CDEL works in partnership with RSC Wales to deliver a free webinar on Mobile learning

The CELT's Digitally Enhanced Learning team (CDEL) is pleased to announce that booking for a free webinar, "Free Android and Apple apps for education" is now open.

Taking place on Thursday, 28 February between 12:30 - 13:15, the free webinar will be delivered via RSC Wales Blackboard Collaborate system.

The workshop will serve as an introduction to free apps which educators can integrate into their teaching practice in a pedagogically sound way. It will showcase how and where users can find free apps and also try apps on their existing computer hardware, without the need to purchase dedicated tablet-based equipment.

All apps showcased will also have a website equivalent, ensuring that educators and their students are able to make use of the services they provide, even if they do not have iOS or Android based equipment.

If you'd like more information, or wish to book a place, then please do so via the link below:

• Please click here to learn more or to book your place.

Bluestacks is one of the free pieces of software that will be showcased - it allows educators to try Android apps on their normal computers, without the need to purchase Android tablets beforehand.

The 21st Century Schools Project

The St Mary's Church in Wales Primary School's
website has been developed
 as a direct result of working with CDEL.

The 21^st Century Schools Project is a collaborative project between The Welsh Assembly Government, Blaenau Gwent County Council and The CELT's Digitally Enhanced Learning Team (CDEL) at The University of Wales, Newport. 

The Rose report has placed technology centre stage in the primary curriculum where Information and communication technology (ICT) will sit alongside literacy, numeracy and personal development as a keystone of the curriculum for future generations.  

The aim of this innovative project is to encourage twelve Primary Schools in the South Wales area to embrace technology, they are:

• Glanhowy Primary School
• Thomas Richards Center 
• Rhos Y Fedwen Primary School
• Peny Cwm Special School
• St Mary's RC Primary School
• Coed Y Garn Primary School
• YSGOL Bro Helyg  
• Georgetown Primary School
• Abertillery Primary School
• Soffrydd Primary School
• Ebbw Fawr Community School

By working in partnership with these schools our goal is to close the gap between those schools embracing technology and those who are not.  

The CDEL team has undertaken a Scenario Based Design process with each of the 12 schools, resulting in a bespoke training plan for each, the goal of which is to provide their staff with the skills and confidence to integrate technology into their teaching practices in a pedagogically sound way.

The schools are receiving a wide range of support in many different areas including the development of new websites and web based learning platforms as well as continual professional development (CPD) sessions which focus on collaborating and communicating online with peers, colleagues, parents and pupils.

Electric Sheep Episode 7: Using technology to prevent plagiarism & using games to enhance education

You can download, stream or listen to it via iTunes here:

http://electricsheepshow.tumblr.com/post/40754274538/episode-7-using-technology-to-prevent-plagiarism

CDEL supports Newport's Sports team in delivering online seminar

The CELT's Digitally Enhanced Learning team is pleased to announce the successful launch of the University of Wales, Newport's Sports Department web based seminar programme.

Launched on January 15th, the programme consists of four live webinars which prospective sports students can view on any internet enabled device, giving them the ability to ask questions via Email, Twitter and Facebook which can then be answered live during the webinar or later, should they come in once the webinar has ended.

Much like the BBC iPlayer, the webnars can be watched again after they have finished, so that all prospective students can access them at times and places which suit them best.

• To learn more about the seminar programme, and watch the seminars themselves, please click here.

The first seminar was run by Andy Thomas & Charley Walthan on January 15th 2013You can watch it above or by clicking here.

CDEL successful in bid for grant

Elizabeth Jones from the CELT's Digitally enhanced Learning team has been successful in securing a Teaching Information Grant for a research project into ePortfolios: 'Creating a professional online identity: educating staff & students to create and maintain their own ePortfolios.'

The focus of this project is a feedback exercise for those students who will have undertaken ePortfolio workshops with CDEL in 2012. The results of the feedback is being used to inform a new model of best practice for teaching ePortfolios at University of Wales, Newport. Improoving students’ awareness of employability and the value of their academic career.

A student project assisstant has already been hired and feedback exercises are expected to begin later this month. We'll be giving further updates as the project progresses.

CDEL invited to contribute to ALDinHE Communication planning meeting

A CDEL representative was invited to the recent ALDinHE (Association for Learning Development in Higher Education) Communication planning meeting. The meeting, which took place in the Oxford YHA, was arranged to review the Associations digital footprint and decide which tools could be improved to allow for better communication between its members.

Representatives from the University of Wales, Newport, as well as other institutions from the UK, were in attendance and a number of tools, including PB Works, Word Press, Dropbox and Google Docs (amongst others) were discussed and, by the end of the meeting, a plan to allow the Association to move forward was drafted to be taken back to the wider planning teams for further discussion and development.

• Please click here to learn more about ALDinHE

CDEL's 23(ish) things

Image cc licensed ( BY NC SA )
Flickr photo by fraumrau

CDEL has been working with the librarians at University of Wales, Newport to provide a training course that would allow the library staff to explore all kinds of online tools and services. The course needed to cater for a wide range of knowledge levels - from the IT whizz to the technophobic - as well as letting staff learn where and when they had time.

In response to these needs CDEL have created their own version of the '23 things' course that has been reworked by libraries and other institutions all over the world.  The original 23 things programme, Learning 2.0 was designed by Helene Blowers, technology director at the public library of Charlotte Mecklenburg County in North Caroline. The aim of the programme was to introduce library staff to emerging technologies through the completion of 23 'things' or tasks.  The content of the programme was delivered through a blog, which allowed learners to work through it at their own pace.

CDEL have adapted the programme to suit the library staff at UWN and created '23(ish) things' on the university's Moodle-based virtual learning environment (VLE). The course was launched with a face to face session to explain the course and give staff a chance to get some help with how to navigate the VLE. Since then the 23ish things have been delivered entirely online with staff disussing their progress and thoughts via a dedicated course forum. They are currently working their way through 27 things to teach them about all kinds of digital tools including facebook, twitter, mobile technology, blogging, RSS, podcasts, apps & more.

It is hoped that upon completion, the project can be extended and made available to all staff at the university who would like to know more about some of those mysterious online thingyamebobs.

CDEL launches new technology and e-learning podcast.

The CELT's Digitally Enhanced Learning team are very pleased to announce the launch of their new weekly podcast.

Called Electric Sheep, the podcast focusses on free and open source technologies and tools which individuals and organisations can use to work smarter, not harder.

To learn more about the podcast, listen to the first six episodes and subscribe to future ones via iTunes or RSS feed, please visit the Podcast's main home page:

http://electricsheepshow.tumblr.com/

CDEL to offer weekly student drop-in sessions to all UWN students

As of Wednesday 9th January 2013, CDEL will be running weekly (term-time only) student drop-in sessions at both the City and Caerleon Campuses. These sessions will run from 2-4pm at the City Campus in room C30 and 1-4 at the Caerleon Campus in room G10/Rathmell Building.

The weekly drop in workshops/surgerys are for all students studying at the University of Wales, Newport who want help, support and advice using technology to work smarter and to support them in their studies.

A full list of how CDEL can help students can be found via the following link.

http://bit.ly/CDEL4Students