Several years ago I worked with a student who had to finish his masters degree aboard a naval vessel he commanded in the South Pacific. So I was curious about the courses that the military offers to its personnel. This article discusses the Army's e-learning program. I was amazed at the cost-savings of this program plus I liked the fact that the courses are free to active Army soldiers and National Guardsmen.
Army e-Learning Program
In today's fast-paced environment, it's difficult to find the time or the inclination to participate in structured training. From the Army command perspective, in many cases, it is neither fiscally responsible nor mission compatible to send people from their duty stations to complete required training.
Of even greater concern to Army leadership was the fact that traditional methods used for training its information technology (IT) workforce were not keeping up with demand.
So, in 1999, retired Lieutenant General William H. Campbell, the Army chief information officer (CIO), set a goal of maximizing the availability of training/technology for the IT workforce. He anticipated that online training would result in a cost savings to the Army.
That assumption has been more than fulfilled by the Army e-Learning program.
"An Army Audit Agency report from February of this year determined that over the last three fiscal years, the Army has saved approximately $86 million," said Stan Davis, project officer, Army e-Learning. "In fiscal year 2004, Army soldiers and civilians completed over 159,000 courses resulting in an estimated savings of over $47 million dollars. Assuming a constant rate of savings over the next three years, the Army would save an additional $142 million."
The courses are free to every active Army soldier and civilian, in addition to Army National Guardsmen, reservists and ROTC cadets who need information technology or information assurance training. SkillSoft Corp., with U.S. headquarters in Nashua, NH, is the vendor responsible for offering Army members more than 2,000 commercial, Web-based courses related to information technology, business, leadership and professional development, according to Willard J. Scott, the Army project manager at SkillSoft.
Online Degrees for Military Advancement
Register for a U.S. Army e-Learning Account To register or login to this program, click here. All users must have an AKO User ID and Password prior to registering for the Army Program. AKO registration is at: http://www.us.army.mil
Business courses range from accounting to administrative support and human resources; leadership courses are in areas such as project management and team building; and professional development courses include subjects such as effective communication and time management. The IT library includes training from Microsoft Office to security and system administration, network management, application development and Web site management.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Do Schools Kill Creativity?
The most exciting email came to me today! The sender invited me to attend a presentation (in PA) in which Ken Robinson will be the keynote speaker. I couldn't believe it; I can sit in a small audience listening to someone who, two years ago, changed the way I teach and develop instruction.
Who is Sir Ken Robinson?
He is a writer, innovator, motivator, leader in the quest to develop creativity in education systems. He has worked for major organizations such as: the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, J. Paul Getty Trust and he was a Professor of Arts Education.
What is his message?
In 2006 I came upon a video of Sir Ken Robinson titled, "Do Schools Kill Creativity." This video was posted on the TED Conference site. The following is a description of what TED is (taken directly from their site) "TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader."
This video inspired me to find ways to allow students to express themselves, even if it is unpopular among some of the "old-school" teachers. Since watching this video, I have sincerely tried to find ways to give students choice, and allow them some artistic freedom, especially in video projects. It has also prompted me to develop online courses that promote creativity.
I would highly recommend taking a few moments to watch this video. It will likely change the way you think about education. It is quite entertaining too, since Dr. Robinson has a great sense of humor. It will be time well spent.
Related Links:
TED Conference Site
Sir Ken Robinson's Homepage
His Book - Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative
Who is Sir Ken Robinson?
He is a writer, innovator, motivator, leader in the quest to develop creativity in education systems. He has worked for major organizations such as: the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, J. Paul Getty Trust and he was a Professor of Arts Education.
What is his message?
In 2006 I came upon a video of Sir Ken Robinson titled, "Do Schools Kill Creativity." This video was posted on the TED Conference site. The following is a description of what TED is (taken directly from their site) "TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader."
This video inspired me to find ways to allow students to express themselves, even if it is unpopular among some of the "old-school" teachers. Since watching this video, I have sincerely tried to find ways to give students choice, and allow them some artistic freedom, especially in video projects. It has also prompted me to develop online courses that promote creativity.
I would highly recommend taking a few moments to watch this video. It will likely change the way you think about education. It is quite entertaining too, since Dr. Robinson has a great sense of humor. It will be time well spent.
Related Links:
TED Conference Site
Sir Ken Robinson's Homepage
His Book - Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative
Multicultural E-Learning
Due to my foreign background and curious attitude towards the world, I am interested in multicultural as well as multilingual issues that are present in e-learning. As I was researching this topic I found an interesting post on E-LearningGuru that talks about a company, Transware, which develops turn-key training solutions to multinational corporations that need to have their training launched in different cultural and language environments.
"Learning is one of the most culturally sensitive of human activities."
(Transware, multilingual e-Learning.pdf)
The article highlights some of the major problems that arise when training crosses the cultural and national borders. It also describes how companies and corporations usually transition their e-training courses and how Transware services their clients.
- Language is obviously the #1 difference when e-training goes global.
Many languages do not translate directly word for word from English. One has to always strip the core message from the sentences and then find the best way to express the same idea in the other language. I have tons of personal experiences with this, as my native language is Finnish and submerging in the English-speaking world was and still is an interesting process.
With the language differences many little things are different: Even the size of the text boxes have to be changed according to the length of the language.
-Cultural differences are also a major obstacle in global e-Learning.
EX. A course developed in American cultural context might not deliver the same increase in knowledge when delivered in some other culture, as it might not be appropriate, accepted or understood in the manner it was meant. Graphics, simulations, games and activities that might work brilliantly in one country might be viewed as indifferent or even offensive in others.
The article explains how companies usually develop the course with one language and culture in mind and then as the content translation time comes, the required modifications and alterations turn out extremely time consuming and costly. Transware advertises itself as a e-Learning provider that includes the multicultural aspect throughout the supply chain.
This was an extremely interesting find for me and I think I will check out Transware as I will start searching for internships!
Link to the article:
http://www.transware.com/whitepapers/multiling_elearn.aspx
"Learning is one of the most culturally sensitive of human activities."(Transware, multilingual e-Learning.pdf)
The article highlights some of the major problems that arise when training crosses the cultural and national borders. It also describes how companies and corporations usually transition their e-training courses and how Transware services their clients.
- Language is obviously the #1 difference when e-training goes global.
Many languages do not translate directly word for word from English. One has to always strip the core message from the sentences and then find the best way to express the same idea in the other language. I have tons of personal experiences with this, as my native language is Finnish and submerging in the English-speaking world was and still is an interesting process.
With the language differences many little things are different: Even the size of the text boxes have to be changed according to the length of the language.
-Cultural differences are also a major obstacle in global e-Learning.
EX. A course developed in American cultural context might not deliver the same increase in knowledge when delivered in some other culture, as it might not be appropriate, accepted or understood in the manner it was meant. Graphics, simulations, games and activities that might work brilliantly in one country might be viewed as indifferent or even offensive in others.
The article explains how companies usually develop the course with one language and culture in mind and then as the content translation time comes, the required modifications and alterations turn out extremely time consuming and costly. Transware advertises itself as a e-Learning provider that includes the multicultural aspect throughout the supply chain.
This was an extremely interesting find for me and I think I will check out Transware as I will start searching for internships!
Link to the article:
http://www.transware.com/whitepapers/multiling_elearn.aspx
Study Island. Web-Based Standardized Test Prep.
I've never heard of Study Island until my internship at Sayre Area High School started. Study Island is basically a web-based state assessment preparation for students. Since most states require students to take standardized tests, Study Island provides school districts opportunities to prepare their students for standardized tests. It seems to be an efficient alternative to paper based solutions while allowing for schools to meet standards based education.
BbWorld '08
In July I had the opportunity to attend the Blackboard users conference, named BbWorld '08, in Las Vegas. BbWorld is a conference where most of the sessions are designed and led by individual or teams of Blackboard users throughout the world, and from all fields: corporate, K-12, and higher ed. The conference began with an engaging presentation by Steve Wozniak, of Apple fame. Meeting him was certainly exciting! The following day, Michael Chasen, CEO of Blackboard, utilized several Web 2.0 tools throughout his keynote speech (twittering his presentation while presenting (and taking audience feedback)...very interesting!), as well as debuting Blackboard's next platform, entitled "Project NG".
I would like to share a few of the key ideas I took away from the conference and presentations I attended during the three-day conference.
These are just a few of the big ideas I left Las Vegas with in July. Looking forward to BbWorld '09!
P.S. - Here's some of my conference swag - a Kadoo Weepul!
I would like to share a few of the key ideas I took away from the conference and presentations I attended during the three-day conference.
- Assess
Assessment methods encompassed an entire track of the conference (the others were Manage, Engage, and K-12). This means that over 35 of the conference's 150 sessions were dedicated exclusively on assessment. I believe that the best takeaway from these sessions was information on alternative methods of assessment. One session dealt with e-Portfolios. As an aside, check out Kadoo for an awesome take on K-12 portfolios. Another discussed small-group discussions virtually to supplement large classroom activities. Still another pre-conference session discussed in vivid detail methods of assessing role-playing in a virtual world.
These are just a few of the big ideas I left Las Vegas with in July. Looking forward to BbWorld '09!
P.S. - Here's some of my conference swag - a Kadoo Weepul!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Integrating Blackboard with social networking sites like “Facebook”.
