"I had to give the wrong answer to get an A." (RB)
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
BITS: (FREE) Blackboard Weekly Webinar Series
Have you heard? Blackboard hosts a no-cost weekly webinar series called BITS: Blackboard Innovative Teaching Series. From the site:
BITS is a training initiative to help augment (not replace) your internal training efforts. Harnessing our community of Blackboard users, BITS will share the top strategies and pedagogy for both increasing educator efficiency and improving learning outcomes. BITS is free to Blackboard’s clients and is easy to participate. The program consists of weekly faculty training webinars that are taught by faculty and supported by Blackboard experts.I'm signing up! There will be a permanent link to the series in our Blackboard resources section on this page!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
17 Ways i-Pads Will Be Used in Schools in 2013
The article's title caught my eye first—17 Ways i-Pads will be Used in Schools in 2013! And then I noticed that #1 refers to a program in one of our own communities! School administrators in Arab, Alabama are putting i-Pads into the hands of their students and I couldn't be more excited for both the learners AND the instructors! But the list certainly doesn't stop there.
As encouraging as this list is to read, I am still looking for more details about using i-Pads (and similar mobile technologies) for learning assessment purposes. The mobility afforded the instructor/learner team is unprecedented. How can the i-Pad's power and mobility enhance teaching and learning? How can teaching and learning be enhanced with the use of mobile technology? What makes mobile technology so powerful in teaching and learning?
Communication/Collaboration
If the teaching and learning process is no longer limited to the time/place of a classroom meeting, learners are more easily able to ask questions when they occur (and receive answers in a more timely manner than waiting for the next class). But what if instructors are not available when learners ask questions? It's important to remember that instructors are not (and shouldn't be) the SOLE source of information and feedback for learners. With a mobile device, learners have access to each other as well as the World Wide Web for resolving questions and problems when instructors are not there to help. The process of this digital collaboration can be easily guided and monitored by creating and maintaining learning communities where learners can safely interact with each other and with learning materials and resources both in the absence and presence of the instructor. This more deeply integrates the teaching and learning process into the life of the learner, with greater probability of comprehension, retention and application of new ideas and information.
Engagement
The best instructors know that all the knowledge in the world is useless to a learner who finds the learning process inaccessible or irrelevant to their own lives. With the addition of animated graphics, multimedia and video to the instructors' arsenal of tools, students engage more deeply with learning material, and for longer periods of time.
As an example, I remember one of my first encounters with a student on the campus where I now work. I asked him what his professors do with Blackboard that makes him happy and he said that just being able to review video recorded lectures had had a huge impact on his grades (and overall GPA). He said that he worked out in the gym every day with his i-Pod, listening to lectures over and over again as needed. He found that he often got lost during the lecture and appreciated the ability to rewind and replay sections as needed before moving on to increasingly complex discussions of ideas and facts. Without this mobile access, he speculated that he would get lost and remain lost and would eventually "check out" of the course experience by either withdrawing completely or engaging on only a minimal level to get through the course. With the simple addition of recorded lectures, he felt much better able to engage and maintain the engagement over the duration of the course.
Interactivity
Traditionally, the teaching and learning process has been somewhat one-sided except in the most progressive and exceptional of learning environments. The instructor gives, the learner receives. The instructor provides, the learner absorbs. Or doesn't. Who really knows until the final exam is given and grades calculated, and then what happens if someone was lost along the way? Too late.
The interactivity of mobile technology facilitates the exchange of teaching and learning between instructor and learner in a more balanced model. In fact, mobile technology provides the ideal platform for formative assessment (especially those models incorporating self- and peer-assessment practices) in replacement of summative assessment tools like multiple choices quizzes, which most agree are not the most reliable tools for assessing learning outcomes.
Using Blooms Digital Taxonomy as a reference, it's easy to see how the digital tablet can help achieve learning objectives that emphasize context, relevance and application of learning material. When students can demonstrate the application of knowledge rather than mere reflection of data and facts, we know that true learning has occurred. The digital tablet empowers students to demonstrate, list, build, illustrate, design and record the teaching and learning process to such limitless levels that I would personally deem the digital tablet the most promising tool for learning outcome assessment ... ever!
Context
Mobile technologies allow for teaching and learning to happen in context—in the real world. Which is a better measure of learning: passing a text-based timed multiple choice quiz on plant identification, or submitting photographic sampling (taken on a mobile device, of course) of the same plants as they grow in the learner's physical environment (home, park, garden, forest, etc.)?
This is a prime example of how mobile technology can enhance learning assessments. How can learners give us evidence that they have learned? How can learners share learning with each other? Can learners who share physical environments/communities provide each other context for learning?
Relevance/Application
By allowing the teaching and learning to "go mobile" via tablet and smart phone technology, we are sending the subject matter content INTO the world of the learner, rather than simply wrapping around it from the far reaches of academia. Even without faculty guidance, the realization of relevance and application of subject matter knowledge is much more likely to lead to real-time integration of the ideas learned when they are physically available (via mobile technology) in the context of the learner's "real life" as opposed to the relatively sterile and institutional environment of a physical classroom.
The digital tablet (i-Pad and various Android devices) can be an amazing educational tool with vast benefit to both teacher and learner, but only if both instructors and learners connect on that platform in a virtual environment that meets the needs of all. Luckily, that's getting easier (and more fun) every day.
As encouraging as this list is to read, I am still looking for more details about using i-Pads (and similar mobile technologies) for learning assessment purposes. The mobility afforded the instructor/learner team is unprecedented. How can the i-Pad's power and mobility enhance teaching and learning? How can teaching and learning be enhanced with the use of mobile technology? What makes mobile technology so powerful in teaching and learning?
Communication/Collaboration
If the teaching and learning process is no longer limited to the time/place of a classroom meeting, learners are more easily able to ask questions when they occur (and receive answers in a more timely manner than waiting for the next class). But what if instructors are not available when learners ask questions? It's important to remember that instructors are not (and shouldn't be) the SOLE source of information and feedback for learners. With a mobile device, learners have access to each other as well as the World Wide Web for resolving questions and problems when instructors are not there to help. The process of this digital collaboration can be easily guided and monitored by creating and maintaining learning communities where learners can safely interact with each other and with learning materials and resources both in the absence and presence of the instructor. This more deeply integrates the teaching and learning process into the life of the learner, with greater probability of comprehension, retention and application of new ideas and information.
Engagement
The best instructors know that all the knowledge in the world is useless to a learner who finds the learning process inaccessible or irrelevant to their own lives. With the addition of animated graphics, multimedia and video to the instructors' arsenal of tools, students engage more deeply with learning material, and for longer periods of time.
As an example, I remember one of my first encounters with a student on the campus where I now work. I asked him what his professors do with Blackboard that makes him happy and he said that just being able to review video recorded lectures had had a huge impact on his grades (and overall GPA). He said that he worked out in the gym every day with his i-Pod, listening to lectures over and over again as needed. He found that he often got lost during the lecture and appreciated the ability to rewind and replay sections as needed before moving on to increasingly complex discussions of ideas and facts. Without this mobile access, he speculated that he would get lost and remain lost and would eventually "check out" of the course experience by either withdrawing completely or engaging on only a minimal level to get through the course. With the simple addition of recorded lectures, he felt much better able to engage and maintain the engagement over the duration of the course.
Interactivity
Traditionally, the teaching and learning process has been somewhat one-sided except in the most progressive and exceptional of learning environments. The instructor gives, the learner receives. The instructor provides, the learner absorbs. Or doesn't. Who really knows until the final exam is given and grades calculated, and then what happens if someone was lost along the way? Too late.
The interactivity of mobile technology facilitates the exchange of teaching and learning between instructor and learner in a more balanced model. In fact, mobile technology provides the ideal platform for formative assessment (especially those models incorporating self- and peer-assessment practices) in replacement of summative assessment tools like multiple choices quizzes, which most agree are not the most reliable tools for assessing learning outcomes.
