MindStorm: The Web 2.0 Gateway

They offer lots of information for Ajax Developers, plus a selection of pre-made FREE "web widgets to enhance your blog or website".

Here's an example -- a widget that AUTOMATICALLY searches for YouTube videos on the topic of "Education". CLICK TO SEE THE WIDGET EXAMPLE. LINK-NOTES: Clicking on the link will open a new window on my site's page about Web 2.0. From the example, clicking a video's thumbnail will take you to the YouTube site. Close that browser window to come back here. Thanks!

Videoblogging and VodCasting in Education

A full page of information and links in the wwwTools For Education newsletter. Subtitles include: Resources for Beginners; Examples of Videoblogs; Educational Practice; Class Work; For Teachers; For Professional Development; Student Videoblogs; Educational Videoblogs and Vodcasts; Resource Lists; Directories; Books.

ESL using Archie Comics

Each comic comes with a Learning Guide that has a complete transcript of the lesson including a glossary, sample sentences, comprehension questions and cultural notes.

"My name is PatC. I am a former middle school science teacher who now works for Archie Comics. I wanted to let you know about the ESL podcast I am producing on the Archie site. The podcast started out as something for students that I teach once a week (an ESL class) but I am having so much fun doing the podcasts that I am making them available for free to others."

Error Message Generator

This is fun, and might also be used to create popup messages in your course pages? Error Generator will create your image for you, then you can save it to use with an image-mapping program (to activate the buttons on the image) and/or a popup javascript.

RealLiteratureDir.com ~ Author Biographies & Their Literary Works

FREE ONLINE. "...our site is the Reader's Ultimate Resource for Published Authors. Get the alphabetical list of authors. See the Biography picture and read Literary works of the eminent authors by clicking on their name." Categories of works available are extensive -- short stories, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, plays, novels, essays, children's literature, and more.

Tools for Math Education

The newsletter wwwTools For Teachers has a whole issue devoted to this topic. Subheadings include Roles for ICTs in Math Ed; Motivational Maths; Concerning Hardware; Some Useful Software; Lessons & Activities; For Students; Collections of Resources (huge list of links); Toolbox; Professional Reading; Books. You math teachers will be on this page a while!

Answers.com - get an answer box of your own

You can put an answer look-up box within your course pages, on your website, etc. Several options available for shape n size of box. Here's just one -- TRY IT OUT!

Comprehensive information in one click

Tell me about:

Answers.com - Teacher Toolkit

This is a grrrreat site with LOTS of stuff! Lesson plan tools, free downloads, how-to's, and so much more.

Give your students instant access to the reference material they need for papers and research. Add Answers.com to your classroom, media center and home computers to give you and your students free, instant access to reliable facts, definitions and information on over three million topics.

Aperto Elearning Solutions

Aperto eLearning Solutions: "...focuses on integrating innovative Open Source technologies with commercial learning management systems (LMS), such as WebCT and Blackboard. Aperto was created by WebCT co-founder Sasan Salari, who left WebCT in January 2006 after eleven years. Sasan saw a significant interest by higher- and further-education institutions to embrace the use of new community-building technologies in conjunction with their LMS." Aperto has now partnered with Elgg (see next item here).

ELGG Learning Landscape: This system was mentioned by Kevin Reeve as one way of including a blogging tool in a course; Elgg is one of the WebCT powerlinks. "Elgg is a hybrid of weblogging, e-portfolios and social networking. It is hoped this combination of features will provide an engaging environment for learners to create their own learning space and then connect to others, forming online communities of learning. ... There are two options to get an Elgg account. You can register for an individual account hosted by Elgg or you can take the system and install it on your own server. Elgg is an open source application. ... Elgg has been developed to serve as a stand alone personal learning landscape or as a complimentary addition to existing learning environments. Elgg has been developed to serve as a stand alone personal learning landscape or as a complimentary addition to existing learning environments. The emphasis with Elgg is very much on the learner."

ALSO: In a WebCT forum posting, Sasan Salari offers this: "Further to Kevin's message regarding Elgg and WebCT, you might also want to have a look at the Flash demo that I created, which shows the integration and some of the Elgg capabilities."

Web 2.0 - more about it

What is it?

"The term Web 2.0 refers to a second generation of services available on the World Wide Web that lets people collaborate and share information online. In contrast to the first generation, Web 2.0 gives users an experience closer to desktop applications than the traditional static Web pages. Web 2.0 applications often use a combination of techniques devised in the late 1990s, including public web service APIs (dating from 1998), Ajax (1998), and web syndication (1997). They often allow for mass publishing (web-based social software). " Source: Wikipedia, about Web 2.0.

Bravenet's Webmaster Tips n Tricks newsletter's July'06 issue is devoted to Web 2.0 -- ideas, info, applications, etc. (I guess that link won't be permanent -- I looked everywhere on their site for archive links but they seem to only link to the current issue. Sorry. BUT! search their site for lots of resources. Just in case, here are a few of the items mentioned in this July issue:

Scriptaculous: "The Scriptaculous Javascript Library is the most widely used and distributed of the web 2.0 effects libraries. It contains many cool features and effects such as dragging and dropping, grow/shrink, animate position, highlighting and much more."

Rico: "Another very popular web 2.0 effects library. It's an open-source javascript library providing full ajax support, drag and drop management, cinematic effects and more."

Prototype: "The javascript base code that many effects libraries have been written on. The Prototype framework is intended to simplify development for dynamic web applications. Basically, it reduces many of the repetitive javascript code pieces that you would commonly use for creating dynamic effects and other javascript-based applications."

E-Learning 2.0 - Why the New Tools? Stephen Downes. Here's the link to his powerpoint presentation. Then link to the comment blog about the presentation and Stephen's ideas.

