Overview Back In 2007⋅⋅⋅ In 2007, supported by five of the most prominent textbook publishers in higher education, CourseSmart started out with the simple goal of providing instructors in college and higher education a better textbook evaluation service. We knew that for instructors, getting textbooks for evaluation was a tedious and time consuming task. For publishers, it was just as difficult, spending millions of dollars each year to give away thousands of sample textbooks to faculty across the country, without knowing if an instructor would eventually assign the book for their course. CourseSmart set out to transform this costly and inefficient process by building the world's largest library of eTextbooks and digital course materials that instructors could access instantly – anytime, anywhere. Millions Of Users, Millions In Savings By 2008, students were telling us they wanted a digital option for textbooks too. And we couldn't stop there. More Titles, More Innovation Try CourseSmart today for
The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies Listen to this article as a podcast episode: Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:22 — 53.1MB) Subscribe: iTunes | Android | When I worked with student teachers on developing effective lesson plans, one thing I always asked them to revise was the phrase “We will discuss.” We will discuss the video. We will discuss the story. We will discuss our results. Every time I saw it in a lesson plan, I would add a note: “What format will you use? The problem wasn’t them; in most of the classrooms where they’d sat as students, that’s exactly what a class discussion looked like. So here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. I’ve separated the strategies into three groups. Enjoy! Gallery Walk > a.k.a. Basic Structure: Stations or posters are set up around the classroom, on the walls or on tables. Philosophical Chairs > a.k.a. Pinwheel Discussion > Socratic Seminar > a.k.a. a.k.a.
Touch Press - Our Vision Scientist, author, inventor and entrepreneur; Stephen is best known for creating Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha®, and for authoring A New Kind of Science. In his early years he made a number of discoveries in physics and cosmology. In the 1980s his now-classic work on cellular automata helped launch the field of complexity theory. Stephen has served as CEO of Wolfram Research for more than two decades, and has provided the technical leadership that has made Mathematica the world's leading system for advanced computing. In addition to his work in technology and business, Stephen is also a world-renowned scientist. He has a longstanding commitment to publishing and communication, having been the author—and publisher—of two bestselling books, and publisher of a leading academic journal for 25 years. MacArthur Fellowship More
5 Highly Effective Teaching Practices I remember how, as a new teacher, I would attend a professional development and feel inundated with new strategies. (I wanted to get back to the classroom and try them all!) After the magic of that day wore off, I reflected on the many strategies and would often think, "Lots of great stuff, but I'm not sure it's worth the time it would take to implement it all." We teachers are always looking to innovate, so, yes, it's essential that we try new things to add to our pedagogical bag of tricks. What Research Says This leads me to educational researcher John Hattie, who wrote Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning. Hattie has spent more than 15 years researching the influences on achievement of K-12 children. 1. When a teacher begins a new unit of study or project with students, she clarifies the purpose and learning goals, and provides explicit criteria on how students can be successful. 2. 3. 4. 5. Collaborating with Colleagues Great teachers are earnest learners.
National Hands-on Science Institute ADA:Fast Facts for Faculty - Writing in the University Writing in the University By Brenda Brueggemann. Introduction The General Education Curriculum (GEC) Course Guidelines for the second and third (required) courses in writing at The Ohio State University state that: The abilities to read and listen with comprehension and critical acuity are requisite to the gaining of knowledge in a university setting. The ability to express oneself with clarity, both orally and in writing, provides the deepest proof of understanding. Further, we recognize that writing especially is a primary tool in learning itself, not just a means of expressing learning that has taken place. Many students, however, may often experience difficulties with writing that are not caused by a lack of understanding or critical ability. For students with disabilities there may be even greater obstacles to college writing. In-class Writing Activities Examples: Challenges: In-class writing may be challenging for many students. Lack of Technology: Time: Environmental Distractions:
The eLearning Guild: A community of practice for eLearning designers, developers, and managers ADA: Partnership Grant - Fast Facts for Faculty Guided Notes Improving the Effectiveness of Your Lectures Developed by William L. What Are Guided Notes? Guided notes are instructor-prepared handouts that provide all students with background information and standard cues with specific spaces to write key facts, concepts, and/or relationships during the lecture. Some Pros and Cons of the Lecture Method Lecturing is one of the most widely used teaching methods in higher education. Advantages of lecturing. Although some educators consider the lecture method outdated and ineffective, it offers several advantages and reasons for its continued use (Barbetta & Scaruppa, 1995; Michael, 1994). Lecturing is an efficient use of the instructor's time. A good lecture can be presented from one semester to the next, reducing subsequent planning and preparation time to review and update. Lecturing is versatile. It can be used with large or small groups, for any curriculum area, and can last from a few minutes to several hours. Lectures can be personalized. 1.