Using Blooms Digital Taxonomy as a reference, it's easy to see how the digital tablet can help achieve learning objectives that emphasize context, relevance and application of learning material. When students can demonstrate the application of knowledge rather than mere reflection of data and facts, we know that true learning has occurred. The digital tablet empowers students to demonstrate, list, build, illustrate, design and record the teaching and learning process to such limitless levels that I would personally deem the digital tablet the most promising tool for learning outcome assessment ... ever!
Context
Mobile technologies allow for teaching and learning to happen in context—in the real world. Which is a better measure of learning: passing a text-based timed multiple choice quiz on plant identification, or submitting photographic sampling (taken on a mobile device, of course) of the same plants as they grow in the learner's physical environment (home, park, garden, forest, etc.)?
This is a prime example of how mobile technology can enhance learning assessments. How can learners give us evidence that they have learned? How can learners share learning with each other? Can learners who share physical environments/communities provide each other context for learning?
Relevance/Application
By allowing the teaching and learning to "go mobile" via tablet and smart phone technology, we are sending the subject matter content INTO the world of the learner, rather than simply wrapping around it from the far reaches of academia. Even without faculty guidance, the realization of relevance and application of subject matter knowledge is much more likely to lead to real-time integration of the ideas learned when they are physically available (via mobile technology) in the context of the learner's "real life" as opposed to the relatively sterile and institutional environment of a physical classroom.
The digital tablet (i-Pad and various Android devices) can be an amazing educational tool with vast benefit to both teacher and learner, but only if both instructors and learners connect on that platform in a virtual environment that meets the needs of all. Luckily, that's getting easier (and more fun) every day.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Copyright and Fair Use: 3 Tips
I really can't disagree with anything written in Copyright and Fair Use: Compliance Guidelines for Faculty. I try to follow this issue somewhat closely and keep up with the discussion. (And will add this link to our resource list on this page.)
But one thing I often find missing in the discussion is the mention of alternatives to using copyrighted material in curricula. Where is the discussion about open source, creative commons and copyleft movements that break down the barriers of proprietary intellectual property and broaden the offering of how those materials can be used?
Creative Commons, open source and copyleft licensed content is virtually EVERYWHERE on the Web! Some social media networks have even embraced the Creative Commons by allowing users to safely browse content in a discrete section of the Web site. Flickr's Creative Commons is rich with photographic content available for free use! This blog has scads of free resources linked in the navigational bars to the right of this narrative post.
The Understanding Copyright vs. the Creative Commons provides a straight-forward overview of the comparison and contrast between copyright and Creative Commons licensing. And a simple Web search will produce hundreds or thousands more great resources for information on this movement.
So the next question is usually: But WHY? Why would anyone want to give away their intellectual property? If we stop to think about the way that technology has changed the way that we learn and consume information, the answer becomes clear. Distribution. How great is an idea if its audience is drastically limited by cost and copyright?
If we are browsing an online bookstore or searching the Web for a good reference book on a given topic and our search results bear both free and costly alternatives, which will we be most prone to choose? Which will we be more prone to share, to pass along and to distribute to others? Credibility and quality being somewhat equal, the free one, right? And with all the free high-quality textbooks out there (and increasing in number every day), fewer and fewer course developers are relying on expensive traditional textbooks when opting for the free, open-license textbook gives learners easier accessibility earlier in the academic semester (since many students must wait for financial aid refunds to even purchase their books). And how likely are learners to carry those books around with them through their daily life? (HINT: Not nearly as likely as they are their smartphone or i-Pad tablet.)
So how does the author/creator make a living by giving away their product? Again, the magic is in distribution. The more widely distributed your work, the more widely recognized your name. The more widely recognized your name, the higher the demand for your presence in academic professional environments, speaking at conferences and leading teams of academics. While it would certainly be easier to stick with the way things have always been and wait for royalty checks from a book publisher, the potential in that paradigm is limited (after all, who would BUY a textbook if they weren't a registered student compelled by a professor's syllabus? And yet millions eagerly absorb no-cost academic content for free from outside of academia!). And quite honestly, the model flawed. We are still fighting copyright battles everyday in court!
In fact, many universities are very anxious about how the e-learning boom will be impacted by the copyright laws currently on the books and those yet to be written in response to the new challenges brought by technology and an increasingly open academic environment on the Web. Like it or not, times are changing and we have to decide where we fit. In fact, it's time for us each to decide. Which team are you on?
Open Access Textbooks provides guidance for authors wanting to apply Creative Commons licensing to their works, as well as several ways for educators and learners to get involved in the open textbook movement.
But one thing I often find missing in the discussion is the mention of alternatives to using copyrighted material in curricula. Where is the discussion about open source, creative commons and copyleft movements that break down the barriers of proprietary intellectual property and broaden the offering of how those materials can be used?
Creative Commons, open source and copyleft licensed content is virtually EVERYWHERE on the Web! Some social media networks have even embraced the Creative Commons by allowing users to safely browse content in a discrete section of the Web site. Flickr's Creative Commons is rich with photographic content available for free use! This blog has scads of free resources linked in the navigational bars to the right of this narrative post.
The Understanding Copyright vs. the Creative Commons provides a straight-forward overview of the comparison and contrast between copyright and Creative Commons licensing. And a simple Web search will produce hundreds or thousands more great resources for information on this movement.
So the next question is usually: But WHY? Why would anyone want to give away their intellectual property? If we stop to think about the way that technology has changed the way that we learn and consume information, the answer becomes clear. Distribution. How great is an idea if its audience is drastically limited by cost and copyright?
If we are browsing an online bookstore or searching the Web for a good reference book on a given topic and our search results bear both free and costly alternatives, which will we be most prone to choose? Which will we be more prone to share, to pass along and to distribute to others? Credibility and quality being somewhat equal, the free one, right? And with all the free high-quality textbooks out there (and increasing in number every day), fewer and fewer course developers are relying on expensive traditional textbooks when opting for the free, open-license textbook gives learners easier accessibility earlier in the academic semester (since many students must wait for financial aid refunds to even purchase their books). And how likely are learners to carry those books around with them through their daily life? (HINT: Not nearly as likely as they are their smartphone or i-Pad tablet.)
So how does the author/creator make a living by giving away their product? Again, the magic is in distribution. The more widely distributed your work, the more widely recognized your name. The more widely recognized your name, the higher the demand for your presence in academic professional environments, speaking at conferences and leading teams of academics. While it would certainly be easier to stick with the way things have always been and wait for royalty checks from a book publisher, the potential in that paradigm is limited (after all, who would BUY a textbook if they weren't a registered student compelled by a professor's syllabus? And yet millions eagerly absorb no-cost academic content for free from outside of academia!). And quite honestly, the model flawed. We are still fighting copyright battles everyday in court!
In fact, many universities are very anxious about how the e-learning boom will be impacted by the copyright laws currently on the books and those yet to be written in response to the new challenges brought by technology and an increasingly open academic environment on the Web. Like it or not, times are changing and we have to decide where we fit. In fact, it's time for us each to decide. Which team are you on?
Open Access Textbooks provides guidance for authors wanting to apply Creative Commons licensing to their works, as well as several ways for educators and learners to get involved in the open textbook movement.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Best Practice: Top 10 Online Bachelor Programs
Sometimes the research of "best practice" for a given program involves lots of research, data-gathering and analysis. Sometimes you can look at the success of those who are doing what you want to do with the success to which you aspire. In that spirit, we are closely watching these top ten online bachelor programs to see what they are doing and we are not (yet).
This list further highlights my experience that every institution has its own program design, its own objectives, its own priorities and resources for meeting its goals. There is no single solution to making an online degree program successful, but there are lots of ideas, tips and suggestions that can be gleaned from watching these programs in action.
This list further highlights my experience that every institution has its own program design, its own objectives, its own priorities and resources for meeting its goals. There is no single solution to making an online degree program successful, but there are lots of ideas, tips and suggestions that can be gleaned from watching these programs in action.
