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Contents contributed and discussions participated by Dennis OConnor

Dennis OConnor

Wolfram Education Portal: Wolfram Teaching Resources - 0 views

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    Great STEAM materials.  Powerful source for any flipped math or science curriculum.  Interactive document format is very promising. 
Dennis OConnor

The Wrath Against Khan: Why Some Educators Are Questioning Khan Academy - 0 views

  • While "technology will replace teachers" seems like a silly argument to make, one need only look at the state of most school budgets and know that something's got to give. And lately, that something looks like teachers' jobs, particularly to those on the receiving end of pink slips. Granted, we haven't implemented a robot army of teachers to replace those expensive human salaries yet (South Korea is working on the robot teacher technology. I'll keep you posted.). But we are laying off teachers in mass numbers. Teachers know their jobs are on the line, something that's incredibly demoralizing for a profession already struggles mightily to retain qualified people.
  • it's hard not to see that wealth as having political not just economic impact. Indeed, the same week that Bill Gates spoke to the Council of Chief State School Officers about ending pay increases for graduate degrees in teaching, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued almost the very same statement. What does all of this have to do with Sal Khan? Well, nothing... and everything.
  • One of education historian Diane Ravitch's oft-uttered complaints is that we now have a bunch of billionaires like Gates dictating education policy and education reform, without ever having been classroom teachers themselves (or without having attended public school). But the skepticism about Khan Academy isn't just a matter of wealth or credentials of Khan or his backers. It's a matter of pedagogy.
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  • No doubt, Khan has done something incredible by creating thousands of videos, distributing them online for free, and now designing an analytics dashboard for people to monitor and guide students' movements through the Khan Academy material. And no doubt, lots of people say they've learned a lot by watching the videos. The ability pause, rewind, and replay is often cited as the difference between "getting" the subject matter through classroom instruction and "getting it" via Khan Academy's lecture-demonstrations.
  • Although there's a tech component here that makes this appear innovative, that's really a matter of form, not content, that's new. There's actually very little in the videos that distinguishes Khan from "traditional" teaching. A teacher talks. Students listen. And that's "learning." Repeat over and over again (Pause, rewind, replay in this case). And that's "drilling."
Dennis OConnor

100 + Must Have Cheat Sheets and Quick References For Web Designers and Developers | De... - 0 views

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    Extensive collection of job aides.  Techy, but a lifesaver if you're deep into design.
Dennis OConnor

E-Learning and Online Teaching | Scoop.it - 0 views

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    Hi impact, curated magazine of articles and professional resources for those interested in e-learning and online teaching. Published by Dennis O'Connor, Program Advisor for the University of Wisconsin Stout E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program.
Dennis OConnor

Exploring the Advantages of Blended Instruction at Community Colleges  and Te... - 0 views

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    JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Exploring the Advantages of Blended Instruction at Community Colleges and Technical Schools
Dennis OConnor

Information Investigator 3 by Carl Heine on Prezi - 0 views

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    What if every student (and educator) was a good online researcher?  I know, you don't have the time to teach information fluency skills.  What if you could get a significant advance is skills with just a 2 -3  hour time commitment?  Here's a great Prezi 'fly by" of the new Information Investigator 3.1 online self paced class.  Watch the presentation carefully to find the link to a free code to take the class for evaluation purposes. 
Dennis OConnor

Googlios - 0 views

  • Welcome to "Googlios" where free Google tools meet ePortfolios.   This site is intended to be a collection of resources for those interested in using ePortfolios in Education.  Watch the 2 minute Intro video here
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    Many of the participants in the UW-Stout E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program use Google Sites to create their e-portfolios.  The portfolios are created and used throughout the program. During the practicum, when students become teachers by teaching in one of our graduate classes, they also refine and polish their portfolios. Ultimately the online portfolio becomes a job search tool that helps our graduates show a potential employer what they know. 
Dennis OConnor

Education Week Teacher: High-Tech Teaching in a Low-Tech Classroom - 0 views

  • How can we best use limited resources to support learning and familiarize students with technology?
  • get creative with lesson structure
  • Take advantage of any time that your students have access to a computer lab with multiple computers.
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  • Relieve yourself from the pressure of knowing all the ins and outs of every tool. Instead, empower your students by challenging them to become experts who teach one another (and you!) how to use new programs.
  • "Pass it On" Buddy Method
  • Students assist one another in creating digital products that represent or reflect their new learning. It’s a great way to spread technological skills in a one-computer classroom.
  • Group Consensus Method
  • Small groups of students engage in dialogue on a particular topic, then a member uses a digital tool to report on the group's consensus.
  • Rotating Scribe Method
  • Each day, one student uses technology to record the lesson for other students.
  • Whole Class Method
  • Teachers in one-computer classrooms often invite large groups of students to gather around the computer. Here are a few suggestions for making the most of these activities
  • When we are faced with limited resources, it is tempting to throw up our hands and say, "I just don't have what I need to do this!" However, do not underestimate your ability to make it work.
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    Might help create a blended classroom, even when you have to share the blender.  Common sense advise for the real world of underequipped classrooms and stretched thin teachers.
Dennis OConnor

