Online Learning Update

by Edwige Simon, Edutopia

Designing a well-organized and professional teaching portfolio can give you an edge in a competitive job market, and help you score high marks on your school’s teacher evaluation form. It is, however, a time-consuming endeavor (the average portfolio takes about two to three days of work), and once built, your portfolio will require regular attention. This post will help you decide whether or not a portfolio will serve your professional goals and how to go about designing a professional-looking site that showcases your teaching skills.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-teaching-portfolio-edwige-simon

by Judy Willis, MD, Edutopia

The realities of standardized tests and increasingly structured, if not synchronized, curriculum continue to build classroom stress levels. Neuroimaging research reveals the disturbances in the brain’s learning circuits and neurotransmitters that accompany stressful learning environments. The neuroscientific research about learning has revealed the negative impact of stress and anxiety and the qualitative improvement of the brain circuitry involved in memory and executive function that accompanies positive motivation and engagement.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/neuroscience-behind-stress-and-learning-judy-willis

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

At the top of the list of innovations that will have a positive impact are hybrid courses, chosen by 81 percent of respondents, and adaptive learning, selected by 61 percent. While a large majority of surveyed colleges offer hybrid courses, only 41 percent of the presidents said they believe their faculty get enough support in rethinking how to teach their courses in the blended or hybrid format. In the future, warned a third of respondents, it’s possible that only the “wealthy” will be able to get the “immersive, in-person experience” available at elite colleges; everyone else can expect the lower-cost mostly online experience. While presidents said that right now most attention is given to the changes wrought by the cutting of costs and the use of technology and online tools, the emphasis should actually be on changes to the model of teaching and learning.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/07/17/college-presidents-hybrid-will-have-bigger-impact-than-moocs.aspx

by Molly Schulson, eCampusNews

There are over 500,000 free lectures, videos and other resources available on iTunes U, which was created in 2007 as a section of the iTunes store dedicated to providing users with educational content. Over 155 countries have access to iTunes U’s repertoire of material, made easier by Apple’s most recent update. Apple announced on June 30 that they have enhanced the iTunes U experience for iPad users. For example, educators are now able to create and edit their own iTunes U courses directly on their iPads for the first time. They can incorporate pictures and video captured from their iPad’s camera and also add their work from other apps such as iWork or iBooks Author to their iTunes U courses.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/business-news/itunes-u-update-199/

by Paul Dean, the Sociological Cinema

Since launching The Sociological Cinema in September 2010, we have cataloged over 450 videos for teaching and learning sociology, and written numerous blog posts about teaching with video and other multimedia. We have marveled at the explosion of course-relevant videos now available on the Internet and the ways that technology has enabled the production and sharing of videos previously unavailable to instructors. Along the way, we have continuously reflected about how these videos can be useful in an educational context.

http://www.thesociologicalcinema.com/blog/toward-a-video-pedagogy

by: Angie Parker, Teaching&Learning

There are three types of interaction in online courses: learner-to-content, learner-to-instructor, and learner-to-learner. Each contributes to student retention and motivation. This article elaborates on these types of interaction and suggests which technologies can facilitate each type of interaction.

http://www.magnapubs.com/blog/teaching-and-learning/can-new-technologies-increase-interaction-in-online-education/

by Online Learning Insights

Though there are a variety of factors that contribute to low completion rates, I suggest that three barriers, 1) technology, 2) poor usability & course design, and 3) anonymity contribute significantly to low student participation levels and completion—barriers that deter, discourage and in some cases intimidate students. Also, in some instances, barriers one and two are potential barriers in closed, online classes (as those offered as for-credit courses at public and private institutions).

http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/tag/technology-as-barrier-to-online-learning/

by Business Insider

Want to gain an edge in your working life? Learning new skills online doesn’t cost you anything but time. Want to gain an edge in your working life? Learning new skills online doesn’t cost you anything but time. Based on data from online education platform Coursera, we compiled a list of the 12 most popular, free online classes for working professionals.

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/07/14/from-the-basics-of-programming-to-financial-markets-here-are-the-12-most-popular-free-online-courses-for-professionals/

By Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed

Colleges and universities, higher education associations and ed-tech companies aren’t always in agreement on issues facing academe, but on the topic of “net neutrality,” they are sending a clear message to the federal government: Don’t touch the internet. One by one, many of these stakeholders have declared their support for net neutrality, the concept that all traffic on the Internet should be treated equally, whether generated by academic research, reputable news outlets or streaming video. That idea appeared to be cemented in a set of regulations approved in 2010 by the Federal Communications Commission, but an appeals court earlier this year found those rules illegal, casting the future of internet regulations into confusion.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/11/higher-education-and-library-groups-present-net-neutrality-principles

By sameer.b, Edudemic

Creating online content isn’t just for teachers that teach exclusively distance courses. Putting some course content online can be useful in any type of blended learning scenario, or even just to have the information available to in-person students for their use as they need it throughout the year. That said, putting your course content online can feel like a daunting task if you aren’t a “web person” per se. There are so many options out there for making online course content. Below are a handful of options.

http://www.edudemic.com/creating-online-course-content/

By Dennis Carter, eCampus News

Data reveals the ten most common forms of plagiarism in higher education. When it comes to plagiarizing, students who use the unethical shortcut seem to be all in: Copying and pasting a research paper word for word is now the most common form of plagiarism. Those findings, along with the ten most common forms of plagiarism in higher education, were detailed in a national ranking of plagiarism incidents released this month by Turnitin, an online company that makes software designed to detect cheating in homework assignments and research papers.

