Group items tagged

"Knowledge knows no boundaries We're a global online learning community where educators collaborate, share resources and showcase accomplishments. Project Share is a collection of Web 2.0 tools and applications that provides high quality professional development in an interactive and engaging learning environment. Project Share leverages existing and new professional development resources for K-12 teachers across the state and builds professional learning communities where educators can collaborate and participate in online learning opportunities. The mission of Project Share is to provide an interactive and engaging learning environment that offers opportunities for: Communicating and disseminating information from state, region, and district levels. Creating or joining common interest networks to increase teacher-to-teacher collaboration, conversations with experts, and communication with students in a secure online environment. Accessing state-adopted and approved materials, including electronic textbooks and other materials developed through TEA partnerships. Accessing educational resources through McDonald Observatory StarDate, PBS Digital Learning Library, Texas PBS, and many others. Accessing Texas Education on iTunes U to explore the history and cultures of Texas, view educational tutorials, and download resources for personalized learning. Collaborating on the development, dissemination, and evaluation of online professional development sessions and courses. Highlighting individual accomplishments through the development of ePortfolios. Developing and sharing ideas and resources."

"This Clearinghouse is a collaborative effort led by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) and the Michigan Virtual Learning Research InstituteTM (MVRLITM) to provide a repository of references to research articles and other publications from the field of K-12 online and blended learning. This project has been made possible by generous financial support from Next Generation Learning Challenges and in-kind support from iNACOL and the Michigan Virtual University."

This is an invaluable resource.

"oday's education system includes ingrained practices, including policy and decades-old methods, that prevent schools from moving to competency-based models. Solutions to this problem include: Creating and making available educational resources on competency-based learning. These resources might be best practices, rubrics or tools, or research. Convening a coalition of League of Innovative Schools districts that are working to build successful competency-based models. Creating a technical solution for flexible tracking of competencies and credits. Problem No. 2: Leadership doesn't always support second-order change, and those in potential leadership roles, such as teachers and librarians, aren't always empowered to help effect change. Solutions to this problem include: Promoting League of Innovative Schools efforts to enable second-order change leadership Creating a framework, to be used in professional development, that would target and explain second-order change leadership discussions Schedule panel discussions about second-order change leadership Problem No. 3: Communities and cultures are resistant to change, including technology-based change Solutions to this problem include: Identifying new and engaging ways to share cutting-edge and tech-savvy best practices with school and district stakeholders and community members Involve business leaders in technology-rich schools and create school-business partnerships Look to influential organizations to spearhead national ed-tech awareness campaigns Problem No. 4: Education budgets aren't always flexible enough to support the cost, sustainability, or scalability of innovations Solutions to this problem include: Build relationships with local businesses and career academies, and create incentives for companies to hire students, in order to create a revenue stream for schools Look to competitive pricing and creative solutions Leaders must not be afraid t

"While my experiences with online professional development came out of a need to reach several teachers while working within a limited time frame, the additional benefits and improved learning that happened because of it were a pleasant surprise. It is important to note that if done correctly, creating a PLC is not about simply moving traditional professional development to an online format. A true PLC is a community of learners, all contributing and collaborating toward a common goal. When you create and nurture this culture of sharing, you benefit from the collective intelligence of the group. It also gives a voice to every staff member. By creating learner-centered PD, the learning is more meaningful and mirrors the type of learning you hope to see in the classroom. Additionally, by creating an ongoing community of learning, staff developers and principals are able to provide more effective support just when the teachers need it. An online presence allows a teacher to feel supported at all times and not just during the hour a professional developer is sitting with them in a meeting."

"This guide is organized in two main sections. Section I provides our working definition of distance education and anatomizes its many modes and models, dissecting their strengths and weaknesses in terms of instructional quality and effectiveness. Section II focuses on methods, collating best practices and lessons learned about teaching and learning from successful global distance education models. The guide also contains a glossary of terms, a reference section for further Web-based information on distance learning programs and approaches, and an extensive bibliography of the sources cited within the guide. Where available, we provide website addresses for every program discussed here. We also provide the URLs of websites that offer free content, but not those of commercial websites, which can typically be accessed online by searching for them by name."