Web2.0Slides: "...a self-running slide show of over 1,400 of the best Web2.0 sites. It's categorized by tags and sorted alphabetically. What's cool about it? You can click on any site in the left-hand column to pause the slide show and surf around. When you're done, simply click PLAY, and it will begin right where you left off. Perfect for Web 2.0 couch 'taters. But if you're antsy and want to click around on sites, go right ahead—it won't stop the show."

Please visit my NEW page for my Resources Site: Web 2.0

Javascript Pop up window generator

The most flexible and powerful tool of its kind on the web, use this JavaScript wizard to instantly create, customize, and add pop up or pop under windows to your site! Control precisely the frequency of the window, whether it's once per browser session or any desired period (ie: once every 24 hours). For the uninitiated, a popup refers to a secondary, usually smaller window that loads on top of the main window, and contains a separate HTML document inside of it. To create your own popup, just follow the three simple steps below, and grab the generated code. It's that simple!

Wimpy MP3 Button Generator

So you can use MP3s: "Wimpy Button is a quick and painless way to add a single sound to your web page. Wimpy Button does not require any kind of back-end server-side scripting... just standard old HTML." Cost is $19.95. Embeds the audio player right in the HTML page, with Play and Stop buttons.

Using Audio Files on your webpage

Partners in Rhyme makes it very simple to embed an audio file as bg music (or whatever) , complete with a very simple interactive control bar to give your page visitor the option to play or turn it off. But remember -- 'embed' is now a deprecated HTML element, though it still works in most browsers. ("IE supports embed as long as the visitor has the appropriate player already installed. If not, they get an error and a generic broken-plugin icon, but no help. " -- quote is from the site below...)

Bye Bye Embed is an even better article because it addresses the combo of object/embed to make your audio work in all browsers. This article, however, goes beyond that to provide code that works without 'embed' -- for all sorts of media: Google Video, You Tube, WinMedia Player & Quicktime.

AJAX: Web-Based Software, full-featured

Ajax has an MS-Word-like online word processor -- create a new file or open a .doc file from your drive, save to your hard drive, publish to the web, share & collaborate, all right from a website. They have other applications too, including a Sketch app, spreadsheet (xls) app, Tunes player, video mixing (eyespot), and more. This is from the Ajax blog:

The Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Is It Time to Dump Your Desktop?” In it the author reflects on the possibility for businesses to switch to web-based software once it is “good enough” for a big percentage of users. In this article, Ajax 13 was mentioned as one of the companies that is producing online alternatives to Micrsoft's widely used Office software. The appeal that the low cost alternatives have, continues to create a growing threat to the MS Office Suite.

Elgg and WebCT Integration

Elgg and WebCT Integration Aperto Elearning Solutions

Goal-Setting and Self-Regulation in Online Courses: The Basics

Linking thinking - Self-directed learning in the digital age:

"This study was undertaken to explore the extent to which and ways in which Information and Communication Technologies or ICT (basically global networks of computers and other associated digital devices) have impacted on learning. Instead of looking at learning in formal education and training settings, I have chosen to consider the dynamics of independent self-directed learning, especially that which is undertaken by adults."......"Adult learners are beneficiaries of self-regulation because it allows them to create order out of an often chaotic existence, and it helps them organize time, energies, and resources. This is a vital element as adults seek to balance career, family, travel, goals, dreams, and responsibilities. The following are steps that will help the adult learner build skills needed for self-regulation..."

Linking thinking - Self-directed learning in the digital age

"This study was undertaken to explore the extent to which and ways in which Information and Communication Technologies or ICT (basically global networks of computers and other associated digital devices) have impacted on learning. Instead of looking at learning in formal education and training settings, I have chosen to consider the dynamics of independent self-directed learning, especially that which is undertaken by adults. "

TeachersPayTeachers.com

"...the world's first marketplace, launched in April of 2006, where smart educators can buy and sell original course materials. The time has finally arrived for the power of the internet to meet the power of our best educational minds." It's not just an exchange site; there are tools to help you find material and there's a "...7-Part Evaluation Process? Or, how will potential buyers know if they can trust that materials for sale are good?"

Synchronous Discussion in Online Courses: A Pedagogical Strategy for Taming the Chat Beast

Craig Smith says he has "...devised a protocol for virtual classroom etiquette—or "chatiquette"—based on research on classroom discourse and conversational turn-taking." He actually lists his rules within this article, so check it out!

"Online instructors, particularly those who have recently begun to incorporate online components in their teaching, have good reason to feel concerned about the potential for chat sessions to become less than productive in their courses. However, the protocol of virtual class chatiquette may serve as a helpful tool as they seek to tame the chat beast in their online courses while still ensuring that synchronous communication maintains the immediacy and vitality that is often lacking in asynchronous communication. Although I am still chat room avoidant, these guidelines helped me to overcome my fears and utilize such technology more effectively and productively in my own teaching."

Better Questions for Learning Professionals

from Tony Karrer's eLearning Technology blog:

"Now, let me start this diatribe with a brief rant on the importance of asking the right questions. In my mind, it is THE most important skill or ability to have....What Questions Are We Asking? ...My guess is that just as most learning professionals can tell you the problems with the interactivity question, they can similarly suggest lots of much better questions that might be appropriate instead..."

When to Wiki & When to Blog? Differences?

"Blogs and wikis, because they are different spaces, manifest/take advantage of/engage different epistemic and rhetorical possibilities and serve different rhetorical and epistemic ends. They engage different rhetorics: one topical, carved from the inside out; the other chronological, staying on top of things. "

REQUIRING Student Portfolios?

This was in this week's newsletter from Stephen Downes.

Helen Barrett Required High School Portfolios, Electronic Portfolios June 16, 2006. "Helen Barrett and I are of one mind on this, and I really like the story she tells to illustrate the point: 'The students there were required to set up a 3-ring notebook, put in specific sections and assignments. When a group of the students graduated from high school, they built a bonfire and burned their portfolios.' The issue is ownership. When students are required to create portfolios, and worse, told how they should be structured and filled, they lose any ownership over the process, and the portfolios become, as Barrett reports, "another example of what Lee Shulman calls 'perversion' of the original concept of the portfolio."

