Personalize Learning with Online Tools

There are lots of ways that teachers differentiate learning and personalize learning for their students? How do you personalize learning in your classroom? Do you use any online tools?


Let’s look at a several fun, online tools that can be used in your classroom.

1. Story Jumper - http://www.storyjumper.com/  Free
• Build books from scratch or choose from one of the free templates.
2. Story Bird - http://storybird.com/  Free
• Collaborative storytelling where students can read a book, play them like games, or send them like greeting cards.
3. Glogster - http://edu.glogster.com/  Free
• Teachers and students can create interactive posters to express their creativity or share knowledge and ideas.

To help you find other exciting ideas to personalize learning in your classroom take a look at “10 Technology Enhanced Alternatives to Book Reports”
http://theapple.monster.com/benefits/articles/8529-10-technology-enhanced-alternatives-to-book-reports

If you’ve never checked out Sue LeBeau’s site I recommend that you browse through her "Tools for Teachers" at:
http://www.suelebeau.com/freetools.htm

Next Generation Learning

Next Generation Learning is the concept of using technology to develop learning models and personalized education pathways. Currently in the United States nearly 30 percent of students don’t complete high school and only 42 percent of students graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree. How will we address the learning styles and needs of the next generation of students?


The publication Next Generation Learning was produced by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “The foundation has invested $5 billion in programs and partnerships in the United States to address” the challenges faced by our education system and lack of qualified workers that is impacting our economy. The foundation supports the Common Core State Standards Initiative that has produced a set of standards for states to follow for language arts and math skills that students need to learn to be successful in college. Based on these core standards the foundation is investing “in the development of instructional materials that align with those standards” and “assessment tools that provide real-time feedback to students and teachers.”

The goal of developing innovative learning models and personalized pathways is to provide “access to high-quality, relevant and engaging content in a variety of forms” to all students. The elements of the next generation learning model include:

• Effective assessment tools that align with college preparation standards and clear postsecondary learning objectives
• Engaging digital content
• Algorithms and match student needs with content and delivery methods
• Technology-enable professional development tools
• Learning management platforms that integrate and deliver these components

Technology-based solutions can be a cost-effective way to provide effective learning solutions for schools across the nation in this time of tight school budgets.

Next Generation Learning Challenges is a nonprofit partnership that aims to “improve college readiness and college completion through the use of technology and digital media.” The main objectives are:

• To encourage more investment in technology-enabled solutions that improve the quality of learning and student outcomes for low-income students
• To support a portfolio of solutions that demonstrate evidence of success
• To encourage large institutions to partner with innovators to support adoption of their solutions
• To establish a network of collective learning among innovators and adopters

The Next Generation Learning Challenges is led by EDUCAUSE in partnership with the League for Innovation in the Community College, iNACOL the International Association for K-12 Online Learning the Council for Chief State School Officers, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with other funders. It is the belief of these organizations that providing the intelligent use of technology in combination with new emerging evidence-based models of teaching and learning will improve college readiness and college graduation rates in the United States providing a workforce of qualified employees.


To read this publication please go to:
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/postsecondaryeducation/Documents/nextgenlearning.pdf

To learn more about the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation please go to:
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/

Have you heard about TweenTribune?

TweenTribune is a news site for tweens (ages 8-14) that posts daily news stories from a tween’s perspective. The stories are chosen by tweens who work with professional journalists. The tweens can also submit links to stories they would like to share and well as comment on any posted story. The site makes it easy for tweens to find current news stories, some off-beat stories and promotes the habit of reading and being well-informed.

Tweens are not required to submit any personal information and a login is not required for tweens to submit stories or post comments to stories. All comments are moderated and TweenTribune complies with the COPPA - the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act - as outlined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Here’s a list of the topics tweens can choose from:

So how does this work?
Teachers create an account and register their classroom, then, the students sign up. Once the class begins using TweenTribune the site automatically generates the following pages:

• The stories your class has commented upon
• Individual comments by each student, on his or her own page
• All comments by your students, in one report that can be sorted by students’ names, comments, or dates
• Teachers can moderate, edit, or delete student comments before they’re published

Teachers can also print individual reports showing the comments posted to the news stories. Teachers can also comment on the student’s writing, analysis, or critical thinking. TweenTribune also has a Teacher’s Lounge where teachers can share ideas and lesson plans with other teachers around the world. There’s also a Top Ten Lesson Plans section for teachers.

