063

=**Social Software for TAFE NSW Outreach Coordinators & Teachers**=

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Lesley Yasso – Lesley.yasso [at] tafensw.edu.au Jude Cooke – Judith.cooke [at] tafensw.edu.au
 * FACILITATORS:**


 * SPONSORING AGENCY:** TAFE Outreach


 * TARGET CLIENT GROUPS:** Indigenous; community; disengaged

The use of social software will enhance new e-networks and access to resources for teachers, community partners and students. The project will enhance local partnerships providing opportunities to explore innovative local solutions for emerging issues. It will also provide teachers with skills and knowledge to transfer to community groups and students to ease the transition for on-line learning advancement. Team members are made up of TAFE NSW Outreach Coordinators and part-time IT teachers, with a librarian and 2 education officers involved to assist in the state-wide management. This project will be an integral part of the overall TAFE NSW Outreach professional development strategy, which will continue to develop an Outreach community of practice throughout the state.
 * PROJECT SUMMARY:**


 * ONLINE PRESENCE:** (blogs, wikis, EdNA Group, websites, flickr tag, del.icio.us tag etc)

//MAIN BLOGS// [|NSWtox Home] Home Page of NSW Outreach [|NSW Outreach Xchange] This has got information pertaining to Head Office [|Commmunity Building] This blog contains resources to strengthen communities capacity building power. [|Corrections] This blog is about TAFE NSW programs relating to people exiting and within correctional facilities across NSW. [|Culturally Diverse] Provides resources for teachers and students involved in classes for people with different cultural backgrounds. [|Indigenous] This blog aims to provide information and resources relating to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. [|Mature Worker] This blog provides information and resources for courses aimed at mature aged workers retraining and education. [|Youth] Provides resources for programs aiming to engage youth at risk [|Women] Provides recourses and information for classes aimed at women reentering the workforce.

//OTHER ASSOCIATED BLOGS// [|African Communities] [|Outreach Teachers Workshops] [|Courses] [|Learnscope 2006] [|Outreach Eats] [|Blokes] [|Computers] [|Adult Learning and Teaching]

//OUTREACH OFFICES BLOGS// [|Nambucca Valley Project] [|Meadowbank Outreach] [|Ultimo WOW Computing] [|Outreach Richmond] [|Ultimo Outreach] [|Ultimo Outreach Courses] [|Ultimo Outreach Location and Contact Details] [|Ultimo WOW Computing] [|Ultimo WOW Home]

//OTHERS// [|NSWtox Del icio us] [|NSWtox Flickr] [|NSWtox Social Software Kaboodle] [|NSWtox Bubbleshare] NSWtox Wiki [|NSWtox Bloglines]


 * PROPOSED LEARNSCOPE VISIT/S:** ¦ 29 August ¦


 * TEAM EVENTS;** (focus, date, time, availability to other teams)


 * TEAM DISCUSSIONS:** **http://nswlearnscope.wikispaces.com/message/list/063**

Our team had a very exciting 3 days in the Blue Mountains at the end of June. We were fortunate to have Leigh Blackall participate in the running of the workshops. The Western Sydney Institute teams for Audio Dynamism and LIFe also run workshop so we had the benefit of sharing learning and experiences with them. The face-to face workshops provided a positive and cooperative learning environment for all participants. This was reflected by the high level of energy, enthusiasm and participation of team members. The workshop included presentations that provoked discussion and reflection on elaerning and it's role in delivery to our target groups. The large computer lab at Wentworth Falls TAFE enabled us to explore lots of Social Software tools including [|blogger], [|bloglines], [|flickr], [|writeboard] and [|deli.ci.ous]. We were able to gain practical experience with widgets such as can flickr badges, calendars and "geographic information visualization" tools such as [|frappr] and [|clustr maps].
 * TEAM POSTCARD**

David Lance brought along 2 CDs complete with a selection of fabulous [|FOSS] and great information about these resources. This opened up vigorous discussion about the role of Outreach in promoting such software to our target groups to enhance their opportunites without having to break the bank or compromise ethics and the law in accessing software. One of the highlights was the opportunity to visit [|weeworld] and create a visual identity to use as online identity. A great tool to overcome issue that many people have with putting their mugshot online.


