Buffet Busters - an education program that includes a teachers' guide, along with four animated outbreak scenarios that blends problem solving and scientific analysis in a fun interactive way.
Research based assessment of the use of online forums to improve participation in class, great to read the student comments as well as the research analysis
by Emily C. Weinstein, Harvard University
International Journal of Communication 8 (2014), 210-233.
Social media have dramatically altered the communication landscape, offering novel contexts for individual expression. But how do youth who are civically engaged off-line manage opportunities for civic expression on social media? Interviews with 70 U.S.-based civic youth aged 15 to 25 revealed three main patterns characterizing the
relationship between off-line participation and online expression: blended, bounded, and differentiated. Five sets of empirically derived considerations influencing expression
patterns emerged: organizational policies, personal image and privacy, perceived alignment with civic goals, attitudes toward the platform(s), and perceptions of their audience(s). Most civic youth express the civic online, yet a minority highlight tensions that lead them to refrain from sharing in certain or all online context.
The post really points to the possible pitfalls of online courses. It also suggests the importance of examining & evaluating the effectiveness of online courses - including the teacher's pedagogy and instructional methods - and student receptiveness, level of engagement, and success in courses. The comments after the post provide a lively discussion. Blended learning seems to get high marks.
"the flipped classroom is a form of blended learning in which students learn online at least part of the time while attending a brick-and-mortar school. Either at home or during a homework period at school, students view lessons and lectures online. Time in the classroom, previously reserved for teacher instruction, is spent on what we used to call homework, with teacher assistance as needed.
How can this improve student learning? "
This video works best as a conceptual overview of how the Diigo slides feature can be used to create a variety of different web-based presentations. I'd recommend this video as an 'eye opener' to the potential uses for this remarkable social bookmarking site.
On the other hand, it is is not a 'How to' video. Well worth watching for anyone involved in e-learning, collaborative research, blended teaching environments, library media studies, web 2.0 communications.
We invite you to submit a proposal for the 15th Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning: "The Power of Online Learning: Opportunities for Tomorrow." The conference strongly encourages proposals that reflect the implications for the field of specific e-learning experience and practices. Proposals that address blended learning, issues of diversity, international applications of online learning, open educational resources and/or social networking are especially encouraged. Last year's conference attracted over 1100 participants to more than 180 presentations, as well as exhibits, pre-conference workshops, keynote and plenary addresses, and a variety of other special events.
A new analysis of existing online-learning research by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) reveals that students who took all or part of their class on line performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.
Most of the studies examined by researchers dealt with college-level courses, and ED officials cautioned against generalizing the report's findings to the K-12 level. Still, the report could help educators as they seek to create effective learning environments for all students.