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Introducing the Connect Thinking E-Learning Academy
Monday, December 31, 2012
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my readers and subscribers for your support and I hope that you continue to support my eLearning News with comments, suggestions in 2013.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Reading, Writing and… Facebook?
Associate News Editor reports, "A new study shows that 94 percent of Israeli high school students accessed social media on their phones during class."
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| Photo: PsychCentral.com |
Researchers at the University of Haifa said that just 4 percent of students reported not using their cellphones at all during class.
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| Photo: ITAI BEERI, PhD |
About 94 percent of the pupils admitted to accessing social media or file-sharing sites, such as Facebook and YouTube, during class, from time to time or even more frequently.
Some 95 percent take pictures or make recordings during class for non-study purposes; 94 percent send e-mails and text messages; 93 percent listen to music during class; and 91 percent actually talk on their phones during class.
The researchers found that cell phones are used more frequently in humanities classes than in math and science classes, and as the difficulty of the subject matter rises, cell phone use goes down.
Age also influences cell phone use: 10th graders use their phones in class most frequently, while 12th graders use them the least.
Read more...
Related links
94% of High School Students Used Phones During Class
provided by (University of Haifa)
Source: PsychCentral.com
IMP Interactive Redefining the Concept of Learning for Kids With New iPad Apps
All those people who think learning for kids is synonymous with dull and boring - get ready to have your beliefs transformed!
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| Photo: PR Newswire |
IMP Interactive is here to add a touch of entertainment and adventure to the whole concept of knowledge acquisition and assimilation with its latest Kids Learning Apps. Watch your kids have fun while they grow and soak up on various life lessons and acquire basic logic skills like reading, speaking and counting with interactive iPad Apps from IMP Interactive! Initiate your kid's journey onto the path of learning with Great Bible Adventures, Monsterfacts and The World of Fairytales - the three new Kids Learning Apps from this leading online publication house.
When it comes to the multinational literary and publication industry, International Masters Publishers is one name that requires no introduction. With their presence across 35 countries and a 40 year long history of being in the business, they are considered by many as the industry leader. Truly a treat to the reader's mind, the company's publications are considered to be a cut above the rest because of their well written content, interactive presentation, beautiful photography and various imaginative illustrations.
"Remember when you used to hear those tales from your grandparents in your childhood? Those values and morals are still stamped on your memory aren't they! Such is the power of interactive learning. It allows kids to assimilate various important life lessons and hone their basic logical abilities. And these lessons stay with them for the rest of their lives!" explains Mathias Tonnesson, Creative Head, IMP Interactive. "Now we know we cannot recreate the whole story-telling experience you had with your grandparents, but what we have may as well be the next best thing! Watch your kid learn and grow, improving his/her reading, speaking and counting skills along the way, with IMP's Kids Learning Apps. Learning was never this much fun!"
IMP Interactive is offering three different Apps for the pleasure and entertainment of children:
- Great Bible Adventures, an app that imparts important moral values to kids in an interactive and engaging manner, through fascinating bible stories that make learning important life lessons easy and fun.
- Monsterfacts, that brings nature's scariest monsters thrillingly to life with stunning illustrations and clear, factual text and also promises to teach the kids a thing or two along the way.
- The World of Fairytales that offers a charming series of the much-loved classic fairy tales along with some enchanting surprises.
The products feature content that has been hand-picked to develop the learning and visualization abilities of children and to help them harness their innate creative strengths. All the three products have been connected via Famloop which gives parents and invited family members a possibility to encourage their children to improve their learning skills by interacting via their Smartphones or iPads.
Visit iTunes to buy and download apps
For more information about the same, please visit the following websites:
- http://www.greatbibleadventure.com/
- http://www.monsterfactsapp.com/
- http://www.theworldoffairytales.com/
About International Masters Publishers
International Masters Publishers is an established name in the world of online publications. For 40 years, they have been publishing high quality collections for the home and families on a variety of interesting topics. IMP Interactive is the digital subsidiary of International Masters Publishers and are engaged into designing various interactive apps and magazine for iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire and Android.
Websites:
- http://www.greatbibleadventure.com/
- http://www.monsterfactsapp.com/
- http://www.theworldoffairytales.com/
Wethersfield Library Offers Free Online Courses To Residents by CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN
Free online courses on everything from Microsoft Word to making cookies are a mouse click away thanks to the Wethersfield Library.
Residents can learn the basics or polish their skills in more than 500 subjects through two services offered on the library's website.
