Recommended book: Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

Do you like to read, then check this book out!

EXCELLENCE IN COLLEGE TEACHING AND LEARNING: Classroom and Online Instruction
By George Henderson and Susan Smith Nash

Synopsis

This book will improve the quality of instruction that college students need. It makes numerous suggestions that must be tended to when teachers instruct students.

It provides suggestions on how classroom and online teachers can consciously manage sounds, movements, colors, and the other aspects of teaching as though they were like drama, music, ballet, or literature in order to keep students attentive.

This is one of the few books that give equal attention to teaching classroom and online courses.

The book will serve as an excellent resource for would-be, new, and experienced teachers as well as professional development staff and librarians.

Read more...

Related link

E-Learning Queen (Susan Smith Nash)

Source: Visit Charles C. Thomas publisher

Recommended book: Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

Do you like to read, then check this book out!

EXCELLENCE IN COLLEGE TEACHING AND LEARNING: Classroom and Online Instruction
By George Henderson and Susan Smith Nash

Synopsis

This book will improve the quality of instruction that college students need. It makes numerous suggestions that must be tended to when teachers instruct students.

It provides suggestions on how classroom and online teachers can consciously manage sounds, movements, colors, and the other aspects of teaching as though they were like drama, music, ballet, or literature in order to keep students attentive.

This is one of the few books that give equal attention to teaching classroom and online courses.

The book will serve as an excellent resource for would-be, new, and experienced teachers as well as professional development staff and librarians.

Read more...

Related link

E-Learning Queen (Susan Smith Nash)

Source: Visit Charles C. Thomas publisher

elearningeuropa.info - Newsletter September 2007

Be sure to check out the elearningeuropa.info - Newsletter September 2007

E-QUALITY DVD-ROM.
The Minerva project entitled “e-Quality: Quality Implementation in Open and Distance Learning in a Multicultural European Environment” has published a project DVD-ROM, which is available free of charge.

The DVD contains interesting informations on:

• A state of the art on Quality processes in general and on Quality in e-learning in particular (in French and in English).
• A comparative analysis in 5 European countries of the implemention of Quality process in ODL in Higher Education - (in English).
• A General Quality Process Charter in 6 European languages.
• The Elup Editor offers possibilities for a user to structure and document the Quality process of his own institution. Software, conceptual guide and user manual in English and in French.
• Trainer’s and Professional’s Guide to Quality in ODL (in English).
• The results of the training sessions on Quality and their evaluation (in English)
• Proceedings of the Final Seminar held in Szczecin, Poland, September 21-22, 2006.(in English)

Place your order here

THE EU eLEARNING LISBON 2007 conference, 15-16 October 2007.
The conference will be held under the auspices of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union and with the support of the DG EAC, DG EAI and DG INFSO. The three main themes of the EU conference are: Digital and Social Cohesion, Re-skilling for the Knowledge Society, and the Value of E-learning. Already, over 1.400 people have registered to participate.
Read more...

On the elearningeuropa.info portal, you can read interviews with the key conference speakers:

Marc J. Rosenberg and Carlos Zorrinho.

Source: elearningeuropa.info - Newsletter September 2007

elearningeuropa.info - Newsletter September 2007

Be sure to check out the elearningeuropa.info - Newsletter September 2007

E-QUALITY DVD-ROM.
The Minerva project entitled “e-Quality: Quality Implementation in Open and Distance Learning in a Multicultural European Environment” has published a project DVD-ROM, which is available free of charge.

