approach could be used in many subject areas.

Read more at http://blogs.learnnc.org/instructify/2008/09/12/learn-about-copyright-at-the-what-is-fair-use-blog/.

José Picardo a modern languages teacher who believes fervently in making education interactive, accessible and, above all else, more relevant to the needs and expectations of our students through the use of technology, writes in his blog about...

"French teachers who were interested in using podcasting to enhance the teaching of French to adult learners."

The blog provides a short summary of topics raised and links to the resources mentioned in José's presentation and subsequent workshop. As an Apple sponsored event, most of the references made are to Apple related products, although Jose directs readers to PC alternatives when possible.

Read the blog at http://www.boxoftricks.net/?p=466.

E-Guides updates

NIACE have just announced that there is some availability on the E-Guides training programme and have confirmed that capital grants of £2,500 are now also available for attendance on these.

See below for dates in this region and details of how to book.

Take a look at the eGuide flyer about the Training Programme 2008-2009 844KB pdf.

More information and dates are available at http://www.niace.org.uk/Conferences/TrainingCourses/eguides.htm.

In the north west eGuide Training is being offered 3 times; the dates/schedule for each 3 days of training is...

1. 27th and 28th November 2008 with the 3rd day on 9th January 2009 (Liverpool)
2. 2nd and 3rd February 2009 and the 3rd day on 3rd March 2009 (Manchester)
3. 23rd and 24th April 2009 and the 3rd day on 22nd May 2009 (Liverpool)

Primarily for schools, we are assured that the content is relevant to FE and places for delegates who teach and/or support students under 18 will be free.

The issue of plagiarism in schools is regularly in the news - "Teachers voice plagiarism fears" said the BBC when reporting the results of a recent survey conducted by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. But what is the reality behind the headlines? And what approach should staff in schools take to tackle the problem?

Netskills is offering teachers and support staff in schools the chance to attend a free workshop in either Manchester, London or Edinburgh. The workshop focuses on the prevention and deterrence of web-based plagiarism, raising awareness and highlighting detection tools.

Netskills trainer Helen Blanchett, says, "Our project in 2006 highlighted the need to raise awareness in schools about plagiarism. As a result, we secured additional funding to deliver these three workshops, and also to make the workshop materials available afterwards. Schools will be able to use these materials in their own training to further raise knowledge and understanding about plagiarism."

Book now:
14th October Manchester Metropolitan University
http://www.netskills.ac.uk/content/products/workshops/range/schplag.html.

These workshops have been funded by Eduserv and the materials from both workshops will be made available on the Information Literacy web site
at http://www.informationliteracy.co.uk/.

Further details on the projects can be found at:
http://www.netskills.ac.uk/content/projects/eduserv-info-lit/index.html.

We're now taking bookings for the JISC Collections FE Roadshow that we've organised for the 22nd October at the Sachas Hotel in central Manchester.

It is a free event which includes seminars and a JISC Collections exhibition suitable for FE, Specialist & 6th Form Colleges.

We are aware that this is a busy time of year and if you would like to come along you don't have to attend all day! Feel free to drop in at any time you can, for as long as you can - however, please book your place with us beforehand.

Details of the roadshow and the booking form are at: http://www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/roadshow

Initially we are setting the maximum number of delegates per college to 3, but there is potential that we could increase this so if you would like to book more, please do get in touch.

If you would like to know more email...

...Chrissie at ct@rsc-northwest.ac.uk or
Helen at hm@rsc-northwest.ac.uk.

Saturday 11th October
Merseyside Mammal Group: Autumn formal group meeting
10:30am, Natural History Centre Classroom, World Museum Liverpool.

Merseyside BioBank (the Local Records Centre for North Merseyside) and the World Museum Liverpool are working in partnership to establish a Merseyside Mammal Group.

The main aim of the group over the next 5 years will be to produce a Mammal Atlas for North Merseyside. This atlas will tell us where all the different species of mammals can be found in Merseyside and more importantly tell us which species are declining in number. To achieve this we first need to get together a group of interested people and train ourselves up into experts in mammal recording and identification!

The Mammal Group will hold a formal committee meeting every three months to decide on the activities of the group. This will include deciding on the topics for monthly talks, activities and training sessions on mammals.

More information available as a pdf download

If you cannot attend the meeting on the 11th October but you wish to be added to the Mammal Group Mailing List to keep informed about the events and activities the group is running please email community@merseysidebiobank.org.uk or call 0151 737 4155 to provide your contact details.

Helen Greaves
Merseyside BioBank Community Liaison Coordinator
www.merseysidebiobank.org.uk

First International on-line conference - 5-6 November 2008

The Network to Support Trainers in Europe is launching its first annual on-line conference on “the Training of Trainers” on 5 and 6 November, 2008. The confernce is co-sponsored by the Jisc funded Evolve network.

For more details go to http://www.trainersineurope.org/conference/.

Conference themes
The conference will be organised around four themes:

• Theme 1 - The changing role of trainers in learning
• Theme 2 - eLearning for trainers
• Theme 3 - Work-based learning
• Theme 4 - Support for the professional development of trainers

More information

For more information email the project coordinator Simone Kirpal – kirpal @uni-bremen.de or
the conference organiser Graham Attwell – graham10 @mac.com.

The Linux 2008 conference organized by the UK's Unix and Open Systems User Group

Venue: The Manchester Conference Centre, The University of Manchester, Weston Building, Sackville Street, Manchester

When: From Friday 7 - Sunday 9 November 2008.

The conference will start with a day of tutorials on the Friday followed by a two day conference with a choice of two streams covering a variety of subjects, including kernel and desktop development, tools, applications, networking and security.

More details at http://www.ukuug.org/events/linux2008/ or http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/events/.

MySQL European conferences

MySQL is holding a series of European Conferences for customers to help you determine how you can get the most out of MySQL technology.

The conferences cover Northern, Central and Southern Europe and will take place on...

• 21 October 2008 in Munich,
  
• 23 October 2008 in London and
  
• 19 November 2008 in Paris.

More details at http://www.mysql.com/news-and-events/european-conferences/2008/.

or http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/events/. 

Find out more, see who is in the 'tree' at http://www.academia.edu/.

Autofill PDF Labels is a resource where you can find good variety of free, downloadable and printable PDF label templates for business cards, name badges, CD labels, shipping labels, file folder labels and more.

The way it works...

• open one template sheet,
• insert your information in one field, and watch as it auto-added to all fields within that sheet.

You can use it to:

• create and print business cards or name badges in bulk.
• create shipping labels and autofill FROM and TO (for multiple shipments to one address).
• create shipping labels and autofill FROM field & insert manually different info for TO filed.

Once you’re done you can print labels in an instant.

Features:

* Free auto-fillable and printable PDF templates.
* Lots of label templates to choose from.
* Download and print any template you want. (Depending on a label type, you can add things like text and images)
* No sign-up or registration needed.

Try out Autofill PDF Labels at http://www.worldlabel.com/Pages/autofillpdf-labels.htm.

For those of you who have subscribed to the eMagazine for some time or who have attended our uNET workshops, you know by now that Eyejot, video mail, is available for free but has two upgrade paths that extend its functionality. If you are looking for administrative use of video mail, i.e. Eyejot for professional purposes, then they have added a very important new feature for PRO Plus users: Namely Document Attachments!

