CPD in online teaching and learning

Online teaching and learning is gaining momentum with many educational institutions and commercial organisations gearing towards online provision of educational and training content. This dynamics has been recognised by education providers, which started catering for the needs of educators and training professionals by offering courses in online pedagogies and technologies.

Here are a few of such courses:

• Oxford Brookes University offers a free course in Online teaching via its Moodle platform. Enrolment (non-assessed) is free and the course runs from 10 March to 4 May 2014. 

• MIT Media Lab offers a free course in Learning Creative Learning which, while not strictly on online learning, covers creative learning pedagogies and aims at creating a community of educators, designers and researchers. Runs for six weeks starting 18 March 2014. 

• ALT offers the ocTEL (Open Course in Technology Enhanced Learning), which aims to help educators understand how to use technology to enhance teaching practice. Information and materials from 2013 edition are available online. It is possible to register interest in next editions on the course. 

Bett 2014

In late January I attended the Bett, one of the biggest and greatest annual trade shows in the UK devoted to learning technologies and the uses of information technology in education. Previously The British Educational Training and Technology Show, it attracts around 30000 visitors and 700 exhibitors, and after years at Kensington Olympia it is now hosted at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London, which testifies to its dynamic growth and development.

For me, the highlight of the show was not the exhibition itself, but the large number of talks, seminars and workshops offered as part of the event. They provide excellent networking and CPD opportunities for anyone interested in learning technologies, both in the education and business fields. I had a chance of attending a few and found them very informative and inspirational.

This year's highlights and presentations are available online:

The Best of Bett 2014

Seminar Presentations

The Role of Technology in Education

Bett Show YouTube channel