4 Professors Discuss Teaching Free Online Courses for Thousands of Students by Jeffrey R. Young

"What is it like to teach a free online course to tens of thousands of students? Dozens of professors are doing just that, experimenting with a format known as Massive Open Online Courses. And there are more providers than ever, some working with elite universities, and others that allow any professor to join in." writes Jeffrey R. Young.

The Chronicle asked four professors, teaching on different platforms, to share their thoughts on the experience so far. The responses are based on e-mail interviews, which have been condensed and edited for publication.

Source: The Chronicle

4 Professors Discuss Teaching Free Online Courses for Thousands of Students by Jeffrey R. Young

"What is it like to teach a free online course to tens of thousands of students? Dozens of professors are doing just that, experimenting with a format known as Massive Open Online Courses. And there are more providers than ever, some working with elite universities, and others that allow any professor to join in." writes Jeffrey R. Young.

The Chronicle asked four professors, teaching on different platforms, to share their thoughts on the experience so far. The responses are based on e-mail interviews, which have been condensed and edited for publication.

Source: The Chronicle

eSN Tools for Schools: Collegewebeditor.com is an authority on all things marketing

Photo: Dennis Carter

Dennis Carter Assistant Editor, eSchool News writes, "Our site of the week is Collegewebeditor.com, launched and run by internet marketing expert Karine Joly. The site updates educators and IT professionals on the latest in how to attract prospective students and engage current students, alumni, and parents with the latest in web technology."

Collegewebeditor.com is an independent, popular,
and influential blog about the Web, marketing, and PR in higher education.
Photo: Karine Joly

Joly invites guest bloggers to consider the long-term marketing impact of free online courses, how to use Twitter during campus controversies, and the latest trends in Facebook usage.

http://collegewebeditor.com/blog/

Collegewebeditor in April drew IT staffers' attention with a post about Notre Dame joining an exclusive club of colleges and universities that have made a single school site that adapts according to which device it appears on, keeping the website an appropriate size with no need to scroll or zoom in and out to adjust to the differences between an iPhone screen, an iPad screen, or a MacBook screen, for example.

Read more...

Source: eSchool News 

eSN Tools for Schools: Collegewebeditor.com is an authority on all things marketing

Photo: Dennis Carter

Dennis Carter Assistant Editor, eSchool News writes, "Our site of the week is Collegewebeditor.com, launched and run by internet marketing expert Karine Joly. The site updates educators and IT professionals on the latest in how to attract prospective students and engage current students, alumni, and parents with the latest in web technology."

Collegewebeditor.com is an independent, popular,
and influential blog about the Web, marketing, and PR in higher education.
Photo: Karine Joly

Joly invites guest bloggers to consider the long-term marketing impact of free online courses, how to use Twitter during campus controversies, and the latest trends in Facebook usage.

http://collegewebeditor.com/blog/

Collegewebeditor in April drew IT staffers' attention with a post about Notre Dame joining an exclusive club of colleges and universities that have made a single school site that adapts according to which device it appears on, keeping the website an appropriate size with no need to scroll or zoom in and out to adjust to the differences between an iPhone screen, an iPad screen, or a MacBook screen, for example.

Read more...

Source: eSchool News 

Articles released by The CITE Journal

I hope you would like to read these three interesting articles released by CITE Journal.

Photo:CITE Journal 

Editorial: Implementing the Teacher Education Initiative
By Glen Bull, Marshall George, Melanie Shoffner, Cheryl Bolick, John Lee, Janice Anderson, David Slykhuis, Joe Garofalo, Robin Angotti, Michael McKenna, Elizabeth West, Sara Dexter, Mary Herring, Mark Hofer, and Abbie Brown.

Representatives from ten specialty professional associations affiliated with the National Technology Leadership Coalition (NTLC) are collaborating with Microsoft Corporation to develop an innovative professional development opportunity for teacher educators—the Teacher Education Initiative (TEI). The goal of the initiative is to enhance preparation of future teachers to use technology in effective ways to teach students across grades and academic disciplines. This effort builds upon initiatives such as Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) and Microsoft’s Partners in Learning (PIL) program.
Read more... 

Providing Professional Support to Teachers Who Are Implementing a Middle School Mathematics Digital Unit
By George J. Roy, Charles Vanover, and Vivian Fueyo,University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Phillip Vahey, SRI International

Abstract
Middle school teachers’ use of digital curricula incorporating dynamic technology has been found to support student learning of complex algebraic concepts. This article reports on pilot research involving collaboration among faculty from a public university’s college of education, educational researchers from a nonprofit research organization, and school district leadership from a large, urban school district. The purpose of this paper is to document a series of inquiry-based professional development sessions provided to middle school teachers on the implementation of a digitally based mathematics replacement unit emphasizing algebraic concepts. The professional development experiences allowed the participating teachers to implement the digital unit successfully using a variety of instructional approaches
Read more... 