Create PDF Online free

Convert MANY file types to PDF for free! "There's nothing to install As a web based service, PDF Online allows you to quickly generates PDF from your PC, Mac, or Linux, from your home, your office or anywhere in the world."

Start here | SocialLearning.ca

"As you may have guessed, this is a great place to start if you are new to blogging, interested in using blogs in the classroom, or would like to find out about (Canadian) social software initiatives in the areas of education, teaching and learning."
Headings include:
1. Blogs for Beginners - *Start Here
2. Read and research
3. Comment and discuss
4. Select a Technology
5. Tools of the grade
6. An introduction to podcasting (QAFocus)
7. What is Web 2.0? (QA Focus)"

Eyes Wide Open: Five Views of Quality in Online Education

"To learn more about quality indicators and their relation to institutional, faculty, student, and public needs, CenterPoint interviewed five people with intimate knowledge of online education:"

Podcasting Legal Guide - Rules for the Revolution

Published by Creative Commons, this is a very readable guide.

"This Guide Does Not Provide Legal Advice"..."The purpose of this Guide is to provide you with a general roadmap of some of the legal issues specific to podcasting. EFF has produced a very practical and helpful guide for issues related to blogging generally (http://www.eff.org/bloggers/). This Guide is not intended to duplicate efforts by EFF, and in many cases refers you to that guide for where crossover issues are addressed. Our goal is to complement EFF's Bloggers FAQ and address some of the standalone issues that are of primary relevance to podcasters, as opposed to bloggers."

AbiWord

"AbiWord is a free word processing program similar to Microsoft® Word. It is suitable for a wide variety of word processing tasks....AbiWord is unique among word processors in its drive to become a fully cross-platform word processor. Our source code is carefully written so that AbiWord will run on virtually any operating system with a minimum of time spent on porting. This combined with our support for internationalization (the ability to run AbiWord in many languages) gives AbiWord a massive potential user-base."

text-talk lingo: OnlineSlang.com

Couldn't resist leading you to this site. In a recent discussion in a course I've been taking online, there was disagreement about how much/little students should be allowed to use messenger-style typing in the in-course discussion forums. Well, if you're an instructor who wishes you knew what they're saying, this is the site for you. Complete with translator so you don't have to dig through the page after page after page of lingo. Go for it, esp. if you're a text-talker 1ab.

afgo frm yt

The Best on the Web for Teachers

"The Web Portal For Teachers" from the TeAch-nology site. "As we are sure that you are aware, there are tons of wonderful web sites available to teachers. In fact, we created our site to help teachers find those sites. We have reviewed many wonderful sites..." and they have a ranking system now. Their categories include: Teachers, Administrators, Higher Education, Current Trends, Literature in Education, Professional Development.

Barbican - Can I Have A Word?

"Giving teachers new ideas and resources to inspire creative writing in the classroom."

Biology Teacher Resources

BioEd Online: Presentations, slide sets, teaching resources, biology news, professional developments, discussions, hot topics, and more.

Informal Learning ~ The Power of Dialogue

Questions considered in this article -- well, in the dialogue described in the article. :) --

What habits do we need to let go of in order to have true dialogue? When does facilitation draw attention to the process or the moderator rather than furthering the inquiry? How does dialogue emerge from among a group of strangers, and what conditions are the most evocative for true inquiry? What role does individual ego play?

Also check out the same author, Jay Cross, on What Is Informal Learning?

Student Satisfaction Survey Report

Student Satisfaction and Perceived Learning with On-line Courses

This paper reports on a N.Y. Learning Network survey. It "...examine[s] factors that have contributed to the high levels of learning and learner satisfaction..." Four sections describe and explore:

• information regarding the systemic implementation of our asynchronous learning environment
• issues that contribute to learning effectiveness from a faculty-development and course-design perspective.
• factors that significantly contribute to perceived learning and student satisfaction in on-line asynchronous courses...offers recommendations for course and program design based on these factors.
• learning effectiveness at the level of individual institutions through examples from specific courses. ....case studies present and examine important evidence relevant to learning effectiveness from a single-institution and individual-faculty perspective.

Optimizing Your Syllabus for Online Students

The authors say, You can keep your syllabus traditional, or you can make it a course map, schedule, and contract, among other things. The authors say,

"Online course syllabi serve as platforms upon which to stage, manage, or enhance your course and function as a kind of contract between you and your students. Students will most likely download, print-out and follow your syllabus like a map, using it to chart their progress in your course. It's a good idea to post a downloadable version of your syllabus, preferably in rtf format, in addition to the online version so your students can print it out easily."

On the bottom of the page above there's a link to Syllabus Writing 101, a Course & Template to guide you through making a great syllabus document.

Free PowerPoint Templates

A user forum where new templates are uploaded regularly. Free to help yourself!

Learning for Life -- Adult Education

This article asks some good questions. Although it's written about the British system, it could have easily been written about the British Columbia system where I work (and where we're experiencing cutbacks to adult education nearly every year! Some quotes from the article below; click the title to read the rest.

The national mental-health strategy highlighted the importance of adult education in promoting positive mental health; the neighbourhood renewal strategy noted the importance of learning for communities seeking to overcome social exclusion. The Wider Benefits of Learning research centre at London University has shown that taking part in learning increases racial tolerance, gives you a better chance of giving up smoking, and prolongs your active life in retirement. All in all, the case for adult learning is a powerful one. On the other hand, public provision for adults has been plummeting .....

Too often policy for adults seems to be made by sewing together what is left once young people's needs are met. ... How much public money should be used to support lifelong learning? How much should individuals pay? And how best can we make sure employers invest in their staff? Adults deserve clear answers - and there is no better time than Adult Learners' Week to secure them.

