Are Online Discussion Forums Conversations?

One of the primary methods of engaging learners in an LMS-hosted learning environment is through the use of online discussion boards --- but is what happens on these boards REALLY conversation?

This article by Nancy Dixon (as gleaned from the OLDaily by Stephen Downes) talks about the differences and, in doing so, makes some good suggestions for making SURE that your online discussion forum hosts real conversation. As the author cites, "When conversations do occur in online forums, the learning and performance results go up."

What do you think?

Need help with Blackboard?

In light of pending deadlines for getting our courses certified and online, the Office of Distance Education/e-Learning is announcing the commencement of twice-weekly drop-in/hands-on labs for course developers stuck in the development process. Drop by Lab #1 (usually, with notes posted for anomalies) in the LRC EVERY Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 12:30 to 2:00 for over-the-shoulder support from Blackboard experts!

We can also schedule one-on-one and group consultations by appointment in the ODEeL for anyone who cannot make use of this opportunity.

Come see us!

Encouraging Student Participation: Daily Experts!

THIS ARTICLE suggests some simple techniques for encouraging the participation of learners in class discussion. The idea of "daily experts" could be easily adapted to "weekly experts" for an online course. The advice is practical and straight-forward but has big implications in both the theory and practice of teaching and learning. What do you think?

State-to-state Distance Education

There is an issue that has been brewing for a long time regarding the certification of distance education programs in state-to-state agreements to allow courses to be taught across state lines. I have no new information to add to this issue, but a great resource for tracking legislative updates and their impacts!

Check out the WCET blog and bookmark it! The handy resource links on the right are a gold mine of information and insight!

5 Innovative Animation Tools for Teachers

I haven't tried these yet. Have you? Animation is so critical to learner engagement, especially in online environments!

Pinterest anyone?

Have you heard about Pinterest yet? It's the latest in Web trends!

Basically, having a Pinterest account allows you to store Web links (like Favorites or Bookmarks) in an account that uses a visual form of indexing --- photos! Whether it's a recipe you want to keep, instruction manual for your printer or a news article you want to digitally "clip," Pinterest allows you to bookmark the site to your account with a big photo in your album to represent the page. When you choose to "pin" a page (via a browser tool you install by drag and drop), the site checks the page for all available photos and allows you to choose which will represent the link. It always stores the link to allow proper credit, but the link can also provide valuable archived information and reference material.

After using the account for a week or so, I'm getting a clear idea of how it could be leveraged in an online class as a resource for group projects/assessments. Imagine a class in which the students themselves go out and vet reference material on a given topic into a usable online resource for fellows in their field as well as themselves. They would be in charge of researching, locating, reading/watching, evaluating and organizing the material in a way that would make sense to a novice in their field as well as meet traditional academic standards and the standards set forth by the instructor.

The process itself would have inherent learning opportunities in real-life professional skill development such as collegial collaboration, effective information evaluation skills (this is all done under the supervision via engaged collaboration with faculty teaching the course) and information literacy in digital environments.
I am going to put together an informal session at the LRC for anyone interested in seeing how this works. If you let me know you're interested, I'll try to coordinate it so that everyone interested can attend.

Let me know if you need an invitation to Pinterest!

Tech-Happy Prof Reboots ...

This article was forwarded to me by one my most inspired (AND inspirational!) colleagues. I am posting the article link from Wesch's blog because I think the conversation that follows it in the comments is as valuable as the article, and provides a lot of context for all perspectives.

I would love to gather with anyone interested to discuss this article and the ideas it puts forth --- and many others! Whether formally or informally, we can start a series of serious discussions about the role of technology in learning and decide where our own teaching fits into the paradigms, both old and new.

Please contact me if you're interested in participating in such a discussion, even if you're reading from outside the AAMU campus community. Whether we do this face-to-face, online or some hybrid of the two --- we should be talking!

Let me know what you think!

Exemplary Course Program

What does a great course LOOK LIKE in Blackboard?

HERE is a list of exemplary courses delivered via the Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) currently in use at AAMU. You can browse through past winners as well. Be sure to take a "course tour" of the courses via the "click here" link in the last column of the table. They each look quite different from each other, but ALL are deemed exemplary!

Although their designs are part of what makes these courses great, you'll notice that each expresses an individual style. This list illustrates that there is no SINGULAR formula for success in Blackboard. You just have to roll up your sleeves, design the course you would want to take for yourself if you were the learner --- and go for it!

The ODEeL is happy to announce that we now have fully functioning MAC and PC workstations set up for faculty course developers to use in course development. They run the latest and greatest Adobe software (e-Learning Suite and Creative Suite) on screaming fast hardware and will help you take your course development to the next level!

