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I received the following from Norma Whitacre and thought I'd pass it along. Our focus this week in EDUC251 is on this and is appropriate introduction to this course. from Norma: The third class in the series is offered spring quarter. It is Assessment in eLearning, EDCU 252. I hired Robin Jeffers, an assessment expert, to teach it, and she is great. Class begins the second week of the quarter and meets on campus two days only: Tuesdays. April 12 and June 7, 4:30-6:20, item 2239. A full class description is attached. (bookmarked above) We are also offering EDUC 250, the Introductory class if you know anyone who wants it.

I haven't seen the content for this course, but it's one I'd actually consider taking myself. (Though I imagine I'd stir up some controversy.)

Jennifer, it would AWESOME to have to in the class and have another voice to help reason through and learn about assessment. Please do take it!!!!

This site is an interesting reference and you can also sign-up for periodic emails on topics. I find that I will read an email at times, whereas going to a website and possibly logging in is more overhead. One specific article that might be of interest that this site offers is Learning with Technology: Tools and Stragies to Improve Student Learning. (http://www.facultyfocus.com/free-reports/teaching-with-technology-tools-and-strategies-to-improve-student-learning)

My reflections on Module 2, and some questions about the future.

Appreciate you showing us, from the instructor side, how the class is going and asking for our input. I'm taking notes as how to incorporate this into my online classes.

What we really need is for something to go terribly wrong so we can solve it together. Maybe this week I'll share what's been going on in my day job, so you can learn what not to do!

This is related to some of our inquiry last week about open courses. ELI is an important conference. I hope you get a chance to check out some of the free sessions online. "Educating in the Open: Philosophies, Innovations, and Stories February 14-16, 2011 * Washington, D.C. or Online Free Conference Streaming SessionsJoin us for the ELI 2011 Annual Meeting "Educating in the Open: Philosophies, Innovations, and Stories," where we as a community will explore the theme of openness in Washington, D.C., February 14-16. If you can't attend in person, participate online. We'll explore the many meanings of "openness": open textbooks, open curriculum, open research, and open resources, as well as openness to new ideas. Today's technologies have transformed the way we interact and engage with the world around us. New devices, services, and effective practices have increased access to information while new policies and philosophies that explore openness have accelerated that change. The growth of social networks and virtual communities has transformed the learning environment into an interactive place to share and build content and community using collaborative systems. * What are the opportunities and the challenges associated with educating in the open? * How might our learners benefit from becoming producers and consumers in this environment? * How can we, as a community of teaching and learning professionals, collaborate more openly? * What evidence do we have that the trend toward openness is having the impact we hope for? Through a highly interactive and engaging program, we'll also examine the value of cross-campus collaboration in the creation of new learning environments and explore strategies to develop campus environments built on engagement, collaboration, authenticity, and co-creation."

"Free Resources and Lesson Plans for Teaching with Technology" You might find some useful activities and tools on this site.

Authentic learning is a solid pedagogy approach, no matter the environment. However, two concepts of authentic learning that I feel can be particularly expanded on with the internet and etools are "hooks" and "experts". "Hooks" is what picques and keeps the student's interest and motivation in the activity. With the use of video, games, tools, etc., there are many more ways to do this. "Experts" is being able to bring in subject resources, which on the internet, makes accessibility easy. For my course framework activity, therefore, I expanded on the colon treatment options module. For a hook, I searched YouTube for "colon cancer comedy" videos. There were quite a few actually. I added as a introduction to the module one of these videos - two singing colon surgeons - on colon surgery. For experts, I added references to the National Institute of Health and American Cancer Society on treatment options and survival statistics. I also am having the students connect directly to true cancer experts - patients, caregivers, and survivors. This puts a "face" on the disease, as well as an experience to what it means to have colon cancer. The course framework activity: (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HZKsjzymKk1Bn2gXDt1LOp5gqEsUvOqXE4m-72b8WYw/edit?hl=en#) In my online work experience as a math tutor, hooks are particularly important, as these students would not be in the program if they weren't already performing at a lower math level. Math is not a subject they enjoy. The automated lessons they take, often have "game" quizzes they take and can get immediate feedback on their answers. As an instructor, I try to utilize their life experiences. For example, I might ask them how old they are and then tell them how old I am. I then use these facts to construct subtraction and/or division questions.

This is an interesting student post about balancing technology in our lives.

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/i-can-t-think.html# - This is an article this week in Newsweek that "The Twitterization of our culture has revoluntioned out lives, but with unintended consequence - over overloaded brains freeze when we have to make decisions".

animoto.com is a tool that allows one to take pictures and create a slide show, adding text and music. It is a free tool, however, for a modest amount you can have additional features that allow you to do professional editting. I chose this activity as a way to connect with everyone and can really match faces with names. If you do see any mistakes, please let me know and I can easily update the slide show. I feel it goes to the discussion about creating community and having a presence that is more dimensional than just our names in a list. One could request and easily add other photos or snips.

Ann: I agree with Joy...cool tool. What a nice way to introduce the class.

My thought exactly Ann!

There's certainly bias in this post, and it's political, but I think it's important for us all to be aware of what's going on in budget cuts to education. It's a complex issue, but one that affects our entire society, not just people with kids.

