2008 - June
Yours In Training
 |
June 2008 |
Freecall 1800 2 TRAIN (1800 2 87246) www.mrwed.com.au |
In This Issue
Training News: A National Audit and Registration Option for RTOs
MRWED News: MRWED Online is Online!
Training Tip: Teaching to the Needs, not Teaching to the Test!
Website of the Month: www.mediafire.com
Training Game: Post Card to a Friend
Also...
Training News: A National Audit and Registration Option for RTOs
Queensland and South Australia have recently finalised the delegation of selected functions to TVET Australia Ltd. The delegation will allow TVET’s business unit, the National Audit and Registration Agency (NARA), to perform certain registration and audit functions for some RTOs that elect to register with TVET, rather than their State Training Authority.
RTOs delivering in multiple jurisdictions may be eligible to transfer registration. The eligibility criteria for Transfer of Registration can be viewed on the TVET website at:
www.nara.tvetaustralia.com.au/eligibility_for_nara
Note that registration and audit fees charged by TVET Australia are different from the fees applied to RTOs by the State Training Authorities. The TVET fee schedule can be viewed at:
www.nara.tvetaustralia.com.au/schedule_of_fees
This appears to be a great alternative for multi-jurisdictional RTOs and is likely to speed up the registration and auditing processes for those choosing to move to NARA.
MRWED News: MRWED Online is Online!
After more than two years of development, MRWED ONLINE was launched in June 2008. We are very excited about this flexible delivery option which employs a diverse range of progressive online learning techniques and technologies. This includes the use of an easy to navigate learning management system and quality instructional video content produced by MRWED’s Media Department. Students enrolling in the full course online will also receive a MRWED MP4 player which has the key content conveniently loaded to enable easy access when students are offline. The initial response has been very good and this online delivery option is also proving popular amongst students seeking to upgrade their training qualifications from the BSZ40198. For more information on MRWED Online visit www.mrwed.com.au/online.htm
Training Tip: Teaching to the Needs, not Teaching to the Test!
Whilst in Chicago recently, speaking at the 15th International Conference on Learning, I ran into a guy from Tennessee who had an interesting turn of phrase that I thought I would share with you in this edition of Yours in Training! He said "You don't fatten the pig by constantly weighing it." Essentially what he was saying is you don't make the students better by assessing them more…you have to "feed" them with the right stuff first, then "nurture their growth", before measuring how much they have grown. We should therefore teach to the needs, not teach to the test. Remember, assessment is more about confirming the learning than it is about measuring how good students are to taking tests.
Website of the Month: www.mediafire.com
With restrictions by most ISPs on the attachment size for emails, it can be difficult to electronically distribute or share pictures and videos with students and colleagues. MediaFire could be a solution to this for you. It is a totally free and unlimited file and image hosting web site with no strings attached. Their goal is to help make the internet a more interesting and media rich place by providing a fast and simple to use tool for sharing all kinds of files. Aaron Smith, our Head of Media and Branding, has been road testing this for over 12 months now and we have all be very happy with the speed, convenience and user-friendliness of the file-upload and download options. We have utilized it to share photos, make artwork available for printing companies and post videos for review and comment, but there are dozens of other applications.
Registration is completely optional and every feature of the service is available to you whether you choose to create an account or not. If you choose to, creating an account is easy and free, and enables quick and secure access to your saved files from any computer connected to the internet. For more information check out: www.mediafire.com.
Training Game: Post Card to a Friend
Here's a closer that encourages participants to recall what happened in the session and to come up with thoughts about how they could have benefited more or how they could apply what is learnt to their work or lives.
Purpose: To review the training session and identify personal highlights.
Time: 15 to 30 minutes
Supplies: A postcard-sized piece of card stock for each participant
Flow:
Brief participants. Present the following scenario, using your own words. It could go something like this:
“Imagine it's three months ago, and you received an e-mail note from a friend indicating that they are going to attend this training session. The friend is curious about your experiences with the session and wants your advice on how to get the most out of it. You are ready to respond to her by sending her a postcard”.
Begin the postcard writing activity. Ask participants to think back on the training session and recall one or two highlights. Also ask them to think about what two pieces of advice they should give this friend. Distribute a blank “postcard” to each participant and ask them to write a short, friendly note incorporating the highlights and the advice. Announce a 5-minute time limit.
Conclude the postcard-writing activity. Ask participants who have finished ahead of the others to decorate their postcards with drawings or other artwork. When everyone has concluded, collect the postcards and thank the participants.
As an extension, you could organise participants into teams of 3 to 6 and ask them to share what they wrote on their postcards as a form of review (both to the students and the trainer). Additionally, you could take a photo of the group earlier in the program and create an actual post card using their photo. This variation could be used to market your training, by going one step further and providing stamps and asking the students to actually post these to a friend. Some food for thought!
Next Issue
In the next issue of Yours in Training! we will examine options for delivering training offshore and review a new website for free training templates. Until then, keep it real, keep it fun!
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If you have any questions, suggestions or issues to be discussed on the Yours in Training! Ezine then please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it us or call our Client Relations Team on Freecall 1800 2 TRAIN (1800 2 87246).
Happy training!
Marc Ratcliffe
Principal – MRWED