As summer approaches I encourage teachers to check out this site, especially the Top Ten Lesson Plans to find ways to allow students to interact online with the news, and have forum-like discussions with other tweens from around the world. One teacher commented that she had found classes from Australia, Japan, Canada and Taiwan.

To check out the site:
http://tweentribune.com/frontpage

E-Learning: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous

What are the advantages of anytime, anywhere learning over a fixed time for a class?  I recently read an article from Education Week written by Ian Quillen that looks at the benefits of synchronous and asynchronous learning.

Here are the main points about Synchronous e-learning

1. Problem-Solving - depending on the subject, such as math and science, having immediate feedback could benefit the students.  According to Christa Ehmann Powers, the vice president of education at Smarthinking, a Washington - based online-tutoring service, certain subjects are more relatable and appropriate for synchronous work. 
2. Discussion Flow - the teacher may be needed as an active mediator and when students are hesitant to speak out in class the teacher can keep the discussion on track and moving.  According to Myk Garn, the associate director of the educational technology cooperative of the Atlanta-based Southern Regional Education Board, a skillful instructor needs to insert themselves into the asynchronous discussion. 
3. Younger Students - when students lack keyboard skills they could benefit from synchronous instruction in a webinar format according to John Watson, the primary author of  Keeping Pace With K-12 Online Learning, a study from the Evergreen Education Group, a consulting group based in Evergreen, Colo.
4. Teacher Access - teachers can provide one-on-one access for students before, during and after school hours by video, online chat, texting or email.
5. Standardized Testing - many virtual courses require standardized testing and to maintain a test's integrity a synchronous online format is best.
6. Clubs and Socialization - many clubs and organizations that are offered at a school can be offered through real-time online meetings. 
7. Synchronous Archives - a video lecture, live chat or webniar can be archived for all students to access.

Here are the main points about Asynchronous e-learning

1. More Time - students can access the course at anytime and spend as much time as needed to master the course material.  Teachers and students engaged in discussion may continue the discussion after the class ends through an online forum.  The class day is no longer depended on the school bell according to Liz Pape, the president and chief executive officer of the Virtual High School Global Consortium, based in Maynard, Mass.
2. Critical Thinking - since writing can be personal, the asynchronous setting may be best and the student must take more ownership in the work.  The asynchronous setting also gives students more time to think critically before responding.
3. How Students Live - students have social lives through texting, Fackbook, online chats and e-mail chains which means students want to access information and answers anytime from anywhere.  Teachers are able to give feedback and tutorial help through text messages, the phone or an audio online format. 
4. Less is More - online instructors are usually proactive in communicating with the students to better understand their needs and are better able to keep students on task.
5. Global Standard Time - having students from other countries enrolled in a course brings a new prespective to discussions especially on world issues, geography and history.  The problem is finding a common time for synchronous instruction. 
6. Asynchronous Doesn't Mean Slow - the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communicatioin is less today because of the new communication platforms that students and teachers use and the availability of computers at school and in the home. 

When you think about it an e-mail is asynchronous communication and instant messaging is synchronous communication.   What truly makes the difference in synchronous and asynchronous learning is the attentiveness of the teacher and the students rather than the method of instruction , that dictates the time lapse, according to Mr. Watson. 

To read the entire article from iNACOL please go to:

http://www.edweek.org/media/educationweek_e-learning_2010_specialreport.pdf

Xtimelines

Xtimelines was shown at one of the session at the NCTIES conference. Xtimeline is a free web-based timeline for teachers and students. Take a look at this Xtimeline for Romeo and Juliet: http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/Romeo-and-Juliet-timeline

Notice that students can choose to see the timeline as links to information or as more detailed information, as shown below, by changing the icon link in the upper right corner. Students use the scroll bar at the bottom to scroll through the timeline. The timelines can be printed with permission, but teachers and students can easily use Xtimelines on the web.

Xtimelines can be explored by categories, by keyword searches, or by lists.

To check out Xtimelines go to:  http://xtimelines.com/

Image from xtimeline.com

meStudying: Algebra I

Just released January 7, 2010, meStudying is an app for your iPhone or iTouch. meStudying: Algebra I allows students to choose a topic and interact with questions on their iPhones or iTouch to help them learn Algebra I, practice and prepare for tests. meStudying is brought to students by Florida Virtual Schools, one of the leaders in k-12 virtual education.