Podcast Tutorials

A long list of links to tutorials at the Podcast & Portable Media Expo website. (Click the title of this post to go directly to the tutorials page.)

Tools to Prevent Test Cheating

Here are just a couple of what's available. (More tools and ideas on my Resource Links page about plagiarism and also on my Quiz Resource Links page.)

SecureExam Browser: "A security application that locks down any web-based tool or platform, transforming school specific applications into secure testing vehicles. Like other Securexam applications, Securexam Browser creates a secure test environment by locking down the Windows operating system on the test-taker's laptop or desktop computer, only allowing access to the test application via our secure Internet browser. Giving exams on the internet has never been this easy or secure." Can be used with any testing situation, plus it's one of the WebCT/Blackboard Powerlinks.

Respondus Lockdown Browser: "...a custom browser that creates a secure testing environment within the WebCT and Blackboard e-learning platforms. When students use Respondus LockDown Browser they are unable to print, copy, go to another URL, or access other applications. When an assessment is started, students are locked into it until they submit it for grading."

Skypecasting

Now Skype offers free unlimited conference calls for up to 100 people! Read this article from Robin Good. You can join in on a Skypecast to get the feel of it (click here for links to find Skypecasts) or host your own Skypecast.

Beyond Text: using your voice online

Not only about podcasting. Includes other technologies for your courses -- voice chat, voice boards, voice email.

This resource demonstrates ways you can introduce online voice technologies into your course design and delivery and provide increased flexibility and engagement for learners. It can be used as an individual guide or as a resource for professional development and training sessions. There are three sections:

• Case studies: See how teachers have used online voice tools to provide new learning opportunities for different groups of learners.
• Facilitator guides: Gain an overview of online voice tools and how you can integrate them into teaching and learning. "The facilitator guides have been developed as an introduction to a number of voice tools and to model ways that you can integrate them into your teaching practices."
• Future directions: Explore the future directions of voice online and how it may assist to promote new practices in innovative teaching and learning.

Blogging for Learning

From WWWTools For Education, an excellent page of with links, resources, and much more. Headings include: Terminology, Ideas for Content, Pros and cons of Educational Blogging, Pedagogy, Practical Treatments. Also a section of links for Adminstrators, Educators, Learners, Classes, Librarians, and several other education categories. The article quotes Will Richardson (from Webblogg-Ed) as saying that "people know what blogs are, and what they are really seeking now is pedagogy, not training. It feels like, finally, this is no longer a technology as it is another way to connect and communicate. It's feeling like in some places, at least, blog thinking is becoming embedded."

Should you buy a DSLR or Point and Shoot Digital Camera?

The article lists the pros and cons of each.

Podcasts for teaching ESL students

A list from K12 Handhelds.com:

• English Idioms and Slang (formerly the Daily Idiom)
• TOEFL® Podcast – Center for Educational Development
• ESL Podcast – Center for Educational Development
• English through Stories – Center for Educational Development

WebCT Icon Chart & Download

A handy place to download complete sets of WebCT icons. Provided by e-Learning@Ed.

Games For One And All

from TeAchnology: "Whether you're looking to use games for educational purposes or just looking for some fun, we have you covered! We constantly add new games. Why spend hundreds of dollars on a gaming console? Our games are totally free!" Their category headings are: Educational Games; The Animated Arcade; Other On-line Educational Games; Silver Membership - Make your own educational games.

TeAch-nology.com: Online Teacher Resource

Worksheets, Teaching Tips, Teacher Resources, and Rubrics. "We provide free and easy to use resources for teachers dedicated to improving the education of today's generation of students." FREE access to:
27,000 lesson plans
Teaching tips
6,500 FREE printable worksheets
Games and Downloads
Preformatted rubrics
256,000 reviewed sites
Printable generators
Webquests

Best of History Web Sites

"Best of History Web Sites is an award-winning portal that contains annotated links to over 1000 history web sites as well links to hundreds of quality K-12 history lesson plans, history teacher guides, history activities, history games, history quizzes, and more."

Sites for Teachers

"Sitesforteachers.com contains only links to sites that contain teacher's resource and educational material and the sites are ranked by popularity. No more surfing countless pages to find the occasional "good" site. Also, sitesforteachers.com doesn't just allow any site on the list. Sitesforteachers.com has strict rules for the listed webmasters."

Timesavers for Teachers

Here's what they say: "World's largest and most complete collection of printable, interactive, often-used teacher forms, report card comments, checklists, worksheets, award certificates, passes, masters, units, and other downloadable timesaving ideas for busy teachers."

iPods and Podcasting in Education

From wwwTools for Education, a feature page full of information, links, resources. Headings include The Hardware; Definitions, Descriptions, Educational Values; Serious Reading for Educators - and Some Listening Too; Podcasts at Work in Education; Listings of Podcasts and Related Resources

podictionary - book resources

A long page illustrating all sorts of resources about WORDS -- dictionaries, books about words, electronic resources and other "entymological connections".

podictionary: the podcast for word lovers

"Podictionary is the audio word-a-day. For a couple of minutes Charles Hodgson discusses the unexpected history of words you thought you already knew."

There's a cute thing in the top right corner that says, "Wait a minute, I don't want to know about podcasts: An email alternative."

SMARTBoard Lessons Podcast

"Delivering fresh and engaging lesson ideas at least weekly! ... The purpose of this site is to accompany a podcast that focuses on using SMART Boards in the classroom. Each episode will feature a lesson, a podcast, and user comments. ... The goal of this podcast to share lesson ideas that use technology to engage students in learning with a focus on SMARTBoard Interactive Whiteboards between educators. It will be a maximum of 20 minutes so that teachers can listen on lunch breaks or recesses as they mark papers or on their way to school in the morning via their iPod."

