eLearn Magazine

Using Media to Pace Your Class

Geoff Klock — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:15:40 GMT

When teachers do anything for more than 20 minutes, students get restless. One way to deal with this is to keep a collection of relevant film clips on hand to break up the monotony of discussion, to reenergize a class grown bored. A well-paced, technology-enhanced class feels like it's going by faster and is more enjoyable for students. And when students are enjoying themselves, it's a lot easier to teach them. This article explains the tools you will need to create video clips for class, as well as an explanation for why and how to use them.

The Human Systems Director

Bob Little — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:12:26 GMT

For many years, e-learning suppliers (at least, those in the U.K.) have been frustrated by having to sell their products twice to the same potential buyer. That's because they need to convince not only a potential customer's HR specialists, but also their IT specialists that they should buy what the supplier is offering. Now comes news that that sort of frustration could soon become a thing of the past. Newly published research suggests that a new job title is coming to the business world: the human systems director. According to a study conducted by the Future Foundation on behalf of Google, the workplace will be transformed by the sharing and development of ideas by 2020.

Can Social Media Help School Phobia?

Tara Meehan — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:04:33 GMT

Didaskaleinophobia, more commonly referred to as school phobia, is a panic disorder affecting roughly 1.4 million American adolescents. For these children and young adults, e-learning and other learning grounded in social media tools may provide some of the best opportunities for them to succeed in their education.

Book Review: 'Online Interviews in Real Time,' by Janet Salmons

Lorraine Williams — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:46:47 GMT

Why do we assume that Internet communication tools are only useful for studying online behavior? Why not also for studying offline behaviors? Online Interviews in Real Time by Janet Salmons (2010) is a book for qualitative researchers and graduate students who want to make good decisions about the use of online communication tools for conducting interviews. Although the title calls attention to synchronous forms of communication for interviews, the book also focuses on asynchronous technologies in the context of pre- and post-interview best practices in research and ethics.

Which English to Use?

Christopher Davies — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:44:17 GMT

You may think the differences between British English and American English are just a few spelling differences along with an accent and cadence change. Superficially, yes, but don't assume that there isn't any baggage that goes along with the way you speak. Culture goes hand in hand with language, and even within the U.S. Southerners conduct business in quite a different fashion from their Northern "time is money" brethren. It's important for an American to have a good grasp of British English along with the British way of life, and vice versa. This is not so much to avoid the comical errors when using words such suspenders or ascot (that's "braces" and "cravat" in British English), but to make a good connection with your potential business partner and online learners from around the globe.

Cultivating Twitter

Lisa Chamberlin, Kay Lehmann — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:41:12 GMT

In a recent article ("Finding a Place for Twitter in Higher Education," May 20, 2010, eLearnMag.org), Hend Suliman Al-Khalifa reported some of the findings in a Faculty Focus 2009 survey, "Twitter in Higher Education: Usage Habits and Trends of Today's College Faculty." In the article, Al-Khalifa summarizes the findings of the more than 2,000 respondents, writing that according to the survey, the majority of higher education thinks Twitter is a gigantic time suck with little to no educational value. While she accurately reported the findings, she missed reporting the bigger picture, namely, that while approximately 30 percent of the surveyed higher education professionals tweet, currently only 10 percent of the general Internet-using public makes regular use of Twitter. The college ranks are outpacing the public in adoption nearly 3 to 1.

Interview with Jessy Keiser

Lisa Gualtieri — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:51:59 GMT

Jessy Keiser is an organization development professional whose career path lead her to teach for the University of Phoenix, the for-profit learning institution best known for its online presence and open-enrollment policy. In this interview, she spoke about how she came to teach at Phoenix, what kind of training and assessment was required, and some of the pros and cons of its system.

e-Learning Helps Women Survive Eclampsia

Bob Little — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:46:33 GMT

Between 300,000 and 500,000 women die each year from problems related to pregnancy. Ninety-nine percent of these deaths, which are often preventable, occur in developing countries. One of the leading causes of maternal death in the developing world is pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy condition that is characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine. In an effort to drastically reduce cases of pre-eclampsia, Italy-based Giunti Labs is helping the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and the Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute (Green Templeton College) at the University of Oxford in the U.K. develop educational material on maternal health for midwives, nurses, and doctors in developing countries, notably India, Mexico, and Nigeria. The material, delivered via e-learning, focuses on pre-eclampsia.

Making Education (Double) Count

Laurel Felt — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:38:27 GMT

Participatory activities that tap and foster social and emotional learning and new media literacies enrich student learning, boost physical wellness, and support social functioning. Skeptics dismiss social and emotional learning as being too "touchy-feely," but empirical research has found that they can help lead to holistic health and achievement. Author Laurel Felt, a doctoral student, is staunchly committed to social change. Informed by her background in social policy, developmental psychology, and multimedia curriculum design and instruction, she is currently working for Senegal's African Health Education Network (RAES) to help leverage entertainment-education to foster young people's education and well-being.

Review of 'Working Smarter: Informal Learning in the Cloud' by Jay Cross

Peter Shea — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:33:55 GMT

Jay Cross's latest book, Working Smarter: Informal Learning in the Cloud, is his second title about informal learning. Acquiring knowledge through informal contacts and casual conversation, as Cross indicates, is as old as the campfire. However, the rise of social networking technology and Web 2.0 tools have worked as a force multiplier, greatly enhancing the power of people to acquire knowledge.

Interview with Anya Kamenetz

Mark Notess — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:30:34 GMT

The current model of higher education in the U.S. is deeply flawed and unsustainable, says journalist Anya Kamenetz, in her new book DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education. Kamenetz's critique is both economic and social, encompassing such topics as the cost of tuition and textbooks, loan-based financial aid, admissions patterns, and the deteriorated job market.

Connecting with e-Learners Through Podcasting

Heather Zink — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:50:51 GMT

In an online learning community where interaction occurs primarily through reading and writing, podcasting is an ideal way for instructors to better connect with their students. Podcasting can enhance instructor-student relationships, and provide an avenue for instructors to speak to the students whenever it is most convenient for them, even repeatedly. Heather Zink explains why adding this on-the-go content is invaluable.

When and How to Save Money on e-Learning

Bob Little — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:48:12 GMT

Everyone wants value for money even from their e-learning solutions. But getting value for money can be confused with merely trying to save money, which is far from being the same thing. Bob Little has some pointers for helping you get the most out of your e-learning tools.

Concerns with Learning-Management Systems and Virtual Learning Environments

Bob Little — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:41:03 GMT

IMC (UK) Learning, an eLearning content solutions provider, published research on how organizations use learning-management systems (LMS) and virtual learning environments (VLE). The study examined how much functionality is being used and how beneficial LMSs are at meeting business needs. Bob Little, who writes frequently for eLearn Magazine on the state of e-learning in the U.K., summarizes some of the key takeaways of the report.