Integrating Educational Technology into the Secondary Science Teaching
By S. Selcen Guzey and Gillian H. Roehrig, University of Minnesota

Abstract

The integration of technology in teaching is still challenging for most teachers, even though there has been a historical growth of Internet access and available educational technology tools in schools. Teachers have not incorporated technology into their teaching for various reasons, such as lack of knowledge of technology, time, and support. In this study, three beginning science teachers who successfully achieved technology integration were followed for 3 years to investigate how their beliefs, knowledge, and identity contributed to their uses of technology in their classroom instruction. The findings demonstrate that the participating teachers were all intrinsically motivated to use technology in their teaching and this motivation allowed them to enjoy using technology in their instruction and kept them engaged in technology use. The major findings of the study are displayed in a model, which indicates that the internalization of the technology use comes from reflection and that teachers’ use of technology in classroom instruction is constructed jointly by their technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge; beliefs; identity; and the resources that are available to them. The study has implications for teachers and teacher educators for successful technology integration into science classrooms.
Read more...

Source: The CITE Journal 

Articles released by The CITE Journal

I hope you would like to read these three interesting articles released by CITE Journal.

Photo:CITE Journal 

Editorial: Implementing the Teacher Education Initiative
By Glen Bull, Marshall George, Melanie Shoffner, Cheryl Bolick, John Lee, Janice Anderson, David Slykhuis, Joe Garofalo, Robin Angotti, Michael McKenna, Elizabeth West, Sara Dexter, Mary Herring, Mark Hofer, and Abbie Brown.

Representatives from ten specialty professional associations affiliated with the National Technology Leadership Coalition (NTLC) are collaborating with Microsoft Corporation to develop an innovative professional development opportunity for teacher educators—the Teacher Education Initiative (TEI). The goal of the initiative is to enhance preparation of future teachers to use technology in effective ways to teach students across grades and academic disciplines. This effort builds upon initiatives such as Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) and Microsoft’s Partners in Learning (PIL) program.
Read more... 

Providing Professional Support to Teachers Who Are Implementing a Middle School Mathematics Digital Unit
By George J. Roy, Charles Vanover, and Vivian Fueyo,University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Phillip Vahey, SRI International

Abstract
Middle school teachers’ use of digital curricula incorporating dynamic technology has been found to support student learning of complex algebraic concepts. This article reports on pilot research involving collaboration among faculty from a public university’s college of education, educational researchers from a nonprofit research organization, and school district leadership from a large, urban school district. The purpose of this paper is to document a series of inquiry-based professional development sessions provided to middle school teachers on the implementation of a digitally based mathematics replacement unit emphasizing algebraic concepts. The professional development experiences allowed the participating teachers to implement the digital unit successfully using a variety of instructional approaches
Read more... 

Integrating Educational Technology into the Secondary Science Teaching
By S. Selcen Guzey and Gillian H. Roehrig, University of Minnesota

Abstract

The integration of technology in teaching is still challenging for most teachers, even though there has been a historical growth of Internet access and available educational technology tools in schools. Teachers have not incorporated technology into their teaching for various reasons, such as lack of knowledge of technology, time, and support. In this study, three beginning science teachers who successfully achieved technology integration were followed for 3 years to investigate how their beliefs, knowledge, and identity contributed to their uses of technology in their classroom instruction. The findings demonstrate that the participating teachers were all intrinsically motivated to use technology in their teaching and this motivation allowed them to enjoy using technology in their instruction and kept them engaged in technology use. The major findings of the study are displayed in a model, which indicates that the internalization of the technology use comes from reflection and that teachers’ use of technology in classroom instruction is constructed jointly by their technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge; beliefs; identity; and the resources that are available to them. The study has implications for teachers and teacher educators for successful technology integration into science classrooms.
Read more...

Source: The CITE Journal 

Top 10 applications and websites used with MathType

MathType 6.8 for Windows extends our Equations Everywhere and Anywhere™ initiative to over 600+ applications and websites. While many people use MathType with Microsoft Word or Apple Pages '09, we thought you'd like to see the other applications and websites people use with MathType.

Top 10 other applications and websites:

1. Mathematica
2. Gmail
3. Blackboard
4. InDesign
5. Mathcad
6. OpenOffice
7. Posterous
8. Maple
9. PowerPoint
10. Moodle

Over 600+ applications and websites

Check out our "works with" web application to get up-to-date information and instructions on how each of the 600+ applications and websites work with MathType.