For about £50 a year ($99.95) Eyejot Document Attachments allow you to attach almost any kind of document you have on your own computer to a video message. With Eyejot Document Attachments, users can create an introductory video message explaining what they're sending, which sections to examine in detail, and then, attach the actual document(s) to their message! It could be a Microsoft Word document, an Adobe PDF file, a ZIP file with lots of other documents, or practically any other type of file. You can even attach links to web pages.

Watch a demonstration at http://www.eyejot.com/help/attachments_adding

and/or upgrade at http://www.eyejot.com/upgrade_selector.

A useful website that provides you with foldable letter templates that you can print out.

• Choose the template you like,
• print it,
• write message,
• fold it according to provided instructions and
• send.

Find out more at http://www.letterfu.com/index.php.

Pamela for Skype is the ultimate Skype Call Management tool.

• Call Recording
• Video Recording
• Chat Recording
• Call Transfer
• Publishing

Plus...

• Rich Mood Editor
• Answering Machine
• Video Mail
• Mega Emotion Sounds
• Auto Chat Reply
• Birthday Reminders
• Email Forwarding
• Contact Personalization
• Auto Start Applications

I personally have not tried all of the features but if it does half of what it claims then it is worth a closer look...

Go to http://www.pamela-systems.com/ to find out more.

Or http://www.pamela-systems.com/download/ to download the FREE Version.

No sooner have I added New & Emerging Technologies (Pamela) when I then come across tutorials...

Joe Dale, on his Integrating ICT into the MFL classroom, has included Nik Peachey's two videos...

1. How to install the free version of Pamela and
2. How Pamela launches automatically whenever you try to make a call and asks whether you would like to make a recording or not.

It also includes a video of learners using Pamela.

Read the blog and watch the video clips at http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2008/09/recording-skype.html.

Want to send cool and customized Postcards to your friends colleagues and learners? Head to Postcard.fm. It is a new web application that lets you upload an image (Your organisation logo perhaps?) and MP3 file of your choice (A Reminder - recorded using audacity perhaps) and generate virtual postcards. Note you can add text as well.

Try it out at http://www.postcard.fm/.

It makes sense to send it to yourself and then forward by group email.

Below is a postcard I produced as a test! I think it has potential! 

Scribblar is designed to be used by multiple users.

Scribblar users can collaborate, in real-time, on the creation and editing of images and drawings.

If you have an image you can upload it to your whiteboard where you and others can edit it or comment on it.

The commenting can take place directly on the whiteboard or in one of two side bar chat options.

Users can chat in text or in voice.

Scribblar could be a great tool for learners to use to comment on and peer critique art work and graphic designs. Useful when learners are creating slides for a presentation or a creating other original designs. It could be a more effective collaboration tool than some its competitors because it does have two options for dialog, text chat and audio chat. 

Find out more at http://www.scribblar.com/.

A useful website that aggregates and offers lots of checklists for everyday life -

The Technology/Electronics category includes checklists on...

• On-Line Selling - What to know before you start,
• Purchasing a new Computer Considerations,
• Setting Up a Wireless Home Network
• Traveling With a Laptop and
• Website Creation

Other Checklist categories include...

• Business/Finances,
• Education,
• Emergencies/Storms,
• Family,
• Food/Pantry,
• Green Living,
• Hobbies/Sports,
• Home,
• Jobs,
• Medical/First Aid, and more.

Many of the categories have a USA flavour but generally the provide 'sound checklists' that can be adapted for a UK flavour.

Take a look at http://www.simplychecklists.com/.

• Visual Fractions
• Who wants Pizza?

Visual Fractions has eight categories of visualizations, lessons, and games for learners to explore and learn the functions of fractions.

Find out more at http://www.visualfractions.com/.

Who Wants Pizza? is an online activity for learning about fractions.

Who Wants Pizza was developed by Cynthia Lanius at Rice University. The activity has five parts plus practice activities for learners to explore. Practitioners will find notes about using these activities in the classroom.

Find out more at http://math.rice.edu/%7Elanius/fractions/index.html. 

Original cartoon available at http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2008/09/01/gas-cartoon-of-the-day-september-1-2008/.

Original cartoon available at http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2008/09/09/gas-cartoon-of-the-day-september-9-2008/.

Source http://www.bandyhumor.com/Details.aspx?AlbumID=2&Page=53.

Impressed by the fireworks at the Olympic games? Then play this game and produce your own display!

An excellent game to practice mouse control!

To play go to http://www.gamenet.com/game/fireworks/.

Want to be a qualified internet surfer like me? Check out MyInternetDiploma.

A fun webservice that lets you generate an Interned Diploma stating that you are A Qualified Internet Surfer.

You can share your diploma with others and  display it  on your blog or personal webpage as shown below...

• Just type in your name,
• enter your email address and
• click “submit”. 
  You will presented with the link, and code to embed the two sizes shown above, to your diploma.

Try it out at http://www.myinternetdiploma.com/.

In this blog entry there is a video clip where Shawn Wheeler explains how to convert PowerPoint slides into a movie and add an audio soundtrack with Audacity.

Find out more at Joe Dale's blog at http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2008/09/how-to-create-a.html.

ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) is the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals.

Understanding the needs of today's new breed of learners and the implications that this will have for workplace learning is something being considered by a number of educationalists.

The "How to Train Multitaskers?" article by Tom Brigham, a consultant for Rexi Media, a company that improves presenters' delivery skills, whether they present content online, face-to-face, or via on-demand presentations, looks at the possible answers to...

• How do you deliver your material in a way that appeals to a busy, distracted, overwhelmed, and often multitasking audience?
• What techniques can you use to capture and hold the attention span of a group of ADT-prone employees whose thumbs are itching for their mobile phones?

Read the full article at http://www.learningcircuits.org/0908_brigham.htm.

NIACE are pleased to announce a new round of online staff development opportunities which include the brand new blended course, Exploring Successful Learning Online.

NIACE has successfully run online staff development training since 2006. The courses aim to enable participants to experience online learning and provide them with the knowledge and skills to develop online learning within their own organisations.
Exploring new and creative ways of delivering learning makes this ideal continual professional development for anyone in the education sector including teachers maintaining their qualified teacher status, both courses are NOCN accredited.

Exploring Successful Learning Online:

This new 6 week blended course is aimed at those wishing to experience online learning and explore its potential for incorporation into their own delivery. An ideal course for those considering, or just beginning to use, blended or online learning. This course starts Wednesday 5th November.

Application of Online Learning:

A 12 week online course for those wishing to use online learning and methods with their learners and in their learning provision. The course has been structured using optional modules to allow for the needs of people employed in the education sector whether managers, teachers, facilitators, or support staff. If you wish to know more about the delivery of blended or online learning, personalising learning, engaging learners or widening participation then the course is for you. This course starts Monday 3rd November.

Comments from participants who completed the last Application of Online Learning course:

"The content of the course is very interesting and useful. I enjoyed the feeling that each module was introducing an entirely new area I had never explored before."

"I enjoyed communicating with colleagues through forums and chats. Before the course, it hadn't dawn on me that you could do collaborative work online!"

"The course content was very wide ranging and also a wide variety of assessment activities - so felt that my personal learning objectives were not only met but surpassed!"