Interview with Linda Formichelli

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:19:05 GMT

Linda Formichelli has written for more than 120 magazines since 1997, including Health, USA Weekend, Writer's Digest, Redbook, Woman's Day, Inc., and Alternative Medicine. She's also the co-author of eight books, including The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success and The Renegade Writer's Query Letters That Rock. Linda teaches a popular e-course called Write for Magazines, which takes the student through the eight steps to writing and sending a winning query letter, from generating a salable idea to doing interviews to finding markets to send the query to. The next session starts July 19, 2010. I spoke with her about the steps she took to develop the course, some of the business decisions she's had to make, and her experience actually teaching the course.

A 'Novel' Approach to Education

Roger C. Schank — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:14:33 GMT

Opinion columnist Roger C. Schank describes how he came to use a specially-written novel to teach business students. Becoming engrossed with fiction, characters, and story can be just as engaging as getting wrapped up in an interactive activity.

Eye Tracking and e-Learning

Hend Suliman Al-Khalifa, Remya P. George — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:08:00 GMT

In online learning, there is a need to create more effective interaction between e-learning content and learners. In particular, increasing the learners' motivation by stimulating their interests is very important. However, for any e-learning system to be effective, the knowledge transfer must occur in a usable, accessible, and functional manner. Eye tracking can be used to improve the functionalities of an e-learning system. It can dynamically capture users' behaviors in such a way that determines what they are doing, how much attention they are giving to each topic, where they are stuck, at and in what order they are reading content.

e-Learning Tools for Computer Science Educators and Students

Kendrick Mock — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:05:14 GMT

The high attrition rate for computer science students has generated significant debate as to the cause and possible actions to address the problem. For the introductory courses some departments have switched to new programming languages like Alice or Scratch that are much more visual than traditional languages and are considered easier to learn. Many instructors have also turned to hardware and software technology in search of better ways to inform and motivate their students. Fortunately, computer science educators are in an enviable position. As programmers, they have the means to write software to meet the pedagogical goals of their courses if existing software doesn't fit the bill. As a result, enterprising computer science educators have created software tools to help faculty teach and students learn virtually every topic in computer science. Some of these tools are designed for the physical classroom, others for the online classroom, and others for outside student activity. This article will describe some of these home-grown software tools. I'll also describe how several general tools can be used in a computer science context to enhance the learning opportunities available to students. While the focus is computer science, many tools also apply to other disciplines.

Online Learning 101: Part III

Susan Landay — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:24:03 GMT

In this exclusive three-part series, Susan Landay of Trainers Warehouse has been identifying the best ways for face-to-face trainers to add a component of e-learning to their repertoire, without the assistance of a fancy IT team or tens of thousands of dollars of investment. In Part I, she focused on tools for authoring and course development. In Part II, she looked at software for games and interactive learning. Here in Part III, she finishes with learning-management systems and conferencing applications to conduct live webinars.

e-Learning Budgets Increase in the U.K.'s Voluntary Sector

Bob Little — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:19:20 GMT

A survey of learning technologies in the voluntary sector encompassing more than 80 charities, representing more than 50,000 staff and volunteers has found that the top four benefits of adopting learning technologies are: 1) improving flexibility of learning, 2) improving access to learning, 3) cutting costs and 4) increasing reach.

Online Learning 101: Part II

Susan Landay — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:16:41 GMT

In Part II of this three-part series, Susan Landay explores the range of games and "interactivities" that can easily be created and posted for online learning reinforcement; selection criteria for the various offerings; plus some features and benefits of a few reputable, cost effective solutions. Part III looks at tools for web conferencing, as well as learning-management systems

Using Virtual Role-Play to Solve Training Problems

Tonya Goth Simmons — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:13:12 GMT

How do you train customer service reps or other employees to think on their feet, to provide satisfactoryor even exemplary service to potentially irate customers? And better yet, how do you know they are applying the training correctly?

Online Learning 101: Part I

Susan Landay — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:08:17 GMT

The first part of this three-part series focuses on authoring and course development tools and techniques for integrating e-learning. In Part II, Susan Landay explores games and interactivity solutions for e-learning. Part III looks at tools used for web conferencing, as well as learning-management systems.

Looking in the Mirror

Pat Wagner — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:05:50 GMT

What are the mistakes that even an experienced online trainer and educator can make? As resources for training and education collapse (time, budget, personnel), e-educators hunt for new efficiencies and shortcuts. However, we don't spend as much time as I think we should thinking about what we personally should be doing differently. I can't say I wasn't warned.

An e-Learning Update from the U.K.

Bob Little — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:59:23 GMT

A recent report from Learning Light found that the annual size of the U.K. e-learning industry in 2009 was between £300 million and £450 million, with growth rates forecast of between 6.7 and 8 percent.

Finding a Place for Twitter in Higher Education

Hend Suliman Al-Khalifa — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:54:15 GMT

Twitter has recently flourished in its number of registered users. Amazingly, nearly 73 percent of all Twitter users have joined the service in the first five months of 2009. This Twitter trend can and should be utilized to benefit education. Twitter has various educational uses in both developing countries and more developed ones. But the real tipping point for Twitter in education will only come if teachers can manage to add Twitter to their arsenal of teaching tools. The question is can they do it?

Herding Chats

LeAne H. Rutherford — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:16:41 GMT

Lessons learned from a synchronous online interaction.

Creating Online Professional Learning Communities

Elizabeth A. Gruenbaum — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:11:15 GMT

When authors refer to a Professional Learning Community (PLC) within a school, they commonly mean a community of stakeholders that are all working together focused on the best interest of the students, where results are measured by an increase in student achievement. These stakeholders are anyone with an interest in that particular school from within the school communityschool leaders or administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and community members. Collaboration is a key factor in a PLC. Imagine everyone working together for the best interest of the students and focused on a culture of assessment-driven continuous improvement, and you have a PLC.

Better Design Doesn't Take Longer!

Clark Quinn — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:06:40 GMT

Too many people subscribe to the idea that better design takes too long. This, if true, would be a significant barrier to more quality, and an explanation for the undesirable amount of bad e-learning out there. However, Clark Quinn says he doesnt buy it.

What Do Training Awards Tell Us?

William Ellet — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:14:07 GMT

People around the globe love ratings, from "Car of the Year -- Slovakia" and "Los Grandes De Nuevo Mexico Music Awards" to Cook's Illustrated's ratings of catsup. Corporate trainers are no exception. We pay attention to awards contests for training products and often make choices based on them. The contests can serve a valuable function. They help make sense of the sprawling training industry, which is awash in products but has few well-established authorities to guide buyers' choices. Contests are also popular with companies that run them. The reason is simple: they make money.

An Old Luddite Discovers Twitter

Roger Schank — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:08:24 GMT

A business associate of mine told me I must sign up for Facebook. I figured he probably had an investment in it and if I wanted his business, I'd better do it. So we became "friends." But I didn't see any value in Facebook whatsoever. Then I discovered Twitter, where everything is different.