http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/college-plagiarism-students-682/

by Patricia Pedraza-Nafziger, BellaOnline

The old method of teachers instructing students has morphed into more of a shared learning environment. The new teaching and learning theory is called andragogy, or adult-leading, as opposed to pedagogy, or child-leading, according to American educator Malcolm Knowles. Key attributes associated with adult learners are motivation fueled by a need to know, an acquired foundation of experience, self-concept, and a readiness or willingness to learn. Teaching methodologies tailored for andragogy are quite common at the college level, particularly in distance and online learning environments, because many students today are already working full-time jobs and hope to acquire higher positions by gaining advanced degrees. These adult students seek the most efficient and time-saving methods for furthering their educations, and distance learning is at the top of the list.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art173983.asp

by Equities.com

MOOCs continue to gain ground on their traditional peers, driven by some of the forces identified above. We believe that MOOCs will secure acceptance by more and more institutions for transfer credit, and that the emergence of a blended online/offline program such as that envisioned by Mr. Agarwal is likely. The preeminence of degrees that require the investment of years of study may also come to be challenged by targeted micro-programs, which could come to be highly regarded by employers. What’s increasingly certain is that the university education of the future will not be tied to what we know from the past — and that will be good for students and employers alike.

http://www.equities.com/editors-desk/stocks/technology/online-university-courses-growing-pains-secular-trends

by Midland Daily News

If Dr. Lawrence Power has his way, the innovative new online learning program he has just launched at http://www.HealthYourself101.com will expand people’s understanding of the causes, consequences, and management of visceral obesity. Power has set out to provide a health education platform on this modern epidemic and its ill effects that’s actually – dare we say it? – entertaining to dig into and learn from. “The program,” says Power, “aims to engage the remote learner – the solitary individual signing on from a desktop, laptop, or smart phone. Its content addresses the obesity epidemic through interactive options like social media, a playfully simulated rocket launch, and game play.” “Who knows?” Power adds. “This could serve as a model for the online learning methodology that higher education has been seeking.”

http://www.ourmidland.com/prweb/retired-ann-arbor-physician-and-professor-wields-new-media-to/article_16ffbba5-b3d4-548f-a025-99b57d3615f6.html

By Maria Mirakaj Brownsell, Community College Campus News

All in all, online classes seem to be helpful for certain lifestyles, but seem to disappoint many. If someone is looking for an easy class where they won’t have to devote much time, they may wrongly turn to e-learning. If someone is looking for a way to take a class in between other activities but has plenty of time to put into, then they shall succeed!

http://cccnews.info/2014/07/13/is-e-learning-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, Associated Press

Scientists have learned a lot about the preschool brain over the past decade. But unless they read medical journals, most parents and others who care for their young children have yet to hear about those discoveries. Researchers at the University of Washington and a group of nonprofit partners are trying to change that by making outreach and education a bigger part of their work. A variety of new efforts have begun: from a Facebook page with photos of parents and kids demonstrating learning activities to a free online mini-university explaining the science in a way that everyone can understand and apply it.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/d215eb98c422430998ddbcf4f04cdc7a/WA–Parenting-101

Facing the Facts: Facial Recognition and E-Learning

by Kate Everson, Chief Learning Officer

Facial recognition software developer KeyLemon has released a new program that applies its product to online education. Not only will it identify users when they first log into a program, it will confirm whether they’re the one taking the test. It also tracks eye movement to make sure learners are paying attention to a lecture instead of just half-heartedly listening while playing a gripping game of Tetris. For learning leaders, this development means they can add some integrity to online development programs that are plagued by plagiarism and cheating. It also means they can make e-learning more personal and responsive by giving the administrator a firmer grasp on what students are paying attention to during lecture.

http://www.clomedia.com/blogs/2-from-the-editors/post/5717-facing-the-facts-facial-recognition-and-e-learning

by Alexander Russo, edSurge

Indeed, adult education is experiencing a much-needed surge of interest from the innovation and entrepreneurial communities, according to experts, observers, and providers. They hope that this interest will develop new human capital, improve outcomes, and attract additional resources. Some of the developments – flipped, blended, gamified, mobile learning – are familiar trends generally mirroring those taking place in other sectors. Others trends and concepts – contextualization, “braided” funding, and “bridge” programs – are more specific to the needs of low-skill adults and adult education programs who serve them. Here’s a roundup of some of the most interesting trends and innovations in adult education from our interviews with experts and leaders in the field.

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-07-11-so-you-think-you-can-educate-adults

by Sherif Halawa, University World News

The wide gamut of interactions that MOOC platforms record helps us not only to predict and understand more about dropouts but also to distinguish between learners who leave because of lack of time, learners who leave because of lack of motivation and learners who leave because of course difficulty. In a classroom setting, the teacher can observe students’ active engagement with a discussion, but cannot measure non-participating students’ engagement (whether or not they are silently following the discussion). MOOCs record forum post visits even for students who never post to the forum. MOOC forums also record conversations between students, which is difficult to capture in a classroom setting. In a dropout diagnosis experiment, we asked students to self-report on their state of perceived course difficulty, motivation and their amount of weekly free time. Analysis of respondents’ learning interaction data revealed that certain behaviours are associated with high or low levels of each of these three factors.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20140708163413797