MicroSCoPE: February 2010 Issue

This newsletter is cross-posted in the SCoPE online community.



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MicroSCoPE: A Close Look at What's Happening in the SCoPE Community
February, 2010
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In This Issue
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1. Starts Today! Pimp Your Post
2. Quarterly Field Trip: Visiting Wikisourcing Sustainability Enterprises
3. SCoPE Seminar: Collaborating Online
4. Online Courses and Workshops
5. Mark Your Calendars
6. Activity Recap
7. PeriSCoPE
8. About SCoPE
9. About MicroSCoPE

1. Starts Today! Pimp Your Post
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February 12 - 19, 2010
Web conference February 12 at 19:30 GMT
Facilitators: Tracy Roberts and Gina Bennett
During this combined 1-hour web conference and 8-day 'sandboxing' discussion we will explore (easy, fun, and free) ways to go beyond plain text to jazz up introductory posts in online courses. This event is organized by the British Columbia Educational Technology Users Group.

2. Quarterly Field Trip: Visiting Wikisourcing Sustainability Enterprises
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February 22, 2010 12:00 PST, 20:00 GMT
It's time for our next Quarterly Field Trip! This excursion will be to the Wikisourcing Sustainability Enterprises community with host Jenny Ambrozek. Field Trips - visits to living communities - are organized in collaboration with CPSquare, the community of practice on communities of practice.

3. SCoPE Seminar: Collaborating Online
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March 1 - 19, 2010
Facilitator: Emma Duke-Williams
Collaboration is a term that is used quite loosely. What do we mean when we say we are collaborating? What are the key characteristics that differentiate collaboration from cooperation and working independently? What tools support the collaborative process online? During this 3-week seminar we will use Google Wave to explore its potential for supporting online collaboration while addressing these and other questions.

4. Online Courses and Workshops
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* Instructional Skills Workshop Online
May 3 - 28, 2010
Royal Roads University
This course is designed to help new and experienced instructors achieve success in facilitating learning in an online environment.

At SCoPE we will be featuring free and fee-based online courses and workshops offered by British Columbia post-secondary institutions.

5. Mark Your Calendars
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* Best Practices in Upgrading Online -- online conference March 24-26, 2010
* Culturally Diverse Learners: April 12 - 30, 2010. This seminar will showcase a video series produced by Thompson Rivers University.
Check upcoming seminars for updates to the seminar schedule. The Learn Together Collaboratory has a list of events of interest to educators. Please contribute to the list!

6. Activity Recap
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* Guiding the E-Researcher, facilitated by Janet Salmons, explored key e-research steps needed to use synchronous tools for scholarly interviews. The seminar was part of our Professional Reading Group Series, and built on Janet's new book: Online Interviews in Real Time.

* We kicked off the 2010 Professional Learning Series in January with an interactive session on authentic assessment. In February our Course Showcase featured 'Communicating Effectively' from Lakeland College and Royal Roads Univesity's online 'Instructional Skill Workshop Online' (ISWO). Recordings are available for all of these events organized by collaboratively by BCcampus, eCampusAlberta, and Alberta North.

* We had a lively gathering for the December 21st World is Open Q&A session with Curtis Bonk. The recording and text chat transcript are available.

Past SCoPE seminar discussions are always available for reading and afterthoughts.

7. PeriSCoPE
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* Social Media: Trends and Implications for Learning is a free monthly discussion, hosted by AACE and facilitated by George Siemens and David Cormier.

* Moodle for Teachers is a free online workshop facilitated by Gladys Gahona and Nellie Deutsch, March 2-31, 2010

* The next CIDER Session is Moving Online: taking teaching and learning beyond four walls, March 3, 2010. CIDER sessions are targeted at distance education researchers, graduate students, and practitioners. Each session features an active researcher talking about their project, methodologies used, and their results.

* The call for proposals is open until Feburary 22 for the upcoming online conference hosted by Knowplace: 21st Century Learning & Sharing: Engaging for Success April 22-24, 2010.

8. About SCoPE
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SCoPE brings together individuals who share an interest in education research and practice, and offers opportunities for dialogue across disciplines, geographical borders, professions, levels of expertise, and education sectors. Our activities are facilitated by volunteers in the community and membership is free and open to everyone.

SCoPE forms collaborating partnerships with many organizations to implement and promote community activities and products. This is a mutual exchange of support and services.
Self-register at http://scope.bccampus.ca

* Join the SCoPE group at Linkedin to connect with others who are interested in employment in education or in connecting professionally on projects, follow SCoPE on Twitter and check out the SCoPE Facebook group and page to keep in the loop.

* Do you blog? Add it to our SCoPE member blogs database.

* Leave a message on the SCoPE Voicethread

9. About MicroSCoPE
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SCoPE members receive MicroSCoPE issues automatically. If you prefer to read MicroSCoPE on the website or via RSS, login to SCoPE and manage your subscription here:
http://scope.bccampus.ca/mod/forum/view.php?f=5

MicroSCoPE is prepared by Sylvia Currie, Community Steward (scurrie@bccampus.ca).
Please spread the word about SCoPE activities. Distribute this newsletter!