As a new soccer season starts many more Head Coaches, Technical Directors and Directors of Coaching seeing the value using the web for the development of both their players and coaches. Whether termed a ' Learning Hub', a ' Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) ' or ' Online Learning Networking ' the purpose is the same - to use the web to support face to face interaction
WHY do Head Coaches, Technical Directors (TD) and Directors of Coaches (DOC) use a Learning Hub?
Our research of tells us they use it for these reasons
- To have a centralized space which allows for sharing materials, such as session planners, videos, curriculum, articles, ideas and best practices
- To support the players and coaches to develop their knowledge and skills
- Players and Coaches can access the VLE in their own time frame and from a distance
- To encourage interaction between coaches and between players
- Easy to access and easy to use
- To improve the quality and uniformity of coaching e.g. common philosophy, consistent information
- It can be updated regularly
Increasingly - with regard to coach education - such Learning Hubs can also provide online social learning supplement ( e.g. discussion forums ) to the new e-learnig courses provided by US Soccer and/or NSCAA .
HOW?
The Suggested Sports Path Learning Hub using Google+ Circles
Critically the Learning Hub will be displaying a lot of video content and this should be available on all devices (Mobile, Smart Phones, Tablets, and PC's)
From research of 2,000+ coaches and experiences with over 100 students on the Ohio University /NSCAA Masters Degree Course we have found this simple 8 Step process to be the most effective in setting up a Learning Hub
- Start a Google + Circle .For information on using Google + see here and can you familiarize yourselves with the Beginners Guide to Google + also here Having set up your Hub then invite your target group to join. You can set up a group for your club, for a team, for a group of coaches or a group of parents ...or all of the above! Use the discussion function of Google + to ask questions of your group and provoke them to engage with each other through this forum
- Use Google Alerts and/or set up a Scoop.it account to allow these tools to suggest new content for your Hub
- Use Collections - the newly added feature of Google + to create topic files. 5 Tips to use Google Collections
- Create your own Club /School You Tube Channel , Use Playlists to link your chosen videos together. More on Playlists here .Link the Google + site ( now THE HUB) to the your new You Tube Chanel via the You Tube link tab on your Hub
- Add Sub titles and Captions to personalize your video playlist e.g. you can select clips for individual players relative to their position and name reference them in the video clip!
- Use any video clips from You Tube to set up interactive tasks and discussions via TedEdThis is an amazing free tool
- Shoot video on your phone or tablet to upload to the appropriate area of your Hub and encourage your group to do the same
- Recognize and Reward progress by providing Digital Badges to the Profiles of your group using Mozilla Badges
You now have a really exciting Learning Hub - you will need to nurture it for a few minutes each day but the biggest users - and providers of content - should be your group members. Constantly provoke them to add new content and discuss existing content .Very quickly you will be create a comprehensive interactive archive for your players and/or coaches and /or parents You can always use Google Forms for quick surveys of your group- you may want to know what problems they have in their learning and development And ...to develop your own webinars on to the Hub think of using Google Hangouts
Many coaches find out which social network the players use most (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,TeamSnap) and use such a social media as a BRIDGE to the Learning Hub - not as the Learning Hub itself
For some example please view the work of Ohio University Students here:
- Sarah Fawcett added captions and graphics in her collection of short clips shot by herself , added some captions and graphics here and then included these in a TedEd quiz for her players here
- Htut Zar has also used TedEd and has been able to use all the functions of Ted d e.g. Explanation, Discussion, Follow Up Content to consolidate learning See here
- Coach Noom used Google + here very effectively
WHEN will be best time for your players or coaches to use the Hub?
Research shows these are the critical moments when learners most appreciate knowledge
So your Hub will be very much a resource which is used for 'Just in Time 'Learning
Remember research shows that we learn
- 70% by DOING the job
- 20% from OTHER WORKERS
- 10% from courses and reading"
So make sure to blend the Learning Hub into real life situations and dealing with the problems your learners experience. [For more about 70: 20: 10 see this short video ]
If your club or Association would like assistance in developing a Learning Hub please email Robin Russell at [email protected]
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