"Guidelines for Professional Development of Online Teachers Based on the SREB Standards for Quality Online Teaching Providing quality professional development for online teachers is extremely important to ensure ongoing quality teaching and learning - just as it is for teachers in traditional classrooms. The professional development of online teachers should be well-planned and organized to meet the specific academic and instructional needs of online teachers."

Barbara Means' book. Viraj and I will likely read it.

"Essential Elements in Designing Online Discussions to Promote Cognitive Presence - A Practical Experience"

"The framework takes three perspectives of digital badges (motivation, pedagogy, and credential) and correlates each of these perspectives with three different concepts of the open movement (production, access, and appropriation). "Open badges represent an intriguing way to design, structure and reward learning through digital media, open systems and online networks, say the authors, "…[and] when designing an overall system it will be critical to identify and explicitly design for the potential obstacles or areas of opportunity…in this frame, the goals, implementation, and consequences attached to badges are linked to the concerns of teaching, learning and structuring education systems to enable these practices.""

"Using a Conversational Tone in your eLearning Courses Thursday, 02 October 2014 14:50 Written by Ruth McElhone In my last blog post, I explored the Modality Principle from the book Elearning and the Science of Instruction by Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard Mayer. In this post, I've decided to examine another principle in the book - the Personalisation Principle in Chapter 8. The chapter examines 3 types of personalisation principles but I'm just going to review the first principle. The first Personalisation Principle in this chapter supports using a conversational style of writing in our online modules. Using a conversational writing style can help explain the content in simple, plain English. "Based on cognitive theory and research evidence, we recommend that you create or select e-Learning courses that include some spoken or printed text that is conversational rather than formal." (Clark and Mayer, 2011) There has always been some debate that if we put content in a conversational or informal style, this can 'detract from the seriousness of the message'. Just because you are using an informal style does not mean that the content should be sloppy or use slang terms. It's all about keeping things simple. It should feel like a conversation, not a lecture while still feeling professional."

Intel Case Study with Ed Tech Leaders Online Barbara Treacy suggested I read this and consider sharing it with prospective DOE collaborators as an investment tool. More later.

"The eLearning Guild announces the release of a free eBook, 65 Tips on Managing Projects and SMEs for eLearning. The Guild has assembled 65 tips from 11 contributors who will be presenting in the upcoming July 2012 Online Forum, "Managing Projects and SMEs for eLearning." This experienced and diverse group offers advice and insights on topics such as defining the parameters of a project, the importance of sign-offs and written approvals, what to do when you're out of resources, and what factors drive quality. 65 Tips on Managing Projects and SMEs for eLearning presents practical solutions in five categories: Dealing with Stakeholders and Planning Your Project. Planning is arguably the most important step in any project. Learn how to lay a sturdy foundation with 25 expert tips. Choosing and Managing Your Team. The team is the center of your project universe. Heed these 13 suggestions to choose and manage your project teams effectively. Effective Communication. Keep the lines of communication open with these nine tips. Constraints and Challenges. Two factors - constraints and challenges - are a way of life in the project world. Follow these eight tips from our knowledgeable panel to ensure challenges only cause a bump in the road, rather than a major traffic jam. Quality Control. Determining if your project meets expectations is key, and these 10 tips will help ensure a solid final product."

Very relevant to our current work and evolving approach. Thanks Liz.

"Essential Principles of High-Quality Online Teaching: Guidelines for Evaluating K-12 Online Teachers "

Research Questions 1. What are educators' perceptions and reported behaviors associated with participation in informal, online professional development networks? 1.a. What motivates educators to participate in informal professional development networks? 1.b. What types of informal professional development networks do educators report they use to connect with other educators to enhance their practice? 1.c. What specific informal professional development networks do educators report they find most useful in order to improve their practice? 2. Do educators' perceptions and reported behaviors associated with informal professional development networks differ based on current assignment, years in education, or age? "

Shared by Liz. Liz, are there particular pages, content, or design elements that we can take from them/this?

Well, check out the co-author on the second piece, our very own Liz Glowa! Liz, apart from your piece, of course, any other documents here important for us to read?

Actually, I wrote the paper and Susan wrote the Introduction . I bookmarked the research data base and will bookmard a SREB pub that I think is important for PD.