Further Information

For information on start dates or to register your interest for this or any of the other online delivery courses that NIACE offers, contact:
Kajal Samat (Kajal.samat@niace.org.uk)

For further information regarding course content, please contact:
Sue Charlish (susan.charlish@niace.org.uk)

To receive more information or to enrol on the latest round of the online courses, please visit the NIACE website:
www.niace.org.uk/AOL or www.niace.org.uk/ESLON

Places on courses are limited and early enrolment is recommended.

For the visual, arts, graphics etc., readers amongst us, you may find this article about tutsearch and tutsearch itself interesting.

Read the article at  http://www.fuelyourcreativity.com/tutsearchnet-find-that-tutorial-youve-been-looking-for/

or try searching for a tutorial (photoshop, paint shop pro etc) at http://tutsearch.net/.

WonderHowTo.com advertises itself as the largest collection of free how-to videos anywhere.  From the main page, you can...

• search for a specific how-to,
• browse by category, or
• check out recommended videos. 

Some of WonderHowTo.com’s content may not be suitable for learners.  A glance at categories ranging from Alcohol to Weapons may raise a few educators’ eyebrows.  The site does at least make an effort to separate potentially objectionable videos by designating them 18+ and requiring an account to view them. 

Depending upon the relative maturity of the Learners, Adult supervision may be a good idea.

Take a look your self at http://www.wonderhowto.com/.

• Audio Puzzler
• Catchment Detox
• Fraction Bars Interactive Games

Audio Puzzler is a new kind of puzzle game based on, well, snippets of audio found online. The audio is taken from popular video clips, so that when you complete the puzzle you'll be able to watch the video as well.

Ideal for ESL, EFL, ESOL etc. The site is in its early stages of development and has a small but growing collection of dictation puzzles.

• The audio files are displayed as small balloons
• The user clicks on the balloons.
• They hear the text and type in the words.
• Once they have done this they have to drag the text into the correct order.

Learners can play Catchment Detox to see if you can repair a damaged river catchment and create a sustainable and thriving economy.

It's an online game where users are in charge of the whole catchment. They get to decide what activities they undertake - whether to plant crops, log forests, build factories or set up national parks. The aim is to fix environmental problems and provide food and wealth for the population.

Produced for the Australian educational market but having a global message; Catchment Detox gives an idea of just how difficult it is to manage a river catchment.

Find out more and play the game at http://catchmentdetox.net.au/. 

Fraction Bars developed by Albert Bennett has interactive activities and visuals for learners to use to develop an understanding of fractions.

Play a game at http://www.fractionbars.com/Fractions_Launch/launch.html.

There are 8 more games available at http://www.fractionbars.com/InteractiveGames.html.

Note: more information is also available at http://www.fractionbars.com/.

• AccessApps

AccessApps will run without needing to install anything on a computer and provide a range of e-learning solutions to support writing, reading and planning as well as visual and mobility difficulties.

Find out more and or download at http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/accessapps/.

To get you up and running with AccessApps and to help familiarise you with some of the portable applications and utilities, you can download a step-by-step introductory guide from http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/accessapps/helpguide.php. Note it is available in a variety of formats, eg PDF and a range of accessible and alternative formats such as MP3 and DAISY/digital talking book.

To supplement the introductory guide there are also a number of video screencasts which explain how to use some of the applications available in AccessApps. A list of screencast tutorials is available at http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/accessapps/helptut.php.

Participants on CEL’s 2008-09 leadership of elearning programmes will be able to take advantage of a capital grant scheme for buying information and learning technology (ILT) equipment. The scheme, funded by the Learning and Skills Council, entitles LSC-funded organisations to claim a £2,500 capital grant for each staff member who has completed one of CEL’s elearning leadership programmes, up to a maximum of £7,500 per organisation.

Read and find out more at http://www.centreforexcellence.org.uk/?Page=nomenuReadProgNews&id=597.

1) If you would like take part in ConnecT...

you should be able to attend one of the module 1 dates listed below:

• Wednesday 15 October 2008 - Newcastle
• Thursday 30 October 2008 - London
• Tuesday 11 November 2008 - Manchester

Commitment - to participate in ConnecT, a member of the organisation’s leadership team who has a responsibility for ILT development will attend a one-day training event to fulfil the requirements of module 1. Details on how to complete modules 2 and 3 will be given during the training event. The time commitment to undertake this programme will be about three days.

More details at http://www.centreforexcellence.org.uk/default.aspx?Page=Programmes&id=277.

2) If you would like take part in Realise...

...you should be able to attend one of the module 1 days listed below:

• Wednesday 21 January 2009 - Newcastle
• Tuesday 24 February 2009 - London

Commitment to undertake this programme will be about two days.

To participate in Realise, a member of the organisation’s leadership team who has a strategic responsibility for ILT development will attend a one-off training event to fulfil the requirements of module 1. Details on how to complete module 2 will be given during the training event. The time commitment to undertake this programme will be about two days.

More details at http://www.centreforexcellence.org.uk/Default.aspx?Page=Programmes&id=4E9870B8-7257-49E2-8A57-AF1CC8E0CED6&status=Live.

3) If you would like take part in WBL eXplorer 2008-09...

The programme comprises three separate interactive days with one-day follow up support, all of which must be attended for successful completion of the programme.

Dates

Day 1 - Tuesday 7 October 2008 - Birmingham
Day 2 - Thursday 4 December 2008 - Birmingham
Day 3 - Tuesday 10 February 2009 - Birmingham

Day 4 - Thursday 25 June 2009 -Landmarks end of year event -London

More details at http://www.centreforexcellence.org.uk/Default.aspx?Page=Programmes&id=7F260C60-7AEE-4442-B016-E5AC69993C3B&status=Live.

• Privatisation of higher education threatens universities
• Why can't people with dyslexia do multiple choice?

Article by Jessica Shepherd...

"The UK's state universities may lose out on students and cash as the number of private colleges grows, a study has warned."

"Universities UK (UUK), the umbrella group for vice-chancellors, today urged universities in this country and across western Europe to be aware of the increased competition they face from the private sector."

"In its report - Private universities and public funding: models and business plans - UUK warns that American companies which run for-profit companies, such as Kaplan Inc or Apollo, are looking to develop their businesses in the UK and in western Europe. In some cases these firms buy state colleges, in others they work with them."

Read the full article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/sep/04/administration.highereducation?gusrc=rss&feed=education. 

Dyslexia is known to cause problems with the way the brain processes words and sequences, and students with the condition are generally granted 25% extra time in exams.

But Naomi Gadian, a second year medical student, is calling for the General Medical Council to scrap multiple choice questions as part of doctors' training.

Read the full article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7531132.stm.

Intute has made some changes to its provision for Further Education (FE), with FE resources now integrated into the main service, meaning the separate section on the website called “Resources for FE” has been removed.

Read the full article at http://www.intute.ac.uk/blog/2008/09/23/changes-to-intute-services-for-fe/.

• Bordering on the bureaucratic
• Changes to qualifications
• What is the meaning of lifelong learning?
• Will sixth-form colleges gain from a return to the fold?

Intute-Include is software that you install on a Web server to enable searching of the Intute catalogue through your own Web site.

The software will send your users’ searches to Intute and output the results it receives using your local look and feel.

See http://www.intute.ac.uk/integration/intute-include/ for more details.

Their current version of Intute-Include only runs on Linux/Unix Web servers, but they now have a version for Windows servers, which is ready for testing.

If anyone responsible for a Windows Web server would like to be amongst the first to test out this new version of Intute Include, they’d be happy to provide a copy of the software, a set of instructions, and advice on how to set up and configure the service for your Web site.