“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”
(George Bernard Shaw)
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
i-Pad Training Workshop
I am temporarily parking THIS EVALUATION link here for my workshop participants today who don't have access to Google Drive (yet) ... !
Today around fifty learners will gather with i-Pads in hand to learn how to tame the beast and make the most of its use in the classroom. Students are ready for us! They told me themselves!
(UPDATE: We had a great turnout for the workshop but a high demand for more! I am scheduling another for Feb. 26 at the same time and location. You do NOT need to from AAMU to register/attend—we welcome anyone! Please contact me to arrange your parking in advance if you do not work for AAMU or go to school there.
THIS WORKSHOP SCHEDULE is permanently posted in the links to the right of my blog posts. Please feel free to share the link and register for any workshop! And let me know which topics you would like to see offered!)
Today around fifty learners will gather with i-Pads in hand to learn how to tame the beast and make the most of its use in the classroom. Students are ready for us! They told me themselves!
(UPDATE: We had a great turnout for the workshop but a high demand for more! I am scheduling another for Feb. 26 at the same time and location. You do NOT need to from AAMU to register/attend—we welcome anyone! Please contact me to arrange your parking in advance if you do not work for AAMU or go to school there.
THIS WORKSHOP SCHEDULE is permanently posted in the links to the right of my blog posts. Please feel free to share the link and register for any workshop! And let me know which topics you would like to see offered!)
Monday, January 28, 2013
Best course flyer ever
Oh, how I would have loved to enroll in this one! (Click on the graphic for a closer look!)
(From thenearsightedmonkey.tumblr.com)
PS ... I have been deeply enmeshed in studying ADA/accessibility issues for online education. A full report is in the making!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Google+ in 2013
I'm going to go way out on a limb here and suggest that you make a New Year resolution of MY choosing. Presumptuous of me, I know! But this one is really important, and this time next year, you're going to thank me!
Make this the year (or better yet, make January the month!) that you get (back?) on Google+ and give it (another?) shot. It's true that many came last year and it was a ghost town that left us all wondering where the party was happening. Our posts were met with silence and you could almost hear the echoes. But this year it's different.
Now there is a concerted effort being made to bring folks like us into the existing circles of communication that give Google+ its fire. If you haven't already been brought into a vibrant, active circle of communicators, come and "circle" me and I'll help you get started!
You might be asking if Google+ is really necessary if you're on Facebook already. My answer is: Yes! Let me explain.
Facebook's strongest suit is its connection on personal levels. Many of my colleagues have only one Facebook account and if they "friend" persons who are colleagues, they have to go through a lot of extreme measures to maintain private/professional privacy walls OR they end up blurring the line between the two realms, sometimes irreparably. It can be very uncomfortable. Some have separate accounts for personal and business on Facebook but tend to ignore the professional account and spend less time cultivating it. It seems like fewer people are on Facebook to do business anyway.
Google+ is similar to Facebook in how it connects people for RSS-feed style (if you're really old school!) communication but those communications on Google+ seem to be more about expanding one's horizons, networks and sharing of information than Facebook, which favors the more personal and intimate sharing of photos and personal views between established friends and family. On Facebook, we have more "real world" connections (family and friends we know in person) and on Google+, the balance tips the other way and most of our connections are strangers we've never met who are connected to us by mutual friends and/or shared interests and views. These observations are based on perceptions, but they are perceptions widely shared by many of my friends and colleagues, both online and "real world." There's plenty of Facebook-style banter (memes, politics, jokes, etc.) on G+ but there is ALSO a much stronger support of and access to connectivity of new people and new ideas.
The features between the two are different in some significant ways and you'll have to play with the settings to find your comfort zone. For instance, on Facebook, my posts to public sites can only be seen by someone who is connected to me, but anyone who finds my profile on Google+ can see my posts aggregated from several public sites on my profile page. (EDIT: Fixed that issue through privacy settings! Google is very responsive to the needs of its community of users, and there is plentiful timely support for your issues in tech support circles.) While it can be a little unnerving on the privacy issue, it's a great networking tool for letting folks know where to find you and where you stand on relevant issues.
Perhaps most importantly, the Google+ environment offers connectivity tools that are linked to (the majority of) our students academic email accounts. By learning to use and integrate tools like Google Hangouts (the G+ video Web conferencing tool), we are acquiring critical skills for our own academic technology tool boxes, but also giving learners critical opportunities to build their technology/communication skills in preparation for the professional world that awaits them. The ability to use Google Drive (think Apps, Docs, etc.) and related tools is showing up in job ads and descriptions in the "Minimal requirements" section across myriad fields. How do we prepare ourselves AND our learners for the (r)evolution that Web technology is leading?
By using it. Every chance we get. Will I see you on Google+? I certainly do hope so!
(Here are 25 Google+ Accounts to Check Out and Six Google+ Hangouts About Educational Technology to get you started. And to be sure you see this great list of educational technology hangouts that were RECORDED and available for your use, be sure to check THESE out! In fact, check out archived hangouts on the Google Education on Air site and lose yourself in the recordings! And seriously, circle me! We're all in this together!)
Make this the year (or better yet, make January the month!) that you get (back?) on Google+ and give it (another?) shot. It's true that many came last year and it was a ghost town that left us all wondering where the party was happening. Our posts were met with silence and you could almost hear the echoes. But this year it's different.
Now there is a concerted effort being made to bring folks like us into the existing circles of communication that give Google+ its fire. If you haven't already been brought into a vibrant, active circle of communicators, come and "circle" me and I'll help you get started!
You might be asking if Google+ is really necessary if you're on Facebook already. My answer is: Yes! Let me explain.
Facebook's strongest suit is its connection on personal levels. Many of my colleagues have only one Facebook account and if they "friend" persons who are colleagues, they have to go through a lot of extreme measures to maintain private/professional privacy walls OR they end up blurring the line between the two realms, sometimes irreparably. It can be very uncomfortable. Some have separate accounts for personal and business on Facebook but tend to ignore the professional account and spend less time cultivating it. It seems like fewer people are on Facebook to do business anyway.
Google+ is similar to Facebook in how it connects people for RSS-feed style (if you're really old school!) communication but those communications on Google+ seem to be more about expanding one's horizons, networks and sharing of information than Facebook, which favors the more personal and intimate sharing of photos and personal views between established friends and family. On Facebook, we have more "real world" connections (family and friends we know in person) and on Google+, the balance tips the other way and most of our connections are strangers we've never met who are connected to us by mutual friends and/or shared interests and views. These observations are based on perceptions, but they are perceptions widely shared by many of my friends and colleagues, both online and "real world." There's plenty of Facebook-style banter (memes, politics, jokes, etc.) on G+ but there is ALSO a much stronger support of and access to connectivity of new people and new ideas.
The features between the two are different in some significant ways and you'll have to play with the settings to find your comfort zone. For instance, on Facebook, my posts to public sites can only be seen by someone who is connected to me, but anyone who finds my profile on Google+ can see my posts aggregated from several public sites on my profile page. (EDIT: Fixed that issue through privacy settings! Google is very responsive to the needs of its community of users, and there is plentiful timely support for your issues in tech support circles.) While it can be a little unnerving on the privacy issue, it's a great networking tool for letting folks know where to find you and where you stand on relevant issues.
Perhaps most importantly, the Google+ environment offers connectivity tools that are linked to (the majority of) our students academic email accounts. By learning to use and integrate tools like Google Hangouts (the G+ video Web conferencing tool), we are acquiring critical skills for our own academic technology tool boxes, but also giving learners critical opportunities to build their technology/communication skills in preparation for the professional world that awaits them. The ability to use Google Drive (think Apps, Docs, etc.) and related tools is showing up in job ads and descriptions in the "Minimal requirements" section across myriad fields. How do we prepare ourselves AND our learners for the (r)evolution that Web technology is leading?
By using it. Every chance we get. Will I see you on Google+? I certainly do hope so!