Advent of Web 2.0 has seen the introduction of social networking, beginning of 21st century have seen the rise of users in these networking sites. One of the most popular one being the “facebook” where almost 9 out of 10 college students in United States have an account. Its not only the students but the instructors who started using facebook as a medium to circulate information. Its almost like a small virtual world like "Second Life" to share opinions. There has been a thought between the students and instructors to have a common interface to connect LMS with social networking sites like “Facebook”.
LMS delivering software like Blackboard and virtual training software like Centra are catering to the needs of the students and teachers. Based on a recent announcement, “Blackboard” is planning to provide some integration with Facebook, since social networking can provide some very powerful capabilities for enhancing connection, communication, and collaboration.
Classtop’s CourseFeed Facebook application was FIRST to hit the market, and there are many more to come in the future. CourseFeed does an excellent job of providing updates, announcements, what’s new, email notices, and even a course wall for classmates to exchange information with each other.
I think the integration of the LMS with Web2.0 applications like social networking sites will have positive impact and change the way education will be delivered in the coming years.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
E learning and Yoga
It has been roughly five years now since I have accepted the fact that using computer technology is a necessity for successfully dealing with today's business environment. Yet it has been within the last year that i have begun to embrace the use of technology as a tool to accelerate learning and go beyond what is possible with conventional learning techniques. A great example is the software package titled "The journey to the wild Divine". As a meditator and yoga practitioner I initially shunned the use of computer technology as yet another distraction and a time consuming isolating phenomenon contributing the further isolation and impersonalization of the human experience. The world of Internet 2.0 has offered some promise but my initial take on all this was that it was largely used for socialization and a technologically glorified meet market. As I have continued to explore I have found promise in programs such as The journey to the wild divine which uses biofeedback and various computer based modules to rapidly accelerate the acquisition of some of the skills required to be a proficient meditator. I honestly feel that this is only the beginning of the good that can be developed with the "right" intentions motivating the design. Combining the interactive features of web 2.o with bio feedback and other self reflective tools spiritual seekers can find themselves in a world beyond their wildest dreams. This is a 180 degree shift in thinking for me, it hasn't been an easy transition but worthwhile doesn't describe the bliss I can foresee emerging as more and more effort is contributed.
Adobe Lessons for Beginners to Experts
I found this website while trying to find answers to an Adobe Flash problem at work. It not only helped me find the solution to my problem in Flash, but led me to watch other video lessons on Photoshop and Illustrator and get tips/tricks.
These will come in handy when we begin developing media for our centra projects.
It's easy to get wrapped up in this site so watch out!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Audio Creator Program (for Podcasts and more)
I stumbled across this resource looking for a resource for a music teacher in our district. The program I found is called MixMatch. If you have worked with GarageBand on a Mac, you will recognize the capabilities of this software. If you haven't worked with GarageBand, it is most like a more simplified version of Adobe Audition. The capabilities include (that I have messed around with) audio editing and recording, looping tracks, adjusting volume per track, and a virtual instrument music creator. However, I am not totally sure yet if the software is capable of holding images with the audio in an MP4 format, like a GarageBand podcast can have. If you are looking to test it out, there is a five day trial available. If you truly love it, it's only $69! If you are looking to get this for your classroom, it is about $12/seat if you buy 100 seats or more.
First Android Phone Coming to T-Mobile "Soon"
Android is a new operating system for phones that is being developed by Google. The phone is an open source project, like Linux, which will allow users and developers to change the code on the phone. This is a departure from the regularly locked down software in cellphones, such as Windows Mobile and iPhone. The goal is to make it so programs can run on an android phone and are interoperable. This could make it so Web 2.0 applications work on more phones and in the same manner. Engadget has a write up on it here.
A-space
When I was reading news online the other day, I came across an article about a way that the government is using a Web 2.0 tool. According to the article on CNN.com, government agencies like the CIA and FBI are going to begin using a social networking tool called A-Space. This is somewhat similar to Web 2.0 tools like Facebook and Myspace, although it's not being used to share party pictures and pointless applications. Instead, employees with several government agencies can share ideas and information with one another. The creators of A-space plan for it to be used among spy agents to share information about terrorists.
I think it's interesting that these government agencies will be using a program like this. It's just another example of the usage of Web 2.0. My only concern would be this being hacked into by an unauthorized user. However, the creators claim that they are building checks into the system to track who is able to access the content. As the article mentions,
I think it's interesting that these government agencies will be using a program like this. It's just another example of the usage of Web 2.0. My only concern would be this being hacked into by an unauthorized user. However, the creators claim that they are building checks into the system to track who is able to access the content. As the article mentions,
"We're building [a] mechanism to alert that behavior. We call that, for lack of a better term, the MasterCard, where someone is using their credit card in a way they've never used it before, and it alerts so that maybe that credit card has been stolen," Wertheimer said. "Same thing here. We're going to actually do patterns on the way people use A-Space."Hopefully, A-space will make it easier for important information to be shared among government agencies.
Proform: Rapid eLearning Studio
Proform (formerly Flashform) is "open elearning for everyone." It is a Flash-based elearning studio that allows users to create elearning courses and tools without Flash experience or the Flash software. Users can incorporate Flash effects, such as rollover images, into the course itself. Proform allows the instructor to use audio and image questions that I have not seen in other courses. The most interesting aspect of Proform, in my opinion, would have to be the interactive components that instructors can include for the learners. These allow for user-interaction with an item displayed on the screen (beyond the basic text-based questions).
Some cool features include:
Full interface customization
Record on-screen content for video tutorials
Integrate your course with any LMS (SCORM or AICC)
Use Flash to make additional customizations to style and interface
Proform Community forum to share or sell your course
RapidIntake offers other products related to elearning as well. Check out the screenshots and video tutorials to see what can be done with Proform.
Some cool features include:
Full interface customization
Record on-screen content for video tutorials
Integrate your course with any LMS (SCORM or AICC)
Use Flash to make additional customizations to style and interface
Proform Community forum to share or sell your course
RapidIntake offers other products related to elearning as well. Check out the screenshots and video tutorials to see what can be done with Proform.
eLearning & Art Education
I came across this art training blog www.howtodrawblog.com and for some reason, I was really surprised to learn that people are making online videos teaching others to learn how to draw. I mean, i guess the idea isn't that far-fetched because there are tons of videos out there that will teach watercolor, oils, life drawing etc. I'm sure everyone has seen Bob Ross on PBS showing us how he paints his "happy little trees..." and "fluffy white clouds..." but I never really thought that someone could learn how to paint without being able to interact with an instructor. In my opinion, this is one field where eLearning does not belong. I learned a lot of valuable lessons by being able to ask for help when mixing paint colors or having my instructor show me how to blend pastels. I'm not saying I'm completely against the idea of learning art online, but maybe a more synchronous approach would be more beneficial to the learners. This would give the learners the opportunity to ask questions and perhaps have their work viewed by the class for feedback. Class critique is one of the best ways to learn, so we shouldn't take that experience away from budding artists. In most of the videos that I viewed from this site, there is only music in the background with no explanation of tools or methods used. I understand there are most likely more professional videos out there and I'm sure they are very helpful to intermediate-level artists, or those who already know what they're doing. I just hope that people do not become so wrapped up in the ease of eLearning that they completely neglect real face-to-face art lessons. I guess I'm a bit more old-fashioned than I thought because I'm just not ready to let art become a topic for eLearning.
Great Unofficial Apple BLOG
Google Chrome Continued
Last week Google released the Beta of its Browser, Chrome. Within the last few days some interesting information about the browser has been released.
Google Chrome in its first week took 1.48 percent of Browser Market Share. This number later stabilized at 1 percent and finished the week off at holding 0.7 percent of the Browser Market. What the bigger surprise is, they took the share solely from Internet Explorer. Overall Internet Explorer had a bad week, as it lost market share (Down to 71 percent) to all browsers including Firefox, Safari, and Opera. Chrome also received its first patch on Sunday, which addressed many security issues.
Chrome did receive some serious complaints during it first week, as it became known that the Google URL bar, the “OmniBox” records user keystrokes and transmits them to Google’s servers. Google has changed its policy and will make all data received Anonymous, but security experts have questioned exactly how that will occur. In most cases, the keystrokes sent to Google are not saved, but the 2 percent that do have the users IP address recorded. The OmniBox feature can be disabled by changing the search engines that Google can use in the URL bar.
This browser is important to E-Learners as it’s another browser we have to be concerned about when designing online training. The privacy matters related to the browser are also concerning, as we have to be worried what information it is sending to Google about where our online training is and what could be in it.
Article: Chrome snatches share from IE
Article: Google bends to Chrome privacy criticism
Google Chrome in its first week took 1.48 percent of Browser Market Share. This number later stabilized at 1 percent and finished the week off at holding 0.7 percent of the Browser Market. What the bigger surprise is, they took the share solely from Internet Explorer. Overall Internet Explorer had a bad week, as it lost market share (Down to 71 percent) to all browsers including Firefox, Safari, and Opera. Chrome also received its first patch on Sunday, which addressed many security issues.
Chrome did receive some serious complaints during it first week, as it became known that the Google URL bar, the “OmniBox” records user keystrokes and transmits them to Google’s servers. Google has changed its policy and will make all data received Anonymous, but security experts have questioned exactly how that will occur. In most cases, the keystrokes sent to Google are not saved, but the 2 percent that do have the users IP address recorded. The OmniBox feature can be disabled by changing the search engines that Google can use in the URL bar.
