It's e-asy being green: The Knowledge Tree Edition 20 out now!

The Knowledge Tree is an e-journal of learning innovation which aims to provide in-depth knowledge and promote debate about e-learning and innovative teaching and training practices.

Edition 20 explores how the vocational education and training (VET) system is responding to the Green Skills Agreement, endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in December 2009. The Agreement aims to create national standards for sustainable practice in VET; to revise training packages to include sustainability principles and competencies; and to upskill VET practitioners on sustainability skill delivery.

With this in mind, Edition 20 examines how e-learning can provide a model of training delivery that uses sustainable practices, and helps to meet the demand for green skills training.

Key questions explored in this edition include:

• How can e-learning help build the green skills needed by business and individuals to contribute to a sustainable, low-carbon economy?

• What’s the implication of the current demand for skilling and reskilling workers to meet Australia’s sustainability targets?

• What features of e-learning can foster sustainable practices in training delivery, eg flexibility, web-based meetings, file sharing and virtual classrooms?

The following contributions are now available online: 

Lead article: Eyes on a green horizon

Jason Patten and Michael Abulencia from RMIT University discuss how RMIT successfully transitioned its Optical Training Program to an e-learning model, and explain how the program implemented sustainable practices with benefits for training organisations, learners and the community.

Jason and Michael will be available for a live online conversation on Tuesday 3 August from 12:30pm-1:30pm (AEST) as part of the Framework’s e-Gems series of web conferencing sessions.

Article: Virtual classroom, actual sustainability

Michele A Parker (Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, Watson School of Education, University of North Carolina) writes about how virtual classrooms can foster sustainable practices in education and training delivery. She argues that as technology advances it is increasingly important to use it less for convenience and more for systemic practices that will benefit learners and the environment.

Michele has research interest in the use of technology, including virtual classrooms, e-portfolios, virtual reality, and wikis in both higher education and K-12 settings.

Article: Garden of e-delights

Steve McVey, Director of Skills Strategies International in Western Australia, discusses the Great Gardens project, funded and supported by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework’s (Framework) E-learning Innovations business activity.

Great Gardens is a not-for-profit organisation that provides free environmental sustainability workshops showing participants how they can create a sustainable home and garden which uses less water, energy and nutrients and produces less waste.

In partnership with Skills Strategies International, Great Gardens has successfully implemented e-learning strategies to:

• enhance and expand the provision of environmental sustainability knowledge
   
• encourage behaviour change among Western Australia’s urban and rural landowners.

Interviews

• Helen Zwicker from Kiama Community College in New South Wales explains how the Business Sustainabilit-e project helped Business Treading Lightly (an environmental and sustainability consultancy) to adopt web 2.0 technologies and web conferencing. Business Treading Lightly used these technologies to network and communicate with their clients, and to reduce the ecological and financial expenses associated with travel.

• Carole McCulloch, freelance e-learning consultant, and Penny Neudendorf, e-learning manager, Canberra Institute of Technology answer questions on how specific e-learning technologies are facilitating environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. Carole examines virtual classrooms and Penny looks at virtual worlds.  

The Knowledge Tree e-journal is published by the Framework. To view Edition 20 and previous editions, visit: http://flexiblelearning.net.au/knowledgetree

To subscribe to the The Knowledge Tree by either email or RSS feed, visit: http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/subscribe

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Published on 22/07/2010