Digital media guru Everett Alexander is here to help train faculty course developers in the use of the computers and software, and/or to assist in the production of more complex projects. Contact us at the ODEeL to schedule your introductory session to the workstations --- and imagine your course taking off with all the tools and training you need to make it happen!

Reflection

The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which; he simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both. (Buddha)

7 Misconceptions About How Students Learn

I'm just going to leave this here. (What do YOU think?)

And, this quote from Will Rogers --- from the article:

“It isn’t what people don’t know that hurts them. It’s what they do know that just ain’t so.”

ODEeL 2012 Training Schedule

HERE is the newest schedule for workshops for the ODEeL through the end of the fiscal year.

A few things you need to know:

1) Mouse over the workshop topic for more details/learning objectives. 

2) The schedule is subject to change. Anyone preregistered will be notified in advance. 

3) You may register for as many as you wish, but need to resubmit the form for each one. If you hit the back button after submitting, you won't have to refill the contact information fields.

You can REGISTER by CLICKING HERE.

Please join us!

"But where do I START?"

I have found that the overwhelming majority of faculty are very enthusiastic about and interested in e-learning. But because academicians are trained and educated primarily in their field of expertise, and not in the pedagogy (the art and science of teaching), they are often bewildered about where exactly to START the process of developing e-instruction.

THIS ARTICLE ("Harvard Conference Seeks to Jolt University Teaching") describes succinctly the ways that we can begin to rethink the educational process. It's important to remember that the challenges and weaknesses of higher education are shared across the spectrum of schools and universities.

In large part, the problem is that graduate students pursuing their doctorates get little or no training in how students learn. When these graduate students become faculty members, he said, they might think about the content they want students to learn, but not the cognitive capabilities they want them to develop. 

"It really requires someone to be doubly expert," Mr. Wieman said. As sometimes happens in some disciplines and departments, a few people develop deeper knowledge of pedagogy. These doubly expert faculty members, he said, can show colleagues how to apply new approaches to teaching the discipline.

It's not just YOUR institution or your TYPE of institution that struggles with training/teaching the methodology of sound instruction---we all do! The ODEeL is addressing faculty development from both technological and pedagogical perspectives. Effective e-learning requires that both are viewed as intertwined, as the digital pedagogy is far different in both theory AND practice. But we're here to help! And to learn together, inspiring each other and our learners to join us in the "sandbox."

If I had to give just three short pieces of advice to those just beginning the e-learning journey it would be these:

1) Don't be afraid of "failure." It takes experimentation with your content, your personality and your resources to find just the right combination of technology, content, instructor input and learner feedback to get the right mix, and that may change from semester to semester with emerging knowledge in your content area as well as changes in the personalities of learner groups. There is not a singular "best course design" and as long as you're engaged in the delivery of the course, you CAN'T GO WRONG! Keep your course design flexible and dynamic, and you'll be able to keep up with the constant changes!

2) Role play! Put yourself in the position of the learner in your class and try to see your course design with what Buddhists call "beginner's mind." A blank slate, not yet painted with the assumptions of prior knowledge or experience. If you have a hard time "forgetting" all that wisdom and expertise you have accumulated over the years, perhaps you can test drive your e-curriculum on peers or students who can give you a more objective perspective of your course design. It's important to think of the experience from others' perspectives in order to identify and address their unique and ever-changing needs. 

3) Engage! By that, I suggest that you engage yourself in the study and practice of the field of e-learning---as an engaged LEARNER! Take advantage of all the research, practice, resources available out there for you to form your own path of lifelong learning. As you learn, you will also teach. By becoming (and/or staying) the learner, you add a valuable tool to your toolbox --- experience as an e-learner! Nothing teaches you to be a more effective instructor better than being a learner under others' instruction for awhile. Keep notes! Compare notes! Share notes! And if you simply don't have time for all that study, just keep coming HERE to my blog where I will continue to point you in the direction of the greatest tools, resources, research and support available today. I don't know even a fraction of what's out there, so your contributions to my posts will help make it a better blog for ALL readers and learners!

The Internet and e-learning have made the field of education more dynamic and collaborative than ever. Not only can you share the benefit of your experiences and expertise, but you can benefit from that of others every day that you spend in pursuit of academic excellence. The "sandbox" is a place to meet and experiment, play and learn in a freeform manner that allows new discovery and the occasional "failure." You'll see SANDBOX used throughout the field of e-learning in both noun and verb forms, the same way that GOOGLING has become its own phenomenon.

