Terence Armentano - eResume & ePortfolio

I created the following Wiki as a guide for my Web 2.0 presentation that I gave today at Bowling Green State University to Faculty and Staff. The presentation was about how educators can incorporate Web 2.0 technologies into their life, research, and the development of their online courses. I hope the Wiki format will encourage others to contribute to my presentation and to make it even more useful for others over time. View the wiki presentation here — http://terenceonline.wiki.zoho.com/HomePage.html

The question is no longer whether distance learning is as good as face to face learning. That question has been answered long ago (see the Sloan Reports for more on that topic.) The focus of the question has switched to how much better can we make distance learning courses? In the past, the term distance learning, was associated with one dimensional correspondence courses in which lectures were videotaped and course materials were mailed to students. Now, distance learning describes a new level of learning in which technologies are integrated to facilitate richer online learning environments. In fact, distance technologies have transformed our face to face learning environments in a major way. Now, lectures are videotaped and streamed to students immediately along with course materials and communication tools for immediate engagement with content, students, and instructors.

Distance learning is simply the way people learn in today’s information age. Harvard is the newest high-profile university to harness these distance technologies in collaboration with ITUNES U. They currently have 1 entire course on ITUNES titled, “Understanding Computers and the Internet”, however, Harvard’s ITUNES model is a bit different than other universities. Except for their one completely online course, Harvard is using ITUNES to let potential students simply get a taste of their online courses. The latest press release from Harvard, states “Each 10- to 15-minute long video introduction gives the viewer a virtual taste of the Harvard classroom and the opportunity to experience Harvard Extension School distance education. Audio of each complete two-hour introductory lecture is also available for downloading.” One can access the ITUNES version of the course at http://itunes.extension.harvard.edu/, however, for those that do not have ITUNES, one can access an alternate version of the course online at http://computerscience1.org/

This course is a good example of using technology to create and distribute knowledge, however, one crucial component that is missing from the ITUNES model is the virtual space needed for discussion. The strength of online education is combing multimedia (text, images, audio, and video) with points of interaction via asynchronous and synchronous communication. There is no doubt that Harvard’s online materials available are excellent, however, I would like to see them build a community using online communication tools such as discussion boards, text messaging, and audio/video apps such as skype and google talk. Maybe that is part of the Harvard Extension online school experience. Either way, it is important to make the distinction between online courses and online materials. The Harvard course website states, ” This course is all about understanding…” In my humble opinion, unless communication and interaction is a key component to the learning environment, one should not call it an online course. Other than that, it is one of the best resources for course materials I have come across on the net.

I blogged about the “We are Smarter than Me” Project and my contribution to the book on November 28th. (See original post) I wrote the opening paragraph for Chapter 1 of the book and I was curious to see the transformation that would take place over time as others edited the book.

Open Culture is a good resource for finding podcasts, videos, online courses, and other dynamic learning resources from quality places such as MIT, Yale, UC Berkley, Harvard, and others. Open culture is edited by Dan Colman, Associate Dean & Director of Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program. http://www.oculture.com/weblog/

If you’ve ever wondered what a classroom lecture from UC Berkley is like, well now you can find out. Building off of their success from their podcasts from Spring 2006, Berkley has opened it’s doors to the world again with a new podcast system. Like any Beta test, they don’t have all the bugs worked out yet so they are looking for feedback. Students of UC Berkley and people from around the world can subscribe to classroom lectures from a wide variety of courses. They also provide podcasts of prominent speakers that visit the university. Here is the link http://webcast.berkeley.edu/index.php

As lifelong learners we should be able to adapt to change and not get set in our ways with the kinds of tools we use to teach. This video from the TED Conference demonstrates the way in which computers may change in the future. MAC’s new iphone already uses this multi-touch sensor interface and it’s pretty cool. Don’t get too used to your keyboards folks. Change is on the horizon. Check out the video.

WEB 2.0
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Still not entirely sure how to explain Web 2.0 to your friends? You weren’t alone in 2006. In a fitting marriage of context and content, “Web 2.0″ was the No. 1 most-cited Wikipedia entry of the year, according to Nielsen BuzzMetrics. The oft-repeated buzz word handily beat out other tech terms such as “blog,” “Meme” and two conjugations of “Podcast” for the coveted top spot. - Read full story

The quality and credibility of Wikipedia, the free user created encyclopedia, provokes healthy debate inside the walls of academia. Some professors will not allow students to cite sources from the website, while other instructors encourage students to not only cite sources, but to also contribute to the content of the wiki. In the online faculty training course that I facilitate at BGSU, we discuss the pros and cons of wikis. One point that is often brought up is that academics should lead the charge in reviewing, critiquing, and contributing content to the encyclopedia.

“Scholarpedia feels and looks like Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Indeed, both are powered by the same program - MediaWiki. Both allow visitors to review and modify articles simply by clicking on the edit this article link. However, Scholarpedia differs from Wikipedia in some very important ways: Each article is written by an expert (invited or elected by the public). Each article is anonymously peer reviewed to ensure accurate and reliable information. Each article has a curator - typically its author — who is responsible for its content. Any modification of the article needs to be approved by the curator before it appears in the final, approved version.” - Scholarpedia.com

“Even if you’re not a genius, you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future.”

“The following eight strategies encourage you to think productively, rather than reproductively, in order to arrive at solutions to problems. “These strategies are common to the thinking styles of creative geniuses in science, art, and industry throughout history.” http://www.studygs.net/genius.htm