Some of the features:

1. Covers the entire scope of Algebra I
2. Includes over 300 Algebra I questions
3. Immediate feedback
4. Detailed explanations
5. Review all questions or only the ones answered incorrectly
6. Sort by algebraic topic or FLVS Algebra I course module
7. Integrated reference guide
8. Easy navigation
9. Score tracking
10. Orientation locking

The app, meStudying: Algebra I is only $4.99 and was designed by gWhiz - affordable, mobile productivity and learning tools. Go to the iTunes store or to http://www.gwhizmobile.com to learn more about this app.

Image from iTunes Apps

Virtual Education for all Students - Are you a "Gifted Gatekeeper"?

Dr. Bryan Setser, Chief Executive Officer of North Carolina Virtual Public Schools and Learn and Earn, was in Washington, DC last week at the Virtual K-12 Public Schools Forum that focused on students with disabilities. According to Dr. Setser one theme became apparent during the forum – some educational leaders are “gifted gatekeepers” who continue to "learn by doing", "pilot", and ultimately just take risks if there may be a chance to reach a kid a different way while other “gatekeepers” "hem and haw" over policy and procedure while kids are denied services to virtual education. 

After reading this blog post, see if you can answer this question concerning online learning for all students - What kind of "gate keepers" do you have in your school and in your district?

There were seven key themes that emerged from this forum that could be called “gifted gatekeeper” strategies to make virtual opportunities for students in North Carolina with disabilities.

Theme #1: Personnel Quality and Preparation

1. Need for professional development
2. Need for teaching standards that specifically address the unique challenges of providing education within a virtual environment, and specifically special education and related services within this environment
3. Need for training of appropriate personnel (including parents) in accessible technology and assistive technology

Theme #2: Accessibility for Students with Disabilities

1. Ensuring that the relationships among the state education agency (SEA), local education agencies (LEAs), and virtual schools do not result in students with disabilities being denied admission and enact policies to ensure this is not the case
2. Ensuring accessibility of virtual curriculum to students with disabilities
3. Ensuring flexibility of virtual curriculum (i.e., ability to be modified/adapted for students with disabilities)
4. Ensuring that software developers are creating software, digital content and e-learning accessible to students with various physical and learning disabilities

Theme #3: Accountability

1. Ensuring quality of virtual special education instruction and related services, and effectiveness/appropriateness of a virtual environment for serving students with disabilities
2. Regulation and monitoring of virtual schools and providers
3. Difficulty in monitoring students progress

Theme #4: IEP Issues

1. Roles and responsibilities in implementing the IEP
2. Need for defining appropriately the intensity of services
3. How is placement of a child with a disability into a virtual school, as opposed to another educational setting, handled
4. Challenge of providing inclusive services within a virtual classroom environment
5. How can virtual therapies best be provided to students with disabilities

Theme #5: Roles and Responsibilities

1. Who is responsible for what within various virtual school contexts
2. Identifying who is responsible for AT set up, training and support of everyone involved or working with the student, including the family
3. Identifying the parents’ role in the virtual delivery of special education
4. Creating mechanisms for communication between those who set up the IEP and the virtual school
5. Roles and responsibilities in implementing the IEP
6. Working with 3rd party providers to develop accessible courses and coursework

Theme #6: Financial Issues

1. Determining how virtual schools are reimbursed for the costs of serving students with disabilities
2. Inadequate funding to provide what students with disabilities require
3. Logistics and costs involved with transporting children to obtain related services

Theme #7: Attitudes and Expectations Regarding Virtual Special Education

1. Misconceptions about delivery of special education and related services
2. Reasons why parents/families choose virtual schools for their children with disabilities
3. Skepticism about quality of virtual instruction in general, and concerns that a virtual model is not responsive to special education students' needs
4. Lack of a basic understanding of the organizational structures within which virtual schools exist.

