Category: Effective Practice

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Video length

On location at The Wall.

On our second run of Hadrian’s Wall we’ll be using this blog to address some of the frequently asked questions that arise on the course.  A couple of learners have asked about the length of the videos.

You’ll find that all of our videos are under 5 minutes in length. That has been done intentionally so that no single step requires too much time. While this can be disappointing for a topic you are interested in, it works very well in practice, particularly if you consider the course in full with approximately 20 steps in each of 6 weeks.  The short videos also force the educator to distil in a clear way what the main points are.

We know from research (eg this paper from Philip Guo) that when videos are longer that learners can lose interest.  If you’d like to read a little more about some of our thinking on building the course have a look at our blog post on Educational Vodka.

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Sugata Mitra – two kinds of entrepreneur

We have had so many words of wisdom and so much great footage from the Enterprise Shed. One clip we didn’t manage to include in the course is Sugata’s explanation of two very different kinds of entrepreneur: the aggressively directed entrepreneur and the reluctant entrepreneur.

Which kind are you?

 

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Jack Fisher’s story – becoming an ultra-lapse film maker

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We feature clips from many enterprising people in the Enterprise Shed. We haven’t always had the opportunity to expand on their stories and how they made their ideas happen. One person featured is Jack Fisher (jackfisher.org) a Newcastle graduate who now specialises in motion-based Time-Lapse photography.

We love Jack’s work. See Newcastle in Motion for example.

Jack has always been interested in films and time lapse photography. His hobby has become his business in the last year. So how did he make it happen?

His advice is to just get out there and do it. Jack noticed that there were not many people making time lapse films in the UK and Europe. He was given a new film camera for his 21st birthday which he used to make a short film about the town he grew up in (Bath). He showed it to some city councillors who were so impressed that they commissioned a longer version which went viral. Jack has been inundated with work since then.

Jack used the Internet to research how to make these films. He says he was then in the right place at the right time, but the important things were having a go and showing people what he could do.

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People are really getting into ShedTalk!

The Enterprise Shed: Making Ideas Happen is Newcastle University‘s third free online course on FutureLearn. It started today and runs for four weeks with around three hours a week needed to keep up. Or you can join anytime before Sunday 26 April, and work through it at your own pace.

I’d really encourage you to sign up and take part whilst the course is running though, as this course is a little different to the two we have developed and run previously. The Enterprise Shed is almost entirely dependent on learners interactions and participation.

It’s you that will make or break this course, and it has been really encouraging to see how readily people are connecting, sharing experiences, helping each other, and sharing ideas so freely and openly.

After only a day it’s turning out to be a really inspirational space to be in.

If you haven’t signed up, there’s still plenty of time. Come and join us in The Enterprise Shed, and help others make their ideas happen, as well as get support to develop and refine your own.

You never know, it might be the start or something new for you….

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Almost there – The Shed Mentors met yesterday

shed_line_drawingWe had a really productive meeting yesterday morning when the Lead Sheducator, Sheducators and Mentors met to familiarise themselves with The Enterprise Shed: Making Ideas Happen and how it will run when it starts next Monday on FutureLearn.

We have a great bunch of people, all experts in enterprise and entrepreneurial thinking, ready and eager to work with learners on The Enterprise Shed: Making Ideas Happen.

Perhaps you have met some of them already?

  • Katie Wray is a Lecturer in Enterprise in the SAgE Faculty here at Newcastle University and Lead Sheducator.
  • Rebecca Fisher is an Entrepreneurial Development Officer, also at Newcastle University and is both a Sheducator and Mentor.
  • Simon Laing is a recent Virgin Startup success story with Cullercoats Bike & Kayak.
  • Angela McLean (and her daughter, Jessica McCarthy) recently secured a deal for £100,000 from Dragon’s Den for their Baggers Originals childrens rainwear company.
  • Jane Nolan, MBE is a Teaching Fellow in Enterprise with the International Centre for Music Studies in the School of Arts and Cultures and a Visiting Entrepreneur supporting the work of Newcastle University Careers Service. She was awarded the MBE in 2000 for services to UK exports.
  • Dr Colin Jones is a Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the University of Tasmania where he works in the Australian Innovation Research Centre.
  • Dr Victoria Mountford is an enthusiastic, entrepreneurial and people-focused individual with a range of experience in (enterprise & employability) higher education, (academic & commercial) research & business development. She works as a Development Officer in the Newcastle University Careers Service.

