Lynne Taylerson
Director, Real Time Education.
PhD Education (informal learning)
Working in FE, HE, ACL and WBL to embed digital learning.
Teacher educator, mentor, curriculum designer
Tweets @realtimeed
Location Bewdley, Worcestershire
Activity
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Lynne Taylerson made a comment
This is a fascinating case study, thank you.
In FE we have used a similar activity as part of the ShS Digital Pedagogies course but using Padlet. Teachers are invited to investigate a digital teaching tool from a range of a dozen or so via 'explainer' videos (e.g. GoConqr, Menti) and then write a short post explaining its value and use with learners they... -
Thanks for your interest @Yi-ShanTsai - I am finding this MOOC fascinating and valuable so want to take time to say what a great course it is!
The Creating New Learning Initiative strands on pedagogy, virtual learning environments, personalised learning, Vocational Curriculum and digital learning (my strand) report back at the end of 2020.
There are some... -
Thanks Amy, this will be a really valuable model to use when beginning dialogues on digital pedagogy and programme design!
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Lynne Taylerson made a comment
I think that blended learning has served us well for many years, and perhaps the time has come now to adopt different terms for different activities and associated pedagogies involving technology use?
I am beginning to favour DOL - digital and online learning. It acknowledges the fact that technology mediated/enhanced activities take place in physical... -
Lynne Taylerson made a comment
Really relevant topics and schema for me as I'm currently working on a desk-based research project for the European Training Foundation (ETF) into Digital and Online Learning (DOL). https://realtimeeducationblog.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/digital-and-online-learning-european-training-foundation-research-project/
The EMBED model appears really valuable, thank you! -
Lynne Taylerson replied to Amanda Palavro
There are a range of options for this Amanda. You might like to look at https://www.openbadges.me/
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Great strategies for gradually reframing the resources learners anticipate working with Jaki. For thise who have always been accustomed to working with text-heavy course books, infographics can be a great way of presenting information. Maybe you can give them some infographics/storyboard creator tools and suggest that they submit some assessment tasks in this...
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Wonderful examples, Jaki.
I would hope, Jude, that an SLT team might be persuaded that learners undertaking these kinds of activities would be building wonderful digital employability skills and broadening their communication skills, too. Is it worth making that argument, maybe? And using Jaki's examples to help you, of course! -
Great tip, David, thanks for sharing. This may be a valuable alternative for providers (or independent tutors) who don't have access to a large VLE platform.
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That's a fabulous example of how creating bespoke, supportive strategies using technology may lead to activities which are more engaging for a whole group. Thanks for sharing this brilliant example, thanks for sharing, Jaki.
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This can be a powerful way of getting learners to examine and analyse the assessment criteria on the course and see a range of different approaches to meeting them, Sonja.
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@CharlotteCogle That's great to hear - let us know what your plans are for taking this forward.
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You're quite correct that organisational culture plays a big part in BL success, Charlotte. Could you look to gather a few peers who are happy to collaborate and share and work together on BL designs on some cross-curricular themes, perhaps?
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Creating a 'learner voice' video for future cohorts would be a great idea, Stella - or having some F2F peer demos at the beginning of a course from learners further along their journey.
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That would be a great extension exercise, Phil - and would begin the design of a useful resource bank for the future.
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Absolutely, Sonja. Data can allow us to provide differentiated paths in terms of resources, activities or F2F group selection - a very useful way to provide informed support or challenge based on need.
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Absolutely, Charlotte. Use of LD means we can engage in peer reviews of designs or work collaborative;y far more easily.
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You'll see that all of the course videos are downloadable, Rachel. Why not consider downloading videos like this and using them as a think piece in staff CPD events /team meetings. The learner voice is quite rightly very powerful so getting learners to advocate for BL is a great way of raising its profile.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Leanne Jackson
A really great range of tools used in support, Leanne. Might you also use them to challenge learners of differing abilities and experiences, too?
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Lynne Taylerson replied to roy heath
Sounds fascinating, Roy, and so valuable. Let us know how participating in BLE impacts on any re-designing you do!
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Hi Anne
I usually suggest private YouTube channels which allow comments that can enable peer dialogue. That said, I've seen these used for learners to upload videos and display their work e.g. in art, construction, but you raise a good point about patent confidentiality. Might there be a way of framing videos so that this isn't a concern? -
Lynne Taylerson replied to Alison Warren
I think that videoconferences can give us an opportunity to develop skills in the affective domain as well as 'netiquette' which will be excellent transferable skills for collaborating online in future. Perhaps beginning with smaller conferences to instill the idea of a 'safe space' in a large group might help, Alison?
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Lynne Taylerson replied to NOOR BAIZURA BINTI BAHRUM
Do you think that forums such as this one are a good opportunity for learners to discuss their experiences and challenges and construct identities and make meaning? I agree that activities such as solitary online reading or video watching alone are passive, but we can embed prompting questions into videos or ask learners to come into class with a summary of...
