Group items tagged

"The tenth annual survey, a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board, is the leading barometer of online learning in the United States.  Based on responses from over 2,800 academic leaders..."

The Babson Survey Research Group has done yearly reports of online learning.

Abstract: In this paper, we examine the use of Facebook (FB) as a social networking tool in an intermediate French class. After reviewing the available studies on FB in language instruction, we analyze surveys that were administered to students as well as student FB posts. We look at the potential benefits of social media, specifically FB, and discuss its impact on foreign language learning. We aim to address how FB is being used in the language classroom, how students respond to the integration of this social networking site in courses, the attitudes of higher education foreign language learners towards FB, as well as the role of FB in new learning spaces and with today's learners. An analysis of survey data suggests that students respond in a positive manner toward the use of FB in education and highlights some differences in the way FB is used in both personal and academic settings.

Sorry, you may have to go to your own library access to see this, but it was interesting for a number of things: 80% took all classes online, 74% indicated interaction with peers was not or only a little important, among other questions in a survey given to middle and high school students.

This report provides national estimates about distance education courses in public school districts. The estimates presented in this report are based on a district survey about distance education courses offered by the district or by any of the schools in the district during the 2009-10 school year.

Formally assess the extent and scope of the problem within your school district by collecting survey and/or interview data from your students. Once you have a baseline measure of what is going on in your school, specific strategies can be implemented to educate students and staff about online safety and Internet use in creative and powerful ways.

Little is known about the population of educators who teach online, especially with relationship to preparation from their teacher education programs. This article discusses the results of a national survey of K-12 online teachers from across the nation to ascertain how prepared they felt they were with regard to three key areas: technology, pedagogy, and content, including combinations of these domains, as described by the technological pedagogical content knowledge framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Overall, K-12 online teachers indicated that they felt the most prepared in the areas of pedagogy, content, and pedagogical content. They felt least prepared in the areas of technology, including technological pedagogical knowledge, technological content knowledge, and technological pedagogical content knowledge. Implications for the field of teacher education are discussed, including the need to more fully integrate technology within the coursework and field experiences of teacher candidates, and the need to create courses, or specific modules within existing courses, to address topics of importance to virtual teaching.

An article about how some of the academics manage both personal and professional accounts on Twitter, FB etc.

Ms. Johnson's survey findings has made me think on my own personal rule of keeping school and personal separate in cyberspace. Question still remains is: at what age is it appropriate for teachers to mix school and personal...middle school, high school, college?

If you are considering using electronic portfolios with your students - here is a review of software available for a school. You might also want to consider LinguaFolio, and just plain wikis as other alternatives.

Abstract: "In academic settings where digital badges are taking over conventional task formats, educators are faced with the challenge of how to deliver and assess content and skills within badges. Imposing a mastery learning approach, where feedback is key, to a digital badge system may be a potential solution to using digital badges within higher education. As a way to support student learning, Guskey, Journal of Advanced Academics, 19(1), 8-31 (2007) emphasizes the importance of not only frequent feedback but specific feedback. In order to examine how students are using feedback to inform their coursework within a digital badge context, an online survey was designed consisting of open-ended questions about the nature and value of instructional feedback within a digital badge system. Results from the questionnaire indicated three major thematic groups illustrating feedback from the students' perspective: Importance and Nature of Feedback, Authority over Knowledge and Learning, and Learning for Mastery."

Google Forms - new version, and classroom use ideas from Matt's blog

I've used google forms for sending surveys to staff before. I've NEVER thought about how cool it would be to use for students and collecting answers on quizzes or analyzing the answer responses they submit. I probably would use this more if I was teaching in the upper grades... Any ideas for K-2 ESL uses??

More ideas on how to use Wallwisher. I highlighted some of my favorites.

several examples of SNS use in the FL classroom

inding productive media examples to use in the classroom can be time-consuming and challenging. Here are media examples other teachers have found useful along with descriptions and information about the teaching contexts in which they were used.

Twitter, the popular microblogging site that allows users to post 140-character "tweets," both intrigues and irritates faculty, according to a Faculty Focus survey. Some embrace it as a clever way to teach concision and get students writing, thinking, and connecting with the course material and one another.

Unfortunately, unless you are a subscriber to the journal, you can't access this article, but if anybody is interested just let me know!