This browser is important to E-Learners as it’s another browser we have to be concerned about when designing online training. The privacy matters related to the browser are also concerning, as we have to be worried what information it is sending to Google about where our online training is and what could be in it.
Article: Chrome snatches share from IE
Article: Google bends to Chrome privacy criticism
Search Without Google
Found an intersting article on the PC Magazine website that deals with new search engines that are supposedly better. You will need to make up your own mind.
Here is an example:
http://www.adaptiveblue.com/
BlueOrganizer is a Firefox add-on by AdaptiveBlue that adds semantic browsing features to your browser. The add-on lets you directly share links on del.icio.us, Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook, but the really cool feature is its ability to find similar pages and sites to the one you're looking at. If you're reading a news article, for instance, and want to read more stories on the same topic, simply click on "Similar Pages on Google" and you'll be presented with a list of relevant search results to choose from.
There are many more examples at the following website. As I attend more and more classes, I can see where some of these search engines would be quite beneficial.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2329942,00.asp
Here is an example:
http://www.adaptiveblue.com/
BlueOrganizer is a Firefox add-on by AdaptiveBlue that adds semantic browsing features to your browser. The add-on lets you directly share links on del.icio.us, Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook, but the really cool feature is its ability to find similar pages and sites to the one you're looking at. If you're reading a news article, for instance, and want to read more stories on the same topic, simply click on "Similar Pages on Google" and you'll be presented with a list of relevant search results to choose from.
There are many more examples at the following website. As I attend more and more classes, I can see where some of these search engines would be quite beneficial.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2329942,00.asp
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
eLearning Magazine September 8 Article Review
I was reading through my email and found one from The eLearning Guild which I joined last week. While I was going through the mail I stumbled across this weeks article titled Why e-Learning 2.0? So I proceeded to read the article and was very interested in the authors precisness about technology.
The article started off explaining how with Web 1.0 the idea was simply to connect people to the internet to retrieve content. Michele Martin and Sanjay Parker then explain that with the advent of Web 2.0 the paradigm shifted to not only connect people to the content but to also allow collaboration of the content over the internet. The authors then when onto explain how this shift creates a positive affect on e-Learning. The article compares and contrasts the traditional e-Learning style, known as learning 1.0, and the new phenomonum called e-Learning 2.0. In their comparison, Martin and Parker state that because of the social networking and engagement of the learner, learning is now on a newer level.
The social media tools (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, WikiPedia, etc.) allow the learner not only engage in the learning experience locally but more importantly globally. Martin and Parker cited how some companies such as software giant Serena, GE, and Ernest & Young LLP are tapping into the web and e-leaarning 2.0 paradigm. They stated that these compaines are using blogs, wikis, podcasts, and RSS feeds for their employees and even in the recruiting effort.
Serena is the maker of Ning, another social networking site that also allows coompanies to pay a monthly fee to quiet the ads and run behind a compaines firewall.
The other neat piece of the article was their Top Five list of reasons to adopt e-Learning 2.0:
- Guild members currently using e-Learning 2.0
are reporting that it works - The Digital Natives are entering the workforce
and they're expecting social media - Barriers to entry and experimentation are low
- Re-purposed content is cost effective
- Scary thought for the day … your competitors,
customers, and employees are already using
these tools.
The article then continued by detailing each of the five reasons to adopt e-Learning 2.0. Finally in the end of the article they spoke about the concerns for this new technology. While Martin and Parker pointed out that the reasons usually center around legal, regulatory, or confidentiality, I found it interesting that they alikened these concerns to water cooler talk, sending messages through email, or just simply handing over documents. If we really think about this for a moment, the 2.0 technology medium is more safe than those mentioned above. At the very least companies can control what is being shared. They pointed out that government agencies such as CIA , DIA, and FBI have all implemented social media tools for their employees.
It will be interesting to see how fast companies, like mine, adopt e-Learning 2.0. You can access the article at http://www.elearningguild.com/
I stumbled across a website that is a great resource for eLearning. The website is eLearningPulse http://www.elearningpulse.com/; “Your daily source of all things eLearning” is their slogan.
eLearningPulse is an independent online community that focuses on everything eLearning. It includes job postings, discussions, videos, a development community and the latest news information.
This is a great website to visit everyday. So many eLearning topics are being discussed; it ranges from Google Chrome to Web 2.0. The website includes the latest eLearning news and blogs. There is so much information on this website, it’s worth visiting!
This is a great website to visit everyday. So many eLearning topics are being discussed; it ranges from Google Chrome to Web 2.0. The website includes the latest eLearning news and blogs. There is so much information on this website, it’s worth visiting!
--Lynn
web 2.0 in the corporate environment
Another post this week posed the question of making web 2.0 truly meaningful and effective in an industry like bio, pharma or devices. I think it can be possible for the forward thinking corporation, and also opens up opportunities for learning that veer off the traditional path.
While employed by a large pharmaceutical company, I noted several web 2.0 applications that were effective. The first was a wiki that was used to cultivate innovative ideas. The wiki was locked down to employees only, but in a company of 100,000 employees worldwide, this really wasn't a limitation. The idea was, anyone could use the wiki to share an idea that he/she thought could benefit the company. The wiki would be used to further comment upon and write about the idea, and some innovations were developed into actual programs that were implemented in the company. The entire wiki was overseen and moderated by the department that had originated it, and on the whole, it was a good opportunity for independent, motivated learning to take place. For the people involved with the wiki, I'm sure it was a much better alternative than completing an eLearning module, or listening to one of the quarterly "discussions" by members of the corporate executive team.
The second stand-out method of a web 2.0 tool for learning was blogging. Nearly every product manufactured by the company, and all the prescription drugs that were still enjoying their patent before going into generic manufacturing, had a separate site on the intranet. Most of these sites employed blogs, where brand managers, regulatory scientists and others would sporadically make posts about the product itself and all sorts of issues related to the product. Again, it was a way for people to stay informed, and learn more, without having to go the traditional route.
I think it's always good to consider ways to offer learning opportunities, even when the learners are not being assessed, certified, or otherwise quantified somehow. In a large company, if an intranet is in place, chances are the technology already exists to implement a web 2.0 learning tool. Assessment is important, and it's impossible to avoid some learning in a controlled environment, where managers and trainers can be sure that their learners have acquired the skills deemed necessary by the powers that be. I think what's often forgotten is informal learning, which can still be very valuable. Web 2.0 tools are a great way to harness attention and energy for informal learning.
Just after publishing this, I discovered that Dr. Kapp agrees with me. He says it better though, so check it out if you have a moment.
While employed by a large pharmaceutical company, I noted several web 2.0 applications that were effective. The first was a wiki that was used to cultivate innovative ideas. The wiki was locked down to employees only, but in a company of 100,000 employees worldwide, this really wasn't a limitation. The idea was, anyone could use the wiki to share an idea that he/she thought could benefit the company. The wiki would be used to further comment upon and write about the idea, and some innovations were developed into actual programs that were implemented in the company. The entire wiki was overseen and moderated by the department that had originated it, and on the whole, it was a good opportunity for independent, motivated learning to take place. For the people involved with the wiki, I'm sure it was a much better alternative than completing an eLearning module, or listening to one of the quarterly "discussions" by members of the corporate executive team.
The second stand-out method of a web 2.0 tool for learning was blogging. Nearly every product manufactured by the company, and all the prescription drugs that were still enjoying their patent before going into generic manufacturing, had a separate site on the intranet. Most of these sites employed blogs, where brand managers, regulatory scientists and others would sporadically make posts about the product itself and all sorts of issues related to the product. Again, it was a way for people to stay informed, and learn more, without having to go the traditional route.
I think it's always good to consider ways to offer learning opportunities, even when the learners are not being assessed, certified, or otherwise quantified somehow. In a large company, if an intranet is in place, chances are the technology already exists to implement a web 2.0 learning tool. Assessment is important, and it's impossible to avoid some learning in a controlled environment, where managers and trainers can be sure that their learners have acquired the skills deemed necessary by the powers that be. I think what's often forgotten is informal learning, which can still be very valuable. Web 2.0 tools are a great way to harness attention and energy for informal learning.
Just after publishing this, I discovered that Dr. Kapp agrees with me. He says it better though, so check it out if you have a moment.
Podcasting. Great, but how?
Most of us have at least a vague sense, if not a solid understanding of what a podcast is, though this, like everything else in information delivery spheres, is in a constant state of change. Podcasting, in a brilliant illustration of this phenomenon, quickly moved from voice-only to video podcasting (though both maintain strengths in certain areas).
As I think the quality of a podcast truly lies in the production, I will look for a solid yet simple digital video production resource for a future posting. For now, let's focus on the nuts-and-bolts of how to create and publish a video podcast.
A pretty good (in that it keeps thing simple), though slightly dated resource can be found at streaming media http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=9314
While this tutorial is rather mac-centric, the sense of process remains the same, and pc's are given some press time, too.
A gem at the end (pg 4) of the article is a list of video podcasting resources. Now where is that camera...
As I think the quality of a podcast truly lies in the production, I will look for a solid yet simple digital video production resource for a future posting. For now, let's focus on the nuts-and-bolts of how to create and publish a video podcast.
A pretty good (in that it keeps thing simple), though slightly dated resource can be found at streaming media http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=9314
While this tutorial is rather mac-centric, the sense of process remains the same, and pc's are given some press time, too.
A gem at the end (pg 4) of the article is a list of video podcasting resources. Now where is that camera...
