How Students Develop Online Learning Skills (EDUCAUSE Quarterly

Good Ideas More and more, adult learners are finding the convenience and flexibility of online learning a match for their learning goals and busy lifestyles. Online degree programs, courses, and virtual universities targeting adult learners have proliferated in the past decade. Although students can easily locate an online course or degree program that's both convenient and accessible, they may face significant challenges in developing a new set of skills for this type of instruction. Educators have speculated on the development of student skills necessary to succeed in online learning, but relatively few publications cover the topic from the perspective of successful online students. I developed the study summarized here to provide this perspective and to identify useful strategies that instructors can promote in their online courses. Methodology Successful Online Students Identify Seven Tips 1. Students were asked what time-management strategies they found most helpful. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

15 Useful Online Mind Mapping and Brainstorming Tools Concept mapping and Mind mapping software are used to create diagrams of relationships between concepts, ideas or other pieces of information. It has been suggested that the mind mapping technique can improve learning/study efficiency up to 15% over conventional note taking. It is also a popular planning technique with applications across all business sectors and industries. It is used by individuals, corporate teams, students and teachers alike for various purposes. It is also great way to add structure to brainstorming sessions and visualize your ideas. Advertisement 1. SpiderScribe is a user friendly, free and online collaborative mind mapping tool for project management and brainstorming. 2. MindMeister is by far the most simplistic mind mapping tool in the top five, but its simplicity is definitely an asset. 3. Zoho is web based software that helps you create online database apps to organize your business information. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. iMindMap 15.

Research Roundup: Online Learning A quick reference on the science behind virtual schooling. Multipurpose Room: A computer lab at the back of a regular classroom serves as the online-learning center at Notus Junior/Senior High School in rural southwest Idaho. Credit: Grace Rubenstein Online learning is a strategy aimed at closing achievement gaps, improving student achievement, increasing graduation rates, and expanding the availability of high-quality teachers to all students, regardless of distance and location. The primary reason school districts offer online courses is to expand what they can offer their students and provide them with classes that would otherwise be unavailable. Growth and Trends Today, 45 of 50 states and the District of Columbia have a state virtual school or online initiative, full-time online school, or both, according to "Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning," ( 3M) a 2009 report sponsored by ten schools and organizations across the country. What the Research Says In May 2009, the U.S.

6 Online Education Features You May Not Know About The following is a sponsored post by TenMarks , a free and easy solution to teaching math online. TenMarks is effective, easy to use, and designed to work in any classroom for all students. Click here for more information . Online education isn’t just about increasing the reach of education so anyone on the planet can benefit. Cost & Benefit Analysis I’ll get to those in a moment (or you can just scroll down if that’s your thing) but first I thought it would be helpful to cover the costs and benefits of online education. It takes awhile to find the best online education resources that fit your needs. Now, the benefits for students. These two big costs and benefits are obviously not exhaustive. Response to Intervention Most online education tools should provide teachers and administrators with the tools for assessment and instruction for all 3 tiers of Response to Intervention (RTI). Like A Flipped Classroom Online education tools constantly remind me of the flipped classroom model.

OnLine Learning with VLACS Why Do Students Like Online Learning? By Lori Martone Why do students thrive in an online learning environment? With the all the opportunities in the world today, learning takes all forms. It’s everywhere from the internet to ipods, from television to video games, from texting to mobile advertising. Students can “attend” a course at anytime, from anywhere. Offering over 90 classes taught by more than 100 instructors, VLACS provides students to learn at their own pace and on their own time.