50 Excellent Open Courses on Teaching With Technology | Mr. Walker's Technology Blog The information below is taken from a recent posting on www.onlinecollegesanduniversities.com. It is a listing of 50 free online courses that are offered on a wide variety of instructional technology topics. The courses are free, self-directed, and accessible over the internet. Using technology and creating unique learning environments are two big dreams that all types of teachers have, from elementary educators to distance education teachers to college professors. Technology and Learning Find out why technology is such a draw for educators and how we learn from non-human tools. Blogs, Wikis, New Media for Learning: This course will show you how blogs and other new media are optimal teaching tools. Online Education and Distance Learning If you want to create online learning environments and manage a distance ed course, look here. Creating Open Educational Resource: Learn how to write learning units that enhance self-directed learning. Younger Students Tech Tutorials
Wikibooks Student Research: Can Googling Replace $168 Intro to Psych Textbook? Electronic Textbooks | News Student Research: Can Googling Replace $168 Intro to Psych Textbook? By Dian Schaffhauser02/16/11 Students are taking the battle against high-priced textbooks into their own hands. The research effort was undertaken as part of the Digital Bookshelf Project, the University System of Ohio's effort to make textbooks more affordable. For the latest research project, which took place in fall 2010, the students compared the value and educational quality of two current textbooks with the draft of a new textbook they found free online, along with what they could find through online search engines. "For our generation raised on the Internet, online searches for class materials often replace purchasing the textbook," said Libby Cates, one of the student researchers. They found that materials from Wikipedia were accurate and thorough, though "perhaps excessively thorough for an introductory course," they reported. About the Author
Free Textbooks Internet Library Spotlight on E-Learning Education Week's Spotlight on E-Learning brings together a collection of articles hand-picked by our editors for their insights on: Understanding different models of online learningChoosing the right e-learning companyIncreasing access and equity in digital learningHow elementary schools incorporate e-learningParental involvement in online educationWhat works best for classrooms that blend face-to-face and virtual learningNew standards outlining online-course design Elementary school online students need remediation or acceleration at junctures in their development some say are more crucial than any in high school. January 7, 2011 - Education Week Distinguishing between the wide variety of virtual schools and online-learning programs available involves understanding the type of operational control. April 23, 2010 - Education Week Even advocates concede that full- time virtual education might not be a good fit for students with both parents working outside the home.
The Cape Town Open Education Declaration Open education Open education is a collective term[1] to describe institutional practices and programmatic initiatives that broaden access to the learning and training traditionally offered through formal education systems. The qualifier "open" of open education refers to the elimination of barriers that can preclude both opportunities and recognition for participation in institution-based learning. One aspect of openness in or "opening up" education is the development and adoption of open educational resources. Institutional practices that seek to eliminate barriers to entry, for example, would not have academic admission requirements. Open education and flexible learning History[edit] Even before the computer was developed, researchers at public universities were working at educating citizens through informal education programs. The ability to share resources on the web at little cost compared to the distribution of hard copy means that it can be used to facilitate Open Education. Drawbacks[edit]