An Interview with Jack E. Kosakowski of JA Worldwide

Lisa Gualtieri, Jack E. Kosakowski — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:22:41 GMT

Jack E. Kosakowski is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of JA Worldwide, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating young people about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. He is also president of Junior Achievement USA. Kosakowski was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve a two-year term on the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy in January 2008. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Achievement Foundation, and is a member of the United States Commission for UNESCO. eLearn Magazine spoke with him about JA Worldwide's online initiatives, such as simulation- and game-based training.

Why Don't Teachers Adopt Technology?

Charalambos Vrasidas — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:19:08 GMT

Public education is compulsory in Cyprus and is under the auspices of the country's Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC). The majority of re-service teacher education is provided by local universities, while in-service public school teacher training is provided by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute and other public and private agencies. This article contains information from a survey in which teacher in Cyprus gave reasons for not adopting technology.

Using Digital Storytelling for Creative and Innovative e-Learning

Nalin Sharda — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:16:32 GMT

This article discusses how creativity and innovation can be enhanced with e-learning systems based on digital storytelling. A story creation model called movement-oriented design (MOD) is introduced for systematically developing effective digital stories, in conjunction with story creation principles articulated by Robert McKee, a Hollywood guru of script writing.

An Interview With Bryan Chapman, Chief Learning Strategist at Chapman Alliance

Lisa Gulatieri, Bryan Chapman — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:09:57 GMT

Bryan Chapman, chief learning strategist at the Chapman Alliance, is focused on the application and delivery of e-Learning. Here, he discusses innovations in online learning delivery, as well as what changes he sees coming to the e-learning landscape.

How to Provide Fair and Effective Feedback in Asynchronous Courses

Elizabeth A. Gruenbaum — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:29:47 GMT

There are several policies and procedures that online instructors can implement that will help them provide specific, fair, consistent, and effective feedback to their students in an online, asynchronous course.

Designating 'Learning Days' Sends the Wrong Message

Bob Little — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:26:05 GMT

Designating a day, or even a week, as special to adult learning or learning at work gives the distinct impression to those who aren't "learning professionals" that learning can -- or, worse still, should -- only take place at that time.

How to Turn an Online Course into a Book

Heather Hedden — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:26:42 GMT

It's not unusual for online course instructors to write books based on their courses. Online courses have an advantage in this regard, since much of the course material is already written down in narrative form. Creating a book, though, is quite a different endeavor from creating an online course. If you're considering converting your online course to a book, at the outset you need to ask yourself certain interrelated questions...

eLearning Tools for English Composition

Keri Bjorklund — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:56:37 GMT

One of the hurdles to getting faculty and students to use technology in education is introducing them to the right tools for their needs. A number of technologies are indispensible for any online course, but some apply specifically to teaching composition. Here are 30 that every English instructor should explore.

An Interview With Anthony J. Cernera, President of Sacred Heart University

Lisa Gualtieri, Anthony J. Cernera — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:45:18 GMT

Dr. Anthony J. Cernera has been the president of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, since 1988. Beginning in 1997, the university started to add online degree programs and coursesmore than a dozen in all, including a doctorate in physical therapy and one in nursing practice, set to launch this fall. Enrollment has more than doubled. eLearn Magazine interviewed Cernera, who is also president of the International Federation of Catholic Universities, about how and why SHU has committed to online students.

Teaching the Librarians of the Future Without Online Instruction

Anthony Cocciolo — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:19:44 GMT

I teach at the only School of Information and Library Science (SILS) on the east coast of the United States that does not offer a single online coursenot a program or a blended option either. (I discovered this through a search of the American Library Association accredited programs, which maintains a list of LIS programs with online course options.) Are were a bunch of luddites, teaching our students the way of the past, when libraries were the primary sources of high-quality information, and librarians were the gatekeepers to that world of knowledge? Certainly not.

An Interview With Reggie Smith III, President of the United States Distance Learning Association

Lisa Gualtieri, Reggie Smith — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:10:14 GMT

Public policy is what will make distance learning truly mainstream, increasing access to education and training opportunities. Reggie Smith III, president of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), believes that these transformative changes are just around the bend, and he is working to make them a reality. The USDLA is a non-profit association that advocates for the development and application of distance learning across the board, from children's schooling to employee training.

Career Tracks for Online Educators

Mark Welch, Bob Robertson, Darren Adamson — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:52:51 GMT

When the best online instructors can see a viable and attractive career track for themselves, they are more likely to be satisfied and more productive with the institution and their students. To increase instructor retention in online education, we propose four separate but interchangeable career tracks that instructors can move between.

Review: 'The E-Learning Handbook: Past Promises, Present Challenges,' by Saul Carliner and Patti Shank

Karl M. Kapp — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:06:08 GMT

The E-Learning Handbook covers the good, the bad, and the ugly of e-learning and provides a glimpse into the industry's future. The Handbook provides a broad look at the past expectations of e-learning and then follows up those expectations with myriad instructions, ideas, and concepts to carry the industry forward.

E-Learning and ICT Integration in Colleges and Universities in Saudi Arabia

Hend Suliman Al-Khalifa — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:43:24 GMT

In 2002, GOTEVOT, the government authority responsible for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's technical education and vocational training, established the E-Learning Training and Resources Centre. The Centre provides an e-library of more than 50,000 books and 3,000 training programs for lifelong learning and community services with electronic training portfolios. The organization publishes its technical and vocational courses in both Arabic and English on the web.

How to Outline an E-Learning Product

Tim Warner — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:28:04 GMT

Just as the quality of an automobile can be judged by its engine construction, so too can the caliber of an e-learning course be evaluated by its outline structure. An effective e-learning project starts with an effective project outline.

Design Learner Success Into Your Curriculum

Jeff May — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:40:09 GMT

As facilitators of e-learning in corporate environments, it is our responsibility to do what we can to ensure that both the organization and the individual learners gain the maximum benefit from all learning or training initiatives. We have a responsibility to ensure that as many success factors as possible are in play.

Challenging Technologies, Rethinking Pedagogy, Being Design-Inspired

Carlo Giovannella, Sabine Graf — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:58:09 GMT

Technology frames and reframes our society. Technology has accelerated our move into the post-industrial era, where the primary good is the immaterial knowledge that, thanks to the net, flows like liquid continuously in our "stay," wherever we are. Technology is also reshaping the physical environment so that spaces and artefacts become more and more sensitive and responsive, and become more prominent in our net-lives. Technologies will --and have already begun to -- enable individuals to interact in an extremely natural way using gestures, words, and emotions.

Teaching Diagnosis

Roger C. Schank — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:55:26 GMT

What do people need to learn? Every curriculum committee and every training organization has at one time or another convened a committee to answer this question. Their answers are always given in terms of subjects: "more math," "telecommunication," "risk management," "company policies." But subject matter is far less important in learning than you think.

21st Century Skills

Dan Cogan-Drew — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:42:00 GMT

If you've been following public discourse in education over the last couple of years, you have likely witnessed the emergence of a new, ubiquitous catch phrase: "21st century skills." What is still lacking in the landscape of 21st century education, however, are examples of 21st century student work.