Within the article were several links which I will list below:

1. United States Office of Special Education Programs - http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html
2. North Carolina Virtual Public Schools - http://www.ncvps.org/
3. North Carolina Learn and Earn - http://www.nclearnandearn.gov/.
4. NCVPS Go Live for Professional Development http://sites.google.com/site/ncvpsgolive/
5. Special Ed and related services - http://www.sreb.org/
6. Online Learning standards - http://www.inacol.org/
7. The Virtual School Bus - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/education/12bus.html
8. How to improve enrollment in NCVPS - http://www.thevlc.org/
9. Virtual Therapies - http://www.wimba.com/  and http://www.teleplace.com/  

If you would like to speak to someone about North Carolina Virtual Public Schools and how to better meet the needs of your online students please contact:

1. Dr. Bryan Setser - bryan.setser@ncpublicschools.gov
2. Don Lourcey - don.lourcey@ncpublicschools.gov
3. David Edwards - david.edwards@ncpublicschools.gov

To read the entire article please go to:
http://www.thevlc.org/2010/03/directors-series-are-you-gifted.html

ED: Blended Learning Helps Boost Achievement

How is online instruction transforming education today? There are online learning programs that provide credit recovery, enrichment opportunities and core curriculum classes for students. Online learning also provides an alternative for students who do not like the traditional school environment.


A study conducted by SRI International found that online learning at the post-secondary level was more effective than face-to-face classes. Researchers also found that “blended learning needs to be more effective than conventional face-to-face instruction to justify the additional time and costs it entails.” The researchers also found that when students were given control of their interaction with the online environment and when students were prompted to reflect on what they learned, this did enhance the online learning outcomes.


Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning states, “the advantage of online or blended learning over face-to-face instruction alone ‘is the combination of rich student-teacher-peer communication and interactions that are both asynchronous and synchronous, better utilizing the precious resource of time during, and outside, the school day to maximize learning--and personalize it in a way never before possible.’”


Why does this blended model work best? The blended model possesses the factors that exemplify good teaching because of the, “increased interactions between students and teachers, increased depth of rigor and exploration into content, customized learning to meet the students exactly where they are in learning the lessons, better use of data to inform instruction, and providing additional student support to help personalize instruction by the teacher” according to Patrick.


To learn more about blended learning visit the International Association for K-12 Online Learning at http://www.inacol.org/research/promisingpractices/NACOL_PP-BlendedLearning-lr.pdf.


To read the entire ED: Blended Learning Helps Boost Achievement article please go to: http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/online-learning-1/online-learning-articles/index.cfm?rc=1&i=59695

E-Learning’s Gender Factor

We all know it’s important to differentiate instruction to better meet the needs of all students but how can this be done in an online environment Do we need to consider how to differentiate online learning environments for gender?

This month in Digital Directions Michelle R. Davis looks at how to differentiate instruction and increase relevance to gain kids’ interest and desire to learn. One research study in 2005 concluded that when given a choice girls chose to work collaboratively and were interested in partnerships on computers while boys wanted to work individually and wanted to compete. Girls in middle grades used the computer more for socialization and working on homework while boys played games and looked for entertainment.

Kelly King, the co-author of Strategies for Teaching Boys and Girls: Elementary Level states that online courses for boys should include games, simulations, videos, be competitive with information presented in small chunks spread throughout the lesson. An online course for girls would include more information at the start of the lesson and collaboration would be stressed.

But not all boys are competitive and not all girls want to collaborate with other girls. So how can online courses meet the needs of all students? The key is customizing and differentiating instruction. Students today want to customize their music and TV viewing so students should be given a variety of ways to experience online classes and a variety of subject matters to learn, making sure all students are exposed to common core knowledge, according to Tom Carroll.

So as we look for ways to provide more digital content within the curriculum let’s look for ways to customize the digital content to make the learning environment successful for all students.

To read the entire article please go to Digital Directions:
http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2009/10/21/01e-gender.h03.html

Online School for Girls Launches This Fall

This will be the first ever online school in secondary education for girls. The online school was developed by a consortium of independent all-girls’ schools.

The four private schools that will offer the pilot courses next school year are: Harpeth Hall School located in Nashville, Tennessee, a 5th – 12th grade college preparatory school; Holton-Arms School located in Bethesda, Maryland, a 3rd – 12th grade college preparatory school; Laurel School located in Cleveland, Ohio, a K – 12th grade college preparatory school; and Westover School located in Middlebury, Connecticut, a selective boarding school for 9th – 12 grade girls.

Currently 44 states have some type of virtual secondary schools but none of these virtual schools specifically address the educational needs of girls. Ann Pollins, President of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools stated, “We believe that girls inhabit online spaces differently than boys and that this initiative can combine a powerful, transformative online learning environment for girls with a high-quality, twenty-first century academic experience.”