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| http://www.universalclass.com/index.htm |
The two services, Universal Learning and Learning Express, allow users to sign in and take courses at their own pace. Instruction typically includes written lessons that the user learns and reviews, followed by tests.
Offerings from Universal Learning range from math, science and business courses to lessons on the Civil War, cooking and spiritual growth. Students have six months to complete the course and may sign up for as many as five at once.
Read more...
To take the online courses, visit the Wethersfield library website at http://www.wethersfieldlibrary.org/.
About Universal Class, Inc.
Universal Class, Inc. [also known as UniversalClass™ or UniversalClass.com™] provides online continuing education courses to schools, libraries, companies, educators, and individuals throughout the world. It aims to advance intellectual exchange in teaching, research, and service with its technology and belief that lifelong learning should be affordable to all people of all cultures. With a growing course catalog of over 500 online classes, Universal Class is committed to providing only the most affordable and highest quality continuing education. Over 300,000 students around the world have benefited from Universal Class' unique instructional technologies. With streaming video, website avatars, insightful instructional content, helpful tutors, and a social networking experience, Universal Class offers an engaging and measurable learning experience that helps students master and document their educational goals.
Read more...
Source: Hartford Courant
Friday, December 28, 2012
Tech & Learning Top Stories: The Hottest Stories That Everyone's Reading
Please, take a closer look and check out the top 25 most read stories of 2012 on TechLearning.com
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Life of pi-comes alive
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| Photo: Deccan Herald |
Numbers are integral to our life. In this age of fast automation, there is no escape from them. Numeracy is part of literacy. With each passing day, more and more numbers would enter our life as digitization gains pace.
Years ago, Doordarshan ran a 42-episode serial titled Chauraha aimed at promoting literacy among the rural womenfolk, slum dwellers, the dhaba workers, artisans and peasants.
A Voyage Through Numbers
A Bangalore-based organization, Brainstars has come up with ‘NumberNagar’, a uniquely designed Math Activity Centre for students from 3rd to 7th standard or 8-13 age group. The prototype—in a 15 feet by 15 feet room—is designed to take the children on an imaginative voyage where they experience mathematics.
One enters the NumberNagar through a door at the zero mile signpost. A series of magnetic cards bring to life the history of mathematicians, several among them being Indians. A wall-mounted ‘zero suitcase’ illustrates the most notable contribution of Indian mathematician i.e., zero which enabled the world to crunch numbers that ran unwieldy till then due to use of Roman numerals.
Ratios and the proportions of human body so ably explained by Leonardo da Vinci through his Vitruvian Man enclosed within a square overlapping a circle lets a student explore the wisdom embedded in the diagram made in 1490.
Next comes the piece de resistance: a city map with civic paraphernalia like the lamp posts, jogging tracks, water towers, public taps, a jumble of domes, gopurams, minarets and spires of places of worship, traffic signs, pushcarts, mobile eateries, are etched in visuals. Says Anupama, Prakash, President, communications of the Brainstars, the city map is hoped to inspire students and teachers to the possibilities of mathematics in various concepts in the city.
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“The map is not intended to be drawn to scale nor a comprehensive and representative map of urban space. Instead, it distorts distance, size, symbols and scale to facilitate the viewer a deeper, analytical and reflective experience of the city”.
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| Photo: Srinivasa Ramanujam |
NumberNagar was launchd on December 22, the 125th birth anniversary of legendary Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujam as the dusk settles over 2012, the year dedicated as the National Year of Mathematics by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Launch will take place at Freedom Park.
Read more...
Related link
NumberNagar – Press Release
About BrainSTARS
BrainSTARS is an organisation dedicated to fostering and nurturing the movement of Science and Maths Education in India. We act as the bridge between the formal education sector and innovative educational research. We continuously explore the demands and conditions of contemporary Science and Maths education in five environments - school, college, professional science/ math education, community science/math literacy and government policies. Based on our studies we create educational solutions through products and programmes that significantly address and fulfill the Science and Maths education challenges in any environment.
About Number Nagar
Number Nagar is a hands-on, unique Maths activity centre developed by BrainSTARS with inputs from researchers, educationists, pedagogues, artists and space designers. It takes maths off the school chapters and connects it to the city our children live in so that mathematical concepts are no longer alien entities but an exciting daily experience.