(Here are 25 Google+ Accounts to Check Out and Six Google+ Hangouts About Educational Technology to get you started. And to be sure you see this great list of educational technology hangouts that were RECORDED and available for your use, be sure to check THESE out! In fact, check out archived hangouts on the Google Education on Air site and lose yourself in the recordings! And seriously, circle me! We're all in this together!)
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Happy New Year!
Anyone who works in a university setting knows that the months of December/January are both the quietest and most frenetic of the year. After final exams are done and the semester wrapped, everyone retreats from campus for a virtually universal holiday of a couple of weeks, only to return to the chaos and high energy of getting a new semester and calendar year up and running.
Here we are also celebrating the launch of Alabama A&M University's first ever entirely online degree program. The undergraduate degree in management is now fully available online, including general education requirements and electives. This was no small feat! I have to hand it to the incredibly dedicated faculty and staff of the University for the monumental effort and passion that went into preparing fifty-four (yes, that's 54!) courses for online certification and delivery. It was a massive group effort and this team of professionals stepped up to the plate with admirable enthusiasm!
Now that we've passed that milestone, we are developing new training/educational workshops and looking for ways that we can enhance the course certification process. I've been spending a LOT of time in Google+ as I'd like to adopt it as a Web conferencing tool for the delivery of online workshops for faculty and staff. If you don't already have a webcam and headset, you should be getting them ready! For 2013 is going to be the "Year of Multimedia" at AAMU!
More soon!
Here we are also celebrating the launch of Alabama A&M University's first ever entirely online degree program. The undergraduate degree in management is now fully available online, including general education requirements and electives. This was no small feat! I have to hand it to the incredibly dedicated faculty and staff of the University for the monumental effort and passion that went into preparing fifty-four (yes, that's 54!) courses for online certification and delivery. It was a massive group effort and this team of professionals stepped up to the plate with admirable enthusiasm!
Now that we've passed that milestone, we are developing new training/educational workshops and looking for ways that we can enhance the course certification process. I've been spending a LOT of time in Google+ as I'd like to adopt it as a Web conferencing tool for the delivery of online workshops for faculty and staff. If you don't already have a webcam and headset, you should be getting them ready! For 2013 is going to be the "Year of Multimedia" at AAMU!
More soon!
Friday, December 7, 2012
It's official!
Alabama A&M University is launching its first entirely online degree program next month! The University received its approval from SACS (its regional accreditation agency) to offer the bachelor's degree in management as an entirely online program beginning with the spring 2013 academic semester.
AAMU is a land grant HBCU institution founded in 1875 and steeped in a rich heritage and tradition of excellence in academics, research and community service. It's beyond exciting to bear witness to—and be a part of—bringing such an historical institution's academic opportunities to a global community of e-learners!
Go e-BULLDOGS!
AAMU is a land grant HBCU institution founded in 1875 and steeped in a rich heritage and tradition of excellence in academics, research and community service. It's beyond exciting to bear witness to—and be a part of—bringing such an historical institution's academic opportunities to a global community of e-learners!
Go e-BULLDOGS!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Learning Solutions 2013
I'm getting back in the swing between the Thanksgiving holiday, a brief personal leave and the chaos that ensues when exam time is upon us. While I put together my next post, I wanted to let you know that I will be presenting at the Learning Solutions 2013 e-learning conference in Orlando in March and I hope to see you there! Hosted by the e-Learning Guild, the event provides an open highly collaborative learning environment for e-learning professionals from higher education, government and the private sector to come together and share best practice as well as collaborate on emergent online learning solutions.
I will be discussing the course certification system that I designed and how it does double duty for e-learning administrators who manage course development by faculty and/or instructors. In addition to giving us a great cloud-based system for collaboration on the quality control process of individual course development, our course certification system MODELS the hands-on, project-based self- and peer-assessment strategies that we would most love to see our online courses rely upon for assessment of learning outcomes.
Join us!
I will be discussing the course certification system that I designed and how it does double duty for e-learning administrators who manage course development by faculty and/or instructors. In addition to giving us a great cloud-based system for collaboration on the quality control process of individual course development, our course certification system MODELS the hands-on, project-based self- and peer-assessment strategies that we would most love to see our online courses rely upon for assessment of learning outcomes.
Join us!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Resubmission in Formative Assessment
In this excellent blog post by a fellow educator, a great case is made for the opportunity to resubmit assignments as a formative assessment strategy (see Nov. 7 post on formative assessment).
When I taught my course online at ETSU, whenever I gave a graded assignment back to a learner, I always gave them a chance to raise their grade by resubmission under certain circumstances. If the reason that the grade was low was due to poor grammar and writing, I required a documented visit to the Writing Center to precede a corrected resubmission. If the problem was related to content/course material, I would add additional questions to my feedback that would lead the learner in the direction I had been hoping that they would take on their first assessment attempt. By making sure that there were some new specific objectives to be met, I knew that the learner would not be able to simply rely on the feedback given to his or her peer to fulfill my requirements for resubmission. The resubmitted assignment always took on just a bit more depth than the original assignment—by design.
When the resubmission option was exercised, it worked well! But not everyone wanted a second chance. What are some strategies I could employ to inspire those who didn't take the opportunity to want to improve their learning, their grade and their overall course experience?
Saturday, November 10, 2012
15 Lesson Plans for Making Students (and Ourselves!) Better Online Researchers
I was overjoyed to find this in the Edudemic feed on Facebook this morning. I know that my online research skills could use some refinement, but I also know how much more effective my research efforts became when I began learning the mechanics of how search engines work. This is the sort of critical infrastructure that should be a foundation of every person's digital literacy, fluency and mastery, including our own.
And Google is not the only search engine! There are hundreds of search engines, many of which are dedicated to specific fields or topics. Some are even open source!
I'm going to work my way through those fifteen lessons, to refresh my existing skills and add new ones to my digital toolbox. Join me?
And Google is not the only search engine! There are hundreds of search engines, many of which are dedicated to specific fields or topics. Some are even open source!
I'm going to work my way through those fifteen lessons, to refresh my existing skills and add new ones to my digital toolbox. Join me?
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Formative e-Assessment of Learning
In the world of learning outcome assessment (testing), things can get complicated in an online learning environment. The nature of the LMS (Learning Management System, such as Blackboard or Moodle) encourages the automation of assessments with tools like multiple choice and true/false question quiz banks. But before deciding on just how to use those assessment tools, it's best to think about and answer a few questions.
Do you want to use summative or formative assessment strategies with your learners? If you're not familiar with those terms, think of the question as a learner might. Would you rather that your grasp of the information being learned be evaluated at the end of the learning process, or at intervals throughout the process itself, to make sure that you are staying on track and not getting lost along the way?
The practice of assessing learning outcomes at the end of the learning process (whether we're talking a unit of curriculum or at the end of the course) is summative assessment. Using summative assessment, the instructor (and perhaps even the learner) might be unaware that there are problems or misperceptions on the part of the learner until its too late to remediate the process and ensure learner success.
Formative assessment, however, "checks in" with the learner at various points throughout the learning process to make sure that they are grasping the information being presented and synthesizing it appropriately. By checking in with the learner at various points along the way, the identification of learning obstacles occurs much earlier, while there's still time to get the learner back on track and ensure ultimate success.
It may daunting to an online instructor to think about increasing the frequency and depth of assessment efforts in courses that are being taught to what are likely increasingly larger student enrollments. That's quite a time commitment! However, the carefully considered use of self- and peer-assessment strategies can help both mitigate the level of instructor involvement as well as provide additional learning opportunities through self-reflection and collaborative peer-to-peer learning opportunities for learners.
There is a lot of information out there in the world of e-learning about the use of formative assessment (using self- and peer-assessment strategies) in online courses. Here's one journal article that lays out the basic concepts involved but still sticks closely to the traditional tools. It presents sound research that provides a rationale for using formative assessment in online learning environments.
While the traditional multiple choice quiz banks certainly have value as one component in an overall assessment strategy, I'd like to suggest that we all look at assessment with new eyes and think about ways that we can integrate reading, writing, critical thinking and new forms of expression into the assessment process in online learning environments. How can we inspire and document critical thinking and problem solving in our e-classrooms?