Unresolved Obstacles to the Credibility of Online Degrees

Craig Howard — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:50:53 GMT

"This is too much work for an online class." For the last two years I've heard that comment repeatedly from students. I've been teaching since 1995, but about two years ago, I started teaching online. The "too much work" these students refer to is actually the exact same amount of work as in the face-to-face equivalent course. So what's behind what these students are saying?

Predictors of Success for Adult Online Learners: A Review of the Literature

Elizabeth A. Gruenbaum — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:54:56 GMT

What are the predictors of adult students' success in online learning environments? Is there a difference in undergraduate versus graduate online learners and their motivations? Does age play a factor? Do the course's characteristics have an impact on performance and learner satisfaction? What are the implications of these findings for online instructors, and how could that affect their practices and approaches to retaining students in the future?

An Interview with Howard Rheingold

Laurie Rowell, Howard Rheingold — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:54:05 GMT

Howard Rheingold, writer, educator, and thinker, is renowned for tracking not just what is going on now in the digital world, but where the digital world will be going next. His books, such as Tools for Thought (1985), Virtual Reality (1991), The Virtual Community (1994) and Smart Mobs in (2002), usher in the next adventure in computer-human interaction. Here, he talks about skills that matter, such as locating and verifying the accuracy of information in a digital age.

Mobilizing and Globalizing with Online Education

Anju Kanwar — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:43:24 GMT

Whatever the times, education is an important vehicle to rise above certain of life's inequities. While many countries, including so-called third world nations, have slowly been building their educational systems, Americadespite its policies, programs, and good intenthas paid mere lip service to the realization of its educational goals. Consequently, education in many states in America is witnessing a breakdown.

3 e-Learning Technologies to Watch

Bob Little — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:41:02 GMT

In his recent predictions for the development of learning technologies in 2010, Clark Quinna U.S.-based independent consultant with a PhD in applied cognitive science, and (full disclosure) on the advisory board of this web sitesuggests that "several technologies are poised to cross the chasm: social tools, mobile technologies and virtual worlds...

Learning is Still the Same

Roger C. Schank — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:47:54 GMT

Learning is learning and technology is technology. The two are related if and only if the technology makes it possible to learn something that can be learned in no other way. E-learning is quite often a watered down version of school. Whether it relies on computers, mobile devices, or any other technology the question is, "Is it any better than what it replaced?"

Tips for Effective Webinars

Maria H. Andersen — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:33:42 GMT

Giving an effective webinar requires some presentation redesign and technology skills that you don't necessarily need in a face-to-face presentation. A great speaker in a face-to-face environment can easily crash and burn in a webinar setting if he or she isn't prepared for the unique challenges and needs of that environment. Here are some tips to help you pull off a webinar that will get you asked for an encore!

Using Digital Comics for Language Learning

Bill Zimmerman — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:31:44 GMT

Telling stories by building comic strips is a way to strengthen struggling students' emerging English-language skills and make the difficult job of language learning a much more enjoyable experience. Comic strips are a perfect vehicle for learning a language. Each strip's three or four panels provide a finite, accessible world in which funny or compelling characters live and go about their lives. And readers with limited reading skills are not as overwhelmed in dealing with the size of a comic strip as they can be with a book of many pages.

An Alternative Way to Assess the ROI of e-Learning in Training

Patrick Lambe — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:15:42 GMT

In Part I of this article, Patrick Lambe provided a brief background on the economics of e-learning. Here in Part II, he looks at some of the most common ways that organizations deploy e-learning to support their strategic objectives, and shows how measurement of viability and impact can be approached within those situations.

An Alternative Way to Assess the ROI of e-Learning in Training

Patrick Lambe — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:54:07 GMT

Patrick Lambe explains in this article ways that e-learning professionals might assess the return on investment of their programs. Here in Part I, he provides a brief background on the economics of e-learning. Part II looks at some of the most common ways that organizations deploy e-learning to support their strategic objectives, and shows how measurement of viability and impact can be approached within those situations. The article is adapted from Patti Shank and Saul Carliner's book, The E-Learning Handbook, Past Promises, Present Challenges (Pfeiffer, 2008).

Predictions for 2010

staff — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:58:39 GMT

Will GoogleWave flourish or perish? Are mobile phones going to be the next big learning devices or are they already on their way out of the e-learner's toolbox? At the start of each year, eLearn Magazine's contributors predict what changes are afoot for the coming 12 months. Here are our predictions for 2010.

Book Review: Learning in Real Time by Jonathan Finkelstein

Colleen Roller — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:29:21 GMT

Jonathan Finkelstein says there are certain learning objectives that cannot be met without real human interaction. To remove live interaction from the learning environment is to remove the lifeblood of learning. This is why asynchronous online training solutions sometimes fall short. But when the asynchronous and the synchronous are combined in a synergistic way, the results can be highly effective.

What I Learned from Teaching Adult Learners Online

Denise A. Blake — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:28:24 GMT

Being asked to teach an online course when you are inexperienced with distance education can be daunting. Denise A. Blake of Shenandoah University reflects on her personal experience with e-learning, which started just in this way. She shares what she learned about online learners, particularly adult students, and what instructors should be doing to meet their needs.

Sound Your Best in Virtual Trainings

Susan Berkley — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:14:20 GMT

Voice-over artist Susan Berkley provides tips for making your voice sound the best it can be in webinars and online teaching.

e-Learning Optimism

Bob Little — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:10:05 GMT

The e-learning sector is "flowering" in 2009 despite the recession, or so says a recent report on e-learning in the U.K.

10 Ways to Ensure Distance Learning Success

Cynthia Wolfe — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:22:43 GMT

As a distance learning student, you will find that being pro-active and engaged in your personal learning experience will pay off in good grades and depth of learning. These 10 best practices can help.

Book Review of 'Disrupting Class' by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael B. Horn, and Curtis W. Johnson

John Sener — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:30:58 GMT

It seems like everyone these days wants to "fix" American education -- including the business community, which has produced a steady stream of books offering business-oriented solutions to the education "problem." 'Disrupting Class,' by Christensen, Horn, and Johnson, was 2008's star solutions manual, receiving much attention and acclaim from not only the business community, but also education leaders, as evidenced by favorable reviews and testimonials found on a web site related to the book. But is the book suitable for the unique structure of online education?

Online Educators, Come Out of Your Caves!

Mark Welch — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:00:29 GMT

Mark Welch explains why he and other online educators really (really) love networking and attending conferences.

Sensible Tools of Engagement

Debra Beck — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:48:17 GMT

In teaching both traditional undergraduates(17-25 years old) and non-traditional graduate students, I've found that age is not necessarily the deciding factor for judging a student's comfort level with technology. Some of my more media-savvy students have been my age or older, while some of those who struggled most were younger. In my experience, the following three types of technology (beyond the threaded discussions that take place online) are within the reach of the majority of my students and are the most useful teaching tools: podcasts, wiki-based group projects, and social bookmarking.

