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Joy will focus on workplace based traineeships and will investigate and review e-learning and communication options which could improve outcomes for both the workplace learners and their management team. Outcomes of the project will be a report on the review of the current level of use of new technologies and flexible learning within traineeships at SECC, a discussion of the challenges and issues related to implementing flexible options and e-communication and recommendations for future action.
 * Joy Sharpe -** **joysharpe [at] optusnet.com.au**
 * South** **East Community College**

=Welcome to my Learnscope Wikispace.= I am going to use this site to record and reflect on what I have learned in my individual project. Most of my time has been spent readng, participating in online networks and events, talking to people and experimenting with some of the new tecnhologies and tools. I have come to three main conclusions which may not be original or earth shattering but they will form the basis of my report and reccommendations back to South East Community College ( my sponsoring organisation). = =

they are:
===- E learning opens up a new way of perceiving learning that is driven and owned by the learner. The learner uses technological tools to explore, experiment, collaborate, communicate and create. The role of the teacher / trainer/ assessor / facilitator is therefore profoundly changed. Professionals who have been working in the VET field will have to rethink their methodolgoies and philosophies about the nature of teaching and learning.=== ===- There are so many e learning tools available that professionals need to choose platforms or software that are suitable for their roles and tasks and motivating for the learners. The most productive way to work is to choose a few tools and work with them intensively and consistently, building to a high level of skill and efficiency, working together with the learners so that they can participate, as well as lead in the learning process.=== ===- The challenge for RTO's is to develop a strategic approach to implementing e solutions in traineeships, identifying key software or platforms and developing processes and procedures around them. Training and empowering of existing staff or recruiting forward thinking staff will be essential. Most of all, understanding the learning styles of the trainees themselves and allowing them to take more control of thier own learning through using technology.=== = = I would like to invite you to participate in an online discussion on these three points. Agree or disagree, I'd like to hear from you. ( Click on the discussion tab above) regards Joy =

Please add to my scenario

In my final report I created two scenarios for the future one of a trainee and one of an assessor. I tried to visulaise in a creative way how they might use e elearning.


 * 3. Scenarios**

To illustrate what I see as possibilities of implementing e learning into traineeships have developed two scenarios. One describes a trainee and one describes an assessor. The scenarios take place in 2010, however this future could come much sooner given the commitment to make it happen.

//Today Susi is 14 and she is in Year 8 at School. In 2010, she completes school with a Cert I in IT and a Cert II in Business and she be starts her traineeship in Business Administration Certificate III.//
 * 3.1 Trainee**

//The day that Susi beings her traineeship she receives an sms from her RTO welcoming her and introducing the manager Carol. A photo of Carol is attached. Susi receives a link to the traineeship online community along with her login details and she is asked to reply by sms to carol and attaches a photo of herself.//

//Susi is free to log on and explore the online community straight away, and when she has her first face to face contact with the RTO and her assessor Tim, she has a hands on session at the computer to familiarise her with the site and its functions. Susi uploads her picture to add to her profile and scans the pictures and names of other trainees. She has access to a computer and the internet from her desk, but other trainees can use their phones to access the internet and the Employer will pay the phone bill or reimburse them.//

//Susi completes all the forms she needs online and she prints them out and signs them at the face to face meeting.//

//The online committee is a hub for Susi and a way to keep in touch with the RTO and other trainees. She can download forms, learning materials, assessment tasks and other documents. She can use the links section to access sites which provide background material for her learning. She has access to interactive learning activities like blogs and wikis. She can access video material from the site. In the discussion forums she can ask questions share information and socialise with other trainees. She can email her assessor directly to ask questions or submit documents.//

//Her supervisor, Ben also has an induction to the site and he also adds his profile and scans the pictures of other workplace supervisors. As he has not had trainees before, he looks forward to using the supervisor’s discussion form to connect with others and also thinks he will listen to the podcasts of the supervisors talking about the challenges of mentoring trainees and also watching some of the video‘s about OHS so he is confident of how to approach this issue in training .//

//The three of them talk about Susi’s job description and prior experience and put together a training plan. After talking with Tim and Ben, Susi decides to create a blog as her way or organising her portfolio of evidence and agrees that a monthly discover e session where she links up with Tim and other trainees will be a useful way of reinforcing her learning and understanding the units of competency she is undertaking and the evidence needed for assessment. . Tim introduces the first two units that Susi will cover and encourages her and Ben to use her camera phone with its video function and mp3 recorder to capture evidence for assessment as well as using the blog to record activities and reflections and upload documents .//

//Like any trainee, Susi has her good days and her bad days as she learns about the realities of being a worker but she never feels isolated because she is part of an online community and can always be in touch with other trainees and her RTO.//

//Tim joined SECC as a part time traineeship assessor. He also runs a small business training other small business in using e business and e learning tools. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration, A Cert IV in IT and a Cert IV TAA.//
 * 3.2 Assessor**

//As a business owner himself he has empathy with the workplace supervisors and employers. He can also demonstrates to them the financial benefits of using e business and e learning tools and in providing structured training for staff.//

//As a person who continually updates his own skills and through formal courses and creative exploration of online world he also has empathy with the trainees and encourages them to participate with their supervisors in designing an appropriate training plan and choosing appropriate methods of gathering evidence from the workplace .//

//Tim uses a number of social software and web 2 tools to link his trainees together, communicate with them and their supervisors and gather and store evidence. He has his own blog for his role and an assessor, uses an EdNA group for trainees to communicate and to store learning resources and Discovere for web conferencing. He loves to explore new online tools but is also conscious that knowing certain tools inside and out ( rather than having a glancing knowledge of many tools) helps to maintain the quality of his practice. This enables him to avoid the common technical glitches and facilitate e training and assessment as smoothly as possible.//

//He is an excellent communicator and he know that face to face and phone contact both with trainees and supervisors and the VTE manager at the RTO are essential to building a rapport that supports the ongoing online interaction. He streamlines his reporting to the RTO by using email and electronic forms and capturing evidence electronically. He also responds to customer needs rapidly via phone, sms and email .//

//He says that traineeship assessing is a learning experience for all parties, himself included .//


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