I will be on the lookout for both research in this area and more practical information and tools that help integrate formative assessment strategies into online course development. I am also launching an ASSESSMENT section of my blog resources to highlight the resources that I find. I welcome your input, questions and suggestions!
Do you want to use summative or formative assessment strategies with your learners? If you're not familiar with those terms, think of the question as a learner might. Would you rather that your grasp of the information being learned be evaluated at the end of the learning process, or at intervals throughout the process itself, to make sure that you are staying on track and not getting lost along the way?
The practice of assessing learning outcomes at the end of the learning process (whether we're talking a unit of curriculum or at the end of the course) is summative assessment. Using summative assessment, the instructor (and perhaps even the learner) might be unaware that there are problems or misperceptions on the part of the learner until its too late to remediate the process and ensure learner success.
Formative assessment, however, "checks in" with the learner at various points throughout the learning process to make sure that they are grasping the information being presented and synthesizing it appropriately. By checking in with the learner at various points along the way, the identification of learning obstacles occurs much earlier, while there's still time to get the learner back on track and ensure ultimate success.
It may daunting to an online instructor to think about increasing the frequency and depth of assessment efforts in courses that are being taught to what are likely increasingly larger student enrollments. That's quite a time commitment! However, the carefully considered use of self- and peer-assessment strategies can help both mitigate the level of instructor involvement as well as provide additional learning opportunities through self-reflection and collaborative peer-to-peer learning opportunities for learners.
There is a lot of information out there in the world of e-learning about the use of formative assessment (using self- and peer-assessment strategies) in online courses. Here's one journal article that lays out the basic concepts involved but still sticks closely to the traditional tools. It presents sound research that provides a rationale for using formative assessment in online learning environments.
While the traditional multiple choice quiz banks certainly have value as one component in an overall assessment strategy, I'd like to suggest that we all look at assessment with new eyes and think about ways that we can integrate reading, writing, critical thinking and new forms of expression into the assessment process in online learning environments. How can we inspire and document critical thinking and problem solving in our e-classrooms?
I will be on the lookout for both research in this area and more practical information and tools that help integrate formative assessment strategies into online course development. I am also launching an ASSESSMENT section of my blog resources to highlight the resources that I find. I welcome your input, questions and suggestions!
Mistakes that Online Students Make
I just found THIS GREAT LITTLE BLOG POST at Schoox that provides some good points to share with students who are enrolling in your online courses. It might be worth linking to the same blog post or citing its content in an introductory course document that helps the learner assess his or her own readiness for asynchronous online learning. Take a look! What would you add to this list?
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
10 Must-See TED talks
Anyone who knows me knows that I have nurtured a long-standing adoration for TED. And it's not just TED. It's the whole TED-x phenomenon as well as the community of folks who love, live, watch and talk about TED. TED is a way of life for us.
TED devotees tend to be lifelong learners who embrace new opportunities for growth and insight, even when those opportunities come wrapped in dramatic change!
So it was with great excitement and anticipation that I found 10 TED Talks Perfect for the e-Learning Industry. I haven't watched them all yet, but I recognize a few. I just had to rush over and share with you all before I lost the link in the information avalanche that I plow through every day in my adventures in e-learning.
I'd love to hear your feedback on any and all of these great talks! And do you have suggestions for others we should include?
TED devotees tend to be lifelong learners who embrace new opportunities for growth and insight, even when those opportunities come wrapped in dramatic change!
So it was with great excitement and anticipation that I found 10 TED Talks Perfect for the e-Learning Industry. I haven't watched them all yet, but I recognize a few. I just had to rush over and share with you all before I lost the link in the information avalanche that I plow through every day in my adventures in e-learning.
I'd love to hear your feedback on any and all of these great talks! And do you have suggestions for others we should include?
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Trick or Treat!
In honor of Halloween, I'm going to give you a couple of treats just for the fun of it!
First, scoot on over to Open Culture to download your free audio Halloween story by Neil Gaiman entitled "Click-Clack the Rattlebag" and available through Audible. For every download, Audible has agreed to donate a dollar to one of Gaiman's favorite charities, so your download is for a good cause as well! From Open Culture:
Happy Halloween! Stay safe and stay tuned!
First, scoot on over to Open Culture to download your free audio Halloween story by Neil Gaiman entitled "Click-Clack the Rattlebag" and available through Audible. For every download, Audible has agreed to donate a dollar to one of Gaiman's favorite charities, so your download is for a good cause as well! From Open Culture:
Gaiman also has a few requests: first, you need to download the story by Halloween in order to make the donation; second, please don’t give the story away—encourage people to go download it for themselves; and lastly, “wait to listen to it until after dark.” Atmosphere matters.Your other treat is a tip on a Halloween app that is fun for all ages! Mojo Masks is a simple camera overlay app that allows you to choose a mask, overlay it on your face (to which it oddly adheres so that you can play with different expressions as the mask moves with your features), and simply snap for a great Halloween photo that could work for your Halloween greeting card or Facebook profile. Here are a couple I snapped this morning:
 |
| Note that while the base app is free and comes with a few masks, the best masks are available in sets for 99¢ per collection. |
Happy Halloween! Stay safe and stay tuned!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Ubuntu on Chromebook! (and Using Open Source in the classroom!)
For those OS (Open Source) fans out there, know that the Chromebook hybrid (think: laptop meets tablet) supports the Ubuntu operating system. (Thanks to Scott D. for this tip!) For anyone who is not sure exactly what that means, it's significant to mobile technology (like tablets and smartphones, devices you can take on the run) to be able to run software that is Open Source—I have an OS section of resources started and welcome the contributions of any OS veterans!
We have a workshop coming up in November that will address OS integration in the classroom. Dr. Maurice Dawson and a few of his student colleagues will be presenting! It'll be one of those don't-miss presentations, so we'll be giving you plenty of notice, as well as recording the session for online delivery next semester. (Any off-campus readers can contact me directly for access.)
For the novice, OS means using FREE software for you and your learners. The OS software movement is user-driven and much more accessible to the computer novice than ever before. Watch for our workshop announcement and join the discussion!
We have a workshop coming up in November that will address OS integration in the classroom. Dr. Maurice Dawson and a few of his student colleagues will be presenting! It'll be one of those don't-miss presentations, so we'll be giving you plenty of notice, as well as recording the session for online delivery next semester. (Any off-campus readers can contact me directly for access.)
For the novice, OS means using FREE software for you and your learners. The OS software movement is user-driven and much more accessible to the computer novice than ever before. Watch for our workshop announcement and join the discussion!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
The Art of Positive Skepticism
This great article posted at Psychology Today on the Moment of Youth blog really hits the nail on the head in describing the difference between cynicism and skepticism and the value of positive skepticism in learning. But how to inspire such positive skepticism in your learners? Great tips there too!
Friday, October 5, 2012
The Self-Organizing Computer Course
This TED talk was sent to me by my colleague, Everett Alexander. The video talks about the surprising level of motivation found in learners who are flocking into the free, open course movement to participate. I don't want to say too much—this is another TED talk that simply speaks for itself.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
iPad Workshop
I'm throwing together an impromptu iPad workshop at the CETL Conference Room (#309) in the LRC on Friday at 8:30 a.m. Anyone interested in learning more about the iPad is welcome to join us! I will give a 1-hr workshop credit to all learners!
Hope to see you there!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
What We're Learning from Online Education (TEDTalk)
"The mind is not a vessel that needs filling;
it is wood that needs igniting." (Plutarch)
ACCS e-Learning Symposium (FREE!)
It's that time of year again! The ACCS e-Learning Symposium (Friday, Nov. 16) held at Athens State University claims to be the largest e-learning conference in Alabama—and I wouldn't doubt it! I attended last year and had a great time networking with colleagues in the region and learning about new online educational products and emergent technologies in our field.
Why not register now so that we can sit together at lunch and compare notes?
Why not register now so that we can sit together at lunch and compare notes?
