Online Learning Update

By Trent Batson, Campus Technology

Blackboard’s product strategy has moved from that of a course management platform to a suite of integrated, enterprise systems that span a range of institution-wide services from communications to e-commerce. And Blackboard leadership–including Blackboard Learn President Ray Henderson–has placed a new emphasis on client support and openness. Trent Batson spoke with Henderson about the company’s new direction.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/01/05/not-your-grandfathers-blackboard.aspx

Philip M. Uys, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2010, 26(7), 980-995. AJET 26

This paper analyses the change and innovation strategies that Charles Sturt University (CSU) used from 2007 to 2009 during the implementation and mainstreaming of an open source learning management system (LMS), Sakai, named locally as CSU Interact. CSU was in January 2008 the first Australian University to implement an open source learning management system institution wide. The unique characteristics of implementing change and innovation in higher education are discussed as well as CSU’s change model, which comprises eight dimensions that can occur in any order and also in parallel, and is based on the work of Kotter, Cohen and Synnot. Two key strategies have emerged to support change, namely the building of learning communities and the sharing of best practice in implementing educational technology. Other findings were that the change was largely driven from the bottom up and with top management support and through the writer’s role, from middle management in terms of top down strategies. Technological innovations in the context of an open source learning management system have wider, external implications than the local institution given the free flow of information and intellectual property within the community.

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/uys.html

by Andrew Miller

One of the amazing advances in education comes courtesy of online learning. Thanks to the Internet and the emergence of new technologies, there are opportunities to revolutionize public education in ways that depart from the abysmal practices of the status quo. Yet some teachers and school leaders attempt to apply some of the same activities that have helped foster the nation’s dropout crisis instead of embracing possibilities. In this Voices of the Dropout Nation, Andrew Miller of the Buck Institute for Education offers his own perspective on what online learning can be — and why it shouldn’t resemble traditional public education. Read, consider and offer your own thoughts.

http://dropoutnation.net/2010/12/30/voices-of-the-dropout-nation-andrew-miller-on-online-learning-and-changing-education/

by Real Online Degrees

There are many arguments about whether online college class programs make for successful students. The convenience of the schedule is one argument that is often used by proponents of the online college class. The flexibility of online classes makes it hard to not succeed in your class. You aren’t tempted to cut class because you don’t have a set time to meet. If you don’t feel like going to class one day you don’t have to worry about it affecting your grade since you have all week to complete the work. Find out why an online college class schedule sets you up for success.

http://www.realonlinedegrees.com/why-an-online-college-class-schedule-makes-for-a-more-successful-student_2010-12-29/

By Dave Murray, The Grand Rapids Press

Could we soon see the end of school snow days? Some school districts in Ohio are working under the idea that learning can continue even when students can’t get to school. Debra McCown of TriCities.com reports that the Miswsissiawa Valley schools in Ohio are studying replacing snow days with “e-days,” where students can carry out classwork from home on their computers. Online education is picking up steam at both the K-12 and college levels, several experts told me this month as we looked at evolving educational trends.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/12/farewell_to_snow_days_some_dis.html

By Jane Roberts, The Commercial Appeal

Starting with this year’s freshmen, every city school student must take one online course to graduate, a nod to the ubiquity of the Internet, of course, but also its power to shape personal outcomes. Take 17-year-old DeMarcus Oliver at Whitehaven High School. If not for e-learning, he’d be registering for his senior year next year. Instead, he’s taking English IV — the only senior-level class he needs — at home, after a full day of school, planning to graduate a year early this spring. “I get home from school, eat dinner, and then get on e-school for three or four hours. I love everything about it.” Except for reduced leisure, he pays nothing for the chance to accelerate.

http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=tennessean&sParam=35394291.story

By Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Ed

Not long ago, it seemed absurd for aca­demics to carry around a computer, camera, and GPS device every­where they went. Actually, it still seems absurd. But many professors (and administrators) now do just that in the form of all-in-one devices. Smartphones or tablet computers combine many functions in a hand-held gadget, and some users are discovering clever ways to teach and do research with the ubiquitous machines.

http://chronicle.com/article/College-20-6-Top-Smartphone/125764/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

By Debra Mccown, Tri-Cities

In the future, snow days might become a thing of the past – and not because of global warming. A new pilot project at the Mississinawa Valley school system in Ohio is testing the idea of replacing snow days, or “calamity days” as Ohioans call them, with e-days: days when students do their lessons online instead of in the classroom. Preparation is simple, Superintendent Lisa Wendel said: Teachers get special training and put together their online lessons in the summer, when they’ve got the time to develop quality material. Then, when the winter weather hits, the lessons are ready to go.