Do Serious Games Work? Results from Three Studies

Richard Blunt — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:38:59 GMT

Three studies in higher education look at whether serious games (or video games whose primary purpose is something other than entertainment, such as military training, education, physical therapy) really do change learning outcomes.

Review of 'The Complete Guide to Simulations & Serious Games' by Clark Aldrich

Peter Shea — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:29:43 GMT

The Complete Guide to Simulations & Serious Games is described as an "encyclopedic overview and complete lexicon for those who care about the next generation of educational media." This book differs from Learning by Doing in that it doesn't seek to distinguish the wide and various categories of simulationshow simulations differ based on their structure and content and why those differences matter. Rather, it seeks to "present and distinguish between the different mechanisms" related to simulations, so that people who create simulations have a shared understanding of the concepts they use in conversation with one another.

U.K. Study Finds 'People Problems' in e-Learning

Bob Little — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:50:40 GMT

Attitudes in Britain toward the use of learning technologies are changing, which has implications for U.S.-based firms that want to use e-learning in its U.K. offices. A recently published benchmarking study by Towards Maturity showed that 64 percent of organizations in the U.K. are increasing their learning technologies budgets in 2009 for the following top three reasons: 1) strengthening on-boarding training, 2) improving the quality of learning, and 3) developing a better qualified workforce.

Book Review: 'Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology'

Jenna McWilliams — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:47:20 GMT

"Our fear is that social cohesion and equity inherent in the promise of public schooling will be undermined by (the Knowledge Revolution)." Allan Collins and Richard Halverson make this statement early on in their fascinating, but ultimately somewhat short-sighted book, Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America (2008). This fear comprises the lynchpin of the authors' thesis: that new media technologies are changing how, where, and why learning happens as well as what role schools play in that learning. The results of this shift, according to the authors, aren't good.

Enhancing K-12 Academic Integrity

Doug Barnard, Terry Hutchins — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:40:25 GMT

Cheating has dramatically increased, at all levels, in the past few years. How cheating and false identity issues are addressed by individual online education programs will determine the collective futures of everyone working in e-learning.

Teaching Teachers to Use Blended Learning

Sally Knipe, Miriam Edwards — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:47:27 GMT

Blended learning focuses on what students do and how teachers support the learning process. At Charles Sturt University, Australia, first-year undergraduate preservice teachers use blended learning in their own education as they become more familiar with the physical, emotional, social, and cultural aspects of the early adolescents they will soon teach.

IT Training On-Demand

Marianne Cherney — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:20:17 GMT

In thinking about technical professionals, such as IT staff, under what conditions does online training work best? As we've seen at GoGogh.com and Dashcourses, the way many companies are shifting to e-learning is by streaming live instruction via webinars and other digital delivery systems, which doesn't always meet the needs of the professionals on the other end. Technical professionals are recognizing that the quick progression of technology, combined with handling more work as businesses try to cut costs, means they need training that is better designed for their specific needs. And just what are those specific needs?

Learning Business Through Scenarios

Roger C. Schank — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:51:07 GMT

In his latest column, Roger Schank explains how a new series of soon-to-launch, story-based business courses came to be, and outlines the content and scenarios of the seven storylines that make up the curriculum. In future columns, after the course launches, he will comment on whether they are working as planned.

The State of Distance Education in Saudi Arabia

Hend Suliman Al-Khalifa — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:43:37 GMT

In this exclusive report, Hend Suliman Al-Khalifa of King Saud University, Riyadh, explains how Saudi Arabia has begun adopting distance education as part of its educational and development strategies. Saudi Arabia has been slower than many nations to move into distance education. Bachelor degree programs have only been offered through traditional universities' distance education programs for about a decade, and policies for single-mode, distance, and virtual tertiary institutions are still under development for approval by the Ministry of Higher Education. Some public universities, such as King Abdulaziz University and Al-Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, are dual-mode, while single-mode distance education is offered by the Arab Open University. Distance education is primarily applied where gender segregation is required in tertiary education, where male lecturers are only authorized to teach female students by means of closed-circuit television, one-way video and two-way audio and broadcast.

Rapid e-Learning Polarizes Opinion

Bob Little — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:45:05 GMT

Rapid e-learning tools offer subject matter experts the opportunity to produce e-learning materials relatively quickly and cost-effectively, at least in the U.K. and U.S. But e-learning experts complain that rapid development tools only help amateurs turn out low-quality and poorly-designed materials that merely pay lip service to the ideals of instructional design. At a recent meeting of the eLearning Networkthe U.K.'s foremost professional association for users and developers of e-learningWilliam Ward, formerly of Cable & Wireless but now an independent consultant, examined the rise of rapid e-learning, which he dates to 2003, when tools such as Qarbon, Breeze, and ToolBook became available. Ward stated that these rapid application tools had changed not only buying patterns within the industry, but also ideas about why and where to use e-learning.

Publish or Perish

Clark Quinn — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:17:33 GMT

It's not news that we're experiencing increasing change. The quantity of information available is growing astronomically, new offerings are increasingly quick to be copied, businesses are under pressure to do more with less, and the internet is a disruptive force, threatening all manner of content industries. Organizations have to become more nimble, more agile. Optimal execution is only the cost of entry, and organizations have to be tapping into continual innovation. Publishers are not exempt from this. There are major pressures coming in a variety of guises. Yet, surprisingly, we're seeing little innovation in products, services, or business models.

lrnchat

Dave Ferguson, Christy Pettit — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:39:40 GMT

#lrnchat (or "Learn Chat") is an open online meeting about learning that takes place weekly on Twitter. eLearn Magazine asked two recent participants to share their thoughts about #lrnchat, describe how it works, and explain the benefits of participating. According to Dave Ferguson, Twitter chats are no different than the business conference cocktail houra prime time for networking. And Christy Pettit has explored business opportunities thanks to her involvement in #lrnchat. So instead of must-see TV, tune into #lrnchat on Thursday nights, 8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Book Review of Make Money Teaching Online

Mark Welch — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:42:26 GMT

Mark Welch reviews the book Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary by Dr. Danielle Babb and Dr. Jim Mirabella, published by Wiley Press (2007).

Work and Learning

Tom Barr — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:23:25 GMT

The days of orchestrating corporate learning through special "events," such as classroom training and seminars, have given way to learning on-the-job. Indeed, working and learning are becoming so tightly integrated that it's often difficult to differentiate between them. Motorola University, and indeed corporate universities and training departments in general, have undergone or are undergoing quite a transition in the wake of Web 2.0 technologies. System work tools and learning tools are becoming synonymous.

How Tiny Camcorders are Changing Education

Laurie Rowell — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:20:10 GMT

How effective are Flip cameras and other mini-camcorders as learning tools? Where are video-in-the-classroom assignment s taking education? Jake Dunagan, one of the tech prognosticators from the Institute for the Future, helps explain where video in the classroom will be going in coming years. Additionally, three intrepid instructors, who have been experimenting with mini-camcorders in their curricula, explain how they are using the technology and what their students are learning. These folks believe that using camcorders as a medium is affecting not only the message but the student communicators and their learning process.