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Amin Neghavati
Thanks for sharing, Amin!
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Mairead McQ
Encouraging learners to follow significant practitioners in their industry e.g. chefs, photographers can be an excellent way of enabling students to keep up with developments and new techniques, Mairead.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Edgar Alosbaños
Good to hear a compulsory induction prepares learners for the Baccalaureate course, Concepcion.
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A lot of the digital skills might not be directly applicable in some immediate job roles but might be valuable in wider employability or life roles, Nicolas.
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The videos can also be very useful for allowing learners to review and comment on their own performance - or for use in supportive peer reviews.
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Absolutely, Jan. As teachers we can work with learners to build up example of critical reflections or case studies which will be really beneficial for future cohorts, too.
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Absolutely, Joan - a 'digital induction' is needed and peer support can be valuable, too.
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Lynne Taylerson made a comment
Some great ideas and resource links coming through on the Padlet wall, thanks all for sharing.
A really powerful demonstration of what a useful tool it can be for collaboration and discussion. -
Lynne Taylerson replied to Joanne Heeps
Absolutely, Joanne. Having some 'quick wins' which learners enjoy and then encouraging some colleagues to help you investigate next steps is the best way forward. This approach ensures our strategies are informed by being rooted in sound pedagogy.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Jan Davis
That great to hear Jan - which tools and strategies from this week do you think you will use on your new course?
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Lynne Taylerson made a comment
It's great to read your comments on the areas that you've found valuable this week. Maybe you could collaborate with a colleague who isn't participating on the course and 'try 1 thing' to blend learning next week. Perhaps a Padlet discussion or a flipped activity with a short video.
Let us know how you get on and what your learners think! -
If we can give learners responsibility for adding and discussing resources that can be very powerful, James. We might ask them to do independent research and provide some resource examples with a rationale as to why they are relevant and important.
A colleague of mine asks his construction learners to go out into town and capture photos or video of good and... -
Absolutely, Leanne. We must always have a strong pedagogical underpinning for all of our activity and resource choices when using BL - just as we would in the classroom.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Leanne Jackson
The 'blend ratio' can be a very important balance to get right, Leanne. What you describe is a blended course and it would be if it was as high as a 1/149 hours mix.
As the mix gets further towards 'all online' we do need to consider carefully how we keep social and collaborative aspects going and ensure that everyone is contributing to dialogues. This can... -
Lynne Taylerson replied to Geetha Pandey
The teacher does have a central role, absolutely, Edgar. That might be answering queries, responding to points or asking prompting questions on forums like this or adding new online resources to respond to learners' questions or comments.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Edgar Alosbaños
Absolutely, Edgar. For those who have not experienced BL before it's really important that we familiarise them with technology an set realistic expectations for what they need to do and what support they can call upon.
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We can also set activities such as watching a video or reading a blog to precede the class to act as prompts and to provoke thoughts Patricia.
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It may be a shortfall on a teacher's part but equally a learner may be exploring other topics at a tangent to the main course areas by doing this for their own interests, indeed Simonelli. As teachers we need to ask if that is valuable, intentional learning for the course outcomes, but additional, personal research on an area of interest can be enriching, yes.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to James Choles
I think that online glossaries can be very useful in allowing learners to have a reference of key vocabulary for their course, James. It's also empowering if we allow participants to add entries or comments making their own meanings based on their vocational experiences, I think.
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Absolutely, Simonelli. BL allows us to make our courses far more inclusive for those who may not be able to attend every session due to family or work commitments or because of health or financial issues.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Eva Acqui
Use of links to 'breaking news' sites is a great way of making sure that our course materials are right up to date. Useful for all vocational areas but particularly so for sectors with fast-moving trends such as design, hospitality and hair and beauty therapy, Eva.
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Absolutely, Sameera - and we can also record some differentiated instruction which breaks down the steps to provide extra support for some or introduces further challenges for others.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Hannah Poupart
That's good to hear, Hannah, and that you're persisting despite some barriers. Can you investigate how others have done this successfully in a similar scenario and maybe make contact and get some advice?
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Sonja Tomaskovic
We certainly do need this type of contact and social interaction, Sonja. That's why making sure our online learning spaces have discussion forums, collaborative creation spaces (such as shared tasks or documents) and more relaxed spaces where learners can chat is so important.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Aura Piha
We can certainly use video to allow learners to refresh their learning by providing a summary of the key points of a session. This provides support between classes and, as you say Aura, we can devote F2F time to higher order thinking such as application and analysis of learning.
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I think we might call that online self-directed learning, Cynthia? It's certainly may be valuable but it's not sounding as if it is part of a purposeful activity created by a teacher as part of a learning design. This is a tricky example that has caused a lot of vibrant discussion on every course run so far so it's good to see that it's proving...