What advice would you give? And what do you need to move forward?

Free & Open Textbooks: They're HERE!

It's important to remember that there are a LOT of quality textbooks out there for your use in designing online instruction. You are NOT bound to expensive textbooks! (And could that affect enrollment, retention and academic outcomes in your class if every student could have instant and free access to the text? I think, YES! and in very positive ways!) Check out Flatworld, a huge repository of free and open textbooks --- and rethink your course design! From their site:

We are the world's largest publisher of free and open college textbooks. With our ever-expanding catalog of top quality books by expert authors, now is your chance to be a hero and help your students save thousands of dollars. Get started today and join the textbook affordability movement.

Let me know if you find something you can use!

Social Media for Universities: Best Practices for Attracting Students, Employees, and Donors

This excellent and succinct advice is good for any university or college struggling to attract students, donors, faculty and staff. The most key point, in my opinion, is the importance of integration of social media into every department, both academic and administrative. The tools listed on these resource pages aren't just for certain age or grade levels---they can be the social channels by which you reach the audience you want to attract to your course, your program, your institution. How are YOU using social media to enhance education?

LapPaq: Lab Material Bundles for Online Science Wet Laboratories--Delivered to Learners!

Now THIS makes some sense! I haven't evaluated it for cost, but our new colleague and digital media guru Everett Alexander heard the Webinar and thought it of value to share with you scientist types! Apparently, you can customize the kit to your curriculum/labs and the company delivers straight to the learners. Is the cost comparable to that of lab fees in a traditional setting? Please help me evaluate that very question. Let me know what you think!

100 Teaching Tools You Should Know About

This is a SlideShare powerpoint covering 100 essential technology tools for educators. It's worth a look to make sure that something amazing hasn't passed you by! And if you find one there I haven't mentioned here, please share!

9 Ways to Learn a New Language Online

This list provides valuable resources for learning foreign languages online! Some cost, some are free. Let me know what you use and how you like it!

How to Create a Rigorous Wet Lab Experience for Online Science Courses

This webinar appear to have no cost! I registered myself and was not asked for payment information. It may be particular to a product, but I'm hoping to watch as it could give us new ideas and perspectives. Join the fun!

Ultimate Guide to Apple's New Education Initiative

It's all HERE!

Algebra II comes to life!

This video was a class project for an Algebra II class and was produced by a very talented student named Andrew Paluszak from NC! The production of the video was a form of assessment, and now the instructor can use this as a learning object in their course ... GO ANDREW!

The Ideal Professor Vs. the Typical Professor

This excellent article was sent to me by a friend and colleague --- and I found it interesting that there's not a huge difference between the two. Which are you? Ideal or typical? What would it take for you to become the ideal professor? And how can we help?

FREE SYMPOSIUM: Exploring Quality in Online and Blended Education

I just signed up for this FREE online symposium entitled "Exploring Quality in Online and Blended Education." Won't you join me?

About the Virtual Symposia

The Sloan-C Online Research Education Symposia in 2012 are a series of 4 interactive presentations on research of critical importance to educators engaged in advancing online and blended education. The symposia will familiarize participants with the current research in each topic via multiple perspectives and emerging trends. Participants can pursue particular aspects of the topics via focused discussions and questions to the presenters. Dates & Topics Include: January 16 - 31, 2012 - Exploring Quality in Online Education April 19 - May 3, 2012 - STEM in Online Education August 23 - September 6, 2012 - Scale October 30 - November 13, 2012 - Policy Click here for more information.

The Uncool Teacher's Guide to Getting Hip

I'm not saying that an instructor needs necessarily to be hip --- you can't be all things to all hipsters, after all. But are you tuned in or dropped out?

Top 10 Free Online Tutoring Tools for 2012

I know people in SEVERAL departments who would like to know about these TOP 10 FREE ONLINE TUTORING TOOLS for 2012! Dig in and let us know what you love best!

Moodle Tool Guide (handy tool for course developers!)

This Moodle Tool Guide is a very handy tool whether you use Moodle or not, as most of the components such as quizzes and wikis can be used in any learning platform. This guide helps you move from learning objective to the proper online tools for meeting your need. Take a look and let me know what you think!

(It occurs to me that creating such a guide for a variety of knowledge areas --- biology, art, accounting, etc. might be a great way of assessing knowledge via a class or group project! Those projects which are of the highest quality can be used as learning objects in future courses! Start building your archive of learning objects by using creative assessment models! Contact me if you need ideas!)

Guggenheim puts 65 modern art books online ... FREE!

