Ten of Kasey Bell's fav's, 2020.03.24

Dr. Monica Burns explained "strategies for watching webinars and making the most of your time as an attendee of a virtual presentation" (2019.06.19)

"[S]tudies point to better reading comprehension from printed material..." (deck). "[R]esults from 33 high-quality studies that tested students' comprehension ... showed that students of all ages, from elementary school to college, tend to absorb more when they're reading on paper than on screens, particularly when it comes to nonfiction material" (Barshay, ¶¶ 3-4). That is, without the extra bells and whistles that digital texts can potentially offer" (¶10). "Still, there isn't yet convincing proof that the digital add-ons improve reading comprehension or even match the reading comprehension that students can achieve with text on paper" (¶12). Barshay, Jill. (2019.08.12). Evidence increases for reading on paper instead of screens [online news report]. https://hechingerreport.org/evidence-increases-for-reading-on-paper-instead-of-screens/

"ECentral could be a good supplementary resource for language learners looking to strengthen their language skills and increase their exposure to English beyond the textbook. Used in isolation, the app could end up being somewhat confusing for learners." (Jackson, 2016, Overall assessment, ¶1). Jackson, Lindsey. (2016.04.29). ...

One item in a large assemblage of free online apps (123apps)

"New Vocabulary Application now Available on EnglishCentral"

In addition to standard styling syntax (bold, italics, lists, ...), "GitHub.com uses its own version of the Markdown syntax that provides an additional set of useful features, many of which make it easier to work with content on GitHub.com" (GitHub Flavored Markdown, ¶1, 2017.09.12).

Horton, Nick. (2017.07.27). Options for teaching R to beginners . . . [weblog post].

Interactive practice for giving directions

Plenty of mind-numbing background music, but still worth checking further to see whether these "animated teaching videos for ESL and EFL learners" (About Us, ¶1, 2017.02.24 [JST]) might be suited to particular learners' needs

This webpage suggests six factors to consider when assessing website credibility, and adds, "If you are unsure whether the site you're using is credible, verify the information you find there with another source you know to be reliable" (retrieved 2016.12.22).

"These guidelines are to help you become familiar with various types of Web resources and the reliability of the information" you find among them (¶2, retrieved 2016.12.22).

Pappas proposed six "budget-friendly ... open source web conferencing software tools to consider" (2016.05.27).

"[T]his review will focus on the iOS iPad version of Duolingo, Apple's 2013 App of the year (Duolingo, 2014) in English (L1) with French as the target language (L2)" (Overview, ¶2). "

Saikat Basu proposed seven features to consider when selecting mind-mapping tools (app's or services): Cost Off- or on-line affordances, General usability, Aesthetics, Template availability, Portability of your work, & Affordances for collaboration.

20 hits on original or revised articles

In this article, Herrmann explains principles to guide the adoption and utilisation of technology to help meet general and specific needs of English-as-an-additional language learners.

An illustrated guide

This post identifies five types of summative assessment applicable to online learning environments, and offers four tips for making summative assessments.