Apps for Professional Development Twitter App (free) Twitter is one of the most active and beneficial social networks on the web. All educators would be wise to join the conversation. Google Voice (free) Text and call for free! Skype (free) A beautiful app that allows you to make and receive VOIP calls on your iOS device. HeyTell (free) A fun “walkie-talkie” app for quick voice communication. Consumption Apps FlipBoard (free) A beautiful app that turns your RSS reader (such as Google Reader) into a magazine. Zite (free) Similar to FlipBoard, however instead of just providing a beautiful interface to view content you select, Zite tries to introduce you to new content sources based off of sources you currently read. QR Code Readers Quick-Response codes are the strange black and white boxes that have begun appearing everywhere. RedLaser: free native iPhone app, simple and lightweightQrafter: free, the most robust of all of the QR scanners. Diigo (free) Research Apps: Google Search App (free) WolframAlpha ($2.99) QuickOffice HD ($14.99)
Ten Commandments of eLearning Frequently when I talk to colleagues about eLearning they say something like 'I set up a bulletin board/blog/wiki etc but the students didn't use it'. My response to them is always the same: that the problem is more likely to be with their design rather than with their students. Over the years I've learned a lot of things about what good design really means and I've grouped them all together into a Ten Commandents of eLearning. This is not intended to be blasphemous or disrespectful but rather is inspired by the Christian commandments in that all they're doing is presenting a set of basic principles to work to. 1 Put the pedagogy (not the technology) firstThink about what students need to learn then think about how it is best for them to learn it. 2 Be aware of workloads and work patterns (yours and theirs)Replace (don’t augment) other teaching and learning activities with eLearningConsider how much reading and writing they are required to do each week.
The future of libraries, with or without books (CNN) -- The stereotypical library is dying -- and it's taking its shushing ladies, dank smell and endless shelves of books with it. Libraries are trying to imagine their futures with or without books. Books are being pushed aside for digital learning centers and gaming areas. "Loud rooms" that promote public discourse and group projects are taking over the bookish quiet. And that's just the surface. Authors, publishing houses, librarians and Web sites continue to fight Google's efforts to digitize the world's books and create the world's largest library online. Some books will still be around, they say, although many of those will be digital. "The library building isn't a warehouse for books," said Helene Blowers, digital strategy director at the Columbus [Ohio] Metropolitan Library. Think of the change as a Library 2.0 revolution -- a mirror of what's happened on the Web. Library 2.0 People used to go online for the same information they could get from newspapers. Community Centers
Grade 5 Math (with worksheets, videos, games & activities) OML Search Looking for videos, games, activities and worksheets that are suitable for Grade 5 math? In this collection of lessons, we will learn numbers, integers, decimals, geometry, fractions & mixed numbers, algebra, coordinate graphs, statistics, number patterns, ratios, proportions & percents, consumer math and time. Related Topics: Common Core Math Grade 5 Common Core Lesson Plans and Worksheets Grade 5 Numbers Exponents Scientific Notation Number Theory Videos Review Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers from Grade 4 Worksheets and Games Integers Games Decimals Review Decimals from Grade 4 Decimal Place Values, Adding and Subtracting Decimals Understanding Decimals Model Decimals, Write Decimals in Expanded Form Worksheets Geometry Review Geometry from Grade 4 Line and Rotational Symmetry, Types of Angles and measuring angles, Perimeter and Area of Rectangles, Area and Circumference of Circles, Volume of Cubes and Rectangular Prisms, Nets of Solid Shapes, Types of Lines Videos Worksheets Algebra Games
23 Resources about Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) Part of the Cool Sites series For the past year, I have researched the what, who, when, how, and why of Personal/Professional/Passionate Learning Networks (PLNs). We have seen the benefits of the people we choose to connect, collaborate, and problem solve with through social media. A community raises a child! Below are several resources I have collected about the history of PLNs, how to build a PLN, and the tools needed to build a PLN. We Connect Wiki- This wiki is full of videos, Wallwishers, Wikipedia articles, and more that help educators find the resources to build a PLN. Wikipedia article about PLNs- This article explains the history and theory behind PLNs. Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age by George Siemens- Siemens is noted as one of the forerunners behind the PLN movement. Origins of the Term ‘Personal Learning Network’ by Stephen Downes- Downes is another forerunner of the PLN movement and connectivism. Why Do We Connect? How To Build Your PLN Using Twitter
Are the Basics of Instructional Design Changing? ~ Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes Joseph Beckmann wrote: Philosophy is a much larger, much deeper and much more complex activity than "constructivism" could ever encompass. It involves a worldview that is so much more a challenge than neurology's current state that Paul Allen's billion dollar investment in pure research on brain activity suggests we hold off on any of these labels for, oh, a century or so. This comment is well taken, in my opinion. And a few words in this regard would be appropriate at this juncture. Philosophy - and in particular the philosophy of mind - has had a great deal to say about the issues currently under debate here. Let me begin, for example, with behaviourism. - methodological behaviourism - this approach allows that there are mental events, such as beliefs, but that since they are inaccessible to observers, we must treat them as though they were physical (and hence observable) events Probably the most important work in this latter school was Gilbert Ryle's 1949 'The Concept of Mind'.