ELGG Learning Landscape

This system was mentioned by Kevin Reeve as one way of including a blogging tool in a course; Elgg is one of the WebCT powerlinks.

"Elgg is a hybrid of weblogging, e-portfolios and social networking. It is hoped this combination of features will provide an engaging environment for learners to create their own learning space and then connect to others, forming online communities of learning. ... There are two options to get an Elgg account. You can register for an individual account hosted by Elgg or you can take the system and install it on your own server. Elgg is an open source application. ... Elgg has been developed to serve as a stand alone personal learning landscape or as a complimentary addition to existing learning environments. Elgg has been developed to serve as a stand alone personal learning landscape or as a complimentary addition to existing learning environments. The emphasis with Elgg is very much on the learner."

Google Page Creator

You need a GMail account to use it.

"Google Page Creator is a free tool that lets you create web pages right in your browser and publish them to the web with one click. There's no software to download and no web designer to hire. The pages you create are hosted on Google servers and are available at http://yourgmailusername.googlepages.com for the world to see."

Podcast Station

"Podcast Station is Win 2k and XP compatible software. It is built on the professional, award winning VoxPro platform, a product sold worldwide and used in radio broadcasting news and control rooms to record and edit phone calls and other stereo audio on the fly for quick turn around to air. VoxPro Podcast Station is a single screen program that will record, mix, edit and publish your podcasts. It provides an easy to use production solution taking you from the start of a podcast to publishing on the net on one screen. It’s like having a broadcast console on your computer. No need for mixers, amplifiers, compressor-limiters, it's all built in and easy to use. On screen buttons can be assigned music, sound effects and interviews from MP3, WAV, WMA,AIFF, whatever, with the ability to play them back while recording your podcast."

Engagement with Electronic Portfolios: Challenges from the Student Perspective

"While it is generally agreed that e-portfolios have great potential to engage students and promote deep learning, the research that has been conducted to date focuses very little on student perceptions of value of the e-portfolio for their learning. If students do not accept the e-portfolio as a holistic means with which to document their learning in different contexts and more importantly, agree or wish to use the e-portfolio as an integral part of their educational experience, then the potential impact the e-portfolio will have on learning will not be realised. This paper highlights four themes arising out of research that is underway within an international framework of collaboration between the University of Edinburgh, the University of British Columbia and the University of Waterloo. "

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Course Development

Topics include Planning Courses (for both Online and Classroom Based), Content Development, Assessment & Evaluation.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to Course Development is designed as a resource for individuals with varying levels of course design experience.

• Individuals new to higher education can use this site to help design their
  first classroom based course integrating technology where appropriate.
• Experienced instructors, being encouraged to place materials within a
  learning management system, can use this site to decipher the differences
  between Web-Presence, Web-Enhanced, Web-Centric and Online courses and how to
  plan courses for online delivery.
• Instructors of online courses, looking for new ideas and ways to improve
  their course, can use the site to improve content development by finding sources
  for pre-developed content and ideas to improve student centered learning.
• Instructional Designers and Instructional Support Staff can use this site as
  a reference for themselves or as a resource for the faculty they
  support."

Educational Freeware (K-12)

"This site is dedicated to listings, descriptions and reviews of the best free educational software for Windows, both web based and downloadable. "

Addressing Gender & Learning Style in Course Design

"Do Gender and Learning Style Play a Role in How Online Courses Should Be Designed?"

"The Kolb Learning Style Inventory was used to identify differences between the learning styles of 168 students in traditional face-to-face courses and students in matched courses taught online. Additionally, the data for the online courses were divided by gender to determine if gender was a factor. Results of the analysis found that there was a difference in the learning style of the online student and the student in the face-to-face course and that gender was a factor in the relationship between learning style and student engagement. The implications for online course designers are significant. When designing online courses the learning style and gender of all students must be considered."

Open Source Project: An LCMS Alternative -- Moodle

My link above is to EdTechPost's description of a funded research project wherein "6 institutions have done pioneering working to investigate the viability of Moodle as an alternative, and have made the resulting reports available for all to see. The project was funded by ... BCcampus." What grabbed my attention was that one of the several offerings by the research group is documentation about how to migrate WebCT 4.1 courses to Moodle.

Podcast: Learning Management System Selection

This site links to a 51 minute recording that provides coverage of the 2005 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference Session entitled The Matrix Transformed: Achieving Better Focus and Insight in Learning Management System Selection.

Teachers' Perceptions of Video Games

MMOGs and the Future of Preservice Teacher Education:

"P.G. Schrader, Dongping Zheng, and Michael Young examine how preservice teachers' personal experiences with video games inform their views of gaming in the classroom. They link the results of their study to current literature and conclude that preservice teachers' experiences steer them away from game genres such as massively multiplayer online games and toward using games as rewards. The solution, the authors conclude, is to provide preservice teachers with new experiences in their training programs that make them aware of the educational potential of games in the classroom."

Award-Winning Professors Offer Ten Teaching Tips

A group of Duke faculty and staff are promoting excellence in teaching with public talks, weekly meetings and research projects.

"The Consortium for Scholarship on Teaching and Learning (CoSTL) has been meeting for two years, drawing participants from longer-running informal discussion groups within departments. CoSTL participants, about 25 each week, are mostly math and science faculty with “professor of the practice” titles, who are responsible for teaching but not research. Their research, they say, is on how best to teach undergraduates."

Bitty Browser

They call it a "Picture-in-Picture for the Web". This is SO kewl! I can think of many applications for this "Bitty Browser", from in-course links/feeds to using multiple browser boxes as a website organizing method. Check it out as you think creatively (click on the title of this post).

Here's an example -- I used a Bitty Browser to post my list of subscribed feeds on my Resource Site's Acknowledgement page.

The Illustrated History of the Roman Empire

An full site that calls itself the "leading web resource on Rome". Includes empire maps from various dates, reenactors (photos/descriptions of people re-enacting various battles and events), categorized chapters, FAQs, a bulletin board, resource links, and an online quiz.

