The launch of Edition 7 of The Knowledge Tree, the journal of the 2005 Australian Flexible Learning Framework, by the Vocational Education and Training (VET)
E-learning International project, positions this e-journal of learning innovation in the international arena. Contributions from
e-learning practitioners the world over, offer readers the chance to share global research and practice in learning innovation.
Edition 7 contains contributions, from schools, higher education and vocational education and training practitioners, which explore challenges and opportunities in the convergence of pedagogy and technology.
These contributions share a focus on the notions of connection and disconnection: between people inside and outside of the Web, between people and technology through literacies, between teachers and learners in relationship, between organisations' management and staff, between international and local learners across cultural differences, between generations, between businesses in joint ventures.
Writers discuss building connection within online communities, understanding connection between organisational culture and e-learning design, sustaining connection between strategic and operational approaches to implementing e-learning, enriching connection between learners with issues and supportive staff, creating connections between employers and people with specific skills across the globe and retaining connection between pedagogic design elements in learning resources across flexible packaging formats.
On the tensions between pedagogy and social software, Ulises Mejias, author of ideant, (Columbia University, New York), has written our lead article, 'A Nomad's Guide to Learning and Social Software', about new ways of learning and participating in society.
Leigh Blackall critiques how digital literacy, for the use of social software, affects teaching practices in Australian education.
Chris Brook and Ron Oliver provide a case study of community development in online settings while Cecilie Murray writes on m-learning and new students' thinking.
Mark Nichols (New Zealand) looks at the strategic balancing act required to manage organisational responses to e-learning and Diane Newton and Allan Ellis consider how organisational culture influences e-learning design.
Margaret O'Connell and Ralph Hampson consider the internationalisation of curricula and intentionally seek to incorporate cultural difference in e-learning experiences.
Howard Errey reports on the introduction of online counselling into student support services and Lisa Wait outlines the pedagogical tensions and different design approaches required to develop and package e-learning resources for different uses.
On the business of e-learning, Lisa Vincent and Barry Gordon discuss collaborative responses to content development, through the establishment of the Elearning Network of Australasia, Brad Beach shares models for staffing and costing flexible learning and Prue Mellor outlines her creative 'offshore' response to addressing Australia's skills shortage.
Our revised Current Research section seeks to connect readers to writers in the blogosphere, by direct Really Simple Syndication (RSS) links. We have included a selection of interesting web logs, which share ideas and approaches to learning innovation.
We hope you have time to read the lead article and critique before the launch of Edition 7 at 4 pm on 3 November, 2005 (AESST) and encourage you to join us for this Multiple Venue Presentation on Social Networking Software. Click to access further details.
The theme of Edition 08, due in February 2006, is Tensions in the Convergence of e-learning and e-business. Contributions, especially those for peer review, are due by 18 November 2005. Guidelines are available from the home page http://flexiblelearning.net.au/knowledgetree
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