Outsourcing myself to Japan

A few months ago my wife and I together with our baby, Sachi, visited the parents/parents-in-law/grandparents in Uto, near Kumamoto in Kyushu. What a wonderful time we had, so much so that we've decided to move there. That has meant that I've had to re-think what I do for a living. For the past few years I've enjoyed being a learning advisor at the Learning Centre, Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin, New Zealand. Could I carry on in some capacity, as Our Man in Japan?

As I see it, there are two main roles that I might occupy:

• The first is to support students online and at a distance, mainly with numeracy issues, but also with general study advice.
  


• The second is to develop and maximize our online resources. Many already exist, but they are not always easy to find or access.

Overview
I see myself working part-time: three or four half days a week I'd use a computer to respond to student inquiries via email, Skype, Elluminate, Adobe connect, Twitter, Facebook, Moodle and the like. Initially I'd focus on a few Schools and Departments: Nursing, Midwifery, Foundation Maths, BMETS etc. Because of the time difference, I'd be available in the evenings (NZ time) when no other staff are available. I might even make one of those days a weekend day. And I'd use my downtime to work on electronic resources.

Needs
To do the job effectively I would need:

• Laptop computer with microphone, headphones, a built-in web cam plus scanner-printer


• Appropriate software and licenses (e.g. for Adobe connect)


• Employment contract (0.2 - 0.4)


• Contribution toward a yearly 'touch base' in Dunedin
  


• Lead-in time to self-train (see below)


• Recognition of seniority (a combination of Leadership, Research and Consultancy), once the project demonstrates its success (I've been at the Polytechnic for well over 10 years, so it's high time that I apply!)
  

Contacts
I'm going to have to cultivate and nurture new and existing relationships. Leigh Blackall, Terry Mahler, Tom Bond, Sonny Teio, Sarah Stewart, Helen Lindsay plus numerous contacts I made at the past two ATLAANZ conferences that I attended in 2009 and 2010 (Mike Dickison, Yumiko Oliver-Gray, Damon Ellis, Carolyn Rawlings and others).

Preparation
I'll need to get up to speed using a number of tools: student email, Skype, Elluminate, Adobe connect, Facebook, Twitter, Moodle, Wiki Educator. In short, whatever works.

Time line
From 31 of January, 2011, I shall be on campus to help run the Developing Personal Effectiveness Skills (Mon 7th - Thu 10th Feb). Thereafter, I will be available in a limited capacity for student appointments, but will spend most of my time 'upskilling'. (Jean Monk and Helen Lindsay will staff the Learning Centre in person. I'll introduce my face to the groups of students from whom I expect my clients will come.

Strategic framework
Developing a flexible student learning support arm (to go along with flexible learning/teaching) potentially addresses several aims of the Otago Polytechnic's Students Services Strategic Framework, including:

• Develop online library of self help resources (definitely)
  
• Further develop learner effectivelness study skills into generic online self access modules (probably)
• Improve our Student Services presence on Moodle, both for staff and for students (possibly)
  

Peripheral possibilities

If there's time left over, I might look in at:

• Marc Doesberg's Korean project


• Mami's Japanese Turning Point


• William's ESOL blog