Selective Twitter Status on Facebook

There has been a lot of discussion recently about how to separate (and combine) participation in Twitter and Facebook. Many people use Twitter for work and Facebook for personal communication. For others this distinction is less clear. In any case, having all twitter updates appear in your Facebook status is redundant, and often annoying to your "friends". Here's a solution that might help.

Selective Twitter Status on Facebook: "Selective Twitter Status lets you update your Facebook status from Twitter - BUT you can choose which tweets you want - just end a tweet with #fb when you want to post it as your Facebook status - simple!"

Cloudworks in action

At the ETUG Fall 2009 workshop in Vancouver this month, Grainne Conole from UK's Open University treated participants to a full-day workshop and plenary talk on learning design. She was also an extremely active participant in the 2-day event overall, first by helping the planning committee by creating a workshop 'cloudscape' at Cloudworks ahead of time, then by continuing to populate the various clouds with links, live blogs of sessions, comments, and keeping workshop the #etugdesign twitter stream active.

Aside from helping us to build a fantastic online resource for our 2-day event that we can continue to revisit and build over time, Grainne really modelled for our community how we can (and should!) collectively create artefacts of our activities, and find ways to involve members who are unable to travel to f2f events. And it was very interesting to see Cloudworks in action! Check it out.

Cloudworks is a site for finding, sharing and discussing learning and teaching ideas, experiences and issues. The aims are to:

• enable people to find, share and discuss learning and teaching ideas
• connect people with similar educational interests through social networking
• provide inspiration on designing learning activities and developing resources
• showcase the work of individuals and communities who want to reach existing but also new audiences
• provide a place for different communities to discuss, collaborate and aggregate relevant materials, ideas and designs
• encourage sharing, especially among people who have not shared learning and teaching ideas and experiences before.

Free book on mobile learning in higher education

Free book on mobile learning in higher education « Tony Bates:

"Jan Herrington, Anthony Herrington, Jessica Mantei, Ian Olney and Brian Ferry (editors), (2009) New technologies, new pedagogies: Mobile learning in higher education, Wollongong, Australia: Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong, 138p

This book is fully downloadable from here.

The purpose of this e-book is to explore the use of mobile devices in learning in higher education, and to provide examples of good pedagogy."

Thanks to Tony Bates for bringing this book to our attention, who in turn thanks Richard Elliot. :-)

The Art of Teaching

This is a professional development opportunity at SCoPE for EVERYONE interested in teaching. It is free and open to the public. This event is organized as part of the Professional Learning Series, a collaborative partnership with eCampus Alberta, Alberta-North, and BCcampus. Invite your colleagues!

What: A 3-week asynchronous discussion combined with weekly Elluminate sessions on the art of teaching.

When: October 19 - November 6, 2009

Elluminate Sessions
Week 1: Intro, Bridging, Outcomes
Monday, October 19, 10 - 11:00 PDT (your time zone)

Week 2: Pre-assessment, Participation
Monday, October 26, 10 - 11:00 PDT (your time zone)

Week 3: Post-assessment, Summary
Monday, November 2, 10 - 11:00 PST (your time zone)

Facilitators:
Neil Smith, Professor, Faculty of Education, Vancouver Island University
Nancy Randall, Past Head of the Vancouver Island University Teaching and Learning Centre
Andrew Marchand, Educational Technologist, Vancouver Island University

How to participate:
Each week of this 3-week seminar will be launched with an Art of Teaching video and live discussion in Elluminate. To participate in the seminar discussion you will need to create an account on the SCoPE site. This is a quick process.

TERMIUM is now free!

"Until now, TERMIUM Plus®, one of the largest terminology and linguistic data banks in the world, was available only to employees of the Government of Canada and to subscribers. Those days are over! All Canadians-and all Web surfers, wherever they are-can now consult the Translation Bureau's flagship product free of charge."

Copyright: Aftermath of the Canadian Copyright Consultation

eCampusAlberta, Alberta-North and BCcampus invite you to attend the second web conference in a new 2009 - 2010 Online Professional Learning Series.

