Monthly Archives: September 2013

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WA curriculum update

52426WA Certificate I in Entry to General Education will expire 30 September 2014. The Department of Training and Workplace Development will commence review in October 2013. Contact josephine.hart2@dtwd.wa.gov.au

The accreditation application Cert III Two-Way Aboriginal Liaison was approved by TAC in September 2013.

Course in Applied Vocational Study Skills (CAVSS) accreditation application approved by TAC in September 2013.  Current course was extended to April 2014. Business rules will be reviewed soon.

52379 Course In Underpinning Skills for Industry Qualifications (USIQ) will expire 30 April 2014. The Department is seeking feedback for changes for the course. Contact Sylvia.mitchell@dtwd.wa.gov.au

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ALaN WA Newsletter September 2013

Welcome to edition 8 of the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Network of Western Australia Newsletter!

Views expressed by contributors to the newsletter are their own and, unless expressly stated, do not reflect the opinions of their employers/organisations.

This contents page links individually to each article enabling you to go immediately to those of your choice. Alternatively, if you go to the main blog link, you can access the articles by scrolling down the page.

We welcome your comments and contributions to our newsletter. If you are an Adult Literacy/Numeracy practitioner in Western Australia or indeed, anywhere in the world, we invite you to subscribe and comment. If you interested in joining the GoogleGroup for our network, please visit our “How to join” page and complete the online form.

Contents

1. Digital Technology is the way to connect with students

Janet McArtney describes how she has used technology based activities to engage her students

2. Invitation to participate in consultation on a Foundation Skills professional standards framework

This is very important for all of us. Part of the consultation is about required qualifications for practitioners! Join one of the group consultations or send your individual feedback.

3. Updates on available PD

PD coming up in the near future

4. Conference information updates

Conferences “near, far and online” coming up in the not too distant future!

5. WA Curriculum update

Re-accreditation activities

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Digital Technology is the way to connect with students

As we are encouraged to make learning purposeful I have tried to engage my students (Cert 1 – 2 boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Yr 12) in writing that suits their career pathway or interest.  Fortunately both have career pathways in food and hospitality and are quite computer savvy.

Some task for Engage & create were:

Learning Purposes

  • Complete 3 pre-selected online food safety quizzes (interactive, images), discuss the Elements and then design their own multiple choice quiz from a food safety booklet then give the quiz to the other student.
  • From one of the completed online quizzes, create an instruction text for the other student on how to access the website, complete and printout the certificate.

Community Purposes:

  • Read a number of school newsletters from own school and source others on the internet, discuss the Elements and create your own about the topic/tasks completed in your class.  Watch a How to ‘You Tube” on Publisher Newsletter templates and create your newsletter for others to read.

Personal Purposes:

  • Read, listen to and watch online a number of radio adverts, discuss Elements, create your own advert and record on mp3 and download onto a computer file. One student chose a fundraising BBQ with some local celebrities attending.

As my students are visual, aural and kinaesthetic learners and not straight writing or paper based, using digital literacy has always been the way to motivate them.  I am excited that the new CGEA is coming into the 21st century though many lecturers have used this technology now they will have to embrace it more and update their own digital skills.  Moodle, iPad Apps, Scootle (Ed Dept) and online bookmarking such as SymbalooEdu and blogs I will also need to upskill in.  Thanks to Jo Hart’s recent Webinar on “Digital texts, digital safety – what’s the connection” it has really started me thinking how I can connect more with my students.

Janet McArtney

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Invitation to participate in consultation on a Foundation Skills professional standards framework

Foundation Skills Workforce Development Project (FSWDP).

Part of this project involves a:

Foundation Skills Professional Standards Framework consultation.

This scoping process is being conducted to explore options for developing professional standards for foundation skills practitioners to strengthen and diversify the identity of the foundation skills field. The timeframe for the consultation is short with responses required by October 11th.

Attached are the

Please read these BEFORE attending a workshop

As part of the FSWDP the Foundation Skills Champions in WA are hosting group workshop sessions to stimulate discussion, provide some collective responses and encourage individual responses and feedback. We invite you to participate in these.

These sessions are as follows:

Date Time Location Facilitator Contact to register
Thursday 26th September 2013 2:30pm – 4:00pm * Online via Blackboard Collaborate Jo HartCath Ralston Jo Hart Josephine.Hart2@dtwd.wa.gov.au
Thursday 3rd October 11:00am – 12:30pm Perth – DTWD Prospect Place(limited places only) Jo Hart “Event360” PD booking systemContact Jo Hart for more info Josephine.Hart2@dtwd.wa.gov.au
Thursday 17th October Please contact Cath Ralston for full details Kimberley Training Institute Cath Ralston Cath Ralston Cath.Ralston@kti.wa.edu.au

NB the 17th October consultation date is beyond the official deadline but has been sanctioned by the Project Consultant

* For the online consultation you will receive information on how to configure your computer for BlackboardCollaborate and a link for joining the session.

It may be possible to host additional consultations for the online and Perth venues if there is a high demand.

 

 

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Updates on available PD

PD within the WA ALaN network

This year’s projects are under way with webinars and workshops.

“What’s in a number!” is having a re-launch and looking for further input on what YOU want from the project.

“Adult Literacy and Numeracy Professional Development Workshops” at  Kimberley Training Institute are continuing through September, October and November with sessions focussing on the TAELLN401A, and on grammar (strategies for teaching, and enhancing business writing skills).

The “Digital Literacy in the CGEA” webinar series is now finished but the session recordings can be accessed via the GoogleGroup and thence the GoogleDrive.

For more information, or to become a participant in any of these, visit the network GoogleGroup (if you aren’t a member see this page on how to join) and check out the posts.

DTWD events management system

The DTWD PD calendar system is where you will need to go and create a user registration before you can register to attend DTWD LLN or other DTWD sessions.

Expressions of interest

Expressions of interest are still being sought from those interested in attending any of the following:

  • Face-to-face numeracy workshops with Beth Marr – coming up soon
  • CAVSS training later this year
  • Teach Me Grammar in 2014

Please send a separate email for each one of the above that you are interested in attending to literacy@dtwd.wa.gov.au

Also watch out for more information on the GoogleGroup

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Conferences ahead!

Registration is still open for this year’s 2013 Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL) Conference “Local Practices Global Contexts” to be held in Sydney from September 30th to October 2nd

If you are looking for opportunities to attend a conference that is totally free without having to travel at all from the comfort of home then explore the Reform Symposium e-Conference. This is a cross-sectoral global online conference (using BlackboardCollaborate) that runs for three days. For us the dates are Saturday 10th October to Monday 14th of October and in our TimeZone (TZ) the sessions run overnight from evening to morning.  There are sessions to suit all educators and recordings are available later if something you are really interested is in the middle of our night. Many but not all, of the sessions are about technology as tool for learning. There will be many concurrent sessions (including some by Aussie educators and many by ESL specialists). Some of the best known connected educators in the world are presenting Keynotes.

For anyone with the urge to travel registration is also open for the 2013 US Conference on Adult Literacy “Together, leading change” is being held October 31st  to November 2nd in Washington, D.C.

Also coming up – there are no details on the website yet, is the next Australian WELL Practitioners’ Conference this has been postponed from November and will now take place in Hobart on the 19th, 20th and 21st of March 2014. Watch the events page on the WELL website for further updates.

The next Western Australian Adult Literacy Council state conference is planned for April 2015.  That’s a different time of the year than usual and there won’t be one in 2014.