Ed tech must reads: column #62

First published in Campus Morning Mail 29th Nov 2022

What has been the biggest change or evolution of your digital learning ecosystem in the last 18 months? from Twitter

It’s an understatement to say that the teaching landscape in Higher Ed has changed in recent years and the discussion around this can often focus on the negative. This discussion, started by Neil Mosley on Twitter, turns the focus toward the positives that have emerged. These include a better focus on accessibility, engagement and building communication and collaboration through a range of tools.

UDL Masterclass - Beyond Curiosity: Developing a sustainable roadmap for UDL implementation within your organisation – Workshop Dec 12th Melbourne from ADCET

On the topic of accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL – not the drink) is a framework for better design of learning experiences with a particular emphasis on breaking down inequities in learning. This upcoming workshop from the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training brings Canadian expert Frederic Fovet to our shores for what should be an enriching session. There is also a free Zoom component for the last hour (2.30pm AEDT) summarising the work of the day.

How to write an image description from UX Collective

A fundamental part of good accessibility practice online involves adding meaning text descriptions / ALT text to images. These are important in the experience of blind and visually impaired people that rely on text to speech screen reading software to navigate the web. It can be difficult to know what to focus on in this text but this valuable guide offers clear steps to take.

Digital Competence of Educators – self-assessment tool from the European Union

If you think you have room to improve in your use of technology for learning and teaching but aren’t sure what to focus your professional development efforts on, you might find this tool useful. (If you don’t think you have room to improve, you should definitely try it out). You can self-assess against 22 competencies related to Professional Engagement, Digital Resources, Teaching and Learning, Assessment, Empowering Learners and Facilitating Learners’ Digital Competence. (I could do better on sourcing digital resources)

Relational Pedagogies: Connections and Mattering in Higher Education from Karen Gravett

This book isn’t released for a few more weeks but it came up in my feed and looks like one to keep an eye on. The human side of learning and teaching practice isn’t commonly discussed in educational professional development, with educators left to simply work it out. I can see value in considering the importance of our authenticity, vulnerability and trust with students.