Monday, September 08, 2008
The Evolving World of Web 2.0
There was a day when I felt like I was on top of the latest, newest, and trendiest tools found on the web. However, the explosions of new tools, especially Web 2.0 tools, lead me to believe that is impossible for one person to know and use all of the options made available to us. So, I decided it was time to begin the process of finding Web 2.0 tools that will meet my needs and desires without taking too much time. As a result, I found GO2WEB2.0 (http://www.go2web20.net/). This site allowed me to discover the tools based upon a tag of my choice. For example, I chose "Travel" and within a few seconds I had a result of 47 web 2.0 
tools relating to travel. When I chose "Mindmap," I was provided with 13 choices to preview. Thankfully, this site allows me to conduct a search and immediately find a variety of new tools that directly relate to my needs and desires.
tools relating to travel. When I chose "Mindmap," I was provided with 13 choices to preview. Thankfully, this site allows me to conduct a search and immediately find a variety of new tools that directly relate to my needs and desires.Justifying blogging
As a technology integration coach, I'm often asked to assess (in fact, often defend) the educational value of particular technology tools. The tools that most often seem to be on the hot seat are Web 2.o tools. (Cell phones and iPods, too, but more on that in an upcoming blog entry!) Blogging has gotten some particular attention lately and I wanted to share this link with you to a different blog called "2 cents worth: Justifying Blogging". Check it out - many educators have given examples of how they use blogs in the classroom and what benefits they are seeing from doing so.
Social Networks
It is ironic that the latest blog on Learning Town (a site developed by Elliott Masie) is on Leveraging Social Networks for Learning. Our organization focuses on Pharmaceutical, Biotech, and Medical Device Companies, so Social Networks are very difficult to bring into thier world. The critical challenges / road blocks we run into is surrounding regulation, medical/legal constraints, and concerns. I believe it is only a matter of time before even these industries will be using social networks to share data, exchange information and improve on interactions with both internal and external clients. I would appreciate any ideas, additional to what Dr. Nic has discussed on restricting postings, as to how Social Networks can be used in a highly regulated industry such as the area of Pharmaceutical or BioPharma. Thanks for your comments.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Race against the World.
August 31, 2008, over 3 million people across the world participated in the Nike+ Human Race 10k Run with Nike, Inc. Nike, once again, struck worldwide public relations gold with the Human Race.
The project was to encourage countries across the world to run a 10k race. Runners had to sign-up through nikeplus.nike.com. I think the Human Race was to piggy back off of the 2009 World Olympics in China. Not only did Nike sponsor most of the athletes in the world at the Olympics, including 10x gold medalist Michael Phelps wearing their product, they had to have a capstone event to prove victorious. Joyce Julius & Associates, which measures sponsorship values, estimates that the exposure of Nike & Swoosh worn by Michael Phelps equates to $5.3 million worth of advertising. – Stats from Oregonlive.com
More importantly, Nike with Apple iPod created a device that inserts inside of sneakers, specifically created for this device, to track your mileage. The link that made the Human Race 10k popular was that runners could upload there time after the race and display them on nikeplus.nike.com. And, that’s how runners could compete all over the world. Not only were runners competing internationally, they could track each other progress. Ain’t technology grand!
The project was to encourage countries across the world to run a 10k race. Runners had to sign-up through nikeplus.nike.com. I think the Human Race was to piggy back off of the 2009 World Olympics in China. Not only did Nike sponsor most of the athletes in the world at the Olympics, including 10x gold medalist Michael Phelps wearing their product, they had to have a capstone event to prove victorious. Joyce Julius & Associates, which measures sponsorship values, estimates that the exposure of Nike & Swoosh worn by Michael Phelps equates to $5.3 million worth of advertising. – Stats from Oregonlive.com
More importantly, Nike with Apple iPod created a device that inserts inside of sneakers, specifically created for this device, to track your mileage. The link that made the Human Race 10k popular was that runners could upload there time after the race and display them on nikeplus.nike.com. And, that’s how runners could compete all over the world. Not only were runners competing internationally, they could track each other progress. Ain’t technology grand!
Lively - can it overtake SecondLife?
One trend I have been following recently is Google's development of it's answer to Second Life, "Lively" which was released over the summer. Many in the software development industry are constantly appalled by google's efforts of constant one-upsmanship, and feel that Google's forays into these arenas may, over the long term, dampen consumer desire for the product because ideas will not evolve.
One of the biggest drawbacks, as I see, with the "metaverse" software that is all the rage is that most of the time hardware requirements are not keeping up with the development of this software and the vast majority of the people who could push this software to the forefront don't have the technical capabilities to handle it. Also, most who initially experience the software will see it as nothing more than a virtual chat room that operates slowly, unless they are informed for the full breadth of capabilities that this software can offer. Also, the amount of rooms or "areas" provided by lively could become confusing and overwhelming to first time users of the software.
One of the positives that Lively is likely to possess that Second Life may be outpaced for is google has superior capabilities to design 3-D rendering, which is valuable to users who design their own "space".
mashable.com, basically a "People Magazine" of social networking software actually has a pretty good description of what it is and how to use it.
Lively Official Website
One of the biggest drawbacks, as I see, with the "metaverse" software that is all the rage is that most of the time hardware requirements are not keeping up with the development of this software and the vast majority of the people who could push this software to the forefront don't have the technical capabilities to handle it. Also, most who initially experience the software will see it as nothing more than a virtual chat room that operates slowly, unless they are informed for the full breadth of capabilities that this software can offer. Also, the amount of rooms or "areas" provided by lively could become confusing and overwhelming to first time users of the software.
One of the positives that Lively is likely to possess that Second Life may be outpaced for is google has superior capabilities to design 3-D rendering, which is valuable to users who design their own "space".
mashable.com, basically a "People Magazine" of social networking software actually has a pretty good description of what it is and how to use it.
Lively Official Website
A closer look at Web 2.0 applications
After reading Mrs. Kreisher’s blog that had a frameshot of the Web 2.0 directory, I decided to see what all was there. Wow! Too much for one day, but I still browsed. My focus today was on educational uses of Web 2.0. I came across Protagonize.com, which I thought might be beneficial to Communications teachers in courses such as Creative Writing. Clearly caution would have to be used, because if anyone can write then anything can be written. In the terms of agreement, there are strict uses of this site but there’s always someone who gets around it somehow. Bottom line: make sure your students understand what they can and cannot write, and keep a close watch at what they are reading and editing.
Another pretty useful site for educational purposes that is directed more towards parents and students is beanbag, an online request service for local tutors. It’s free, but it is not accessible everywhere. Locally, this probably wouldn’t be the best site to use. You can place an ad for a tutor in your area, but there is no promising that one will show up in the time frame that you need. If you live in an area that is more technologically savvy, there is probably a better chance that this site will work for you.
http://beanbaglearning.com/
Another pretty useful site for educational purposes that is directed more towards parents and students is beanbag, an online request service for local tutors. It’s free, but it is not accessible everywhere. Locally, this probably wouldn’t be the best site to use. You can place an ad for a tutor in your area, but there is no promising that one will show up in the time frame that you need. If you live in an area that is more technologically savvy, there is probably a better chance that this site will work for you.
http://beanbaglearning.com/
Increase Efficiency With Online Tools
Have you ever been frustrated because a file you need at work is saved on your home computer? I have been and so have my students. I used to email myself with docs attached or upload them to my school's server so that I could access them at home or work. This worked okay for me but seemed like an extra step that my students didn't want to take.
My solution to this problem has been to work with online tools such as Google Docs. With a lot of my documents saved there, I can access them from anywhere, make my changes and, voila! No uploading, no attaching. Even better, my students can do the same. An added advantage is that the document can be published as a web page and viewable by all. This has worked beautifully for my weekly lesson plans. I update the Google Doc plans, and my web page is automatically updated.
Google Docs also offers spreadsheet and presentation tools. So now, my students can edit a Powerpoint presentation at home or school. They can also collaborate within one presentation, as they do to prepare a script for their daily morning tv show. The best feature of the presentation tool is that these presentations are embeddable. Just copy the code provided, paste on your web page!
Lastly, another favorite online tool is Zoho Invoice. Like Google, Zoho offers document, presentation, spreadsheet, wiki and various other tools. The invoice feature is awesome. I use it to prepare invoices for my husband's small business. The invoices are easy to track, edit, and attribute payments to. From these invoices, reports can be made, saved, emailed. Zoho works with Paypal so payments can be accepted from customers and these payments are automatically credited to the proper invoice and customer. Best of all, the invoices are available from anywhere there is an Internet connection.
My solution to this problem has been to work with online tools such as Google Docs. With a lot of my documents saved there, I can access them from anywhere, make my changes and, voila! No uploading, no attaching. Even better, my students can do the same. An added advantage is that the document can be published as a web page and viewable by all. This has worked beautifully for my weekly lesson plans. I update the Google Doc plans, and my web page is automatically updated.
Google Docs also offers spreadsheet and presentation tools. So now, my students can edit a Powerpoint presentation at home or school. They can also collaborate within one presentation, as they do to prepare a script for their daily morning tv show. The best feature of the presentation tool is that these presentations are embeddable. Just copy the code provided, paste on your web page!