E-Learning Tools for STEM

Maria H. Andersen — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:22:49 GMT

You'd think that instructors who teach math and hard sciences (or STEM fields) would be quick to pick up new technologies and be early adopters of e-learning. But in many of my interactions with administrators, what I actually hear is this: "Faculty from almost every discipline are interested in using new technologies and teaching online, except the people in math, science, and engineering." It's not that these faculty members don't want to teach online; it's that they can't see how to do it in their discipline. Here are six tools that are absolute necessities to get a math or hard sciences instructor teaching online successfully.

The Benefits of Experience

Bob Little — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:30:37 GMT

The effectiveness of any learning depends primarily on what the learner's manager does before the learning intervention, such as stating what is expected of the learner and how the learner will be measured. The next most important factor is what the tutor or instructional designer does before the learning takes place, and the third key factor is what the manager does after the learning has taken place. Giving people new knowledge and skills is way down the list.

E-Learning and Management Information Systems

Haitham A. El-Ghareeb — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:28:35 GMT

E-learning is the 'learning' process revolution enabled by new technologies that, hopefully, will present an effective and efficient learning process that doesn't exist today. Learning management systems (LMSs) are responsible for 'learning' activities, while university management information systems (UMISs) are responsible for handling University managerial activities. This article seeks to explain the differences between the two and how they are used.

Discussion Management Tips for Online Educators

Jo Macek — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:53:08 GMT

Jo Macek examines 10 best practices for managing class discussions in an online or virtual classroom.

Online Mentoring Programs

Gary A. Berg — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:34:30 GMT

One-to-one relationships, facilitated through the Internet, is changing how personal and professional mentoring occurs. Despite the pervasiveness of large lecture courses found in colleges, the core of learning at the graduate level and beyond formal education is one-to-one dialogue between a mentor and a learner. The Internet and trends in e-learning have finally made mentoring practical and cost effective.

What Can Be Taught: Part II

Roger C. Schank — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:11:25 GMT

In a previous column, ("Things That Can't Be Taught"), I opened up the idea that there are some things that can't be taught, even though some e-learning tries to teach them. Then, in Part I of this article, I looked instead at things that can be taught and began outlining the different ways through which we learn them, which can be categorized into the processes that inform them: conscious processes, subconscious processes, analytic processes, and mixed processes. In Part I, I wrote about learning through conscious processes. Here, I will look at the other three.

What Can Be Taught: Part I

Roger C. Schank — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:33:19 GMT

Not everything we would like to teach can be taught. Similarly, not everything we would like to learn can be learned, especially if we are taking the wrong approach to learning. In a previous column, I discussed things that can't be taught. Here I discuss what can be taught. In this two-part article, I discuss the kinds of thing we can learn. I consider how we can best approach learning by listing 16 types of learning. There may be more, but those 16 will at least cover enough ground to describe how human learning looks. The types of learning are divided into four groups: 1) conscious processes, which I will cover here in Part I, 2) subconscious processes, 3) analytic processes, and 4) mixed processes (nos. 2, 3, and 4 are covered in the forthcoming Part II).

Tips and Tools for Fostering a Creative e-Learning Class

Susan Landay — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:27:23 GMT

Despite the effectiveness of e-learning, online learners remain notorious for losing focus, getting bored, checking email, chatting, texting, sorting through piles of neglected mail, or tuning out altogether. It's not their fault. Trainers haven't equipped online learners with an arsenal of tools and toys that will help them stay focused. Here, we will look at some popular classroom methods of addressing the kinesthetic, visual, tactile, and interactive needs of learners, and explore some low cost ways to help online learners make the most of their remote learning experience.

10 Things I've Learned About Teaching Online

Michelle Everson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:35:14 GMT

Michelle Everson has been teaching online for five years. Here, she shares the top 10 best practices she has learned about online teaching.

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: Best Practices and Principles for Instructors

Eileen B. Entin, Jason Sidman, Lisa Neal Gualtieri — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:25:57 GMT

[The following is a chapter from the upcoming book Programming for e-Learning Developers, by Jeffrey M. Rhodes (ed.). It is reprinted here with permission from the authors.] The value of peer learning is well known, especially for domains in which people will apply what they learn in collaborative settings, but it is challenging to design courses that effectively incorporate and support peer learning. When learners are co-present in the classroom, it is easier to devise exercises that facilitate peer learning. Currently most training outside of the classroom is self-paced, eliminating peer and instructor contact, due to the perceived cost reduction and the greater ease of implementation. It is a challenge to develop online training that incorporates these rich human interactions while respecting the time constraints under which learners operate, yet it can lead to deeper learning that is more memorable and more easily applicable (Neal and Miller, 2005; Notess and Neal, 2006). This chapter discusses considerations and tradeoffs in designing, developing, and evaluating online training for an instructor and students who are geographically distributed. The discussion will take readers through the development process, starting with analysis of audience and goals, to the challenges in acquiring and adapting course material to the online format, and finally the implementation and evaluation. We focus on considerations involved in supporting active engagement of learners and meaningful and thoughtful learner-learner interactions appropriate to the subject matter (Neal and Miller, 2006).

Five Questions for Marjee Chmiel

Lisa Gualtieri — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:15:34 GMT

Marjee Chmiel is the director of digital media for National Geographic's The JASON Project where she designs and produces a variety of video games and other interactive online applications that support The Jason Project's award winning online science curriculum. Chmiel spoke to eLearnMag.org editor-in-chief Lisa Gualtieri about The Jason Project and her insights on making education engaging for children, teachers, and adult learners.

Learn From Rogue Tweeters

Lisa Gualtieri — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:13:42 GMT

Many organizations are struggling with social media, trying to determine exactly how to use it in a formalized way. But while they strategize about how to push messages or disseminate information, they're being preempted by rogue individuals who, in the true spirit of social media, stake a claim and represent their organization with nothing more than permission.

Must e-Learning Be 'Cool?'

Roger C. Schank — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:09:36 GMT

Upon taking a tour of some training applications in the virtual world Second Life, Roger C. Shank wonders why organizations push for their elearning solutions to be 'cool' over being effective.

Promoting Interaction in Distance Education

Richard Anderson, Natalie Linnell — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:06:13 GMT

The Center for Collaborative Technologies at the University of Washington is dedicated to creating software tools that encourage interaction in the classroom. These include Classroom Presenter, a Tablet PC-based presentation and interaction system, and ConferenceXP, a video conferencing application for distributed courses, co-developed with Microsoft Research. In this article, we describe the use of Classroom Presenter in a pair of international distance learning courses. The two classes used different technologies: one was a synchronous class that used internet-based video conferencing and the other was an asynchronous class that used Tutored Video

Capture the Backchannel

Laurie Rowell — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:01:29 GMT

When you look out over the sea of faces in your lecture classes, are some students focusing on laptop screens while others are working their thumbs on their cell phone pads? Imagine you could harness all that clicking as a backchannel stream tied into the lecture. In principle establishing a backchannel sounds easy. You can either set up a separate Twitter account or use a specialty application like Live Question Tool, which requires no registration and takes about a minute for the instructor to create an instance. The real question is whether a secondary stream would be a learning advantage to your students.