http://www2.tricities.com/news/2010/dec/28/snow-days-rack-discussion-turns-e-days-ar-739373/

by Jemima Kiss, the Guardian

Appy ever after: our experts have chosen the best apps available for smartphones and tablet computers, such as the organising tool Evernote. The web has undergone something of a makeover in the past couple of years. Apps, specialised miniature versions of internet-based services, now allow us to neatly populate our phones and tablet computers with our favourite bits of the web, from train times and painting tools to shopping services and karaoke. Simply packaged and easy to buy, apps have made niche corners of the web more accessible and mainstream.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/dec/26/best-apps-iphone-ipad-android

By WALTER O’BRIEN, my Central NJ

A Glen Gardner woman inspired by her own childhood speech teacher has committed herself to bringing communications skills to nonverbal disabled students. Christine Mayercik of Glen Gardner is a speech-language pathologist at The Matheny School who uses assistive communications technology to give formerly nonverbal patients with cerebral palsy and other afflictions the gift of being able to communicate with their loved ones and to interact with the world around them. The Matheny School in Peapack-Gladstone specializes in working with children and adults with multiple developmental disabilities. The school has about 102 residents and 20 day students, according to Gail Cunningham, Matheny’s coordinator of public relations and volunteer services.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20101226/NEWS/12260325/Glen-Gardner-woman-brings-speech-to-nonverbal-disabled-students

By Leslie Bridgers, Morning Sentinal

How can $500 help decrease a high school’s dropout rate? A video made by Messalonskee High School students won a statewide contest, earning them iPod nanos and $500 for their school. The challenge was to present an idea for keeping kids from dropping out of school. Their video can be seen online at http://bit.ly/h4vt5q. That question stands before students and teachers at Messalonskee High School, which recently was awarded the money for winning a contest through the Department of Education. Inspired by legislation passed earlier this year to increase Maine’s graduation rate, the contest asked students statewide to come up with ideas for keeping kids in school — and to present those ideas in two-minute videos. The contest was sponsored by the education department’s Maine Learning Technology Initiative and the Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine. The winning video — by Messalonskee freshman Kacie Jacques, sophomore Dustin Wood and senior Richard Fraser — showed how positive relationships with teachers can encourage students to stay in school.

http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/messalonskee-group-knows-what-students-need_2010-12-25.html

by Jane Roberts, Commercial Appeal

Starting with this year’s freshmen, every city school student must take one online course to graduate, a nod to the ubiquity of the Internet, of course, but also its power to shape personal outcomes. “Keep in mind, we’re still in the infancy stages,” said Betty Brown, head of online learning. “We started credit recovery in spring 2005. We didn’t go into new coursework until spring 2007.” Rights to the curriculum for one class, purchased from the Florida Virtual School — the nation’s largest and oldest vendor — cost about $18,000 per year. “Let me just say that generally it is less expensive to offer online courses,” Brown said

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/dec/27/mcs-students-to-take-online-courses/

by Matthew McGowan, Lubbock Online

Not long ago, Texas Tech music professor Jason Berg was sitting in a department meeting listening to his fellow faculty complain about students’ incessant classroom cell phone usage. “I started getting mad, honestly, about the conversation,” the 34 year old said. “It was very old-fashioned. I felt like we had to do something, but I wasn’t sure what to do.” Berg’s solution: Meet the students on their own turf. His early attempts to engage students during class through the micro-blogging website Twitter faltered when few students in one 300-plus person section said they used the service regularly. Many, if not most, however, were thoroughly plugged into Facebook.

http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2010-12-26/social-networks-transforming-academic-university-business

by Kathy M. Kristof, Los Angeles Times

What makes WGU unique? Although the entire school is online, each student has a mentor who works essentially as a college counselor, helping manage the student’s course schedule and checking regularly on his or her progress. The course instructors hold webinars and online study sessions, and can be reached to help students having difficulty with their studies. The mentors and instructors mostly work from their homes, keeping in contact with students online and over the phone. WGU instructors don’t get tenure that guarantees them a job, nor are they encouraged to publish academic papers. Instructors are evaluated based on how well their students do in class and whether their students are satisfied and progressing well in their programs.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-perfin-20101226,0,1315053.column

by Real Online Degrees

Something that many people wonder when considering an online degree is whether the degree is the same as a traditional degree. The answer is yes. Top online degree programs use the same materials that traditional college courses would, giving you the same outcome. At the end of each semester courses are evaluated to ensure the quality of the class, so although you are learning the material in a different way, the outcome will still be the same. Some will go as far as to argue that accredited online degrees are better than the traditional university coursework. The argument is that more online students are already working in their field of study and applying what they learn in the classroom to the work that they do. This interaction allows you to understand the material better. Whatever reason motivates you to get an online degree, do it. Not only will your earning potential increase, but your self-satisfaction will as well.

