Attempting to live blog while running a twitter competition

Fiona MacNeill wearing a hat with a badge on it reading UCISA Twelfie Official

This could possible be the most insane multitasking challenge that I have ever set for myself….. What I am doing today: Running a Leaderboard for a conference to monitor Tweets and award points for Twitter selfies or #twelfies as part of my role with UCISA Digital Capabilities Group (formerly User Skills Group). Thus far our leaderboard (courtesy of Rise) is looking healthy, having cleared out the scores from the pre-conference tweets (pre 4:00am today that is) and re-started our polls. All of our photo scores are retained, but that still gives folks a time to catchup. We have been tweaking our scoring strategies this morning and then I look forward to attending the sessions this afternoon. A few things that I have learned about using a Leaderboard so far…

  1. Adding players via the Twitter tag poll is not the most efficient practice. So I have added people manually and we encouraged players to add themselves.
  2. Managing the scores via Google doc with the excellent Samantha Ahern is a very good plan. We are each taking a couple of metrics each (selfies with celebrities, etc.).
  3. Polling tweets with the hashtag is however excellent and is working really well.
  4. Make sure you know what period your metrics are scoring for and display the weighted

to be continued….


13:33

Sarah Davies from JISC - Chair and Introduction Spotlight on digital Capabilities event

#udigcap

Presentation: Technology and innovation at the university of Winchester

Talking about Digital Literacy at University of Winchester.

Rebecca JS Nice - a student talking about her experience. Multi-disciplinary degree in Dance and History. Student Identity and Expectations - Didn’t find much of an outlet to use her iPad in class when she arrived at Uni - Use of technology was inconsistent Digital Experience at Winchester - Rebecca became a student fellow. Student Fellow: an honary-based scheme. Rebecca became part oar the Mobile Device Scheme

  • The students were set the task of researching apps and use of mobile technologies in order support instructors who were provided with devices.
  • Enjoyed the responsibility of undertaking the research
  • The students have an active blog
  • Biggest barrier? Using imagination and motivation, looking at lesson plans and considering ways of using devices
  • There were some attitudinal barriers amongst academic staff - worried that devices will be misused. Point is that is you bring the devices into the scope of the class then that is a way of monitoring them and ensuring that they are used to support learning.
  • Rebecca has built a website to build an online identity - taking what she is learning on the Mobile Device Scheme and using it support her studies.
  • She has used blogs to support instructors - used Tumbr as a presentation tool. Asked class and instructors to look her Tumbr during the presentation, linked Tumbr through to Pinterest for added value as part of the project
    • This was considered a massive risk - so although encouraged - there was concern. Worried about cognitive overload.
  • Student Barriers?
    • Confidence - what happens when things go wrong. Consider coping strategies when working with technology.
  • Teachers are enthusiastic about the Mobile Device Scheme, but are unsure of how to implement it within their own teaching.
    • In support of job applications - need to be better links with industry. There should not be technology-based surprises when entering the workforce after studying on a degree
      • How can we diagnose what employers are looking for and empower our students with career appropriate training?
  • Amy Barlow - Staff Support perspective - University of Winchester
  • Understanding the digital needs of students
    • Staff have found that the student fellows are really approachable.
    • Good point: this generation of students are used to demonstrating/showing technology to their parents and grandparents.
  • Outcomes:
    • 60 student fellow projects per year
    • Partnership project on mobile device use across disciplines
    • A few example projects
      • English students introdcue video summaries of modules by tutors to aid module selection
      • Law students run peer feedback activity through filming each other in Mock Court Trials
      • History students evaluate the use of formative audio feedback
      • Student representatives evaluate the use of social media for communcation
  • Rebecca’s recommendations:
    • Build in Normalisation/routine
      • Allowing time and opportunity for student research.
      • Through sharing projects like student fellows, sharing best-practice. Embedded in their strategy and making sure that it is part of the continuing discourse.
    • Environment
      • Making the environment tech savvy. Plug and play.
      • Working hard to make smart and collaborative spaces available to students
    • Digitally dedicated advice services
      • Yes there is normal tech support. Rebecca thinks it would be good for students to have technology support, as in aspirational tech support! I would like to do this project, what technology can I use? (FM: this was part of the purpose of where I used to work at the Carleton College IdeaLab - it is truly great, particularly when students help students)
    • Up to date expectations
      • Technologies will be built into validation. It is essential that expectations are made clear.

