Looking forward to my next trip to Singapore this April. I shall be conducting four education technology workshops at Nanyang Technological University as part of the edUtorium programme at the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Each of my workshops form a part of the Learning & Teaching with Technology professional development edUtorium programme at the CELT. The workshops that I shall lead are as follows.

A synopsis of each workshop is set out below.

I have been conducting presentations and workshops for educators, trainers and other individuals working in the education field for more than 15 years. You can view a complete history of the presentations, workshops and seminars that I have conducted here in Australia and overseas by downloading this workshop listing.

My workshops are always evaluated and are always well received. It is not unusual to see familar faces at my various workshops as loyal participants often attend each new workshop offering that I create, produce and present. I find that professionally reassuring and an indication that the workshops I conduct are meeting relevant and timely needs in education.

During the last 7 years I have had the good fortune to fly up to Singapore on 23 or so occasions with side trips to Malaya, China and Taiwan as well. About 4 times a year on average. I also gave ten presentations last year. I am very proud of that achievement. These opportunities allow me to meet with other educators as well as to catch up with family and friends. I am indeed fortunate to have the chance to travel so frequently.

What will each workshop entail this time around? A synopsis of each workshop follows…

Exploring the role of Social Media in Education

Date and time: Monday, 11th April, 2011. 9.00AM to 5.00PM

The aim of this workshop is to demonstrate the importance and relevance of social media in twenty-first century education as demonstrated by the publications of organisations such as Educause, the PEW Internet and American Life Project, the Chronicle of Higher Education and the research of individuals such as Danah Boyd, George Siemens, Mark Pesce, Bryan Alexander and other researchers across the globe.

This practical workshop has educators in mind and is designed to enlighten the individual regarding the appropriate application of social media in an education setting. Positive exemplars will be shared with the participants and they will have the opportunity to explore a range of education sites that deploy social media.

The participants will also explore tools such as Facebook, Twitter, wikis and blogs and determine how they can be appropriately employed in education. Education has a key role to play in sharing with staff, teachers and the community how social media can be used to benefit and enrich both society and the individual. More details can be found at the Social Media in Education workshop page.

Exploring the Apple iPad in Teaching and Learning

Date and time: Tuesday 12th April & Wednesday 13th April, 2011. 9.00AM to 5.00PM

The aim of this course is to demonstrate the practical application of the Apple iPad mobile device in an educational setting. An emphasis on hands-on activities and the sharing of relevant strategies will be the hallmarks of the course.

Participants will be guided through the use of a range of applications considered essential for educators. Strategies that focus upon creativity, writing, image-processing, mind-mapping, virtual whiteboards, gaming, video processing, audio recording, online publishing, wireless networking and resource management will be explored by all present.

Important system settings, including the use of international keyboards, will also be shown to the participants. A variety of documents including unit of work templates, annotated lists of recommended iPad applications, lesson suggestions and application guides will be shared with the participants. Additional details can be found at the iPad in Teaching and Learning workshop page.

You can enrol for this course via the dedicated iPad in Education workshop registration page at the edUtorium web site at NTU.

Digital Storytelling

Date and time: Thursday 14th April, 2011. 9.00AM to 5.00PM

The aim of this workshop is to demonstrate the importance and relevance of storytelling in the twenty-first century as demonstrated by the research of individuals such as Donald Norman, Mark Turner and Daniel Pink. Memory is preserved and the dissemination of information enriched through the application of storytelling.

Storytelling is undergoing a renaissance globally as thought leaders and corporate entities realise that communication and creativity both in education and the workplace relies on more than just the transmission of information. Storytelling lends itself to teaching languages, social sciences and the arts. Yet, in fields such as business, marketing, engineering and science the art of storytelling can be utilised to inspire, promote an idea and emphasise the human element of a subject.

Storytelling can enable educators to capture the processes, impact and anecdotal highlights of the content that they teach and share with their students. Storytelling can give life to a presentation and a lecture. Storytelling can be utilised to add the human element to a dataset and a report. Storytelling can gain the attention of the audience and inspire others to share their stories. Storytelling, for example, can be utilised to assess a student’s conceptual understanding of a topic or relevant issue in a particular context. Storytelling is useful in determining the attitudinal and empathetic skills of a student.

Participants will be guided through the use of a range of digital media that can be employed to inspire the individual and enrich the imagination and so set the stage for the telling and re-telling of stories via a digital medium. The participants will employ a hands-on approach during the day and work with a variety of online tools and desktop applications including Comic Life, Picasa, Audacity and VoiceThread. Additional detail can be found at the Digital Storytelling workshop page.

You can enrol for this course via the dedicated Digital Storytelling workshop registration page at the edUtorium web site at NTU.

Creative digital photography in the classroom

Date and time: Friday, 15th April, 2011. 9.00AM to 5.00PM

Digital images can be utilised to tell a story and to pose a problem. This workshop will teach the participants how to create, process and manipulate digital images to meet their needs in teaching and learning. Imagery plays an important role in teaching and learning yet many find working with digital images to be a challenge. This workshop is designed to ease the burden of that challenge.

Educators are required to prepare documents and media for a variety of purposes using a range of different publishing platforms, whether it be desktop publishing or digital. Participants will be taught important tips and settings regarding publishing their images to a variety of media including desktop publishing, presentation documents and the Internet.

The workshop is designed to teach participants how to make better use of their digital still camera and provide the participants with a number of practical photography tips.

During the hands-on component of the day the participants can explore and apply a range of image processing features available in both Adobe Photoshop CS and Adobe Photoshop Elements to their images. Additional details can be found at the Creative Digital Photography workshop page.

You can enrol for this course via the dedicated Creative Digital Photography workshop registration page at the edUtorium web site at NTU.

Venue at Nanyang Technological University

Academic Learning Commons 1
Academic Complex North, Block N2, Section B, Level B4 (via Lift N2-1 or N2-2)
Nanyang Technological University
50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798