Lastly, another favorite online tool is Zoho Invoice. Like Google, Zoho offers document, presentation, spreadsheet, wiki and various other tools. The invoice feature is awesome. I use it to prepare invoices for my husband's small business. The invoices are easy to track, edit, and attribute payments to. From these invoices, reports can be made, saved, emailed. Zoho works with Paypal so payments can be accepted from customers and these payments are automatically credited to the proper invoice and customer. Best of all, the invoices are available from anywhere there is an Internet connection.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
My favorite source for podcasts
I read the previous blog on vodcasts with interest as I have never heard of a vodcast. I then went out to my favorite source of podcasts, http://www.pbs.org/podcasts/%20,%20and, and found that they indeed ha
d a vodcast among their podcasts. It was a science vodcast on Alzheimer’s and this short, 12 ½ minute vodcast was very interesting and an exciting new way of bringing interesting content to teachers and students.Pbs.org is one of my favorite sites for podcasts (although I don’t do many, most podc
asts I download are from this site). Some of my favorite podcasts are Frontline, which takes you around the world for various stories,
Nova, which is a science series on such topics as tornados, forensics, and mummies, and P.O.V., which stands for Point of View are personal, independent films on varied subjects.I really enjoy reading everyone’s blog on the Online Course Design Blog and I am finding out so many interesting things that I never even heard of! I start to write my blog at 3:00 and at 9:00 I am finally writing it after reading all the posts!
P.S. Microsoft Word has to add vodcasts to its’ dictionary as it kept wanting to change it to podcasts! ;-)
Educational Vodcasting
A thought occurred to me the other day while teaching and realizing 5 students were absent from one class alone. How can they learn what they missed? Its difficult as a teacher to reteach in 10 minutes what students have missed the day before. After searching on the web, I came acros a term called Vodcasting. Essentially like podcasting, it includes video, which is great for math teachers because it is imperative to show examples/steps on how certain problems are completed.
Check out the brief, 2 minute run-down of what it is......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zcQEQP6NAY
Benefits:
- Missed lectures are accessed at any time
- Ability to stop and replay a section of video for more clarification
Issues:
- Class attendance (can lower it, especially at the collegiate level)
- Affects grades
- Need to limit who can access it (especially if students are under 18)
Podcasts don't really work for classes where written examples are key to understanding. Vodcasting can be a excellent supplement to your class if used properly.
Nintendo Wii is not just fun and games
The Nintendo Wii virtual sport games can be a fun and addicting way to exercise on a rainy day. Depending on the game, you can elevate your heart rate to a moderate level to receive some health benefits. Nintendo's latest addition, the Wii Fit is flying off the shelves and receiving a lot of attention among the health community. Can this type of virtual recreation really make a significant impact on health? You might want to try it for yourself, particularly the boxing game. In my opinion, anything that is fun and gets people moving and keep moving is a good thing.
The scientific community is now getting on board with this hot commodity and there seems to be a lot of money being offered to research the health effects of these virtual fitness games. In 2004, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the Health Games Research Center at a cost of $8.25 million. Faculty at several universities have been able to secure funding from the RWJF to conduct research on the health benefits of virtual games. One such project is being conducted at the U. of South Carolina to help stroke victims recover motor skills. Check out the article on Wii-habilitation:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9955083-7.html
The scientific community is now getting on board with this hot commodity and there seems to be a lot of money being offered to research the health effects of these virtual fitness games. In 2004, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the Health Games Research Center at a cost of $8.25 million. Faculty at several universities have been able to secure funding from the RWJF to conduct research on the health benefits of virtual games. One such project is being conducted at the U. of South Carolina to help stroke victims recover motor skills. Check out the article on Wii-habilitation:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9955083-7.html
Micro-blogging in educational settings
Let me begin by saying this is my first time blogging. Excuse the newbie ;~) Twitter is one of the most popular micro-blogging tools currently available. It gets the term micro-blogging because posts are generally limited to a maximum of about 140 - 200 characters. In a paper presented at an eLearning and Software for Education (eLSE), the authors point out advantages and disadvantages of utilizing this type of technology in educational settings. Check out the paper here http://www.scribd.com/doc/2286799/Can-we-use-Twitter-for-educational-activities.
One of the disadvantages pointed out is that the micro-blogging could get off topic. From my experience this is minimized when teachers/professors monitor and participate in what is being discussed in a non-intrusive manner. If a teacher gives subtle and not so subtle hints that he/she is indeed viewing those discussions "inappropriateness" will quickly be minimized. The advantages of utilizing micro-blogging clearly out-weighs the perceived draw-backs. One of the many advantages of micro-blogging is it forces the development of clear and concise ideas with its character limitations. I'll treat this like a micro-blog and end here. (Although I think I may be over the limit)
One of the disadvantages pointed out is that the micro-blogging could get off topic. From my experience this is minimized when teachers/professors monitor and participate in what is being discussed in a non-intrusive manner. If a teacher gives subtle and not so subtle hints that he/she is indeed viewing those discussions "inappropriateness" will quickly be minimized. The advantages of utilizing micro-blogging clearly out-weighs the perceived draw-backs. One of the many advantages of micro-blogging is it forces the development of clear and concise ideas with its character limitations. I'll treat this like a micro-blog and end here. (Although I think I may be over the limit)
Spore! Science eLearning.
Spore will be released tomorrow, September 7th, for the PC and the MAC. What is Spore you ask? It is a Will Wright (the creator of the Sim series) creation that includes multiple gaming genres. The player starts as a single cellular organism. As time progresses, the player's organism becomes more complex through player made decisions, such as making the creature an omnivore, herbivore, or carnivore and other decisions like removing creature's fins or upgrading the creature's vision. The game requires players to plan for the long term in order to advance the creature and its culture with the ultimate goal of conquering space. The implications for educational usage of Spore seems almost unlimited. Will it take off as an educational tool? Only time will tell.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Second Life and future of education
The rising gas prices and changing life styles have seen the arrival of online education along with its tools such as Centra and Blackboard. Online networking sites like Orkut, MySpace and Facebook has been instrumental to boost the development of online environments at a faster pace.
Lightning speed super fast internet already around the corner to be introduced by late 2009, current 2D environment is all set to go 3D. The environment is close to Centra with single and up to 32 individuals can reside and interact as avatars of their choice. Developing interactive 3D models and environments for virtual worlds have been the focus for most of the virtual design platforms.
Most popular among the 3D environments is Second Life. It may be referred by some as a game, howbeit, of itself, Second Life actually is not a game. It can be used for most of the real worlds like education, marketing, entertainment, conferences, meetings, social gatherings and business networking. On the top is the picture of a classroom in a virtual 3D environment.
Almost every computer related product today is ‘easy to use’, ‘intuitive’ and ‘designed to one’s needs or expectations’. With the advent of virtual environments, augmented reality, ubiquitous computing, and other ‘off-the desktop technologies. 3D user interface design is now becoming a critical area for developers, students and researchers to understand.
Sources: picture www.darcynorman.net and other internet sources, the content provided here is purely non-commercial for educational and research purposes.
Second Life® and logo are copyrights of Linden Research Inc.
Lightning speed super fast internet already around the corner to be introduced by late 2009, current 2D environment is all set to go 3D. The environment is close to Centra with single and up to 32 individuals can reside and interact as avatars of their choice. Developing interactive 3D models and environments for virtual worlds have been the focus for most of the virtual design platforms.
Most popular among the 3D environments is Second Life. It may be referred by some as a game, howbeit, of itself, Second Life actually is not a game. It can be used for most of the real worlds like education, marketing, entertainment, conferences, meetings, social gatherings and business networking. On the top is the picture of a classroom in a virtual 3D environment.
Almost every computer related product today is ‘easy to use’, ‘intuitive’ and ‘designed to one’s needs or expectations’. With the advent of virtual environments, augmented reality, ubiquitous computing, and other ‘off-the desktop technologies. 3D user interface design is now becoming a critical area for developers, students and researchers to understand.
Sources: picture www.darcynorman.net and other internet sources, the content provided here is purely non-commercial for educational and research purposes.
Second Life® and logo are copyrights of Linden Research Inc.
Google Chrome Aims to Make Browsing Better
I ran across a lot of chatter about Google's new web browser, named Google Chrome, on my favorite tech blogs Engadget and Gizmodo. I found several reviews and am hoping to download it and give it a try when I get home today. The main goal of Google seems to be setting standards for the Web2.0 applications to ensure they run properly in their browser. While it may not ever replace stalwarts like Internet and Explorer and Firefox, I think Google Chrome will force competing browsers to adopt a more standards driven approach for handling Web2.0 applications, making things better for end users in the long run.
The Virtual Office???
I was reading the Training Day blog post titled Moving Target. It explains how so many professionals are working around the clock due to company cards with cell phone numbers, company laptops that constantly send emails, and PDAs that make it so easy to be reached even at the dinner table. Just making it into the work force, I notice that I am becoming a part of this group of professionals. When I get home from work and sit down to watch the news, I can't help but to feel the numerous incoming emails from WORK. This alone makes me think, "where's the pay for overtime??" I just started working and I feel like I don't want to be bothered after work. That is personal, off-the-clock time that I want to enjoy. How can we escape the grip of our employer? This is exactly why people take so many vacations, sick leaves, etc. Here's some advice: When you're all out of sick leave, call in dead! haha.
Students Learn the Art of Hacking
As I was looking for inspiration as to what to write about for this blog, I stumbled on a very interesting article:
The article reports in brief that University of Abertay in Dundee, Great Britain will offer a class called "Ethical Hacking and Computer Security". The university states that by offering this course to its postgraduate IT-students, it will prepare them to realize the vulnerabilities of computer networks and teach methods of how to protect against them.