This is amazing news! Good news for those who teach art, as well as those who simply love art! Look around online (Open Culture is a great place to start!) for free resources for your classes. Don't forget that we have lots of resources to browse in the sidebar of this blog under LORs, Cool Tools and On The Web ... !

Let us know what you love best and what you want most to learn more about!

Directory of Learning & Performance Tools

This incredible list of over 2,000 digital tools for learning and working in education and the workplace was sent me to by the amazing Connie Mack! I have not yet delved into the list, but I can tell you that I can't wait to get in there and start digging!

Let us know what you try and whether you find it useful or not! There will be some workshops and hands-on laboratories coming up and we're open to suggestion on which tools you want to learn to use!

Integrating Google Tools for Teachers

I haven't vetted this site, but it looks promising!

Google+ for Universities

Here is a little primer on how Google+ can be used in higher education. Is Facebook pushing its userbase out and away? Are both platforms going to be critical to reaching all stakeholders?

What are you doing with these platforms in your work in higher education?

5 Things Students Want Their Teachers to Know about Online Learning

This fabulous article (and tech ideas!) applies to learners of all ages in an online learning environment. What are you doing to engage your students online?

How Collaborative Learning is Shaping the Future of Education

Many in higher education agree that while some of the traditions hold value worth preserving, many of the paradigms are outdated and no longer effective. I am, myself, a strong advocate of replacing the COMPETITIVE models ingrained in education to COLLABORATIVE ones, but to do so we must begin on very basic and grassroots levels.

Does a massive redesign of higher education (or all education, for that matter) begin with administration? With faculty? With students? Who is responsible for taking the risks and giving new ideas a chance? Well, basically we ALL are responsible to some degree, but it's worth noting that a great deal can happen in the design of our coursework. Once we adapt and adopt the technological strategies to support our efforts, learners are often able to balance the load and take on increasingly active roles in the learning process.

This article makes some excellent points---I especially loved this quote:

“Social” probably isn’t the right word to picture a successful digitally-integrated education, as social media isn’t the key component. Instead, think “collaborative.” Historically, the academic model has focused on teaching rather than learning.

How can we change our focus from teaching to learning? What tools are you using to increase the role of the student in both his/her OWN learning, as well as in the learning of their peers? Is your course teaching real world skills in problem-solving and collaboration?

9 Tools for Using Wikipedia in the Classroom

There are lots of varying opinions about Wikipedia, but most who really know the Web site really love it. There are many misconceptions about Wikipedia and how its information is gathered and verified---for anyone who has not yet viewed this TED talk by Wikpedia founder Jimmy Wales, I HIGHLY recommend you do so before forming your opinion about Wikipedia's value as a research tool.

That said, here are 9 Tools for Using Wikipedia in the Classroom.

More to come on this hot topic!

ScribLink meets Screencast-o-Matic!!! (You saw it here!)

No downloads, and both the white board software and video capture software ... FREE! See the "Cool Tools" section on this page for links!

Are Learning Styles a Myth?

I haven't read this thoroughly yet, but I plan to ... are learning styles a myth?

21st Century Skills are so Last Century!

Interesting blog post here---make me think of learning objectives! I believe that technological impacts on culture and learning bear reflection in our course design and learning objectives. What do you think?

e-Portfolios for Learners

I thought some faculty might enjoy this Sloan-C Webinar on e-portfolios. (If you don't have the software already loaded, it will load automatically; just keep clicking "allow" and "OK" as needed! There is audio overlay to the slides, so make sure you have speakers or headphones.)

I can't think of any discipline in which it wouldn't be both prudent and educational for a learner to produce an e-portfolio. There are lots of resources out there as well as innovative applications of the tools. I'll create a special e-portfolio section of this blog page for linking you to the latest and greatest in e-portfolios.

Six Ways to Make Online Education More Invitiing

This article has some great tips for making your online course more inviting to learners. Would love to hear what has worked (or not) for you!

In my experience, the most common criticism of online education by learners is that instructors are slow to respond and not very interactive with students. While a certain degree of autonomy is requisite for online learning success, it's also critical to for the learner to engage with the instructor and with peer learners. There are myriad ways to ensure a deep level of engagement in an online course. I'll be posting more ideas and tips from a variety of sources as time goes on. I welcome your input and suggestions!

10 Awesome Free Tools to Make Infographics

Have you seen the infographic on the right side of the blog page? (You can click on the e-learning infographic in order to view it in a larger view in a separate window. Explore!) It's a great model for conveying dense information in an engaging, high-impact presentation. I can think of so many ways that infographics can be used to teach but also to ASSESS LEARNING in the online classroom!