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Lettrs: Making Writing Meaningful in a "Slow Communications Movement"
The Lettrs [sic] social media platform is creating a stir in both secondary and post-secondary learning environments. A common refrain from educators at all levels is that learners simply don't know how to write well. I'm seeking resources that would help in the classroom (digital or brick-and-mortar) with developing/remediating reading and writing skills.
I know as a learner, an educator and a parent that there are two key components to the development of great writing skills: reading and writing. The more one reads, the better one writes. And the more one writes, the better s/he becomes at writing.
So how do we encourage the development of these skills while teaching other course curriculum at the same time and at a post-secondary level of academic rigor?
Here's a great idea that can be adapted to any academic level of learning and any topic or curriculum. Writing is a great form of learning assessment as well.
Do you have other great ideas for developing reading and writing skills at a college level? Please share!
I know as a learner, an educator and a parent that there are two key components to the development of great writing skills: reading and writing. The more one reads, the better one writes. And the more one writes, the better s/he becomes at writing.
So how do we encourage the development of these skills while teaching other course curriculum at the same time and at a post-secondary level of academic rigor?
Here's a great idea that can be adapted to any academic level of learning and any topic or curriculum. Writing is a great form of learning assessment as well.
Do you have other great ideas for developing reading and writing skills at a college level? Please share!
QUICK TIP: Peer Review in Discussion Forums
A really great way to work peer review into an online course involves allowing learners to rate each others' discusson posts. Here's a quick how-to video from Blackboard.
I'll be adding more "quick tip" blog posts going forward!
I'll be adding more "quick tip" blog posts going forward!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Universities in the Digital Age (audio)
Wondering how all this techie stuff is impacting higher education?
(Thanks to Stephen Downes and the OLDaily).
The digital revolution—which has upended journalism, publishing, movies and music—is poised to storm the ivory tower. Under enormous financial pressure, and facing a strong push to "democratize" knowledge, the university is being asked to re-imagine itself. In question: the very nature and purpose of higher education, at a time when demand for it has never been greater.Listen HERE. (The feed was down when I posted this, so I haven't previewed the audio file. I'll remove this post if we can't get it to play!)
(Thanks to Stephen Downes and the OLDaily).
xEDUCATION: Book on MOOCs & Education (Sneak peeks!)
George Siemens announced on elearnspace that he and a few others will be starting a book for John Hopkins University on MOOCs and their potential impact in education. He posted:
Bonnie Stewart, Dave Cormier, and I have signed on to write a book on MOOCs and other such trends in education. The book will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2013.See the blog post at elearnspace for more details.
The book will be closed, but the field notes will be collected and published on the Web at their new blog for this purpose. We'll be keeping an eye on them!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Free Tutoring Software
Susan Smith Nash offers us a tidy little blog post outlining the essentials for online tutoring software and her recommendations for the most economical and effective options. I haven't tried them yet, but hope you'll experiment and let me know what you find!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Blog updates!
I have just added a few new sections to the links on the right! You will now find a section dedicated to Open Source software as well as a section titled "How to Get Started Guides" that will cover various facets of online curriculum development. We are starting with a guide to getting started designing apps for mobile devices, but will be adding content to ALL the sections as time goes on. Please feel free to make suggestions!
And don't forget to keep an eye out for additions! I just added a new infographic that profiles the college student of 2012. Check it out on the right hand side of the screen (click on the graphics to enlarge, then use your browser magnification to zoom in for detail.)
New goodies are arriving daily!
And don't forget to keep an eye out for additions! I just added a new infographic that profiles the college student of 2012. Check it out on the right hand side of the screen (click on the graphics to enlarge, then use your browser magnification to zoom in for detail.)
New goodies are arriving daily!
Free Online Blackboard Design Course!
In its determination to join the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)/open learning movement, Blackboard is joining the fray with Designing an Exemplary Course Online. Registration opens September 19 for the course which runs September 26 through October 17. And yes, it's really FREE!
I know I'm signing up! Please join me!
PS ... And here's ANOTHER great learning opportunity delivered via a MOOC! The Current/Future State of Higher Education (Oct. 8–Nov. 18) is another FREE, open online course yours for the taking!
Whether you are just getting started or are an advanced online educator, this course will provide you with a framework to help identify and apply best practices for designing engaging online courses.This is an exciting opportunity to dip your toes into the fast-moving MOOC waters as a learner—and learn a great deal about Blackboard-based course design to boot!
I know I'm signing up! Please join me!
PS ... And here's ANOTHER great learning opportunity delivered via a MOOC! The Current/Future State of Higher Education (Oct. 8–Nov. 18) is another FREE, open online course yours for the taking!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Hear Us Out! Learners Open Up
Students in four Hamilton County, Tennessee high schools talk about college: what motivates them toward college, what weighs them down, what supports they need. The students were part of a series of focus groups (ten in all) in a student-led research project called "Hear Us Out." A student researcher facilitated each focus group. At the end of the video, juniors and seniors give advice to freshmen and sophomores who are just starting their path to college. "Hear Us Out" is a project of the nonprofit Center for Youth Voice at What Kids Can Do. A grant from Lumina Foundation for Education made this video possible. (YouTube description)
I find it sad and telling that this gem of a student perspective has been on YouTube for two years and has less than 300 views. Learners are letting us know what they need to succeed—are we listening?
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Seven Things You Should Know About MOOCs (from Educause)
Here's a two-page PDF primer from our friends at Educause for those just joining the conversation about free, open courseware in higher education:
Seven Things You Should Know About MOOCsI'll be posting more resources and news as I come across it! I welcome your comments, questions and insights!
More on MOOCs
My email inbox held several significant updates regarding the "tsunami" issue of MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courseware). There were company updates from Coursera (1 million learners!) and Udacity as well as ample speculation regarding how well MOOCs will dominate the market for free, open courseware. There was also speculation of just how sustainable the entire movement is likely to be.
Not surprisingly, there are issues of retention with learners registering for and beginning courses that they don't complete for a variety of reasons. It will be fascinating to watch as the data begins to manifest and key obstacles to retention—and ultimately graduation—are identified and vanquished (ever the optimist, I am!) as education becomes ubiquitous in an increasingly global higher education market.
I have always found the greatest diversity of my neighbors on the campuses of colleges and universities and it's one of the things I love most about working in higher education. The integration of free, open courseware into the more (and less) traditional forms of classroom and online education will enhance that diversity of both learners and teachers exponentially as new technologies give birth to new players in the global movement to teach and to learn. More voices, better dialogue. Most educators I know would agree that diversity of voices adds depth, context and application to knowledge and information. It turns reading, talking and asking into learning, and for everyone involved! As teachers, isn't the most gratifying teaching that which brings us opportunities to learn as well?
The challenge will be to maintain engagement with curriculum, the learner and with a qualified tour guide/subject matter expert in the form of faculty, teachers and instructors. The new learning paradigms require more of both learner and teacher than ever before, but the outcomes promise to bring more relevance and more profound sense of meaning to the experiences of both learners and teachers.
There is an excellent case to be made for the embrace of MOOCs by institutions of traditional higher education. Students who use a combination of self-guided study through a dizzying array of curriculum choices with the guidance, support and curation of faculty/instructors have literally a world of information from which to draw as they practice the skills of problem-solving, collaboration, design, engineering, teaching, researching and discovering. From that post (emphasis mine):
There is an entire globe full of people who want to learn, and there's a place for everyone at the table, both learners and teachers. As the tsunami approaches, the distinction between the two continues to blur.
Not surprisingly, there are issues of retention with learners registering for and beginning courses that they don't complete for a variety of reasons. It will be fascinating to watch as the data begins to manifest and key obstacles to retention—and ultimately graduation—are identified and vanquished (ever the optimist, I am!) as education becomes ubiquitous in an increasingly global higher education market.