Teaching an Online Experience-based Leadership Course

Anders Ortenblad — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:35:32 GMT

Is it really possible to give online courses, with no physical meetings whatsoever, in leadership, where the students' learning to a large extent is based on experiences during the course in itself? Would it at the same time be possible to encourage critical thinking on a course like this, to create an online, experience-based, academic leadership course? I think it is, and I have tried to develop such a course.

Not Dead Yet

Mark Notess — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:29:13 GMT

Are Google Wave or WordPress making professional learning management systems obsolete? Many instructors are pushing the open education movement by adopting freeware technologies and cobbling them together to meet their needs, rather than using a licensed LMS. However, there are at least three other factors promising to keep institutionally adopted and integrated LMSs alive for years to come.

Five Questions ... for Ben Sawyer

Lisa Gualtieri — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:27:25 GMT

Ben Sawyer, co-founder of Digitalmill, organizes the annual Games for Health Conference. The conference is produced by the Games for Health Project, which is sponsored by the Pioneer Portfolio of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Leading the project, Ben has single-handedly pulled together a diverse community of people working on video games used in therapeutic practices, to teach health professionals, and for increasing education and adherence in patients with the goal of improving health through games and their associated technologies.

Things That Can't Be Taught

Roger C. Schank — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:22:55 GMT

Roger Schank here addresses an issue in education and training that's not well understood: It's not possible to teach or train individuals to do things that are not in line with their personalities. This matters because much of what we try to teach in school and train in the real world is really an attempt to alter personality.

Five Questions ... for David A. Cook

Lisa Gualtieri — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:20:44 GMT

David A. Cook is an associate professor of Medicine in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, a consultant in the Division of General Internal Medicine, and director of the Office of Education Research. He has developed and studied multiple Web-based courses for residents and medical students, conducted several systematic reviews, presented at numerous national and international conferences, and published more than 60 journal articles and book chapters on medical education topics. In this interview, Lisa Gualtieri, editor-in-chief of eLearnMag.org, asks him why online learning poses both unique advantages and challenges to medical students and practitioners.

The Cost of E-Learning

Howard B. Schechter — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:17:59 GMT

E-learning is a business activity. It has a value to the business, a start-up cost, and running costs. The costs must be managed if the program is to stay within budget and yield an adequate return on investment. The question of start-up versus ongoing costs can best be answered if the program scope can be defined for the first two or three years. First-year costs are high, while ongoing costs are typically lower. Return on the time and money invested are typically realized toward the end of the first year. Second-year returns are higher as more courses are offered and the subscriber base expands. The answers to questions of cost are usually broad and rough at the outset and then become more refined as the project comes into focus.

Questions to Ask When Choosing an Online Graduate Program

Judy Unrein — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:14:26 GMT

An increasingly large group of professionals are looking to change careers or shore up their existing qualifications by going to graduate school. The options have never been more numerous thanks to online education, but it seems more complicated than ever to judge one program against another. Here are the key questions to ask before choosing an online educational program.

15 Tips for Webinars

Patricia Fripp — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:12:17 GMT

Whenever you open your mouth, whether you're talking to one person or a thousand, you usually want to get a specific message across. How do you do that best when you are communicating through a webinar? What's different when the lecture is in the virtual world? How do you catch and keep your audience? Here are 15 tips.

That Was a Bad Webinar, Wonder Why?

Matt Bovell — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:10:44 GMT

How has your experience giving webinars been? Three major factors contribute to making a high quality webinar: technology, content, and style. If you hit those three marks, you'll leave your audience wanting more, rather than relieved that it's over.

Five Questions for Michelle Cardinal

Lisa Gualtieri — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:08:11 GMT

Michelle Cardinal, director of conferences for IQPC, was interviewed on her use of social media, which she used heavily in planning and promoting the Corporate University Summit.

Threading, Tagging, and Higher-Order Thinking

Mary Burns — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:03:20 GMT

In much of the developing world, Web 2.0 applications remain little known and are rarely used as formal educational tools. In Indonesia, Education Development Center's (EDC) use of Web 2.0 tools as part of an online course appears to be yielding initially positive, and unanticipated, results. However, real impediments stand in the way. This past year a pilot program was launched in which a group of master trainers work as school-based coaches. To support coaches in their work with teachers, we constructed a Moodle-based online course with coaching-related readings, videos, and a discussion forum. To facilitate communication and information sharing, we built in a number of Web 2.0 tools: Diigo, VoiceThread, Ning, Dimdim, Flickr, Word Press, TeacherTube, and Curriki. (The accompanying list at the end of the article provides a brief description of these tools.)

Paying Teachers for Performance

Laurie Rowell — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:59:49 GMT

Basing teachers' raises, salary grade, bonuses, or commissions on their performance, or that of their students, is a topic that sparks energetic debate. Many argue merit pay has a long history of working in the private sector and there is no reason not to use similar metrics to pay for what you want in education. Those opposed say there is no clear-cut way to determine whether a teacher is performing well. But would offering teachers a bonus in the pay packet make for better student scores on these tests?

Reminding and e-Learning

Roger C. Schank — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:55:53 GMT

'How do we get reminded?' is an important question for thinking about how real knowledge management should work. To make the computer really useful for work and for learning, we must think about building a reminding machine. A reminding machine would have in it thousands of stories from experts in various areas of life telling about important aspects of their lives that have lessons about life in them, the kind of stories you tell to colleagues or to students. What they would have in common would be lessons that follow from them about what to do if something like this happened again.

Five Questions for Massood Zarrabian

Lisa Gualtieri — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:51:52 GMT

Massood Zarrabian is the CEO of Boston-based OutStart Inc., a global maker of technologies that help organizations transfer knowledge through formal and informal learning and social software. Zarrabian was interviewed about the importance of quality content and how it can give organizations a competitive edge.

Patterns in e-Learning Standards and Specifications

Rachel Ellaway — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:48:44 GMT

E-learning standards and specifications display common patterns in the ways they support various aspects of educational and meta-educational activities and processes. This article considers the nature of these design patterns, and it suggests how (once identified) they can enable better educational technology designs, and how they can be analyzed to better understand the philosophy and practice of contemporary technology-mediated education.

Cog-Learn: An e-Learning Pattern Language for Web-based Learning Design

Junia Coutinho Anacleto, Americo Talarico Neto, Vania Paula de Almeida Neris — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:12:39 GMT

Designing online learning material is a difficult task for novice teachers who lack experience in their design. Patterns have emerged as means to capture design knowledge in context and offer solutions to designers. Cog-Learn is a pattern language aimed at supporting the design of learning material for e-learning systems. Here, we describe Co-Learn and discuss the patterns' identification and formalization processes through two case studies in which a set of cognitive strategies was applied with the goal of better organizing the content seen by the student. The purpose is to facilitate the student's interaction with the material's interface and, consequently, improve the learning process.

