Countdown is on for new Framework website

Across the country, registered training organisations, business and industry are embracing new and engaging strategies and resources for e-learning use in vocational education and training (VET).

Facebook, Nintendo Wii and virtual worlds are being trialled and used to creatively connect with learners in an interactive environment.

Whole industry sectors are making a commitment to work together to integrate e-learning into overall workforce development.

Developing technologies, such as e-portfolios, are being enhanced with mobile phones, point-of-view devices and wikis to help train and retrain staff in difficult economic conditions.

A new website will be released shortly by the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework), which will create a central hub for people working in e-learning to share experiences and resources like these with colleagues around Australia and internationally.

The website, which will go live within the next month, will be interactive and user-driven, allowing people to:

• network with other VET practitioners to develop their knowledge and use of e-learning, by joining relevant online groups and communities
  
   
• contribute their own e-learning content to the site, and view content contributed by others
  
   
• actively build their own site presence, by bookmarking website content and commenting on and rating other users’ content.

According to website manager and Western Australian Flexible Learning Advisory Group (FLAG) member, Sue Lapham, the new site will provide meaningful learning experiences for users by helping to capture and share the collective e-learning knowledge and know-how of the VET system, in one easy to access portal.  

“The site is easy to use and designed to be experimented and interacted with – you don’t need to be a technical whiz, just have an eagerness to learn and develop your e-learning knowledge.

“Along with the obvious benefit of learning from and connecting with people working in e-learning, the site uses web 2.0 tools as a platform, and will therefore help educate users in a hands-on way about how to adopt social networking tools in teaching and learning.”

The Framework conducted an initial briefing session about the new website at this week’s Getting Connected 09 online conference (the recording of the Elluminate!Live session is now available). Additional website training will be held in the coming months, and readers can keep up-to-date on website news by visiting http://flexiblelearning.net.au or reading Flex e-News.

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Published on 18/06/2009