Please contact Phil Cross at phil.cross@bristol.ac.uk if you’re interested.

Jorum (http://www.jorum.ac.uk) is a free online repository service for teaching and support staff in UK Further and Higher Education Institutions, helping to build a community for the sharing, reuse and repurposing of learning and teaching materials.

Jorum is recruiting for a Communications Officer to raise awareness of the Jorum service.

• The postholder will undertake dissemination activities to promote the Jorum service across the national community of users and key stakeholders.
• The successful candidate will be based at Mimas at The University of Manchester and
• The closing date is 6th October 2008.

If you would like further details or to apply for the post please visit the job opportunities page on the University of Manchester's website or follow the link below:

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/jobs/managementandprofessionaljobs/vacancy/index.htm?ref=14251.

Closing date: 06/10/2008
Reference: ACS/81105

Laura Shaw, Senior Development Officer (Teaching and Learning), Mimas, The University of Manchester, Kilburn Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL

"We've

• upgraded our website - http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/. It doesn't look very different, but it's faster with a better search facility and simplified page addresses (Unique Resource Locators or URL). If you have a website with links to your Ofsted inspection report or any other part of our website, they may need updating.

• already updated the most frequently used pages (for example http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/list), but those to individual inspection reports and some pages and publications will need updating. You'll be directed to an information page telling you how to find it. Then, simply...
  • copy the new URL and
  • update your link.
• alerted many stakeholders to this, but if a link from your site no longer works, please forward this message your web manager and they'll be able to fix it quickly and easily.

We do apologise for any inconvenience, but are confident that you and your website users will benefit from the improvements. If you need any further assistance please contact OfstedISSservicedesk@ofsted.gov.uk"

Ofsted News Team.

• EU: TEAM Project launches an open source Special Interest Group
• IBM announces the Innovation Awards for 2008

TEAM, a consortium of companies and European Universities developing an Open Source knowledge sharing system, has started a special interest group to disseminate their expertise.

TEAM (Tightening knowledge sharing in distributed software communities by applying semantic technologies) recently launched its so called TEAM Open Source Special Interest Group. According to a statement, the aim of this group is "to actively promote the sharing of expertise and knowledge in the area of Open Source software as well as the endorsement of collaboration and synergy among its participants".

Read the full article at http://osor.eu/news/eu-team-project-launches-an-os-special-interest-group.

Or visit the Team Project website at http://www.team-project.eu/. 

To support efforts at Universities that focus on teaching, research, or community building around the Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA is an Apache incubator project),

IBM has announced the Unstructured Analytics  Innovation Award program for 2008.

This is a world-wide program, with awards in the $10,000 to $30,000 range.

For more information visit http://www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/university/scholars/innovation/index.html.

Still images, moving images and sound advice

TASI provides advice, training and guidance on the creation and use of digital media collections in learning, teaching and research. From help with finding and using the right media, to advice on creating and delivering digital formats or consultancy on managing a digitisation project, TASI promotes good practice, technical expertise, the use of appropriate standards and the sharing of knowledge within the UK FE and HE communities.

"2008 has seen TASI broaden the services we offer to include Moving Image and Sound and consequently the Bristol based team has grown to support these services. In line with this exciting period of expansion as we enter 2009 TASI will re-brand as JISC Digital Media."

What we do...

Helpdesk

Through our free helpdesk service we provide friendly bespoke answers (from brief emails to lengthy phone calls, dependent upon the requirements of the individual) to any media related question.

Website

Our current website is home to a wealth of advice and resources covering all aspects of digital imaging, with the recent addition of some support for moving images and sound resources.

The TASI Lightbox (TASI's Blog) is regularly updated with comments and links to the latest digital imaging news.

"We shall be re-launching our website in 2009 and are currently looking at how the support we provide online can encompass the growth in technical advice covering moving images and sound."

Mailing List

The TASI mailing list provides access to professionals at all levels within the education and cultural sector communities. Anyone is eligible to join the list, share information and draw on the knowledge and practical experience of the 350+ members.

Consultancy

We provide consultancy services to a wide range of organisations engaging in the creation of image-based materials. Consultancy can be specifically tailored to help with all aspects of digitisation projects and digital imaging.

Training

TASI workshops are run in small groups, giving attendees plenty of opportunity to discuss individual issues with the tutors and other participants.

Forthcoming Workshops

9th October 2008 Photoshop, Level 1, Bristol

10th October 2008 Photoshop, Level 2, Bristol

6th November 2008 Digital Photography, Level 1, Bristol

7th November 2008 Building a Departmental Image Collection, Bristol

14th November 2008 Image Optimisation, Correcting and Preparing Images, Bristol

21st November 2008 Introduction to Image Metadata, Bristol

11th December 2008 Scanning with the CLA Licence, Bristol

12th December 2008 Rights and Responsibilities: Copyright and Digital

If you would like TASI to provide information or give presentations at events you are organising, please email karla.youngs@tasi.ac.uk. Subject to work schedules, we would be most happy to participate in or collaborate on appropriate events.

Who to Contact:

TASI Director: Karla Youngs: karla.youngs@bristol.ac.uk

TASI Helpdesk: info@tasi.ac.uk

TASI Website: www.tasi.ac.uk

• Adult learning plays its part in community renewal
• Best-ever response rate for National Student Survey
• Evidencing the personal skills requirement for teachers, tutors and trainers in the lifelong learning sector
• Good… Better… Best: Ofsted reports how colleges can improve and why some don’t
• New Diploma qualifications accredited
• Ofqual accredits revised GCSEs

Ofsted finds Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities (NLDC) projects are bringing communities together and boosting educational, training and job opportunities for those most in need.

The survey, The role of adult learning in community renewal: Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities programmes, finds that two-thirds of adult learning providers surveyed have established strong links with local partner organisations to ensure Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities funding is meeting a diverse range of needs.

Read the full article at http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/DNWA-7JKF8N.

Read or download the report at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/The-role-of-adult-learning-in-community-renewal-Neighbourhood-Learning-in-Deprived-Communities-programmes. 

More students than ever have responded to the National Student Survey (NSS) this year. Nearly 220,000 students completed the 2008 survey. This figure comprises over 210,000 students studying at higher education institutions (HEIs) (up from 177,000 last year) plus over 6,000 students studying higher education at further education (FE) colleges, which took part in the survey for the first time this year. This is the fourth annual National Student Survey.

Read the full article at http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/DNWA-7JDCSF.

Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) together with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), Standards Verification UK (SVUK ) and the Institute for Learning (IfL) have been working together to define the process for evidencing the personal skills of teachers, tutors and trainers in the lifelong learning sector.

Read the full article at http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/DNWA-7JSM7U.

Strong leadership and clear vision, challenging aspirations and targets, and a thorough process of progress monitoring and self-assessment, are just a number of ways colleges can raise the bar and work towards achieving outstanding status.

The report, How colleges improve: a review of effective practice, published by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted), finds that the further education sector is improving. Over 60 per cent of colleges are now considered good or better at inspection, up from just under 50 per cent in 2001-2005, the first round of Ofsted inspections.

Read the full article at http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/DNWA-7JEK2F. 

Download/read the report at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/How-colleges-improve.

Ofqual, the qualifications regulator for England, has today announced the accreditation of new principal learning qualifications and the overarching structure for Diplomas in business, administration and finance; environmental and land-based studies; hair and beauty studies; hospitality; and manufacturing and product design. These will be available for first teaching from September 2009.

