Welcome Distance Learning Certificate Members

I wanted to be the first to post a response because, frankly, I would like the activity in my blog. I started the blog a few months ago as an attempt to provide an avenue to discuss material regarding technology in the classroom to our faculty. My goal is to help faculty embrace technology and assist them to implement the latest and greatest technologies to bring new levels of learning to their students. So far, none of my faculty have responded to my postings and it gets a little discouraging to see my efforts go unnoticed.

I hope you find some of the entries in this blog useful, especially the links to the podcasts. I find these podcasts convenient to listen to when I am jogging.

Our distance learning community is unique in the community college setting. We deliver over 150 courses a year taught by more than 50 instructors. Right now we offer 25% of our courses as distance learning. We use Blackboard CE6 for our Learning Management System (LMS). Blackboard bought out WebCT a couple years ago and as a result the company plans to produce a hybrid version of both products next year.

A good majority of these courses are taught by part-time instructors who typically hold down a job during the day and use the weekends and evenings to facilitate their online classes.

As the Instructional Technology Coordinator, one of my goals is to make myself, and my services available to the part-time faculty as well as the full-time faculty. This blog is an example of a tool developed to provide a forum of communicating with instructors at a distance. This blog is in addition to other methods of communication which include outdated e-mail list, word-of-mouth, web sites, telephones and department mailings.

With the goal of this blog to enhance communication with the part-time faculty, I question if they are prepared to embrace such a tool. Obviously, communication is important, especially in the academia environment. We all deal with the issue of communication obstacles between the administrators and faculty. Do you have any ideas on how to facilitate better communication with faculty?

Podcasts

Below is a list of Educational Podcast that will benefit our faculty:

		Homeschool Habitat Podcast by Homeschool Habitat Homeschool news, reviews, and mini-lessons for the kids!
2.		Speaking of History........ Podcast by Eric Langhorst Hello. Speaking of History is a blog and web site maintained by an 8th grade American History teacher in Missouri who attempts to use technology to enhance the curriculum.
3.		Teach42 Podcast by Steve Dembo Teah42 is a podcast about education, technology and educational technology! This show provides insight into current trends, educational issues and all the latest innovations that can be incorporated into and educational environment.
4.		BLOG-EFL Podcast by Graham Stanley Observations and comments on the use of weblogs, emerging technologies & e-learning tools for English Language Teaching (EFL & ESL).
5.		6by7 Reports Podcast by Gary Dietz 6by7 Reports discusses problems, solutions, and the people and organizations that came together to address educational and technology issues.
6.		Wisconsin Center for Education Research News Podcast by Paul Baker Part of the University of Wisconsin Madison's School of Education, the Wisconsin Center for Education Research is one of the oldest, largest, and most productive education research centers in the world.
7.		Connect Learning Podcast by David Warlick Regular wanderings into the world of 21st century teaching and learning.
8.		Learnitology Podcast by Chris Clark A project of the Learning Technology Lab at the University of Notre Dame. The goal is to encourage faculty to explore the use of technology in their courses.
9.		One Big Head Podcast by Jeff Moore Observations, philosophy, opinions, unsubstantiated rumors, flotsam and jetsam--the desk of a typical educational technology specialist.
10.		Tech Chick Tips Podcast Tips and tricks for gadgets and software for your digital life given by two Texas chicks obsessed with anything digital.
11.		The Greenbush Take2 Podcast Russ, Rich and Couch cover Greenbush, Education, and Technology related news with special weekly guests!
12.		The Tech Teachers Podcast Teachers talk

Just completed a online course "A Beginners Guide to Online Design" on Udutu's web site. See the link on the right-hand side labeled "Learn How Our Tool, myUdudtu Works". Some self-advertising, but most of this presentation describes online learning, basic principles of pedagogy (Bloom), learning outcomes and rich learning media. Nice overview.
http://www.udutu.com/

Today I will be at the Faculty Retreat demonstrating some Web 2.0 tools you can use to enhance your web based and F2F courses. Web 2.0 isn’t a new technology as you might think, as a matter of fact, it’s a new way of using the Internet. When we first started using the Internet we searched the vast extremes of the web for information or we used it for shopping. It was a place for us to view, surf and purchase. Now, with advances in the Internet, everyday users can be a contributor and not just a viewer. The Internet is a place to connect, collaborate, create and communicate. As educators, if we want to connect with our students we need to understand the potential of Web 2.0 tools and how they can be part of our course.

First, we need to start out by gaining an understanding of what Web 2.0 is. Here is a good presentation from Educause 2007:

| View | Upload your own

Second, we should learn about some of the most popular Web 2.0 tools. I have created a presentation that list my favorite 10 Web 2.0 tools:

| View | Upload your own

Finally, here is an extensive list of Web 2.0 tools, ranked by popularity and category: Top 100 Tools for Learning

So, that was easy! Your off using Web 2.0 tools! Now, if you respond to this post you will experience the collaboration feature of Web 2.0. Share your thoughts on Web 2.0, or create your own post or Blog! See you out there on the Internet!