This article caught my interest even though it is not directly e-learning related. It made me think of the different teaching methods and strategies that would be used during the class. It just feeds my curiosity to think how the faculty teaching the class gained their experience in the matter! ;)
Also, as a spin off, it brings to mind a wonderful perk for the field of instructional design. As ID is not related to any industry, one has the opportunity to learn about new industries, clients, cultures, business strategies (you name it) with each project that comes along. An ID team might have even built the training for the faculty teaching the "Ethical Hacking" class. SME's would be professional hackers caught red-handed... This versatility of the ID field is at the core of why it interests me, as I fear the future as the same routine day in and out.
Link to the short article in The London Independent:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20080827/ai_n28037309
The article reports in brief that University of Abertay in Dundee, Great Britain will offer a class called "Ethical Hacking and Computer Security". The university states that by offering this course to its postgraduate IT-students, it will prepare them to realize the vulnerabilities of computer networks and teach methods of how to protect against them.
This article caught my interest even though it is not directly e-learning related. It made me think of the different teaching methods and strategies that would be used during the class. It just feeds my curiosity to think how the faculty teaching the class gained their experience in the matter! ;)
Also, as a spin off, it brings to mind a wonderful perk for the field of instructional design. As ID is not related to any industry, one has the opportunity to learn about new industries, clients, cultures, business strategies (you name it) with each project that comes along. An ID team might have even built the training for the faculty teaching the "Ethical Hacking" class. SME's would be professional hackers caught red-handed... This versatility of the ID field is at the core of why it interests me, as I fear the future as the same routine day in and out.
Link to the short article in The London Independent:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20080827/ai_n28037309
Web 2.0 and tools for the modern Yoga teacher
I have spent the last ten years of my life studying the classics of the East in the most traditional manner that has been available. Needless to say i have been reluctant to open myself up too far to the use of technology, taking comfortable baby steps into this 'brave new world'. Much of my reluctance is born out of the old 'passive' paradigm where information is kind of dumped on the user in an one sided impersonal fashion. With the advent of web 2.0 tools such as wiki's and blogs have developed that i am much more comfortable with because they are interactive tools that leave the user empowered. I have spent the last week researching blogs and have found many that could prove extremely useful for fellow yoga teachers and students alike. The first i encountered was http://www.itsallaboutyoga.com. The first area I found interesting was simply the sharing of information but the second and probably more profound is the sharing of experience. The latter is really a unique function of blogging, for as a teacher and student being able to listen to the experiences of others is invaluable from both a motivational angle as well as feeling a sense of community. I am beginning to see the great potential blogging has to offer and am excited to explore
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Office Live Workspace
While visiting a few technology blogs I found an interesting article about Office Live Workspace. They recently hit the one million sign up mark. Office Live Workspace is an free extension of Microsoft Office. It is designed to allow people the share their work. Around 1,000 Microsoft Office documents can be stored using this service. It also allows users who do not have Office installed on their computers to view these documents. Live Workspace allows for files to be saved in Office XP, 2003, or 2007 format.
It's interesting to see the direction of where document sharing/file sharing is going. With Wiki's, Blogs, and other software designed to share documents, Microsoft decided to get into an area like this. I think its a great idea to have a resource of this at the disposal of E-Learning users as it allows for easier collaboration.
Original Article: Over one million users sign up for Office Live Workspace
Microsoft Article: One Million Strong Collaborating Online With Microsoft Office Live Workspace Beta
Link: Office Live Workspace
It's interesting to see the direction of where document sharing/file sharing is going. With Wiki's, Blogs, and other software designed to share documents, Microsoft decided to get into an area like this. I think its a great idea to have a resource of this at the disposal of E-Learning users as it allows for easier collaboration.
Original Article: Over one million users sign up for Office Live Workspace
Microsoft Article: One Million Strong Collaborating Online With Microsoft Office Live Workspace Beta
Link: Office Live Workspace
Tools for Teachers and One for ALL
I know that it is that time of year when all teachers are just starting to get into your routine for the year. Personally, I am still working on it! However, you may want to add the following site to your routine when you are planning your lessons.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/
Contained on this website are specific resources for individual subjects from K-12. By this, I mean that they actually break down the resources by grade levels (K-12) and have resources also broken down by subject area. They also have links for practice modules and have daily updated brain teasers and such. I can speak from personal experience as a Geometry and PreCalculus teacher at the high school level that this source is one of the most specific resources that I have seen on the Web for subject areas. The materials are always being added as well!
Another interesting website I found actually lists
the Web 2.0 sources. When you click on one of the names, a small toolbar shows up at the bottom of the screen to let you know a little bit about the website's purpose and provides a link so that you can go to the homepage. I knew there were a lot of Web 2.0 websites, but this list contains some I have never even heard of! You should be able to find what you are looking for here because they do have a search bar as well.http://www.go2web20.net/
Great Tool for Teachers and Students! Schoolwires
Recently, I attended a meeting at our School District about changing the way we maintain, update, and change our website. We met with a rep from http://www.schoolwires.com/, a company from State College, PA that offers a variety of web tools for teachers, students, parents, administration, and the community to utilize. Schoolwires will create your website to your specifications, host the website, and enable teachers to create their own websites without having to know a line of code. Word, xhtml, FrontPage, and Dreamweaver are just a few of the tools teachers can use to create their website. In addition, teachers can upload their homework every night and include important dates on a district calendar. Blogs and wikis will be available to the students, which will open up a whole new way of learning and communicating with each other and their teachers. The entire implementation will take up to 6 months so as we progress through the design and integration, I will report on our progress and any new and exiting features that I learn about!
Lynda.com
I have been using Lynda.com trainings for the past 3 years. I work in an environment where the technology is in a constant state of evolution. I utilize Lynda.com Video training to catch up with the industries I support. My day runs the gamut of the simplest computing issues to high end digital media concepts, pipelines, and applications.
Working in a fast paced environment, I learn many cutting edge applications and program languages from the comfort of my desk. The information is presented in streaming video by knowledgeable instructors using concrete examples. This allows me to present solutions to technical issues I encounter on a daily basis.
www.lynda.com
Water 4 Gas
Honestly, I only use forums, blogs, and other Web 2.0 tools when I need something. Rather than casual blogging as a hobby, I use these tools as a support system for my other hobbies. One that I found recently is a blog about increasing gas mileage for your vehicle. This is a great tool for you DIY people and for anyone looking to combat the ridiculous gas prices.
http://waterhybrids.blogspot.com/
This site offers threads and video tutorials teaching you how to convert your gasoline-powered vehicle into a gas-water hybrid. Regardless of your opinions on this subject, this blog offers great suggestions for saving money, which is crucial in today's not-so-booming economy. The results of this project can yield a double in your vehicle's MPG! In my research, it was not uncommon to find consumers who have transformed their 30 MPG vehicle into a 60+ MPG traveling money-saver. Since oil companies try their best to hide this and other related facts, the Web is an excellent resource on this topic. Please add any additional sites/resources that you know of on this subject.
http://waterhybrids.blogspot.com/
This site offers threads and video tutorials teaching you how to convert your gasoline-powered vehicle into a gas-water hybrid. Regardless of your opinions on this subject, this blog offers great suggestions for saving money, which is crucial in today's not-so-booming economy. The results of this project can yield a double in your vehicle's MPG! In my research, it was not uncommon to find consumers who have transformed their 30 MPG vehicle into a 60+ MPG traveling money-saver. Since oil companies try their best to hide this and other related facts, the Web is an excellent resource on this topic. Please add any additional sites/resources that you know of on this subject.
Software Tutorials
Beginning an online course or using a new program for the first time can be a daunting task for some people. I have found a few FREE resources that make it easy to create short video tutorials to help the new learner get started greater ease. You might want to try them out for future reference: Camstudio and Freez Video Screen Capture.
Google Chrome
GOOGLE CHROMEAs I was familiarizing myself with my Google account again, I ran across an interesting article. I discovered that Google is trying to create an all inclusive workable website that looks and acts like Internet Explorer with tabs. Plus it has all the capabilities for creating interactive projects.
This seems to be the up and coming way to create projects and interact with others.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/09/03/review.chrome.ap/index.html
There is even a Blog that discusses pros and cons of Google Chrome.
http://www.download.com/8300-2007_4-12.html?keyword=%22Google+chrome%22
Just a little something I love....
Mediafly is a great website that I stumbled upon looking for interesting podcasts. All you have to do is create an account and select the podcasts you are interested in and they will automatically download to your PC. If you have an iPod or Zune, you can subscribe to Mediafly via an RSS feed. The podcasts will download to your play list and every time you sync your device to your PC, the podcasts will be available immediately. I subscribe to free yoga videos which I can watch on my iPod at the gym. It's a great way to keep up with whatever interests you. As for me, I will always have a new workout waiting for me in iTunes.
Adobe, Making Everything Awesome!
As students of Online Course Design, we can all appreciate what Adobe has done to make almost everything we do on the web fun, easy and pretty! Adobe's website has an amazing blog on Education and the one million different things you can do to spice up online education. http://blogs.adobe.com/educationleaders/ is the address, so check it out. Personally I love finding out all the new and interesting things you can do with programs that are just sitting around on my desktop being used for the same old song and dance everyday.
iTunes U
Talk about eLearning in action and a continuous state of flux - iTunes U is it. This stands for iTunes University and it is an AMAZING collection of lectures straight from an impressive list of universities to you via your iTunes program and even in your iPod if you want to watch/listen on the go!