The Online School will offer two pilot courses this fall with four additional courses being offered spring semester of 2009-2010 school year. The Online School will focus on several key principles based on current research on how girls learn best: emphasizing connections among participants; incorporating collaboration into the learning experience; inspiring and rewarding creativity; and engaging in real-world problems and applications.

In the future the Online School will provide an online education that is flexible, affordable and accessible to a diverse, worldwide student base including students who need a flexible school schedule, students who are home schooled, or students who need opportunities for challenging and/or unique coursework.

To read the complete article from Harpeth Hall School:
https://www.harpethhall.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=538755

To read the complete article from Nashville Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2009/06/22/daily10.html

Image from Microsoft Clip Art

Online Games for Learning

Online games have been described as casual games, serious games and advergames but to teachers and parents what do these labels mean?

Casual Games
Casual Games are designed for entertainment. Some casual games are preloaded on computers such as Solitaire while other casual games are downloaded. Learning can occur but mostly casual games are for fun.

Serious Games
Serious games are designed for learning. Simulations, military training, corporate education, health care are just a few ways games are designed for learning. It’s easy to find educational games on the internet from pre-school to university level. Serious games are categorized by genre, complexity, and platforms building maturity and learning.

Serious games focus on specific learning outcomes that can be measured. But do these serious games really promote learning? When the game design is focused on learning outcomes, then learning is possible. According to Mary Jo Dondlinger a game that motivates players to spend time on tasks mastering the skills of the game, is time spent stimulating learning outcomes. Even some casual games like EVE Online can produce real learning outcomes. One player from EVE Online stated that once he had managed a virtual corporation that spanned a universe he could easily manage a real corporation.

Computer games with 3D graphics are being used in the workplace, for recruitment, to improve communication and train employees at all levels. The military trains soldiers using “virtually real” environments where soldiers build teams and prepare personnel for specific missions. One of the most popular games online today is America’s Army.

Advergames
Advergames are a combination of casual and serious games and have been used as a form of marketing for movies and television shows. Advergames are sometimes the most visited section of brand websites promoting repeated traffic and reinforcing the brand.

But what does this mean for education in public schools?
A virtual learning environment needs to encourage content exploration, be learner-centered and individualized. Our digital native students prefer to:

• Receive information quickly
• Multitask
• View pictures and videos
• Interact and network with others
• Receive instant gratification and rewards
• Learn information that is relevant, useful and fun

Digital learners today need online learning that is stimulating and develops critical skills. Once successful program is DiDA Delivered, a diploma program in IT skills for secondary students in the UK. To check out the site please click here: http://www.dida-delivered.org/
The curriculum for this program includes 4,000 learning objects and 300 serious games and teachers can develop their own content to add to the learning environment. DiDA looks similar to Second Life and Active Worlds.

Considering that children ages 8-18 spend at least 50 minutes per day playing video games education needs to provide stimulating, learning environments where students acquire 21st century skills necessary for today’s workforce. To do this learning designers and game designers need to work together to provide a more engaging and effective learning environment for all students incorporating social networking, and other Web 2.0 technologies.

To learn more about online games for learning please read the entire article Serious Games: Online Games for Learning at: http://www.adobe.com/products/director/pdfs/serious_games_wp_1107.pdf

Who are the Virtual Students in Your Class?

Here is an interesting article to think about. As face-2-face teachers we all have ways to encourage class participation, behavior and time on task but how does this work in an online class? Who are the other students in an online class when students are enrolled from across the state or around the world?

Meet Jane Malan, a thirty-something part-time school teacher interested in languages. Jane was given the duty of being the second facilitator in an online class contributing to theoretical and technical assignments, and at times giving advice to students in the course. Jane seemed to know how to model collaborative behaviors the students could follow and she regularly participated in the “social” posts. I guess some would say she was the model student, or was she?

Jane Malan was placed in the online course to start discussions among the students, encourage others to stay with the course, and to participate in all discussions including the social posts. I imagine the other students liked her but Jane wasn’t real. Jane was a “ghost student” created by the instructor of the course and Jane was controlled by the instructor.

At the end of the course the instructor revealed Jane’s identity. The instructor wanted to answer two questions by “infusing” Jane into the course:

1. How does a virtual student enhance online community?
2. How do students feel about the ethical issues of instructor’s hiding and then disclosing the identity of a virtual student?