Here are tools to give you a great start on creating infographics. If you find that you have a need for tools not on this list, let me know and we'll look into higher end graphics programs.

Please share your tips for creating infographics ... as well as your end product!

17 Signs Your Classroom is Behind the Times

I enjoyed reading this list of '17 Signs Your Classroom is Behind the Times' and thought you might too! (Many apply to asynchronous classrooms as well!)

Are there any with which you disagree? Anything you would add?

SoapBox lecture tool invites beta testers!

SoapBox is a fascinating new online lecture tool! According to its site:

Soapbox provides a platform for audience member input, while letting speakers facilitate discussion, organize feedback, and gauge audience sentiment -- all in real time. With SoapBox, speakers are able to transform traditional lectures into lasting conversations by integrating audience thoughts and opinions, without any interruption. 

I signed up to beta test (at the bottom of the page) ... anyone else interested?

ROLE OF EDUCATOR IN A NETWORKED WORLD

The Role of Educator in a Networked World(AUDIO LINKED HERE) (TIP: Advance to 5:00 to skip setup)

View more presentations from Stephen Downes

Have you tried FLIPPING YOUR CLASSROOM?

It's all the rage! Classroom flipping has some bright outcomes as well! Check out THIS ENGAGING INFOGRAPHIC for the full story in bite-sized chunks.

(LOVE THOSE INFOGRAPHICS!)

FREE ONLINE FILE STORAGE!

Folks, the site Box.net is giving away FREE FOR LIFE 50-gigabyte storage accounts for online storage of your files. This offer is good only until December 2. In order to access the promotion, you must register and login the first time on a mobile device (Android, i-Phone, i-Pad) and then you will be able to login and use the account through non-mobile technologies after your initial login.

I signed up tonight. First, go to Box.net and look at the app. Then go on your mobile device and download it. After installing the app, open it and register for an account. You will need your email address and a password. Once you have logged in for the first time on the mobile device, you should be able to login (upload, view, etc.) from any mobile or non-mobile device after that.

Hey, 50 gigs of space that is free for life is nothing to sneeze at! Act quickly! Offer expires Dec. 2.

e-Learning Infographic

Check out this very cool (and very informative) e-learning infographic. Cool tool! And ... who knew?

Ten Steps to Transforming Past Lessons for 21st Century Learners

Here are ten steps to transforming your traditional lesson plans and learning modules into 21st century models that engage learners.

Anything you would add?

JALN (Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks)

Do you know about the Sloan Consortium? Let's start with the peer reviewed Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. In its own words:

The aim of the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks is to describe original work in asynchronous learning networks (ALN), including experimental results. Our mission is to provide practitioners in online education with knowledge about the very best research in online learning. Papers emphasizing results, backed by data are the norm. Occasionally, papers reviewing broad areas are published, including critical reviews of thematic areas. Papers useful to administrators are welcome. Entire issues are published from time-to-time around single topic or disciplinary areas. The Journal adheres to traditional standards of double-blind peer review, and authors are encouraged to provide quantitative data; currently JALN's acceptance rate is 25%. The original objective of the Journal was to establish ALN as a field by publishing articles from authoritative and reliable sources. The Journal is now a major resource for knowledge about online learning.

The Sloan Consortium also offers a considerable number of professional development opportunities, many of them free and not requiring membership.

20 Things Students Want the Nation to Know About Education

How many would you have guessed? Here is the list of 20 Things Students Want the Nation to Know about Education.

How is technology shaping the way that we teach ... and learn?

COOL TOOL ALERT!

I just found out about Voki from Connie Mack during our day-in-the-lab Blackboard marathon. With this tool, even the camera shy can create engaging video using either your own audio/voice (by phone or recording) or one of the digital voices on a fairly generous menu of options. I will be experimenting with this! The site generates a code to embed (like below) or link your video. Imagine the fun!

EDUCAUSE 2011

I am in Philadelphia this week at EDUCAUSE 2011 and am very excited to be getting started this morning. For those who cannot attend, HERE is a link to some online streaming sessions made available through their Web site at EDUCAUSE.edu.

Looking forward to networking with e-learning colleagues and diving into the best practice in academic technology today!

How to Combat Plagiarism

One of the hottest topics at our recent e-learning conference at AAMU was concerning plagiarism and how to address it in online learning environments. This article, published today at Edutopia, addresses some of the same questions.

What are YOUR thoughts on cheating and plagiarism, especially in an e-learning environment?