 


Meeting and challenging students’ expectations of digital engagements

How do you meet and manage student expectations - the idea of incoming students

Dave White, University of the Arts, London Helen Beetham Resources for this talk]

  • Stakeholder consultations
    • 7 challenge areas
  • School focused study - students take expectations from school into their expectations into HE.
    • Self-directed learning with technology wasn’t expected, even if they were using tech outside of school.
  • Ongoing FE and Skills study

The Digital Student - Outcomes (resources you can use)

The 7 Challenge Areas

  • There are case studies for each of the areas identified. Dave makes the point that you can build a framework, but what does that look like in terms of small meaningful changes.
    • We know what we need to do, but it doesn’t mean that things that we need to do are easy to get right!
  • Broadcast mode in Universities - do you know how much email you are actually sending to a student institutionally!
  • Mobile devices are becoming centred around notifications - students take ownership of the information that they receive form the university.
Entitlement VS. Enhancement
- Wifi (unblocked)
- Hardware/software
- BYOD
- Lots of digital resources
- Non mandatory support
- Lecture capture
- Organisational info
- Use of tech in lectures
- Social media (not clear from what they saw what the students actually wanted)
- Learning & teaching?
- Mobile Notifications?
- Apps?

Jisc Love Triangles!

Don’t fall into the digital natives trap. Just because you have wifi and the students have the latest iPad that doesn’t mean that everyone is capable.

Why do we provide BYOD? Value added in Curriculum Delivery and Student Experience ePortfolio system why? Some courses (Curriculum Delivery) and some courses


15:14

Towards an integrated approach to developing digital capabilities in the curriculum: from theory to harsh reality

Joe Nicholls, Principal Consultant, Digital Enablement, Cardiff University

All challenges are not distinct and separate - looking at a multimedia development course for support staff. They are using Xerte. Collective ownership, including management, of the digital capabilities agenda and priorities. Sustained movement and process - it is not a technology question it is about practices. Suggestion from the audience: QAA: there are two themes which you can choose to be rated on - employability and the other digital literacy - it might bring up some of the themes in a visible way

Co-producing a digital festival

Steve Rowett, eLearning Developments Manager, University College London

Asked a student to assess the digital experience for students - she said that there was a lot of stuff going on but it wasn’t joined up. Tells us of the fantastic Vox Box project, a physical tangible survey machine. People queue up to take surveys and are awarded a squishy ball for taking part. (FJM: the tangible #UX interface - <3 I’m - keeping this here for later).

digifest - uoldigifest.org volunteering for the festival was accredited by the university.

  • Video trailers for presentations on YouTube
  • Used EventBrite
  • They had a red double-decker bus - had coders in the bus, film screenings, workshops check out the pics on their site
  • They had 139 ideas from students for the digitalfestival
  • Laptop orchestra
  • Make your instrument
  • 3D Scanning

What was the impact of all this? They did get good feedback - “wow this is awesome, I just didn’t know about it”.

YouTube channel for later viewing

Innovation and digital literacies champions (iChamps). Student and staff partnership working to develop digital skills at the University of Southampton

Tamsyn Smith, Professional Specialist in Learning Design and Anna Ruff, Learning Resources Administrator, University of Southampton

  • Audit your students - many are coming into university with compelling skills - the practice of blogging examples
  • Digital competencies using Kahoot!!! - students use kahoot to assess their confidence.
  • iChamps: communication tips
    • They tried sharepoint
    • They shared basecamp
    • In the end Facebook worked the best
    • They use Trello (Fiona’s personal favourite since 2013) - this is shared with the academic - YES!
  • iChamps are paid for 144 hours over the year
  • Regular reviews -
    • Interns will start in the summer
      • Induction and development before start of AY
    • Virtual support sessions
      • Makes timetabling easier for all iChamps to ‘meet’
      • Looking to increase their virtual support of the students
    • They run coffee clubs for iPads and other devices - quite like #appswaps
      • They provide coffee and cakes
      • iChamps and students are welcome at these events - culturally interesting that this is working well for them.
      • Video about the iChamps
      • Authenticity in assessment. Nice example - draft a journal post and find out the citation style needed for the real journal.

 


Final thoughts on using Rise Leaderboarded

  1. I love it
  2. There are some UI design tweaks that would make it EVEN better - more sign-posting as to scoring and metrics and checkbox selection to apply scores would be helpful.
  3. Notifying players is a lovely feature!
  4. Manual is better in most cases but I may be a control freak or an adrenaline hound!
  5. Trying to listen to a live panel and monitor twitter…and score…and liveblog = cognitive dissonance
Fiona MacNeill

Fiona MacNeill

Learning Consultant & UX Designer

Passionate about creating inclusive and accessible experiences, tools, and services for learning and doing.