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

Hi Sally,

Yes that's the one!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Liz Panton" <liz at panton.me.uk>
To: <senit at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 12:26 AM
Subject: Re: [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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>> >>
>> > === message truncated ===
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
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>>
>>
> 