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That's a really engaging and creative approach with the video creation, Hannah. Is there the possibility of having some venue flexibility and moving training to a local library/learning centre or similar location which can provide free and high speed wifi?
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BL can be very valuable for allowing learners at distance to interact with those who are attending some face-to-face sessions. Online collaborative tasks can allow us to develop learners' teamwork and soft skills as well as core skills and knowledge.
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Interesting point, Nicholas. We might use a 'flipped classroom' model which we will discuss in more detail in the coming days. One way we can do this is to set some online reading, a video to watch or a research task and then ask learners to engage in an activity building on this such as a discussion.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Eduardo Mórlan
Absolutely - ensuring that Apprentices are well-prepared for the EPA is a vital part of building confidence and allowing them to show the full extent of their skills.
Often EPAs can be professional dialogues via Skype or F2F. Digital tools allow us to provide realistic rehearsals to help prepare for these assessments and allow Apprentices to have trail runs... -
Lynne Taylerson made a comment
Really interesting comments on how actively you are all using 'feed forward' to support learners in developing metacognition and self-appraisal to foster independent learning and motivation.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Eduardo Mórlan
So glad you enjoyed the course and found it valuable, Eduardo. Thanks for your comments here and you enthusiastic engagement with the forums.
If you have not engaged with the 2 original BLE courses 'Getting Started' and 'Embedding Practice' these are next in our programme with the former beginning in a week's time. -
Are you allowing learners to share and discuss the digital evidence, Karina?
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Large file sizes can be a challenge for some employers to store on in-house systems and these are something we encounter when using rich evidence such as videos, audio recording and complex documents and images.
Some online tools such as Smart Assessor allow evidence uploads and online discussion and tutorial meeting spaces - maybe you could investigate an... -
Absolutely Luis. Learners such as Apprentices may work remotely and not come together in groups as often as some other cohorts. We need to design bonding activities during induction periods - as we saw in the WhiteHat video - to build trust and the relationships that can continue in online dialogues and collaborations.
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It's great to be able to reply to your comments with 1 click of Google Translate, Luis!
That sounds like a great idea. Having a central point such as a Facebook page where learners can upload videos or links to other evidence such as blogs and then come together to discuss their work sounds really engaging. -
Asking learners to peer review the quality and relevance of information sources can be a valuable way of getting them to think critically about the supporting material they use, Maisa. This might be done online effectively by asking them to comment on sources used by others and suggest additional ones.
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I think it really helps, perhaps particularly with new tutors, Vivene. The LD allows us to see easily whether our sessions plans follow a certain 'recipe' and encourages us to think of new approaches and activity balances.
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Great idea Maisa. Perhaps Apprentices could be encouraged to shoot and edit a video promoting their work? These could be placed in a showcase and some voting software used or a more holistic peer review process.
Using strategies like this enables tutors to build a bank of learners work to help inform future cohorts, too. -
All great suggestions for positive promotion of digital tools, thanks for sharing Jonathan. How else might we encourage learners to build profiles or use digital tools for discussion and collaboration?
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That's excellent news Maisa. Getting testimonials from learners can be a powerful way of encouraging other educators to try similar strategies.
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Can you look at use of a mentoring system to encourage a 'have a go' attitude, perhaps, Melvin?
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There can be a time overhead at the start of BL use, Maria. BLE 2 (which happens at the end of this year) discusses how this can be off set by economies of scale later in the use of BL as well - as the flexible learning advantages.
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Interesting issue, Eduardo. Perhaps point out that you will review and comment on draft email responses but that you won't advise on what to do before an Apprentice has 'had a go' themselves?
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Aisha Nurlybayeva
What kinds of individual and collaborative work are you encouraging with Googledocs, Aisha?
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Activities such as this can be really valuable in other sectors where change is fast-paced and learners and workers need to keep up with new trends - I would think that online research would also be valuable for hair and beauty therapy and retail, too.
In which other sector areas might online research into trends be an important part of the Apprentice's... -
Lynne Taylerson replied to Jonathan Vernon
That;s a real challenge, Jonathan. When in the workplace there may be logical times, as you mention with career progression, to instigate new learning. In education, course requirements such as submission deadlines, exams and IQA/EQA processes can mean we have to keep learners to less flexible time-frames.
Tighter deadlines can be used to help develop their... -
Lynne Taylerson replied to Bronwen Swinnerton
Welcome, David. I think that digital tools and networks can really benefit Apprentices whatever their level. I've seen tools such as reflective vlogs and blogs as well as shared design spaces used effectively at higher levels of study. Hope you enjoy the course!
UCAS have some useful resources on degree level including a video case study:... -
It can also help when adopting a team approach to design as suggested designs can be shared , Melvin.