E-Learning-Jobs-Special-from-UW-Stout - 0 views

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    Back to school issue. August and September are times when jobs are landed. This newsletter is dedicated to helping anyone looking for a job as an online teacher. I write this newsletter as a service for students and graduates of the E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program at the University of Wisconsin Stout. ~ Dennis O'Connor (Program Advisor)
Dennis OConnor

Information-Fluency-Newsletter - 0 views

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    The most recent issue of the 21cif Information Fluency newsletter. Feel free to join! Low volume news letter dedicated to searching, evaluating and ethical use of digital information. Includes an invitation for free access to our new 3 hour self paced training course and online assessment: Information Fluency Investigator 3.1.
Dennis OConnor

Caught Cheating: New Ways Kids Are Breaking the Rules - 0 views

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    When is it cheating? When is it collaboration? This thoughtful article from Common Sense Media provides fine advice for parents (or teachers) on how to talk to kids about digital media and ethics.  
Dennis OConnor

Learn It In 5 - Home - 10 views

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    Video site dedicated to short instructional tutorials for the technology classroom.  
Dennis OConnor

Stanford's free 'Intro to AI' course | KurzweilAI - 0 views

  • Stanford University’s CS221: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Fall quarter 2011 is now available, for free, Stanford has announced.You can take this online course from professors Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig, along with several hundred Stanford undergrads, without having to fill out an application, pay tuition, or live in a dorm.
  • This is more than just downloading materials and following along with a live stream; you’re actually going to have to do all the same work as the Stanford students. There’s a book, at least 10 hours per week of studying, weekly graded homework assignments, a midterm exam, and a final exam. The professors will be available to answer your questions. If you finish the work, you’ll get a certificate of completion and a final grade (no college credits, however, unless you’re a Stanford student).
Dennis OConnor

QR Treasure hunt - 0 views

  • Get students using their mobile devices to move and to learn
Dennis OConnor

digitalresearchtools / Annotation and Notetaking Tools - 0 views

  • Definition:   There are available downloads, applications, and plug-ins that allow you to take notes, share them with other researchers, attach them to digital resources, and more.
Dennis OConnor

#PleaseHelp: Learning to Write (Again) on Twitter | Digital Is ... - 0 views

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    A writing teacher's narrative about re-discovering a writers process by slowly learning Twitter.  This is a thoughtful account that may lure some who are hesitant about using twitter into giving it a try. (More than a try really, it takes some time for you too find your voice and your audience.)
Dennis OConnor

Emerging Asynchronous Conversation Models : eLearning Technology - 0 views

  • The standard model for asynchronous conversations is discussion forum software like vBulletin.  I've talked before about the significant value that can be obtained as part of Discussion Forums for Knowledge Sharing at Capital City Bank and how that translates in a Success Formula for Discussion Forums in Financial Services.  I also looked at Making Intranet Discussion Groups Effective.
  • However, I've struggled with the problem of destinations vs. social networks and the spread of conversation (see Forums vs. Social Networks). 
  • Talkwheel  is made to handle real-time group conversations and asynchronous ones.  It can act as an instant messaging service a bit like Yammer, HipChat for companies and other groups, but the layout is designed to make these discussions easier to see, archive, and work asynchronously.
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  • Talkwheel’s design makes class conversations easier to follow, more interactive, and more effectively organized. It eliminates the problem of navigating multithreaded conversations, enables real-time group conversation, and makes referencing asynchronous conversations much easier. Talkwheel’s dashboard organization allows teachers to organize all their classes and projects in one centralized location, while Talkwheel's analytics helps teachers and administrators quantitatively monitor their students’ progress throughout the year.
  • Quora is a Q&A site nicely integrated with Facebook that has done a good job providing a means to ask questions and get answers.
  • Quora has been able to form quite an elite network of VCs, entrepreneurs, and other experts to answer questions.  They've also created topic pages such as: Learning Management System. 
  • Finally, Namesake, is a tool for real-time and asynchronous conversations.  It's a bit like Quora but more focused on conversation as compared to Q&A and it allows real-time conversation a bit like twitter.  You can see an example of a conversation around phones below.
  • All of these point to new types of conversation models that are emerging in tools.
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    Threaded discussion is an old technology. It's inspiring to think of new ways we can talk together at a distance that allow integration of both synchronous and asynchronous technology. I often thing we'll look back on the course management systems we use today and think of them as something like a 300 baud modem. Eyes Front! What's over the horizon line?
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