http://www.realonlinedegrees.com/top-reasons-to-get-an-online-degree_2010-12-24/#

by WBAY News

E-School Director Erik Hanson said there is more to learn from online learning than simply coursework. “When people go to their professional careers, do they go to work and sit in an office all day? Do they travel the country? Do they work out of their house? I mean, the world has changed, and I think school is starting to change, too,” Hanson explained. The change to online schooling is giving this teen a chance to pursue his dream, and preparing him for whatever his future may hold.

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=13738925

by the Sport Management Network

If you’re less into snobbery and more into actually knowing what you’re doing, a little poking around online reveals quickly that you can get degrees–even a Bachelor’s degree or a Master’s degree–without ever attending college in person at all. Don’t read this the wrong way–you’ll still have to study and it’ll still cost something! Online education is a completely legitimate and official way to earn a degree. The cost of attending college entirely online, however, is extremely competitive when compared to traditional in-person higher education. You study for the same number of years, study the same subjects, and get the same degrees in the end, without all the cost and hassle of attending college on a campus.

http://thesportmanagementnetwork.org/attend-college-on-a-budget-with-online-education.htm

by Learnable

We’ve been talking about courses, lessons, steps and Learnable for a while now and so we thought it was time to tell you exactly how these pieces fit together in a Learnable online course, and how you can get started on becoming a Learnable instructor. The quick version. An online course is an interactive “virtual classroom” that students purchase access to. Each course is made up of a number of lessons. The content in those lessons is made up of a number of steps. Steps are small sections of content (say a video or an article) that, when ordered together, make up a lesson. In other words, courses consist of lessons, lessons consist of steps, and steps are chunks of content such as video tutorials, articles, slide shows, downloads, exercises, or assignments.

http://blog.learnable.com/2010/the-anatomy-of-a-learnable-online-course/

by Learning Light

The results of discussions by the delegates at the European e-learning Summit, organised by Learning Light with support from learndirect and Creativesheffield and held in Sheffield (17th to 19th November), have been published in the form of a manifesto for e-learning. The manifesto is intended to help delegates pursue dialogue with their national governments to establish a single, independent and impartial body representing the corporate e-learning sector. Although developed within a European context, the manifesto focuses specifically on the corporate e-learning sector in the UK. Delegates to the Summit from outside the UK are encouraged to adapt the manifesto to the situation in their own countries and use this to pursue the aims stated at the Summit. The manifesto outlines the opportunities and challenges currently facing the e-learning sector; explains the e-learning sector’s offering to ‘UK plc’, and sets out what the Summit delegates believe needs to happen. This includes: continued investment in the country’s technical infrastructure – including access to high speed broadband for all; the adoption of system interoperability; widespread e-assessment; simplified technical and funding infrastructures; a change to UK Government procurement policy with regards to e-learning materials and systems, and support for the e-learning sector as an export driver.

http://www.trainingpressreleases.com/newsstory.asp?NewsID=5945

by Online Education News

Officials from the University of California at Irvine recently announced the launch of three new online courses for its Social Media and Web 2.0 Specialized Studies program. School officials said that these courses will begin in the winter 2011 quarter. They added that these courses will benefit marketing professionals, business owners and entrepreneurs by enabling them to compete in the increasingly digital world. The web-based transmedia marketing through storytelling course will help students learn the psychology behind creating audience engagement and the challenges this strategy poses to traditional business models. Furthermore, enrollees will examine case studies as well as build and evaluate tactics for a product, company, cause or campaign.

http://www.classesandcareers.com/education/2010/12/22/university-of-california-announces-new-online-course-in-social-media/

by Patricia Hawke, eZine Mark

In Wisconsin, online teachers must complete thirty hours of professional development designed to prepare a teacher for online teaching. K-12 schools more and more are starting to incorporate online classes into their class options. It is now offered in 48 states and is growing rapidly. Some people believe that online learning is not as substantial as learning in a classroom. The great part about online classes is that is teaches students to be independent. Students working on classwork and participation in virtual lessons can “go to school” on their own time and learn to manage their time effectively and get assignments done by a certain time. They are able to relax in their own environment, be able to have lunch while doing schoolwork, wear a warm blanket and listen to music if that helps them concentrate. They are able to tailor their learning environment to something that exactly suits them.

http://education.ezinemark.com/k-12-online-courses-in-wisconsin-1718c9a78f7.html