NumberNagar is radically different from the software-based Maths Labs available in the market right now. It emphasizes three things:
- The visual and tactile experience of the city we live in. How does the city animate a child`s curiosity for patterns and happenings, shapes and proportions, measurements and calculations - all conceptual mathematical areas that penetrate our daily urban lives in astounding ways.
- Conceptual learning of Maths by applying it to the familiar and the everyday.
- Enabling the children to communicate their understanding of Mathematical concepts by sharing their works in groups and listening to each other for feedback and insights.
We have developed NumberNagar for visitors of all ages and levels of math ability, but with particular relevance to children in 3 - 8 standards (implementing school curriculum across school boards).
We provide in-house facilitators (or teacher training) and support system for all NumberNagar installations. NumberNagar is scalable to serve any geography. Please visit us to examine the prototype.
Source: Deccan Herald
So You Got A New iOS Device For Christmas – The First Apps To Install by Trevor Sheridan
Apple’N'Apps wishes "Merry Christmas to you and yours. We hope you got just want you wanted this Christmas, and perhaps even a new iOS device. If so, congratulations, and it’s time to fire it up."
We have picked the very best apps for your new iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, or iPod touch, and provided them below. Most of the apps are universal for all iOS devices, and they’re all a great place to get started in their respective categories.
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| Photo: Apple’N'Apps |
Again congrats because that’s quite a present, and we hope you stay tuned to Apple’N'Apps to get the most out of your new gift.
Read more...
Source: Apple’N'Apps
Essential Apps for Kids and Teens
Get Started with These Essential Apps for Kids and Teens today.
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| Download Full Guide |
Our editors have combed through thousands of apps and picked their top 10 recommendations for kids ages 2-17 for the iPad, iPhone, Android phone/tablet, and Kindle Fire.
Related link
Starter Kits for iPad, iPhone, Android, and Kindle Fire
Enjoy these apps!
Source: Common Sense Media
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Three Ways to Use Online Training from OpenSesame: Online, via CourseCloud™ or in Your LMS
Whether you're a developer looking to publish courses or a training director in need of content for your LMS, OpenSesame makes buying and selling e-Learning as easy as downloading a song from iTunes.
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| Photo: Kelly Meeker |
With OpenSesame, buyers can shop for courses from different sellers, preview courses, and read reviews before making a purchase. OpenSesame offers unprecendented flexibility in buying and using online training courses.
Buying Courses on OpenSesame
There are two easy ways to purchase courses from OpenSesame:
- eCommerce: Shop our elearning marketplace and purchase licenses for only the courses you need. Buy all the seats you need to advantage of volume discounts. With our simple ecommerce marketplace, OpenSesame makes purchasing elearning courses as simple and familiar as shopping on Amazon.com.
- Pay-Per-Use: Share your training objectives and the OpenSesame content team will create a curriculum of training courses to meet your goals. Load course licenses into your LMS and connect your learners with a wide array of training content. OpenSesame will bill your company monthly for only the courses you actually use. Use OpenSesame’s Pay-Per-Use pricing to access offer training without an expensive, long-term contract.
OpenSesame Tour
OpenSesame Now Offers More Than 5,000 Courses for iPad & iPhone
Kelly Meeker also wrotes, "We are proud to announce that OpenSesame now offers more than 5,000 courses that work on iPad, iPhone and other iOS devices."
Workers in today’s knowledge economy need access to training content that works on their favorite mobile tools - especially on best-selling iPads. To meet this increasing demand, OpenSesame has developed technology that enables users to access a large selection of courses on iPhones, iPads and other iOS devices.
OpenSesame’s CourseCloud
As an elearning marketplace, we’re focused on making it easy for you to use elearning courses in whatever way is most convenient for you. That’s why courses you purchase on OpenSesame will work in any SCORM-compliant learning management system. Our latest feature, CourseCloud™, makes elearning work for companies who don’t have a learning management system (LMS) or who need a simple, instant way to distribute courses to small groups.
CourseCloud™ delivery lets you purchase, take and distribute courses with just a web browser. Use CourseCloud™ to invite your employees to take courses with a simple email - and you can see on your dashboard if they have started, completed or passed the course.
OpenSesame’s CourseCloud™ enables businesses of any size to:
- Send simple email invitations to take training on OpenSesame.com
- Connect employees to training courses instantly
- Deliver and track courses without a learning management system
Email Course Delivery
OpenSesame Infographic: The Anatomy of 20,000+ Courses
Take a closer look at this OpenSesame Infographic by OpenSesam.
20,000 eLearning courses available instantly from OpenSesame!!!
