Writing Across the Curriculum

Students learned more than twice as much in the new "interactive" classes than they did in the lectures by the tenured prof with more than 30 years of experience, according to a report on the experiment to be published in the journal Science on Friday.

Reflection can be a challenging endeavor. It's not something that's fostered in school - typically someone else tells you how you're doing! At best, students can narrate what they did, but have trouble thinking abstractly about their learning - patterns, connections and progress. Likewise teachers and principals need encouragement and opportunities to think more reflectively about their craft.  In an effort to help schools become more reflective learning environments, I've developed this "Taxonomy of Reflection." - modeled on Bloom's approach.

A collection of online resources about ePortfolios.

A video about Connectivism and Web 2.0 tools.

Writing in math is an excellent way to determine if students' understand or do not understand the math they are learning about. Allowing students to explain how they solved a math problem, how they developed a formula to solve a problem, or how they applied a math concept requires critical thinking.

structuring learning experiences around frustration/reward dynamics can lead to engaged learners.

This Blended Learning Toolkit is a free, open resource for educational institutions interested in developing or expanding their blended learning initiatives.

Special issue on Connectivism from IRRODL

When Jason B. Jones wrote about "Gamifying Homework" in November, I felt inspired to try something new with one of my courses this spring. As an avid World of Warcraft player used to completing silly tasks for nothing more than a badge of completion, I definitely believe that motivation through achievements and other rewards systems works. But implementing these types of elements in a class can be a challenge.

When math problems are based on real world situations, students internalize new information which prepares students to make connections with and between math concepts.

A course hosted in Moodle exploring how to create ePortfolios in Google Sites.

An overview is provided of the importance and why writing in math is different. A recommended checklist is provided to help students write clear math papers.

A simple thumbs-up/down technique for peer assessment.

This page contains tutorials for using Google tools.

Established in 2009, the Association for Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning (AAEEBL, pronounced "able") is a membership organization for the world e-portfolio community that now has established affiliations and collaborations with nearly all world-wide portfolio initiatives, projects and organizations.

Google Reader, a tool which can do wonders, is still unused by people. We all know Google Reader as a Web-based aggregator, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds online or offline, but it can also perform various other useful tasks. I compiled some uses of Google Readers and mentioned the links for tutorials.

The tools we discuss below can be embedded into any open source LMS and down the road we plan to revisit other platforms.

We are already at the moment in which the ability to use social media, and particularly social media as amplified through the power of the mobile web, has become a key literacy.

Academics have held the online, user-written reference work in some disdain, said Mahzarin R. Banaji, a psychology professor at Harvard University, "but now I'm hearing nothing but enthusiasm, and I really think this is going to work." Ms. Banaji, the association's president, has put the prestige of a leading scholarly group-and her own name-behind the project, which involves a new interface custom-designed to make encyclopedia entries easier to write and edit, a nascent social network that links scholars who share interests, and tutorials for professors on ways to make writing for Wikipedia part of course assignments.

Open source textbooks for K12.