 * FURTHER DETAILS:**

The project will deepen and extend the use of e-tools, equipping staff with confidence, motivation, knowledge and skills in the use social software. Building on the previous 2005 LearnScope project our project will engage the remaining Outreach Coordinators, a significant proportion of part-time Outreach IT teachers and the librarian of the TAFE NSW Multicultural Library. The e-community of practice will be complemented by state-wide face-to-face meetings in June (LearnScope Team Planning workshop) and September (as part of the Outreach annual state-wide workshop). The use of social software addresses the problem of working with local community partnerships where our intranet is unable to allow access to those outside our organization. This project will help overcome such barriers and supports collaboration outside our organization. The emerging opportunities for our team include the range of social software available to be trialled and tested with Outreach, stimulating an e-debate on educational theories that support Outreach delivery.
 * Project Background**

· Increasing flexible programs and e-options for disengaged learners · Establishing local e-networks for community partnerships · Enabling participants to learn new technologies and how to access such. · Increasing skills and knowledge of social software amongst Outreach Coordinators, part-time teachers and students via social software · Extending our E-Community of Practice for Outreach
 * Project Outcomes**

Students will be further engaged in the use of wikis, moodles, blogs, podcasting (where appropriate), shared writeboards, wordprocessors and spreadsheets all online and available for collaborative activities or projects. E-learning will be made more accessible through the exposure members have in workshops and continued use and exploration of social software suitable for clients and to extend the Outreach community of practice. Educating more members on social software tools and devices will cause the transition to e-learning to be more accessible to our targeted clients. Outreach students are by definition students who are disadvantaged through geographical and social isolation, language and cultural factors, financial hardship, lack of educational confidence, a disability or family commitments and poor internet access. Social software tools provide a vehicle to enrich learning by removing the barrier of cost, addressing language and cultural factors and being intuitive so as to build confidence. Bandwidth issues are critical with our students, only Social Software with low bandwidth requirements will be used for students. With the TAFE NSW budget continuing to shrink, the ongoing options for Outreach students are also shrinking especially in small remote communities – this project will provide more realistic options.
 * Project Benefits**

The project will be evaluated on three levels, with feed-back from students, teachers and community cpntacts. The team will develop surveys to capture improved retention, motivation and involvement by students. Three Outreach Centres will engage in establishing e-networks within local communities, with councils, businesses and community organisations, in order to extend and strengthen existing local partnerships. The Granville e-community will involve the Cambodian-Australian Welfare Council and the Baulkham Hills-Holroyd-Parramatta Multicultural Resource Centre. These projects will be continuously evaluated. The project will have direct and indirect impact on Outreach students. Some will directly trial the use of social software while some will benefit by Outreach staff gaining new skill, ideas and sharing resources and experience through the project. Teachers will provide feed back for evaluation.
 * Evaluation Strategies:**

Pre and Post Questionnaires will be used to gather information. Members will be enlisted to send in contributions to monthly e-newsletter. Gauging the number of Outreach Unit blogs established and maintained. Monthly writeboard team session. Digital stories will also be used. Anecdotes and quotes from team members Use of EdNA Groups Input to network groups
 * We are capturing our learning via:**


 * We hope to share our learning via :**

· Use of facilitator and mentors/coaches to provide positive and cooperative learning environment for participants both-face-to face and online throughout the project · Provide introductory state-wide face-to-face workshop to enhance team spirit, involve all members in project planning and encourage collaboration · Establish common purpose and goals of e-networks, while planning project together · Discuss the benefits of e-tools for sharing innovative ideas and resources to achieve sustained and cost-effective Outreach delivery · Assign mentor/buddy to each participant · Model and encourage participation in Blogs, Wikis and other social software · Utilise project sponsors to encourage participants · Ensure management support from participating institutes · Create both structured and informal opportunities to communicate with members via social software, tele and video conferences in regular intervals and F2F workshops · Integrate the //LearnScope// activities into overall TAFE Outreach professional development strategies · Build on existing links to develop stronger partnerships locally via the use of Blogs and other social software · Showcase positive outcomes of project to encourage wider use of social software in teaching and learning
 * Internal strategies will include**:

· Encourage all team members to become champions and mentors · Link with other LearnScope projects, the online LearnScope forums and the 2006 LearnScope · Inform Equity Managers and other TAFE NSW Equity staff of what is being created · Involving representatives of other TAFE NSW Equity groups as team members: the Multicultural Unit, the Women’s Programs Unit · Involving a librarian to help make our resource filing and links easier to use and follow · Showcase Negotiate mutually productive partnerships with local Community Technology Centres (CTCs) (statewide negotiations are already underway)
 * External strategies will include**:

This project will be promoted in established and new networks, community partners, staff meetings, management meetings, NSW Outreach classroom usage, other classroom usage, conferences/workshops/seminars, distribution of monthly e-newsletters, Social Software booklet and staff development. In addition the other units involved will spread the learning through their networks, and ensure higher readership of the Blogs as well as the development of complementary Blogs etc for these other units and their teachers and contacts.
 * We’ll connect with others via:**

NSW Outreach will be reporting via digital storytelling. team blogs. EdNA Group and the development of a new resource Social Software booklet
 * Proposed project products/outputs:**