Group items tagged

About this MoodleMeet  The focus of this moodlemeet is investigating what current research offers teachers and others to develop effective online courses. Among the topics we will discuss are: defining what quality comprises in (K12) online learning what are students' expectations of online learning what can teachers do to with moodle tools to promote quality in their virtual classrooms The discussions are aimed primarily at course developer/teachers; however, there are a number of practices that DL administrators ought to be doing to support their teachers and promote instructional leadership.

Find great conferences to attend. See what your friends are going to or speaking at, find conferences near you or browse conferences by topic. Discover what's hot while it's on. Track what's going on during the conference, even if you aren't there. Who is tweeting what, what links are doing the rounds. Use our useful mobile version to decide what to go to next. Catch up on anything you missed. Easily discover slides, video and podcasts from conferences you attended or tracked. If you spoke at an event you can build up your speaker portfolio of talks you gave

"Everywhere I look I'm seeing 'Flip teaching' or 'Flipped classroom'. There's a lot of hype about this 'flipping' idea and it's getting me flipping irritated. What does flipping actually involve? Does anyone know, or is the term being misused or misrepresented? Even Aaron Sams, a highly visible proponent of the flipped movement admits that the term is ambiguous. This morning, the May issue of Wired Magazine landed on my doormat, and what did I see inside? An article entitled 'University just flipped'. Well, dip me in mayonnaise. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but when you get down to the fundamentals, isn't flipping the classroom a load of old hat? Haven't we been doing it for years?"

"So you've just bought an iPad? You were finally swayed by what everyone's saying about it. You can't wait to get started so that you can see for yourself what all the hype's about. You ask a few friends for recommendations on what apps to download and off you go... Not so fast"

"We hear a lot about what things are popular in terms of technology, the cool new devices that are coming out, and trends that are happening with classroom technology integration. But just because something is a trend (or even a requirement) doesn't that it is popular or liked. It doesn't mean you won't hear people grumbling about it. Often times, trends become trends because a lot of people like them, but in the case of education, trends can happen easily in the following scenario: administrators like the idea and think it is great, and teachers have to implement said idea regardless of if it is a great fit with their classroom and students. So what common education technology trends are really supported and loved by teachers, and which ones make them want to bang their heads on their chalkboards/desks/smartboards/laptops? The handy infographic below brings together data from European and North American teachers to get their points of view on the subject"

The current state of technology in the classroom is somewhere between its infancy and bold experimentation. For every 1:1 tablet program or BYOD-pioneering district, there is a teacher in a poor urban district struggling to get her "smart" board thinking again, or another in a rural district dancing a little dance for his new document camera. The infographic below illustrates this point by offering statistics on what how many teachers are using what, and how they feel about it all. One interesting stat? 65% of teachers say technology let's them demonstrate things they could not show any other way. That one makes sense, though I'd think it might be closer to 100%.

"What encourages students to do well in school? Often, it comes down to grades. Many students will work harder in order to earn a higher grade. Colleges want to see good grades. Parents want to see good grades. Grades are good, right? Of course they are, but the grades should not be the only goal. Learning for the sake of it should be a goal, including what they learned, how long they remembered it, and how they applied it to new situations."

"What about using comic tutorials to help with the integration of technology in your teaching, have you ever thought about it ?In today's post I am sharing with you some REALLY great comic tutorials created by The Daring Librarian. I have spent a couple of hours going through her work and I am really impressed by what she has been designing. I love her creative ideas and how she has represented them in such a visually appealing way .There are over 60 comic tutorials in her Flicker page but I have chosen only the 4 most relevant ones."

Too often the conversation surrounding the flipped classroom focuses on the videos- creating them, hosting them, and assessing student understanding of the content via simple questions or summary assignments. I wish the conversation focused more on what actually happens in a flipped classroom. If we move lecture or the transfer of knowledge online to create time and space in the physical classroom, how are we using that time to improve learning for students? What is our role as the teacher in the flipped classroom? How are we maximizing the potential of the group when students are together to design collaborative, creative, student-centered activities and assignments? This is the part I want to hear more about!

"I have been asked by a few different people to boil down the "essence" of teaching with technology, whatever that means. I doubt this is what they meant, but this is what they got, and I share it humbly with you."

Open content licensing (free stuff!) is changing the world. It's making art, music, information, and education more accessible than it has ever been in the history of humankind. We've put together a collection of articles designed to help you become a part of this amazing movement, either as a creator, or just a more empowered consumer. This is a guide for people new to open content, or people who want to expand what they already know about this incredible movement. Here you'll learn what open content is, how to license your own work for sharing around the world, and how to find the best and most beautiful open content for your websites, slideshows, articles, and whatever other amazing projects you have coming up!

The conference will be of interest to educators, administrators, students, and community members who value the importance of integrating technology into the curriculum to improve instruction, learning, and business. Online learning involves various skills on the part of the instructor and learner. These include social and communication skills, social networking, independent learning strategies, critical and higher order thinking skills, creativity, and effective online and face-to-face facilitation. In addition, there are many challenges that educators, administrators, students, businesses, and community members face. The theme of the conference is, connecting online for instruction and learning that goes beyond the classroom. Presenters from around the globe will discuss the following topics: Connecting online to improve instruction and learning: Online learning and pedagogical/instructional experiences Experiences with the use of technology in face-to-face and online classes. What worked and what didn't work for you? How do you use technology to promote your online workshops, consultation, business, and communities? Research conducted on e-learning Books written on e-learning 21st Century learning and teaching Challenges of the 21st Century learning/teaching environment Leading a business with e-learning technology

A helpful little video showing you what hashtags are all about

The "flipped classroom" was being discussed in social lounges, in conference sessions, on the exhibit floor, on the hashtag and even at dinner. People wanted to know what it was, what it wasn't, how it's done and why it works. Others wanted to sing its praises and often included a vignette about how it works in their classroom and how it transformed learning for their students. Still others railed that the model is nothing transformative at all and that it still emphasizes sage-on-the-stage direct instruction rather than student-centered learning. I engaged in a few of these discussions offline and online, and while I'm still on the fence about my feelings toward the model, I can offer some insight and interpretation."

For more than a decade eLearning has promised a revolution in African education. The opportunity of mass access to world-class learning resources without the barriers of distance or cost has excited educationalists, politicians and learners alike. But has eLearning lived up to this promise? What do African eLearning professionals, practitioners, policymakers, business leaders and teachers think about this? What technologies do they use and which world views inform their work? For the first time ever, the perspectives of eLearning professionals and a range of other stakeholders across 41 different countries on the Continent are reflected in this ground-breaking new publication from eLearning Africa.

Look around at any restaurant or mall and it's easy to see: adults are always connected to their mobile devices. But as this technology becomes even more ingrained in our lives, what can we expect for our children? Studies show that - used wisely - technology can be an important part of their everyday lives as well.

Does your digital footprint convey the message you want? If you don't know you should spend time figuring this out. In the 21st century our digital footprint conveys an important image and people should know what that is.  Below are ideas that will enable you to explore and consider if your digital footprint conveys the message you want to share with the world.  It will also give you ideas for activities you can do with your students so they can do the same.

This webinar sets out to show what one can do with Google Chrome! It is an extraordinary browser with all sorts of tips and tricks you might not know about to make browsing a breeze!

Mural.ly is a new tool (still in beta, launched last week) that is a cross between Prezi and mind maps. It's easy to use and share what you create (perfect for most students, teachers, and parents) but the real beauty of mural.ly is in its lack of structure.