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| http://cogentys.com/elearningtv-episodes/20000-elearning-courses-available-instantly-from-opensesame/ |
ASU Education Startup Tackles Problems with Online Learning; Steps Out of Beta
Onvard.com steps out of beta and challenges anyone who would like to learn
new skills in programming, instruments, sports (basically anything) with their
user-generated “Tracks” that answer the question every beginner has: “Where do I
begin?”
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| Photo: http://onvard.com/ |
On January 12, 2013, during a year which has been projected to be the biggest year for e-learning, six ASU students will make history.
They’ll be launching the newest online learning solution: Onvard.com, a website designed for taking the guesswork out of trying to learn a new skill for beginners. The website hopes to make self-learning easier by answering the questions every beginning learner asks – Where do I start? How do I begin? Which resources are the best to use?
Onvard provides a starting point that no other e-learning solution currently provides, drawing from the experiences of the team members’ own problems with finding quality resources. The site’s users will finally have a step-by-step collection of resources, known as a “Track” and curated by experts, which will give learners all the resources to become an expert in almost anything.
Simply put, users will spend more time learning and less time trying to navigate the expansive world wide web.
Keith Ryu, the site’s founder and a current finance and computer information systems major at Arizona State University, started building the site with his two friends, after growing frustrated trying to learn the Ruby programming language. “There was no way for us to distinguish the good resources from the bad. Even when we knew what to look for, we were forced to pick the first resources off irrelevant criteria,” Ryu elaborated.
It certainly can be a challenge to improve in any skill, but that's a challenge that shouldn't be passed up. “Online education should be free and easily accessible to everyone,” Ryu said. “Onvard bridges that gap between beginning learners and existing educational content.”
Since its beta launch in February 2012, Onvard.com has had 250 signups and generated 30 tracks, offering the best online resources in Photoshop to basketball.
About Onvard
What is Onvard?
We a curating platform for educational content.
Onvard helps you learn something new when you don’t know where to start. We make self-learning easier by answering the question every beginning learner asks – “Where do I start, how do I begin, and which resources are the best to use?”
Who's Onvard for?
Self-Learners
Let’s say you’ve set out to master web development. Or juggling. Or Photoshop. Naturally, you Google “Photoshop for beginners.” And you know what pops up? Hundreds of supposedly awesome Photoshop tutorials. Unfortunately, as a beginner, you have no way of knowing which ones are good and bad. That’s where Onvard comes in.
Onvard takes all the guesswork out of trying to learn a new skill.
Onvard provides a starting point that takes you from absolute beginner to the point where you know enough to start on your own for just exactly what you need. With Onvard, you will find which resources experts really recommend, and follow the same steps that the experts took to get to where they are today. Let us give you all the resources to become an expert in almost anything. We’ve put all the worthwhile videos, best books and quality tutorials into one Track so you can spend your time learning instead of trying to navigate the web.
Experts and Curators
Are you an expert in something? Have a skill you want to share?
Do you remember how you became an expert? Have an excellent video you watched, book you read, or tutorial you used?
If so, then you can help others by sharing those resources and insights from your learning experience! Share your knowledge now!.
Source: PR.com
Red Cross releases Blended Learning
In an effort to meet virtual training demands, the American Red Cross has developed Blended Learning, a delivery method which incorporates online training with in-person skills sessions with a certified ARC instructor in first aid, CPR, and automated external defibrillator (AED) usage.
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| Photo: The American Red Cross |
“This will allow us to reach a new audience who normally would not take our training due to time conflicts,” said Kennedy Benjamin, ARC's service delivery manager for Health & Safety. “They can do the majority of their training anytime and anywhere with a computer and Internet access.”
After registering for a Blended Learning course, participants will need to successfully complete the online session, before attending the in-person skills session, Benjamin said. The interactive web-based program is designed to teach participants the skills required to pass the in-person skill session.
“Students can spend anywhere from 2-5 hours doing the online training, depending on which course they register for,” Benjamin said. “And it does not have to be done all at once.”
The virtual training tracks and stores students' progress in the specific course. Students are able to resume the course from where they last left of.
For more information about this program or other Health & Safety training, visit www.redcross.org.
Read more...
About The American Red Cross
The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.
Vision Statement
The American Red Cross, through its strong network of volunteers, donors and partners, is always there in times of need. We aspire to turn compassion into action so that...