When: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 13:30 - 15:00 (PDT) check your time zone

Presenters: Maureen Baron, President, Canadian Network for Innovation in Education

Agenda:
1. Context for copyright – users and developers
2. Issues for copyright in online learning
3. Canadian Copyright Consultation and Legislation
4. Course showcase
5. Upcoming events

To join the Elluminate live session on Tuesday, click the link below up to 30 minutes before the start of the session:
http://tinyurl.com/yb33utj
To log in, just type your first name, and the initials of the institution where you work (for example Bart UNBC).

You'll need an audio set up with a microphone, for example a headset with a mic, and Internet access.

If you have not previously attended an Elluminate Live web conference, please take 5 minutes well before the session and visit www.elluminate.com/support and follow the steps for first time users. A small Java applet will request access to your PC the first time you use Elluminate, but only the first time.

Randy LaBonte, Consultant and PD Coordinator for Alberta-North, will be moderating this series of practical and fascinating sessions this fall.

Open Access Week

Open Access is a growing international movement that uses the Internet to throw open the locked doors that once hid knowledge. It encourages the unrestricted sharing of research results with everyone, everywhere, for the advancement and enjoyment of science and society.

Plan to participate in Open Access Week, October 19-23, 2009. Activities are planned for that week by organizations all over the world. Of particular interest is a series of noon hour webcasts organized by Athabasca University.

The objective of AU’s Open Access Week is to promote understanding, adoption, use and production of open access resources for formal and informal teaching and learning.

Athabasca University will present a series of five noon-hour webcasts exploring major issues and opportunities presented by open access. Each session will feature an internationally known promoter and developer of open access resources, research or ideas.

Each session will be offered via Elluminate web conference from noon to 1 p.m. Mountain Time (11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Pacific)

Monday, October 19 - The Open Access Scholar

The review, publication and interaction associated with open access dissemination of research is the focus of this presentation, featuring Dr. Terry Anderson, editor of the open access journal The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning.
http://tinyurl.com/obwmka

Tuesday, October 20 - Open Access Research Opportunities and Strategies

Much remains to be discovered in relation to the technology, economy, politics and psychology of effectively producing and using open access content. Patrick McAndrew and Candice Thiele are co-directing OLnet, an international research network designed to assist with and co-ordinate research into the most effective use of these opportunities and to gain both basic and applied knowledge relating to open access content. In this session, they will highlight research opportunities, methodologies and results of current projects.
http://tinyurl.com/npuhh7

Wednesday, October 21 - Open Access Publication

Publication models for scholarly monographs, featuring the pioneering work of Athabasca University Press, Canada’s first open access press. Dr. Frits Pannekoek, president of Athabasca University, will discuss the vision and the challenges of editing, producing and distributing paper books, while licensing the free download of the full text.
http://tinyurl.com/qne9b4

Thursday, October 22 - Open Access Archives and Repositories

Governments and research funding organizations are increasingly reluctant to fund research that is not widely distributed and affordable, creating the need for repositories through which scholars can legally distribute their research results and data. Steve Schafer, director of Athabasca University Library, will discuss how open access relates to and enhances library services. Tony Tin, founder of Athabasca University's repository, AU Space, will talk about and demonstrate AU’s growing collection and discuss the challenges and opportunities of self-archiving.
http://tinyurl.com/ogwgcj

Friday, October 23 - Open Educational Resources

The production, licensing, use and re-use of learning objects accessible through open access distribution will be the focus of this presentation. Noted author and scholar Dr. Rory McGreal will share his knowledge of the increasing opportunities and challenges associated with the open access publication of learning materials.
http://tinyurl.com/kv87un

16 Apps That Make Sharing Large Files A Snap

This blog post got my attention because it was tweeted by @clintlalonde and bookmarked by Scott Leslie. It comes up quite often that we need to exchange large files with others. This list will help to zone in on the service that suits your purpose.

16 Apps That Make Sharing Large Files A Snap: "In this post, I compare 16 file-sharing services. I took three main issues under consideration when creating the comprehensive app list below: Free, Fast, and Useful . . .