Ofqual has also published a report called Arrangements for awarding & setting standards in the Diploma and the Regulatory arrangements for component and Diploma awarding bodies.

Read the full article at http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/DNWA-7J3M8V.

Ofqual, in conjunction with their regulator partners in Wales (DCELLS) and Northern Ireland (CCEA), has accredited the GCSE specifications for first teaching in September 2009. 181 GCSE specifications, covering 60 subjects were accredited.

The qualifications have been reviewed to ensure that content supports the revised secondary curriculum and assessment continues to stimulate good teaching and learning. The changes include:

• the introduction of controlled assessment to replace coursework
• more varied question types

Read the full article at http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/DNWA-7J3M9L.

FiTES - I'm inviting you to Find, Try, Evaluate and Share.
You are the experts in your field of work, management, administration, practitioners etc., and you know what works for you! By sharing not only will you raise the awareness of your colleagues but you should also benefit from their submissions.

Share your resources by completing the form available at http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p6ZzsRcFe4Rh71c9ArHs2OQ&email=true. or use the embedded form below...

There are no submissions this month...

Did you know that by applying certain effects to your voice in Audacity, you can sound dramatically different and take on a character of your own.

Try it out for your self by following Joe Dale's excellent tutorials at http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2008/09/morph-your-voic.html.

Click the play button above to hear my first effort with the Demonic settings then those below to hear the other settings...

Podcast User Magazine is to be relaunched!

Each month podcast user magazine's dedicated contributers review a range of hardware and software to guide readers to buying the 'right choices' (informed choices). The also review a wide variety of podcasts, bringing readers diversity and entertainment from both mainstream and niche.

Take a look at the last five issues at http://www.podcastusermagazine.com/. Note: by the time this eMagazine is published podcast user magazine may well have relaunched.

YouTube is best known for its offbeat videos that become viral sensations. But among its millions of clips is a treasure trove of rare and fascinating arts footage, lovingly posted by fans.

In this Guardian post Ajesh Patalay selects 50 of the best YouTube clips from across the arts. Among the videos, you'll find...

• vintage performances by John Coltrane and Billie Holiday,
• readings by Jack Kerouac,
• an interview with Eugène Ionesco,
• clips of Nirvana rehearsing in a garage,
• Vladimir Nabokov talking about Lolita,
• Jackson Pollock dripping paint outside his home,
• Marlon Brando doing a screen test for Rebel Without a Cause,
• Joy Division's TV debut,
• a Marlene Dietrich screen test,
• Madonna's first performance...

Read about and watch some or all at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/31/youtube.jazz.

Aspect Film and Video have produced a FREE Guide to producing video case studies. "Top 10 tips: How to get more results for your budget".

Based in Bristol and London, Aspect Film and Video was launched in early 2005.

"Our clients come from a wide range of industries and sectors from across the UK, each wanting to add film and multimedia to their marketing mix."

Aspect was born out of a desire to help companies use film and online video as marketing tools. We take time to understand the wider strategic objectives and advise our clients how and where multimedia can add value.

Watch the video at http://www.aspectfilmandvideo.co.uk/howto/videocasestudies.html.

Note: to watch the video you will need to provide your name, email & organisation.

Tesla coils, superconductors, and hilarious music videos are great reasons to be excited about physics. Wired Science share ten of their favourites.

Go to http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/top-10-amazing.html to see for yourself.

To get you up and running with AccessApps (see the eInclusion section of this eMagazine) and to help familiarise you with some of the portable applications and utilities, you can download a step-by-step introductory guide. This is available in a variety of formats, for example, PDF and a range of accessible and alternative formats such as MP3 and DAISY/digital talking book.

Go to http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/accessapps/helpguide.php to download your Step-by-Step Guide.

BoingBoing blogger...

Cory Doctorow has released a new collection of essays called

Content: Selected Essays on Technology, Creativity, Copyright, and the Future of the Future.

In his words, the book features

“28 essays about everything from copyright and DRM to the layout of phone-keypads, the fallacy of the semantic web, the nature of futurism, the necessity of privacy in a digital world, the reason to love Wikipedia, the miracle of fanfic, and many other subjects.”

You can find out more and/or download Cory Doctorow’s Technology Writings (Free New Book) at http://craphound.com/content/.

Summary

The 59 institutional audit reports considered in this paper were completed after the publication in September 2004 of the second edition of Section 2 of the Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education, which incorporated a revision of the Guidelines on the quality assurance of distance learning (1999). The extended title for Section 2 in its revised version, Collaborative provision, and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning) reflected the fact that many flexible and distributed arrangements are supported through information and communications technologies, and that most of the questions that need to be asked, and be answered, about academic management are common to both e-learning and other methods of flexible and distributed learning.

Features of good practice are cited in a number of the audit reports and identify strengths in areas including strategic approaches to the development and implementation of e-learning, the use of virtual learning environments to support flexible and blended learning, and the provision and quality control of e-learning materials. In addition, the introduction of additions or modifications to quality assurance processes for programmes involving e-learning and distance learning is noted with approval in several of the reports.

Rapid development in e-learning took place during the period covered by the audit reports considered in this paper. This is reflected in the number of reports which note that e-learning was regarded as a core activity rather than the preserve of enthusiasts in individual subject areas. Institutions with a relatively long experience of e-learning were found to be in the process of establishing more centralised control of developments and more coordinated approaches to support those involved in the delivery of e-learning and distance learning.

Overall, the reports indicate that institutions are meeting the challenges involved in implementing strategies and policies, resourcing and coordinating projects and initiatives, and identifying and disseminating good practice. In providing staff development opportunities, several institutions have recognised their responsibility to offer training in the pedagogical as well as the technical aspects of e-learning and distance learning.

In general, the reports confirm that students welcome the increased use of e-learning and are appreciative of the quality of material and support that they receive for this form of learning. There are also indications that institutions appreciate the importance of, and the challenges involved in, obtaining feedback from students on their experience of e-learning.

A comparison of the findings of this paper with its counterpart in the first series of Outcomes from institutional audit papers show that e-learning, often as part of blended learning, is becoming more embedded within institutions. More institutions are developing appropriate strategies and policies, and there have been improvements in the quality of the virtual learning environments that support e-learning.

The full report has been published by QAA and can be read online at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/institutionalAudit/outcomes/series2/SupportforElearning08.asp.

Note: the report is also available in pdf format at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/institutionalAudit/outcomes/series2/SupportforElearning08.pdf.

QAA publish their latest reccomendations concerning the improvement of assessment for HE delivery in FE Colleges.

This is a result of a series of pilots.

Read more and/or download the pdf format at  http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/IQER/InfoBulletin08/default.asp.

Even minor problems in the workplace can develop into grievances or disputes if they're not dealt with quickly and effectively. This is true of issues involving individuals or groups (including trade unions or other representatives).

Having suitable policies and procedures to resolve workplace problems is essential for helping things to go smoothly.

Read an article about the New Guide at http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2103 or download/open the New guide by clicking the image above.

• longurl
• look.fo/
• New Browser: Google Chrome
• Simple English Wikipedia
• Viewzi
• Wordia
• World Mapper

LongURL is a website that lets you find out where that shortened link from your email or a webpage is pointing without clicking on it.

