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This paper presents the first experimental evidence on the effects of live versus internet media of instruction. Students in a large introductory microeconomics course at a major research university were randomly assigned to live lectures versus watching these same lectures in an internet setting, where all other factors (e.g., instruction, supplemental materials) were the same. Counter to the conclusions drawn by a recent U.S. Department of Education meta-analysis of non-experimental analyses of internet instruction in higher education, we find modest evidence that live-only instruction dominates internet instruction. These results are particularly strong for Hispanic students, male students, and lower-achieving students. We also provide suggestions for future experimentation in other settings.

The authors are very misleading in their claim that this study is the first on live versus internet. There is a huge literature on this topic stretching back decades. The claims about the generalizability of the study are also very suspect.

Chris, I think the authors are claiming it is the first experimental trial where participants were randomly assigned to a treatment or control condition. They contrast their study with the DOE meta-analysis, which I don't think includes experimental studies--at least as experiments are defined within econometrics. My problem with the study is that they are aren't really comparing live vs. internet so much as live vs. recorded video. They are very careful to not take advantage of any of the potential affordances of internet mediated instruction, except broadcasting a lecture, to preserve the "purity" of their experiment. Of course, that's not a terribly interesting experiment. The more interesting experiments, which they deride as "not apples-to-apples," is to compare a traditional lecture format with an online course that takes full advantage of the affordances of the internet. These studies would confound the carefully balanced design of an apples-to-apples comparison, but no serious education technologist thinks we should just record all the lectures and post them...

Mobile apps seem to enhance study habits, including classroom assignments. It also benefits the teachers.

This site is an invaluable collection of Web 2.0 Tools for educators. On this Wikispace are links to free sites that provide teachers with some exciting and engaging tools. It is now possible to easily create SMS-based real-time responses to discussion questions, allow students to easily create Flash-based cartoons and Flash-based online posters with a ton of functionality, and even create beats online that they can then record text over (perfect for my "Romeo and Juilet Rap" assignment). Links to all of these tools and more are available from this site.

In general, these systems consist of a school photo ID card affixed to a lanyard that is worn around the student's neck. The ID has a RFID chip embedded in it. The tag includes a digit number assigned to each student. As a student enters the school or pass beneath a doorway equipped with an RFID reader, the tag ID is read, recorded and sent to a server in the school's administrative office. The captured data not only provides an attendance list (sent to the teacher's PDA), but tracks the student's movement throughout the day.

I like that it makes attendance easier to monitor but still seems kinda creepy...and there's always a way around those systems....

In light of our recent Blackboard Collaborate class during Sandy, I got curious as to what other good online delivery platforms are out there. I am preparing to teach the MIT App Inventor curriculum to some high school girls on the other side of the world and am wondering if maybe there's a better alternative to Skype. I came across Piazza, which is free and seems to be gaining traction in higher ed. I also once took an online course with Kaplan and really liked their interface, but don't remember what it was and now it seems they are moving toward a platform called "KapX." If anyone can recommend additional platforms, please let me know.

This article on the NYT is timely with one of the reading articles assigned for this week - "Disrupting College".

Speaking of For-Profit institutions, check out this scathing review: Corporate U: Higher Ed the Bain Way, Part 2: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/21/1143219/-Corporate-U-Higher-ed-the-Bain-Way-part-2

It's interesting to compare the conversations around ICT and education throughout the world.

NOW!!! THIS IS REALLY COOL!

I wish it was this easy when I applied to undergrad. 

interesting point that the MBA admissions director from University of Iowa mentions. Admissions dept.'s are finding traditional application essays stale. New/social media outlets like twitter are bringing back originality and creativity. Maybe embracing Tweets as a medium is like a page-limit on a paper assignment. The constraints force students to really hone in on their points, and convey it as succinctly and clearly as possible? Conveying an entire thought/argument in 140 characters... it isn't easy, and perhaps those who can do it best are really effective 21st century communicators, and are worth rewarding/supporting.

Technology isn't explicit in this article, but it is ever-present in regards to this author's re-thinking of the classic book report. Instead of "same old, same old", this article suggests that students should be remixing the information they gather from books and recreating it in different ways - 21st century skills!!! "Below, we present some alternatives to that classic classroom assignment, the book report. All of our ideas are inspired by The New York Times in some way, either because we've adapted an interesting format, or because we were inspired by an article, review, essay, interview or multimedia feature."

Hi T561- a bit old, but an international perspective on the inequality of technology access across the globe. This article links in with the TIE list discussions about the One Laptop Per Child effort as well. If we want to use technology to break down international barriers, like Dede's "Microsoft of the future" film, we have to address the issue of accessibility, both across the globe and within our own student population.

One example of using Ipads instead of math books. There is a brief mention of incorporating video, but the article does not go into detail about the format of the digital text books

An article that advocates the use of social media in the classroom. It highlights one pilot program in Oregon.

I would be for this. I could not believe a place so big on recycling (Harvard) murdered so many trees with the printing of course packs. I like this idea if you could get the material from other sources than just the school (say the author or publisher directly or something like Amazon). Otherwise, there is no opportunity for competition or bargaining.

what is gained, what is lost

I am really surprised to see that teachers are using facebook for class assignments. Why can't students and teachers use the school website for posts and responses. I don't expect to get work related information through facebook, so why should students be expected to do their 'work' in a social medium? Should schools post homework in facebook? Almost all schools have a website. Use it.

Exciting video. Please share any gesture based computing resources you come across - prg115@ Gesture based computing is the topic of my assignment. On another note, I really like a quote from this talk "Technology is capable of expressing generosity. And we need to demand that" I think I understand it.....

I read this article this afternoon, and thought of it when I was doing work for my wiki assignment. I am looking into the blog Teachers Love SMART Boards (http://smartboards.typepad.com/) and I saw that the author of the blog also works for Teacher Online Training, which offers courses (for a fee) for teachers interested in implementing technologies in their classroom, or using the technology they currently have in a more meaningful way. The majority of the blog was reviews of free sites or education-oriented tools from outside sources, but there were a few posts that dealt with the programs offered by TOT. It made me wonder whether the blog was intended to be impartial, or a form of advertising... He mentioned his job in the company at the beginning of most if not all of the posts that promoted their programs, but these new guidelines may put this blogger in a sticky situation.

While not an emerging tehnology per se, social networks can serve as indicators of how, why and who is using and CREATING web content. I think the creation part of this exchange is key in that it ishere that the disruptive element of the technology comes into play. In my studies of Podcasts for the wiki assignment I found that many first time podcasters subscribers experimented with recording their own Podcast before becoming regular consumers. How does this relate to the facebook vs. myspace arguement, you ask? SImple, myspace is a more customizable portal/page that allows users to express and communicate their own, often marginalized socio-cultural identity. Facebook on the other hand asks users to define their online persona via 'freinds', shared photos, profile text fields, etc. For many recent immigrant and children, the formation and identification of an imagined community is an attractive thing. Somalian wallpaper, Manga flash videos embedded, Dominican Republic Flag .gifs waving all over..and MUSIC.

Here's a brief article with statistics on online social networking divide. What does your online social networking preference reveal about your social class?

Will online social networking create or perpetuate a "caste system" within online communities?

Tecahers must now learn how to craft assignments which do not lend themselves easily to cheating. Dealing with network security issues is probably the easier task of the two.