I have always found the greatest diversity of my neighbors on the campuses of colleges and universities and it's one of the things I love most about working in higher education. The integration of free, open courseware into the more (and less) traditional forms of classroom and online education will enhance that diversity of both learners and teachers exponentially as new technologies give birth to new players in the global movement to teach and to learn. More voices, better dialogue. Most educators I know would agree that diversity of voices adds depth, context and application to knowledge and information. It turns reading, talking and asking into learning, and for everyone involved! As teachers, isn't the most gratifying teaching that which brings us opportunities to learn as well?
The challenge will be to maintain engagement with curriculum, the learner and with a qualified tour guide/subject matter expert in the form of faculty, teachers and instructors. The new learning paradigms require more of both learner and teacher than ever before, but the outcomes promise to bring more relevance and more profound sense of meaning to the experiences of both learners and teachers.
There is an excellent case to be made for the embrace of MOOCs by institutions of traditional higher education. Students who use a combination of self-guided study through a dizzying array of curriculum choices with the guidance, support and curation of faculty/instructors have literally a world of information from which to draw as they practice the skills of problem-solving, collaboration, design, engineering, teaching, researching and discovering. From that post (emphasis mine):
"The promise of MOOCs is their inclusion in the creative design of individual programs of study for degrees and certificates, and the force that will drive it is the most intimate, natural, and informal sort of dialogue that transpires between teacher and student. In this scenario, the teacher becomes guide, advisor, and facilitator; and the student, an active participant in the planning. Together, they will explore all the learning resources in the world to generate an individualized plan that meets the student’s goals and the college’s standards. When this happens, we’ll begin to realize that MOOCs, as a tsunami, have transformed rather than destroyed higher ed, and the changes will redefine the roles of students and teachers as well as the structure of courses, the sources of content, the process of learning, and the forms of degrees and certificates."
There is an entire globe full of people who want to learn, and there's a place for everyone at the table, both learners and teachers. As the tsunami approaches, the distinction between the two continues to blur.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Jimmy Wales on the birth of Wikipedia
In order to understand the way that Web technologies have opened up the doors of education, I suggest watching this video from TED. Wikipedia's model is a perfect example of how an open, democratic platform for the curation and delivery of knowledge can be the most authentic for learners.
And, hey ... did you know that Jimmy Wales is a Huntsville native?
And, hey ... did you know that Jimmy Wales is a Huntsville native?
Free fonts!
I just added a list of free font Web sites to our list of resources on the right! It's important to be creative with typefaces and fonts that are eye-catching and easy to read when preparing digital curriculum. You also must make sure that the font is not substituted by a learner's computer system if it can't find the same font in its library! Contact me in the ODEeL if you'd like help using unusual fonts in your curriculum and would like to know our secret for "freezing" them into your layouts and never having to worry about font substitution again!
These are easily downloadable on both Mac and PC platforms. Just download the one you want, open the ZIP file by double-clicking and then double-click the TTF or OTF (TrueType Font or OpenType Font) file in the folder. It will ask if you want to install the font in your system and you simply agree. Then open your programs and see your new fonts on your type menus!
Let me know if you need assistance with this or any other technical or design issue on your course development!
These are easily downloadable on both Mac and PC platforms. Just download the one you want, open the ZIP file by double-clicking and then double-click the TTF or OTF (TrueType Font or OpenType Font) file in the folder. It will ask if you want to install the font in your system and you simply agree. Then open your programs and see your new fonts on your type menus!
Let me know if you need assistance with this or any other technical or design issue on your course development!
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Value of Disagreement
I sure hope that you all already know about TED. Margaret Heffernan's Dare to Disagree is one of the best TED talks I've heard yet, and I feel compelled to share it because of its social, cultural and academic implications. Please listen carefully when she talks about the value of dissent in collaboration and research. From TED:
Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers—and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.
Sometimes, we all must agree to move forward. Sometimes, it takes disagreement for any forward movement to occur.
Do you encourage your learners and colleagues to disagree?
Friday, August 3, 2012
MixCloud
Coolest tool I've seen since Pinterest! MixCloud is a Web-based server (free! unlimited!) for your "radio shows" and podcasts. Of course, you don't HAVE to be a content-provider/deejay in order to enjoy the offerings of all its members! The music offerings alone seem incredibly rich. But the applications for this unique cloud-based media server site also include talk radio/podcasting, documentary/news, politics, and education.
The site is just as easy to navigate for producers as it is for listeners. Users develop a unique profile and have access to group functions that allow each to affiliate with like-minded souls and to share similar content easily in a social media stream model.
In comparison to i-Tunes, MixCloud is a Web-based software environment that does not require a client-side application (download/install) on the user's device (although there is an app for mobile devices). Content is entirely free unlike at i-Tunes, which offers a mix of free and billable content (which requires a credit card affiliation with each i-Tunes account).
Although MixCloud content is free like YouTube's, here the radioshows are presented as one continuous file of presumably consistent quality. And—at this point anyway—the content is audio only. YouTube offers the ability to create video lists with continuous play that operate somewhat like a "radio show" but unless they were all produced by the same content provider, playback quality can vary widely and playback can involve some tedious monitoring. With MixCloud, the listener simply hits the play button and sits back to enjoy the entirety of the radio show/podcast.
The environment at MixCloud is ripe for use in e-learning. And not just for course delivery! I imagine a class in which students are asked to produce their own content in assessment of their learning. The MixCloud venue is the most open, democratic and free that I've seen since YouTube launched, with a little tighter structure holding the content together in simple, easily navigable formats (groups and categories).
I plan to do something fun with MixCloud. I don't know what yet, but when I do, you'll be the first to know!
The site is just as easy to navigate for producers as it is for listeners. Users develop a unique profile and have access to group functions that allow each to affiliate with like-minded souls and to share similar content easily in a social media stream model.
In comparison to i-Tunes, MixCloud is a Web-based software environment that does not require a client-side application (download/install) on the user's device (although there is an app for mobile devices). Content is entirely free unlike at i-Tunes, which offers a mix of free and billable content (which requires a credit card affiliation with each i-Tunes account).
Although MixCloud content is free like YouTube's, here the radioshows are presented as one continuous file of presumably consistent quality. And—at this point anyway—the content is audio only. YouTube offers the ability to create video lists with continuous play that operate somewhat like a "radio show" but unless they were all produced by the same content provider, playback quality can vary widely and playback can involve some tedious monitoring. With MixCloud, the listener simply hits the play button and sits back to enjoy the entirety of the radio show/podcast.
The environment at MixCloud is ripe for use in e-learning. And not just for course delivery! I imagine a class in which students are asked to produce their own content in assessment of their learning. The MixCloud venue is the most open, democratic and free that I've seen since YouTube launched, with a little tighter structure holding the content together in simple, easily navigable formats (groups and categories).
I plan to do something fun with MixCloud. I don't know what yet, but when I do, you'll be the first to know!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
The Online Pecking Order
HERE's MORE on the free, open courseware movement. How will (both) traditional brick-and-mortar universities (as well as the exclusively online degree industry) react to this game-changing movement? Stay tuned.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Berkeley Joins 'EdX' Effort to Offer Free Open Courses
It's happening fast. Faster every day. HERE is another example of a traditional university joining the FREE and OPEN COURSEWARE movement. According to the article from The Chronicle, another 120 colleges and universities are queued up to join the EdX effort. In fact,
For more information about the EdX movement, check out the project site as well as THIS ARTICLE on Wikipedia. And be sure to read the last few blog posts on this subject (scroll through the past few or do a search on the blog).
George Siemens, a pioneer of offering free open courses ... said he has been surprised by how rapidly major universities are moving ... “I can’t recall a time when universities at one moment have responded en masse as aggressively and as collaboratively,” he said.
For more information about the EdX movement, check out the project site as well as THIS ARTICLE on Wikipedia. And be sure to read the last few blog posts on this subject (scroll through the past few or do a search on the blog).
Stay tuned!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Harvard & MIT Launch Revolution
It is a logical next step in the incredible revolution to which we are all bearing witness. You owe it to yourself, whatever your level of enthusiasm for e-learning, to READ THIS.