The DVD contains interesting informations on:

• A state of the art on Quality processes in general and on Quality in e-learning in particular (in French and in English).
• A comparative analysis in 5 European countries of the implemention of Quality process in ODL in Higher Education - (in English).
• A General Quality Process Charter in 6 European languages.
• The Elup Editor offers possibilities for a user to structure and document the Quality process of his own institution. Software, conceptual guide and user manual in English and in French.
• Trainer’s and Professional’s Guide to Quality in ODL (in English).
• The results of the training sessions on Quality and their evaluation (in English)
• Proceedings of the Final Seminar held in Szczecin, Poland, September 21-22, 2006.(in English)

Place your order here

THE EU eLEARNING LISBON 2007 conference, 15-16 October 2007.
The conference will be held under the auspices of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union and with the support of the DG EAC, DG EAI and DG INFSO. The three main themes of the EU conference are: Digital and Social Cohesion, Re-skilling for the Knowledge Society, and the Value of E-learning. Already, over 1.400 people have registered to participate.
Read more...

On the elearningeuropa.info portal, you can read interviews with the key conference speakers:

Marc J. Rosenberg and Carlos Zorrinho.

Source: elearningeuropa.info - Newsletter September 2007

USDLA Launches National Distance Learning Week to Increase the Awareness of Distance Learning

Rodney B. Murray reminds us in his latest comment about the upcoming National Distance Learning Week and his interview of the NDLW National Chair, Dr. Ken Hartman on his podcast:

National Distance Learning Week
November 12 - 16, 2007
Interview: Dr. Ken Hartman, NDLW National Committee Chair and Academic Director, Drexel Online

Related links
National Distance Learning Week (NDLW)
PRWeb

Source: Rod's Pulse Podcast

USDLA Launches National Distance Learning Week to Increase the Awareness of Distance Learning

Rodney B. Murray reminds us in his latest comment about the upcoming National Distance Learning Week and his interview of the NDLW National Chair, Dr. Ken Hartman on his podcast:

National Distance Learning Week
November 12 - 16, 2007
Interview: Dr. Ken Hartman, NDLW National Committee Chair and Academic Director, Drexel Online

Related links
National Distance Learning Week (NDLW)
PRWeb

Source: Rod's Pulse Podcast

Apply for the European Seal of E-Excellence 2008

Applications for the European Seal of E-Excellence 2008 are open from 3 September to 21 December 2007.

The European Seal of E-Excellence is the prestigious yearly award that distinguishes ICT & digital media companies with an excellent track record in innovation marketing. For the sixth year in a row, the European Multimedia Associations Convention (EMMAC) calls upon ICT & digital media technology companies worldwide to apply for the European Seal of E-Excellence. The winners of the Seal 2008 will be announced at CEBIT / Hanover in March 2008.

Read more...

Related link

European Seal of E-Excellence 2008

Source: Learningbusiness.fi

Apply for the European Seal of E-Excellence 2008

Applications for the European Seal of E-Excellence 2008 are open from 3 September to 21 December 2007.

The European Seal of E-Excellence is the prestigious yearly award that distinguishes ICT & digital media companies with an excellent track record in innovation marketing. For the sixth year in a row, the European Multimedia Associations Convention (EMMAC) calls upon ICT & digital media technology companies worldwide to apply for the European Seal of E-Excellence. The winners of the Seal 2008 will be announced at CEBIT / Hanover in March 2008.

Read more...

Related link

European Seal of E-Excellence 2008

Source: Learningbusiness.fi

Smithsonian debuts 'virtual museum'

Web site enables students, teachers to explore African American history and culture.

The Smithsonian Institution's new museum dedicated to black history and culture launched Sept. 26 with an interactive web site--long before its building opens for visitors on the National Mall.
Social-networking technology donated by IBM Corp. will allow visitors to help produce content for future exhibits at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Almost anything is fair game--long essays, short vignettes of memories, or recorded oral histories. The museum plans to add video capabilities in the future.
"The culture of the African American experience ... is too important to wait five or 10 years until the building is open," said Lonnie Bunch, the museum's founding director. "I wanted people to know that from the day I was hired, this museum exists."
Museum staff will monitor the site for historical accuracy, and technical filters will block racist or inappropriate comments, said Bunch, adding that the site is really a "virtual museum" and a new source of research for curators, scholars, and students.

Read more...

