Group items tagged

Media can be used in almost any discipline to enhance learning, both in class, and also for out-of-class assignments. Short film and television clips, written articles, and blog postings can be viewed to reinforce concepts and spark discussion. Songs and music videos, especially when the lyrics are made available, can be used to the same effect.

From the website:  (and there is a companion website, see below) In spite of the proliferation of online learning in higher education, creating online courses can still evoke a good deal of frustration, negativity, and wariness in those who need to create them. Essentials of Online Course Design takes a fresh, thoughtfully designed, step-by-step approach to online course development. At its core is a set of standards that are based on best practices in the field of online learning and teaching. Pedagogical, organizational and visual design principles are presented and modeled throughout the book and users will quickly learn from the guide's hands-on approach. The course design process begins with the elements of a classroom syllabus which, after a series of guided steps, easily evolve into an online course outline. The guide's key features include: a practical approach informed by theory clean interior design that offers straightforward guidance from page one clear and jargon-free language examples, screen shots, and illustrations to clarify and support the text a Companion Website with examples, adaptable templates, interactive learning features, and online resources a checklist of online course design standards that readers can use to self-evaluate. Essentials of Online Course Design serves as a best-practice model for designing online courses. After reading this book, readers will find that preparing for online teaching is, contrary to popular belief, a satisfying and engaging experience. The core issue is simply good design: pedagogical, organizational, and visual. Companion website:  http://www.marjorievai.com/WEBSITE-CONTENTS.html

Slide show on intelligence(s)

This doesn't really apply to language level exams, but for those of you who are interested in the MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) and how to get beyond Bloom's level 1 in testing, this article has an interesting idea for multiple choice tests.

thanks for the article link, Marlene. I am collecting articles/info about assessment and testing for a board I have going on Pinterest and for a Diigo group I have set up for my students here at my school in Chicago. It's a private group, but I am happy to invite you in if you are interested.

From the book: "Since the first version of this book came out in 2005, the field of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has grown and changed. This update is the result of some of those changes. Our intent is to place pedagogical goals before technologies, as the literature advises but is not always followed in classrooms. In revising this book, as in the original, we assume that good teachers teach well because they bear in mind certain principles about how they can best help learners to learn language. Placing these principles at the center of attention makes it much easier for teachers to concentrate on the question of what constitutes effective computer-enhanced pedagogy and why. This book takes as its organizing principles both the system of conditions that are known to support effective language learning and the goals that a variety of standards in the field have set out for us and our students. Examples throughout the book underscore the need to consider theory in every aspect of the teaching and learning process. Some of the points in this book we have made in other places; other we discovered during the revision process. All told, this text provides a brief picture of what CALL classrooms can be like today. Of course, that could change tomorrow."

wiki description of Social Constructivism from University of Georgia

Great!! This teacher is very clear with his purposes and instructions to students.

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?

This open access online journal disseminates research in the field of foreign and second language educations related to technology. Therefore, LLT provides theories of second language acquisition and pedagogical implication of computer-assisted language learning. (Group A18 Noriko)

Very helpful. Thanks!

Thank you Noriko, very good source