This is a screen capture of just some of the providers (including Texas A&M, Dr. N!) and the most amazing part is that ALL of the content is absolutely free. You can access some of the most fabulous minds and extensive data quickly, conveniently, and at no expense.
I noticed when taking this screen shot that they have also started to put content into categories. There are the traditional 'Math', 'Science' type of categories, but also 'Teaching & Education' and 'Health & Medicine'.
Some of the high school teachers here at Danville do utilize lessons from iTunes U and I've even had students tell me that they've gotten additional information about a topic on iTunes U, so they are using it as a resource.
If you want to check it out as well, here are some helpful tips. The iTunes software is dual platform and completely free, but you will need it to access iTunes U. If you don't have iTunes on your machine and you want it, here's where to go: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
Once you have iTunes, simply click on the the iTunes Store link in the left menu bar. Once you're in iTunes U you can browse or search by specific topic. Happy eLearning!
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Great Online Course Management Site
I would like to preface this by saying this is my first blog ever.
Now, after spending (surfing) time on the Web, I came across a website that I don't believe has been mentioned before. If it has, I apologize, but I think its a valuable resource for teachers and administrators to use if they want to set up an online course. Edu2.0 is a site for anyone - even those with minimal technical skills - to set up an online course for any subject for FREE. It is a great online course management system. Take the 3-minute tour http://www.edu20.org/tour and you will be impressed with how many resources are available.
Now, after spending (surfing) time on the Web, I came across a website that I don't believe has been mentioned before. If it has, I apologize, but I think its a valuable resource for teachers and administrators to use if they want to set up an online course. Edu2.0 is a site for anyone - even those with minimal technical skills - to set up an online course for any subject for FREE. It is a great online course management system. Take the 3-minute tour http://www.edu20.org/tour and you will be impressed with how many resources are available.
The term edu2.0 stands for "next generation education" and also mentions that its a great tool for parents who want to home school their children. They also allow you to upload information and host if it for free. If you start at http://www.edu20.org/company/about , check out different tabs. Its an eye-appealling website that offers numerous options for the online teacher. Great site!
The E-Learning Handbook: Past Promises, Present Challenges
I had a chance to speak with and meet both Dr. Karl Kapp and Dr. Saul Carliner at the 2008 Society for Technical Communication (STC) Annual Summit in Philadelphia. While we were all talking, Dr. Kapp mentioned to Dr. Carliner that he enjoyed his new book on e-Learning. After hearing this I went to the bookstore in the convention center and bought Dr. Carliner's book titled The E-Learning Handbook: Past promises, Present Challenges co-edited by Dr. Patti Shank.
While I did not read the entire book yet, I have read a few chapters. One chapter in particular, I found very interesting. Chapter 11 is titled Converting e3-Learning to e3-Learning: An Alternative Instructional Design Method. In the chapter guest author M. David Merrill describes e3-Learning as "Enerative, Endless, and Empty." He gives concrete examples of how some e-learning is one of these three characteristics. He then goes on to describe how to make e-learning become e3-Learning, that is "Efficient, Effective, and Engaging." In the chapter Dr. Merrill goes on to talk how although there are many instructional design models and/or theories, they do share the same five principles which in turn can produce e3-Learning. They are: "activation, demonstration, application, task-centered, and finally integration."
I think this book is well written and a good book to have on your shelf because it explores 16 topics within six main areas (issues). Some of the topics included are "Web 2.0 and Beyond, Locked Out: Bridging the Divide between Training and Information Technology, and e-Learning Standards" just to name a few. If you haven't picked up the book I would recommend doing so. TextbooksRUs has copies from $55.32 if your interested.
Here is the excerpt from Chapter one: Thinking Critically to move e-Learning Forward from Pfeiffer's website.
While I did not read the entire book yet, I have read a few chapters. One chapter in particular, I found very interesting. Chapter 11 is titled Converting e3-Learning to e3-Learning: An Alternative Instructional Design Method. In the chapter guest author M. David Merrill describes e3-Learning as "Enerative, Endless, and Empty." He gives concrete examples of how some e-learning is one of these three characteristics. He then goes on to describe how to make e-learning become e3-Learning, that is "Efficient, Effective, and Engaging." In the chapter Dr. Merrill goes on to talk how although there are many instructional design models and/or theories, they do share the same five principles which in turn can produce e3-Learning. They are: "activation, demonstration, application, task-centered, and finally integration."
I think this book is well written and a good book to have on your shelf because it explores 16 topics within six main areas (issues). Some of the topics included are "Web 2.0 and Beyond, Locked Out: Bridging the Divide between Training and Information Technology, and e-Learning Standards" just to name a few. If you haven't picked up the book I would recommend doing so. TextbooksRUs has copies from $55.32 if your interested.
Here is the excerpt from Chapter one: Thinking Critically to move e-Learning Forward from Pfeiffer's website.
Mashups (somewhat) Simplified
About 2 years ago I saw a brief presentation that mentioned Yahoo! Pipes ( http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/ )as an easy way to create mashups. I proceeded to log on, think "wow this is cool," and seconds later managed to follow that thought with "this really isn't simple." I consider myself "tech savvy," but I am not a coder.
This past spring I attended a technology seminar at which there was a presentation on setting up simple mashups using--yup--Yahoo! Pipes. I just had to attend. What I learned was that I was right, to a point. If you are not "shown the way" in terms of what to do there it can be daunting. Even if you do have the basics down there are some really advanced features there. But after being shown only a couple of things to get started I had created a simple mashup of news and images relating to the Philadelphia Phillies (check it out)before the session was 3/4 over. Yes, I probably missed something because I was multi-tasking.
At any rate, Yahoo! Pipes is a pretty cool mashup application for those of us that really aren't going to learn to hard-code any time soon. That being said, it isn't exactly intuitive. With a little demo, though, it isn't too hard to get started.
Check it out to get a bit of an understanding of what mashups are and can do.
Carl
This past spring I attended a technology seminar at which there was a presentation on setting up simple mashups using--yup--Yahoo! Pipes. I just had to attend. What I learned was that I was right, to a point. If you are not "shown the way" in terms of what to do there it can be daunting. Even if you do have the basics down there are some really advanced features there. But after being shown only a couple of things to get started I had created a simple mashup of news and images relating to the Philadelphia Phillies (check it out)before the session was 3/4 over. Yes, I probably missed something because I was multi-tasking.
At any rate, Yahoo! Pipes is a pretty cool mashup application for those of us that really aren't going to learn to hard-code any time soon. That being said, it isn't exactly intuitive. With a little demo, though, it isn't too hard to get started.
Check it out to get a bit of an understanding of what mashups are and can do.
Carl
E-Learning and IDT in the Real World
One of the better podcast I listened to this summer was one by Michael Dowdy, an e-Learning Manager at Regions financial in Memphis, Tennessee. He is an alumnus of the IDT program at the University of Memphis.
I found this particular podcast very informative because Dowdy speaks very candidly about the corporate world and how E-learning fits in.; It was interesting to discover what Many in the banking and financial industry know about e-learning (not much, according to Dowdy, but that is changing) but also the hiring practices of those in the private sector approach a burgeoning need for e-learning professionals.
He also gives a lot of tips on how to get hired and what you need to do in order to make yourself an attractive candidate in the e-learning field, as well as what skills are necessary to make yourself stand out to potential employers.
Some of his talk deals with directly with the Memphis region, but most of it can be applied to any market or region, or any industry for that matter.
"IDT in the Real World" series- Michael Dowdy
I found this particular podcast very informative because Dowdy speaks very candidly about the corporate world and how E-learning fits in.; It was interesting to discover what Many in the banking and financial industry know about e-learning (not much, according to Dowdy, but that is changing) but also the hiring practices of those in the private sector approach a burgeoning need for e-learning professionals.
He also gives a lot of tips on how to get hired and what you need to do in order to make yourself an attractive candidate in the e-learning field, as well as what skills are necessary to make yourself stand out to potential employers.
Some of his talk deals with directly with the Memphis region, but most of it can be applied to any market or region, or any industry for that matter.
"IDT in the Real World" series- Michael Dowdy
Benefits of eLearning for the K-12 Classroom
I found an awesome blog that supports eLearning in the K-12 classroom.
Jeff Felix, a Superintendent of Coronado Unified School District (near San Diego) has been researching the phenomenon of Blogging in the K-12 classroom.
I wanted to share some of his findings during his research and how students can benefit from these eLearning tools.
The Blog location is http://www.suptfelix.blogspot.com/
During Mr. Felix’s research, he has discovered that students who write Blogs or Wiki’s write for a variety of reasons; the biggest benefits to this writing is that they are communicating and are motivated to write. This motivation helps them get involved with school work and helps them document their thoughts.
Another great benefit is that their writing skills are improving and they are having fun learning.
You can read Mr. Felix’s findings from his study on Bonsall Union School District’s website:
http://bonsall.schoolwires.com/1512109262125477/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=277322&C=55071
--Lynn Tarnowski
Jeff Felix, a Superintendent of Coronado Unified School District (near San Diego) has been researching the phenomenon of Blogging in the K-12 classroom.
I wanted to share some of his findings during his research and how students can benefit from these eLearning tools.