Quite handy for checking links in suspicious emails. You never where they might take you ☺.

Try it out for yourself at http://longurl.org/.

Note: LongURL supports all major url shortening services including but not limited to TinyURL, is.gd, Ping.fm, ur1.ca, Bit.ly, SnipURL, TweetBurner, MetaMark, url.ie, x.se, 6url.com, yep.it, piurl.com, and several others.

Use look.fo to create instant links to Google search results for any term you can think of. Share look.fo links over IM, email, SMS or Twitter without ever having to look up exact URLs.

Try it out at http://look.fo/.

I'm writing this before it has been released but by the time you read it, Google Chrome will have been available for about a month. In their words...

"At Google, we have a saying: “launch early and iterate.” While this approach is usually limited to our engineers, it apparently applies to our mailroom as well! As you may have read in the blogosphere, we hit "send" a bit early on a comic book introducing our new open source browser, Google Chrome. As we believe in access to information for everyone, we've now made the comic publicly available -- you can find it here. We will be launching the beta version of Google Chrome on 2nd September 2008 in more than 100 countries."

"So why are we launching Google Chrome? Because we believe we can add value for users and, at the same time, help drive innovation on the web."

Read more at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/fresh-take-on-browser.html.

Until Chrome is actually ‘available' and we can all put it through its paces, it's unclear just how radical this software is going to be.

But there are questions to be answered...

• Will this new browser have a negative effect on the popularity of Firefox and/or other browsers?
• What about Google's current relationship with Mozilla?
• Will Google stop recommending Mozilla's browser to its users?
• Is this the end of the line for Firefox?
• Are we about to usher in the beginning of a new digital age? Or is it ‘just a browser'?

I can't wait!

It arrived - I downloaded it - I've played worked.

1. Note that Chrome can import your settings from Firefox and others. I thought it was interesting that “Make Google Chrome the default browser” was not checked by default.
2. Chrome uses tabs like other browsers, but it doesn’t use tabs like other browsers. Each tab is a separate process (which I verified in Task Manager). Note each tab gets its own address bar.
3. Ctrl-T opens a new tab.
4. There is no separate “search” box in Chrome. Rather, you use the address bar, which Google calls the “Omnibox”.
5. First impressions: fast. Much faster than Firefox. Keeping each tab in its own process allows for a cleaner memory management model.
   Apparently Chrome is roughly 2 to 20 times faster than Firefox or Safari depending on what is being done.
6. View source automatically comes up in a new tab instead of a separate window (I like that very much [how sad is that?).
7. Another feature I'm not sure about is “incognito mode” (New incognito window, or Ctrl+Shift+N), which opens a new browser that will save none of your personal information.

Overall I’m impressed so far with this browser but I'll probably continue to use flock for the 'social networking features'. The speed difference is impressive.
What Chrome provides is more efficient and arguably more user-friendly. Early days so watch this space.

Download at http://www.google.com/chrome/. 

I’m sure you all know about Wikipedia, both the good and bad points . Add another feature to the “good” list:

Simple English Wikipedia (SEW) makes the online encyclopedia perfect for young children (Family Learning) or English language learners (ESOL/ESL/etc).

It’s pretty much what it sounds like — all articles are written in simple English words and grammar, and the sentences are short for easier comprehension.

The only drawback I could find was that some of the articles on the Simple English Wikipedia aren’t as comprehensive as those on Wikipedia. The great thing about it, though, is that the more people find out about SEW, the more people will improve the articles.

Take a look at http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page.

Visualize Search Results

Viewzi is one of the most impressive/different search engines I've used. It lets users visualize their search results in a dynamic way using different views to give a totally different experience altogether.

The various views available using Viewzi are...

• Celebrity photo view
• Web screenhot view
• Simple text view
• Timeline view
• Album view
• Mp3 search view
• Video view
• 3D photo view
• Amazon book view

..and many more

Note Each view has its own specialty and characteristics so you will need to have a 'play' to familiarize yourself and decide which views are for you!

Try it out at http://www.viewzi.com/. 

Produced by a team of language enthusiasts and general word nuts who have joined forces to create a new kind of dictionary -

"a democratic ‘visual dictionary’. A place where anyone with a video, webcam or mobile phone can define the words that matter to them in their life."

"We believe that everyone wants to express themselves more clearly, whether to win debates, spark conversations or simply to make people laugh with a well-chosen word."

"Over the years we’ve tried many ways to improve our grasp of the English language. We’ve listened, jotted and scribbled down words that have excited, confused and challenged us. wordia.com is our way of improving our own vocabulary and in the process, discovering what words mean to other people. Like most people, we’re interested in what other think and feel."

It's a bit like a YouTube video dictionary. A Great site for native and non native speakers of English. Also great collection of different accents. Even a few 'celebrities' thrown in! 

Take a look at http://www.wordia.com/. 

Worldmapper is a collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest.

There are now nearly 600 maps. Maps 1-366 are also available as PDF posters.

The project is run by Danny Dorling and Anna Barford of the University of Sheffield, UK and they already have over three hundred maps. Aside from being an extremely fast way to udate yourself on the "state of the world", it's absolutely fascinating. 

Find out more at http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/index.html.

"It has always been the case that understanding data is much more important than simply having data, so I applaud worldmapper's efforts; take a look you will soon see what I mean." Editor

Do you teach biology? In need of some fresh material, or  want to incorporate online resources in your class, but don’t know where to start? Well, lucky for you...

Biology Corner is a teacher-maintained website full of biology activities, labs, worksheets, and other online resources. It’s created by a teacher, for her own classes, and she is kind enough to share it for free!

Included are online worksheets to enhance lessons on...

• anatomy,
• genetics,
• the scientific method,
• cellular biology and more.

Plus, she’s created “web lessons” that guide students through links to external websites with relevant information, and larger “web quest” projects. Not to mention, she has informational graphics illustrating biological concepts like...

• cells,
• solutions and
• DNA

and quizzes that learners can take online and receive scores immediately.

Also, all the materials can be customized to suit your own classroom. What more could you want?

Take a look at http://www.biologycorner.com/. 

The CO₂ Calculator is aimed at a UK audience and asks for post code, but you can just type in a few letters and numbers at random and proceed.

Everyone has a carbon footprint - it's your own personal measure of how much carbon dioxide you create and how much you contribute to climate change.

Learners can use the ACT ON CO₂ calculator to find out what their carbon footprint is. They'll also get a personalised action plan with recommendations about how they can help tackle climate change.

Find out more at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/actonco2/DG_067197

or use the CO₂ Calculator at http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) has an excellent website which would provide an excellent resource for Initial Teacher Training and Family Learning.

The DSO features interactive activities for students to learn about...

• the instruments in an orchestra,
• the history of orchestral music, and
• basic music theory

Digital Dialects has a large selection of educational games and activities for learning 55 different languages. Most of the games are designed to learn and practice the basics of each of the 55 languages listed on the Digital Dialects homepage. 

The educational games and activities found on Digital Dialects are great for learners just beginning to learn a new language. The games provide instant feedback to learners and tutors so that they can monitor progress and choose a skill or set of vocabulary terms to practice.

Find out more at http://www.digitaldialects.com/index.htm. 

Get Body Smart has number of tutorials and quizzes divided into eight categories of anatomy and physiology. Each category is divided into subcategories where users will find quizzes for each topic.

Applications for Education
This could be useful study tools for students taking a human anatomy course or an advanced biology course. 

