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Association for Learning Technology Fortnightly news digest 129, 20 April 2007 Lots of news, calls, events and invitations to tender this week. If you forward this Digest, in whole or part, within your organisation or to another distribution list, please include the text: "[the] ALT Digest, a fortnightly publication from the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) - http://www.alt.ac.uk/." To send items for the fortnightly digest, email [log in to unmask] with the subject line "For the digest" and your _brief_ text in the body of the message (no attachments, please, and no pdf files). Deadline for next issue (number 130): Tuesday 1 May. Join ALT at http://www.alt.ac.uk/membership_join.html Organisational members list: http://www.alt.ac.uk/corporate_members.php 1. Association news: AGM 2007, Call for ALT-C 2008, ALT-N 2. Association events: lots of great workshops! 3. ALT-C news 4. News: JISCC, HEFCE, TeLearn, Second Life 5. Calls for papers: four this week 6. Other events: three events 7. Invitations to tender: three calls 8. Vacancies: two vacancies 9. Courses: MSc in E-learning 1. Association news 1.1 Call for ALT-C 2008 Chair/Co-chairs http://www.alt.ac.uk/docs/2008_conference_calling_notice_20070405.doc The ALT Central Executive Committee is seeking an experienced Chair (or two Co-Chairs) for the ALT-C 2008 Programme Committee. The Conference Chair/Co-Chairs will receive extensive support from ALT's permanent staff. To express your interest, please send a brief CV (as a plain text email) to Rhonda Riachi ([log in to unmask]), and include your ideas for the conference theme, by 4 May 2007. A call for Programme Committee members for 2008 will go out in June. We also welcome expressions of interest to chair ALT-C in future years. 1.2 AGM 2007: Call for Trustee nominations http://www.alt.ac.uk/docs/agm_notice_2007.doc Nomination forms for the Vice-Chair and the two Trustee vacancies are attached to the calling notice above. Please return your forms by 31 May. 1.3 April Newsletter published ALT-N no 8 is now online at http://newsletter.alt.ac.uk A summary printed version will be mailed to all members next week. 2. Association events 2.1 Two free workshops on CMALT Wednesday 9 May 2007, Higher Education Academy, York Morning workshop: 10:00 to 12:00 (followed by lunch) http://www.alt.ac.uk/workshop_detail.php?e=250 Afternoon workshop: 13:00 to 15:00 (preceded by lunch) http://www.alt.ac.uk/workshop_detail.php?e=251 Booking deadline: 19 April. For more information about the ALT Certified Membership Scheme go to http://www.alt.ac.uk/cmalt 2.2 Edublogs: the educational use of blogs and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Thursday 17 May 2007, The Learning Lab, Telford Presenters: Josie Fraser, Steven Warburton Booking deadline: 3 May 2007 Another run for this popular workshop - book early! http://www.alt.ac.uk/workshop_detail.php?e=252 2.3 Can mobile devices be used in pedagogically effective ways? 13 June 2007, The Graduate Centre, London Metropolitan University Presenters: Claire Bradley, John Cook, Richard Haynes and Carl Smith - London Metropolitan University; Lilian Soon - Freelance Consultant. Booking deadline: 30 May 2007 Hands-on opportunities and discussion with specialists in the field. http://www.alt.ac.uk/workshop_detail.php?e=248 2.4 Evaluating learning technology in context 25 June 2007, Institute of Education, London Presenters: Jen Harvey, Dublin Institute of Technology; Martin Oliver, Institute of Education. Booking deadline: 11 June 2007 This workshop will address issues of concern to e-learning practitioners involved in evaluating quality in the e-learning experience. http://www.alt.ac.uk/workshop_detail.php?e=255 2.5 Views from the other side: listening to learner voices 26 June 2007, Glasgow Caledonian University Presenters: Linda Creanor and Kathy Trinder, Glasgow Caledonian University; Doug Gowan and Carol Howells, Open Learning Partnership. Booking deadline: 12 June 2007 A fascinating exploration of what learners really think of learning technology. http://www.alt.ac.uk/workshop_detail.php?e=249 2.6 FE Practitioners Conference 2007: advance notice Date: 11 October 2007 Venue: The National College for School Leadership, Nottingham. Keynote speaker: Andrew Thomson, CEO of QIA. Organised by ALT and QIA, with the support of Becta, LSN and LSC. More details will follow shortly... 3. ALT-C news 3.1 ALT-C 2007: Beyond control Learning technology for the social network generation 4-6 September 2007, Nottingham, UK http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2007 All submitters will receive news of their proposals by 18 May. Register to attend at http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2007/registering.html Fees for attendance are at http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2007/delegate_information.html Presenters’ registration deadline: 8 June 2007 Earlybird registration deadline: 29 June 2007 Pre- and post-conference workshops: information for organisers http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2007/pre_and_post.html 3.2 Book now for pre-conference workshops at ALT-C 2007 - Introduction to ePortfolio with PebblePad - Generative Learning Objects in the making - Designing learning spaces: visions, issues and practices http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2007/pre_and_post.html 4. News 4.1 Management of Open Plan Learning Spaces: JISC Survey ...collecting information about open plan technology-rich learning and teaching spaces in FE Colleges and Universities using a web based questionnaire. If you have open plan technology-rich spaces in your institution please support the review by visiting: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/learning-space-design/open- plan/questionnaire.html and completing the survey for each of the spaces that you have. All contributors will be entered into a prize draw to win an Apple iPod. 4.2 HEFCE revised strategy