...all people affected by disaster across the country and around the world receive care, shelter and hope;
...our communities are ready and prepared for disasters;
...everyone in our country has access to safe, lifesaving blood and blood products;
...all members of our armed services and their families find support and comfort whenever needed; and
...in an emergency, there are always trained individuals nearby, ready to use their Red Cross skills to save lives.
Fundamental Principles of the Global Red Cross Network
Humanity
The Red Cross, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavors—in its international and national capacity—to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.
Impartiality
It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavors to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.
Neutrality
In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Red Cross may not take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.
Independence
The Red Cross is independent. The national societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with Red Cross principles.
Voluntary Service
The Red Cross is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.
Unity
There can be only one Red Cross society in any one country. It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.
Universality
The Red Cross is a worldwide institution in which all societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other.
Source: Saipan Tribune
Blended learning helps students prepare for the real world, educators say by Mike Lesko
Mike Lesko writes, "Online learning is here to stay.
So says Maureen Haska, the instructional technology specialist for Streetsboro City Schools."
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| Photo: Gateway News |
"If we don't teach our students how to successfully use learning management systems, they will struggle when they go to college and or enter the real world," she said.A learning management system, in which students can participate in a class from anywhere they have Internet access, took a step forward this school year after the Streetsboro City Schools received an $80,000 blended learning grant last spring from ETech of Ohio, which is part of the Ohio Department of Education. Streetsboro was one of only six high schools in the state to receive the grant.
It allowed the district to acquire, among other things, 30 computers for students and 16 laptop computers for the teachers who are participating in the program along with a wall projector and a "distance learning unit," which is a "real-time video conferencing system in high definition, according to Steve Cain, the district's technology director. "It's remarkable technology," Cain said. "Instead of watching something on the Internet, it allows you to interact."
In addition, Cain said 25 percent of the grant money is required to be used on professional development "so we can make it more interesting for the students."
Kent State University Dr. Cindy Kovalik, who is working with the school district on professional development, said blended learning is "any combination of traditional classroom student-teacher interaction coupled with many or few online components."
"Blended learning can be designed so that students do some activities on their own online and some activities in the classroom," said Kovalik, a KSU assistant professor in lifespan development and educational sciences.Read more...
"For example, a teacher may structure a class so that students are in the classroom two or three times a week, and on the other days, students complete what they need to do online," Kovalik said. "If you envision a horizontal line with traditional classroom instruction on one end and a 100 percent online course at the other end, blended learning can be anywhere between those two points."
Source: Gateway News
Monday, December 24, 2012
State Leaders Ready To Expand Online Higher Education In 2013
Gina Jordan writes, "The Florida Board of Governors will enter 2013 with a priority of expanding higher education online."
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| Photo: StateImpact Florida |
Members will meet in mid-January to talk about their options, including the creation of a public university that is online only.
“There could be no doubt that Florida is already a major contributor to the world of online learning,” Chancellor Frank Brogan said. “Now we need to organize our efforts to devise a plan that provides a maximum return on investment in the future.”
Research by the Parthenon Group found that 40% of university and college students in Florida took at least one course online in 2010-11, and students at all degree levels are enrolling in online degree programs.
A March 2011 report outlining an overview of E-Learning for the Board of Governors found those students would be armed with these 21st century skills:
- Improved technology literacy
- Effective Internet research
- Effective online communication
- Effective online collaboration
- Comfort with virtual learning and working environments
- Prepared to be life-long learners
Read more...
Source: StateImpact Florida
DT Deals: Be an iOS app developer with a $29 investment
"Creating an iOS app isn't as hard as you think - just follow this respected guide and you'll be on your way to the App Store. That's today's DT Deals." summarizes Natt Garun.
So you think you have the great big idea, but you don’t know how to go about developing it into a mobile app? It’s actually not as hard as you think – as long as you have a trusty guide to help you along the way. Today’s DT Deals is the $29 comprehensive guide to developing an iOS app.  |
| Photo: Natt Garun |
The step-by-step process helps you understand all the bits and pieces involved in creating a mobile product – from technical advice to tips on how to develop business off your brand new app. If you don’t enjoy what you’re learning, there’s even a 30-day money back guarantee.
Plan & Execute your iPad and iPhone App
If we’re doing our math correctly, $29 can get you a few hamburgers, a Blu-Ray movie or two, a pair of flip flops, a two-person movie date, or a standard iPhone case. With this investment, $29 might just make you the next big thing in tech. Aren’t you up for that challenge?
Source: Digital Trends
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