Related links

National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Portrait Gallery's upcoming exhibits

IBM Community Relations

Source: eSchool News

Smithsonian debuts 'virtual museum'

Web site enables students, teachers to explore African American history and culture.

The Smithsonian Institution's new museum dedicated to black history and culture launched Sept. 26 with an interactive web site--long before its building opens for visitors on the National Mall.
Social-networking technology donated by IBM Corp. will allow visitors to help produce content for future exhibits at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Almost anything is fair game--long essays, short vignettes of memories, or recorded oral histories. The museum plans to add video capabilities in the future.
"The culture of the African American experience ... is too important to wait five or 10 years until the building is open," said Lonnie Bunch, the museum's founding director. "I wanted people to know that from the day I was hired, this museum exists."
Museum staff will monitor the site for historical accuracy, and technical filters will block racist or inappropriate comments, said Bunch, adding that the site is really a "virtual museum" and a new source of research for curators, scholars, and students.

Read more...

Related links

National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Portrait Gallery's upcoming exhibits

IBM Community Relations

Source: eSchool News

Teachers urged to save voice with a microphone by Adam Sage in Paris

Teachers are being advised to use microphones, loudspeakers and other techniques to save their vocal cords.
A team of scientists issued the recommendations after a study of the impact of increasingly noisy classrooms. The survey of 3,904 teachers in France discovered that they were twice as likely as other workers to suffer disorders ranging from sore throats to vocal fold swelling.
A quarter of the men and half the women interviewed said that they often or always suffered vocal problems. Scientists said that women teachers were at greater risk because those with high voices were more likely to put a strain on their vocal cords.

Read more...

Source: Times Online

Teachers urged to save voice with a microphone by Adam Sage in Paris

Teachers are being advised to use microphones, loudspeakers and other techniques to save their vocal cords.
A team of scientists issued the recommendations after a study of the impact of increasingly noisy classrooms. The survey of 3,904 teachers in France discovered that they were twice as likely as other workers to suffer disorders ranging from sore throats to vocal fold swelling.
A quarter of the men and half the women interviewed said that they often or always suffered vocal problems. Scientists said that women teachers were at greater risk because those with high voices were more likely to put a strain on their vocal cords.

Read more...

Source: Times Online

Mark of Zotero by Scott McLemee

Zotero is a tool for storing, retrieving, organizing, and annotating digital documents.

It has been available for not quite a year. I started using it about six weeks ago, and am still learning some of the fine points, but feel sufficient enthusiasm about Zotero to recommend it to anyone doing research online. If very much of your work involves material from JSTOR, for example – or if you find it necessary to collect bibliographical references, or to locate Web-based publications that you expect to cite in your own work — then Zotero is worth knowing how to use. (You can install it on your computer for free; more on that in due course.)

Read more...

Related links

Zotero

View tour

Source: Inside Higher Ed

Mark of Zotero by Scott McLemee

Zotero is a tool for storing, retrieving, organizing, and annotating digital documents.

It has been available for not quite a year. I started using it about six weeks ago, and am still learning some of the fine points, but feel sufficient enthusiasm about Zotero to recommend it to anyone doing research online. If very much of your work involves material from JSTOR, for example – or if you find it necessary to collect bibliographical references, or to locate Web-based publications that you expect to cite in your own work — then Zotero is worth knowing how to use. (You can install it on your computer for free; more on that in due course.)

Read more...

Related links

Zotero

View tour

Source: Inside Higher Ed

Slideshow by Stephen Downes delivered to Brandon Hall; Innovations in Learning Conference

Stephen Downes talk at the Brandon Hall; Innovations in Learning Conference, San Jose, September 25, 2007



See slideshow

Related links to short comment from the talk
Janet Clarey
Harold Jarche

Source: Stephen's Web

Slideshow by Stephen Downes delivered to Brandon Hall; Innovations in Learning Conference

Stephen Downes talk at the Brandon Hall; Innovations in Learning Conference, San Jose, September 25, 2007



See slideshow

Related links to short comment from the talk
Janet Clarey
Harold Jarche

Source: Stephen's Web

Computerworld Denmark News - The One Laptop Per Child Project

Experts Test XO Laptop -- And the Kids Love It

The product of the One Laptop per Child project gets thumbs up from a focus group of its target users.