I’ve taken online courses and I began to wonder if any of the other students in those past courses were “ghost students” and how would I know? My next thought was why did the instructor feel she had to create a ghost student for the course? The instructor called her Methical Jane, the combination of mythical and ethical created to improve students’ online learning success. The instructor rationalized that if an online course had ineffective facilitation or lack of communication the students’ success and performance would be lower. Also a controlling instructor could weaken online communication and lower students’ success.

I do not see the rationale behind the instructor choosing to create Jane Malan and there is definitely an ethical issue of trust between the instructor and the students. Considering that students should follow proper netiquette when posting to an online class the instructor should already have the ability to monitor forums, blogs, assignments and other postings. So why be a ghost student?

If the instructor is worried about the quality and quantity of collaboration and communication between the students then the instructor needs to be better trained and prepared to teach online without resorting to “ghost students” selectively placed in a class. Another ethical issue would be the idea that an instructor could become a “ghost student” in a colleague’s course. For what reason? To spy? To take information from a colleague’s course to use in their course? To find a way to defame the colleague and/or their teaching practices?

This study raised a lot of ethical questions for me. More than I can ask in one short blog posting. So I invite you to read the entire study and the short summary article to see what ethical questions you have and to ask that you share your thoughts on the issue of “ghost students” in an online course?

To read the entire student please go to:
Methical Jane: Perspectives on an Undisclosed Virtual Student
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue4/nagel.html

To read a summary article outlining the study please go to:
Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i38/38a01001.htm?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

So You Want to Teach Online

What steps should you take to change face-2-face
course content to online content?

First you will need to know what course management system (CMS) your school system is using. Is your school system using Moodle, Blackboard or WebCT? Take time to learn the features of the CMS, the interactive components, the gradebook and decide what features would work best for your course content. If there are features missing that you would like to use, then look for free Web 2.0 tools such as Flickr, Google Blogger, Webpaint, VoiceThread or other free online tools.

The modules of the CMS form the navigational structure of the course so make sure to know the layout of the CMS your school system will be using. Now begin to organize your course content into the modules. To make this easy use a concept mapping tool such as Inspiration, Microsoft Word or just map out the course with pencil and paper. Make sure each module of the online course focuses on the goals and objectives of the curriculum. There are three areas the course should be organized around – course materials, discussions and assignments/activities. Make sure to include completion times for each course task to help students plan time to complete all work.

Let’s look at each area:
Course Materials. Course materials can be web sites, video clips, PowerPoint presentations, podcasts, online articles or lecture notes. Remember to find ways to differentiate the instruction to meet the needs of all students.

Discussions. A discussion board is one of the primary tools for connecting with the students to see how well they understand key concepts of the course. Make sure discussion questions require students to engage in higher-order thinking. Also, think of ways to use the discussion board to motivate the class and remember that teachable moments will occur in the discussion board. Use a detailed scoring rubric for the discussion board so students know the expectations required for postings.

Assignments/Activities. Think about listing all assignments, due dates and scoring rubrics in a downloadable document to help students stay organized and to make sure they understand expectations. Make sure students know the file formats accepted for posting assignments. Instructors should not have to spend a lot of time trying to open student assignments from various software applications. Think about using a Frequently Asked Questions forum where students can ask questions about the course and assignments.

Once the content modules are created and organized, decide how many modules to make available to students at a time. Post modules weekly to prevent students from jumping ahead while allowing students time to post missed assignments from the past weeks. It’s also helpful to make sure students have a complete understanding of the past modules before working on future modules.

Whether posting complete courses or supplemental materials online for a face-2-face course, instructors will need to know the technology skills of the students. Instructors can prepare a student information sheet listing the necessary technology skills for the students. Make sure to outline all course expectations for the students letting them know that online courses usually need more time than face-2-face courses. Even though online courses are accessible 24 hours a day, students need to know they should expect responses to assignments and other postings within a time period set by the instructor.

If your school system offers online courses and/or online supplemental materials it would be helpful for students to complete an orientation to familiarize them with the online course software and the navigational structure of online courses. As students work through the online materials always look for ways to improve the course, making note of what worked well and what changes are needed. At the end of the online course provide students with a course evaluation to help decide if the online course met the objectives for the course.

Once an instructor decides to remake a face-2-face course to an online course there are many helpful resources. Here are just a few resources.