This article is not conjecture, wishful thinking nor strategic planning. It has happened! It's happening around us. There are already programs granting credits (via CLEP) and certificates for free online offerings, which are promising some major impacts on higher education with rippling effects yet incalculable.
At the present time, the courses are limited in number and entire degree programs are not yet attainable in this approach. Yet. I can't imagine that the movement will stop here. So why would a learner choose to enroll in a "traditional online program" (did you think we'd be saying THAT so soon?) rather than avail themselves of the free curriculum being offered online? What will differentiate us in the pool of global choices for an online degree?
In a word? Engagement. Engagement with an instructor or professor who personifies intellectual curiosity, wisdom, experience, dynamic breadth of knowledge, great communication skills and an insatiable desire to learn themselves. Ideally.
Wait! And assessment. How well can an automated computer program assess knowledge and learning, especially learning that is more qualitative than quantitative in nature?
But that begs the question: how well are we assessing learning NOW? Our commitment to innovative and comprehensive assessment strategies has never been more important if we want to distinguish ourselves to learners and distinguish our learners to the professional world that awaits them. Assessment presents a prime opportunity to personalize our expertise, our energy, our passion and our commitment to learning. And since the most valuable assessment strategies are interwoven deeply into the learning experience, rather than being an afterthought logistic that "seals the deal" on a grade and credit hours, we have a unique opportunity here to lead our own revolution/s.
So what is your place in this revolution? Are you pushing ahead at the front of the movement or lingering in the back to see what happens next before you decide? What are you doing today that will enhance your teaching tomorrow? How can I help?
This article is not conjecture, wishful thinking nor strategic planning. It has happened! It's happening around us. There are already programs granting credits (via CLEP) and certificates for free online offerings, which are promising some major impacts on higher education with rippling effects yet incalculable.
“Online education is not an enemy of residential education,” Hockfield said, “but rather an inspiring and liberating ally.”Is it surprising that there could be hundreds of thousands of learners eager to participate who otherwise would not have the time, money and/or confidence to enroll in traditional academic programs? What incredible discoveries, breakthroughs, inventions and intellectual adventures await the expansive class, the institution, the academic community ... the greater culture as a whole? I believe that we are going to witness the unearthing of a vast intellectual power otherwise left untapped by mere logistical obstacles! This is incredibly exciting news!
She added that in facing the dramatic changes brought about by technology, “You can choose to view this era as one of threatening change and unsettling volatility, or you can see it as a moment charged with the most exciting possibilities presented to educators in our lifetimes.”We need not be threatened by this revolution. It's time to embrace it. It's time to see that by opening the doors of our programs even wider, we are exposing more minds and hearts to education, and enhancing the richness of human potential, the depth and breadth of human knowledge and the texture of human experience.
At the present time, the courses are limited in number and entire degree programs are not yet attainable in this approach. Yet. I can't imagine that the movement will stop here. So why would a learner choose to enroll in a "traditional online program" (did you think we'd be saying THAT so soon?) rather than avail themselves of the free curriculum being offered online? What will differentiate us in the pool of global choices for an online degree?
In a word? Engagement. Engagement with an instructor or professor who personifies intellectual curiosity, wisdom, experience, dynamic breadth of knowledge, great communication skills and an insatiable desire to learn themselves. Ideally.
Wait! And assessment. How well can an automated computer program assess knowledge and learning, especially learning that is more qualitative than quantitative in nature?
But that begs the question: how well are we assessing learning NOW? Our commitment to innovative and comprehensive assessment strategies has never been more important if we want to distinguish ourselves to learners and distinguish our learners to the professional world that awaits them. Assessment presents a prime opportunity to personalize our expertise, our energy, our passion and our commitment to learning. And since the most valuable assessment strategies are interwoven deeply into the learning experience, rather than being an afterthought logistic that "seals the deal" on a grade and credit hours, we have a unique opportunity here to lead our own revolution/s.
So what is your place in this revolution? Are you pushing ahead at the front of the movement or lingering in the back to see what happens next before you decide? What are you doing today that will enhance your teaching tomorrow? How can I help?
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Fair Use/Copyright Decisions in Federal Court Affect e-Learning
Just a few months ago, a federal court in Georgia handed down a 350-page ruling that adds a lot of clarification—as well as some new confusion—to the application of copyright laws in terms of fair use in educational contexts (with heavy implications for e-learning).
The blog Scholarly Communications @ Duke (dedicated to news and analysis on subjects of copyright and publication issues in higher education) does a great job of summarizing the court's findings in THIS POST. In addition to a concise, salient analysis of Judge Evans' decision, the blog offers wonderful resources on issues of copyright, fair use and publication. I'll be adding it to our resource links at the right, but take a look!
I am especially interested in (and grateful for) Duke University sharing its policy on electronic course content with us via this resource in the blog's side bar:
The blog Scholarly Communications @ Duke (dedicated to news and analysis on subjects of copyright and publication issues in higher education) does a great job of summarizing the court's findings in THIS POST. In addition to a concise, salient analysis of Judge Evans' decision, the blog offers wonderful resources on issues of copyright, fair use and publication. I'll be adding it to our resource links at the right, but take a look!
I am especially interested in (and grateful for) Duke University sharing its policy on electronic course content with us via this resource in the blog's side bar:
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Blackboard course templates
Check them out HERE! Missouri State University offers three templates you can download and use with Blackboard 9.1. As they mentioned, these are not meant to constrict your creativity or flexibility with your curriculum, just to give you a starting point.
Let us know if you use them and how it goes! Is there a template you'd like for us to make available to you or your team? Let us know!
Let us know if you use them and how it goes! Is there a template you'd like for us to make available to you or your team? Let us know!
Come the Revolution
There's no doubting it. The revolution is here and it's not slowing down for anyone!
Andrew Ng and colleagues have now created Coursera, a means of getting free and VERY low cost educational credits that will actually link successful learners to job and educational opportunities.
Anyone who works in traditional higher education and has been asking themselves, "Why do I need to be e-teaching and e-learning?" can read THIS and wonder no more. What are you doing to prepare yourself for the inevitable changes that are coming to—indeed, have ARRIVED in!—higher education?
How can we make the experience of an online education with a university steeped in brick-and-mortar tradition the path that a learner will choose in a global educational marketplace? The answer isn't simple, but it's clear; QUALITY INTERACTION with instructors/faculty in a personalized learning environment will be our calling card, and the experience of having taken our classes will be the legacy that learners talk about long after they're gone (a great form of marketing).
In order to make an impression on the world of e-learning (and its dynamic markets), we have to impress its learners with who we are, what we stand for and how we teach/learn. What is our brand? What do we stand for? What do we offer and what do we promise learners? Are we keeping that promise?
What is the thing your learners will remember most about your course/s? Are your skills and methods keeping up with Web technologies and e-learning trends?
“I normally teach 400 students,” Ng explained, but last semester he taught 100,000 in an online course on machine learning. “To reach that many students before,” he said, “I would have had to teach my normal Stanford class for 250 years.”
Andrew Ng and colleagues have now created Coursera, a means of getting free and VERY low cost educational credits that will actually link successful learners to job and educational opportunities.
Anyone who works in traditional higher education and has been asking themselves, "Why do I need to be e-teaching and e-learning?" can read THIS and wonder no more. What are you doing to prepare yourself for the inevitable changes that are coming to—indeed, have ARRIVED in!—higher education?
How can we make the experience of an online education with a university steeped in brick-and-mortar tradition the path that a learner will choose in a global educational marketplace? The answer isn't simple, but it's clear; QUALITY INTERACTION with instructors/faculty in a personalized learning environment will be our calling card, and the experience of having taken our classes will be the legacy that learners talk about long after they're gone (a great form of marketing).
In order to make an impression on the world of e-learning (and its dynamic markets), we have to impress its learners with who we are, what we stand for and how we teach/learn. What is our brand? What do we stand for? What do we offer and what do we promise learners? Are we keeping that promise?
What is the thing your learners will remember most about your course/s? Are your skills and methods keeping up with Web technologies and e-learning trends?
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