Most of the services suggested require no registration. None of them will ask you to download anything to your computer, and all of them are easy to use, and worth using."

EtherPad: Realtime Collaborative Text Editing

Used Etherpad http://bit.ly/xOXdr today in class with 50+ students for classwide brainstorming - worked brilliantly


ETUG member, Grant Potter, tweets some success with EtherPad today. It looks like a very useful and robust tool for the classroom or any type of group collaboration.

EtherPad is the only web-based word processor that allows people to work together in really real-time.

When multiple people edit the same document simultaneously, any changes are instantly reflected on everyone's screen. The result is a new and productive way to collaborate on text documents, useful for meeting notes, drafting sessions, education, team programming, and more.

New Google Form Features

Google Forms now supports branching http://bit.ly/ayCRW



I saw this tweet from ETUG member, Clint Lalonde, this morning and jumped on it! I've always loved the ease of Google Forms, but it has always been a bare bones solution. The Official Google Docs Blog reports two new features.

Have you ever wanted to create a form that changes which questions to show next based on an answer received earlier in the form? The two features we launched today make that easy. First, we've added one of the most requested features for forms: page breaks. Now it is easy to create a form with multiple pages by going to 'Add item' and selecting 'Page break.'

We've also added another highly requested feature, logic branching. Once you've created a form with multiple pages, you can select 'Go to page based on answer' to control the flow of your form based on the user's answers. For example, you can create a form asking the person to select their language and then direct them to a form in the correct language.

Adobe kulers

Adobe's "kuler" site is a place to get ideas for colour themes (sets of five colours) and/or explore the world of colour by creating your own combinations.

You need to set up an account in order to get the colour information to use in a web or other documents. Once you sign-in, you can also create and save your own themes. The themes can be downloaded as swatches for use in Adobe products.

http://kuler.adobe.com

Sir Ken Robinson on creativity in schools

TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It has many great videos ... well worth a browse.

Sir Ken Robinson's talk "nurture creativity, don't kill it." at the 2006 TED Conference is the first I heard, and is still worth a listen.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

The CU Online Handbook

The CU Online Handbook is a free publication that is available for download (PDF). The book is edited by Patrick R. Lowenthal, David Thomas, Anna Thai, and Brian Yuhnke. Here is a preview of the Table of Contents:

Trends and Issues with Online Learning
1. From Reluctant and Reticent to Engaged and Enthusiastic: The Passage to Online Teaching
Susan Giullian

2. Preparing Special Education Teachers Through Online Instruction
Donna Sobel

3. Using eCollege to Facilitate Learning, Provide for Program Coherence, Manage Accountability Innovations, and Ensure the Evolution of a Principal Licensure
Program
Connie Fulmer

4. Make, Share, Find: Web 2.0 and Informal Learning
Phil Antonelli

Technology in Action
5. The Advantages of a Ning Social Network Within a Higher Education Program
Laura Summers

6. Fresh and Forward-thinking: Using Blogs for Educational Purposes
Joanna C. Dunlap & Ellen Stevens

7. Hanging on by a Thread
Dorothy F. Garrison-Wade

8. Instructional Uses of Twitter
Joanna C. Dunlap & Patrick R. Lowenthal

9. Using Audio for Giving Feedback to Project Teams: A Useful Complement to Track Changes
Brent G. Wilson

10. Wordle… Just for Phluff?
Joanna C. Dunlap

11. A Teaching Video Project Brought to Closure
Farah A. Ibrahim

12. Improving the Design of PowerPoint Presentations
Patrick R. Lowenthal

Online Engagement - From Principles to Practice

eCampusAlberta, AB North and BCcampus invite you to attend a professional development web conference via Elluminate Live, September 8, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. PDT.

This session is designed to profile online engagement - from principles to practice. Join several practitioners and see how they manage synchronous and asynchronous technologies to not only support learning online, but also apply principles of engagement through everyday online technologies. Be forewarned - active learning and engagement is required!