Take a look for yourself at http://www.getbodysmart.com/index.htm.

A website that looks like it could be very useful for students taking anatomy and physiology or an advanced biology course.

The Medical University of South Carolina's website is where you will find links to more than one hundred tutorials about a wide variety of health problems and medical procedures. All of the tutorials found on the MUSC website are provided by Medline Plus.

Take a look for yourself at http://www.muschealth.com/familymedicine/tutorials.htm.

Using ICT effectively: video case studies

The video case studies in this section of ICT in Action <http://www.languages-ict.org.uk/action/using.htm> illustrate...

Five schools across England took part in the production of the case studies, which give a picture of...

• the range and variety of...
  • hardware,
  • software and
  • teaching techniques

...which can be employed to transform learning and enable pupils to progress from teacher-led activities to creative independent work with ICT.

The case studies are:

• Using ICT to develop writing skills and engender a sense of achievement in pupils who find foreign language study challenging.
• Using ICT and other strategies to engage pupils actively in learning.
• Using ICT to focus on grammar and engage pupils in creative activities.
• Using ICT to support learning, develop speaking and writing, and promote creativity.
• Using ICT to promote creativity and focus on success.

or for other CiLT case studies visit http://www.cilt.org.uk/14to19/case_studies.htm.

Maps of War has a collection of seven animated maps based on a the themes of war, religion, and politics.

These maps can be embedded into a blog or website or VLE etc. Maps of War also has an extensive library of maps from third parties like the BBC and the New York Times. Many of the maps contained in the library are interactive learning tools.

Maps of War's animated maps are a great visual aid for learners. The timeline that accompanies each map make the maps a great resource for showing changes over time. As the maps change the timelines change accordingly.

Take a look for yourself at http://www.mapsofwar.com/index.html.

or look at the embedded "March of Democracy" below (which may take a little time to load)...

A Maths Dictionary for Kids All

Another Initial Teacher Training and/or Family Learning Resource? I think it is more than that (its a pity it has the word kids on screen)

A Maths Dictionary for Kids is a user-friendly website loaded with information. It consists of an alphabetically organized list of mathematical terms which is displayed on the left. Clicking on any term will...

• display its definition and
• provide an activity on the right.

Some activities are...

• animated demonstrations of the mathematical concept,
• practice problems that check the student’s work.

A Maths Dictionary for Kids offers lessons for the whole range of school years. Older students may appreciate learning about Fibonacci numbers or the Golden Mean, whereas younger students may want to start with Position.

I expect that as learners become more acquainted with Jenny Eather’s imaginative new site, the more their 'fear' of maths can be put behind them as well.

Take a look for yourself at http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/jeather/maths/dictionary.html. 

The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM), developed by Utah State University, is a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported project that began in 1999 to develop a library of uniquely interactive, web-based virtual manipulatives or concept tutorials, mostly in the form of Java applets, for mathematics instruction (K-12 emphasis).

The NLVM is a resource from which practitioners may freely draw to enrich their mathematics teaching. The materials are also of importance for the mathematical Initial Teacher Training. The library is actively being extended and refined through projects including the eNLVM, a project to develop interactive online learning units for mathematics <http://enlvm.usu.edu/ma/nav/browse_by.jsp>.

Take a look at the resources by visiting NLVM at http://nlvm.usu.edu/.

Pete's Power Point Station has hundreds of Power Point presentations that can be downloaded by 'teachers' to use in the classroom.

The bulk presentations are best suited for use in Initial Teacher Training & Family Learning. There are presentations for almost every subject area and school theme. The topics range from geography to dealing with school bullying.

If you can't find exactly what you're looking for, why not download the closest presentation and adapt it for your needs.

Find out more at http://www.pppst.com/.

Pics4Learning is a place for learners (or practitioners) to find copyright friendly images to use in their presentations.

There other websites that offer images to learners for educational use but, what makes Pics4Learning different is that it also hosts a large list of lesson plans for teachers.

Pics4Learning offers teachers a list of lesson plans and projects centered around images. There are lesson plans and activities available for...

• Language,
• Arts,
• Science,
• Math, and
• Social Studies

ReadWriteThink offers a collection of online Learner Materials to support literacy learning in the classroom.

These interactive tools can be used to supplement a variety of lessons and provide an opportunity for learners to use technology while developing their literacy skills.

Clicking on the name of each interactive resource, provides a brief description of the tool and a list of the ReadWriteThink lessons that use the tool. From there you'll also be able to directly access the tool and use it in your 'classroom'.

Find out more at http://readwritethink.org/student_mat/index.asp.

Real World Math, designed by Thomas Petra, uses Google Earth as the centerpiece of mathematics lessons.

Maths teachers are always searching for meaningful, practical math lessons that engage their students. This site should be useful to practitioners and their learners.

Within this site you will find...

• lesson ideas,
• examples, and
• downloads for mathematics that embrace...
  • active learning,
  • constructivism, and
  • project-based learning while remaining true to the standards.

Higher level thinking skills, such as...

• analysis,
• synthesis, and
• creativity are encouraged

as well as technology skills and social learning.

The menu bar at the top of each page will link you to several areas of the site.

• The Lessons page offers a menu of lessons grouped into four categories:
  
  • Concept Lessons,
  • Project-Based Learning,
  • Exploratory, and
  • Measurement.
    Each grouping contains 4 or more lesson examples to preview.
• The Community page is intended as a means to collaborate, respond to, or submit lesson ideas. One strong feature of instructional technology is the ongoing communication between users, and the Community page will serve as this site's social viaduct.
• The Update page will display new lessons or resources added to the site, as well as any alterations to lessons previously posted. The Update page will also be the location of Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ.
• The Resource page contains links to other sites, blogs, or materials that users of Real World Math should find helpful. This will include links to tutorials on Google Earth and SketchUp.

It was on the news today at 6.30 am! (Friday 19 September 2008) The Royal Opera & Royal Ballet has gone Web 2.0

In doing so, learning providers have been given many new, free resources to enhance teaching and learning. For example, take a look at...

• Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-United-Kingdom/Royal-Opera-House/6597757578;
• YouTube, at http://www.youtube.com/royaloperahouse.
• Video, at http://www.roh.org.uk/video/.
• Podcasts, at http://www.roh.org.uk/discover/podcasts.aspx.
  

Learners might think that our home, planet Earth, is pretty big, but the following video will show them that size is only a matter of perception, and that in fact, our planet is really tiny compared to other celestial objects.

Listen to Bernie Krause's recordings from each ecosystem...

• Brazil
• Belize
• Costa Rica
• Borneo and
• Madagascar

...by clicking on the pictures found at http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/the-sounds-of-v.html. Full-length recordings are available from Wild Sanctuary; home to the largest private archive of natural sound, anywhere!

Stanford Engineering Everywhere is a new project rolling out of Stanford, and it’s making available to anyone, anywhere 10 complete online computer science and electrical engineering courses. This includes the three-course Introduction to Computer Science series taken by the majority of Stanford undergraduates.

Visit Stanford Engineering Everywhere at http://see.stanford.edu/default.aspx. 

Find out more at http://see.stanford.edu/see/about.aspx.

Take a look at the courses at http://see.stanford.edu/see/courses.aspx.

The potato Story Champions the story of the humble potato through an interactive website. The National Curriculum aligned teaching resource is designed to aid teachers engage their Key Stage 2 learners in the curriculum subjects of...