• The Technology Source: Creating Online Courses http://technologysource.org/article/creating_online_courses/
• Moodle Community: http://moodle.org/
• E-Learn Magazine: The Reluntant Professor http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=case_studies&article=41-1
• Blackboard Tips: 10 Easy Steps to Creating Your Online Course http://med.uth.tmc.edu/administration/edu_programs/ep/blackboard/text/10ezSteps.pdf
• Leading & Learning with Technology: Turning Face-to-Face Content inot Meaningful Online Courses http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200902/
  

To Moodle or Not to Moodle?

Since I am learning about Moodle and building a Moodle site for our school district I thought I would explore Moodle sites this week. Moodle was developed as free open-source e-learning software that helps people create online courses for students and adults. So how are other people using Moodle outside of public school or college education?

Here is a short list of some of the interesting sites I found in the United States at: http://moodle.org/sites

• Learn to Speak the French Language Online for Free: http://learnfrench.elanguageschool.net/ This site listed 10 languages that people could learn for free online. So how’s your Dutch?
• Adoption Education Classes: http://www.adoptioneducationclasses.com/classroom/ This site was created for those interested in adoption.
• After Hours Electrical CEUs: http://course.electceu.com/ This site requires payment but think of the advantages to earning a certification and a better paying job while still working.
• Adult Caregiver Training: http://caregivermanagerceus.com/moodle/login/index.php This site is for people who care for others.
• Free Online Games: http://ahshornets.moodle.com/ Hadn’t thought about hosting online games through the Moodle software.
• Pharmacy Training: http://pharmacylessons.com/ Pharmacy technical training and continuing education.
• Aircraft Technical Computerized Service Professionals: http://www.atcspro.com/index.html This is a new site that opened January 2009 for Boeing aircraft training.

And last but not least I couldn't resist including this site:

• After School Hackers: https://www.ashprogram.com/ – OK, I know what you’re thinking and so did I at first, but this is actually a site for school-aged children to learn computer programming. This site is for a specific school district so I wasn’t able to log in as a guest but what a great idea – fun learning for students after school.

There are over 10,000 registered Moodle sites just in the United States so this is just a small sampling of the various ways that people are using Moodle. Realize that most of these sites require a person to log in which means creating a Moodle account. Just because you may already have a Moodle account for a course or school district doesn’t mean you can automatically log into another site. But you can continue to use the same username, email address and password for each Moodle account you create.

We should all be lifelong learners and the Internet along with Moodle is creating many online learning opportunities for people.

10 Ways to Boost Learning

In my last blog I wrote about the seven skills that students desperately need by the time they graduate from high school. I also wrote about employers who need employees who can think and be able to see a problem and come up with a way to fix that problem. We as educators need to teach 21st century skills to students finding ways to assess those skills through performance measures. We need to find ways to teach today’s multi-tasking students who need visual stimulation and constant contact with their friends. But knowing that we need to be reaching out to our students in a more creative, productive way using technology is not enough. How do teachers and schools do this?

I’ll start by listing those seven survival skills again:
1. Problem-solving and critical thinking
2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
3. Agility and adaptability
4. Initiative and entrepreneurship
5. Effective written and oral communication
6. Accessing and analyzing information
7. Curiosity and imagination

As I thought about those survival skills I began to think about what part of those skills some students may already possess and how we could build from what students already know. Let’s see, problem-solving – OK if you can’t set up your new cell phone and are tired of reading the manual just give it to one of your students. They will set up your cell phone in 10 minutes flat. How’d they do that? They are not afraid of technology, they are not afraid of trying different things and they will sit and work on something until they figure it out. Problem-solving, simple right? Yea, right. It was easy for them. So students do possess some problem-solving skills. How can we build on that tenacity to help students refine and expand their problem-solving skills?

Collaborating across networks – do students collaborate? You bet, everyday. They work together building Facebook and My Space sites, they form bonds of friendship from texting their many friends everyday and join forces as a team for many of their video games. I continue to read about companies that are using video games for educational purposes. Can we as educators build on the collaborative skills our students already possess? Sure we can.

I don’t need to go through the rest of the list because by now you’re thinking about the students you work with everyday and seeing the skills they already possess. This led me to an article that outlined 10 ways to boost learning with technology. No one would disagree that we have a crisis in education today. In spite of the resources and money used for education students continue to fall behind students in other countries.