The Original Internet: Still a Great Place to Visit As happens many a Sunday, today I spent the afternoon with some friends getting brunch and then browsing an independent bookstore on Court Street in Brooklyn. I spend an unhealthy amount of time browsing blogs and websites. Fewer and fewer of these sites (and their content) are inspiring me. Yes, there is a lot of interesting stuff going on with Facebook, OpenSocial and the like, but everyone writes about the same stuff. Bookstores however, never fail to inspire – especially the independent ones. Maybe this is Google’s killer next app. In any event, if you’re looking for some inspiration, or simply to do something not involving your laptop, go find a bookstore and get lost for a while.
Differentiating Instruction Differentiating Instruction ... One Size Doesn't Fit All Effective Strategies to Improve Student Performance ! We have students in our classrooms who struggle academically and others who learn at an advanced level and accelerated pace. We can meet the needs of all learners by differentiating instruction. This workshop provides an understanding and application of the principles and strategies needed to set up a classroom that provides success and challenge for academically diverse students. Testimonials about the workshops -- Fran McAleer is a valuable contributor to our work, training to create a new and better workplace in our schools. More! Franny McAleer has been providing staff development for teachers in the Berwick Area School District for the last four years, including whole staff workshops with the Six Thinking Hats as well as focused workshops detailing best practices with instructional strategies for gifted and honors students. AWESOME! Franny McAleer is a dynamic presenter.
6 Alternatives To Bullet Lists Sharebar Bullets make lists of important points easy to read. When those near-perfect little circles are vertically aligned, readers can quickly process the text. Yet too many bullet lists in an eLearning course or slide presentation can be repetitious and mind-numbing. Learners and audiences need novelty to maintain and sustain attention. The trick for going beyond bullets is to think visually. Here are six bullet alternatives you can create in any graphics program or in PowerPoint. Alternative 1: Use text boxes A simple alternative to a list is to place each item into a a text box that is arranged in a suitable layout. Alternative 2: Let icons do the talking Using the same text boxes as above, this approach adds icons to the words. These icons were found at Iconfinder. You can take this approach one step further by accentuating the graphic more than the words. These icons are courtesy of BuildInternet!. Alternative 3: Let People Speak Your List Alternative 4: Wrap the list around a picture
use scenarios in your elearning Hello Cathy, I thoroughly enjoyed the slides you shared from your presentation, and appreciate the suggestions you provided. Approaching instructional design from an “its our job to help people solve problems in the real world” way is a unique perspective that I think is probably the best point of view. I understand that scenario-based problem-solving in eLearning, and other methods of teaching, is an important approach, but I am faced with the question of “why does it work so well”. I was further impressed that the instruction did not stop there, but took a step further in the quiz section to question the learner as to why they choose a certain answer, regardless of whether it was correct. Overall, I also have to comment about your “it’s the design, not the technology” approach. References Boström, L. & Lassen, L.M. (2006). Laureate Education, Inc. Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009).