The World is Open for a Reason

Curtis J. Bonk — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:09:02 GMT

The educational world has become filled with millions of pieces of free and open content. The momentum for open education quickly accelerated in the early part of this decade when MIT announced its OpenCourseWare initiative and dozens of other colleges and universities around the world joined in the cause. These open educational resources have made a huge impact on the educational possibilities of young learners as well as retirees looking to build upon their past educational experiences. Curtis J. Bonk offers 30 reasons why there is so much excitement for open education today.

Using 'Txting' to Teach Native Languages

Ignacio Aguaded Gomez, Sandra Cortes Moreira — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:54:38 GMT

A study conducted at the Secondary School of Silves, in Portugal, was designed to understand how new media, such as texting and chats, might affect the correct usage of maternal (native) languages. It takes into consideration the idea of valuing student experiences in the teaching and learning process of languages. It brings their daily practices and personal "libraries of knowledge" to the classroom as a valid way of gathering motivation and promoting a better adaptation of teaching methodologies to each student's learning rhythm.

Five Questions for Pat Agre

Lisa Gualtieri — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:46:17 GMT

Patricia Agre has been director of Patient Education at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City since 1994. She is a former registered nurse and respected photographer, who incorporated those skills into a career overseeing the creation and development of educations tools for cancer patients. She spoke with eLearn's editor-in-chief Lisa Gualtieri about her experiences producing comprehensive multimedia health care education tools.

Divided by a Common Language

Bob Little — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:03:09 GMT

Many U.S. companies -- especially those in the learning technologies sector -- view the U.K. as America "writ small." They believe the U.K., with a land mass roughly equivalent to the state of Oregon, speaks the same language, buys for the same reasons, and is susceptible to the same marketing techniques. These companies have discovered, often at considerable cost, that these assumptions are false.

chmod 777 education

Carlos Santos, Luis Pedro — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:13:24 GMT

In 2005, a few months after Tim O'Reilly crafted the term Web 2.0 and the discussion about Web 1.0 versus Web 2.0 emerged, IBM's James Snell wrote a short post explaining his view about the Web 2.0 concept. He used a brief Unix/Linux command -- chmod 777 Web -- to convey the message that Web 2.0 is all about granting users full-access privileges to the Web. His thought-provoking comments got us thinking. What would happen if we executed a "chmod 777 education" command to provide openness to education?

Five Questions ... For George Siemens

Lisa Neal Gualtieri — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:28:00 GMT

George Siemens is the author of Knowing Knowledge and the recently released Handbook of Emerging Technologies for Learning. He is also associate director of research and development with the Learning Technologies Centre at the University of Manitoba and is the founder and president of Complexive Systems Inc., a learning lab focused on helping organizations develop integrated learning structures to meet the needs of global strategy execution. Lisa Gualtieri interviewed him about educational systems.

Accidental Homeschoolers

John Edelson, Mary Arnold — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:17:38 GMT

The media creates an image of homeschoolers as a backward-looking dogmatic group who are withdrawing from mainstream society, but this is far from the truth. Indeed, homeschoolers are often progressive, pragmatic, highly sociable, and enthusiastic e-learning families. This article describes the path many parents have taken after placing their children in traditional schools, becoming dissatisfied, and then shifting to homeschooling as an 'accidental' change in direction.

The Semantic Web and e-Learning

Chris Daly — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:02:13 GMT

The goal of the Semantic Web is to provide the capacity for computers to understand Web content that exists on systems and servers across the Internet, ultimately adding value to the content and opening rich new data, information, and knowledge frontiers. Billions of Web pages are downloaded daily and are easily understood by humans. The knowledge gap exists for computers as these pages are only structured in the hypertext markup language (HTML) formatting language. When applied to the realm of e-learning, be it content interactions or learner management, the potential to add value is almost limitless.

Long Live Instructor-Led Learning

Saul Carliner — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:48:45 GMT

In March 2009, the monthly question on ASTD's Learning Circuits blog wonders what training will look like in 2019. Nearly all the contributors predicted the death of the classroom. Before you buy that, perhaps I can interest you in some mortgage-backed securities? Consider the case for the death of the classroom to be about as strong as those securities.

Connecting with Students through Inventive Marketing

Lisa Neal Gualtieri — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:46:39 GMT

Lisa Neal Gualtieri interviewed Keith Bourne about marketing online programs. Given the current economic state, what are the primary advantages and disadvantages of a solely online marketing strategy?

Increase Student Viewership with Striking Titles

Scott Buros — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:48:00 GMT

Few designers put much effort into creating a striking title for their e-learning projects. The title is usually a dull summary of the content or a cliché phrase. Rarely are we surprised by a creative presentation title.
If you make money on course access or increase the likelihood of viewership, you will want to incorporate some guidelines into your design practices right away. How can you create a striking title for your project? Here are a few tricks.

Evolution of a Video-Learning Object Format

Peter J. Fadde — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:09:11 GMT

In a previous article, Peter J. Fadde emphasized the value of creating an identifiable format for video-learning objects. Developing such a format requires an investment of time and creativity, yet the return-on-investment is significant. In addition, viewers (or learners) know what to expect from each video-learning object -- of key importance with video objects because they can't be perused in a glance.
Here, I analyze a series of mini-lecture video-learning objects called 'Real Time Minutes' (RTMs) produced by Jonathan Finkelstein, the creator/curator of Learning Times, an online community for teachers.

E-Learning in 2009: Are We Winning the Battle but Losing the War?

Jane Bozarth — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:56:50 GMT

As the news about the economy grows ever bleaker, organizations are finally forced to take a hard look at travel and other expenses associated with traditional classroom training. Jane Bozarth predicts this will bring several changes to the e-learning horizon.

How Will Online Courses Weather the Economic Downturn?

Laurie Rowell — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:04:53 GMT

In the minds of most e-learning professionals, the University of Phoenix is closely tied to the concept of online courses, at least in part because the for-profit institution's pop-up advertisements for them are so ubiquitous. In fact, the university's students racked up a hefty $2.8 billion in federal loans and grants in fiscal year 2008, according to the government site Top 100 Recipients of Federal Assistance.
How the economic downturn is going to affect general college enrollment in 2009 is not yet clear, but the emerging consensus is that community colleges will likely get a bump in enrollment while four-year institutions may struggle. Online enrollment, however, is expected to do well across most institutions.

Predictions for 2009

Lisa Neal Gualtieri — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:21:28 GMT

Once a year we turn to the experts in our field to share their predictions on what lies ahead for the e-learning community. While our colleagues unanimously agree the global economic downturn is the overwhelming factor coloring their forecasts, they do see a great array of opportunities and challenges in the coming 12 months.