Article: Employers, Students May Both Be To Blame For Soft Skills Disconnect.

Familiar themes: Employability. Oral and written communication skills. Making connections. It's not enough to have these skills but being able to articulate what you know to other people.

Employers, Students May Both Be To Blame For Soft Skills Disconnect.
http://www.cityam.com/city-focus/pbj1ca62vs.html

The UK's CITY A.M. (9/24, Barber) reports, that both in the UK and internationally businesses are bemoaning the lack of soft skills in new hires. Yet some schools do offer training in this area, and offer opportunities such as "small consultancy projects" that give students real-world experience. "So if students know that soft skills are valuable, why do employers complain that they don't have them? The fault, perhaps, is on both sides." Students, on one hand, "can be bad at recognizing and articulating the skills they have," and for that reason "PricewaterhouseCoopers launched an employability skills clinic last year, to help students identify skills picked up in part-time work or extra-curricular projects – and learn how to put them in words that employers understand." A PwC official said that "employers also have to clarify what they require from graduates," noting "a disconnect where employers have said grads don't have the skills we need, and students say 'we don't know what you're looking for.'"

From ASEE First Bell

Resource: ePortfolio Day of Planning (2009.08.13)

ePortfolio Day of Planning
August 13, 2009
San Jose, California
http://teachingcommons.cdl.edu/eportfolio/resources/dop/index.html

The ePortfolio Day of Planning was carefully balanced to include an overview, hands-on workshops, a panel discussion, “5-minutes-of-acclaim” sessions, and the closing. Workshops provided guided instruction, time-on-task, and time for discussions.

This post-conference website will support attendees upon return to their institution, and act as a source of information and support for those who simply could not attend the conference. Links to as much of the material as possible are available, including ppt, supplemental handouts, case studies, and worksheets. Videos are also available.

Educause 2009: E-Portfolio Lightning Round

Educause has posted their conference program and here's one session that might be of interest.
http://www.educause.edu/E2009/EDUCAUSE2009/EPortfolioLightningRound/176034

E-Portfolio Lightning Round
Session Type: Teaching and Learning
Wednesday, Nov 4th, 2009

10:30 AM - 11:20 AM

This lightning round will spark ideas around e-portfolios, offering five different views spanning strategy and implementation, curricular redesign and assessment, and off-the-shelf systems and reenvisioned tools. For many, e-portfolios have been clouds on the horizon. Come learn rapidly about e-portfolios from those who have been at the edge of the brewing storm.

Building Blog-Based E-Portfolios: Multiple Units and Dynamic Platforms
Geoffrey C. Middlebrook, University of Southern California
At USC, an inter-unit collaborative effort among faculty, administrators, and technologists develops blog-based e-portfolios that showcase students' learning processes and products.

Design, Implementation, and Maintenance of the Clinical Practice E-Portfolio
Ivy Tan, University of Saskatchewan
We will highlight the system features and challenges of an e-portfolio system (customized Mahara) that we implemented to replace a paper-based portfolio.

Eastern CT SU's Liberal Education E-Portfolios During Trying Times
David L. Stoloff, Eastern Connecticut State University
How do first-year colloquia and e-portfolios facilitate student development in a time of trying budgets, work-weary faculty members, and Web 2.0 tools like Facebook?

Implementing Electronic Portfolios by Beginning with Student Assessment
Patrick Lowenthal, University of Colorado Denver
The value of e-portfolios depends on how, when, and why students use them. We will describe how we redesigned our assessment/evaluation plan to focus on student learning.

Searching for an E-Portfolio Solution Collaboratively
Lorna Wong, University of Wisconsin System Administration
We used the D2L e-portfolio system in a pilot project to find a cost-effective, pedagogically sound, easy-to-use solution that fits the diverse needs of our system's institutions.

Cal for Proposals: SITE 2010, March 29-April 2, 2010

SITE 2010: Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference
March 29 - April 2, 2010 * San Diego, CA
http://site.aace.org/conf/

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
** Submissions Due: Oct. 21, 2009 **

SITE 2010 is the 21st annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education. This society represents individual teacher educators and affiliated organizations of teacher educators in all disciplines, who are interested in the creation and dissemination of
knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education and faculty/staff development.

You are invited to participate in this international forum which offers numerous opportunities to explore the research, development, and applications in this important field. All proposals are peer reviewed.

SITE is the premiere international conference in this field and annually attracts more than 1,200 leaders in the field from over 50 countries.

Call for Proposals: E-Learn 2009, October 26-30, 2009

E-Learn 2009: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education
October 26-30, 2009
Vancouver, BC Canada

Organized by: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)(http://www.aace.org)

Final Call for Participation Deadline: Sept. 8
http://www.aace.org/conf/elearn/call.htm

Advance Program / Registration: http://www.aace.org/conf/elearn/advprog.htm
Keynote/Invited Speakers: http://www.aace.org/conf/elearn/speakers/
Workshops: http://www.aace.org/conf/elearn/tutorials/

Call for Presentations: TechEd 2010 Conference, April 11-13, 2010, Pasadena, CA

Technology in Education for the Real World
http://www.techedevents.org/2010/
Pasadena Convention Center, Southern California

We are seeking inspiring presenters to share their knowledge and experience in teaching and learning in this digital age through proven effective uses of instructional and institutional technology. Presentations key to fulfilling the needs of the TechEd audience highlight pioneering methods of delivering education in a learner-centered environment through effective uses of technology, learning communities, diverse learning styles, collaborative partnerships and innovative administrative practices.

We invite you and your colleagues to submit a proposal to present at this landmark educational technology conference to be held April 11-13, 2010 in Pasadena, California. This Call for Presentations is extended to educators, administrators, information technology personnel, and corporate partners.

Submission Deadline is October 30, 2010

SESSION TOPICS
Google
Moodle
Facebook / Twitter
Online Course Development
Overcoming the Digital Divide
Strategies for Online Tutoring
New Developments for Careers in Tech Ed
Digital Imaging / Photography
Successfully Using Adaptive Technology
Intellectual Property & Plagiarism
Interactive Classroom - Clickers, Whiteboards, & Other Tools