The Blog location is http://www.suptfelix.blogspot.com/
During Mr. Felix’s research, he has discovered that students who write Blogs or Wiki’s write for a variety of reasons; the biggest benefits to this writing is that they are communicating and are motivated to write. This motivation helps them get involved with school work and helps them document their thoughts.
Another great benefit is that their writing skills are improving and they are having fun learning.
You can read Mr. Felix’s findings from his study on Bonsall Union School District’s website:
http://bonsall.schoolwires.com/1512109262125477/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=277322&C=55071
--Lynn Tarnowski
Toys for the Online Multitasker
A good friend of mine recently took a new job, and in blogging about her experience with the two day orientation training she was required to attend said that upon entering the training room, the new employees were presented with a table of toys and simple gadgets. Her first thought was one of dread- "they're going to make us do those really annoying team building exercises!" But it turned out, somebody in HR simply understood that some learners can be a bit attention deficit or are just naturally inclined to multitask. I thought about my friend's blog post when Dr. Nich described her online course experience and promised from now on, if we will promise to engage for fifty minutes, we will be granted fifteen minutes for a break.
Learners disengage at various points during class, I think. It happens in face-to-face and online environments. The danger with mentally disengaging in an online environment is that it is much easier not to plug back in. The vast world of the internet is right at the learner's fingertips, and instructors can't catch learners with eye contact or briefly stroll by a desk to nudge a learner back into the activity at hand.
The eLearning Guild had a similar tip about toys in their eBook, "The eLearning Guild's Handbook on Synchronous Learning." The eBook solicited tips from the Guild's very large membership and published them in this handbook. One tipster made the same use of toys and gadgets in her face-to-face sessions.
It's more difficult to approximate this strategy in a synchronous, online course. An instructor can offer suggestions for focusing on the topic at hand, but he/she can't display a table of appealing toys and gadgets. One way to handle this is to make sure some interactivity is built into the synchronous session- polls, mini quizzes, and handing text tools and microphones over to the students. I know for myself, I have a couple of rules that I follow for an online class, so that I don't end up disengaged for long periods of time. I always close my email application before logging into the class, and I have a scratch pad and pen next to me, separate from the notebook I use for class notes. I'm an inveterate multitasker, so staying focused on a screen and voice can be challenging for me. Often, doodling, or noting random thoughts about emails I need to send or items I need to add to my To Do list can be enough multitasking to keep me focused on the course content and away from the internet browser. I also reward myself in small ways for staying focused- like watching a video after class sometimes instead of buckling right down to homework. With more online offerings each year, learners will need tools to stay engaged and focused. Online courses are rapidly becoming the norm. In fact, according to research for another course, I found statistics that say over more than half of US degree-granting institutions offer online courses.
There are a plethora of tips out there on how to be an online learner. A lot of the tips cover time management, staying connected to peers, and dealing with technology problems. Once a learner has managed his time, learned how to stay connected to his class, and overcome any technology barriers or malfunctions, he doesn't have many resources for how to actually stay engaged in the content once he gets to it. Proper time management, and courses that appropriately serve their target audiences help, but I'm wondering what sort of tips and strategies other online learners use to keep themselves focused and interested in the course content. We've probably all had course requirements, necessary for a certificate or a degree, that we didn't find exciting or engaging. When designing courses for online delivery, engagement of the learner is a factor that instructors and facilitators should consider.
Learners disengage at various points during class, I think. It happens in face-to-face and online environments. The danger with mentally disengaging in an online environment is that it is much easier not to plug back in. The vast world of the internet is right at the learner's fingertips, and instructors can't catch learners with eye contact or briefly stroll by a desk to nudge a learner back into the activity at hand.
The eLearning Guild had a similar tip about toys in their eBook, "The eLearning Guild's Handbook on Synchronous Learning." The eBook solicited tips from the Guild's very large membership and published them in this handbook. One tipster made the same use of toys and gadgets in her face-to-face sessions.
It's more difficult to approximate this strategy in a synchronous, online course. An instructor can offer suggestions for focusing on the topic at hand, but he/she can't display a table of appealing toys and gadgets. One way to handle this is to make sure some interactivity is built into the synchronous session- polls, mini quizzes, and handing text tools and microphones over to the students. I know for myself, I have a couple of rules that I follow for an online class, so that I don't end up disengaged for long periods of time. I always close my email application before logging into the class, and I have a scratch pad and pen next to me, separate from the notebook I use for class notes. I'm an inveterate multitasker, so staying focused on a screen and voice can be challenging for me. Often, doodling, or noting random thoughts about emails I need to send or items I need to add to my To Do list can be enough multitasking to keep me focused on the course content and away from the internet browser. I also reward myself in small ways for staying focused- like watching a video after class sometimes instead of buckling right down to homework. With more online offerings each year, learners will need tools to stay engaged and focused. Online courses are rapidly becoming the norm. In fact, according to research for another course, I found statistics that say over more than half of US degree-granting institutions offer online courses.
There are a plethora of tips out there on how to be an online learner. A lot of the tips cover time management, staying connected to peers, and dealing with technology problems. Once a learner has managed his time, learned how to stay connected to his class, and overcome any technology barriers or malfunctions, he doesn't have many resources for how to actually stay engaged in the content once he gets to it. Proper time management, and courses that appropriately serve their target audiences help, but I'm wondering what sort of tips and strategies other online learners use to keep themselves focused and interested in the course content. We've probably all had course requirements, necessary for a certificate or a degree, that we didn't find exciting or engaging. When designing courses for online delivery, engagement of the learner is a factor that instructors and facilitators should consider.
e-learning July 2008
Jerry Roche published a great article in the July 2008 edition of E-Learning titled "Teaching & Learningt in the 21st Century". He sites a variety of organizations, schools and consultants who have converted to a virtual learning environment and he feels Virtual Classrooms are "the most profound difference between learning in the 20th century and learning in the 21st century". A consutant Lance Dublin (founder of Dublin Consulting) offered his 5 tips for presenters in a virtual classroom environment which were very much in line with what we discussed on Thursday and address some of the obstacles we felt were important;
1. "Slice and dice the content into 10 minute sections". He includes ideas such as visual polls, interactions and annotations, which definitely kept my interest during our first class last week
2. "Leverage the visuals". Dublin offers advice around drawing, color use, highlighting, and keeping the screen active (avoid static lecturing).
3. "Think conversation, not lecture". I know my experience in previous virtual classrooms had been very static and unidirectional. Viewing the environment as a facilitation ideas vs. a lecture can have great impact.
4. "Move it along". He recommends maintaining a good pace "two to four minutes per visual" and that multi-tasking is assumed in a vitual world.
5. "Interact, interact, interact". Considering the updates we viewed on Thursday evening, it looks like Centra and others have advanced thier toolbars and offerings to create greater opportunity for interaction.
1. "Slice and dice the content into 10 minute sections". He includes ideas such as visual polls, interactions and annotations, which definitely kept my interest during our first class last week
2. "Leverage the visuals". Dublin offers advice around drawing, color use, highlighting, and keeping the screen active (avoid static lecturing).
3. "Think conversation, not lecture". I know my experience in previous virtual classrooms had been very static and unidirectional. Viewing the environment as a facilitation ideas vs. a lecture can have great impact.
4. "Move it along". He recommends maintaining a good pace "two to four minutes per visual" and that multi-tasking is assumed in a vitual world.
5. "Interact, interact, interact". Considering the updates we viewed on Thursday evening, it looks like Centra and others have advanced thier toolbars and offerings to create greater opportunity for interaction.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Web 2.0
First off, let me say that I think I might be addicted to the Common Craft website. What an easy way to understand technology. I'll definitely be sharing that site with folks I work with! :-)
For my first post to this blog, I decided to share some of the Web 2.0 links I found. I had never even heard of this until it was mentioned in my first IT class on Monday night. Many of the applications and website thats are considered Web 2.0 I use on a daily basis but I never stopped to consider how different they were from other, older sites.
I did some searching and found lots of very interesting Web 2.0 information. One of the coolest sites I found is called Go2Web2.0 which claims to be the "Complete Web 2.0 Directory".
While I'm not sure if this is the complete list of all the Web 2.0 applications, they certainly do have a large selection. Some of the favorites that I've found so far:
For my first post to this blog, I decided to share some of the Web 2.0 links I found. I had never even heard of this until it was mentioned in my first IT class on Monday night. Many of the applications and website thats are considered Web 2.0 I use on a daily basis but I never stopped to consider how different they were from other, older sites.
I did some searching and found lots of very interesting Web 2.0 information. One of the coolest sites I found is called Go2Web2.0 which claims to be the "Complete Web 2.0 Directory".
While I'm not sure if this is the complete list of all the Web 2.0 applications, they certainly do have a large selection. Some of the favorites that I've found so far:
- This one lets you make simple animations.
- A free whiteboard
- "How to" videos
Teacher eLearning Resources
While I had previously heard of wikis and what they are in “textbook terms,” the common craft explanation was much easier to understand. Both informative and entertaining, they really stated what wikis are in plain English! I will have to share this with my colleagues who are involved in the CFF grant who are as confused as I am with all the technology applications that we do not know how to use. This sparked a search for other easy to understand or use contexts of eLearning. One website that I came across that has decent applications for teachers is http://teachers.henrico.k12.va.us/elearning/. It lists some online resources for specific concepts one might be teaching; I was excited to come across one that I just used last week in my classroom called GeoGebra!
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