By Nicolai Devantier, Computerworld Denmark

Computerworld Denmark invited a group of true experts to evaluate the One Laptop per Child XO-laptop. Read their judgments on one of the world's biggest IT-teaching projects.
Negropontes' people's PC is solely aimed at schoolchildren and if they give it thumbs down the large-scale project won't succeed -- no matter what kind of conclusions experts and theoretical thinkers can come up with.
The true and honest judgment has to come from the kid's.

Read more..

Cheap Kids' Laptop: 'Ultimate Learning Tool'

The One Laptop Per Child Project, placing technology with developing nations, could revolutionize education.
By Rune Pedersen, Computerworld Denmark

If the One Laptop Project keeps its promises, the small green US$100 laptop could very well revolutionize teaching in developing nations. Computerworld Denmark asked Jan Soelberg, an expert from the school of education at the University of Aarhus, to try the computer.
The hyped One Laptop per Child project at MIT could potentially be a revolutionary tool for education in developing nations, said Soelberg after he tested the PC at Computerworld's office.
"It's one of the potentially most interesting contributions in the effort to equalize some of the differences we face in the world today," said Soelberg.

Read more...

Source: PC World

Computerworld Denmark News - The One Laptop Per Child Project

Experts Test XO Laptop -- And the Kids Love It

The product of the One Laptop per Child project gets thumbs up from a focus group of its target users.

By Nicolai Devantier, Computerworld Denmark

Computerworld Denmark invited a group of true experts to evaluate the One Laptop per Child XO-laptop. Read their judgments on one of the world's biggest IT-teaching projects.
Negropontes' people's PC is solely aimed at schoolchildren and if they give it thumbs down the large-scale project won't succeed -- no matter what kind of conclusions experts and theoretical thinkers can come up with.
The true and honest judgment has to come from the kid's.

Read more..

Cheap Kids' Laptop: 'Ultimate Learning Tool'

The One Laptop Per Child Project, placing technology with developing nations, could revolutionize education.
By Rune Pedersen, Computerworld Denmark

If the One Laptop Project keeps its promises, the small green US$100 laptop could very well revolutionize teaching in developing nations. Computerworld Denmark asked Jan Soelberg, an expert from the school of education at the University of Aarhus, to try the computer.
The hyped One Laptop per Child project at MIT could potentially be a revolutionary tool for education in developing nations, said Soelberg after he tested the PC at Computerworld's office.
"It's one of the potentially most interesting contributions in the effort to equalize some of the differences we face in the world today," said Soelberg.

Read more...

Source: PC World

For two weeks in November, U.S. educators and others can buy the machines for $400 apiece, with profits funding laptops in developing nations

The project that hopes to supply developing-world schoolchildren with $188 laptops will sell the rugged little computers to U.S. residents and Canadians for $400 each, with the profit going toward a machine for a poor country.

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative expects that its "Give One, Get One" promotion will result in a pool of thousands of donated laptops that will stimulate demand in countries hesitant to join the program. It will be offered for only two weeks in November.
Originally conceived as the "$100 laptop," the funky, low-power "XO" computers now cost $188. The laptops' manufacturer, Quanta Computer Inc., is beginning mass production next month, but with far fewer than the 3 million orders OLPC Director Nicholas Negroponte had said he was waiting for.
Negroponte said the availability of donated laptops would not be the sole condition for many countries weighing whether to place multimillion-dollar orders. But "it just triggers it," he said. "It makes it all happen faster."

Read more...

