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Cambridgeshire E-Guides
I was delighted to meet with Cambridgeshire E-Guides in Cambourne on the 13th October.

This was the title of the presentation given by Terry Loane at our ACL e-learning forum on the 10th October. It is considerably snappier than what I had originally put in may email which was something like “Successful strategies for gaining tangible benefits from investments made in technology and staff development” !!

He expressed this idea even more concisely as “Making it happen!“.

He went on to talk about seven strategies which really work in practice:

1. Staff first, then learners
2. Make the most of enthusiasts
3. Think about Moore’s Chasm
4. Provide ‘quick wins’ that make life easier
5. Provide ongoing support for staff
6. Go for the cheap and cheerful approach
7. Don’t waste time writing an e-learning strategy! (The key words here being  waste time,  writing and e-learning! Terry explained how all organisation need a strategy, but ‘e-learning’ is not something which exists in isolation - it is part of everything else which happens in the organisation, so references to it would appear in all other strategies such as teaching and learning, staff development, estates and so on.

The full presentation is available from our website.

If you have already booked for Innovating e-Learning 2008, congratulations! If not, here are ten good reasons why this could be a good thing to do.. 

I: It’s a showcase for Innovative work on e-learning from JISC-funded projects and others – a chance to find out about recent e-learning developments
N: It offers great Networking opportunities with e-learning enthusiasts in the UK and overseas
N: It’s Not just for one sector – Innovating e-Learning 2008 offers a collaborative environment in which experiences can be shared with colleagues in both higher and further education sectors
O: It’s Online - you can view the session papers and presentations in advance, then participate at times convenient to you. But don’t try taking part and still keeping up the day job at the same time - it will be a very rich experience
V: It offers a wide Variety of topics – from Web 2.0 to e-portfolios, from Second Life for Learning and Teaching (guided tours available) to designing learning spaces for 21^st century learning and achieving transformational change
A: Its aim is to Assist you in Achieving learner-centred, technology-enhanced practice in your context
T: It’s Time-shifted, so you can view the presentations when you want, and read through discussions after they have finished – the conference remains open for 2 weeks after the last posting to enable you to catch up with what you have missed
I: It features Interesting and engaging presenters - keynotes by Gilly Salmon (University of Leicester), Rose Luckin (London Knowledge Lab) and John Davitt (writer and broadcaster and educational technology specialist)
N: There’s No chance to get bored – apart from three keynotes and ten sessions under themes of Embracing the future now and Going boldly into the dark, Innovating e-Learning 2008  offers a  Showcase area of other innovative work to browse through, a social space for virtual networking, technical support if needed, and last, but not least, the 2008 conference blogger, James Clay
G: It’s Great value for money – still only £50 per delegate! 

And of course, it’s about e-learning! 

Make sure you will be taking part in the 2008 conference by registering now at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearningpedagogy/elpconference08/booking.aspx 

Invite others you know will enjoy this conference. More details of the programme can be found at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearningpedagogy/elpconference08/programme.aspx 

Looking forward to meeting you there!