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British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 37 No 5 2006 761-783 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2006.00560.x Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Oxford, UKBJETBritish Journal of Educational Technology0007-1013British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 20052005375761783Articles Developing a comprehensive metric British Journal of Educational Technology Developing a comprehensive metric for assessing discussion board effectiveness Robin H. Kay Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Email: Robin.Kay@uoit.ca Abstract The use of online discussion boards has grown extensively in the past 5 years, yet some researchers argue that our understanding of how to use this tool in an effective and meaningful way is minimal at best. Part of the problem in acquiring more cohesive and useful information rests in the absence of a comprehensive, theory-driven metric to assess quality and effectiveness. Based on an extensive review of the research, the following variables were used to assess traditional discussion board use: thread, location of message within thread, author (student vs. educator), subject line clarity, time of posting, response time from previous message, number of times message was read, number of words, primary purpose, message quality, difficulty level of topic, knowledge level, processing level and use of external resources. These variables proved to be effective in assessing 12 key areas of discussion board use. It is argued that this kind of metric is essential if we wish to advance our understanding of online discussion boards for both educators and researchers. Overview The use of online discussion boards has grown extensively in the past 5 years (Cooper, 2001). While this tool is viewed as revolutionary by some researchers (Hara, Bonk & Angeli, 1998; Li, 2003), others argue that our understanding of how to use online discussion in an effective and meaningful way is limited (Blignaut &

My Wordle for online Teaching module Robin Kay's Abstract 'Developing a comprehensive metric for assessing discussion board effectiveness'

Digital Storytelling - Part I Storytelling has been a great part of our school year, which is already winding down. From… * telling about our and Jose, the travel bear 's adventurous stories live while in Egypt * outfitting EVERY classroom in our school with their own digital cameras, so teachers and students could create a visual of their daily activities or create a visual of a learning concept * creating a collective knowledge story across grade level and subject areas demonstrating what students have learned * Life 'Round Here project, where students assumed the point of view of an object and narrated * Creating printed books that narrate the daily life in the classroom, special visits and fieldtrips and the physical and academic growth of the students throughout the year.

A New Literary Hero: Comics Make for Colorful Learning Teachers have begun to accept comic books as a tool for teaching literacy through group projects.

A New Literary Hero: Comics Make for Colorful Learning Teachers have begun to accept comic books as a tool for teaching literacy through group projects.

Excellent graphics and animations of complex biological science topics as well as virtual experiments you could not do in a normal public school classroom.

If you're looking for pictures for your learning materials, courseware or presentations, why not browse Training Reference's free to use collection of original images. The galleries below contain over 170 photographs, covering a wide range of subjects. The images are on average around 80k each, so they shouldn't take to long to download.

great quotes about learning and change-collaborative group inside flickr-imagining together

This program will explore the connections between visual literacy and information literacy. Examples of textual, visual, and hybrid resources will be examined in light of the standards developed for both literacies in order to discover the intersections between the two and ways to teach in an environment where both words and images convey important meanings. Attendees will have the opportunity to develop learning outcomes, rubrics, and pedagogical methods for effectively teaching these multiple literacies.

However, today we turn to Chris Wilson, author and editor of the site "The Graphic Classroom" and teacher who is currently attending graduate school full time. Mr. Wilson sees the concept in a far more in depth manner. He feels that comics do a great deal more than help keep students invested in learning. In fact, Wilson's number one goal is to develop of a love for reading in all his students - for him, the comic genre is one method to develop that love.

SymbolWorld is a website created by Widgit Software, dedicated to people who use symbols. It has material for all ages and includes personal contributions, stories and learning materials. eLive is an on-line magazine within SymbolWorld especially for older readers.

The Visual Understanding Environment (VUE) project at Tufts is focused on creating flexible tools for managing and integrating digital resources in support of teaching, learning and research. VUE provides a flexible visual environment for structuring, presenting, and sharing digital information.

These resources help teachers and librarians teach their students media literacy skills. According the American Library Association, the National Information Literacy Standards include the ability to access information efficiently and effectively, and evaluate that information critically. This list of sites will help in the effort to develop lessons and activities that will give students practice with 21st century information literacy.

Kids' Vid is an instructional web site that gives teachers and students the tools necessary to implement video production in the classroom. Video production can be intimidating to the novice. Not to worry. It is nothing more than a method for recording research and expressing creative ideas. Video production, if properly implemented, is more than a new toy for students. It provides the tools and the means for students to create and display serious work in a new, exciting and engaging way that is appropriate for all age groups and abilities. This is a place for serious fun.

This is a brilliant site for 'digital' lesson ideas thanks so much Fred

via @cliotech

PhotoFiltre is a complete image retouching program. It allows you to do simple or advanced adjustments to an image and apply a vast range of filters on it. It is simple and intuitive to use, and has an easy learning curve.

Shidonni is an innovative startup, developing the next generation of creative 'virtual' worlds for kids. Shidonni is providing a safe environment where kids and their parents can create imaginary worlds and animals, play games and interact with friends. Shidonni is based on unique proprietary patented algorithms and using Microsoft Silverlight.