• Life Cycles
• Plant Growth
• plant reproduction and
• nutrition

...through a series of lesson plans...

From field to fork! Find out more at http://www.thepotatostory.co.uk/default.aspx.

A web service that lets you...

• search videos from a number of popular video sharing sites, (current supported websites: YouTube.com, MyVideo.de, ClipFish.de, TrickLife.com, Veoh.com, Vids.MySpace.com)
• convert them in to variety of formats (.flv |.3gp | .mp4 | .mp3 | .avi | .mov ) and
• download to your computer.

The process is straight forward, either search or simply paste in URL of particular video and press “Enter”, almost simultaneously Anjo will convert and give you video with an option to download it in variety formats. You can convert and save as many videos as you like, and there is no registration needed.

Try it out at http://en.anjo.to/.

Encalc is a free online scientific calculator.

In Encalc's own words...

"Encalc is an online scientific calculator. Its strength lies in its ability handle units and dimensional analysis, to define variables and its large database of constants. Parenthesis and scientific formulas are also supported."

One nice feature is the explanations of how different variables and constants function within an equation or formula.

Try it out for yourself at http://www.encalc.com/.

Easily & quickly create interactive training materials.

• Guided learning
  Walk your audience through web pages, photos, Powerpoint using narration and annotations.
• Tie together any digital content
  Combine disparate web pages, videos, maps, docs and more into a single Flowgram.
• Approachable technology for students
  Allow your students to create compelling Flowgrams on anything. It's free, easy and requires no downloads.
• Easily share with anyone online and offline
  Sharing a Flowgram is as easy as sharing a link. Email it, embed it, export to a downloadable video or share into Youtube.

The Graffiti Creator is a Flash application that allow you to make your own graffiti-styled logotypes and texts.

Simply...

• select the font you want to use/load
• type in a word
• hit Enter and out comes a designed font ready for you to convert into beautiful art.
• Use an array of various tools to enhance your logotype to make it really special and unique.

Here is a first effort...

Try it out for yourself at http://graffiticreator.net/. 

A web based service that lets you grab online video and easily add customizable layers such as animations, text, twitters, video recordings, hyperlinks, and then share it online.

For my first effort, a video capured with my work mobile - uploaded to YouTube - then I used Overlay.TV go to http://www.overlay.tv/overlay/3652 to take a look.

To add overlays simply...

• register (It is FREE)
• click “Create”,
• copy and paste URL of the video in to provided field
• click “Create” again,
• use provided tools to add overlays.

Once completed...

• click “Save” and
• publish your video.

Note: you can also browse overlayed videos created by other users and rate them.

Try it out for yourself at http://www.overlay.tv/.

The following presentation shows you how easy it is to convert PowerPoint presentations into podcastable movies (or should that be vodcasts?), thus making them a far more flexible resource for distance and personalised learning; take a look at...

http://www.authorstream.com/presentation/rmarsiglia-88605-ppt-podcast-authorstream-ipond-podcasts-new-podcast2-education-powerpoint/

To register or find out more go to http://www.authorstream.com/.

Avoid the 'death-by-powerpoint' by trying out pptPlex is a plug-in; it explores an alternate method for presenting a PowerPoint slide deck. Using pptPlex, you can present your slides as a tour through a zoomable canvas instead of a series of linear slides.

Sorry Office 2007 required!

Watch the videos and/or download the plug-in at http://www.officelabs.com/projects/pptPlex/Pages/default.aspx.

Ever printed a webpage only to find your printout is full of adverts, empty space and other junk you don't want?

PrintWhatYouLike is a free webpage editor that gives you control of how webpages look when printed.

• Format any webpage for printing in seconds - no more pasting into Word
• Save money and the environment by reducing your paper and ink usage
• Make printed web pages more readable by removing ads, widgets and other distractions

Try it out for yourself at http://www.printwhatyoulike.com/.

I've just been playing around with a really nice site for family learning.

It's called Shidonni and it is similar to a paint program and allows kids to draw animals etc.

The difference with  this though is that once they have drawn an animal they then click a button and it comes to life!

...and there's more...

They can also draw items of food to put in the animal's fridge and draw habitat for it to live in. 

If that's not enough they can even play games of snakes and ladders with their animal and visit other planets where other learners have created their own animals.

Try it out at http://www2.shidonni.com/ or
watch a video of how it is done at http://www2.shidonni.com/beta/pages/welcomeWMV.html.

PowerPoint is a fine program. The problem that learning providers and learners run into with PowerPoint is that when you create you have to save your work to a local drive or save it in an email or other online storage space. The other short coming of PowerPoint is that it is difficult to use collaboratively. It isn't designed to allow multiple users to collaborate on one project.

The fairly obvious alternatives are Google Presentation and Zoho Show. Both services are free, can be used collaboratively by many users, have auto save features, and are integrated into full suites of productivity tools. (I've included them in previous eMagazines)

Sliderocket is specifically designed as a slide show creation tools intended offer transition and design elements superior to those found elsewhere. Slide Rocket, which went public last month, offers a wide array of customizable transition options.

Find out more about Slide Rocket at http://www.sliderocket.com/product/.

SnapPages is a new website design and hosting service.

SnapPages provides a free service as well as a premium upgrade service.

The free service has more than enough features for a practitioner to set up and maintain a website for their learners.

The editing and customizing options of SnapPages allow users to create pages that are little more clean and professional looking than some of the alternatives. One feature that I really like is the integrated calendar tool that offers a few different privacy settings.

Take a look at http://snappages.com/index.php.

The ultimate staff and student discount is back: Save over 90% off Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007

By popular demand, The Ultimate Steal discount will soon be available again to staff and students. From 8th September 2008, staff and students just need to visit http://www.theultimatesteal.co.uk to get Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for only £38.95!

Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 is packed with essential programmes like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as new programmes to help you make your work better, for a lot less effort.

So whether you missed your chance last year, or are new to university life, get your copy now from http://www.theultimatesteal.co.uk.

What do I do?

• 1. Go to the website www.theultimatesteal.co.uk
• 2. Confirm that you are a student or member of staff using your university e-mail address (which must end with .ac.uk, .ac.gg, .ac.im or .ac.je)
• 3. For just £38.95, download Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 onto your computer

What's included in the Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 Edition?

• Word 2007
• Excel 2007
• PowerPoint 2007
• Publisher 2007
• Access 2007
• Outlook 2007
• OneNote 2007
• InfoPath 2007
• Groove 2007

An online application that lets you highlight individual countries, and generate maps that you can share with anyone.

• choose colors,
• select countries, and when finished
• click “Submit”.

TravelMapGenerator will present you a PNG image of your map.

• save your map to you computer

or

• share with others by forwarding a URL.

Try it out for yourself at http://www.29travels.com/travelmap/index.php.

Google Chrome: Add a Print Button to the Bookmarks Bar

Most browsers have a print button so you don't have to...

• hunt for the correct menu selection or
• rely on remembering the keyboard combination (Ctrl+P).

• Open Chrome.
• Right-click the Bookmarks bar and select Add Page.
• In the Name textbox, input the word Print.
• In the URL textbox, input the following:
  javascript:window.print()
• Make sure that the Bookmarks bar folder is selected
• click OK.

Monthly viewing figures

The data below is cumulative, highlighting, from the initial tracking our TV viewers on 1st September 2007, their global distribution.