Related links

One Laptop Per Child

Give One, Get One project

Source: eSchool News

For two weeks in November, U.S. educators and others can buy the machines for $400 apiece, with profits funding laptops in developing nations

The project that hopes to supply developing-world schoolchildren with $188 laptops will sell the rugged little computers to U.S. residents and Canadians for $400 each, with the profit going toward a machine for a poor country.

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative expects that its "Give One, Get One" promotion will result in a pool of thousands of donated laptops that will stimulate demand in countries hesitant to join the program. It will be offered for only two weeks in November.
Originally conceived as the "$100 laptop," the funky, low-power "XO" computers now cost $188. The laptops' manufacturer, Quanta Computer Inc., is beginning mass production next month, but with far fewer than the 3 million orders OLPC Director Nicholas Negroponte had said he was waiting for.
Negroponte said the availability of donated laptops would not be the sole condition for many countries weighing whether to place multimillion-dollar orders. But "it just triggers it," he said. "It makes it all happen faster."

Read more...

Related links

One Laptop Per Child

Give One, Get One project

Source: eSchool News

BElgian network for Open and Distance Learning

Please take a moment to review the ELEC project BE-ODL developed together with twelve partners two new guides.

From learning towards e-learning
For you too?

The first guide wants to offer all interested learners a tool that will enable them to switch from conventional learning towards e-learning. This guide is for everyone who wants to learn more about the different forms of electronic learning. By answering the questionnaire you will find out which e-learning format suits the best in your way of learning. It guides you towards digital learning sources, digital courses or virtual classrooms.

Read more...

From content to e-content
Guide for trainers & teachers

The second guide is mainly meant for teachers, trainers, coaches, ... It is a tool by which they can make their own e-teaching material without feeling frustrated because they are no IT-experts.

Read more...

The ELEC team hope that you will enjoy using these guide and wish you much success with it.

Source: The elearningeuropa.info Directory and Be-ODL.org in english

BElgian network for Open and Distance Learning

Please take a moment to review the ELEC project BE-ODL developed together with twelve partners two new guides.

From learning towards e-learning
For you too?

The first guide wants to offer all interested learners a tool that will enable them to switch from conventional learning towards e-learning. This guide is for everyone who wants to learn more about the different forms of electronic learning. By answering the questionnaire you will find out which e-learning format suits the best in your way of learning. It guides you towards digital learning sources, digital courses or virtual classrooms.

Read more...

From content to e-content
Guide for trainers & teachers

The second guide is mainly meant for teachers, trainers, coaches, ... It is a tool by which they can make their own e-teaching material without feeling frustrated because they are no IT-experts.

Read more...

The ELEC team hope that you will enjoy using these guide and wish you much success with it.

Source: The elearningeuropa.info Directory and Be-ODL.org in english

A third of distance learning revenue growth of 15% accounted for by increased enrollment of students in traditional programs

Career College Central

Distance learning revenues in a sample of DL programs grew by a mean of 15.52% in 2006, according to The Survey of Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education, 2007-2008 edition, just published by Primary Research Group. More than a third of the enrollment increase came from increased enrollment from students that already attend traditional classes.

The study is based on data from 45 higher education distance learning programs, with mean revenues of approximately $2.35 million. Data is broken out by size and type of college, for public and private colleges and for high, medium and low growth enrollment distance learning programs.
The 200-page report presents more than 750 tables of data exploring many facets of distance learning programs, including revenues, cost structure, rates of pay, student demographics, program growth rates, current and planned use of new technologies, catering to special populations, and many other financial and business aspects of managing distance learning programs.
Read more...

Source: Career College News

A third of distance learning revenue growth of 15% accounted for by increased enrollment of students in traditional programs

Career College Central

Distance learning revenues in a sample of DL programs grew by a mean of 15.52% in 2006, according to The Survey of Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education, 2007-2008 edition, just published by Primary Research Group. More than a third of the enrollment increase came from increased enrollment from students that already attend traditional classes.