I am still laughing over that one!!! Alright you teachers in this class...as a tax payer, I want you to work 12 months a year for us. If your not teaching, I want you to babysit all those latch key kids out there! You owe us...NOT! By the way, that principle or superintendent that was just fired in the Seattle, was making $264,000 per year plus benefits! Ouch!!! How much are teachers making...I'll bet it is not that amount.

"Charting the Course of Teaching and Learning in a Networked World" I don't know anything about this community, but I saw it today and thought it might be interesting. Tonight they have a session - "John Seely Brown on The New Culture of Learning."

I am not quite sure I know what a PDP is, but assume it is a portable device. I appreciated your sharing that as I hadn't thought about how eLearning is not just over the internet, but can include auxiullary technology. In a previous post, the thought of delivery of course material over other devices - such as an iPod - was brought up, but hadn't thought about how students also use these tools in a way that I, as a teacher, don't structure. This brings up for me, how, if anything, I want to do as a student. If, for example, everyone has an iPod, might I suggest they could enter their assignment either by blog or iPod? I realize in a course technology is an overhead, but it reminds me of the possibilities and that we are at the beginning of a teaching evolution.

I made a sample lecture material for my badminton class with powerpoint.

Hyerin, I just viewed your final project, finding it filled with many good things teachers do to engage and nurture their students. I liked the buttons at the top of the home page which directed students to the various pieces of the course on badminton. As a student, I would find it easy to navigate your course and have fun learning about this sport! Keep up the good work!

I do not believe learners will cheat if they are made to feel they are capable learners with something to offer society, each other and their community. Also, seeing the consequences of cheating in their lives might make them think twice about it. Cheating denies each of us the right to self respect and earning what we have achieved, through hard work and desire to learn. Maybe cheating has more to do with the institution and instructors or professors than the learners.

Thanks for the great resource. Having only taught in a very small university, where classes average 15 students, you really get to know your students thinking, style of writing, etc. Yes, the comment made about cheating more likely to happen when a student feels "invisible" is probably common in larger university settings. I've put this link in my File section for future reference. Thanks, Joy.

Your welcome Helene. I really liked the tips this woman gave me! I intend to try them for my bog!

This is an interesting article giving the NSTA's position on the use of online education for science teachers. Oops! The title is actually: The Role of E-Learning in Science.

Its good to standards evolving. It implies a legitmacy to elearning.

If you haven't tried Evernote, I highly recommend it. This is a decent post about uses in education.

Jennifer, I've been using the online Microsoft Office OneNote to save web pages, images, text snippets, etc. What are some advantages to using Evernote, in your experience?

I like that I can sync evernote across multiple machines and my phone. My 10 year old daughter even uses it to capture things she wants to save.

Dear to my heart is any video or blog teaching us the dangers of bullying.

This is a great topic to research in relation to eLearning. There is so much more risk of bullying than there is with other types of "safety" issues that get more media attention.

Amen. One day when working on the crisis line at the office of EDVP, a woman called me regarding her daughter and a incident of bullying. I gave her tons of resources and some of them were geared toward her 6 -10 year old daughter.

This is just brilliant!

I don't think people get up in the morning and say I am going to do a bad job today. I think teachers have so many other things they deal with that have nothing to do with direct education that their job becomes very demanding. I think this 'grade-in' was a kind way to make the point.

What a cool idea!

First part of the 10 Best Things, but because of posting limitations used a topic post to list all 10. 1. Judith's Boettcher's - The Online Teaching Survival Guide - is a good organization and explanation of eLearning. 2. Wiggins Model of Understanding - enduring understanding, important to know, worth being familiar with - is a good framework for helping properly focus the course. 3. The jing tool has become my new "snip" tool. Being able to capture and make a screen video is extremely useful. 4. Providing additional time in the first lesson - in this case 2 weeks, rather than 1 - to allow students a transition to the platform and tools is a best practice for me for on-line courses. 5. The weekly instructor availability during class hours is another best practice, as students know there is a time they can get information and questions answered in an interactive manner.

I have made some personal comments on obtaining the skills and not being able to get the job one trains for.

To elaborate on your: " My point is this, giving my student the skills to do the job they hope to do in the future is not the end of the learning process." School has the dual purpose of both enlightening us as people and preparing us for a profession. As this article points out, obtaining a degree or going to school does not guarantee of a job. It may not guarantee a job, but without you can't have the insight or credential to eventually get there.

What deeply saddens me is technical and community colleges may give you the skills; but then they may drop the ball by not helping beyond that point. Without internships and situations for obtaining experience...one cannot overcome the obstacle of needing experience in the field. Same goes for my hope to teach...which may just be a dream I am holding onto with no basis in reality. Then the feds paid for the courses, the college got the money and I am in fact the loser.

Here it is--at last!! This is my Final Course Framework tour with 8 of Boettcher's Best Practices featured. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out considering that 100% of the knowledge required to create it was new to me at the beginning of this quarter!!

I loved it! When you can get animals to participate in the learning process...that is amazing ( I loved those pics!).

What a great project for grade school students to learn and understand these principles and also learn about the Galapagos. I visited the islands in 2009 and still am in awe.