Please join us as we bring together participants from three consortia and two provinces to kick off the academic year of professional development. To join the session, you'll need an audio set up with a microphone, for example a headset with a mic, and Internet access. Click on the link provided shortly before 1:30 on Sept 8. To log in, just type your first name, and the initials of the institution where you work (for example Bart UNBC).

If you have not previously attended an Elluminate Live web conference, please take 5 minutes well before the session and visit www.elluminate.com/support and follow the steps for first time users. A small Java applet will request access to your PC the first time you use Elluminate, but only the first time.

To join the live session on Tuesday, click the link below up to 30 minutes before the start of the session:
http://tinyurl.com/l3f7rz

Randy LaBonte, Consultant and PD Coordinator for Alberta-North, will be moderating a series of practical and fascinating sessions this fall. Randy has a wealth of professional development experience, so please join us Sept 8 and get acquainted.

ETUG » Fall 2009 Workshop

ETUG » Fall 2009 Workshop: "Fall 2009 Workshop
THEME: LEARNING DESIGN
Oct. 20 (Tuesday) & Oct. 21 (Wednesday), 2009
Segal School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver

This year we are very pleased to present an expanded 2 day program for the ETUG Fall workshop.

* Day 1 : Grainne Conole from the Open University, UK, will help participants explore Compendium LD and Cloudworks – tools developed by the Open University Learning Design Initiative to help educators with the design process and sharing of design methods and approaches.

* Day 2: Grainne will give the opening plenary which will be followed by an exciting lineup of speakers on the following topics: learning space design, designing for engagement, large scale learning design, and collaborative learning models.

Also at the workshop:

* Institutional updates from ETUG members around BC
* Pub Social Tuesday night: (no host event) at the St. Regis Bar & Grill Regis Room. We hope to see you at there as we connect with ETUG colleagues old and new!

Registration: early September - so watch for an announcement coming soon.

Cost: 2-day event is $50 + GST and includes continental breakfast, lunch and refreshments for both days.

Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day: Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 - August Update

Jane Hart's Top 10 Tools August 2009 list is now available. Here is the snapshot. This website is not only an excellent way to quickly find tools that meet the needs of your task at hand, but the process for compiling and ranking the top tools is also interesting. What are your Top 10 tools for 2009? We'll be watching for your name on the list of learning professionals who have shared their lists. :-)

DiscoverEd

We all appreciate the many open educational resources available these days. However, finding these resources can sometimes be a time-consuming process. This new tool looks like it could be very useful!

DiscoverEd is an experimental project from ccLearn which attempts to provide scalable search and discovery for educational resources on the web.

Readability

Readability is a tool that instantly transforms any web page into something that is EASY to read. Is the text too small? Are there distracting graphics on the side? Click the readability button and all of that changes. This tweet from Clint Lalonde says it all:

I love Readability, esp for longer texts. Anything that strips away distraction is good for helping me tame my monkey mind.

Amazing Stories of Openness

Let's hear from you! In preparation for the Open Education conference in Vancouver, August 2009, Alan Levine (aka CogDog) is seeking amazing stories from YOU. They don't have to be huge multimedia projects -- just say a few words about something from your own experiences. Alan will even work with your to figure out the best way to share your story. Do it!

Check this wiki for all the details.

AACE Global U - Social Media Seminar Series

The first of the free, monthly AACE Global U - Social Media Seminar Series, facilitated by George Siemens and David Cormier, was held yesterday and attracted over 300 people. The recording is available here.

The full schedule and details are available on the AACE website. Here's the description:

Social media and emerging technologies are gaining increased attention for use in education. The list of tools grows daily.

Examples: blogs, wikis, Ning, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, Second Life, cloud computing, surface computing, mobile learning, and so on.

"Social Media: Trends and Implications for Learning" will explore the impact of new technologies, research, and related projects.

What does it all mean? Do long term trends and change cycles exist in the constant change? What patterns are emerging?

And, perhaps most importantly, should academics and education leaders respond?

"Social Media" will explore emerging technological and related research trends from a perspective of social and networked learning theory.

Finding coherence in the midst of rapid changes is increasingly difficult. This monthly session will create a forum for educators to gather, present, and discuss the future impact of today's trends.