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Add voice reader of page content to your web page. How could this be used and not be distraction. Beyond accessibility?

Better late than never as I have just joined this group. ReadSpeaker provides text to speech (TTS) engines for websites and iOS and Android apps which combine text reading with word by word text highlighting on any end user hardware. The service has a growing range of early Australian adopters including Centrelink, Comcare, Dept of Health and Ageing, Dept of Human Services, FAHCSIA, and the Australian Paralympic Committee. In elearning, adopters include Gale and Cengage. I would be happy to provide information to interested elearning professionals and I can be reached on richard.ings@readspeaker.com.

This paper presents an investigation into how students studying at university engage actively with learning technology in their self-directed study time. The case study surveyed 250 students studying at undergraduate and postgraduate level from a purposive sample of departments within one institution. The study has also conducted focus groups and a number of in-depth follow-up interviews with respondents to the survey. In this article we explore three emerging aspects of the learning experience, namely student expectations of the technology, their lecturers' engagement with technology and how the technology might support processes of transition in higher education. One key implication is that more academic guidance is needed on what and how to use the technology effectively for independent learning, even where ICT skills levels are high. The study also identifies the significant role that the lecturer plays in facilitating students' use of technology. The findings of this study will be of interest to those working to incorporate learning technologies more effectively in higher education, in particular for those who are looking to improve the engagement of students in self-directed learning.

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"Richard Ludlow, founder and chief executive office of the site Academic Earth, launched in January of 2009, said websites like his are popping up because the technology now allows it to be affordable. The cost is relatively low for sites such as these, and there is a potentially large benefit, whether it is public relations for the university, in licensing content, or just because of altruism, Ludlow said."

As part of the expansion of the Institute of Natural Excellence across the globe, Second Nature UK are holding their first Natural Excellence course in the UK at the Stratford Manor Hotel on the 25th November 2009. During this one day program, Natural Excellence™ Project Management will be introduced, which is the world's leading integrated project management methodology. It incorporates the full range of best practices to realize the comprehensive and successful execution of projects of any size. It places people and business centrally and has six modules that include People Management, Quality Management, Process Management, Content Management, Change Management, Control Management. The course will also cover the new Natural Excellence management theories that help people of all walks of life achieve their maximum potential - the natural way. These revolutionary theories and methods have been incorporated into the i-NE founders very own taxonomy of excellence, (Van Geijn Taxonomy of Natural Excellence) which has been used by many, many people around world. The adoption of Natural Excellence has had a life changing effect on both students and with companies or government organisations who have incorporated them into their management approach. This is the first of many courses that will be delivered by Second Nature Excellence. Others will cover basic, professional and advanced sales; buying new IT systems; achieving ISO accreditation and further project management courses.

It seems that thanks to COVID19, educators, parents and students are in a rush. It seems the rush started moments after the decision was made to promote social distancing by offering remote learning. From quality learning in classrooms focused on deep learning we shifted into top gear. Packets of work were prepared, online tools rapidly expanded, new options for content delivery were examined and quickly deployed. We wanted to make sure that our students would be kept busy. Parents wanted their children to be busy. - Maybe slow looking is the solution?

An important part of the role of any educator is that of planning learning sequences. Perhaps you are tasked with designing curriculum or more likely you are translating a mandatory curriculum into workable units of learning. The task is complex and there are multiple arrangements. The goal is to design units that connect students with learning in ways that are meaningful and relevant. A well-designed unit of learning fits seamlessly alongside other learning opportunities and the overall sequence of learning should match the learners developing expertise. As we plan units of learning we must consider a great variety of factors which impact the learning we design. Our knowledge of our students and where they are with their learning is crucial and a strong place to start. We also need to know what it is we are required to teach and have a grab bag of pedagogical moves that bring this content alive.

There is an understandable interest in deep-learning, after all, who wants their students to have a superficial understanding of the content. Read the marketing of almost any school and you are likely to find some statement about the deep-learning that is achieved as a result of their excellent teaching and learning platform. Likewise, ask any teach about their philosophy of teaching and you will hear how they engage their students with learning that promotes a deep-understanding.