Online and or Blended Learning

Education technology has changed what’s possible in learning.

No longer are students confined to desks, textbooks, or even classrooms or schools. Today, a student has at least the potential for access to apps, an incredible catalogue of videos, podcasts, learning simulations, digital communities and so much more, all through a simple internet connection.

The following 7 educational technology platforms are good representatives of some of these changes, and the chart above is a snapshot of how exactly they’ve changed what’s possible in learning, from new sources of data to the potential for a global audience.

1. MOOCs

2. Skillbuilder websites

3. Blackboard Learn

4. Skype in the Classroom

5. Khan Academy

6. YouTube Edu

7. iTunesU

A good capture of different views and thoughts on this topic.

Flipping a classroom does have its positives but it will depend on student access and their commitment to watching video at home...just the same as in the past, will they do their written homework?

Assistir a vídeos também significa mais do que estar sentado à frente de dispositivos...

Uma boa abordagem  para revolucionar a aprendizagem na sala de aula (prós e contras).

even if it's not CLIL oriented, a nice colection of videos focusing on key aspects  of Language Teaching.

Online and free!

Many teacher want to get their classes online for various reasons. The info here will help anyone set it up more professionally.

Some really interesting reflections and comments in this article. What makes the current form of MOOCs particularly challenging for the learner? Poonam argues that effective learning materials involve the learners and makes a case for the interactive MOOC - the iMOOC. "Those wanting to build iMOOCS – or at least include greater learner interactivity into their courses – could gather inspiration for their instructional design strategy from interactivity building tools."

Certain "truisms" run through articles written on MOOCs. One of the more consistent "stories" repeated from article to article involves the completion rate of MOOCs, hovering around 7%. There are many reasons why MOOCs have low completion rates, but typically the "story" is told as one of MOOC design failure, as in this piece. Quote from this article: "“To engage learners and keep them interested in the course - and motivated to continue and complete it, there’s a need to develop MOOCs that are highly interactive (iMOOCs). No wonder that MOOCs’ learner drop-out rates are extremely high,” [Poonam Jaypuriya] commented. “According to our information, typically, we’re seeing only seven or eight per cent of learners completing courses.” I agree with the 7% completion rate, which matches my hands-on experience. But I disagree with the assessment of why 93% of my students did not complete my MOOC. In fact, let's consider the admission requirements for a MOOC. Typically, a student submits an email address. There is no transcript verification, there is no statement of commitment (i.e. how much this "learner" will prioritize a free class when other life and work events occur during the course), and no really penalty from just dropping out of the course at any time for any reason. MOOCs are a fascinating experiment, and while some MOOCs clearly have a way to go to fully leverage the full and already available possibilities of a quality engaging online education, that is not the fundamental reason for low completion rates. MOOC providers need to figure out how to secure learning commitments from students. And to play the contrarian on this issue, I would argue that the top retention tools of traditional higher education have been tuition cost, admissions standards, and verifiable transcripts, not the quality of course design (and I mean course design principles as opposed to faculty reputation). 

This is an informative presentation with clear examples on what the flipped classroom is and why many teachers are starting to adopt this model. 

Si la experiencia de las aulas "flipeadas" en EU ha causado cierto éxito, tengo mis reserva si este modelo pueda adecuarse por ejemplo, al contexto latinoamericano.

Some useful data.

Discover  all the ins and outs!

Some basic figures

I can't help wondering how this compares to other efforts. For example, @openstudy who run social structures and support around opencourseware such as some of MIT's OCW. As a clear example I'm still struck by how the Mechanical MOOC ( @MOOC_E ) pulled together 3 or 4 services (including openstudy) to provide a framework around OCW. I'm not sugesting their approach would work for every discipline but I'm a little surprised at the fanfare NovoEd has got in the press. 

Datos claves del Aprendizaje y la Trascendencia de la Comunicación Móvil.

This looks interesting.

Eliademy could be your solution when you are looking to offer a course online, or maybe even only when you want to support your in-class activities with an online environment.

Interesante entorno para cursos online.

Una buena opción para ofrecer un curso online o un apoyo virtual a las clases presenciales.

Dispone de una interfaz nítida e intuitiva. 

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Interesting environment for online courses.
A good option to offer an online course or support in-class activities with an online environment..

It has a clear and intuitive interface.

Interesting remarks on the future of online learning. Mobile is the way to go, but...

“Before smartphones, we went online roughly five times a day, in long chunks, according to Joe Kraus, a partner at Google Ventures. Today, with smartphones, it’s 27 times, in much shorter bursts. Twentieth century instructional methods just don’t work as well for busy, distracted 21st-century learners.”

Well written and concise sobering and critical opinion piece; can help us refocus on few critical points in designing MOOCs or any online learning actually, especially when you are in the high euphoric phase.