MathType 6.8 is now available

MathType 6.8 for Windows works with Microsoft Office 2010 and is available in English, French, and German!

Source: Design Science

Top 10 applications and websites used with MathType

MathType 6.8 for Windows extends our Equations Everywhere and Anywhere™ initiative to over 600+ applications and websites. While many people use MathType with Microsoft Word or Apple Pages '09, we thought you'd like to see the other applications and websites people use with MathType.

Top 10 other applications and websites:

1. Mathematica
2. Gmail
3. Blackboard
4. InDesign
5. Mathcad
6. OpenOffice
7. Posterous
8. Maple
9. PowerPoint
10. Moodle

Over 600+ applications and websites

Check out our "works with" web application to get up-to-date information and instructions on how each of the 600+ applications and websites work with MathType.

MathType 6.8 is now available

MathType 6.8 for Windows works with Microsoft Office 2010 and is available in English, French, and German!

Source: Design Science

Reading Rainbow’ resurfaces as an app by Sarah Edwards, CNN

"(CNN) - Butterfly in the sky I can go twice as high. . . Remember those lyrics from the once popular children’s show “Reading Rainbow”? Well, it’s back, but this time not on TV – on iPad." summarizes Sarah Edwards, CNN.


Last week, Reading Rainbow host, executive producer and actor Levar Burton, launched the Reading Rainbow app through his for-profit company RR Kidz Inc. Burton says he hopes the app will have the same impact on a new, more “digitally-native” generation as the show had on kids in the ‘80s.

Reading Rainbow App Trailer



The app, like the show, is aimed at children ages 3-9, who are just learning how to read. Like the show, Burton plays host, this time calling himself “Curator in Chief.” He, along with digital animations named Jane and Austin, guides children on a hot air balloon ride through the chosen story. Burton said, “The child will be able to navigate islands in a hot air balloon . . . a metaphor for a journey, a literal way to transport yourself from one place to another. The islands are themed and a child can go to these islands and find videos as well as books. Reading Rainbow was famous for giving you a backstage tour, giving you an experience that was based in the real world that was related to the literature and the featured book in every show and so the video field trips are a key component.”

In the not-too-distant future, many schools throughout the country may be equipped with handheld devices, and companies like Burton’s will be right there to deliver content. Content which Burton hopes will reinsert what he believes has been lost in the education process – the art of storytelling.
Read more...

Welcome Educators

We love teachers! You know educators have always been at the center of the Reading Rainbow family. As the most utilized television resource in our nation's schools, we have have strived to enhance the education process and support teachers, librarians and administrators. We are working on creating a dynamic and exciting Reading Rainbow educational community in time for Back To School 2012. If you are intersted in keeping up to date on our progress, just sign up for the newsletter.

 

Related link
Visit iTunes to buy and download apps

Source: CNN (blog)

Reading Rainbow’ resurfaces as an app by Sarah Edwards, CNN

"(CNN) - Butterfly in the sky I can go twice as high. . . Remember those lyrics from the once popular children’s show “Reading Rainbow”? Well, it’s back, but this time not on TV – on iPad." summarizes Sarah Edwards, CNN.


Last week, Reading Rainbow host, executive producer and actor Levar Burton, launched the Reading Rainbow app through his for-profit company RR Kidz Inc. Burton says he hopes the app will have the same impact on a new, more “digitally-native” generation as the show had on kids in the ‘80s.

Reading Rainbow App Trailer



The app, like the show, is aimed at children ages 3-9, who are just learning how to read. Like the show, Burton plays host, this time calling himself “Curator in Chief.” He, along with digital animations named Jane and Austin, guides children on a hot air balloon ride through the chosen story. Burton said, “The child will be able to navigate islands in a hot air balloon . . . a metaphor for a journey, a literal way to transport yourself from one place to another. The islands are themed and a child can go to these islands and find videos as well as books. Reading Rainbow was famous for giving you a backstage tour, giving you an experience that was based in the real world that was related to the literature and the featured book in every show and so the video field trips are a key component.”

In the not-too-distant future, many schools throughout the country may be equipped with handheld devices, and companies like Burton’s will be right there to deliver content. Content which Burton hopes will reinsert what he believes has been lost in the education process – the art of storytelling.
Read more...

Welcome Educators

We love teachers! You know educators have always been at the center of the Reading Rainbow family. As the most utilized television resource in our nation's schools, we have have strived to enhance the education process and support teachers, librarians and administrators. We are working on creating a dynamic and exciting Reading Rainbow educational community in time for Back To School 2012. If you are intersted in keeping up to date on our progress, just sign up for the newsletter.

 

Related link
Visit iTunes to buy and download apps

Source: CNN (blog)