There will be other enterprising individuals popping up throughout this highly participatory course:

There is still plenty of time to sign up and explore your enterprising side – come and join us in The Enterprise Shed!

 

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Reciprocal links with the Archaeology of Portus

One of the great things about FutureLearn is the opportunity to work with partner institutions. For example, we have seem many synergies between our Hadrian’s Wall course and Southampton University’s Archaeology of Portus. We see learners in Hadrian’s Wall discussing and recommending Portus or referring to specific steps and activities, and even continuing dialogue with fellow learners they met through Portus.

Professor Graeme Earle (lead educator on Portus) has added links between steps in the Archaeology of Portus and other MOOCs including Hadrian’s Wall, which we have reciprocated. Learners can more easily see and follow connections between the courses (see links below the two courses below). Currently, users have to be signed up to both courses for this to work. If FutureLearn realise the plan to make individual steps more open (viewable without signing up to the course) this will become even more powerful.

Graeme’s post: Hadrian’s Wall cross references

Archaeology of Portus

Portus Hadrian’s Wall
Development of the Port Hadrian: civilisation and barbarism
Aerial photography and LiDAR What does aerial photography tell us about the Roman advance?
Aerial photography and LiDAR Which archaeological features can you identify from these aerial photographs?
Find of the week – fineware Vessels for food and drink on the frontier
The Trajanic ports Can you read a tombstone?
Some finds from today Categorising small finds
Find of the week – Byzantine crucifix Belts, brooches and late Roman soldiers
Find of the week – Byzantine crucifix Brooches, artefacts and identity
Geophysical prospection Seeing beneath the soil
Terme Della Lanterna The bath house – a hive of Roman social activity
Photogrammetry and laser scanning of artefacts Reading and recording cult objects using laser scanning
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The Enterprise Shed is open for signups!

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The Shed is open! Come on in…
Illustrations by Kevin Dick.

Come and make your ideas happen in The Enterprise Shed! This free online course starts on 30 March and lasts 4 weeks, with a time commitment of around 3 hours a week. It is led by Katie Wray, Lecturer in Enterprise from here at Newcastle University, and we are sure you will not only have a great time doing the course, but you will gain confidence to turn your ideas into action.

Join Katie on this highly interactive journey exploring and developing your own entrepreneurial mindset with a community of like minded people from all over the world.

On the course, you’ll meet a whole bunch of thinkers and doers; those just starting out, makers, tinkerers and experienced entrepreneurs. Sharing your ideas with them and other learners will encourage you to have more confidence to think and do more to create change and solve problems in your own world.

You don’t need any specific skills or experience – just passion and a willingness to get involved.

Sign up at www.futurelearn.com/courses/enterprise-shed

You can download a flyer too to share with your friends, colleagues and family.

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We are really busy with our 3rd MOOC!

It’ll be open for signups very soon, but here’s a sneak peak at the crew working on the trailer…..

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Kev has drawn some lovely illustrations of local landmarks which we are really looking forward to using in our next FutureLearn course.

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Look out for more news early next week.

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Ageing Well: Falls live event tomorrow (Friday) at 10am GMT

There is a live discussion online as part of the Ageing Well: Falls course on FutureLearn.

The event is open to anyone – so please pass on the link to anyone you think will be interested. You can tune in live tomorrow (Friday 5 December) at 10am GMT on YouTube. Don’t worry if you miss it, you can watch the recording afterwards at the same link or, if you prefer, read the transcript.

In this live event:

  • Dr James Frith, Clinical Lecturer and falls researcher
  • Professor Julia Newton, Consultant Physician, Falls Specialist and falls researcher
  • Dr Chris Elliott, Advanced Occupational Therapist

will answer your questions from Week 2 of Ageing Well Falls.