The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) came up with an action plan with ten recommendations for national, state and local education leaders:

1. Ensure that technology tools and resources are used continuously and seamlessly for instruction, collaboration, and assessment.
2. Expose all students (pre-K through 12th grade) to STEM fields and careers - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
3. Make ongoing, sustainable professional development available to all teachers.
4. Use virtual learning opportunities for teachers to further their professional development, such as through online communities and education portals.
5. Incorporate innovative, consistent, and timely assessments into daily instruction.
6. Strengthen the home-school connection by using technology to communicate with parents on student progress.
7. Provide the necessary resources so that every community has the infrastructure to support learning with technology, including assessments and virtual learning.
8. Obtain societal support for education that uses technology from all stakeholders – students, parents, teachers, state and district administrators, business leaders, legislators, and local community members.
9. Provide federal leadership to support states and districts regarding technology’s role in school reform by passing the ATTAIN Act, the Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act.
10. Increase available funding for the e-Rate so that schools can acquire telecommunication services, internet access, internal connections, and maintenance of those connections.

This is a comprehensive list that covers what all school systems, communities and districts should be doing. As I think about what our school system is doing in technology I know we are ahead of other school systems in the state with our use of technology. How does your school compare to other schools in the district where you live? Across your state? Can we do more with the technology resources we currently have? I think so and it’s up to all of us to learn new technology skills and strive to teach the content while reaching out to our students in a more creative, productive way using technology and helping all students gain 21st century skills.

Kettering Professional Cooperative Education Program

Kettering University provides an education for Generation M – the multi-tasker, media, multi-modal, multi-nodal student. Kettering offers a co-op academic program for grades 8th - 11th, thirteen science, business and engineering majors and a graduate program. The programs offer a range of opportunities for students interested in going into a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math field. To apply student must have completed Algebra I and II, Geometry, one semester of Trigonometry, two lab sciences (one must be Physics or Chemistry), three years of English, and Calculus or Pre-Calculus. AP and IB coursework are also accepted.

Students must complete a core curriculum consisting of history, social science, English and literature. All courses require students to practice their written and oral communication skills. Students must take their core courses throughout each year helping to expand the student’s cognitive abilities and experiences. Students will learn about communication, ethics, leadership and social organization through their work experience. The final core course entitled Senior Seminar: Leadership, Ethics and Contemporary Issues engage students to discuss the core issues of leadership and ethics while drawing from their academic and work experience.

Because students need variety in their education many tools are used in the courses:

• Simulations
• Social Bookmarking (Delicious)
• BigThink.com
• National Geographic
• YouTube
• Edhead.org (medical simulations)
• Education Arcade
• Immune Attack (for Biology)
• Widgets
• River City

There are three main goals for the Cooperative Education Program

• To develop a strong and positive correlation between a student's academic program at the school and the educational experience with his or her employer;
• To provide educational experiences that orient and integrate the student into a productive professional role at the employer organization; and
• To develop positive work-related habits and characteristics in a student.

Students may take courses through Distance Learning opportunities or at one of 130 Learning Centers in North America, Europe and Asia. Students have contact with their professors through telephone, voice-mail, e-mail, fax, Internet bulletin boards and chat rooms. All instructors have office hours.

Kettering University serves as a liaison between the employer, the student and the University. Kettering will identify student candidates, suggest students for co-op positions and facilitate the interview arrangements between the student and the employer. Kettering University also works with the employers concerning appropriate co-op wages and benefits for the students and counsels the students on career goals helping to match the student’s skills with the employer’s needs. Kettering University continues to work with the student and the employer to develop work plans for the student upon graduation so when a student graduates he/she already has a job that they are trained to do.

During the senior year students do a Senior Thesis Project where two co-op work terms are dedicated to completing a major project for the employer. The student and the employer identify a company-oriented problem and the Kettering faculty advisor approved the project. The student may focus the project on a product or a system of the company. When the thesis project is completed the report is evaluated by the employer and the Kettering faculty advisor. Once the thesis is approved, it is bound and sent to the employer. The student has an integrative experience that combines the University curriculum and work experience into a real world professional project for the employer. Upon graduation the employer has a well-trained, dedicated employee with the knowledge to complete the project for the employer.

Kettering University has been ranked one of the top five colleges for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) and continues to be ranked in the Top Twenty in the nation according to the 2009 edition of "America's Best Colleges Guide” as one of America’s premier technological colleges. Many Kettering graduates are admitted into top graduate schools such as Harvard, MIT and Stanford.

For students interested in working in a specific career area while attending college there are many co-op programs available throughout the United States. To learn more about Kettering University go to the Kettering University website: http://www.kettering.edu/