This week has seen the launch of the de Ferrers Academy iTunes U site and its first course ‘Using Dropbox’ aimed at helping staff, students and parents learn how to use Dropbox effectively. We are hoping to add more courses and materials in the near future to help with the learning curve involved with an iPad 1:1 program. The course will be provided to staff alongside the excellent courses already created by Fraser Spiers.
These courses can also be used to provide personalised iPad training for staff, students and parents. iPad training can sometimes be a little awkward and is often best conducted in small groups – but can be time consuming for the same reason. Even within those groups, considerable variation usually exists in terms of technological competence. Providing materials and allowing staff to select those which are appropriate to them seems like a far more logical and manageable method of carrying out iPad training. What better way to promote personalised 24/7 learning than to give staff the opportunity to experience it for themselves?
Access to these materials, in addition to a developing learning culture between staff, should help ensure we are equipped with the knowledge and pedagogical understanding to ensure a successful beginning to our iPad 1:1 program.
Work has already begun on the creation of iTunes U courses for students that will provide them with continuous access to all of their learning resources from within a single app. We are hoping to have some A Level modules available for September. Exciting times.
Feel free to investigate and share the solitary ‘Using Dropbox’ course that has been uploaded so far and let me know what you think.
