EET Learns

Interesting tips - except he uses the cliche "the fact of the matter is" - one o my pet peeves

Some studies reveal deep doubts among students and faculty that distance learning ever can have the degree of interaction in a non-distance environment. Horn (1994) and Hirumi and Bermudez (1996) are among those who find that, with proper instructional design, distance courses actually can be more interactive than traditional ones, providing more personal and timely feedback to meet students' needs than is possible in large, face-to-face courses.

"In this interview Blackboard Learn President Ray Henderson and Moodlerooms Chairman and CEO Lou Pugliese explain why Blackboard is getting into the open source business, what's different about delivering services to those customers versus Blackboard's traditional customers, and what might be next on the open source agenda for the No. 1 learning management system company in the world."

"Educational video are possbily one of the most effective learning tools, and honestly, even most grown-ups will find them enriching and entertaining. But what if the only video resource you use is YouTube and you can not access it in your school or classroom. Are there any alternatives ? Yes there are more eighty alternatives to YouTube that you can use with your students. These video resources are among the best online. We have spent so much reviwing every single one and therefore we confirm their suitablity to education."

"Altimeter's research examined companies considered to be advanced in social business and their preparations for or ability to avoid a social media crisis. Given the accelerated us of social media on campus within core services, meaning higher education's adoption of a social media business model, the possibility of a social media crisis arising is something that should be expected and planned for."

Thought you might enjoy the reference to Vygotsky!

"Many presenters, particularly novices, struggle to find a presentation style that works best for them. Luckily, throughout the years, after much trial and error, many successful techniques and methodologies for presentation creation and delivery have emerged, giving speakers a variety of existing approaches to "borrow" from. From top left: Lawrence Lessig, Masayoshi Takahashi, Seth Godin, Mino Monta Here, we'll describe and evaluate some of the most famous - and popular - presentation methods."

Academics have long talked of the "academic conversation." Now, Web 2.0 has called our bluff. We live in the midst of a non-stop world conversation. But, are conversational skills (in writing) important and, if so, how do we teach them?

"For a stranger, the main library at the University of Illinois at Chicago can be hard to find. The directions I got from a pair of clerks at the credit union in the student center have proven unreliable. I now find myself adrift among ash trees and drab geometric buildings. Finally, I call for help. Firouzeh Logan, a reference librarian here, soon appears and guides me where I need to go. Several unmarked pathways and an escalator ride later, I am in a private room on the second floor of the library, surrounded by librarians eager to answer my questions."

"Social networking tools aren't going away any time soon, they appear to be here for the long term. But do these kinds of applications really belong in the classroom? I think they do, and here's a few reasons why:"

What an excellent tool for vocabulary development and improving writing style. It would also be very useful for ESL students

"Providing feedback to students about their in-class presentations can be a juggling act, and students may not be able to connect instructor comments with specific moments in their talks. In this essay, Drs. Curto and Laudato describe a technique for providing feedback via rich media capture. Much like comments in the margins of a written assignment, feedback is received at the appropriate time point in the presentation."

Several instructors have asked over time about different ways to give students feedback on their in-class presentations. This is a PDF article that addresses this specifically.

Looks like Dropbox still one of the top! I am using in for many of my students - they love the ease of use, especially since they no longer have access to the "z" drive for storage.