SyncToy for Windows XP

SyncToy is a FREE "PowerToy" from Microsoft.

"...easy to use, highly customizable application helps you copy, move, synchronize, rename, and delete files between folders and computers.... digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops.

Most common operations can be performed with just a few clicks of the mouse, and additional customization is available without added complexity. SyncToy can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another. Unlike other applications, SyncToy actually keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder."

Sharing Photographs and Other Still Imagery

From wwwTools For Education (one of my subscription newsletters), here's a full page of information and links on this one topic. LOTS of useful leads here, so I'll leave you with this page link rather than pointing out individual items. Headings include Why Share Pictures?, Pedagogical considerations, Sharing Pictures in Educational Practice, Hardware, Software, Software for Sharing, Albums, Mixing the Media, Tools & Toys, Resources, Books.

Librarians' Internet

Frances Long at Knowplace.ca says, "The invisible internet is the name given to specialty areas that are available but not generally well-known. When I want a trusted, reviewed site for research etc. the first place I stop is The Librarians Internet." Check the details in their extensive "about us" section/pages and you will see that they do have strict guidelines and review processes before including sites in their database.

I especially like using their Reference section.

The Graduation Portfolio Workbook (BC, Canada)

"The Graduation Portfolio Workbook focuses on the mandatory core aspects of the six prescribed Portfolio Organizers as well as the student presentation that must be completed by all students planning to graduate. This Workbook was developed for teachers of students with learning challenges to clarify the required core aspects and presentation components. The Graduation Portfolio process encourages students to gather and present evidence of skills, knowledge and competencies that will support a successful transition beyond Grade 12. The authors felt that once students clearly understood the process and became engaged in it, they could confidently proceed to explore choice aspects that best reflect their talents, interests, and abilities.

"This Workbook has been designed as an electronic workbook. ...All the files related to the Graduation portfolio are available for download. To download, click on item in list on the left."

ViewletACE, Qarbon's Survey and Quiz Software

ACE: (Ask, Collect, Evaluate) This new Qarbon offering has a sizeable price tag attached, but is certainly worth looking at. Check out their demo.

"Forget those dull HTML-based quizzes and surveys. Get the power of Flash to captivate your audience with stunning graphical quizzes and surveys. ViewletACE is the most efficient way to create dynamic, customizable Flash-based surveys and assessments without the need for extensive training and development time."

Canadian Information By Subject

"The objective of the National Library of Canada's Canadian Information By Subject service is to provide links to information about Canada, arranged by subject, from Internet resources around the world. ... Canadian Information By Subject includes pointers to many different information sources. ... Please note that this service is updated regularly and is constantly developing and expanding. Be sure to check back often to see the latest additions."

Learning & Teaching using ICT

Material for Primary & Secondary school teachers. A rich site of resources, lesson plans, ideas for using communication technologies in the classroom.

"Develop your teaching practice using ICT. Here are all the materials you will need to teach a wide range of subject topics using ICT, from planning and preparation to evaluation. Whether you are new to ICT or more experienced, these materials can be used by all teaching professionals."

SKYPE in the Classroom

The article explains what Skype is and offers suggestions for how it can be used in education. Tells you how to get started, discusses safety and technical issues, and more.

"Skype is an example of a potentially “disruptive” educational technology tool because it can fundamentally change the teaching and learning environment. ... teaching and learning in the 21st Century can no longer be a traditional experience of “sit and get.” Teachers as well as students must strive to creatively employ technology tools to access, evaluate, synthesize and communicate information. Only by engaging in this active process can “information” from the Internet be translated into “knowledge” in the minds of learners. Classroom teachers can leverage the potential of disruptive technologies like Skype, weblogs, podcasts, or one to one technology immersion initiatives to increase student motivation to communicate with authentic audiences, spend more time on assigned tasks, and develop essential literacy skills needed for vocational and lifetime success in the twenty-first century. Translated, this means increasing student achievement, while simultaneously encouraging students as well as teachers to engage in worthwhile and creative tasks. Twenty-first century educators should aspire for nothing less."

Free Online Educational Resources

Annotated links to various types of resources, including locations of courses & online institutions, podcasts on education topics, articles, lessons and more.

More Podcast sites

Podmatic: "Create, find & send podcasts" Lots of categories to browse/use, including an Education category containing hundreds of podcasts and other links. "...podcasting has traditionally been restricted to the crafty, tech-savvy and patient. ... many would-be podcasters are confronted with an array of technical hurdles (i.e. recording software, RSS and XML syndication, hosting, etc). ...To expedite podcasting's transition from fad to mainstream, our goal is to drop these barriers of entry for people interested in producing podcasts."

The Learning Pod: "Conversation, chat, discussion and information provided by people in education for people in education together with teachers notes."

Odeo: "Odeo is a creative way to record and share audio—and it's free. ...As a company, we believe strongly in the democratization of media. We think that giving more people powerful tools for the creation and distribution of media will result in more knowledge, ideas, art, truth, and amusement available to all."

Contemporary Online Teaching Cases

This site "... has been designed to help teachers work creatively and productively in their online teaching. Each of the cases locate new media and online technologies in the context of broader views of what it means to teach and learn effectively in different disciplines and professional fields in tertiary education. ...We hope the site provides you with plenty of ideas on how to develop and use new media/new technologies in your teaching."

The menu is good for drilling down to see the topics/cases you're most interested in. One example: I went to Approaches To Learning > Activity Based Learning and found this case study: "Using online multimedia to help student teachers develop post-primary curriculum and teach art and graphic design. ...This case illustrates the use of rich multimedia and online discursive activities to enhance students' learning and curriculum development skills in visual arts education."

Each case/topic is presented in voice segments, and many provide text transcripts of those audio clips.

