Twitter

Twitter is a good resource to keep students up-to-date with what your currently doing.

Twitter could be used by an instructor to send messages in less than 180 characters, however this is nothing more than a new twist to the term for Instant Messaging. I think Twitter could be ideal for reminding students about homework, tests and such things, especially as they can enter their cell phone number to be alerted when an instructor does a Twitter entry. The advantage is that you don’t need to know the phone numbers of students to get messages onto their device: they are the ones who authorize their mobile phone from the website and they subscribe to your Twitter feed. The drawback is that all your students would have to be Twitter users, which is stretching your luck.

Twitter

FREE ePortfolio from Epsilen.com

www.epsilen.com allows you to create a free eportfolio. The service is free for all registered students and faculty of US colleges and universities.

The idea is to allow users to play with the product with the hopes that someday the institution will get a full capacity institutional license. This might be a good alternative to what we have now, called "Faculty Web Pages." So feel free to use the tools and make a web page. Some of the features include:

• Create and maintain a professional ePortfolio
• Engage in professional and social networking
• Showcase scholarly work and other documents in a wide range of formats
• Develop and share resumes
• Store and share files/objects
• Use Epsilen e-mail, blog, wiki, and other communication and collaboration tools
• Create and participate in professional collaboration groups
• Produce a personal ePortfolio Web site with profile, photos and video

If CSM becomes, a licensed Epsilen institution, your free ePortfolio will integrate dynamically with the more sophisticated tools and services that accompany the paid license.

My web site is at: http://joelk.csmd.epsilen.com

eLearning Course Tool Review: CourseLab 2.4

I read on the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies web site list a FREE eLearning Course Authoring Tool called CourseLab 2.4 available at www.courselab.com. Anytime I see something free it is worth the time and effort to download and pilot the software. I am not inclined to read directions, I prefer to roll up my sleeves and start working with the program, so I did. According to the web site “CourseLab is a powerful, yet easy-to-use, e-learning authoring tool that offers programming-free WYSIWYG environment for creating high-quality interactive e-learning content which can be published on the Internet, Learning Management Systems (LMS), CD-ROMS and other devices.” My objective was to develop a simple text and photo lecture for my class on Monday.

After downloading the product, I had to actually register via e-mail to get my code to run the program. The procedure was fast and relatively pain free. I was able to bring the interface up immediately and start exploring the features. However, things started to go downhill after that. The interface reminded me a lot of PowerPoint, but the functionality was primitive in comparison. I had a difficult time determining how to do simple actions like; create another slide, add text, add logo and adding photos. Typically, I am able to navigate a new program with ease but this interface was anything but “ease-of-use”. There are many free Web 2.0 tools out there, also free that are easier to understand, like Google Docs.

After stumbling around for 30 minutes I created a title slide and one content slide…with nothing in it. I grew frustrated and impatient and was looking for quick answers to my problems without having to read the directions or watch some promotional video. I guess everyone has a bad habit. So, I find this feature from the drop down menu labeled “Import From PowerPoint”. Hey, that’s just what I need! Most of the courses I build originate from PowerPoint. I use programs like Articulate, Impaticia and Captivate that have the same feature of importing PowerPoint directly into the program, then easily converting the presentation into a Flash delivered, interactive video. However, when I clicked on the CourseLab button it took me to the CourseLab web site where it gave me instructions on how to add this “Extra” for $99. Oh well, so much for being free. “You can lead me to water, but you can’t make me drink!”

After that episode, I exited the application and uninstalled the program. I dislike being lead to believe a product is free, only to find the statement was false. CourseLab, good luck in the future, a future without me!

Four-day week in education

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Think about this, an innovative distance education program!

Colleges are experimenting with four-day school weeks as a means to cut back on expenses and travel. I think this innovative idea has roots in distance education. The Web-Hybrid model in becoming increasing popular for an alternative to delivering F2F classes. In the Web-Hybrid model, faculty still meet with the students F2F but half the class is delivered online, thus cutting down on trips to the campus and campus space and utilities. A win win situation for both faculty and students.

For the staff, administrators are authorizing alternative schedules as an employee-friendly policy designed to soothe the sting of increasingly costly daily commutes. The alternative schedule could be telecommuting, which again has roots in distance education. Without all the Internet tools available today, telecommuting wouldn't be as productive. With Web 2.0 tools staff have access to documents, can communicate and collaborate with other staff and even have virtual meetings. Additionally, telecommuting days could be designates training days. Training could be delivered online by the HR and technology departments, an innovative distance education program!

Online Teacher & Education Certificates and Programs

University of West Georgia offers a great Distance Education Certified Trainer Program online along with another online program Advanced Technologies for Distance Education. It seems everyone is getting on the band wagon by offering Education and Technology programs online. Upon the success completion of these programs students are awarded online diplomas and certificates.

At eLearners.com they have created a list of all the online educational technology degrees, and the list is impressive with programs for certificates, Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees.

See the list at online educational technology degrees

Innovative Approach to Digital Media Training & Support

From Campus Technology, August 2008, 2008 Innovations article

At Ball State University they have a unique way of introducing more digital technology into the curriculum by developing a Digital Corps. Digital Corps is a student labor pool that works alongside faculty on media projects. In return students of the Digital Corps are offered training, conferences and even Adobe Certified Expert/Adobe Certified Associate programs. As a result the students in the labor pool are certified and get real world experiences, a win win situation for students and faculty.

According to Jonathan Blake Huer, director of the Digital Corps, "The biggest problem has been retaining students. As they ahve mastered their respective crafts, they have been recruited by outside companies ans also by other units within the university."

An innovative program like this would be a benefit to both faculty and staff and the campus as a whole because of the access to more digital media.

Formative vs Summative Evaluations

Do you have a difficult time figuring out what the difference is between a formative and summative (post-class) assessment? Here is a great video from an explanation of a professor's formative evaluation for his university class. The nine minute video is at http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/formative.html# . Thanks to David Pollock for this link. Visit Dave athttp://davidpollock.blogspot.com.

Another good article is: Formative Evaluation: A Practical Guide.I found this article by Lisa Neal, who just happens to work for Datatel (our college's enterprise software) and it cleared up some questions.

Her approach to using formative evaluations in course design was easy for me to understand. She points out that there are four stages to a formative evaluation; "planning the sessions, conducting the sessions, compiling the results, and prioritizing the results from the sessions."

Under the conducting the session' stage she says "For example, if a user says "I don't like these colors," an evaluation should ask "Why don't you like them?" or "Are there colors you would prefer?" In an online class, if I asked the colors question, I would make sure that I was able to get valuable feedback from them. Sure beats non-productive comments like "I don't like the colors!.

Although the article is geared more towards learning objects and interactive multimedia training elements I think the article was very understanding. I also enjoyed the Plimoth Plantation's Online Learning Center's, You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving Learning Object. I can see where using the four stages of formative evaluation would benefit a project of that scope.