[senit] auditing staff skills in Clicker, WWS, Powerpoint

hello, with regard to the earlier thread about

A few thoughts... I think it would depend on what you wanted them to be able 
to do - and what they were likely to use most - after the training, 'use it 
or lose it'! Word is a good starting point if it will then be used for admin 
etc., a working knowledge of WWS is helpful where resources with symbols are 
produced on a regular basis and if you have already got PowerPoint resources 
then it is important for people to know how to run them (making your own can 
come later).  Similarly if you use Clicker frequently then a working 
knowledge of Clicker is essential.  There is a difference between knowing 
how to set up (open files) and run a program so that your students can make 
the most of it and creating resources (files) for the students to use. 
Everybody should be able to do the former but not everybody will have the 
skills, time, creativity or even the need to do the latter.  Many schools 
have a small number of 'resource makers', finding ways to encourage them to 
share their work with others through shared drives etc can be very useful.

Sally

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "david fettes" <davidfettes3 at yahoo.co.uk>
To: <senit at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 5:21 PM
Subject: Re: [senit] auditing staff skills in Clicker, WWS, Powerpoint

> hello, with regard to the earlier thread about
> auditing staff ICT skills and organising training in
> these three programs... The clicker training booklets
> helpfully divide training into intro and advanced.
> These are usually offered by trainers as day courses
> so I suppose about 5 hours each. Considering the intro
> level - I am wondering whether the group of staff who
> are beginners in ICT- eg need help to open WWS (or
> word),type, save, and print would benefit from Clicker
> training, and if they would , how many hours they
> would need to spend on it. Ie I assume that the intro
> day course in clicker assumes a certain level of basic
> ICT skills and a certain rate of learning. If
> considering a beginner group such as this would you
> train them first in basic use of WWS, then basic
> powerpoint before attempting basic clicker?
> david
>
>
> --- david fettes <davidfettes3 at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> the advanced level skills would not be taught to
>> people who had not used clciker for the earlier
>> level
>> skills. As you say it is a waste trying to teach the
>> former in that case as the staff will forget/not
>> understand and not use them.
>> david
>> --- sally millar <sally.millar at ed.ac.uk> wrote:
>>
>> > I would agree wholeheartedly with Richard.
>> > Often, school staff only want to learn and use
>> this
>> > kind of software if they can see the point of it
>> for
>> > THEIR pupil(s). This leads to the challenging
>> > training situation of trying to get across (in one
>> > afternoon!) what you call 'advanced level' skills
>> > in, say PowerPoint, to people who've barely used
>> any
>> > software ever before, let alone manipulated
>> > graphics, symbols, sounds and animation.......
>> and
>> > to come out with useable and personalized
>> materials
>> > at the end!
>> >
>> > I've found that the single most useful thing you
>> can
>> > do before you start training on any software is to
>> > go over how to make new folders and how to rename
>> > and move around files and folders.
>> > Good Luck!
>> > Sally
>> > ******
>> >
>> >
>> > >A  slightly different way of looking at training
>> is
>> > to consider what you're staff need to use a
>> program
>> > in your particular circumstances.
>> > >What they want to achieve from its use, and how
>> > best to enable them to do so.
>> > >
>> > >It does get you out of a rather mechanistic list
>> of
>> > procedures or skills which really only relate to
>> the
>> > internal operation of the program itself.
>> > >
>> > >It is difficult to list a hierarchy of skills
>> > unless you know the purpose for which it's being
>> > used,
>> > >for example in my setting it is  important to be
>> > able to add sounds and pictures to symbolic
>> > documents so these would be in the starting skills
>> > list.
>> > >
>> > >So with PowerPoint I have been more successful in
>> > training for a purpose (talking books/
>> > animation/music) rather than going through a task
>> > analysis type checklist. I also find it rather
>> more
>> > exciting.
>> > >
>> > >There are also some common procedures that need
>> to
>> > be familiar with operating the computer (loading,
>> > saving, filling and finding things on your hard
>> disc
>> > and so on) that are operational and not program
>> > specific, yet are essential for working with
>> > computers.
>> > >
>> > >Widgit and Crick have both produced useful
>> training
>> > guides on their software that you could use.
>> > >
>> > >Richard Walter
>> > >Meldreth Manor School
>> >
>> >
>> > -- 
>> >
>> > Sally Millar FRCSLT, M.Ed,
>> > Senior Research Fellow / Joint Coordinator
>> > CALL Centre
>> > University of Edinburgh           Direct Line +44
>> > 131 651 6077
>> > Paterson's Land Office +44 131 651 6236
>> > Holyrood Road                Fax +44 131 651 6234
>> > Edinburgh EH8 8AQ
>> > Scotland, UK
>> >
>> >
>> > Web: http://www.callcentrescotland.org.uk/
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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