Anyone looking for a good video to explain to others why blogging is so powerful. Check this one out by the folks at the Common Craft Show.
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TrackbackLooking for more good blog resources? Check out the nominees for the 2007 Edublog Awards. Categories include:
7. Best librarian / library blog
8. Best educational tech support blog
9. Best elearning / corporate education blog
10. Best educational use of audio
11. Best educational use of video / visual
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When designing online courses for the education environment, we are always asking ourselves how we can best communicate a message online and capture the emotion and humanness within the digital medium. The human element is crucial to a good learning environment. I found this example from the NY Times Online to be an excellent model for conveying a message using multiple forms of media to enrich our understanding. In this example, they use text, audio, video, and images within the digital medium to convey a human element through stories that impact our understanding of the situation in Iraq. As someone who reads the NY Times daily I find that more stories than not, focus on the negative aspects of the war and how much has gone wrong, so it is encouraging to see the other side presented in such a rich way and that progress is being made. If this example were incorporated into an online course, it might be followed up with discussion in the forums or an individual or class blog contribution. Those that are interested in designing online courses at universities should consider these examples and share them with your multimedia and instructional design team on your campus. View example
What is Web 2.0? Buzzword or Substance? This presentation quickly gets to the point and describes the substance of web 2.0. Although this short presentation has been around for a while, I’m sure many still have not seen it so in the spirit of web 2.0 sharing, collaborating, and connecting, here it is:
Comments rss TrackbackPredicting the future is tough business because often times unpredictable things happen, which change the course of life. [i.e. Movable Type, The Internet, Google (the search), etc.].
So the question is: What is the future of online learning?
The following are ideas that surfaced at the Sloan-C Conference from a presentation on this topic. I don’t endorse all these ideas, however many of them make sense and are worthy of discussion. What are your thoughts?
More terms associated with the future of online learning (some were repeated)
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I was at the Sloan-C Conference this past week and I attended a presentation about Open Education Resources and more specifically the WikiEducator Project. The idea is that with the use of free networks, technology, and open educational resources, we can turn the digital divide into digital dividends. It was a very thought provoking presentation and one that every educator should know about. You can view Wayne Macintosh’s online version of the presentation here. WikiEducator Presentation. After viewing the presentation and you begin to get inspired by open content, check out this link to 20+ places to download free public domain e-books. Let us know your reaction to the WikiEducator Project by leaving a comment. I think the WikiEducator project combined with the 1 laptop per child project can provide a good framework for the bridge that stands over the digital and educational divide.
Comments rss TrackbackMasi Oka speaks on behalf of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Foundation regarding the Give One Get One opportunity.
Starting November 12, One Laptop Per Child will be offering a Give One Get One Program for a brief window of time in North America. For $399, you will be purchasing two XO laptops—one that will be sent to empower a child to learn in a developing nation, and one that will be sent to your child at home.
For more information, please call 1-877-70-LAPTOP or visit http://www.laptopgiving.org/
Comments rss TrackbackThere is a lot of buzz about Web 2.0. It seems that a new Web 2.0 application is built every day that leverages the brainpower of a community, uses ajax, and enables greater connectivity between people on the internet. Google is working to make standards so that the new social landscape on the internet is seemless by getting developers to agree on standards for building the applications so that websites can leverage each others content. They call it OpenSocial and it’s pretty interesting. Read the text below and watch the video for more about the idea and process of using open standards.
-From Google’s website
The web is better when it’s social
If you’ve been involved in web development, you’ve noticed the continued trend towards more social applications. The web is definitely more interesting when you can build apps that easily interact with your friends and colleagues. With this trend has also come a growing list of site-specific APIs that developers must learn.
Introducing OpenSocial
OpenSocial provides a common set of APIs for social applications across multiple websites. Using standard JavaScript and HTML, they enable developers to create apps that access a social network’s friends and update feeds.
Many sites, one API
Common APIs mean you only have to learn once in order to build for multiple websites. OpenSocial is currently being developed by Google in conjunction with members of the web community. The ultimate goal is for any social website to be able to implement the APIs and host 3rd party social applications.
Comments rss Trackback Comments rss TrackbackThe following is an interesting story about a man doing time in an overcrowded jail that has become the first prisoner in Tanzania to be awarded a degree. Gombella said, “I chose law because I want to assist - as many prisoners are convicted because the prosecution framed them.” Read full story
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