DIY U: Build a Personal Learning Plan | Get to Work I guess I've come to the end of this challenge - though my learning, of course, is only just beginning. I've been into the idea of Edupunk for a long time without knowing what to call it, so it's good to have a challenge like this to put some structure to the idea, and Anya kamenetz's books, The Edupunk Guide and DIY U, have been invaluable. As part of this challenge I have defined my path and created a plan of my proposed learning, which you can see at Visible Darkness, a website I built in Wordpress as a space to contain my work in an organized way. Here you can also see a mind map of my initial Personal Learning Network - I'm sure this grow as I progress with my learning. From this PLN I plan to nurture ongoing relationships that will, I hope, evolve into mentorship. The next step is, of course, to get on with it and start progressing along my road to success.
ADA: Fast Facts for Faculty - Universal Design Elements of Good Teaching Universal Design Definition: Universal design is an approach to designing course instruction, materials, and content to benefit people of all learning styles without adaptation or retrofitting. Universal design provides equal access to learning, not simply equal access to information. Although this design enables the student to be self-sufficient, the teacher is responsible for imparting knowledge and facilitating the learning process. Who Benefits: Students who speak English as a second language. Principles: Identify the essential course content. "Compiled from North Carolina State University's Principles of Universal Design and Chickering and Gamson's Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Essential Qualities Representation: Course content offers various methods of Representation. Engagement: Course content offers various methods of Engagement. Expression: Course content offers various methods of Expression. Implementation: Resources:
AASL Announces 2011 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning « INFOdocket From ALA: At the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced the 2011 Top 25 Websites for Teaching and Learning. In its third year, the list of websites honors the top 25 Internet sites for enhancing learning and curriculum development for school librarians and their teacher collaborators. Here’s the 2011 List (Annotations by AASL) Media Sharing Tagxedo Dazzle your project with these word clouds. Kerpoof Explore, create, and design at Kerpoof. Aviary Create logos, web templates, screen captures, edit your photos and more at Aviary. Nota Connect, collaborate, and co-create in real time! Digital Storytelling PicLits If a picture is worth a thousand words, then let this site provide the picture to inspire your words. Zooburst Add a new dimension to storytelling, reports, and presentations with ZooBurst’s digital 3-D tool. Myths and Legends A site for those who enjoy stories and storytelling. Spicy Nodes
Beyond Discussion Forums: Asynchronous Student-To-Student Interaction Online This article first appeared on the California Acceleration Project blog. When I asked my students for anonymous feedback at the end of my online course, they responded, “I loved being able to still have interaction with my classmates. I didn’t think I would really get that interaction in an online class so that was definitely a bonus for me,” and “I liked how the professor was able to keep us all connected with each other and made it feel as if we were in an actual classroom even though we were in the comfort of our home.” Students taking online courses that are intentionally designed with opportunities for asynchronous student-to-student communication and collaboration reap the rewards of not only the cognitive benefits of sharing ideas with peers, but also the socio-emotional benefits of being a member of a learning community. Humanizing & Equity This is the third blog in a series within the theme of humanizing online teaching and learning with an equity-minded lens. Group Discussions