The study is based on data from 45 higher education distance learning programs, with mean revenues of approximately $2.35 million. Data is broken out by size and type of college, for public and private colleges and for high, medium and low growth enrollment distance learning programs.
The 200-page report presents more than 750 tables of data exploring many facets of distance learning programs, including revenues, cost structure, rates of pay, student demographics, program growth rates, current and planned use of new technologies, catering to special populations, and many other financial and business aspects of managing distance learning programs.
Read more...

Source: Career College News

Mobile Web 2.0 - Where is the business?

Tekes is looking into media and has now started a new development project for media industry called Enhanced media. This Mobile web 2.0 project will be tightly connected for the planning of the Enhanced media providing insight to business trends around social media and especially user generated content.

Read more...

Source: LEARNINGBUSINESS.FI

Mobile Web 2.0 - Where is the business?

Tekes is looking into media and has now started a new development project for media industry called Enhanced media. This Mobile web 2.0 project will be tightly connected for the planning of the Enhanced media providing insight to business trends around social media and especially user generated content.

Read more...

Source: LEARNINGBUSINESS.FI

eSN TechWatch: Data-Driven Instruction -- September 24, 2007

Consultant Karen Greenwood Henke discusses how school leaders can use data to improve teaching and learning.

Data-Driven Instruction from VEOH

eSN TechWatch: Data-Driven Instruction -- September 24, 2007

Related links

New Case Studies
Read about Fox Chapel Area School District (PA) and Chicago Public Schools (ILL) and their success in using data driven decision making.

Nimble Net™ is a product and service of Nimble Press™, a strategic marketing and communications firm founded by Karen Greenwood Henke in 1999.

blog.grantwrangler.com
Grants and awards for schools and teachers

Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

Source: eSchool News

eSN TechWatch: Data-Driven Instruction -- September 24, 2007

Consultant Karen Greenwood Henke discusses how school leaders can use data to improve teaching and learning.

Data-Driven Instruction from VEOH

eSN TechWatch: Data-Driven Instruction -- September 24, 2007

Related links

New Case Studies
Read about Fox Chapel Area School District (PA) and Chicago Public Schools (ILL) and their success in using data driven decision making.

Nimble Net™ is a product and service of Nimble Press™, a strategic marketing and communications firm founded by Karen Greenwood Henke in 1999.

blog.grantwrangler.com
Grants and awards for schools and teachers

Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

Source: eSchool News

eLearn Magazine Education and Technology in Perspective.

Bringing Online Learning to a Research-Intensive University

By Niall Watts, Educational Technology Officer, University College Dublin

University College Dublin is a traditional, campus-based university with a strong commitment to research. Like most universities, UCD has a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for e learning. In our case it's Blackboard. Many faculty members identify e learning with the VLE. Blackboard is used for announcements and the delivery of passive content such as handouts and PowerPoint slides. Little attempt is made to make full use of the online medium. This may be because most academics have not learned or studied online as part of their education. To teach online requires them to rethink their teaching methods and imagine teaching differently from the way they were taught. Despite their exposure to digital media and social networking software, students seem to have equally low expectations of online learning.

Read more...

How Long Should an E-learning Course Be?

By Chris Bennett, Founder and CEO, Ah Ha! Media

We've all participated in a course, training session, or even conference call that seemed to go on for an eternity. There's no question that when participants reach a certain time threshold attention spans begin to dwindle, and learning objectives fall by the wayside. This would lead one to correctly assume that there is in fact a magic number representing the ideal length for interaction—one that's long enough to cover the content, but short enough to maintain focus. This article will provide a framework for answering the question, "How long should an e-learning course be?"

Read more...

Related link

Ah-Ha! Media

Using Game Shows as an Instructional Tool

By Dan Yaman, CEO, and Missy Covington, Communications, LearningWare, Inc.