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I'll pass this on to the support team and ask if they have any suggestions, Thomas. Glad that you enjoyed initial use of it.
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How are you getting learners to share their experiences and collaborate?
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Are you currently using this tool, Aisha? Or others? What have been the benefits - and challenges - of doing so?
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I think that the blend here is important. This early face-to-face session enables new Apprentices to 'put a name to a face' on online forums and I think really raises confidence when a lot of later communications may be online without video.
Totally agree with your 2/2 comment, Eduardo, as session like this where learners can use a new system in a supportive... -
I've been chatting with some Apprentice assessors this week and they've been saying just that, Bronwen. The ability use use social media groups to share experiences from the week and motivate and support each other is really valued by Apprentices - especially if they are the only Apprentice at an organisation.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Eduardo Mórlan
Thanks for your kind comments, Eduardo - great to hear that you are downloading the resources for later use as these can prove powerful when used as think pieces for colleagues around use of digital tools.
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Intermittent functioning of some technology may put off some staff and students who are lower in confidence and may be likely to blame themselves if they don't use the systems successfully. Is there a plan to restart this year with an updated system?
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Interesting perspectives, Jonathan. Is there any way you can look to give reticent teachers some 'easy wins' with small steps in technology use - and maybe make this learner-led so that everyone learners together?
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How do you plan to collaborate and share findings on first experiences and use of strategies, Maisa?
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You are using a wide range of tools in support and tracking of learning, Michelle. I imagine that use of Smart Assessor allows learners to use a range of digital evidence.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Bronwen Swinnerton
Yes, welcome all. I'm one of the team of Digital Champions who will be discussing the use of digital to enhance the Apprentice experience over the next 2 weeks.
Like Bronwen, I'm looking forward to hearing about how you use digital tools so far and what your challenges and plans for the future are. -
We need to encourage learners to work with rich media such as vlogs and online collaboration - and this does mean that the systems at our organisations need the investment to support these uses.
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I agree Tabitta, the training for digital tools needs to be extended and contextualised and teachers need to be given time to make the technologies their own. This can be done by exploring the facilities and applications of the tools in collaboration with learners if teachers can be supported and given the confidence to take the stance that 'we're all learning'.
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I think you make a really powerful comment about 'didactic spaces' Nuala. If teachers can be encouraged to see the benefits of using digital tools in dialogues and collaboration - such as forums like this, Padlet boards and online live discussions - then they can put themselves back at the heart of technology-enabled teaching by using digital and will be more...
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Lisa Peel
It's one of the benefits of online modules that you can rejoin after a short break and catch up with the dialogues, Lisa, welcome back.
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It does raise some interesting discussion points about security checks, doesn't it!
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Lynne Taylerson made a comment
It's great to be still welcoming people to the course. Hope you enjoy reading the dialogues we've already had and adding to them.
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Lynne Taylerson made a comment
Thanks both for your high engagement with the forums - these dialogues with educators from around the world add so much value to the MOOCs. It's great to hear that you've enjoyed them and found them valuable.
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Lynne Taylerson made a comment
Some great designs here and interesting rationales for their strategies and resources - thanks for sharing, everyone.
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Lynne Taylerson replied to Lisa Peel
Great examples here - thanks Lisa and Abe for sharing!
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Maybe you could find some examples of best practice in online profiles (and maybe a few not-so-good examples?) and ask learners to evaluate them. Hopefully this would give some helpful design tips to those with less experience of their use?
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This sounds great, Gennie - let us know how your learners' use of WeVideo goes and how you worked around the restrictions of the free version.
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Always important issues, I agree, Christopher. We will examine concepts such as copyright, OER and look at some college's creative use of Creative Commons throughout the week.
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Lynne Taylerson made a comment
What are the main reflections/learning points you have taken from the activities and discussions this week, everyone? Which digital tools did you find the most useful?
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I think that perhaps there are a lot of digital measuring tools which are laser-based which have some digital storage and displays for dimensions, Aitor - but I hope maybe an expert can help me there! Carpenters will certainly need digital skills for business promotion, accounting and banking even if this is not directly related to their carpentry task....
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Change is fast=paced, Carrie but many digital skills such as setting up a profile with an image, location etc, are transferable across platforms so helping learners do this initially and then giving them the confidence to 'have a go' with other tools can help to build resilience, I hope.
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Learners may seem far more adept than teachers with social media and digital presence but not all are fully capable of using these skills outside the social domain, Luz. As you are starting to build a digital presence perhaps through platforms such as LinkedIn - you will be able to work with learners with your knowledge of what a strong professional CV can...
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Perhaps you could devise a suitable activity around the topic of 'fake news' Fiona. It's certainly a hot topic - and it goes beyond news items, I think. We can link 'fake news' to some useful maths development if we examine technically accurate stats used for misleading purposes in adverts, for example.
