 Your new post is loading...
In March 2013 I will be leading an expedition through the Nepalese side of the Himalayas in an attempt to summit Mount Everest. I am looking for ten schools from ten different countries to connect ...
One of the pluses of technology in education is the fact that it liberated the notion of formal instruction and destroyed its confining walls. There is an emerging breed of teachers nowadays who no longer accept the notion that the classroom is necessarily contained within four walls. They use social media and telecommunication technologies to globalize their instruction and extend their teaching to everywhere in the world.
This site provides information for the Education On Air conference convened by Google in Education. The conference will occur on May 2, 2012 from 12 noon- 10pm Eastern.
Sometimes students in the online environment just need that extra nudge to feel connected in order to truly excel. As instructors, we can facilitate community-building in an asynchronous environment by utilizing synchronous tools, such as Wimba, Skype, Elluminate, and others available to us via our learning management system or outside of the LMS.
The World Café is a conversational process based on a set of integrated design principles that reveal a deeper living network pattern.
The World Café is based on a few simple ideas, but those ideas are situated in a complex nexus that includes elements of process itself, philosophical thinking both historic and recent, a lexicon of new language, emergent social behaviors, and many other groups and methods that are exploring similar territory.
Juanita Brown, one of the co-founders of the World Café, wrote her doctoral thesis on the subject, and there is no better place to go to find the deep philosophical roots of the World Café as an experience and social phenomona.
As a Skype user, I've found video conferencing with my students to be an effective connection. I'm intrigued by the idea of larger hangout meetings with my online students. I'll be trying this! ~ Dennis
----------------
Google Hangouts opens up another realm of possibilities for educators . Google Hangouts allows up to 10 people to video chat with one another. Hangouts are free and easy to use (once you download and install a browser plug-in, you’re all set). You can invite specific people to join a Hangout with you, although it’s worth noting that anyone who joins can in turn share the Hangout’s URL and invite others. As being in a Hangout appears in all the participants’ Streams, it does mean that these are public gatherings.
Google’s Hangout technology recognizes who is speaking during a session and that person’s image takes the “big screen” while other participants appear in small tiles below. In other words, there’s no squinting or tracking to try to figure out where the voice in the video conference is coming from.
Sharing ideas visually is no new concept. A hundred years ago, teachers used chalkboards. Then, with the invention of the smelly, dry erase marker, we upgraded our boardrooms and classrooms with shiny whiteboards. Then along came old fashion projectors, and we wrote on clear plastic, shining the ideas up on a pull-down screen. Years later, the projector has gone the way of the chalkboard though, because now we have digital projectors! “But wait!! you say. What about SMART Boards?!
If you are one of the nation’s benevolent educational leaders who has spent tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on SMART Boards, you should be swatted smartly on the wrist for wasting taxpayer dollars. Most of the functionality of a SMART Board, especially the functionality that teachers use, can be gotten from a digital projector shown on a dry erase board. And in most districts that have a SMART Board or two in each school, a digital projector could have been placed in 20 classrooms for the same initial cos
The 10 Biggest Myths About Synchronous Online Teaching (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE: http://t.co/X9WhWaHW... Key ideas: Reaching agreement on the convenience of online classes is easy, but arguing in favor of a synchronous learning experience in a virtual classroom is harder. Debunking the top 10 myths about synchronous online teaching helps refute the arguments against it, while the transformational nature of online teaching can convert skeptics into supporters. With adequate support for their online efforts, would-be online educators can embark on their own synchronous online teaching adventures — and fly!
|
Dr. Martin Sivula is a former Director of Academic Computing and is a Certified Data Educator (CDE).
Several years ago I witnessed a graduate student speaking to person on his laptop screen.
If you were waiting for Google to release a screen-sharing feature inside the Hangout real-time collaboration platform, that time has come. In the next 48 hours Google will be rolling out to all Google+ users the ability to screen-share during any hangout session. From Christopher Johnson G+ post: "When we launched Hangouts with Extras last September, we wanted to test new features and get feedback from users. We’ve learned a lot over the past few months, and today we’re rolling out a new Hangouts look and feel that incorporates some of the “extras,” and better reflects Google’s overall design ( http://goo.gl/gG1NA ). Highlights include: - Screensharing: share what’s on your computer screen with everyone in the hangout. This is the first of many extras we’re graduating to Hangouts proper. - Bigger video: we’ve put more emphasis on the live video itself by optimizing white space and other screen elements."
Source: https://plus.google.com/115570939558790629700/posts/h9HHTRBK7CJ
Via Robin Good
Visually see the differences between asynchronous e-learning and synchronous e-learning practices.
Via Beth Dichter
A study of asynchronous and synchronous e-learning methods discovered that each supports different purposes.
By Stefan Hrastinski
My work has focused on the benefits and limitations of asynchronous and synchronous e-learning and addresses questions such as when, why, and how to use these two modes of delivery. Many organizations and educational institutions are interested in using and developing both asynchronous and synchronous e-learning, but have a limited understanding of the benefits and limitations of the two. I began with a view of learning as participation in the social world,which implies that learning is a dialogue carried out through both internal and social negotiation.
Some Recent Happenings at LearningTimes.
This is a dynamic online community with a focus on both synchronous and asynchronous online learning.
If you're looking for a great network where you can meet other online professionals, this is it!
I personally recommend you tune into the Green Room Podcasts with my colleagues Susan Manning and Dan Balzer! (Superb practicioners.)
Complimentary Programs
InSync Training Events Calendar
Programs are delivered via Webex Training Center or iLinc. Toll-free teleconferencing is available in the US only. Your confirmation email will provide instructions on how to log on and how to test your software.
Synchronous training opportunities are a great way to 'sample' the art of live real time online learning. Increasingly real-time online presentations are being used to deliver information. To avoid repeating the inefficiencies of a tradional staff meeting, it takes a skilled presesenter. Here's a chance to experience a professional caliber real-time training. (For Free... a word all teachers love too hear!) ~ Dennis
“If seeing, hearing, or sharing with your online students could help the learning process, then Google+ Hangouts could be a great, engaging venue for your students. Considering that many students use Social Media as one of the primary ways to communicate, this might be a way to better engage younger generations.”
|