As more and more corporate and K-12 instructors gravitate towards interactive and attention-grabbing instructional techniques, many are starting to see the intrinsic benefits of using game shows. Our experiences, and those of hundreds of instructors, have shown that when learners play game shows their energy levels surge, they pay attention, and they remember more of the instructional content.
Game shows are an appealing medium—they provide healthy competition, have entertainment value, and are a cultural staple both in the U.S. and internationally. However, many instructors are unable to come up with a practical and justifiable way to use them. They are sometimes met with resistance from skeptical supervisors and financiers. What follows are a few of the most frequently voiced objections and our time-tested responses.

Read more...

Source: eLearn Magazine

eLearn Magazine Education and Technology in Perspective.

Bringing Online Learning to a Research-Intensive University

By Niall Watts, Educational Technology Officer, University College Dublin

University College Dublin is a traditional, campus-based university with a strong commitment to research. Like most universities, UCD has a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for e learning. In our case it's Blackboard. Many faculty members identify e learning with the VLE. Blackboard is used for announcements and the delivery of passive content such as handouts and PowerPoint slides. Little attempt is made to make full use of the online medium. This may be because most academics have not learned or studied online as part of their education. To teach online requires them to rethink their teaching methods and imagine teaching differently from the way they were taught. Despite their exposure to digital media and social networking software, students seem to have equally low expectations of online learning.

Read more...

How Long Should an E-learning Course Be?

By Chris Bennett, Founder and CEO, Ah Ha! Media

We've all participated in a course, training session, or even conference call that seemed to go on for an eternity. There's no question that when participants reach a certain time threshold attention spans begin to dwindle, and learning objectives fall by the wayside. This would lead one to correctly assume that there is in fact a magic number representing the ideal length for interaction—one that's long enough to cover the content, but short enough to maintain focus. This article will provide a framework for answering the question, "How long should an e-learning course be?"

Read more...

Related link

Ah-Ha! Media

Using Game Shows as an Instructional Tool

By Dan Yaman, CEO, and Missy Covington, Communications, LearningWare, Inc.

As more and more corporate and K-12 instructors gravitate towards interactive and attention-grabbing instructional techniques, many are starting to see the intrinsic benefits of using game shows. Our experiences, and those of hundreds of instructors, have shown that when learners play game shows their energy levels surge, they pay attention, and they remember more of the instructional content.
Game shows are an appealing medium—they provide healthy competition, have entertainment value, and are a cultural staple both in the U.S. and internationally. However, many instructors are unable to come up with a practical and justifiable way to use them. They are sometimes met with resistance from skeptical supervisors and financiers. What follows are a few of the most frequently voiced objections and our time-tested responses.

Read more...

Source: eLearn Magazine

Donald H Taylor argues that it’s time to drop the ‘e’ and start concentrating on the ‘learning’.

It’s time to drop e-learning. Let’s be specific. It’s time to drop the ‘e’ in e-learning.

It’s time to recognise that the ‘e’ carries the stigma of past hyperbole, puts some potential learners and managers off and smacks of a love of technology that has everything to do with content delivery, rather than individual learning.If the ‘e’ was ever useful, it has outlived that use now. That’s why ELIG – formerly the E-Learning Industry Group – is now ELIG, the European Learning Industry Group (although if you examine their site you’ll find the word e-learning scattered liberally all over it).
I’ve used the term myself happily in the past – as you might expect of the chairman of the Learning Technologies Conference – but the ELIG change has given me to reflect. And the result of that reflection: they’re right. There’s no need to differentiate now between methods of content delivery. The battle is over, and e-learning has won. It’s a regular part of the learning mix. As Joe Hegarty, Intel Innovation Centres director of business operations and co-chair of ELIG, puts it on the eLearning Weekly blog: The term ‘e-learning’ has been overused. Technology is now clearly embedded in all modern learning solutions.

Read more...

About the author

Donald H Taylor is Alliances Director at InfoBasis, and Chairman of the Learning Technologies and IITT National Trainers conferences. In January he was presented with the Colin Corder Award for outstanding services to IT training. He blogs at learningtechnologiesconference.wordpress.com.

Source: TrainingZONE