published http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2007/07_09/ 4.3 TeLearn Open Archive The Kaleidoscope European research network has launched the TeLearn open archive of learning technology publications and videos. TeLearn is fully international and welcomes contributions in any language and from any part of the world. The archive is being developed to provide tools to search the content of the database, and to build communities of researchers sharing common interests. Submit, browse, search and download from TeLearn: http://www.telearn.eu/ 4.4 Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN) Volume 11, Issue 1 now published http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/index.asp 4.5 Second Life - a virtual world for education? Seb Schmoller's view: http://fm.schmoller.net/2006/10/economist_featu.html A preview of a new island: http://campustechnology.com/articles/46809_1/ 5. Calls for papers 5.1 SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE TURKISH ONLINE JOURNAL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION (TOJDE) (ISSN: 1302–6488; Vol. 8, No. 3) Topic: Web 2.0 and Social Software in Distance Education Consult the TOJDE guidelines: http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/callfp.html Submission deadline now 1 May 2007. Notification of acceptance no later than one month after submission. 5.2 UiTM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON E-LEARNING 2007 December 2007, Shah Alam, Malaysia http://i-learn.uitm.edu.my/uicel2007 Contact: [log in to unmask] 5.3 International Conference: Education in a Changing Environment: Meeting the challenges 12-14 September 2007, University of Salford, UK Final call for papers. Delegate Registration has opened. http://www.ece.salford.ac.uk 5.4 ODLAA 2007 Open and Distance Learning in the South Pacific 11 - 14 November 2007, Lincoln University, New Zealand Visit: http://www.odlaa2007.info The deadline for papers and workshops is 15 June. 6. Other events 6.1 Routledge Connecting with e-Learning Book Series Launch 30 April 2007, Open University, Milton Keynes, http://www.connecting-with-elearning.com To attend RSVP: Chris Pegler ([log in to unmask]) by 23 April 2007 6.2 JISC online conference: Innovating e-Learning 2007 Institutional Transformation and Supporting Lifelong Learning 11 - 14 June 2007 http://www.jisc.ac.uk/elp_conference07 6.3 Fifth e-Learning@greenwich conference: Designing for Learning 4 July 2007 and first European LAMS Conference 5 July 2007, Greenwich Maritime Campus http://www.lamsfoundation.org/lams2007/. Call for Presentations/Papers: http://www.lamsfoundation.org/lams2007/papers.htm 7. Invitations to tender 7.1 JISC ITT: Resource Discovery Infokit... the creation of a resource discovery information kit (infokit) on an area of the JISC website. The aim of the Infokit is to make it easier for institutions and resource discovery service providers to find information on resource discovery solutions, in particular those that support the JISC Information Environment and that have been developed via JISC Development Programmes. Deadline: 13.00 17 May 2007. Funding of up to £30,000 (Inclusive of VAT and related travel and subsistence) is available for this project. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/fundingopportunities/funding_calls/2007/04/infokit.a spx 7.2 Data publication project: expressions of interest The RIN, JISC and NERC are jointly looking to commission a new research project to be undertaken between May and December 2007. The project is an investigation, with reference to carefully selected areas of the scholarly spectrum, of (i) the nature and range of arrangements for making research data as widely available as possible (including data publishing), and (ii) the role that data outputs play alongside or as an alternative to conventional publications in the research communication process. Should you be interested, please Email: [log in to unmask] or Tel: 020 7412 7303 7.3 JISC ITT: Towards Optimal Retrieval: cross searching evaluation ...a project to explore and evaluate the value of cross search based on metadata and the combination of metadata and full text. Deadline for receipt of tenders is 13.00 21 May 2007. Funding of up to £50,000 (Inclusive of VAT and related travel and subsistence) is available for the study. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/fundingopportunities/funding_calls/2007/04/info_retr ieval.aspx 8. Vacancies 8.1 University of Bath Software and Systems Developer: Online Learning Ref: 07/135 Salary: £26,666 - £31,840 Closing date: 26 April 2007 http://www.bath.ac.uk/jobs/job_desc.cgi?07/135/JR 8.2 The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE) Director Salary: £55,000 Closing date: 27 April (interviews 8 May, 2007) http://www.obhe.ac.uk/aboutus/staff.html 9. Courses 9.1 University of Edinburgh MSc in E-learning This is a fully online programme using a range of digital environments as appropriate (WebCT, Second Life, weblogs, chat and wikis for example) which can be studied either full-time or part-time from http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/e-learning -- The digest returns on 4 May 2007. All news, jobs, events, etc, to [log in to unmask] by Tuesday 1 May, please. Regards Rhonda Riachi Disclaimer: Whilst every care is taken to provide accurate information in compiling this digest, ALT cannot vouch for the accuracy of information provided on other web sites to which the digest links, and opinions expressed on those sites should not be construed to be those of ALT. -- Rhonda Riachi, Director Association for Learning Technology Gipsy Lane, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 484125 Fax: +44 (0)1865 484165 Email: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.alt.ac.uk/ Registered Charity Number: 1063519 ALT-C 2007: 4-6 September, Nottingham, England http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2007 ALT's email response policy: http://www.alt.ac.uk/contact.html#Email