Finding Articles Online

In this article, author Mary Ellen Bates mentions several sources for an articles search, going into detail about what they have, are good for, quality, etc.

"When you're looking for magazine or journal articles, search engines can be helpful, but other specialized search tools are often a better bet—particularly in the academic, scholarly and sci-tech areas."

Springdoo - EASY WAY to create/serve audio over the Internet

Springdoo is touted as a way to "talk your emails", but really it's a good tool for people who want an easy and FREE way to create internet voice files.** "Springdoo is an easy way to record, store and serve audio over the Internet. Some people are even using Springdoo to record audio messages that are then placed on websites, chat rooms, dating sites and blogs for anyone to listen to....You do not need any special software or services to record and / or play a Springdoo. Springdoo uses streaming file technology, so there are no file attachments to send in emails and / or download. You can create a Springdoo using your computer and a microphone, or any telephone such as your land line, mobile / cell or even a pay phone."
...............
**After reading their Help files, I see that you can only save the voice files to your computer if you use their paid phone service. And :( it's not available in Canada yet, apparently.

Multimedia Learning in Games, Simulations, and Microworlds

A chapter from Multimedia Learning in Games, Simulations, and Microworlds by Lloyd P. Rieber.

"This chapter reviews and critiques the scientific evidence and research methods studying the use of games, simulations, and microworlds as multimedia learning tools. This chapter focuses on interactive educational multimedia, which is distinguished from scripted forms of educational multimedia by the degree to which users participate in and control the multimedia software."

Gaming for Education

An excellent set of links under the headings: Definitions, Organizations and Research Centers, Game Development Books, Journals related to Game Development, Design and Development, PowerPoint Games, Kids Sites.

book - K12 Handhelds

[K-12] I don't usually include info about books on this site. But this integration idea appeals to me and I think the page is worth looking at. The books aren't expensive and come with CDs containing packaged lessons, guides, etc. Book titles include integration Across The Curriculum, ...into the Writing Curriculum, ...101 Great Educational Uses For...., Tips n Tricks for...., Handhelds for Teachers & Admin.

Attensa for Outlook

Attensa for Outlook: (Quoting from allrss.com's list of windows feedreaders.)

"Works inside Microsoft Outlook to bring up-to-the-minute RSS news feed headlines and Podcast content from your favorite Websites and blogs right into neatly organized Outlook folders. Now you can stay on top of RSS news and your favorite blogs without all the surfing. Attensa for Outlook is the first RSS news reader and news aggregator for Outlook that lets you use a toolbar in your browser of choice, Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer, to easily add and manage RSS news feeds and subscriptions from Websites and blogs. And, it's the only Outlook RSS reader that automatically loads audio Podcast files into iTunes and Windows Media Player playlists."

RSS Compendium at allrss.com

A huge collection of RSS resources. You can subscribe to keep up to date with their news and additions.

RSS Readers for Windows users

Click the title to get to the list, provided by allrss.com -- then look at the rest of their site. Loaded with RSS resources.

What Is Web 2.0?

1. Web 2.0 and Education: The newsletter wwwTools for Education devotes their current issue to this question. Several resources & links to help explain Web 2.0. The following commentary (in my #2) is from their newsletter.

2. "Tim O'Reilly's What Is Web 2.0? Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software (September 30, 2005) is a core document in the field, tracking the Web 2.0 concept back to a conference brainstorming session which juxtaposed Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 associations and identifiers to come up with a formulation of Web 2.0 as a set of principles and practices, most conveniently visualised and presented here as the now renowned Web 2.0 meme map. Seven principles characterising Web 2.0 practices are explored."

Respondus - LockDown Browser for testing environments

Respondus LockDown Browser - Beta Available:

"A beta release of Respondus LockDown Browser is now available to academic institutions. The browser locks down the testing environment within WebCT and Blackboard so that students are unable to print, copy, go to another URL, or access other applications. When an assessment is started, students are locked into it until it is submitted for grading."

Current Research in Learning Design

"This papers introduces Learning Design, analyses the different papers and provides an overview of current research in Learning Design. The major research issues are at the moment: a) the use of ontologies and semantic web principles & tools related to Learning Design; b) the use of learning design patterns; c) the development of learrning design authoring and content management systems, and d) the development of learning design players, including the issues how to use the integrated set of learning design tools in a variety of settings."

The 25 Absolute Best Web Resources for Writers

Listed under headings such as How To Write, What To Write, Where To Find Information, How To Format Your Paper, Study Help, and more...

834 Tips for Successful Online Instruction

The tips are from a 2005 questionnaire of eLearning Guild members on the subject of Synchronous Instruction. The tips are organized under headings, and the paper has a detailed Table of Contents so you can zoom in on the tips you're most interested in reading.

"As might be expected the tips ranged from a single word (Plan! or Practice!) to as many as fifteen separate tips running over 350 words! They also ranged from the simple and obvious to the unusual and subtle. They covered the complete gamut of behavior for an online instructor. We are providing these tips to everybody who is interested in being more effective at doing online synchronous instruction."

Audio learning, Podcasting, and what it means for learners and trainers

This Clive Shepherd interview (podcast) is divided up into short segments, each labelled so you can zoom in on your particular interest. Titles of the sections include

• Why use audio for learning?
• Podcasting needs learning design too
• What is the grammar of podcast design?
• Soft skills and podcasting
• Music and podcasting

...and more...

Google for eLearning

Two good articles from the Kineo group, whose recent survey "...revealed that over 40% of people thought Google would dominate informal learning ahead of workflow learning, email, wikis etc."

