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

Hi Sally,
Is it this guide here?
http://www.widgit.com/symbols/about_symbols/symbol_use/index.htm

-- 
Best wishes,

Liz

On 11/03/07, Sally Paveley <sallyp at advisory-unit.org.uk> wrote:
>
> A few years ago Imogen Wedgwood (then Howarth) wrote some excellent
> effective symbol guidelines' while she was working for Widgit. They begin
> with the words NEVER JUST TYPE! take you though the process of writing a
> couple of sentences then go through all the things you should do to make
> your writing accessible to people with learning difficulties - F12, F11,
> turning off qualifiers, increasing the space between symbol lines,
> replacing
> pronouns with nouns, keeping one idea per sentence, starting sentences on
> a
> new line...   I use it on  my training as a group activity and it really
> helps people appreciate the importance of making their document accessible
> as well as teaching them the skills to do it.  If you contact me off list
> I
> could send you a copy - I'm sure Imogen won't mind.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Sally
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "david fettes" <davidfettes3 at yahoo.co.uk>
> To: <senit at lists.becta.org.uk>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 10:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [senit] auditing staff skills in Clicker, WWS, Powerpoint
>
>
> > That's a useful distinction , particularly for Clicker
> > and Powerpoint- that all staff should be able to open
> > ready prepared files suitable for their learners and
> > operate them - and a smaller number of staff should
> > have the skills (and time!) to make them. That is a
> > very realistic viewpoint considering the baseline
> > range of ICT skills staff can have. For instance I
> > have just looked through the clicker intro training
> > booklet and most of it I would classify as well into
> > intermediate level- ie far too hard for beginner staff
> > to get to grips with. That is beginner staff wrt ICT
> > skills not beginners just to that programme. However
> > with WWS the staff typically are asked to produce a
> > print out of some relevant symbols. So they have to be
> > makers not file users. The skill of simply typing out
> > the symbols is (apparently) pretty simple compared to
> > making a powerpoint slide or clicker grid. However
> > this belief tends to lead to poorly symbolled
> > materials- ie the training needs to include the symbol
> > translation aspects - F12/F11/wordlists/language
> > levels/student assessment levels and here it starts to
> > get to a higher level again- this time knowledge of
> > language & conceptual development rather than just ICT
> > skills.
> > David
> > --- Sally Paveley <sallyp at advisory-unit.org.uk> wrote:
> >
> >> 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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> >>
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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