• Google Tools to Make Learning Work


• Google Homepages: A Knowledge Revolution

Delivering Instructionally Sound Content with PowerPoint & Breeze

"An article from Macromedia. "Not many eLearning developers or instructional designers think of PowerPoint as a tool for building online courses. Surprisingly, PowerPoint is the second most frequently used tool for creating computer-based training applications – Dreamweaver being number one. The truth is that PowerPoint, when used correctly, can help you create rich, compelling, and instructionally sound eLearning content....In fact, most people have created some kind of presentation with the tool. It's not difficult. Given these facts it's easy to see why leveraging PowerPoint in the development of online content and eLearning would make sense. It's a tool that SMEs already know how to use. Using Macromedia Breeze and PowerPoint to create and deploy online courses also makes sense. With Breeze, anyone with basic knowledge of PowerPoint can easily add narration, animation, quizzes, and surveys to PPT content and publish that content efficiently over the web via Flash Player."

15 free or low cost eLearning Technologies + 50 Ideas for Free eLearning

Matthew Fox of Kineo (an intelligent team whose focus is "stirring up learning with fresh thinking") writes a review of

"...15 key free or low cost technologies you can to develop e and blended learning for next to nothing. From authoring tools, and from Podcasting to chat rooms, I’ve technologies to get you started. I also show you when and appropriate to use them in your learning programmes."

He then goes on to

"...give you over 50 different ideas about technologies in your organisation to start making improve the effectiveness of your learning."

Unbolting the Chairs: Making Learning Management Systems More Flexible

"We contend that the current technical design philosophy of today's Learning Management Systems is substantially retarding progress toward the kind of flexible virtual classrooms that teachers need to provide quality education. In order to have substantial development of specialized teaching tools at an acceptable rate, LMSs need to be designed from the ground up to make development and integration of new tools as easy as possible. In this article, we will make the case that specialized teaching tool development is, in fact, radically slower than it ought to be. We will propose reasons for this evolutionary logjam, suggest LMS design qualities that would break it, and provide guidelines that technical and non-technical stakeholders within an organization can use together to help select an LMS that is designed for a future in which the virtual chairs are unbolted and teachers have control over their teaching environments again."

eLearning Predictions for 2006

E-learning experts map the road ahead -- An article made up of quotations from the experts. In today's eLearn Magazine.

APA & MLA style software, templates

I just added a bunch of new entries on my writers' style guides resource page (linked on the heading above). Here are a few of the new additions today, including software & word processor templates:

• APA Style Guide eBook: FREE downloadable reference manual. "This e-book will show you how to format your essay to conform to the style as set out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). It contains examples of referencing of the most common sources, the way to layout your essay, page headings, page spacing, font type and size, paragraph indents, how to enter in-text citation etc. and includes links to more APA information sites on the net."


• APA Style Helper: from the APA site. "APA-Style Helper 5.1 provides you with new organizational and help features, enhanced text processing capabilities, and step-by-step assistance in the creation of your document. APA-Style Helper 5.1 also provides you with a consistent work environment - your word processor. The new design eliminates the need to import your document into Microsoft Word, as previous versions required, saving you time and effort." FREE demo version; $34.95 to purchase.


• APA Perrla software: This looks very easy to use. Click the "tour" link on the left menu to see what I mean. Built to work with MS Word for PC only. $24.95 to purchase.


• APA Template: " Includes document templates for both APA (5th edition) and MLA (6th edition). Sets up your Word document with the proper title page, preset margins, page numbering codes, and page headers. All you have to do is write your paper. Has built in Style Settings for section level headers and quotes, so formatting text as you write is easy. Includes CiteWrite - a limited version of Citation, to help you format references and bibliographies. Saves your bibliographic information in a datafile, so you won't have to retype it again for editing and revisions."


• Reference Point Templates: Available for APA and MLA styles. Templates are available for use with Word, WordPerfect, AmiPro, Word Pro, MS Works, and StarOffice. "Quickly and easily download and install everything you need for a paper perfectly formatted in APA style or MLA style. Use your existing word processor and document software - nothing new to learn. Create title pages, abstract pages, margins, page numbers, even citations with ease. Type in author, title and journal; hit "enter" and you have a perfectly formatted APA style reference or MLA style works cited entry. Get menu-driven help and friendly customer service at your fingertips. Eliminate hours of frustration and focus on the content of your paper instead of the format." $27.95 to purchase.


• StyleEase for APA Style: You can get it in versions for APA, MLA, Chicago Style, and Turabian Style. "StyleEase for APA Style for Microsoft Word formats your papers and references in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Edition). Simply choose from one of four document styles for theses, dissertations, journal articles, or term papers. You focus on the content of your paper, and let StyleEase handle the rest. " $35 to purchase.

Captivate (Macromedia)

(formerly RoboDemo) I own Quarbon ViewletBuilder for this, but I've been reading some high praise for Captivate as THE software to own when you want to prepare a screen recording (screen capture tutorial, presentation, etc.) with audio. Bruce Landon (Douglas College, Vancouver, BC) wrote in a forum:

"If your time is important for about $200 (ed pricing) you can get Captivate which works quite nicely for making high quality flash screen shots with audio (recored live or editied in). ...it seems to work fine and with little effort."

Scott Leslie (Ed Tech Post) then tried it and responded:

"Wow - it totally rocks! I installed it, ran it and made my first screen recording in under 5 minutes. Really nice piece of software that truly put all of these others to shame, and Bruce, you were doubly right about it being worth the price just for how easy it makes doing these screen recordings. Really nice piece of software."

FREE Web Page Analyzer & Speed Test

"Try our free web site speed test to improve website performance. Enter a URL to calculate page size, composition, and download time. The script calculates the size of individual elements and sums up each type of web page component. Based on these page characteristics the script then offers advice on how to improve page load time. The script incorporates best practices from HCI research into its recommendations."

10 Tips for Online Teaching Success

The 2005 'WebCT Exemplary Course Project' winners share 10 of their best practices in designing and delivering high-quality online courses.

In addition, they provided in-depth looks into their classes in personal interviews available now via the ECP Web site (click a course name to access the interview with its designer).